I found a blog that hit the spot in this hectic holiday season. The Care2.com blog comments about Santa and his awesome role in our lives.
Dear Ed and Deb,
Unfortunately, Mrs. Santa does not agree with you that I am a great Yogi. She says that just because I can fly and have many different names, it is no indication of spiritual attainment, and that I still have a long way to go. For instance, she says I first have to learn how to wash the dishes and sweep the floor! So, sadly, I must hand back your accolade and ask you to simply refer to me as an old man with a few magical powers who likes to make people happy!
However, I would like to take this opportunity to offer a Christmas message to all your readers. I started giving presents to young and old as a way to make everyone feel more appreciated and happier. I thought that would lead to everyone treating each other a bit more nicely, and that we would become more caring and friendly to one another. But it seems that my message of kindness and generosity has become somewhat lost amidst the shopping bags. We may be kind to our families but we tend to forget about anyone else.
I would like to tell your readers that I believe in peace and kindness for all. So if they want, they can join me by opening their hearts, not just their wallets, and recognize that we are all one big human family and we all need to be loved and appreciated, whatever color our skin may be or whatever our name is. Yes we can! And we can do this not just for one day a year, but for every day of the year. Do good and be good!
I have friends who say, “Think with your heart and not with your head.” Everyone needs to be appreciated and loved. I remember when you guys worked in the kitchen in a homeless shelter. You served those dear ones food and, as I recall, everyone had big smiles on their faces. Just as when you volunteered at Hospice.
We can all just stop for a moment and say, “Oh, yes we can!” Because there is nothing we can’t do with a loving heart. It is by truly believing this that I am able to deliver presents to children all around the world all at the same time!
Thank you for letting a caring old man say what he really feels. I can hear Rudolph calling so I have to head back to help the tireless elves at work, before I go to Mrs. Santa’s kitchen for a dishwashing lesson!
Happy Holidays to all,
Santa
Isn't this the true meaning of the holiday season?
Happiest Holidays to All and Peace be with all of you as well as Wealth and Prosperity of Heart.
Together we can make a difference!!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Copenhagen Climate Conference Gives Us Hope
President Obama reached an agreement with world leaders at the climate conference in Copenhagen to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius and to require countries to list their national actions and commitments to achieving emission reduction goals.
EDF President Fred Krupp issued the following statement in response:
Today's agreement leaves the U.S. in control of its own destiny. We have always known that the path to a clean energy economy goes through Washington, D.C. As President Obama said today, strong action on climate change is in America's national interest.
It's the Senate's turn to speak next. Whether we move ahead with a common-sense plan to create new manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and reduce dependence on foreign oil is not up to other countries; it's up to us. A year from now we can be further ahead or further behind, and the Senate will make the difference.
Today's agreement takes the first important steps toward true transparency and accountability in an international climate agreement. The sooner the U.S. speaks through Senate legislation, the sooner we can set the terms of engagement for talks to come.
There is much work to be done. But, if it wasn't already clear, it is now: The 21st century will be a clean energy century.
The question before us is what role will America play in developing the technologies and clean energy solutions in the coming decades?
It's up to us to urge our Senators to follow the leadership of President Obama and seize this opportunity to cap our carbon emissions, create millions of jobs and unleash our clean energy future.
EDF President Fred Krupp issued the following statement in response:
Today's agreement leaves the U.S. in control of its own destiny. We have always known that the path to a clean energy economy goes through Washington, D.C. As President Obama said today, strong action on climate change is in America's national interest.
It's the Senate's turn to speak next. Whether we move ahead with a common-sense plan to create new manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and reduce dependence on foreign oil is not up to other countries; it's up to us. A year from now we can be further ahead or further behind, and the Senate will make the difference.
Today's agreement takes the first important steps toward true transparency and accountability in an international climate agreement. The sooner the U.S. speaks through Senate legislation, the sooner we can set the terms of engagement for talks to come.
There is much work to be done. But, if it wasn't already clear, it is now: The 21st century will be a clean energy century.
The question before us is what role will America play in developing the technologies and clean energy solutions in the coming decades?
