So I am here on Day #3 in a little town on the coast of Maine where I am shedding layers of my old self to become more of who I want to be…am meant to be. So far, things have been going really well.

A little background…I left the corporate world this past January unexpectedly (due to our GREAT economy) and decided not to go back! I have been studying holistic health counseling in New York City at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and have begun to settle into the fact that I am on this earth to spread a message of how humans can live in sync with the earth. It’s the foods we put into our bodies, the products we take from the earth and the reverence we hold for all things living…once we can find harmony within all of these we can find peace within ourselves. I am looking for this myself and want to share with everyone the process of letting go of our mechanistic world in favor for a world without illusions.

OK, back to Maine…so with this blog, I will chronicle the experience of a gal (myself) who has been living the suburban/city life for TOO LONG and is delving into the simple life head first. Now, I will have things like electricity and running water but I will not have TV and since my job will be to buy local produce and foods, I will be eating almost all local foods. I hope you all enjoy and learn something too. My first three days have been filled with learning about the local farms and their order and delivery times and dates, organic gardening on Islesford (aka Little Cranberry Island, where while I was weeding the author and illustrator Ashley Bryan was leading a group of school children on a nature walk reciting Langston Hughes…where am I? A dream!), and meeting lots of new people who are all incredibly kind and incredibly real…an authenticity one hardly ever encounters in the cities I have dwelled within these past years. Things are looking good! Until next time…

We’ve been proudly covering algae based diesel for a while on SWYE, but diesel has it’s limitations, mainly being a majority of the consumer vehicles in the US don’t run on it. By far the most promising source of fuel (forget ethanol, an inferior and wasteful alternative), algae based gasoline has been the holy grail for the internal combustion engine.

Based on their question, “Why is the biofuel industry spending so much time and energy focused on biodiesel and ethanol – fundamentally inferior solutions?” Sapphire Energy a company based in California, has found the solution and has produced 91-octane, ASTM certified gasoline, the same premium stuff you can find at your local gas pumps, and best of all, it’s vehicle ready and needs no modifications to the engine!

Sapphire Energy has developed a process by which they use sunlight, C02 and algae without using arable land to produce this green gold. The company has also raised $50 million from Arch Rock Ventures, Venrock, as well as the Welcome Trust.

Let’s hope this technology starts being used and we can take advantage of it soon. If it takes off, look out Shell, Mobil and Exxon, you might get left behind.

» Via CNET and Ecogeek.

Via Flickr, Thanks Rick

It seems that news is continuously coming out regarding different neurotoxins, hormone endocrine disruptive chemicals, and toxic allergens being found in everything from toothpaste to water bottles. However, the most disturbing part of all of these reports are that a LOT of these products are specifically made for babies and children!!!

Did you know that there are two production lines in most toy and consumer goods factories in China? One for the EU and one for the US?! That’s right; the EU has banned many of the chemicals that the US is still allowing in products that children put into their mouths, sit in, and sleep in.

A report from Friends of the Earth, featured this week on CBS Evening News, stated that of items tested, “56 percent of infant carriers, 44 percent of car seats, and 40 percent of strollers had dangerous levels of toxic fire retardant chemicals.”

The baby-stuff company Graco responded to the report saying that, “nothing is more important than the well-being of the children who use our product.” For now it’s just talk, but we can hope that this and other companies will hear the cry that we simply cannot be exposing our tiniest citizens to chemicals that can cause serious health issues down the road.

If you’re interested in contacting Graco to tell them your thoughts visit this site: Friends of the Earth.org

It’s pretty much common knowledge that plastic bags take 1000 years to decompose, if they do at all, but that fact just wasn’t good enough for 16 year-old Daniel Burd. He’s found a way to make plastic bags decompose in about three months by his estimation.

Using a combination of microbes, a consistent temperature and six weeks, Daniel acheived 43% degredation. That’s a pretty big deal when you consider how much plastic we use as Americans.

My question is, what are the biproducts of this process and what sorts of chemicals are released? Hopefully this can lead to some serious research and a real-life green solution.

» TheRecord.com

via Flickr. Thanks, Jacobcoll

A study by scientists at Patiala University, Punjab State, tracked a group of farmers for several months and discovered their DNA had been altered and made them more susceptible to cancer. After ruling out other lifestyle factors such as age, smoking and drinking, the scientists concluded the culprit was pesticide sprays.

This direct link between pesticide use and DNA damage doesn’t seem obvious at first, but being another study on the harmful effects of pesticide (which we’ve seen enough evidence of before, DDT anyone?), we can add this post to the ‘no shit’ files.

» BBC News

Do pictures like these strike anyone as new retro fashion? When I look at this, for some reason it reminds me of those “ahead of their times” fashions in 60’s and 70’s era catalogs. The designs were supposed to be a slice of the future, not the present or next season, but when I look back at some of the pieces of clothing, honestly, they look pretty ridiculous and I can’t see anyone actually wearing it.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully support green clothing made from sustainable resources, but the fact remains that it still has to be wearable and fashionable for anyone to buy it, and frankly this piece looks like it’s sourced from Back to the Future. Great Scott.

I’d like to see more green fashions that everyone can agree on and support.

» Autoblog Green

So you’re bummed because just found out your favorite all-natural brand was bought by a large corporation. Whether it’s Burt’s Bees you’re mourning or Honest Tea you’re upset about, the question still remains, am I doing the right thing by still buying this brand? Will the company’s ethics and core values still stay the same?

The answer to those questions are as gray and convoluted as Donald Trump’s comb-over. On the one hand, no matter who owns the companies, the products themselves are FAR better than the competition. Compare Naked Juice to Minute Maid; it’s a no-brainer. And Burt’s Bees versus Chapstick? KO punch to the groin.

