We're so excited to announce the launch of a brand new company from Li Wong (author of the Eco Living column here at the ANB Mall as well as Solarkat's Eco Blog!  Learn more...

Earth Alkemie is an eco-friendly, all natural cosmetic company. We offer the finest in artisan crafted aromatherapy & herbal skin and hair care products, and mineral makeup. Our skin and hair care products are made with natural ingredients like carrier oils, essential oils, hydrosols, butters, and herbs, which are gentle and soothing to the skin.

We are a cruelty free and green company. All of our products are vegetarian (nearly all are vegan) and we do not test on animals. Many of our ingredients are organic, ethically wild-harvested, or fair-traded.

     The recent earthquake in Haiti got me thinking more about activism and donating. I am an environmentalist, I try to live ‘green’, and I also donate when I can.  However, I think that it can be hard to figure out how to be eco-friendly, how to help others, or what to do to help solve ecological and social issues (which is one of the reasons why I blog and write so much about eco living: to reach out, share, and educate others about simple but effective green ideas!)
 
     Though many people donate to or are active in different social and ecological causes, I think that (based on my thesis research, talking to others, and also reading recent forum threads) the main reasons why some people do not donate or are not active in green activities are lack of time and lack of funds.  Many people in my local community who do not currently donate or participate in other environmental activities (such as buying eco-friendly items or recycling) stated they care about the environment.  In many cases, I’ve found that people care about ecological as well as social issues, but they may not know what they can do to help, think that the little they can do won’t make an impact (which is further from the truth!), may not have enough time (busy focusing on daily living, raising their families, or other activities), or may not be able to give right now (because of their own economical situations).

     So I’ve decided to share some simple ways to donate or give back to communities, which don’t take a lot of time or money to do.

     Each January millions of us set New Year resolutions to help us get a fresh start on setting goals for the year to come. Most of the time resolutions are simply declarations of intent rather than concrete, time-driven, results-oriented action items. Because they typically tend to be vague in nature (i.e. "I want to lose weight, get into shape, stop smoking, exercise more, drink less alcohol, or eat healthier") they rarely, if ever, stick.

     So how can you come up with some resolutions that will make a real difference in your life so you'll be motivated to stick with them? And what can you do differently this time to ensure you take consistent and regular action towards realizing them? Seeing the bigger picture and how your resolution or resolutions fit into it can help you stay on track.

     In general a lot of chocolate is consumed during the month of February.  While I’m not big on eating chocolate, I do love it for my skin.  Below are two recipes, both made with organic cocoa, a simply beautiful ingredient (high in antioxidants and aids in gentle exfoliation)  that is widely used in upscale skin products across the globe.  Carve out some time and indulge in a little luxury on a budget. 

Fruit Facial

This facial masque can be whipped up in less than five minutes.  It is loaded with beneficial nutrients and antioxidants for our skin.  It smells scrumptious and feels cool and very pampering on the skin.  

Ingredients (organic if possible):

Banana-about 4 thick slices

Strawberry-1 very ripe, washed and sliced

Cocoa Powder-1/2-1 teaspoon

Add banana and strawberry to a shallow dish.

Directions:

Use a fork to mash it up well.  Add the cocoa powder.  Mix everything together.