It's up to us to urge our Senators to follow the leadership of President Obama and seize this opportunity to cap our carbon emissions, create millions of jobs and unleash our clean energy future.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
"Peaceful" Outfit
What better to think about this time of year than peace......instilling peace in our lives, living in peace with our neighbors and most of all working on bringing peace to our world. I love the peace sign and the peace dove, so wanting to repurpose some clothes I started searching for a stencil. Looking for a stencil or template to design clothing and make a statement about how I feel became tedious, so I thought, let's make one. We made not 1 but 2 peace sign stencils (check out the storefront if you want one). I whipped these clothes, shown below, up in the morning and wore them to a holiday boutique Sunday afternoon. I couldn't believe the comments...all good...and it felt good knowing I upcycled my clothes and made a statement at the same time. PEACE ON EARTH!!!
Black scarf stenciled with peace sign
Recycled Goodwill nylon purse
Add a little [peace to old jeans
And a statement making but cool shirt!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Report from San Francisco Green Festival
We are officially among the green companies of the world. We had an incredible reception at the San Francisco show this last weekend. 40,000 people appreciating what companies like ours are trying to do to change the toxins in the air and the quality of the lives we live, all for the better.
Artists came by and saw what is possible to create using our product line. Repurposing, upcycling and reusing clothing and other objects were shown and appreciated in our booth. Other vendors as well as the public were interested in what we have to offer and the approach we are taking to be able to make "healthy art". Healthy for the artist, the environment and even the consumer who may be purchasing the end product for their home. Indoor air quality was a hot topic of conversation.
The energy was high and the people delightful. It looks like this is going to be a great venue for us. There are green festivals around the US and we will make as many of them as we can.
Artists came by and saw what is possible to create using our product line. Repurposing, upcycling and reusing clothing and other objects were shown and appreciated in our booth. Other vendors as well as the public were interested in what we have to offer and the approach we are taking to be able to make "healthy art". Healthy for the artist, the environment and even the consumer who may be purchasing the end product for their home. Indoor air quality was a hot topic of conversation.
The energy was high and the people delightful. It looks like this is going to be a great venue for us. There are green festivals around the US and we will make as many of them as we can.
Busy booth but expressive of repurposing
Our new stencils and repurposed beads and buttons
More upcycling!
This goes into landfills! Cute outfit.
The Green Movement is creating awareness. The Green Festivals are showing us all what we can do to make a better world. It is up to us to follow through. So fun to do it creatively!!!!!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Air Quality Puts Family in Extreme Crisis
Who knew?
We live, eat and sleep indoors. We laugh, cry and love indoors. We take deep breaths thinking we are safe from the elements of Nature outside, whether it is summer hot or winter cold. Who knew being indoors could kill. Air quality, both indoors and outside, are the essence of life on Earth. Our health, the health of our children, and grandchildren are as important as the air we breathe.
The following is an amazing documentary of a family who nearly died from side effects of what interior air quality was doing to them. It is so powerful and meaningful and hopeful.
By Diana Marcketta © 2009
Jewel1 Entertainment/Starry Sky Media, Inc.
Debbie O’Neal thought her house would kill her.
Her family had multiple nosebleeds, migraines, rashes and showed
signs of osteoporosis. Debbie’s osteoporosis was deemed severe.
Her menstrual cycle had stopped, her muscles ached constantly and
she now has fibromyalgia.
But worse, her kids were sick…all the time.
Her son Sam – through 12 years of living in their doublewide
manufactured home on her in-law’s Idaho ranch -- had slowly but
steadily developed a growing number of medical conditions…asthma,
respiratory infections, nosebleeds and constant allergies. The
nosebleeds went on for an hour at a time necessitating a trip to the
hospital emergency room. Sam experienced constant ear infections,
nausea and several experiences with vertigo that laid him flat on the
floor.
Dede, her daughter had begun to have unexplainable seizures, one
that even left her turning blue.
But Debbie’s husband, Ted, who spent most of his time outdoors,
rarely got sick.
Then Debbie happened to turn on the television one day to a story
about the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the FEMA manufactured
homes that had stood for months awaiting delivery to the homeless
and displaced.
