Unexpected Changes To a Greener Planet

Deliberations, sometimes they get in the way of getting done what we believe in.  Consideration for this, consideration for that; what will they think; WHAT IF!!!  Eeeeak!

Stop... breathe, and do what you believe in.  This is a much simpler statement than the what our genetic coding suggest we go through for decision-making but there is more than a speck of truth in it.  There is so much activity in sustainability and climate change often it feels like someone else is or can do whatever is on your mind- not so.  Each person acts as another potential persuasive vehicle to advance work tremendously important to protecting the planet.  Even if its been said, say it again, add a twist.  We must constantly strive to balance protecting the natural resources accessible to us and the way we use them.  There are millions of people, billions for that matter, waiting for someone with the right tone, approach or message that will resonate with them enough to take active steps to contribute to making a different in the many areas that make up sustainability and preservation.

After a brief hiatus, returning to this work is paramount for me; there is so much work to be done and I cannot count on what everyone else will do so I will continue to do my part and be more diligent in doing so.  Expect more articles from me more frequently, that share important advances in technology, resources, activities and changes in climate related matters.  I don't have all the answers but I feel reinvigorated after returning from Asia and having gone through a certain cleansing for myself.  I found what I needed to regroup and continue with what I believe in.

The world is a beautiful place; I want to fulfill my role in it and preserve it for as long as possible.  My goal is to help inspire others to do the same by sharing my knowledge and determination to do the same.  What you don't find here (looking4answers) you will find here ( at green elements).

Recently I spoke with my ex-wife who shared with me some amazing progress I never thought I would hear come from her lips; I Love her she is an amazing woman.  This evening she told me all of the steps she was taking to be a more active participant in climate consciousness.  Throughout the entire conversation I was smiling to myself realizing how important it is to continue the work.  You see, we don't always know when what we share with others will have the desired affect, but we can't allow that to slow us down or prevent us from doing the work.  What did she share? 1) She is walking our son to school 2) she is (as well as my son) designating a separate disposal for recycling and trash- and my son is keeping her on her toes; 3) she has replaced all the lighting in her home with CFL; 4) she has taken a conscious step to reducing the highly processed food and nearly eliminated soda from her/ their diet.  YAHOOW-OOOOOh!  Nothing could make me happier relative to what changes she is making regarding climate change.

I want to remind everyone that CFL can be extremely dangerous so follow the necessary precautions when handling them.  I have provided a link here >> What should I do if I break a bulb?  .  LED is really the best lighting technology but pricing is still an issue.

Exploring truth and avoiding cancer

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the importance of alkaline in ones diet because of the deficiency from our over consumption of various processed food products and sugar.  I offered a list of foods to anyone who emailed me.

I want to continue to remind people that I am not doctor; that being said I will proceed. 

There is a necessary ph balance that helps food products grow; I suggested that because we are heavily dependent on foods grown rather than processed, our nutrient requirements would not be so different.  In humans the healthy ph balance is about 7.4.  Further I stated that our excessive intake of sugar more particularly sucrose and fructose are especially harmful to our physiology.  Because of our dietary habits, most people in the U.S. (and likely other developed nations as well), maintain a population of people with highly acidic imbalances (a deficit of alkalinity).  I challenge everyone who reads (and please share it with everyone you know within your network) this article to calculate how much sugar intake you ingest each day or week.  

Further our passion for chocolaty sweets, caffeine and like products add an additional burden to our body.  Utter disregard for the correct pH balance is in part our demise.

Additional curiosities arose for me as I was looking to increase my alkaline intake to balance out the sugars in my own diet.  Not only did I discover the health detriment of caffeine, sugars, sweets, etc; I also began to think about my semester at Tufts in health risks affects in civil engineering forcing me to ponder some of the following topics that helped me link more of what I am concerned about:

1) Cancer does not do well in oxygen rich environments.  When cells fail to thrive they seek environments where they can (oxygen poor environments provide such an environment for cancer)

2) Oxygen cannot adhere to blood cells as well if the ionic charge is highly acidic 

3) Alkaline enrichment can help offset the consequences of an acidic diet (i.e., sugar)

4)  Soy can contribute to or foster environments that cancerous cells require

5) Your pancreas uses an enzyme known as trypsin necessary for protein digestion; soy irritates pancreatic activity (causing stress) reduces the oxygenation counteracting (or acting as an inhibitor) for metabolizes of protein

If you have been told  about as an old remedy or tried, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to help reduce acid- it works, but not just for an upset stomach.  Even the NIH (National Institute of Health) indicates that it reduces blood acids (here).  Still be mindful of your use.  Too much of anything is not a good thing.  Nonetheless, it has really powerful benefits.

