Getting Married? Going Eco? How to Plan a Great Green Wedding

Me on my wedding day...20 pounds heavier than I  am now but much less wrinkled!

When I got married almost 20 years ago, I don't think I considered greening anything.  I was too freaked out by the seamstress who destroyed hundreds of dollars worth of hand made lace, the Isleworth Country Club wedding planning witch not wanting to provide spoons and my soon to be husband's friends stealing glasses for party favors and talking about how the houses in the club were really just big apartments...to worry about greening anything.

10 Ways to Reduce Cancer Risks

Click on the picture above to learn more
about the components of cancer prevention.

Apparently the American Institute for Cancer Research has kindly pulled all of their research together on preventing cancer plopped it into ten easy recommendations. All of the recommendations can be boiled down into three areas: weight, diet and physical activity.  This is really amazing information and we can all take part in greening our lives in these ways to reduce our cancer risks!

The following ten recommendations for cancer prevention are drawn from the WCRF/AICR Second Expert Report and each recommendation links to more details.

How Green Is the New 2011 Ford Explorer? I Called Them and Asked

Yea so I spent a good part of my time today helping out my husband after he rear ended a lady at the intersection of Orange and Michigan.  Ooh how fun and inexpensive this was and will be!  Today in sunny O-Town it felt as if it was 120 degrees in the shade and I was not too happy to be dealing with my hubby's latest driving incident.  This accident is a follow up to a $300 speeding ticket he earned last week. Can you say aggressive driver?  I think I can!

Design Squad on PBS Kids GO! is Calling all Creative Kids and Young Inventors to Recycle their way to Stardom!

Calling all creative kids and young inventors!  Leading up to National Inventors Month this August, PBS KIDS GO!'s Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series Design Squad is challenging kids aged 5-19 to spend their summer vacation recycling, reusing, and re-engineering everyday materials to create the next great green invention. With the nationwide Trash to Treasure competition, three young innovators will win a trip to Boston to see their designs built and may appear on the Design Squad show and/or website.

This is your child's chance to appear on TV and help save the planet!

We're Living Green...Do You Want to Live Green Too? Fun and Easy Ways You and Your Kids Can Help Gulf Coast Wildlife, Habitats and Communities Affected by the BP Oil Spill

If you follow me on Twitter you were probably inundated today with updates about my three daughters and their lemonade stand to benefit the NWF's (National Wildlife Federation) gulf coast oil spill restoration fund.  Too bad, so sad, here is some more inundation...you see I just cannot get enough of helping my kids find ways to help our planet. 

My girls love to spend time on the coast and in the Gulf of Mexico.  Reece, Lex and Hay-Jay love our beach excursions which always seem to involve wildlife.  We love our Moochie dolphin and I remember an incident that happened when we were in the Gulf which has made it into the Shirley-Smith family memory book.  Once, when we were boating way out in the Gulf of Mexico, we decided to get out of the boat, hang out on the sandbar and go swimming.  My husband stepped on a conch.  When he picked it up to show it to all of us, the silly thing spit on us!  As you can see, The Gulf of Mexico is like home to my family and it breaks all of our hearts to think of what the BP oil spill has done (and will do) to our Gulf Coast wildlife friends.  My kids felt like they had to do something to help out in the Gulf Coast restoration and I was ready and willing to help out.

Tell Congress to Fix our Nation's Broken Toxics Law Today and Support The Toxic Chemicals Safety Act! We're just 5,000 signatures away so please tell your friends and family to add their names today!

Hey peeps, you know toxic chemical reform is one of my passions and we are soooo close this time to really reforming the laws which will make us all healthier but we need your help.  I am passing in the following message (I rearranged it a little) from the EWG (Environmental Working Group) which came into my inbox today...

We have huge news.
The toxics reform bill, H.R. 5820, the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act, has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Chairmen Waxman (CA-30) and Rush (IL-01). Toxics reform is now moving through both houses of Congress. It has never been more important for Congress to know that we want the strongest and most effective toxics bill possible -- we need companies to prove that chemicals are safe before they hit our supermarket shelves.

THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION & CULTURE JAM LAUNCH A TWEET-A-THON FOR THE GULF CLEAN-UP! You Can Help By Simply Sending a Tweet...

You may have noticed that I have not posted a lot about the Gulf Coast Oil Spill.  As you may know, I live in Florida and vacation every year on the West Coast of Florida where the water is crystal clear and the sea life is a part of each of our beach adventures.  I have not been able to write too much about what has been going on in the Gulf as I get literally sick to my stomach when I try to.  My girls will be doing a lemonade stand today or tomorrow and taking the profit to give to help with the clean-up and now I am ready to tell you about an easy way for us all to help.

How Will the End of Oil Arrive? Will it be by stealth increments or will it be over night? Think I'm Kidding? Read This!

Michael Smith is a member of our Environmental Booty Community, the Editor of Green Living Review and he has most recently written a compelling book about the end of oil.  I have been enthralled and knew I had to share with you guys.  Please take a quick read of the note I just received from the author and the excerpt from Michael's book The End of Oil below and let me know what you think...

Note from the author...

You may have noticed from some of my tweets in the last day or so that the end of oil seems to be very much upon us. The King of Saudi Arabia has ordered an end to all oil exploration in the Kingdom. This was on July 4, 2010 and virtually no media outlet has mentioned it.

Cute Green Guys Rock for Planet Earth - DO ONE THING and You Could Win Tickets to Disneyland! Connect the DOTs BioBus Tour

Click HERE to join our green living, online community!

Save 20% or Choose Free Shipping on ANY of the Special Green Living Finds in My Environmental Booty OpenSky Shop!