High levels of formaldehyde and other forms of toxicity had registered
in the drywall of the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management
Agency) trailers intended as temporary shelter for victims of Katrina in
New Orleans. Air quality tests of trailers by the Sierra Club confirmed
it.
Hundreds of victims of Hurricane Katrina still live in temporary
housing today. However, legal guidelines regarding use of
formaldehyde in manufactured and mobile homes has been approved
by the U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development and for
trailers being built for FEMA. The levels of allowable toxicity in
manufactured homes have been severely reduced.
Debbie looked at the walls of her home – a home she had loved and
cared for almost 12 years – and she knew the answer to their
mysterious illnesses lied inside them.
“One night my son said, ‘Mom, I think I’m going to die if I spend
another night in this house.’ That was it for me. We packed up our
bags and were out the same day,” Debbie said. The entire family
moved into the basement of her in-law’s house. They worked to fix
the mobile home, readying it for a sale, but during every attempt, the
family grew sicker.
Ted, her husband, spent most of his days outdoors, working on the
360-acre cattle ranch, away from the manufactured home.
“But at night, he would walk in the door, sit down in his chair, and just
want to go to sleep,” she said. But her husband, a lifetime cattleman
and rancher, experienced constant headaches and a persistent
cough whenever he was in the manufactured home.
Multiple chemical sensitivity – it was a group of words that this dyedin-
the-wool, all-American, hard-working family would slowly grow to
understand the meaning of as they marched from doctor to doctor.
Debbie, Dede and Sam hoped for a diagnosis of the unusual
combination of symptoms that afflicted them.
Dede, Debbie’s now 21-year-old daughter, began having serious
respiratory attacks. In three different situations, Dede had succumbed
to anaphylaxis….a severe allergic reaction.
Each episode was unexplainable, unexpected and completely
terrifying. The worst happened on a golf course in Arizona that had
been sprayed earlier in the week with fertilizers. Dede was
hospitalized, given anti-biotics and steroids, but doctors could not
determine that cause of her illnesses. They suggested sinus surgery,
but neither Dede nor Debbie approved.
Slowly, after leaving the golf course and being hospitalized for nearly
two weeks, the symptoms eased but did not completely subside.
Finally, after viewing the news story about the FEMA trailers, Debbie
thought she might have a piece of the puzzle.
“It was awful. None of us knew what was wrong with us and the
doctors didn’t have any answers,” said Debbie, who underwent three
biopsies related to her gynecological difficulties. “I think they thought
we were crazy.”
When Debbie had taken extra steps to seal up her home from the
cold winter Idaho weather, she had unknowingly sealed in the toxins
trying to escape from the manufactured home’s formaldehyde-filled
walls and what were probably other complex chemicals in the
plywood press board cabinets.
“We loved our home,” said O’Neal of the doublewide where her
children spent most of their childhood. “But we just couldn’t stay
there.”
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (a division of
the NIH) defines MCS as a “chronic, recurring disease caused by a
person’s inability to tolerate an environmental chemical or class or
foreign chemicals. MCS has also been described as a group of
“sensitivities to extraordinarily low levels of environmental chemicals,”
according to the institute.
According to the institute, MCS appears “to develop without cause in
some individuals following acute or chronic exposure to a wide variety
of environmental agents including various pesticides, solvents, drugs
and air contaminants” including those found in environmentallyunhealthy
buildings.
Environmental medicine specialists claim that MCS causes negative
health effects in multiple organ systems, and that respiratory distress,
seizures, cognitive dysfunction, heart arrhythmia, nausea, headache
and fatigue can result from exposure to levels of common chemicals
that are deemed as safe.
Dr. Marilyn Black, chemist, founder and CEO of the third-party
“green” certification company Green Guard, based in Atlanta, Ga.,
agrees that the American Medical Association does not recognize
MCS as a disease, but the syndrome appears to be growing.
“If you continually challenge the body’s system with something that
irritates it, then the cells start to change,” says Dr. Black, whose
organization was founded out her of concern for the safety of children
being exposed to chemicals in homes. Green Guard Environmental
Institute emphasizes environmentally healthy air-quality programs,
products and construction in homes and schools.