But it doesn’t just end there.

While yes, the ingredients are better than a majority of the products on our grocery shelves, their sources and packaging can be worse than you realize. Take for example Silk Soymilk. They used to source all of their ingredients from fair trade and organic sources, but it’s been revealed now that due to their sale to Dean Foods, they’ve started to source their soy beans from China. Doesn’t sound that bad you say? Think about their human rights issues and the exploitation of their workers, along with the country’s obvious blindness to the effects of chemicals and environmental pollutants. Then take into consideration the energy it took to get those soybeans to America.

Also take into consideration Dr. Bronner’s lawsuit against companies who falsely make organic claims.

The packaging of your products can also take a turn for the worse, or more wasteful. In some cases, even the printing and sourcing of THOSE materials can come from other, cheaper and more lax countries, not to mention the extra packaging and resources that sometimes creeps into our products without our realizing.

The moral of the story is not to stop buying these products or throw your hands up and say “Damned if we do, damned if we don’t.” We need to be more aware and questions EVERYTHING that seems out of place with the products that we cherish and adore. We’ll try to keep you as up-to-date as we can here on Swye, and send your own emails to the companies that make your favorite products, trust me, they’re listening. When you do, send the original and the reply to chaz (at) swye.net and I’ll post the best ones on here.

These days I want to do everything I can to ensure that I am being proactive in ‘doing the right thing’ when it comes to the environment. I know we all feel this way on some level but then often find ourselves wiping down the toilet or kitchen counter with some spray that we really know nothing about. Not only are these products bad for the environment, it’s known that people who clean homes for a living have higher occurrences of cancer and bronchial problems linked to the chemicals in the products they use.

Like most of you, I have some bottles of this stuff under my kitchen sink and I am going to use them until they are finished and I recycle their plastic containers; but will I replace them? NO WAY! I want to save my lungs, cells, and the environment from these chemicals and so I am going to make my own cleaning products. Here is a run-down of homemade cleaning concoctions for every room in your house!

Kitchen/bathroom: Pour baking soda onto soiled area and then pour fresh lemon juice. This creates a powerful, mild abrasive cleanser

Windows: Mix equal parts rubbing alcohol and water into a plastic spray bottle with 1 tsp of white vinegar. Can also be used on bathroom and kitchen surfaces.

Slow Drains: Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup baking soda into the drain, and dribble just enough hot water to wash the solution down. Then, let stand for at least 2 hours and flush thoroughly with hot water. This will also deodorize the drain.

Furniture Polish: Add _ cup of lemon juice to 1 cup of olive oil in a spray bottle. Lemon dissolves dirt and smudges while olive oil protects and shines.

The most common gripe I hear regarding ‘homemade’ cleaning products is that they smell. Yes, vinegar does have a distinct odor and baking soda does not leave your kitchen smelling like a (synthetic) pine forest/lemon orchard/vanilla lavender candlefest, but it also doesn’t cause headaches or adult asthma! Adding a few drops of essential oils such as lavender end eucalyptus or tea tree will not only add a nice scent, but hold germ-killing properties themselves! Happy cleaning!

Related Articles:
» Nontoxic Spring Cleaning- National Geographic/a>\
» 5 Basics for Nontoxic Cleaning- Care2
» Earth-Friendly Cleaning Products- National Geographic again!

Happy Earth Day, everyone! Here is a list of bits of news, some innovation, and a few bits of corporate improvement. Enjoy!

The UK’s First Hydorgen Fueling Station Opens
» Ecogeek
Here is some great news. Even though hydrogen has been slow to catch on so far, this is a good step forward in hopes of a wider adoption of alternative fuels.

Macy’s Switches To Recycled Paper Bags, Eco-Friendly Packaging
» Environmental Leader
Macy’s has decided to switch to more environmentally friendly bags for your shopping pleasure. They are offering news bags which are made of recycled paper and recyclable, as well as 100% cotton tote bags. Their online stores will also ship products using packing material that is 100 percent biodegradable, compostable and recyclable.

Makin’ ethanol from cheese factory whey
» Autoblog Green
In more alternative-processes-for-fuel news (we love that kind of stuff here, if you haven’t noticed), a cheese factory is Spain has developed a process by which they can make ethanol from whey, a byproduct of cheese production.

Chocolate Bar Shown To Lower Cholesterol
» ScienceDaily
None of us here as Swye are a fan of most pharmaceuticals, so when we hear of natural ways to improve your health and avoid taking pills, we are fans. If researchers at the University of Illinois are correct, we might have a tasty, if unexpected, way to lower cholesterol on our hands. I’m a fan of any research that tells me to eat more chocolate, but that aside, these results should be looked into further. On that note, I’m off to, um, ‘lower my cholesterol.’

Here are some links to some great articles I found this week:

Gatorade or Pine Sol?
From Best Of Mother Earth comes a post about colored drinks and colored cleaning solutions. Lists some stats about toxins and poisons we have in our homes.

Canada Calls Bisphenol A “Dangerous”
From Treehugger, a post about something we feel strongly about, BPA found in plastics was considered dangerous by Canada, a great step towards an all out ban, which we believe should happen.

Vice Magazine’s Trip to The Trash Island
I remember Vice by their beautiful, edgy, gritty, and fun magazines I used to be able to find, but this video has an ecological message, and a good one at that. Check it out.

Reports of a New Type Of Bulb
One of my favorite blogs, Inhabitat has put together a post about a new light-bulb which looks to be even more efficient than LED’s per lumen. Looks like a great technology and really appeals to the geek in me.

An Easier Way To Find Recycled Building Materials
While many people talk about the great ways to reuse building materials, there hasn’t been a central, organized and easy way to find them until Brad Hardin put together a website linking the demand with the supply. Via Plenty Magazine.