Flotsam and Jetsam

It's a beautiful Saturday here in southern Delaware, and we are determined to get to the beach for a good long walk and some of those great negative ions from the ocean. Too often with everything we have to do in our busy lives (all of us, dear reader, you too), everything we obsess and worry about (possibly you too, if you are a political junky like the Blue Voices), we neglect to do the things that will make our lives better, healthier and more pleasant. Even if peak oil and climate change are just around the bend. Carpe diem, eh wot?

In that spirit I offer some links to ideas, products, websites, that offer comfort and inspiration to those of us attempting to reach a green and healthy way of life. First off, a product that I think could make an enormous change in my life: the backTpack. I lug a pack around with me just about everywhere I go, often I carry it on my back when I cycle. My body isn't happy with any of the packs I have found, but this one just may be the answer. Here is a testimonial to the pack: Alleviate backpack-induced back pain with the convenient, spine-friendly backTpack. This article is not an ad, it's a personal article singing praises. For one thing, it was invented by a physical therapist, a woman named Marilyn Miller von Foerster. She developed this product after observing the numerous injuries and postural problems caused by typical backpacks worn by both adults and children. Here's the site for the pack itself, where you can find info on stores and catalogues that carry the product.

Next up, a magazine that I travel miles out of my way to find every month, as it isn't carried anywhere local, and how green is that? I think I will finally break down and just subscribe to Natural Home and Garden Magazine, and eliminate the fossil fuel emissions created tracking it down. This is the mag's take on itself:

Natural Home & Garden offers today's health-conscious, environmentally concerned homeowners the information they need to practice earth-inspired living. Since our first issue in May 1999, Natural Home & Garden has brought together the best in home design, earth-friendly décor and natural living. Our bimonthly magazine and dynamic website feature sustainable, healthy homes, decorating tips, and the latest green products and services.

It sounds glitzier in PR-speak than it actually is. I have found many great ideas in this periodical, not least of which come in the form of their advertisements for environmentally-friendly products for home revamp and redo. With the purchase of a new/old home on the horizon, I think a subscription to Natural Home and Garden will be invaluable.

One more should do it for this edition of Flotsam and Jetsam, and I think it will be a newly discovered website called A Healthy Life. It is in the form of a blog, but one that follows a fairly constant format. They publish suggestions to help us with exactly what the title says, a healthy life. This is the format:

• Monday: Recipe for the table
• Tuesday: Home & Garden tip
• Wednesday: What is in the news
• Thursday: Personal care product or food review
• Friday: Research methods, tips and techniques.

This past Tuesday's tip was on moving houseplants yourself, instead of including them in the moving truck's load. I have lots of quite large houseplants, and this tip will be of use to me. The Thursday product reviews are particularly helpful. Probably more aimed at women than men, but we all use some sort of personal care products, don't we now guys?

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