Dear Friends, It feels great to be starting a new year! First, I want to thank all of you who answered my survey two weeks ago. While I am unable to respond individually to the volume of responses I received, I have read each and every one. Some of the suggestions I will be incorporating, and others are not practical. But I greatly appreciate all the comments. If at anytime you want to tell me how much you like this newsletter or offer a suggestion for improvement, you can always send me an email. And I really appreciate all the wonderful testamonials you sent and are allowing me to use for promotion. I've posted them if you want to read what others had to say. Today I am beginning a new feature that I will be adding to every issue: Money-Saving Tips. We can be both eco-friendly and economical! Debra :-) P.S. I also want to tell you that over the holiday I spent hours adding all the back issues of this newsletter to my website and correcting broken links on the issues already posted. When I switched my website to the new database structure last summer, all the old links were broken. But they are all fixed now. You can read every back issue with all the links working at Health, Home & Habitat Back Issues. HEALTH, HOME & HABITAT ~ 10 January 2006
* AT HOME WITH DEBRA: My Bau-Biologie Home
Inspection
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AT HOME WITH DEBRA: My Bau- Biologie Home Inspection In December, I had the priviledge of having my home inspected by a group of students who had completed a course of study to become Bau-Biologie home inspectors, and some professional certified Bau-Biologie inspectors. They checked my home for exposure to toxic household chemicals, mold, house dust, and electromagnetic fields. The inspection revealed that I do have some fixing to do with regards to mold, dust, and emfs, but my house truly is nontoxic (now verified by actual instrument measurement) . Read about my Bau-Biologie home inspection...
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RECYCLE YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE Now that the holiday season is over, remember to recycle your Christmas tree (if you haven't already!) We got a chipper/ shredder this past year so we can make our own mulch when we trim our trees (and keep all those nutrients cycling through our own garden instead of hauling them away to the dump). We're about to shred our native species Southern Red Cedar holiday tree and get some free mulch. More ideas about how you can return your Christmas tree to the ecosystem in beneficial ways...
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MONEY-SAVING TIPS While some of the products with health and environmental benefits do cost more than conventional products, there are many ways to save money while helping the environment and your health. I've found, if you know what to do, it all balances out. The money you save on some purchases make more money available for other purchases. I'll be giving you some tips on how to save money on purchases and manage the money you have to make the most of your money. I'll also be collecting these and listing them on my website. * Wash your windows with vinegar and water. Checking the prices in my local supermarket, I found that the standard ammonia-based window cleaner costs 11.5 cents per ounce and distilled white vinegar costs 2.5 cents per ounce. Once I mix it half and half with water, it brings the cost of my window cleaner down to 1.25 cents per ounce--about 1/10 the price of commercial window cleaner. Small savings, but it adds up. * Buy cotton bedlinens at January white sales. They are happening right now. I wait for these sales each year and buy natural fiber bedding at the lowest prices. Check your local stores department and discount stores for sales, and look for bargains on the Textile page of Debra's List, under Bedding Only and Beds and Bedding. Some of the websites on the General Household page also carry bedding.
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GREEN BUILDING GOES MAINSTREAM Last week the New York TImes published an article on green building that proclaimed "Earth-Friendly Materials Go Mainstream." It mentions Debra's List websites GreenHomeGuide, Green Fusion Design Center , and Environmental Home Center, and reports Home Depot's plans for carrying green products in the near future.
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DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS OF THE FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY If you want to know what happens to our food when it is processed, read this article by Sally Fallon. It clearly explains why we need to be eating whole, fresh, natural foods for good health. Sally is the author of the highly-regarded book Nourishing Traditions , which explains what we ate before the Industrial Revolution began food processing and how these natural foods contribute to our health.
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A PERSONAL WARNING ABOUT SOY Many years ago I used to eat a lot of soy. I would get up in the morning and start my day with a soy protein bar, then have tofu burgers for lunch or dinner. But I also had a lot of health problems, including thyroid problems and hormone imbalances, with some fairly severe symptoms. When I learned that soy can contribute to thyroid problems, I stopped eating it almost entirely (the exception was occasional soy sauce). And over a period of months, my hormone related symptoms disappeared entirely and have been nonexistant for ten years. Last month my body had a virus that was going around and I started eating Chinese take-out hot and sour soup. Eating take- out Chinese food is unusual for me, but my body was too sick to cook. The soup had bits of tofu in it. I ate it maybe six times over a month. And my severe hormone-related symptoms returned. It seemed like such a small amount of soy! But it was enough to completely upset the hormonal balance in my body. If you eat soy, please read The Whole Soy Story, and reconsider whether or not soy is the best food for your own health. I've recommended this book before in this newsletter, but my recent experience just brought the urgency of it's message to my attention again. Order The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of American's Favorite Health Food ...
