Playing games

Being the gadget freak that I am I found a great game (unfortunately only for iPhone/iPad so far) called Rescue Reef. Not only is it a fun game to play, I think it's great for kids (and adults) to have fun and learn about the ocean at the same time.

Basically you start with a dead gray reef. You build a rescue and start bringing animals in to feed, heal and clean them. After breeding them or playing with them to make them happy they are released out into the ocean again. For each level there are new species to rescue, and for each species you rescue you get information about that species, like where they live and what they eat and more fun easy to grasp facts. You have "celebrities" sponsoring animals, and you get extra points for picking up bottles, plastic and other rubbish from the bottom.

For each level the surrounding reef gets more color and life.

Try it! It's fun!

Ella's Kitchen

Ella's Kitchen is the coolest brand for kids right now. It was invented by a dad who wanted to provide his kids with nothing but the best; organic food with a great taste. In addition to being organic, their products contain no sugar, salt or nuts and of course there are no E-numbers or GM products.

There are a lot of different types of food to choose from, from fruits to full meals to desserts and snacks. The meals come adjusted for certain ages and also special diets like lactose or vegetarian.

And the containers are just the cutest! No glass that can break, they are completely chemical-free and can easily be re-sealed and finished later. If you stock up, they can even be put in the freezer. Perfect when you're on the run since they are so easy to bring and the kids can eat straight from the container. Good news for all parents I think.

Another great thing is that you can easily bring the products on the plane when travelling. British Airways has actually included Ella's Kitchens fruit-smoothies in their child breakfast meals. How cool is that?

Ella's won the Grocery brand of the year award in 2011 in Sweden and they have recieved several other awards for their products.

When the containers are empty, you can recycle and reuse them with TerraCycle. So far only in the U.K, Ireland and Sweden.

Strawberries

In Sweden strawberries are the biggest sign that summer has finally arrived. Ask any Swede and he/she will tell you that there is absolutely no strawberries anywhere in the world as good as the Swedish ones. We eat them for breakfast, lunch and dessert and we put them in salads for dinner together with grilled meat. We eat them as snacks, as appetizers together with feta-cheese, or in smoothies. The best thing ever is to go to your local farmer and pick them yourself. You spend hours in the fields eating as many as you're picking and leave sunburnt with red fingertips and many, many liters of bright red berries. Those get in the freezer to enjoy wintertime or they are turned into jam or cordials.

Pesticides used when growing strawberries in Sweden are Betanal SC/Kemifam SC. The company that sells these products in Sweden (Bayer CropScience) writes on their own website that whatever is left of the pesticide after spraying the fields shall be kept away from children and animals and separated from food. I really don't see how that goes together since we serve those sprayed strawberries to our children later....

In a test carried out in 2009, 94% of the conventionally grown strawberries (Swedish and others) contained traces of pesticides. Several of the pesticides discovered are suspected to cause cancer.

The good news is that the industry is working to find solutions that allow less harmful farming, so I hope it will soon be easier to find organic ones. Strawberries grown organically will meet challenges like weed, fungus and different pests, so you need to grow tough species and to put in more work to keep your plants free. It's definitely worth doing so though since studies have shown that organic strawberries can actually prevent cancer. Makes the choice quite easy... You can read more about this at krav.se. 

According to a recent study made at Lunds University in Sweden, bees really like organic strawberries. They pollinated 45% of the strawberry-flowers on the organic farms and only 17% on the conventional farms. So you can basically turn one wrong into two rights and have bee-hives next to your strawberry-farm.

Eat!

Eat! Ekostore is a fantastic little store in the centre of Stockholm that has everything you need, just as your regular supermarket. You can find milk, meat, juice, vegetables and grains. They have a selection of schampoos, detergents, baby-products and sunscreens as well as chocolate, candies, nuts and much much more. So there is nothing you can't find in here. It feels good to know that you don't have to check for the organic labels, instead you just buy what you need and you'll know it's not harmful in any way. They are open 7 days a week with really generous opening hours, so there's no reason to shop anywhere else. It's also nice to support the local community and to make sure we keep wonderful places like this one open.

If you're a company they're able to deliver fruit to the office; a nice and easy way to care about your employees. They will even bring coffee, milk or other products if you want to. Of course your shopping will be delivered in a car that runs on biogas.

As an ECOmmunity member you'll get special deals and invitations to events, and if you're on Twitter or Facebook you'll get all the latest news and offers. Also, check out their website were you can read their blog and find some delicious dinner inspiration in the recipes section.

Cell Phones

Using headphones when speaking on you cell phone is one of the easiest ways to keep radiation away from vital parts. Make sure also to keep your cell phone away from your body, i.e. in your purse, not in your pockets.

