Warnnig: Reusable Shopping Bags Could Be Making You Sick

That’s the word from a recent study commissioned and funded by the Environment and Plastics Industry Council(EPIC)  in Canada. Randomly testing of reusable bags used by consumers in Toronto turned up an interesting result. It appears that the bags were not only carrying groceries. They are also carrying around high levels of mold, bacteria, and yeast.

Full results indicated that…

* Sixty four percent of the tested reusable bags were contaminated with some level of bacteria

* Nearly 30 percent had bacterial counts higher than what is considered safe for drinking water.

* Forty percent of the bags contained the presence of yeast or mold.

* Some of the sampled bags contained unsafe levels of coliforms and fecal intestinal bacteria.

 Pretty gross really.

But before you start throwing away the reusable bags, give some thought to how you are using and maintaining these bags.

Do you place improperly wrapped meat into the bags?  Are they used for multiple purposes, such as for sports events and as a diaper bag? Have they had spilt or perishable foods in them?  Do you wash them regularly? Where are they stored?

Like anything else, proper care is important. Bags need to be washed between uses or at least once a week. They need to be stored in a dry, clean environment. And each bag should have a designated use - groceries, gym clothes, diapers, wine, etc.

I guess, in the end, it all comes down to common sense and good hygiene.

(article source / image source)

Deserts are associated with high temperatures, cracked and parched soil, and little water. If any plants exist, they are usually few in number.

Mirages are more likely than oasis and drinking water is a scarce commodity. But some German scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart think they might have the answer.

Working in collaboration with Logos Innovationen, the scientists have discovered a process that will convert air humidity into drinking water. And best of all, the process is energy-autonomous via thermal solar collectors, photovoltaic cells, and vacuum tanks. 

Here’s how it works: A brine (salt) solution runs down the tower-shaped unit absorbing water from the air. The water soaked brine solution is then sucked by vacuum pressure into a tank placed a  few meters off the ground. Here, it is heated by solar energy to  boiling point. This allows the brine and the water to separate, with the fresh water being collected and the reconcentrated brine being pushed back up the tower unit to further interact with the humidity in the air.

So far, this experimentation has only occurred in the laboratory with a demonstration facility the next step.

This concept has huge potential. Able to function in places with no electricity, it could be the answer to water shortages in the many dry places around the world.

(source /image)

Hospitals and their emergency vehicles are contributing to the increasing number of asthma cases and respiratory illnesses. Not because of poor health services but because they are extremely high energy users who are creating large amounts of toxic emissions.

Given these facts, the WHO is asking hospitals to look for alternative forms of energy, such as solar panels and wind turbines, to power their facilities. Other actions that suggested include using energy-efficient light bulbs, buying organic foods, and more efficient and alternative-fuel vehicles.

Of course, some hospitals are already doing this and more in their efforts to go green and reduce costs. In fact, last year the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom did a public sector analysis of it’s carbon dioxide use. This showed their emissions at 18.6 tonnes or 3% of all carbon emissions in England in 2004.

As a result, they are looking at emission cutting processes, including offering fewer meat and dairy products to patients.

In the United States, actions are also being taken. Last week, hospital services in New York City came together and pledged to reduce their carbon footprints by 30% over the next decade.

So what’s happening in your city? Is your hospital turning green?

(image source)

I find it really frustrating that all the great travel giveaways and sweepstakes seem to be only for US residents. Time and again, I get sent emails, newsletters, and discover in my RSS feeds links to great contests and giveaways that tell me I could win ‘a safari in Africa’ or a ‘month long vacation in Italy.’ I look, I salivate, and then I have to click away as I read once again ‘U.S. Residents only’.

And so it goes with this Green Vacation Sweepstakes on offer in celebration of the first annual nationwide Solar Day 2009 being held on 21 June 2009. Not to be confused with  Earth Day, Solar Day was created to help educate the public on solar energy benefits and options.  Held on the first day of summer, Solar Day 2009.