We should question why soy is being emphasized as a health product, when we should be getting advised about the importance of moderation of it as well as coffee, chocolate, processed foods (including dairy); and most importantly what is going in to school lunches especially in primary and secondary schools.  I would advise people to look at what a "balanced diet" is.  Lastly I would consider what large pharmaceutical companies stand to lose by being fully transparent and what they stand to gain by people consuming high acid producing foods.   It could mean a significant reduction in the prevalence of cancer which would all but decimate the pharmaceutical and medical industry.   The point here is only to consider the possibilities not attack the pharmaceutical companies- I don't support that approach

Look into the data for yourself, do your home work- do not rely on one source, including me.   Below are some key words that might help you understand more about this content in my article:

Red blood cells; oxygen; trypsin; alkaline; acidity; ph balance; gout; oncogenes; sodium bicarbonate; oxygen exchange. 

My recommendation:

Grow your own food whenever possible and learn to enjoy healthy foods more.  Stop going to the grocery store to buy quick packaged food so often and invest in yourself and your health.  These are just brief thoughts to help you think critically about your health.  Exercise that infuses your body with higher levels of oxygen is important as well; also do not over look the importance of breathing clean air (i.e., take a hike in the mountains once in a while).

If you are interested in more information I have articles and medical references that you may find helpful and informative.  Though I don't consider myself a naturalist, the research I have is both medical and naturalist in nature.

Be well,

Scotland

Ps   If you would like a chart of alkaline and acidic foods you may email me or leave a comment.

 http://greenelements.typepad.com/blog/2011/04/amazing-ph-balance-earth-and-people.html

Unprescription for happiness

by Scotland Willis
I was speaking with a good friend this morning who is visiting with me from out of town; she has been prescribed lots of drugs- eight to my knowledge.  These drugs ranged from antidepressants (prescribed as a method to help them sleep) to pain pills.

Thoroughly concerned about the use of prescription medicine as a solution with no end; I shifted into my life coach mode and asked her to do me a favor.  I simply requested that she take a moment to go up stairs and write a list of ten things that make her happy.

While she was doing this I decided to do some research about the various drugs- most of  it was not positive.  The risks associated with taking the prescribed drugs ranged from suicide to further depression- be more depressed... so I can sleep?  That didn't wash with me, so I furthered my research, all the time knowing and informing her that I am no doctor and am not offering medical advice.  I went a step further.

What we should all know
With only novice experience in heal risk affects, I started to research the NIH (National Institute of Health) and the IRIS (Integrated Risk Information System) to increase my understanding of what I was looking at- more bad news.  Both offer valuable insights to toxicity and responses to various toxicants.

As it turns out, and is sometimes the case, I discovered that what had been prescribed was the very same thing I was requesting of my friend; find happiness- but the drugs were limited in understanding human nature.

The drugs force the release of additional serotonin ( a contributor to a sense of well being sometimes called the happiness hormone (though it is not actually a hormone).  Excesses of serotonin like any toxic affect, can have a negative outcome.   To no surprise she complained about discomfort in her gut (where 80% of serotonin is produced).  An excess dose of serotonin could potentially result in this response.

Putting it all together

After about an hour, she came to me with her list.  Next, I went through the list of ten things she wrote down for me, that make her happy or that she likes to do.  I read them with great care.  Then I went through each one and asked her, "when was the last time you went to the museum?" followed by; "when was the last time you went to a movie"... followed by; "when was the last time you..." until we went through the entire list.

As it turned out she had not participated in any of the things she enjoyed in less than the last six months!

I absolutely could not believe this; I could not believe what I was hearing.  Now I have plenty of stress in my life; but I do not allow a day to go by without doing at least one thing, that makes me happy.  If ever I have, I know that I would not feel good about myself, vis a vis, I would not be happy i.e.,  I would not have the natural dose of serotonin already in my body, that I needed.

So I proceeded to give my nonprescription, "My friend, I said, "I want you to go out and do at least two of the things that make you happy today.  Take your journal and write about how they make you feel and pay attention to what is occurring for you as you make your observations."

A real difference

Immediately, as I was looking at her beautiful self, it was as if a huge burden had been lifted from her.  A smile came across her face that was glowing in a way I had not seen since she arrived.  To me that indicated that the dopamine ( a biological reaction that occurs when you are craving something) was being released at the mere idea of taking time to do some of the things that make her happy.  My belief is that she will get the sense of well being from the interaction between what she stated makes her happy and making a conscious decision to partake in such activity.

And that is it friends, don't allow life to pass you by because you forgot to do something that makes you feel good (the serotonin) every day.

You might  start by going off somewhere right now and making that list of the ten things that make you happy.  If the natural dopamine in your is being released, you are probably experiencing a smile or your salivary glands acting up at the idea that you are going to reward yourself by treating your happiness hormones to doing something nice for someone else, or nice to yourself.

