CNN Heroes Of 2009

Last night in an attempt to pull myself away from my own drunken pity party of downloading picture hell, I turned on the boob tube and stopped dead in my remote tracks once I caught glimpse of the hot piece above.  It was CNN Heroes of 2009 and I got a quick reality check of people with real issues and the ones that are doing something to help.

Bartender Doc Hendley is providing clean water to communities worldwide. Through creative fundraising, his nonprofit Wine To Water has brought sustainable water systems to 25,000 people in five countries.

Jordan Thomas, 20, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, lost both of his legs in a boating accident in 2005. Since then, his Jordan Thomas Foundation has raised more than $400,000 to provide prosthetics for children in need.

Efren Peñaflorida gives Filipino youth an alternative to gang membership through education. His Dynamic Teen Company’s 10,000 members have taught basic reading and writing to 1,500 kids living in the slums.

Thowin’ in this clip of Maxwell performing just because..um..it’s Maxwell!  Swoon.

Check out the rest of the heroes and their inspiring stories here.

Fellas, Are You Having Problems Getting IT Up?

Alright guys, it’s time for ya’ll to start paying attention to toxic chemicals too. This is what HealthDay Reporter had to say about the penis fun times killer:

Exposure to high levels of the controversial plastics chemical bisphenol A (BPA) significantly raised the risk of sexual dysfunction, including impotence and low sex drive, among Chinese factory workers, a new study has found.

The researchers stressed that the workers were exposed to BPA levels about 50 times higher than what most Chinese or Americans would be exposed to in everyday life.

Even so, they said the study adds to a growing body of research that shows that the ubiquitous chemical may be harmful to humans. BPA, used to make polycarbonate plastic (hard, clear plastic) and epoxy resin, is found in electronic and medical equipment, cars, sports safety equipment, and food and drink containers, including plastic bottles and the lining of cans.

Read the rest of the story here.

Alicia Silverstone: The Kind Diet

Last night I stepped out with Anna Griffin (www.cocoecomag.com) to Alicia’s book signing at the Stella McCartney store. (♥-♥-♥)

If you want to pick up her book, The Kind Diet, she’ll be doing two more book signings this week.

Thursday, October 15
7:00pm
BOOK SOUP
8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069

Saturday, October 17
1:00pm
BARNES & NOBLE (SANTA MONICA)
3rd St. Promenade, 1201 3rd St, Santa Monica, CA

Visit her site for more info: The Kind Life

Knitting With Aunt Flow

Ladies, I just can’t. But if you can..go to Green Daily to learn more.

posted by thuy

Lunch Encounters Of The Third Kind

Lunch Encounters of the Third Kind from Parent Earth on Vimeo.

“Lunch Encounters” launched the One Tray campaign depicting the cafeteria tray as the conduit for a reformed school food system that supports healthy children, local farms, and smart schools. “Lunch Encounters,” a spoof of Close Encounters of the Third Kind was made to raise awareness for the upcoming reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act.

The videos are clear: if you want a healthier America, take action at onetray.org. Every child deserves the opportunity to eat food in school that ensures their health and well-being and Farm to School programs are one solution to incorporating healthier foods into school meals.

Source The Vibe.Social Vibe

Just for health food fun, check out the map below showing the distance from the nearest McDonalds in the lower 48 states. Who’s lovin’ it?

Source Serious Eats Created by Stephen Von Worley

Posted by thuy

Take Your Pre-2009 Sigg Bottles Back To Whole Foods NOW!!

Well ain’t this a bitch? We’ve touted and praised our beloved BPA-free Siggs several times on our blog, only to get hit below the skirt with the sad news that Sigg has indeed had BPA in their lining all along!

In a letter from the CEO, Steve Wasik, dated Sept. 1^st, the company verified that the rumors that bottles manufactured prior to August of 2008 do in fact have liners containing bisphenol A – a chemical that may adversely affect human health.

Jen and I have spent a pretty penny on our Siggs. At $20+ for one container, we thought it was well worth the investment for our health and for the environment. We’ve given them out as gifts to several friends and have suggested them over any other brand over and over. Hell, we even mentioned them in a holiday gift list for Dame Magazine. FML!!

See links below for more on the big fib. For now, please note that Sigg is offering to replace your tainted bottle with a new one by sending it in to their headquarters. But eff that! That means you pay for shipping. It’s not stated on their website, but you can also take your Sigg back to any Whole Foods. Hurry up because it ends at the end of this month. No receipt necessary. Just walk on up to the customer service counter, tell them you got juked and would like to exchange yours for a new one.

Below is an example of the different linings. The bottom two with the bronze color lining are the older ones (with BPA.) The top two with the light greenish lining are the newer ones (w/out BPA.) If any of yours match the coloring of the bottom bottles, hightail it to your nearest Whole Foods immediately.

I’m guilty of being a Sigg whore. And I want to thank them for giving it to me in the back door with no lube. Now I gotta go down to the free clinic on Monday and make sure I don’t have BPA cooties. Damn you Sigg and damn your Keith Haring series that you got me hooked on like crack!

Suggested reads: CEO “I so sowwy” and How Sigg lost my trust

Posted by thuy

Monsanto: Liar Liar, Seeds On Fire

Monsanto= EVIL. And they’re not too happy about their portrayal in Food Inc. From their site:

Welcome to the Monsanto Fact site about the movie Food, Inc.

Food, Inc. is a one-sided, biased film that the creators claim will “lift the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer.” Unfortunately, Food, Inc. is counter-productive to the serious dialogue surrounding the critical topic of our nation’s food supply.

And they even provide a fun lil’ quiz for you to take. It says I lost but I got every single one of those answers right.

Go see Food Inc.

Posted by thuy

Hugo’s

Vegetarians, vegans and organic food followers can take comfort at Hugo’s. Even after recently revamping its interior, the West Hollywood favorite for breakfast and brunch remains committed to its use of free-range, organic and sustainable ingredients.

Their egg scrambles, breakfast a la carte plates (Chilaquiles above- to die for!!) and pancakes are popular morning options; their create-a-plate feature allows flexibility for lunch or dinner.

Hugo’s Restaurant
8401 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 654-3993

Posted by thuy

Thanks To The Recession..

Sales of polluting, plastic water bottles are down.

And sales of home water filtering systems are up. Yay! Target is having a sale on Brita filters (which are now recyclable) and pitchers until September. On top of that, you get a $5 Tar-jay gift card with every Brita purchase.

Then all you need are some of these eco-friendly, good for the planet, non-leaching (good for you,) reusable bottles and ta-dow! How you like me now?

Hello.. Keith Herring Sigg bottle?? So much sexier than a plastic water bottle. (I got mines at Whole Foods.)

Posted by thuy

Must See Movie: Food, Inc.

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment.

We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Visit the Food, Inc. website

Posted by thuy