“We have an increase in asthma and an increase in learning
disabilities nationwide,” says Dr. Black, whose interest in chemical
sensitization and environmental health began when she first
investigated “sick” buildings several years ago. “We realized the need
for a program…our goal is to help create safer products overall.”
Formaldehyde exposure -- the focus of investigation in FEMA trailers
-- may cause irritation in those exposed it to it, Dr. Black says, but
each individual may have a different level of sensitivity. Also,
formaldehyde may result in a high sensitization, but according to
current science, says Dr. Black, it does not remain in the body.
“Generally, it causes irritation in the eyes, nose and throat,” she says,
but prolonged exposure may result in asthma and respiratory
problems.
Formaldehyde’s long-term exposure is now being investigated for its
ability to act as a carcinogen, says Dr. Black. In traditional homes,
formaldehyde is estimated to exist at levels of 60 parts per billion.
The new manufacturing requirements for FEMA trailers are at 16
parts per billion according to HUD.
But as Dr. Black reiterates, each individual responds differently to
chemical exposure and often multiple chemicals may trigger a
reaction.
Debbie and her children were prescribed anti-biotics and other
treatments for allergies but as MCS is not recognized by the
American Medical Association as a disease or disorder, doctors were
not able to prescribe anything further.
But Debbie, Dede, Sam and Ted had had enough of feeling badly.
Debbie and her family never returned to that manufactured home.
The original manufacturer, based in Texas, had gone out of business
in the meantime, and the statue of limitations, which would have
enabled the O’Neal’s to file any kind of claim, had expired on their
decade-old purchase. The family had no recourse against the
manufacturer even though heavy amounts of formaldehyde had been
found in the walls.
The house was sold to a California family that now uses it as a
hunting cabin, visiting only two or three times a year.
“They never complain about anything. We told them upfront the kinds
of problems we had, but they felt comfortable buying the place
because they would be there only a few times a year,” she says.
Debbie and her family are now weeks away from moving into a new
nearly tox-free home.
After determining the source of the family’s various health problems
(bloody noses, tiredness, allergies, dizziness, fibromyalgia,
osteoporosis, seizures, interrupted menstrual cycles); Debbie has
made every attempt to include toxic-free materials in their new 2,500
square-foot home.
O’Neal admits that she expects to struggle with her health for the rest
of her life. She regularly sees a naturopath, and frequently sees a
chiropractor for the pain resulting from fibromyalgia.
“As my daughter says, `We’re sick, but now we know what is wrong
with us) but there are a lot of other people in the world much sicker
than us,’” says Debbie.
What has been most difficult for both Debbie and Dede are the
limitations that their sicknesses have put on their lives. Both were
forced to quit driving temporarily due to repeated episodes of vertigo
and dizziness.
Dede, now living in Montana, had to quit her job temporarily but
unfortunately also lost one of the great passions her life…rodeo. She
left the rodeo circuit, unable to keep up physically with the typical
round of weekend competitions each season. Then, since she was
unable to work at the time, both her pickup truck and her horse trailer
were repossessed.
But the family is slowly moving on from the invisible tentacles of
chemical off gassing.
Debbie walks down the halls of her freshly painted home without
worrying about the off-gassing of toxic paints…paints which release
invisible toxic gases into the air leaving her with migraines,
fibromyalgia and severe osteoporosis.
Instead, Debbie inhales and exhales standing inside her freshly
painted without hesitation. She knows the walls of her newly
completed ranch house are covered with Earth Safe Finishes, a
unique toxin-free, VOC free paint that Debbie says she actually
enjoyed putting on her interior walls.
“I searched for this paint,” says Debbie of her quest for a voc-free
paint.
The paint, designed and created by Earth Safe Finishes CEO Nancy
Burkhart, is completely toxin free.
“And it lasts,” says California-based Burkhart, who spoke with Debbie
at length before shipping off a pallet of paint from her Californiabased
business to Idaho.
The paint even smells good, says Debbie.
“It’s a pleasure to paint,” says Debbie, who recently completed the
interior of her nearly constructed a nearly toxin-free 2000-sq. ft. home
with a light beige coat on her walls. “I don’t know anybody that
shouldn’t try these paints.”