Recent research shows that we should keep our cell phones at least 15cm (6inches) away from our bodies. WHO has even put cell phones in the class 2B which means they are possibly carcinogenic to humans.

Check out this really interesting and scary information from Dr. Devra Davis;  Cell Phone Dangers. She shows the danger of radiation and especially warns pregnant women and children.

There is also some great tips on how to reduce the risks.

Bike to Work Day

Today it is Bike to Work Day in Denver. The League of American Bicyclists promotes this all across USA every year in may. May is Bike Month, last week of may is Bike Week and Bike to Work Day is Friday in Bike Week. Denver choose June instead of May, and 17904 persons took their bikes to work in Denver today.

Anyone can arrange a bike to work day together with their company or organization. If you email about your event to the League they will post it on their website to promote it and to encourage others to join in.

Some of the major cities that arranges this event have refreshment stations, they give out t-shirts and maps and arrange competitions. People ride bicycles with their kids to school and teach them about safety on the road at the same time. Races are arranged to see if you get to your destination the quickest by bus, car or bicycle during the rush hours.

Such a cool way to do something for your health, for the environment and together with the people of your company or community at the same time.

Read more on Bikeleague.

Neutral

Neutral is a Swedish brand approved by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy foundation. They have a lot of different products from skincare to laundry detergent. There are also special products for children and infants.

All products are free from perfume, synthetic dyes and unnecessary additives and some products are marked with Svanen ecolabel (the Swan).

On their web-page you can find good tips on how to prevent allergies.

You can find Neutral in your regular supermarket.

Power of consumption

Nobody can do it alone, but with the small steps and choices we make every day, we can all do our part. That's the most important thing I want to show with this blog. We can really do it together. All consumers of food, drink, clothes, fuel, skincare etc etc can put the pressure on our governments and all companies to work for a better and more sustainable future for all of us simply by choosing what we spend our money on.

-Buying organic milk/wine/juice/coffee instead of regular shows our farmers that we don't want to drink chemicals and hormones.
-Buying toys painted with non-toxic paint or made of non-toxic plastic shows our toy-stores that they need to produce and sell things that won't give off poison when our children put them in their mouth.
-Buying organic skincare will tell the producers that we don't want to rub chemicals on the biggest organ we have; our skin.
-Using public transportation whenever possible and buy cars with alternative fuel-sources will show the oil-industry that enough is enough.

If we keep asking at our local stores for those products and keep buying the things that are good for us those things will be produced in a larger scale. We can make the power of money work in our favour.

Yes we can!

Cosmonova

Today I watched a preview of the movie To the Arctic at Sweden's only IMAX-cinema. IMAX uses the largest existing format for film and in Cosmonova it is shown on a dome-shaped screen that's 760m². It gives you a completely different movie-experience, like you're a part of the movie somehow. The tickets are the same price as in regular cinemas, and it's well worth a visit to see any of the different movies shown.






The movie To the Arctic is hopefully going to air in september, and it's a movie that speaks to all of us. It shows how the animals of the Artic is struggling to survive in this cold, pristine and inhospitable area of the world. Some of them, like the polar bear, will never be able to live anywhere else but here. For them this is paradise and they thrive far out on the ice. Unfortunately, if the temperature continues to rise these amazingly beautiful creatures will die. It's an important film to show, and I hope many schools will go see it. We were joined by a nine year old, and he really liked it. Even though it wasn't translated to Swedish yet just the pictures of polar bears, walrusses and seals were exciting. I hope those wonderful creatures will still be around when he's old enough to travel and see them in the wild. It was a great movie narrated by Meryl Streep with music by Paul McCartney.

Amalgam decontamination

Are you walking around with a ticking bomb in your mouth?

A lot of people walk around with fillings in their teeth that releases mercury and mercury vapors. Autopsies on human bodies indicate that the number, size and age of an idividual's amalgam fillings is directly related to the concentration of mercury in the body. The greater the size and number of fillings and the longer the fillings have been in the mouth the stronger the toxic effects of the amalgam.

There are several diseases that can be related to exposure to this toxic metal in your body. For example; alzheimer’s, IBS, multiple sclerosis, reproductive disorders, allergies, psoriasis, hair loss, headaches and acne.

In the USA the umbilical cords of newborns must be disposed of as hazardous waste due to their toxicity. The toxic effects of their mothers amalgam fillings accumulate in the uterus and are passed on from mother to child.

