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California Organic Flowers
California Organic Flowers

California Organic Flowers ... they're pretty, they smell good and they're completely organic. Flowers make great gifts for any occasion. However, chances are you probably haven't given much thought to how flowers are grown, picked and shipped, but you really should.
 
The U.S. imports about 70 percent of its flowers, mostly from Ecuador and Columbia. Beyond Pesticides.org reports that many imported roses have been found to contain a myriad of harmful pesticides.The International Labor Organization reports that women in the rose flower industry have higher incidences of miscarriages, and more than 60 percent of all workers suffer headaches, nausea, blurred vision or fatigue. Add in the carbon costs of shipping, and you just might find that imported pesticide laden flowers really lose their appeal.

California Organic Flowers is a small family farm in the central part of the state (Chico to be exact) that is owned and operated by Marc and Julia Kessler (with son Tava) using only sustainable practices. The soil is naturally nourished with legume cover crops, and pests are kept in check by a host of birds and beneficial insects. All blooms are harvested by hand with love by an all-female farm crew. (Or as I refer to them, the farm Goddesses.)

Their commitment to a healthy ecosystem results in beautiful products that you can feel truly good about buying and giving. A gift to the Flower Club will keep sending the love for three months. Or spruce up your home for the holidays with a seasonal bouquet, or an organic wreath. The Rosemary Chili wreath is particularly festive for winter holidays, while the Ancient Grain Bird Wreath is an all purpose gift, including something for your feathered friends.

Mamas MunchiesFor more information please visit
www.CaliforniaOrganicFlowers.com

Juniper Ridge
Western Wild Goods

A visit to the Juniper Ridge website makes you wish it were scratch-n-sniff enabled. You can almost smell the fresh mountain air filled with a bouquet of pungent Douglas fir, white sage, and alpine sweetgrass. Those are just some of the all-natural aromas that this team of wildcrafters has gathered for your home in the form of incense, sachets, soaps, and even teas.

The term productwildcrafter means that no trees or plants are killed in the harvesting process. The Juniper Ridge team goes out into the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, and with the permission of property owners, trims and prunes existing trees and sh
rubs, leaving the flora better than they found it.

Juniper Ridge is the only company that makes an all natural incense with 100% wild-harvested leaves, wood and resins from the mountains and deserts of the West with no synthetic perfume stuff - no added scents, no fake anything and the sticks are from sustainable bamboo! An amazingly wonderful product - love the sweetgrass!

Make holiday gift giving special with the company's great
gift sets wrapped in wild plant trimmings that have been preserved in glycerin to retain their color and texture well into the new year. Mamas MunchiesBe sure to check out their handmade wreaths.

Juniper Ridge donates 10 percent of their profits to organizations dedicated to defending western wildernesses.

For more information visit
www.JuniperRidge.com
Essential Body Care
Aura Cacia Kids BathAura Cacia Aromatherapy
 
In 1982, the founders of Aura Cacia realized the power of essential oils and began producing 100% pure essential oils and spreading the word about aromatherapy. The company was purchased in 1993 by Frontier Natural Products Co-op which has continued to assure customers that only the highest quality of essential oils continues to be used in all of their products. This assurance is possible thanks to Aura Cacia's ethical and sustainable sourcing program, Well Earth™.
 
In addition to these natural and organic essential oils, the company also offers a number of aromatherapy products that combine multiple oils in forms that can be used to massage, cleanse, soften and scent your body and home.
 
Parents will love the calming baby products like the milk and oath bath that combines lavender, marjoram and chamomile. Kids will flip over the foaming bath powders with three effects: Calming, Clearing and Cheering. The all-natural formulas are free of paraben, synthetic colors, fragrances and other ingredients that might irritate sensitive skin, or pose a health risk.
 
Mamas Munchies
For more information please visit
www.AuraCacia.com

Zatik: Sustainable Organic Beauty Care
 
Mamas MunchiesIn 2007, Ovsanna and her husband Garik Mkrtumyan started Zatik - Sustainable Organic Beauty Care with one basic premise: what you put on your skin should be just as healthy as the food you put in your body. The result is a line of skin care products that are made with botanicals derived from bio-renewable sources. There are no parabens, synthetic ingredients, petrochemicals, and no artificial colors or fragrances. Because there are no preservatives, all product orders are filled on demand in their recyclable jars and boxes.

Mamas MunchiesIn Chinese medicine it is common knowledge that the soles of our feet are truly a road map to our entire body. The power of nourishing the body with what you put on it is best identified by the example of gently rubbing a slice of raw garlic on the bottom of your foot - you can actually taste it almost immediately in your mouth. So just imagine what a soothing, moisturizing formula like Zatik's Healing Foot Cr�me with ingredients like St. John's Wort, arnica, sea buckthorn extracts, Moroccan Lava clay and essential oils from wheat germ and pumpkin will do for your feet (and overall health). In addition, your hard-working tootsies will be receiving a healthy dose of Omega-6 and vitamins A, B2, B3, beta carotene, potassium, magnesium and zinc. Zatik products are also cruelty-free certified by Leaping Bunny.