Debbie found Earth Safe Finishes (www.earthsafefinishes.com) on
the internet. Having tried all other major competitors offering low
(volatile organic compounds) VOC’s such as Dunn-Edwards,
Sherwin-Williams and in-house Home Depot paints.
All failed the test for toxicity tolerance, says O’Neal, who worked with
toxin experts utilizing a simple plastic bag test to judge the level of
each paint’s chemical emissions.
A freshly painted piece of wood is placed in a bag brown and then
taped shut. When the bag is opened 24 hours later, the paint’s gases
are released. Dried painted wood placed in plastic baggies for a
week, each separate from the others. A bio-energetic testing machine
was used, also.
“Nancy’s paints had absolutely no chemical odor and no signs of
gas,” says Debbie while she discerned an odor and gases in the
other paints.
While Debbie does not deny the consumer value of the other paints
tested, her individual ability to tolerate chemicals is so low that only
the Earth Safe Finishes were safe to her.
“I love it,” says Debbie of both the primer and paint used throughout
the house. “It doesn’t need a primer. It’s like playing in whip cream.”
The house nearly finished, O’Neal is excited to move in. Earth Safe
Finish products, including varnishes and stains, have been used
throughout the house.
Because the family must live as tox-free as possible, Ted O’Neal is
building much of the family’s furniture. He has already built a vanity
for the guest bathroom completed with varnish and stain from Earth
Safe Finishes.
“It’s just beautiful,” says Debbie. “The stain looks great. The varnish
goes on like satin.”
Debbie says she felt great sympathy for the victims of Hurricane
Katrina, many who lost their homes and now three years later, are
still without permanent shelter.
“Ironically, that we experienced, too,” Debbie says. “But after time you
realize that being alive and going forward is what life is all about.”
We live, eat and sleep indoors. We laugh, cry and love indoors. We take deep breaths thinking we are safe from the elements of Nature outside, whether it is summer hot or winter cold. Who knew being indoors could kill. Air quality, both indoors and outside, are the essence of life on Earth. Our health, the health of our children, and grandchildren are as important as the air we breathe.
The following is an amazing documentary of a family who nearly died from side effects of what interior air quality was doing to them. It is so powerful and meaningful and hopeful.
By Diana Marcketta © 2009
Jewel1 Entertainment/Starry Sky Media, Inc.
Debbie O’Neal thought her house would kill her.
Her family had multiple nosebleeds, migraines, rashes and showed
signs of osteoporosis. Debbie’s osteoporosis was deemed severe.
Her menstrual cycle had stopped, her muscles ached constantly and
she now has fibromyalgia.
But worse, her kids were sick…all the time.
Her son Sam – through 12 years of living in their doublewide
manufactured home on her in-law’s Idaho ranch -- had slowly but
steadily developed a growing number of medical conditions…asthma,
respiratory infections, nosebleeds and constant allergies. The
nosebleeds went on for an hour at a time necessitating a trip to the
hospital emergency room. Sam experienced constant ear infections,
nausea and several experiences with vertigo that laid him flat on the
floor.
Dede, her daughter had begun to have unexplainable seizures, one
that even left her turning blue.
But Debbie’s husband, Ted, who spent most of his time outdoors,
rarely got sick.
Then Debbie happened to turn on the television one day to a story
about the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the FEMA manufactured
homes that had stood for months awaiting delivery to the homeless
and displaced.
High levels of formaldehyde and other forms of toxicity had registered
in the drywall of the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management
Agency) trailers intended as temporary shelter for victims of Katrina in
New Orleans. Air quality tests of trailers by the Sierra Club confirmed
it.
Hundreds of victims of Hurricane Katrina still live in temporary
housing today. However, legal guidelines regarding use of
formaldehyde in manufactured and mobile homes has been approved
by the U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development and for
trailers being built for FEMA. The levels of allowable toxicity in
manufactured homes have been severely reduced.
Debbie looked at the walls of her home – a home she had loved and
cared for almost 12 years – and she knew the answer to their
mysterious illnesses lied inside them.
