Helpful Tips For Being A Loving Earth Steward

There are many ways to be a compassionate responsible earth steward and make a positive contribution to the world.  An earth steward is a person who makes the conscious decision to make wise choices and decisions that affect his or her local world and is careful that these choices and decisions help the planet.  

1.  Go vegan.  "Did you know that the amount of water required to produce 1 burger could float a battleship?" #quote Howard Lyman ex-4th generation cattle rancher turned vegan

2.  Become a holistic herbalist and eschew #bigpharma.  Did you know that more than 50% of the ingredients in over the counter and prescription medications contain toxic petrochemicals which are derived from crude oil, i.e., the gas in your tank?  Natural plant herbs, such as chamomile, lavender, lemongrass, peppermint, garlic, and ginger are much safer and healthier and don't require any factory processing.  You simply pull them wild from the ground, and chop them and brew an herbal tea or press them to make a nice lovely herbal mixture.

3.  Buy #organic as often as possible.  When you buy #organic, you're not just voting with your wallet, contributing to a  more socially conscious economy, you're also protecting your family's health, and you're saying NO to crude oil, which is what pesticides contain.

4.  Think globally, act locally.  There is much to be said about supporting local businesses and contributing to a much smaller carbon footprint.  Every time you purchase a product that needs to be shipped and delivered, you are contributing to more consumption of crude oil being used as fuel.  Buying locally is much better because your dollars are only going toward purchasing a product; they're not going toward paying for the delivery fuel.

5.  Wear #organic or wear nothing.  Did you know that the ingredient "fragrance" that's in cosmetics and personal care products contain at least 5,000 petrochemicals, none of which have been tested or scrutinized by the U.S. FDA?  Protect your family's health and become an avid label reader.  If you cannot pronounce an ingredient, pass it by!  Propylene glycol is a petrochemical that contains anti-freeze, the toxic stuff that is used to protect your car from extreme freezing temperatures and that is commonly found in cosmetics.  Read the label and look for ingredients like peppermint, chamomile, sandalwood, patchouli, ylang ylang, aloe vera, and olive oil.  You know these are herbs that grow wild in the ground throughout the world and it's much safer for you to use them than the toxic stuff!  For more information, please visit my website: www.notperfume.com.

6.  As the kosher law states, "if in doubt, do without," so is the same principle for making purchases of food and cosmetics for your health and wellbeing.  If you cannot pronounce an ingredient and you need to go to the trouble to understand what it means, then it is very likely, this ingredient will harm you and your family and you're better off without it!

7.  Enjoy the beautiful great outdoors and fresh air and go out and play!  This 1 is pretty self-explanatory, but it is exactly as it sounds.  The best way to honor, respect, and celebrate Mother Earth and all her beautiful wonder is to play in her grass, her trees, playfully interact with her sweet little Elemental beings, the butterflies, dragonflies, frogs, crickets, and turtles, and ducks, and have fun and breathe the fresh clean air!

It is much easier than you might think to be a happy, healthy, smart Earth Steward and it is never too late to start and enjoy it!

My Gratitude For Being A Compassionate Earth Steward

My dear husband, our sweet wonderful baby son, and I celebrate Thanksgiving, but in an alternative non-traditional manner.  We enjoy a wonderful, delicious, organic, vegan Tofurky Feast.  We are very thankful for all the wonderful Blessings of Love and Peace in our life.  We are also very thankful that our meal is humane and compassionate to Mother Earth and all her beautiful precious beings - animal and plant.  There is a lot to be said about maintaining a small carbon footprint that includes all walks of life in the animal kingdom and plant kingdom.  Every choice we make creates a ripple effect and has a positive impact on the planet locally and globally.  When we vote with our wallets and make conscious aware eating choices, the effects can be felt across the globe.  

That being said, having an awareness of every facet of our personal life in the purchases we make, the foods we eat, and the actions we take, are all crucial and integral on a personal local level and on a global planetary level.  It brings much humble joy and peace to our hearts  knowing that each choice we make is gentle and compassionate and we are teaching our beautiful child to respect and care about the world in which he lives.  We are raising a beautiful Indigo child who cares about and respects the world around him and will be a shining example to follow for future generations.  I am very thankful to be a wise, healthy, aware Mama, and have a wise, healthy, aware dear husband who shares my care, passion, and respect for Mother Earth and her beautiful beings.

Peaceful Activism

It seems to me that people have lost sight of what activism is all about, whether it be about environmental, animal rescue and advocacy, or social issues.  When I see posts on Facebook and Twitter that clearly show people fighting with each other and bullying and badgering each other because one activist said something that the other activist deems "glaringly wrong or incorrect", it is very evident that in-fighting is on the rise and is out of control.  The one element that is easily overlooked and forgotten is that we are all human with feelings and it is very inappropriate and cruel to treat each other as if our feelings don't matter and more than that, if we continue to behave this way, we forget the most important fundamental issue: the issues and innocent beings that are suffering and need our help and have no voice to care for and protect their needs.  

How can we honestly think we can take care of what needs to be done and help make a positive difference if all we do is attack each other about issues that are minuscule and unimportant.  Egotism solves nothing and it exacerbates the issues.  Peace is exactly the way it sounds.  Peace among each other is vital in order to continue the important activism work that is necessary for survival.  Instead, let's love each other and look at each other as fellow brothers and sisters who are on the same team doing very important work.  Granted, the work each activist does may be different from each other and the focus may be different, but we're all working hard for the same goal:  to protect Mother Earth and her beautiful children, fight for our freedom, fight for what's right, and protect our dignity.  I, for one, personally prefer to write and use my unique writing voice as activism for what is important and as Mother Teresa said, "I will never attend an anti-war rally; if you have a peace rally, invite me."  I think her quote says it all.  Don't you think?

