LONG GUT GONE!

Last year you may remember we posted about Activism via Walks.  

 Well, Team Long Gut Gone is at it again this year to do our part to find a cure for Crohn’s & Colitis. 

For those of you who may not be aware, this is an autoimmune disease that has no cure. Its victims are affected by severe inflammation of the intestine that attacks the gastrointestinal tract.

It is estimated that 400,000 and 600,000 people in North America have this disease.  You can’t tell that  a person suffers from this, and usually won’t know the severity of their symptoms unless you have a close friend who can educate you from first hand experience.  My very close friend, Denise, was diagnosed with this disease when she was 17 years old.  15 years later, she has laid four of her organis to rest in peace through major major major surgeries. 

What amazes me the most, is that she is still the most giving and conscious person I know because she has recognized that fine balance: Giving of yourself gives you the most.  Denise volunteers her time with various non profits organizations and holds a special place for animals of all kinds.  She is an inspiration to our common goal of sustainability, her giving nature is sustaining herself.

Thank you f0r reading, thank you for understanding, and taking the time to learn a little more about those people who triumph for all, despite their internal sufferings. 

If you are interested in learning more about Crohn’s & Colitis, visit their website.

If you are interested in learning more about Denise’s story, or donating to help find her a cure, visit here.

The Convene Green Alliance

Here at GTB we are always looking out for new things to share with readers that may not be common knowledge.

I ran across an organization inadvertantly last week that I found interesting and I would like to share.

The Convene Green Alliance is a group of corporations, associations, and individuals that started an initiative as an answer to rising concerns of global warming and the environment.  These companies are striving to reduce the environmental impact their various events may cause.

Therefore, they firmly believe in lodging establishments, catering companies, and events services that are able to keep their green meetings, well, green.

One of the things that most impresses me about The Convene Green Alliance is that they don’t expect you to do it alone.  They offer facility evaluations to help companies determine how green they are and how they can improve.  They also offer various resources and contacts to help meeting planners and associations achieve their goals of green events.

2 Blog Carnivals realize, we gotta MOVE!

The post called, Let’s Get A Move, was recognized on 2 blog carnivals…Check out all the other great posts they feature too!

Focus Organic at Volume 89 

Green Your Apartment Volume 14

Thanks for reading!

New Twist on Old Place

You may have been there, and if you haven’t, I know you have heard of the infamous Coney Island!

There are movies about it, memories about it, but did you ever expect it to come back with a green-vengence?

MSNBC.com reported that the ferris wheel, Wonder Wheel will be retrofitted with solar panels!  Kudos to Mayor Bloomberg for re-inventing the wheel with a green twist.

Semi-Delayed, but Great for Future Use

Hi all,

We just celebrated a day of love and adoration, of course, GTB wishes you those days everyday! But, if you need a late gift or a future gift idea, check out Uncommon Goods.

They have a large selection of gift items, but my personal favorite is a gift I received from my friend Lauren Wat…a necklace made out of a recycled skateboard. AND it is reversible! AND it comes in a gift bag that is made with the unusable ends from fabric bolts!

They also have some neat recycled glass bottle jewelry.

Two Blog Carnivals Feature…

Green Your Art was featured on two blog carnivals this week!

Check it out at Focus Organic’s 87th edition of their All -Things -Eco blog carnival and All Things Home blog carnival.

We look forward to reading along with more posts from these two hosts.

Have a great day!

Let’s Get a Move!

The First Lady announced her “Let’s Move” Campaign to beat childhood obesity.

So, why would I want to inform everyone of this movement on a Green Thinking site?  Great question!

With Mrs. Obama focusing on the battle of childhood obesity she is also encouraging nutritious, natural, affordable food. 

 That means:

• Food with less additives
• Less processed food
• Less chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics being fed to animals

Which means:

• Fresher foods with natural nutrients
• Healthier minds and body because they are getting those nutrients directly
• My fave - while the focus is on these natural, heatlhy foods, there is less focus on breeding and growing animals in factories - therefore, a natural grazing process will begin again, as the world meant it.

Catch my drift?  This will also mean less industrialized packaging, less chemicals being poured into our water streams, less hormones and antibiotics bing put in the bodies of innocent children…

Love it! BRING IT! Let’s MOVE!

Check out Letsmove.gov to view the updated food pyramid with interactive options, and the first-ever Food Atlas!

The Food Atlas is AMAZING! And will receive a post of its own in the near future, but this interactive map can show you statistics you wouldn’t believe! For example:  Just click # of households with no car > than 1 mile from the grocery store - there is NO excuse for folks not to walk to the store after you see these results!

Changing Habits

This post is asking for your patience and dedication to assisting our fellow man who may not be as green as we.

I realized yesterday that is it very apparent that some people just have no clue about eco-friendly practices, usually for the plain fact they haven’t stepped into the 21st century.

For example, I had to take a phone message on a carbon paper pad yesterday.  I know right?  But, I later discovered it was only because it never occured to the person I took the message for that there was another way to communicate that without wasting the paper or polluting with the carbon copy, or having to eventually dispose of the spiral ring holding the pad together…So a message later in the day, was emailed.  Guess what?! It worked!  The message was delivered in a timely manner (quicker than a piece of paper on a desk) and there was no waste involved.

Sometimes it simply takes mentioning doing something a little different for the rays of enlightenment to reach someone.

So I ask you, be patient with those who may not know.  Help them by telling them.

Have a great day!

You Can Teach Old Dogs New Tricks!!!

My boyfriend and I just decided we are ready to adopt a dog.  YEA!!!

This subject matter takes a lot of thought.  Basically, because if you are going to have to a pet owner, you are responsible for another life for 15 or more years.  This is no small feat!

We want to make it work for the long haul so, my sister has been gracious enough to let us take care of precious Dallas, her three year old American Bulldog and so far, everything is fantastic! In fact, we just want to keep Dallas forever!

While Ms. Dallas and I were walking today in the park, I was reminded of our friends at LeashWeCanDo.com who introduced me to the friendly to the earth, bio-degradable, poop accessory of the year!  Our local park has these bags available for use while you are giving your pup a little exercise, these bags are made my Dog-i-Pot, and as a temporary dog owner, I am so thankful for this park feature.

Be sure to check out the catalog at Leash We Can Do! and, if you feel like sending the dog-lover a gift, I’ll be happy to provide where to address it!

Here’s to loving our Earth and loving our Animals!

Green Your Art

As you have read before, my boyfriend is extremely talented - among one of his best talents is art.  He draws, he paints, he inspires.

He received a very appropriate gift as of recent that I wanted to be sure to share with all my green friends:  Green Art supplies.

It is true, he received a set of five paintbrushes by the brand of Green Art by Loew Cornell,LLC.  These paintbrushes are made with reclaimed wood handles, non-animal hair, and come in a recycled package.

It helps make his art sustainable all the way through since his favorite canvas is old cardboard or records!

Look for these art supplies at your local craft store!