I feel happier already

Don't worry be happy, because there are some things that you just cannot change- accept that and find a alternate happy path.  For the other things, that you can change, as long as they don't make someone else unhappy, go and do them.  Join a new group, pick up an instrument, go for a walk, a bike ride, show someone you care, get an ice cream cone, breathe fresh air, write in your journal, garden, etc. Do a physical or mental activity that nourishes you and can make you begin to feel whole again.

In my non-medical opinion, the first prescription doctors should offer is the prescription of inquiry, and ask what makes you happy.

We forget things all the time as humans, just don't forget to be happy

Resources:

http://www.epa.gov/iris/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion#Neurobiological_theories

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin

Stress and emotion: A new synthesis, 1999, New York: Springer Pub. Co.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004531/

Emotion and adaptation, 1991, New York: Oxford University Press

Everyone should know Balance

by Scotland Willis

Balance is something we strive for in our life.  We see it in how we try to manage work and our 

personal life; balance between consumption and preserving the environment; balancing disruptions and getting tasks done; and in our personal health versus stress.  The list is extensive.  By and large balance is a very difficult goal to achieve; this assertion could be made anywhere in the world.

So here is something to consider about balance you may not have thought of; 1) the most important balance in our body is pH balance; while that may sound simple, achieving it is like trying to balance yourself on a tightrope (ok perhaps not that difficult but it might seem that way) but certainly as challenging to achieve balance in other areas of our life; 2) alkaline and acids make up these two very important chemical that represent this balance, which also influence many other activities that occur in our body.

A bit more understanding migh make you more conscious about your eating decisions and thereby resulting in a happier healthier you.

So why is this make up so important?  Let's not   focus on things like kidney, liver and blood disease, to avoid talking about thsi from a medical perspective- though they are legitimately related to the matter at hand.  Rather I would like to share important factors to understand which will make the importance of acids and alkaline a little easier to digest.

 Most foods (especially processed foods) have high levels of sugar or high fructose.  The result is that most of our diet is made up of sugary acids that means that we have a alkaline deficit much more often than not in our body, across the majority of our U.S. population.  Alkaline foods mean more green foods and raw veggies (which don't appeal to most peoples taste buds the way sugary sweets do).  It's time to change that.

Keep this in mind increasing your alkaline intake will result in more energy, healthier bone structure and a wide range of health benefits including lower blood sugar levels, less chances of heart disease and the other major threats to human health.  For children it can mean improved neurological performance.

Understanding the Scale

The pH scale reflect whether the pH in your body is acidic or alkaline.  The scale ranges from 1 to 14.  A pH of 7 is considered neutral; above 7 is considered alkaline below 7 is considered acidic.  Seven then is the ideal balance for humans.  Because we have a diet that is so heavily influenced by sugars, achieving the balance (i.e., consuming more raw or alkaline foods) is a real challenge.

Less important to understand but good to know is this:  a pH of 4 is ten times more acidic than a pH of 5 and 100 times (10 times 10) more acidic than a pH of 6. The same holds true for pH values above 7, each of which is ten times more alkaline—another way to say basic—than the next lower whole value. For example, a pH of 10 is ten times more alkaline than a pH of 9 (epa).  Sounds impressive but the simlicity if each level of increase refelcts an acidic increase of ten times that.  The same would be true for alkaline, except most people don't have alkaline saturated diets. 

People and Plant Benefits

And here is something else you probably did not know; your plants require a similar pH balance to that of humans. Depending on what region of the world your food is from will also influence whether that food requires more alkaline or acid in its uptake.  Beets for example do best in a alkaline environment(pH) around 7-8; while grass  are slightly acidic or close to neutral between 6.5 to 7.  Basically plant life also thrives in close to this balance of 7.  

All of this makes sense if you consider a couple of different points: 1) we consume a lot of plant life (or we should)  so we should attempt to maintain a similar balance 2) we are evolved from single cellular organism that thrived on plant life (if you subscribe to the scientific theory) as such, our biological system  should have similar requirements.

 Maintaining a better pH balance means a better quality of life.  Eating more alkaline and raw vegetables, fewer sugary and processed foods (which includes milk) will reduce the negative affects of an acidic body.  

If you are a gardner, seek to balance your soil as well (there are devices to monitor this).  I use to have a 100 gallon ( 378 liters)  salt water aquarium at one point; maintaining the pH balance was critical to the fish survival, so it is no surprise the level of importance pH has on the body for me.

From healthy bones to healthy blood, pH affects everything about you and your bodily function.

Please work harder to stay healthy by balancing what you eat and likely adding more alkaline type food to your diet, while consuming less sugary and processed foods.