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DEBRA'S LIST: New website links
Here are just a few of the links I added to Debra's List in the last two weeks. ViperStrike Vapor Cleaning System is a commercial-grade vapor cleaning system--suitable for home use--that cleans, sanitizes, and deodorizes in one process. It can clean everything in your home using only vapor created from tap water. More effective than inexpensive steam cleaners and built to last. Drive Greener and Travel Greener offer affordably priced renewable energy certificates specifically created to offset the effects of auto travel, air travel, and other carbon intensive travel activities. Nearsea Naturals has an exceptional selection of natural fiber fabrics and notions--even bamboo fabric and organic cotton lace... Star of the Hills Soap Company makes handcrafted soaps (unscented and aromatherapy) with food grade vegetable, coconut, and olive oils, and "pure rainwater captured from the clean and clear blue skies over the green Texas Hill Country." Holly's Garden Products makes their own skincare products with ingredients from nature, handmade in small batches, using only pure, natural ingredients. Try cleansing grains made with organic rose petals, dried coconut and grains, or skin cleanser made with honey and flowers.
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SWEET SAVVY: Hot chocolate, spiced cider, and orange ambrosia To warm up on cold winter days, Hot Chocolate and Spiced Cider are quick and easy to make. Orange Ambrosia is a traditional Southern favorite that celebrates the fresh fruit of the season.
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Q & A: How Do I Protect My Hands While Dishwashing? I have retired my dishwasher and have tried both the Seventh Generation and Ecover dishwashing liquid. The Seventh Generation performs much better in my opinion. How do you protect your skin while doing dishes? Do you use gloves, if so what kind? I thought gloves were made out of some kind of polymer product therefore not kosher for those avoiding plastic products. C. J. READERS--I can't speak from personal experience on this because my wonderful husband does the dishes and he doesn't use gloves. So if you wear gloves and have found some you like, please send me an email with the name and website URL, and I will post the responses in the next issue. Thanks!
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Q & A: Controlling Ants With Kindness I would like to share an update on dealing with the annual ant visitation which seems to coincide with the winter rainy season.
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Q & A: Airing out a guitar I have the question about airing out a guitar.... Ive tried many things, yet still I have a polyurethane smell. Perhaps it is part of the wood itself and will not ever be gone. But just wondering what you would do? Ive put baking soda in the' sound hole' , and I've tried baking it in the hot sun; and I've tried using powdered 'oxygen bleach' just recently. The smell is less, but I still use a cover over the sound hole.
R. Q. Z.
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Q & A: Primaloft™ I need a washable comforter for my daughter's bed. I haven't been able to find a washable comforter made with natural materials. Do you have an opinion on Primaloft™, a synthetic down alternative?
S. V.
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If you have a question of general interest, I am happy to answer free it in this newsletter and post it on my website for others to benefit from. If you have a question you would like to submit, please send me an email to debra@dld123.com with your question. It may take two to four weeks or longer for your question to appear in the newsletter. Usually I send an immediate quick answer to email questions, but then give a more detailed answer in the newsletter. All of the questions and answers, including those in the current issue, can be accessed through the Q&A index page at http:// dld123.com/q&a/index.php. I also am available to answer your questions immediately and personally with a paid telephone consultation.
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The new, revised, edition of
Home Safe Home
is now available
in bookstores nationwide.
Home Safe Home tells what toxic chemicals are generally found in specific household products of all types, and safe solutions you can buy or make at home. It's different from other books on toxic chemicals because the focus really is what you can do to protect yourself and your family and create a healthy home. I bring over twenty years of research and personal real-life experience to this book. * 10 Simple, Inexpensive Things You Can Do To Reduce Household Toxics * How Toxic is Your Home? Quiz (excerpt from the book)
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Debra's List
~
100s of links
to 1000s of nontoxic, natural & earthwise
products
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email:
debra@dld123.com
web:
http://dld123.com
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