(Editor's note: Their Purifying Cleanser has a beautifully unique native scent that invites a person to wash their face - I love it.)
Mamas Munchies
 
For more information please visit
www.ZatikNatural.com
Food For Thought
Organic B.R.A.T.™ Wellness Drink
 
Meet Greg and IlMamas Munchiessa Toepfer, founders of Organic B.R.A.T.™ wellness drinks. When their two young daughters both came down with a stomach flu, the doctor's recommendation was the age-old standard, a B.R.A.T. diet -- bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Unfortunately, the girls weren't very compliant and kept requesting milk, their favorite 'comfort beverage,' but a definite no-no under the B.R.A.T. dietary guidelines.
 
Greg quickly realiz
ed there was no creamy non-dairy beverage on the market that filled this important sensitive tummy need. Struck by inspiration (and desperation) the Toepfers came up with a recipe for a new non-dairy rice milk beverage that included organic brown rice, bananas and apples, with an electrolyte-balanced ratio of vitamins, which became an instant hit with the kids.
 
Brat VanillaOrganic B.R.A.TTM wellness drinks contain no added sugar (except the honey in the Chocolate Honey flavor) and are free of dairy, soy, corn and gluten. The company now offers four tasty flavors - Original, Chocolate Honey, Vanilla, and Cinnamon Toast and are perfect for children, adults, as well as those suffering from celiac disease and other intestinal and digestive disorders.
 
For more information please visit
www.BRATdiet.org

Visit their booth at the Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo 2010!

Follow Your HeartFollow Your Heart:
A Vegetarian Natural
Foods Market

Mamas MunchiesIn 1971, four vegetarian friends (pictured today) came together and bought a 1,300 sq-foot
health food store in Canoga Park, California. Their vision was a meatless natural foods store that supported their own principles. They called that store - Follow Your Heart.

From those humble beginnings, FYH has grown to include an on-site cafe' (7,200 sq-foot - at a larger location), and five years ago began producing some of their signature products in a solar-powered facility just a few blocks from the store's current location. According to a company spokesperson Corinna Merryman, their plant now generates more solar power than they can use allowing them to give back to the community even more!

Follow Your Heart Organic Salad Dressings Follow Your Heart products can now be ordered direct from the maker through their online store, and are also available at various local and national grocery stores. This includes their line of organic salad dressings (my personal favorites are Chipotle Lime and Creamy Caesar) and their star product, a vegan mayonnaise-type spread called Vegenaise.

For more information please visit
www.FollowYourHeart.com

Visit their booth at the Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo 2010!
Feel Better Naturally
Homeopathic Natural Medicine

The word homeopathy comes from the Greek words "homeo" meaning similar and "pathos" meaning disease or suffering. Homeopathy is an age-old trusted natural medical science that offers a safe and effective healing option for those looking for relief from common illness related symptoms. These natural remedies have no known side effects, negative interactions with other medications or supplements, and are FDA approved. The two following homeopathic companies offer a family a wide variety of natural products to choose from during the cold and flu season.
BoironLogoHomeopathic Relief for Cold & Flu Symptoms
 
Boiron was founded in 1932 in Lyon, France to twin brothers and pharmacists Jean and Henri Boiron, and brought to the United States in 1983 through an acquisition. Today the company has warehouses around the world. Boiron USA has a variety of homeopathic remedies that address a wide range of cold and flu symptoms both in single remedies, and combination formulas. Boiron Chestal
 
BoironColdCalm
ColdCalm, is a formulation of nine homeopathic remedies that address the symptoms of the common cold. For coughs, Chestal, serves up natural relief in a soothing honey syrup. 


And for flu-like symptoms, there's Oscillococinum, or just Oscillo ("oh-sill-
oh"). The company suggests Oscillo is most effective if Oscillotaken at the first onset of flu-symptoms like headache, chills, body aches or fever. 

Here's a money-saving tip: while the company offers these products in both adult and child versions, they contain the same active ingredients, so you can buy just one to treat the whole family. Boiron is also offering an instant coupon on their website for any of their products.

For more information please visit:
www.BoironUSA.com

Visit their booth at the Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo 2010!

Hylands LogoHyland's Homeopathics
A Century of Care
 
The story of Hyland's Homeopathics goes back to 1903, when eight physicians in Los Angeles formed the Standard Homeopathic Pharmacy. They hired homeopathic pharmacist George Hyland to run the operation, and in 1910, George bought the doctors out and renamed the company - Hyland's Homeopathics.

Hylands Flu Care 4 KidsAmong the hundreds of FDA-approved preparations produced by Hyland's, these are a few formulas especially geared to help a family get through the cold and flu season. Hyland's Complete Flu Care 4 Kids, which is best taken at the onset of flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches and chills.
 