“One night my son said, ‘Mom, I think I’m going to die if I spend
another night in this house.’ That was it for me. We packed up our
bags and were out the same day,” Debbie said. The entire family
moved into the basement of her in-law’s house. They worked to fix
the mobile home, readying it for a sale, but during every attempt, the
family grew sicker.
Ted, her husband, spent most of his days outdoors, working on the
360-acre cattle ranch, away from the manufactured home.
“But at night, he would walk in the door, sit down in his chair, and just
want to go to sleep,” she said. But her husband, a lifetime cattleman
and rancher, experienced constant headaches and a persistent
cough whenever he was in the manufactured home.
Multiple chemical sensitivity – it was a group of words that this dyedin-
the-wool, all-American, hard-working family would slowly grow to
understand the meaning of as they marched from doctor to doctor.
Debbie, Dede and Sam hoped for a diagnosis of the unusual
combination of symptoms that afflicted them.
Dede, Debbie’s now 21-year-old daughter, began having serious
respiratory attacks. In three different situations, Dede had succumbed
to anaphylaxis….a severe allergic reaction.
Each episode was unexplainable, unexpected and completely
terrifying. The worst happened on a golf course in Arizona that had
been sprayed earlier in the week with fertilizers. Dede was
hospitalized, given anti-biotics and steroids, but doctors could not
determine that cause of her illnesses. They suggested sinus surgery,
but neither Dede nor Debbie approved.
Slowly, after leaving the golf course and being hospitalized for nearly
two weeks, the symptoms eased but did not completely subside.
Finally, after viewing the news story about the FEMA trailers, Debbie
thought she might have a piece of the puzzle.
“It was awful. None of us knew what was wrong with us and the
doctors didn’t have any answers,” said Debbie, who underwent three
biopsies related to her gynecological difficulties. “I think they thought
we were crazy.”
When Debbie had taken extra steps to seal up her home from the
cold winter Idaho weather, she had unknowingly sealed in the toxins
trying to escape from the manufactured home’s formaldehyde-filled
walls and what were probably other complex chemicals in the
plywood press board cabinets.
“We loved our home,” said O’Neal of the doublewide where her
children spent most of their childhood. “But we just couldn’t stay
there.”
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (a division of
the NIH) defines MCS as a “chronic, recurring disease caused by a
person’s inability to tolerate an environmental chemical or class or
foreign chemicals. MCS has also been described as a group of
“sensitivities to extraordinarily low levels of environmental chemicals,”
according to the institute.
According to the institute, MCS appears “to develop without cause in
some individuals following acute or chronic exposure to a wide variety
of environmental agents including various pesticides, solvents, drugs
and air contaminants” including those found in environmentallyunhealthy
buildings.
Environmental medicine specialists claim that MCS causes negative
health effects in multiple organ systems, and that respiratory distress,
seizures, cognitive dysfunction, heart arrhythmia, nausea, headache
and fatigue can result from exposure to levels of common chemicals
that are deemed as safe.
Dr. Marilyn Black, chemist, founder and CEO of the third-party
“green” certification company Green Guard, based in Atlanta, Ga.,
agrees that the American Medical Association does not recognize
MCS as a disease, but the syndrome appears to be growing.
“If you continually challenge the body’s system with something that
irritates it, then the cells start to change,” says Dr. Black, whose
organization was founded out her of concern for the safety of children
being exposed to chemicals in homes. Green Guard Environmental
Institute emphasizes environmentally healthy air-quality programs,
products and construction in homes and schools.
“We have an increase in asthma and an increase in learning
disabilities nationwide,” says Dr. Black, whose interest in chemical
sensitization and environmental health began when she first
investigated “sick” buildings several years ago. “We realized the need
for a program…our goal is to help create safer products overall.”
Formaldehyde exposure -- the focus of investigation in FEMA trailers
-- may cause irritation in those exposed it to it, Dr. Black says, but
each individual may have a different level of sensitivity. Also,
formaldehyde may result in a high sensitization, but according to
current science, says Dr. Black, it does not remain in the body.
“Generally, it causes irritation in the eyes, nose and throat,” she says,
but prolonged exposure may result in asthma and respiratory
problems.