Sounds like a great idea. But what sounds even better is a chance to stay at the first LEED Gold hotel (and solar-powered) Gaia Napa Valley Hotel & Spa in American Canyon, California, just south of the town of Napa for three days. If you like wine and spas  (and who doesn’t), this would be a great place to be based while your exploring all the green, solar and sustainable wineries that are located around the valley.

That’s what you could win if you entered Solar Day’s Green Vacation Sweepstakes.

So what are you waiting for? Enter now…

http://www.solarday.com/

Sure hope it’s not too early to start on my Christmas Wish List ’cause I just found something to put on the top of the list

It’s a Pumgo Scooter - the world’s first pedal-powered scooter.

Check it out…

Think of the all possible benefits…

• Increased exposure to Vitamin D - By being outside, you’ll get a decent quota of Vitamin D, something that’s apparently lacking for many people.
• Fun and entertaining - Remember, laughter and fun is important for good health.
• A stress release - How could you be stressed when riding around like a kid on a Pumgo Scooter.
• An exercise workout - It’s a cardio-vascular workout that will burn calories and strengthened muscles.
• Clean, green transportation - Small enough to sit in the office while at work, this could be the newest way to get around the city and to work and back.

It’s like taking your gym’s stair-climber outside into the sun for fun.

Our home is our castle. A place to feel secure and safe.

But after reading Beth Greer’s book Super Natural Home, I have to say, I’m starting to wonder exactly how safe my house really is. According to Beth Greer, probably not all that safe, especially if you start taking into account all the dangerous chemicals that we invite in and have around our house at all times.

Beth used to be just like you and me, living what she considered a healthy but busy lifestyle. But when a medical crisis (a 5-centimeter tumour in her chest) caused her to re-evaluate her lifestyle, she discovered that maybe her lifestyle wasn’t as healthy as she thought. In fact, she discovered instead of being healthy, it was downright toxic.

So she spent six months cleaning up ‘her act’, eating an all-organic diet, discovered raw food, and cleared out all the everyday chemicals (cleaners  and personal products) from her house. Along the way, her health improved and within the year, the tumor and related pain and never damage seemed to disappear.

Since then, Beth has become an advocate of living a healthy, toxic free life, taking all the research and information she has accumulated while changing her own lifestyle and transforming it into the book Super Natural Home: Improve Your Health, Home, and Planet - One Room at a Time.

This book provides a practical guide to discovering potential toxic hot zones in your house and offers a straightforward soultion-based approaches to dealing with them. Broken into three main categories - what goes in you, what goes on you, and what surrounds you - the book can be used as a road map on how to become an environmental savvy consumer.

Of course, you might think, like I did, that your home isn’t toxic. In that case, I’d suggest heading over to Beth’s webstie SuperNaturalMom and sign up to take the Super Natural Home Quiz.

If you’re results are anything like mine, you might want to run out and get a copy of Super Natural Home. It will definitely help you figure out how to  make things less toxic in your life.

Image: SuperNaturalMom.com

Did you know that one man in 10 will suffer from impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction, at some stage in their life?

But according to a new study, all guys need to do to reduce the risk of them suffering from this infliction is to get out of the house and into the garden.

Sounds pretty simple. According to the researchers at the Medical University of Vienna, who studied 674 guys aged 45 to 60, half an hour of gardening five days of week can make all the difference, reducing the risk of impotence by around 38%.

Put a bit more sweat into it, burn even more calories, and the risk reduction will be even greater.

Granted, it doesn’t have to be just gardening. Other forms of moderate exercise - dancing, cycling, and jogging - can also have the same effect.

But what a great argument to use to convince your guy to get into the garden…

Hey, it’s great to see so many people interested in using tap water instead of bottled water.

I’d love to give each and every one of you a Tappening water bottle to help spread the word. But, unfortunately, that’s not possible.

