Kimberly Delaney

Have you seen the story about the cleaning woman who nearly blew herself up by lighting a cigarette? Her car was loaded with common cleaning products and when she struck her match… kaboom! The woman survived but was severely burned.

If yoga is supposed to be all about connecting mind, body, and spirit, why is it that the first thing I think of at the start of every yoga class is how much I need a pedicure? This not-so-spiritual thought leads logically into looking around at everyone else’s feet, a bad idea in general and especially in yoga class.

Have you noticed how far scented holiday candles have progressed from the old standard “pine” fragrance? This season you can fire-up your festive mood with scents as incredible as “eggnog,” “Christmas cookies,” “snow” and even “Christmas Eve” (but where are the “Hannukkah” scented candles?).

It’s one of those things in life that just isn’t fair. You slave all day in the kitchen, but spend just an hour or so enjoying it. Then just when the tryptophan or tofu buzz is kicking in and you really just want to chill out, it’s time to head back into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

With organic, fair trade coffee beans running nearly $10 a pound at my local natural food stores, I expect my morning joe to deliver a total sensory “mmmm” day after day. When that doesn’t happen, I walk backwards through the coffee making process to find the weak link. Here’s how:

Add up all the chemicals that go into candy, face paint, costumes and conventionally grown pumpkins and it’s easy to see that Halloween wins the most-toxic-holiday award hands down. So it’s no wonder that there is so much information out there these days on how to make it greener. In flush times, following these green tips seems like a no-brainer. But these days, I’m looking to cut the fat from my Halloween budget.

Here’s something it never even occurred to me to worry about: This month the Environmental Working Group released their report on fluoride levels in popular dog foods. You guessed it. In eight out of ten brands they tested, the levels are so high they pose a threat to your hungry mutt’s health!

Transparency is a big buzzword these days, but when it comes to product labels it can be a good barometer to know that a product is truly green. That doesn’t mean that the product comes wrapped in cellophane or see-through vinyl packaging. Transparency in this context means that the manufacturer proudly states the product’s complete ingredient list on the label, despite laws that protect them from having to share such secrets.

It’s Memorial Day Weekend again, which means just about everyone is going to join in the fun of at least one barbecue over the next few days. While having a fun outdoor party certainly is not the worst environmental sin, it’s important to do your best to keep your party as green as you can.

Here are some tips:

The latest Surfer Magazine features an eye-opening article on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. That’s the nightmarish oceanic trash dump that’s about 1,000 miles off the coast of California. The patch is roughly the size of the United States (reports on its size vary) and it’s only getting worse. It contains mostly plastic that does not break down. Instead it breaks apart into tiny flecks that cannot be cleaned up. The impact on wildlife is already catastrophic.