Alkaline foods: flax seed or oil, brown rice, millet, soaked almonds, tomato slices, fresh avocado, natural vegetable soups or pressed vegetable juices (not canned likely to have sugar) and beets. For a comprehensive list email me

Alkaline foods: flax seed or oil, brown rice, millet, soaked almonds, tomato slices, fresh avocado, natural vegetable soups or pressed vegetable juices (not canned likely to have sugar) and beets.  For a comprehensive list email me

Winter Is Receding

Sings of winter are receding as people can be seen emerging from their dins in greater numbers- in a more casual manner than what the necessities of Winter require.  They head out to embrace a break in the weather, signaling the change in season once again.  Though buds of trees waiting to bloom, are not all at once apparent, a hint that their presence will be felt soon enough, is sufficient.  Some are jogging, other have decided to share the experience with their partners on this dry 9 -10 degrees Celsius (51.8' ish Fahrenheit) day.  All share a like reasoning- to expose themselves to the outdoors, a vulnerability we can embrace.

It is a commonality that if explored by any one of these courageous individuals, they might stumble on to a new friendship- if they are open to it.  Not so much because they like doing the same tings, but because commonality allows them to do something that a mere introduction doesn't achieve.

While winter is receding like a bad hair line, new opportunities are abound as less inclement weather fosters the best opportunities to engage with others.  Good weather also helps bring out the best in us, thus increasing the odds of a more positive outcome, should we decide to explore a new relationship outside of our convention.

And don't get stuck in finding your soul mate or the events that can lead up to that; such as the notorious biological clock; pursuit of the money match maker, and perfect cultural fits.  Be adventurous, find someone who might be like that good weather day and bring out the best in you.

Winter is receding, we should too, and try something new.

Happy Spring!

Climate change: ask yourself, what am I doing

by Scotland Willis

A path to climate consciousness can be a long one.  Some don't necessarily know where to begin, others may believe  they are doing enough.  Still some people may just believe that they have too much baggage they are carrying around to add anything else to their "to do" list is just too much.

To be certain, getting to where I am today was not an overnight decision or process.  Each step along the way I was certain others would see it as a major psychological challenge.  But the further I got into this path of sustainability the more I wanted it.  Once you are committed to climate change issues, two things are very difficult 1) understanding why others don't buy into it; even if you don't believe in the seriousness of climate change, you could say at a fundamental level that polluting is worse than not polluting- right?  Sure!  2) and turning back- I have no interest in doing so.  So where do we go from here?

My goal is to get more people to understand what they can become more climate conscious; understand climate change in a way that they can apply it to their own lives; and to lead by example.  So I would like to share a few things about my own habits over the last few years.  For simplicity purposes I will number them and you can email me if you would like a more in depth response.  It is not about bragging rights, rather it is to present some practical steps towards achieving your own personal climate goals.

1) I stopped driving ( I sold my car and motor cycle in less than a 6 month period)
2) I hang dry my close in the warm and cold months.  The winter is very dry so hanging your clothes inside works great!  I have not used my dryer in more than 2 years.  Machine drying your clothes removes more of the fiber that your clothes are made of or burns the fabric a little each time.
3) I take public transportation
4) I cycle more often than I take public transportation (whenever possible)
5) I compost; using my nitrogen and carbon rich products to contribute to my soil for gardening each season
6) I recycle: 90-95%  of the products we send to the dump / land fill, can be recycled
7) I keep my hot water heater on low most of the time.  If it were my choice, I would recommend that a temperature control for the hot water heater was placed in an accessible place to have more control over when it was on or off
8) I collect the water from my shower in a container while the water is getting warmer so I don't waste the water, I can use it on my house plants
9)  I do the same thing when I wash dishes
10) When I am at Board meetings, I try to use my computer rather than printing up documents for the meeting.
11) I do not use additional heat at night because I have sufficient blankets
12) I purchase jeans from a second-hand store, you cannot tell that they are not brand new.  It requires about 1500 gallons or 6819 liters to make a 1.5 pounds (.68 kg) of cotton.

This is really just the beginning of what you and I can do.  Individuals make the difference.  By demonstrating what we are willing to do we also influence what business and governments do.

Consume less and reuse more; the philosophy is pretty simple.  Figure out how to use what you already have better.  In less developed nations, they are already doing a better job of conserving sometimes because they do not have a choice- we in developed nations could learn from them in many ways.

Most importantly "learn", as much as you can about how to make a difference.  In the United States we are just starting to take a deep look at overlapping services (listen to this broadcast from  npr).  I believe we can change from a culture of excessive consumption to a world of cooperative consumption.

Look for organizations, groups, stores and other resources that are already doing something.  Most entities are very welcoming and will encourage you to get started.  Not only that, in some instances you will enjoy yourself so much you may not even realize you are doing something climate conscious.

Each of us has a responsibility to the other in response to humanity and ecosystem.  

Thanks!
And let's do something environmental.