When you replace you amalgam fillings it will take approximately six weeks until mercury no longer will be detected in your blood. This does not mean that the mercury is no longer present in your body. In animal experiments, radioactive-markered mercury from amalgam fillings appeared in the kidneys, brain, bone marrow, ovaries or testicles within 24 hours. Since the mercury had incorporated itself into the internal organs, it was no longer traceable in the blood.

To get your fillings replaced you should make sure you go to a specialist that knows exactly what he or she is doing.

I replaced my fillings after I started to have migraines which is one of the many side-effects of mercury poisoning. No doctor told me this could be caused by my amalgam fillings, I had to look that up on the internet.  It was a very strict schedule to have them replaced. They used a special kind of oxygen supply that disposed of the mercury safely, being very cautious not to harm me, themselves or the environment.  I was only allowed to remove one filling a month becuse of the high risk of contamination. I had to eat a lot of antioxidants during the entire period the replacements took place to help my body sort out any toxic vapours.

It is bloody expensive since the Swedish government don't include this in the insurance for dental care (I think this is true in many countries). But, I assure you, it is worth every penny.  

Apart from amalgam, mercury can also be found in antiseptics, blood-pressure medicines, eye drops and in vaccines. So check out you medicine cabinet.

Read more about this here; Amalgamskadefonden (Swedish) or here; Hal Huggins (English)

Allotment gardening

An allotment garden is a piece of land that has been divided in to smaller pieces and made available for individuals to rent. The size of the plot usually range from 50-400 quare metres and may include small sheds, greenhouses or small garden houses.

Most of the allotment gardens in Europe started out as a way for the poor to get acces to fresh vegetables and fruits. This was especially true during war-time when access to fresh produce was limited and prices high.

Denmark was first country with allotment gardening in Scandinavia in 1778. Sweden established their first allotment garden in 1895.

Today when most people have busy working days and many live in an hectic urban atmosphere, allotment gardens are more popular than ever and have turned into recreational areas. It's your own green oasis in the middle of the city that provides relaxation from the stress of work.

Many families sees it as an opportunity to come together and have a meaningful leisure activity and for the children to learn about gardening and nature. Allotment gardening also helps providing the community with a better quality of urban life through the reduction of noise, the binding of dust, and conservation of biotopes.

To get your own mini-garden visit one of the many homepages found on the internet or use this page to start from (Scandinavia)

High Line

The High Line is a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan's West Side. It was founded the 1930s, as part of a massive public-private infrastructure project called the West Side Improvement.



 

No trains have run on the High Line since 1980 and in 1999 the structure was under the threat of demolition. Friends of the High Line was founded by the local community to save the historic site and transform it into the beautiful public park it is today. The park is located on Manhattan's West Side and runs from Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues.

Friends of the High Line works very actively to keep the park open and to involve the community in this project. On the High Line you can find a lot of green areas to just relax, you can find cafées and restaurants and different art projects. They have tours for the local schools to teach children about the history of the High Line, about the plants and ecosystem of New York and about the history of Manhattan's shipping industry.

It's a really great example of recycling, turning something old and run down into a beautiful place that everybody can enjoy.

Read more about the High Line. And don't forget to visit when you're in New York.

WaterRun

One billion people don't have access to clean safe water.

5000 children die each day from diseases caused by unsafe drinking water.

WaterRun works together with public and private donors to help provide clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education around the world.

Only 20$ can provide safe clean drinking water for one person for 20 years!

To provide access to water is the biggest challenge we have in the world. It plays an important role in a sustainable future for all of us.

Help out and read more here

Whole Foods - Whole People - Whole Planet

Whole Foods Market started their first store in 1980 in Texas. Today, there are 310 stores in North America and the U.K and WFM are the world leading retailer when it comes to natural and organic food.

Apart from the actual stores they also contribute in spreading the message of a sustainable future. Among other things, they work together with farmers to get meat free from antibiotics and to reduce the use of pesticides in the fields.
WFM take great pride in not only caring for the animals and the planet but also to educate their customers in ways to reduce their impact on the environment. That includes discussions about animal cruelty, sustainable agriculture and why we should use environmentally-friendly cleaning materials etc. There is an extensive program designed to educate children, teachers and parents about healthy eating and to give children access to nutritious food.

They have also started a foundation, Whole Planet, that deals with micro-lending operations and sponsoring af neighborhood events to support organic farmers and expand the market for organic produce.

Whole Foods Market's vision is a sustainable and holistic future where we all work together with an in-depth knowledge of the environment and that we all are connected to each other. A future where everybody accepts resonsibility.

They see this vision as something that's going to seep through every company, organisation and individual and they lead by example through sustainable and ethical business practices.

It's a grand vision, and one for all of us to believe in to make it happen.

Read more; Wholefoodsmarket