Hylands Sniggles n SneezesHyland's Sniffles n' Sneezes 4 Kids is an all-natural medicine that relieves cold symptoms in kids from 2 to 12 years of age. Zincum Gluconicum, one of the active ingredients in Sniffles 'n Sneezes, has been clinically proven to shorten the duration of a cold by nearly half. Hyland's also has both single remedies, and combination formulas available. The quick-dissolving tablets melt like magic on the tongue so even a cranky child with a sore throat will have no problem getting the relief they deserve.
 
For more information please visit
www.hylands.com


Visit their booth at the Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo 2010!
Mess Free, Lead Free
WysiWipeWysi Wipes 
A Paper Towel Alternative

 
It is estimated that households produce over 3,000 tons of waste per day from paper towels - 864,000 cut trees. If you are still using paper towels and napkins (of course, recycled) to clean up your hands and messes, it's time to meet the WysiWipe� (pronounced Wizzy Wipe) a biodegradable, supremely portable, non-toxic and re-usable pulp fiber cloth - every parents dream product - a face cloth in your pocket. Just add a splash of water, or any liquid you choose, to the compact small (or large, depending on what size you purchase) round tablet and it watch it spring to life into a strong, but soft small paper towel (or larger) sized cloth.
 
Barbecue sauce on a child's face, or an "I can do it myself" spill on the kitchen floor? No problem - the cloth is far stronger than your average paper towel. Grab a WysiWipe� and toss it on the mess. The liquid will be sucked up in seconds. Best of all, the product is made from a 100% pulp fibre (agricultural by product) and is 100% biodegradable and compostable. (I actually wash mine and reuse them over and over for cleaning around the house.)
 
Unlike wet wipes, WysiWipes� have no alcohol or perfume and their packaging is minimal. The tablets are fairly indestructible -- you can throw them in a briefcase, a glove box, a backpack or a lunchbox. I carried a tablet in my briefcase for a month with no protective packaging and yet it popped into use in seconds upon contact with water. My dentist recently starting using WysiWipes� instead of the small washcloths housed in the sterile plastic rap commonly handed out at a sushi bar. Imagine the environmental impact he has made with this one change to his office procedure ... amazing! The only downside is that you do need some kind of liquid available to activate the towel.

For more information please visit:
www.CanaWipe.com


Lead Check SwabsLeadCheck Houshold Lead Test Kits
 
Common aspects of our environment can pose serious hazards to the overall health and well-being of our families. Lead, a heavy metal that occurs naturally in the environment, is highly poisonous to children and adults. According to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control, there are approximately 900,000 children in America between the ages of 1 and 5 with blood-lead levels in the toxic range.
 
The Household LeadCheck� Test Kit by Hybrivet Systems offers help to consumers in the screening process with a specially-formulated testing swab capable of identifying hazardous levels of lead (above 600ppm) on dry surfaces. (Lower levels of lead are only identifiable through professional lab testing.) LeadCheck�'s easy-to-use testing swabs can help detect a problem within 30 seconds. 
 
When someone has an exposure to lead it remains in the bloodstream for weeks until it is absorbed into the bones where it can collect for a lifetime. Excessive amounts of lead in the bloodstream can cause damage to a child's brain and nervous system, creating learning and behavioral problems such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD, or ADHD), decreased intelligence, hyper-activeness, inattentiveness, irritability and more. In adults, high levels of lead can cause reproductive problems, high blood pressure, hypertension, nerve disorders and problems with memory and concentration.
 
In the past year, the
Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued over 24 recalls for excessive lead content in toys and other products geared towards children. That's why it is important for us to become better educated about what to look for when purchasing products. We can also clean up the pollution in our home environment by checking and amending some of the larger sources of exposure which include older drain pipes, porcelain bathtubs, walls, windows, household furniture, cosmetics, food coloring and painted toys. 
 
Hybrivet Systems also offers test kits for lead in soil and drinking water, as well as other toxins such as nickel, arsenic, copper, mercury, chromate and cadmium. More helpful suggestions for testing are available on the company website at www.LeadCheck.com.

For more information on how to protect your family from lead exposure, visit the following websites:
 
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tips.htm
http://www.bluedominoes.com/lead-poisoning
http://www.healthychild.org (type the word "lead" in the search field)

Kathy Arnos 
 
Eco Family News celebrates its one year anniversary this month, and I'm happy to say that today there are many wonderful, clean and sustainable products, services and organizations to fill our bi-monthly e-newsletter. This truly means tremendous growth over the past 5 years for an ever increasingly important industry. We are grateful for your continued enthusiasm and support of our growing e-news - a news resource of Whole Children, Whole Planet.
 
If you are looking for unique holiday gifts, please be sure to re-visit our past newsletters for additional quality, fun, sustainable ideas. We would like to wish you a safe and healthy holiday season, and New Year. May your New Year be filled with gratitude, joy, opportunity, abundance, good health, love, laughter and every day miracles.

Please mark your calendars and join us on Saturday April 24, 2010 for the Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo 2010 - It will be a 40th anniversary 'Earth Day' celebration to remember. See who our confirmed speakers are and sign up for the FREE workshops - click here.
 
In gratitude, Kathy Arnos

WCWP Expo

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