Some good environmental news from The Non-Toxic Times Newsletter: "In Congress, the House approved new legislation on September 4th that would both create a federal program and provide funding for research into sustainable alternatives to hazardous chemical products and manufacturing technologies. The bill, H.R. 2850: the Green Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2007, would provide $165 million in grant money over the next three years to be distributed by the EPA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards &Technology, and the Department of Energy. These grants would go to a variety of destinations including individual scientists, university and industry collaborations, federal laboratories, and schools training students in green chemistry."

It also mentions in the article that Wal-Mart is the company leading the way in reducing product packaging by 5% and making packaging out of recycled and recyclable materials. That would result in huge savings on packaging, shipping, and the amount of waste headed to landfills. To read more about organizations dedicated to saving the planet click here.

All of us at some time or other has wondered why a small item was encased in some huge plastic package. You know, the ones you can never get open! Communicate with the retailers you do business with and let them know that you support the initiative for less wasteful packaging. Click here to read the rest of the Non-Toxic Times article.

Until next time....become the change you imagine.

Finding peace in the natural world.

Yesterday began with a headache, but I had planned to spend it working on new designs for the shop. These were photos taken in May on the Suwannee River, in Florida, and were some of my favorites. As I worked and became more involved in the project, I stopped feeling the headache.

The more I looked at the photos, and remembered the circumstances of photographing those scenes, it was as if the peace of that place soothed me and removed my awareness of the headache. This seems to be a perfect illustration of how powerful the mind is in forming our reality.

We live in a stressful world, and that stress takes its toll on our emotional and physical health. Perhaps finding a peaceful place to contemplate will help to cope with some of these stresses. What is your "happy place"?

Until next time...become the change you imagine.