Formaldehyde’s long-term exposure is now being investigated for its
ability to act as a carcinogen, says Dr. Black. In traditional homes,
formaldehyde is estimated to exist at levels of 60 parts per billion.
The new manufacturing requirements for FEMA trailers are at 16
parts per billion according to HUD.
But as Dr. Black reiterates, each individual responds differently to
chemical exposure and often multiple chemicals may trigger a
reaction.
Debbie and her children were prescribed anti-biotics and other
treatments for allergies but as MCS is not recognized by the
American Medical Association as a disease or disorder, doctors were
not able to prescribe anything further.
But Debbie, Dede, Sam and Ted had had enough of feeling badly.
Debbie and her family never returned to that manufactured home.
The original manufacturer, based in Texas, had gone out of business
in the meantime, and the statue of limitations, which would have
enabled the O’Neal’s to file any kind of claim, had expired on their
decade-old purchase. The family had no recourse against the
manufacturer even though heavy amounts of formaldehyde had been
found in the walls.
The house was sold to a California family that now uses it as a
hunting cabin, visiting only two or three times a year.
“They never complain about anything. We told them upfront the kinds
of problems we had, but they felt comfortable buying the place
because they would be there only a few times a year,” she says.
Debbie and her family are now weeks away from moving into a new
nearly tox-free home.
After determining the source of the family’s various health problems
(bloody noses, tiredness, allergies, dizziness, fibromyalgia,
osteoporosis, seizures, interrupted menstrual cycles); Debbie has
made every attempt to include toxic-free materials in their new 2,500
square-foot home.
O’Neal admits that she expects to struggle with her health for the rest
of her life. She regularly sees a naturopath, and frequently sees a
chiropractor for the pain resulting from fibromyalgia.
“As my daughter says, `We’re sick, but now we know what is wrong
with us) but there are a lot of other people in the world much sicker
than us,’” says Debbie.
What has been most difficult for both Debbie and Dede are the
limitations that their sicknesses have put on their lives. Both were
forced to quit driving temporarily due to repeated episodes of vertigo
and dizziness.
Dede, now living in Montana, had to quit her job temporarily but
unfortunately also lost one of the great passions her life…rodeo. She
left the rodeo circuit, unable to keep up physically with the typical
round of weekend competitions each season. Then, since she was
unable to work at the time, both her pickup truck and her horse trailer
were repossessed.
But the family is slowly moving on from the invisible tentacles of
chemical off gassing.
Debbie walks down the halls of her freshly painted home without
worrying about the off-gassing of toxic paints…paints which release
invisible toxic gases into the air leaving her with migraines,
fibromyalgia and severe osteoporosis.
Instead, Debbie inhales and exhales standing inside her freshly
painted without hesitation. She knows the walls of her newly
completed ranch house are covered with Earth Safe Finishes, a
unique toxin-free, VOC free paint that Debbie says she actually
enjoyed putting on her interior walls.
“I searched for this paint,” says Debbie of her quest for a voc-free
paint.
The paint, designed and created by Earth Safe Finishes CEO Nancy
Burkhart, is completely toxin free.
“And it lasts,” says California-based Burkhart, who spoke with Debbie
at length before shipping off a pallet of paint from her Californiabased
business to Idaho.
The paint even smells good, says Debbie.
“It’s a pleasure to paint,” says Debbie, who recently completed the
interior of her nearly constructed a nearly toxin-free 2000-sq. ft. home
with a light beige coat on her walls. “I don’t know anybody that
shouldn’t try these paints.”
Debbie found Earth Safe Finishes (www.earthsafefinishes.com) on
the internet. Having tried all other major competitors offering low
(volatile organic compounds) VOC’s such as Dunn-Edwards,
Sherwin-Williams and in-house Home Depot paints.
All failed the test for toxicity tolerance, says O’Neal, who worked with
toxin experts utilizing a simple plastic bag test to judge the level of
each paint’s chemical emissions.
A freshly painted piece of wood is placed in a bag brown and then
taped shut. When the bag is opened 24 hours later, the paint’s gases
are released. Dried painted wood placed in plastic baggies for a
week, each separate from the others. A bio-energetic testing machine
was used, also.