I am very proud of my Environmental Booty (like pirate booty but Eco-Booty...get it?) Shop! From clothing to computers, cooking to chocolates and everything in between, you will want to make the Environmental Booty Shop a frequent stop on your green living journey.  There has never been a better time to begin or continue your journey on the path to a greener lifestyle because now through August 9, 2010, you can save 20% or choose free shipping on ANY of the special green living finds in my Environmental Booty  Shop!

3 Easy Ways You Can Protect Your Kids from Toxins at the Playground...It's Soooo Simple!

When you take your kids to your community playground, you probably don't think about the fact that they could be exposed to toxins.  Well it's not time to boycott playgrounds but guess what?   When your kids play on wooden play equipment at older playgrounds which have been treated with (the now banned) chromated copper arsenate (CCA), run and crawl around on playgrounds which have artificial play surfaces made with rubber infill (the same stuff the Obamas installed under Sasha and Malia's playset last year) or picnic on green grass treated with pesticides, they could be exposed to chemicals which can cause asthma, behavioral problems, cancer, hyperactivity and other health problems.  Whew, that is a mouthful and I hope I didn't lose you with all of that scary stuff because now is not the time to tune out.  Now is the time to tune in and use these 3 easy ways you can protect your kids from toxins at the playground because it's soooo simple!

Win Tickets to see Moby and more at the 2010 Music and Yoga Wanderlust Festival in Squaw Valley, California

I just ran across an amazing giveaway sponsored by EcoRazzi and YogaEarth which is a Yoga Lovin' Rock & Rollers dream!  You will have a chance to see rockers like Moby, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, and Brazilian Girls.  Plus Some of the best yoga instructors in the world will be on hand to conduct classes and offer seminars on meditation and give other wellness, mind and body lectures.  The only thing that kind of stinks is that transportation and lodging will not be included in the Grand Prize.  Still, this is a great, green giveaway and if you can get your booty there and pay for a hotel or crash on a friend's couch in Squaw Valley, head to YogaEarth before July 20, 2010 and enter for your chance to win the following:

5 Easy and Creative Ways to Green Your Kids this Summer

I love my kids and when they have time off from school and their activities in the summer, for me, it is like experiencing Nirvana.  Okay so maybe I'm not floating on clouds 100% of the time with them underfoot, but I am happiest when they are practically schedule free and we can all share long, lazy days full of cuddling and girl talk.  I find that summer is also an excellent time to continue their "green" education. Take a peek at the following 5 easy and creative ways I have found to green my kids this summer...

McDonald's TBHQ Laced Nuggets Sold in the U.S. but not in Europe? I'm Lovin' It...NOT!

Unless you live under a rock (which these days seems like a great way to get off of the grid, shield yourself from the coming end of the world and decrease the general stress related to living in America in 2010), you have probably heard the news that McDonald's Chicken nuggets sold in the United States contain a food preservative for vegetable oils and fats called TBHQ (Tertiary Butylhydroquinone).  This has been pretty big news.  Just in case you missed it though, the McDonald's chicken nuggets sold in Europe do not contain the same ingredient which when fed in large quantities to rats can increase the risk of cancer.  For better or worse, the Europeans have much stricter regulations for ingredients in pretty much everything from food to personal care products.  The stringent European regulations do not allow the nuggets to contain TBHQ...but so what?

The Best Green News and Views for our Future Generations

I am having a super summer but I have been out of the loop a bit.  Every summer when my three girlies are home from school, I take a break from being "Blogger Mommy" and become just "Mommy".  My kids seem to need me even more as they get older and whether they are four or 13, they can never get enough of spending time with me. I am a very lucky lady.  We have been to Long Boat Key (on the still petroleum free West Coast of Florida), the T-Rex restaurant at Downtown Disney, acting classes, tumbling, swimming, spending time with friends and so much more I can't even keep track of it.  

Still, the good news for ya'll is that everything I share in the summer is the best of the green news and views I come across.

So please enjoy this video spoof that came into my in-box today from one of my favorite non-profits called Healthy Child Healthy World.  Then please make an effort to spread the word and be sure to take part in making history by telling Congress that the products we use each day must be safe. Our laws need to be strengthened to insure that dangerous chemicals are removed from the market and that chemicals are proven safe before being added to products we rely on for ourselves, our babies and children.  Our future depends on our knowledge and actions.  What choices will you make today that will change your health and the health of our world tomorrow?  

Click HERE to join our green living, online community!

Aspartame Killed His Wife? Is this a Joke? I'm Certainly Not Laughing

Aspartame killed his wife?  Are you wondering if this is a joke?  I'm certainly not laughing and I ask you to become a more informed consumer about the artificial sweetener called Aspartame.  Many of you may know that I started this blog after I was told I had Multiple Sclerosis which miraculously disappeared after I stopped ingesting large amounts of Aspartame in Crystal Light.  Obviously I think there is a benefit to all of us if we stop ingesting this poison; better cognition, fewer headaches, less numbness and tingling...

I have a friend who used to drink a ton of diet coke every single day.  Two years ago she had paralysis on her face which was unexplained.  She cut down on Diet Coke but just can't give the stuff up.  Who knows what will happen to her?  Do your homework and get informed.  For God's sake stop letting your kids drink diet soda and chew gum full of Aspartame!!!  Please get a little more information about Aspartame by watching this video and then decide whether or not you think there are dangers involved from ingesting this artificial sweetener.

This video was produced by Mike Hanson and won an Austin Access TV award for best interview.   

Click HERE to join our green living, online community!

5 Things Consumers Should Know about Massage Therapy

Guest post from Elise Degrass 

When people think of massage therapy, they generally think of the beach side spa, but there is more to it than just a vacation activity. Massage therapy can have benefits to people who suffer from muscle pain, tension headaches, and other issues. Here are five things that consumers should know about massage therapy.