There’s only one to give and the Tappening people have chosen to give it to…

Jaxx

who wrote…

“This water bottle would be a great alternative to the plastic water bottles i bring with me to school everyday. My campus is trying to be more eco-friendly, so having a re-usable water would help the environment, although in a tiny, tiny way. At home, my roommate has a Brita filter we all use because our tap water is from a well, and has a ton of chemicals in it. [When we wash our dishes, there’s always white residue when the water dries. We think it’s calcium, but who knows?] This water bottle sends a great message to people I walk by to not only drink their daily recommended amount of water, but also to help preserve the local environment. Green is the only way to go!”

Congratulations Jaxx. You should be getting an email shortly with directions on how and where to provide your mailing address.

As for the rest of us, there is always a chance to win again tomorrow.

 Yes, it’s that time again. Actually, it’s a little late this week because of all the giveaway logistics that I’ve been trying to juggle. But I promise, this Healthbolt Carnival is worth the wait.

So I hope you’re comfortable, get something to drink (coffee, tea, chai latte, or maybe a wine or beer), and are ready to wander through the blogosphere to see what health and fitness bloggers have been writing about…

First, a little humor to start you off with Madeleine from Mad Kane’s Humor Blog who’s Fishing For Company.

Fiona King from U.S. PharmD lists the 50 Best Video Games for Senior Health.

Ahuva Goldstand from Jerusalemite blog has A conversation with Uzi-Eli Chezi, remedy and refreshment guru. Uzi-Eli, who has been peddling citron juice for over 20 years in Jerusalem has a marketing style straddles the line between old-time witch doctor and gimmicky theme park stall: Rambam-inspired folk medicine for the masses.

Erin Pavlina from Erin Pavlina’s Blog writes about Going Raw for 30 Days, saying, “I’ve decided to do a 30-day trial on a raw diet. I’m really excited by this challenge. Three or four years ago I tried going raw for 30 days but stopped after a couple of weeks.”

Lauren Rose from Supertraining Blog.com lists 7 Surefire Strategies to Avoid the Dreaded Holiday Bulge, saying, “Unfortunately, the holidays are the time of year when many people end up putting on the extra “holiday pounds” which is easy to do for the season continues for just about two months!”

Kara-Leah from Prana Flow NZ discusses How to build a home yoga practice, saying, “”As a yoga teacher, my goal is to inspire my students to practice yoga at home. It’s great when people get themselves to classes three times a week, but the true benefits of yoga really start to unfold when you commit to just showing up on your mat by yourself and seeing what happens.”

Clara Myers from Mind Mart suggests becoming more self-reliant and environmentally friendly by having A Chicken In Every Cul de Sac. Seems raising chickens is easier than you may thing.

Turn the page to read more interesting and informative carnival entries…

Read more

Any fitness greenies out there?

This giveaway is for you.

We all know that drinking water is healthy. Study after study has told us so.

Unfortunately, this lead to a multi-million dollar bottle water industry which neither good for the environment nor your wallet, as this video shows….

Did you know that more than 99.9 percent of Americans live in homes where unlimited amounts of fresh, treated water is available?

Tapping into this, Eric Yaverbaum and Mark DiMassimo launched the national Tappening ad campaign to re-brand tap water as safe, affordable, and ever so good for the environment.

They created thought provoking ads to encourage people to stop buying bottled water and start getting their water straight from the tap. And along the way, they started produced and selling BPA free water bottles designed to store tap water for your drinking pleasure.

The Tappening bottles are big, colorful, and tell a story in one or two words.

And Healthbolt has one to give away.

Interested?

Then leave a comment before 13th December 2008 as to why this should be yours and what color you’d prefer – green or blue.

It’s only open to US Residents.

The winner will be announced on 14th December and sent an email with the subject heading ‘Healthbolt Giveaway Winner’ with instructions on how to claim their prize.

And don’t forget it’s ‘everyday a giveaway’ this month at Healthbolt.