“Nancy’s paints had absolutely no chemical odor and no signs of
gas,” says Debbie while she discerned an odor and gases in the
other paints.
While Debbie does not deny the consumer value of the other paints
tested, her individual ability to tolerate chemicals is so low that only
the Earth Safe Finishes were safe to her.
“I love it,” says Debbie of both the primer and paint used throughout
the house. “It doesn’t need a primer. It’s like playing in whip cream.”
The house nearly finished, O’Neal is excited to move in. Earth Safe
Finish products, including varnishes and stains, have been used
throughout the house.
Because the family must live as tox-free as possible, Ted O’Neal is
building much of the family’s furniture. He has already built a vanity
for the guest bathroom completed with varnish and stain from Earth
Safe Finishes.
“It’s just beautiful,” says Debbie. “The stain looks great. The varnish
goes on like satin.”
Debbie says she felt great sympathy for the victims of Hurricane
Katrina, many who lost their homes and now three years later, are
still without permanent shelter.
“Ironically, that we experienced, too,” Debbie says. “But after time you
realize that being alive and going forward is what life is all about.”
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Green Festival in San Francisco
Booth #921
Come and see us and have fun, we are going to, for sure!!!!!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Indoor Health
I spoke with a US Green Building Council board member yesterday morning and he gave me some history on indoor air quality which I found fascinating and would like to pass on. In the late 1970's because of all the attention paid to lack of insulation in homes, air escaping through thin window panes and through cracks and uninsulated panels to the outside Title 24 was passed in California and has come to be the norm in the United States for the housing industry. Title 24 gives us a baseline for weatherizing and retrofitting. As a result, over the years toxic air has become trapped indoors more than ever. We are bringing more toxic materials into our homes and they don't have a way to escape (not that it is even a good idea as it goes out into the air and into our environment). This trapping effect pollutes indoor air quality even more and affects our health, including the health of our children. Health of all members of the family is affected by the toxic chemicals we are breathing in a place that should be a haven for our bodies.
Individual and environmental health are two of the main reasons Earth Safe Finishes was developed. Working in close contact with other paints, and other art products not only leaves the individual inhaling these fumes but the residual is left floating in the air. This toxicity builds up in an individual and results in a loss of tolerance. Headaches, nausea are the two of the many resultant effects of this chain of events.
Global Green gives us several ways to Contribute to a Safe, Healthy Indoor Environment:
Products that don’t release significant pollutants into the home orbuilding, such as no-VOC paints, formaldehyde-free cabinets, and non-toxic caulks, sealers and adhesives, CRI Green Label carpets and pads.
Products that block the spread of or remove indoor pollutants, such as duct mastic, effective ventilation equipment, and air and water filters.
Products that warn occupants of health hazards, such as Carbon Monoxide detectors and humidity sensors.
With awareness and effort we can turn this around and make a negative into a positive. Earth Safe Finishes is working with the best and safest chemicals and the best people to make the best and safest products for your home. Help yourself, your family and the environment with your awareness.
Individual and environmental health are two of the main reasons Earth Safe Finishes was developed. Working in close contact with other paints, and other art products not only leaves the individual inhaling these fumes but the residual is left floating in the air. This toxicity builds up in an individual and results in a loss of tolerance. Headaches, nausea are the two of the many resultant effects of this chain of events.
Global Green gives us several ways to Contribute to a Safe, Healthy Indoor Environment:
Products that don’t release significant pollutants into the home orbuilding, such as no-VOC paints, formaldehyde-free cabinets, and non-toxic caulks, sealers and adhesives, CRI Green Label carpets and pads.
Products that block the spread of or remove indoor pollutants, such as duct mastic, effective ventilation equipment, and air and water filters.
Products that warn occupants of health hazards, such as Carbon Monoxide detectors and humidity sensors.
With awareness and effort we can turn this around and make a negative into a positive. Earth Safe Finishes is working with the best and safest chemicals and the best people to make the best and safest products for your home. Help yourself, your family and the environment with your awareness.
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