Organic Cruelty Free is a Win Win in Green Karma

One of the reasons I support wearing 100% natural organic personal care and cosmetics products is because they contain 100% organic natural plant essences and they are beneficial for your personal health, the environment, and the animals. The reason for this is because companies like Aubrey, Aveda, and Dr. Bronner's do not do any animal testing of any kind. When you use soap, shampoo, cleansers, and makeup that contain 100% organic plant essences and are completely free of toxic petro-chemicals, you can rest assured that you're contributing to a 100% win/win in green Karma. Organic plant essences, like peppermint, patchouli, sandalwood, chamomile, and lavender are safe and gentle to your skin, your cells, the environment, and the wildlife. No being - human, animal, or plant-life - need suffer from the use of these products. This is one of the most important steps you can take toward reducing your carbon footprint on Mother Earth.

Mother Nature Has The Best Healing Medicine Cabinet

The day I became an herbalist was one of the most wonderful Blessed days of my life.  Herbs have been a profound integral part of my healthy simple life since I was a little girl and today, that passion has grown much stronger, especially as a wise Mommy.  Words cannot describe how wonderful it feels when I use and connect with wild healing herbs.  My favorite herbs are peppermint, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, oregano, thyme, spearmint, onion, chamomile, lavender, parsley, and dandelion.  These wonderful herbs have grown wild and have been used for centuries for healing medicine, organic green beauty, and everyday healing nutrition.  I use natural wild healing herbs in all the meals I cook and prepare everyday and the special relationship I have with them is profoundly magical.  My favorite aspect of using herbs is that they help me feel more connected with Mother Earth and I can feel the healing loving energy emanating from each herb.  When I peel and prepare garlic, I smile and close my eyes, enjoying the lovely wonderful healing aroma and I know that my body will feel good enjoying the healing energy from it.  

When I inhale and drink peppermint tea, I relax, knowing that the special healing energy of the peppermint is nurturing and nourishing my body and is working its magic to heal me and help me feel relaxed and calm and healthy.  I feel these feelings about all the herbs I work with and consume for healing medicine and I feel very deeply Blessed and thankful that these wonderful beautiful herbs grow and are available to provide the important healing medicine and nutrition that I need.  I also take heart and feel very thankful in knowing that these herbs have grown for centuries and will continue to grow for many more centuries.  I'm very thankful that I can grow and harvest them anywhere I live at any time. Mother Nature's medicine cabinet is the best in the world and is always a wonderful bountiful Blessing.

Easy To Be Healthy and Green

When I think about Mother Earth and the beauty of living green, I feel very deeply Blessed and grateful to know that I make great efforts to keep my carbon footprint small.  I've enjoyed a wonderful healthy green lifestyle for 20 years and now as a new Mommy, that passion and dedication has grown in tremendous strength.  My dear husband and I were born and raised on the same unhealthy toxic lifestyle that many children grow up with in the USA, including fast food, which we affectionately refer to as fast death.  We call it that because fast food contributes only to degenerative disease and is not conducive to enjoying good healthy and happiness.  Fortunately, we woke up one day and we have been avid committed label readers and conscientious consumers since the first day we began reading articles and books about the importance of enjoying a healthy simple lifestyle.

We made this important commitment more than 20 years ago and continue to do so, especially with our beautiful adorable wonderful child, Michelangelo.  There are many reasons we made the conscious decision to treat our bodies as temples and vote with our wallets and one of the most important reasons is that we felt sick and tired of being sick and tired.  Enjoying a daily healthy diet of organic non-GMO plant-based foods, natural herbs for healing medicine and using only organic green nontoxic personal care and cosmetics products on our skin and in our hair is something we value and hold dear and we are very thankful that we have maintained this strong commitment.  Many people say it's not easy to be green and we say it is very easy when you consider how much better and healthier you'll feel when you make this conscientious choice and stay consistent for several months at a time.  When you give healthy living a good chance to support your overall health, it begins to feel very good and easy to enjoy a healthy, organic, green lifestyle.  

Happy Green Clean Nontoxic Mama

I am always amazed and relieved at the wonderful efficient cleaning power of baking soda and white distilled vinegar.  I use 1/8 C of baking soda and 1/2 C vinegar for small cleaning jobs like cleaning the sink and a small part of the floor and a full C each of baking soda and vinegar for a full load of laundry.  Once the fizzing stops and the mixture sets in for a few minutes, the nontoxic cleaning power is incredible and very efficient.  I've used this wonderful mixture for 20 years and I'm amazed every time I use it.  Any cleaning that would normally require heavy elbow grease makes lifting sticky gross dirt, stains, and dirt that seems impossible to remove are easily removed with this mixture.  It sets in and literally lifts it up.  I'll sometimes squeeze a little fresh lemon juice to add an extra sparkle and lovely aroma and it's very helpful.  Mind you, I'm not a commercial (laughs) but I do swear by this and the proof is there every time and now that I'm a new Mama of an adorable beautiful 15 month old baby boy, nontoxic green cleanliness is very important to my family.  I feel good and grateful knowing that I'm able to keep a clean green nontoxic home and family and maintain a very small carbon footprint.