California Coastal Cleanup

California Coastal Cleanup Day has become one of the largest volunteer events in the world.

Last Saturday, organizations and individuals along the California coast took part in Ocean California Coastal Cleanup Day to remove trash and debris from the California beaches and waterways. In 2010, over 82,500 volunteers removed more than 1.2 million pounds of trash and recyclables from our beaches, lakes, and waterways.

Personally what affected me the most was floating styrofoam it was everywhere, but in such tiny little pieces it made it nearly impossible to pick up. Styrofoam has a useful life of mere hours or days, but exists in the environment for hundreds or thousands of years. It can be carried by wind, washed into storm drains, and making its way to the ocean contributing to mass of floating plastic debris. Marine mammals mistake it for food, and it remains in their guts, often causing death by starvation. Identifying and recording the sources of the debris, helps to change the behaviors that allow it to reach the ocean in the first place.

Farm Fresh To You

Recently, my friend Olivia Frisbie and I signed up for a terrific service provided by Farm Fresh to You; a California based co-op of farmers who deliver to your door your choice of seasonal, organic and locally grown produce. Today was my first delivery. Pretty Awesome!

Plastic Bags Suck

Each year the U.S uses 84 billion plastic bags, a significant portion of the 500 billion used worldwide. They are not biodegradable, and are making their way into our oceans, and subsequently, the food chain. Stronger, reusable bags are an inexpensive and readily available option.

Furoshiki is the eco-friendly wrapping cloth; originating from japanese culture where it promotes caring for the environment and reducing waste. Using techniques similar to origami, it can be used for gift wrapping, grocery shopping or simply as decor. Try Furoshiki wrapping using a large silk scarf or a beautiful square piece of vintage fabric. Reusable bags, such as furoshiki can help reduce the impact to our environment. Its versatility allows you to wrap almost anything regardless of its shape or size.

Homemade Vitamin C Serum

3 1/2 teaspoon distilled water (at room temperature)

1/2 teaspoon L-ascorbic acid powder (vitamin C)

1 1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerin

1 dark glass bottle

Clean the bottle with rubbing alcohol or boil it in hot water. Let the bottle to cool and dry. Add the L-ascorbic acid to the bottle. Add the distilled water. Shake the bottle o use a something to stir it up, until all the L-asorbic acid is dissolved. Add the vegetable glycerin. Put on the cap and shake well, until everything is blended. Use up and make a new batch every 5 to 7 days. L-ascorbic acid is highly unstable, so you have to make a new batch frequently.

via: skinacea.com

Basic Sea Salt Soak

Sea Salt Bath

1 cup sea salt / epsom salt

2 cups baking soda

Soak for 20-30 minutes. Hotter water makes for a powerful cleansing but be careful. It is not necessary to shower or rinse off after bathing.

Can Garden

FUROSHIKI

Furoshiki (風呂敷, furoshiki) are a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that were frequently used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods.

Two of my favorite ways of using Furoshiki wrapping is to first start with a beautiful square piece of vintage fabric or a large silk scarf (approximately 105cm in size)... to make either

-Eco-friendly shopping bag

- Hostess Gift: Two Wine Bottles beautifully wrapped

Make Your Own Creamy Soft Scrub

2 cups baking soda

1/2 cup liquid castile soap

4 teaspoons vegetable glycerin

(glycerin acts as a preservative)

5 drops antibacterial essential oil

(lavender, tea tree, rosemary)

mix together and store in a sealed glass jar, shelf life of 2 years.

Kombucha

1 kombucha culture ( scoby )

2 liters of water

3 or 4 tea bags or 3 or 4 teaspoons or tea

( green, white or black tea )

3/4 cup of white sugar

6 oz of kombucha from a previous batch as a starter

Kombucha Video - Part 1

Kombucha Video - Part 2

Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

1 cup- kirk's castile soap

1/2 cup- washing soap

1/2 cup- borax

grate one bar of kirk's castile soap

mix in

washing soda and borax

VOILA

you have laundry detergent

use 1 to 2 tablespoon for a full load of laundry

Pomegranate Eye Serum

This deeply nourishing eye serum is packed with antioxidants. I always pop a bottle in my purse when traveling, as it helps combat unavoidably dehydrated skin.

Ingredients

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

1 tsp pomegranate seed oil

1 tsp carrot seed oil

1 tsp wheat germ oil

Preparation; Combine.

Yields: approx one ounce of serum

Application: Use a few drops under your eyes, in the morning and evening after moisturizing.

Storage: 1-ounce dark glass bottle with dropper

Shelf Life: 1 year in a cool dark cupboard

AHA Skin Lightening Mask

If your skin is sun-damaged, or blotchy with high-pigmentation, before you succumb to expensive laser treatments, give this natural Alpha Hydroxy Acid mask a try.

Ingredients

1 fresh papaya ( peeled, seeds removed and cut into small cubes.)

1/2 fresh pineapple ( peeped, cored, and cut into small cubes.)

Preparation

If you have a juicer that has a setting for soft fruit, this will be perfect for extracting the juice ( you also don't need to peel or core the fruit.) If not, crush the fruit cubes with a mortar and pestle and then press through a sieve to extract the juice.

Yields: Enough for one application

Application: Use once a week for six weeks.

Saturate a cotton pad or ball in the juice and apply to your decollete, neck and face in upward strokes. Leave the juice to dry for fifteen minutes, then rinse off with warm water and moisturize as usual.

(Note: A tingling sensation is normal, as the acids are clearing away those dead skin cells. If the sensation becomes too much, rinse if off earlier.)