The Secret of Wellington’s Map, written by Mollie Kehl Penrod, mixes history, science, suspense, fiction and adventure into a wonderful story for children and adults everywhere.

Penrod’s first published novel, The Secret of Wellington’s Map features two friends, Nicole and Jaime, just trying to enjoy their summer vacation in their small town, Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. But trouble and adventure arises when they uncover a mysterious and ancient map. The best friends soon start to realize that there’s more to this map than meets the eye. Now, in a desperate struggle for their lives and everything dear to them, Jaime and Nicole must face an entirely different world that neither of them ever imagined to exist. Though the friends are ready for exploration, will it be too much for the teenagers to handle? Wrought with suspenseful adventure, an invigorating plot and skillfully written dialogue, Penrod tells a life-like and believable tale that will leave you wanting more.

An interesting mixture of history and science really brings this story to life with it’s truly one of a kind plot and memorable, vivid characters. The theme of brave heroines gives the story a classic touch of determination and resolve.

Filled with authentic and talented illustrations by Adam Penrod, true to life history and the excitement of science-fiction, The Secret of Wellington’s Map is simply a joy to read and a great addition to anyone’s library.

Remember being a kid and wondering why not eating is called a “fast”? Is it because we hope it gets over with as FAST as possible? As an adult, I have come to wonder why is a fast, or fasting, included in so many cultural traditions, including my own, and why would we embark on this type of challenge in the first place? What is the impetus to continue to include fasting into our “modern world”? And do we wish our life away while we are fasting hoping to get it over with, just to be able to have that tuna sandwich or whatever when it is time to break our fast??? Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power Challenge Winners for 2008 were announced in April and list Fortune 500 Companies, Retail Companies, Colleges and University. The winners consertedly bought only (or almost only) Green Power to maintain the function of their businesses. (The combined green power purchases of these organizations amounts to more than 6.6 billion kilowatt-hours of green power annually, which is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power more than 676,000 average American homes each year! Visit the EPA’s website for a more detailed table on the top participants in each. Interestlingly, the EPA narrowly escaped its own top ten list, as the 11th organization,

As I waited at a crosswalk on Brooklyn Avenue the other day, I was pleasantly surprised to read “hybrid electric” written on the side of a passing Fedex truck! Intrigued, I did a little research and found that the vehicle I saw was due to the efforts of the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Project of 2004:

The new vehicle [About the FedEx OptiFleet E700] is expected to decrease particulate emissions by 96 percent, reduce smog-causing emissions by 65 percent, and travel 57 percent farther on a gallon of fuel, reducing fuel costs by over a third.

Read the rest of this entry »

The great societal debate about cloth versus disposable diapers isn’t as simple as it might seem. Concerned parents should consider the process of production as well as the disposal of the diaper, and keep in mind that the most environmentally friendly choices usually are the best for your baby’s health. While disposable and cloth are the most well known options, there are others to be aware of too. I have listed a few types of nappies, a brief description and some resources.

Cloth diapers: Cloth diapers are classic - my parents used them with me! They are well known for not being very absorbant. On the plus side these children tend to potty train more quickly, but are notoriously more messy. According to www.punpkinbutt.com, a baby will only need 3 to 5 dozen cloth diapers over a 2.5 year period. You don’t even have to wash them yourself! 42 of the 50 states have some diaper delivery services - they pick up soiled diapers and drop off clean ones! Finally, because their imprint on the landfill is minimal, a recent study released by ABC has found that cloth diapers are have a much smaller ecological imprint. Still they do require varying amounts of water to wash and dry them, this part is up to you and the efficiency of your washing machine.

Disposable diapers: Disposable diapers have come a long way. They are fully absorbant and comfortable, come in a range of sizes and colors, and are irresistable convenient. You may not know, however, that most disposables are bleached and made of unearthly plastics and toxins (like dioxin, Tributyl-tin (TBT)), known to contain carcinogens and cause athsma and rashes! And think of the amount of money and landfill space you could save by switching to disposables:

• In 2005, there were approximately 4.1 million births in the U.S.
• Children are usually potty trained by the time they are 2.5 years old.
• If these children go through 8 diapers a day in the first year on average and 4 diapers a day in the second year and a half
• 4.1 million children x ((8 times a dayx365days a year)+(4 times a day x548 days in a year and half))=20,459,200,000!
• Thats over 20 billion diapers if each of these children were to use disposable!

Thankfully, Bio-degradable, disposable diapers offer a third option, which may seem like a silver bullet but has its own downsides. While free of most toxins, they don’t actually biodegrade without the proper conditions (not a landfill). Still check out Seventh Generation or Nature Boy and Girl.

Allopathic medicine spilled over into the economic sphere when employers and insurance companies realized how predictive genetic testing is for the probability of serious disease. However, recently, the politicals got involved into economics by legislating an ignore button on the matter. [Not to be confused with the easy button.]

A conference is scheduled on the topic next week at the The Society for Genomics Policy and Population Health (SGPPH) Spring Conference will take place on Thursday 8 May 2008 at the Birmingham Women’s Health Care NHS Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham (UK). Read the rest of this entry »

As seen on LifeGoggles, Joel Williams ramps us up on the first R of environmental responsibility: reduce. Of course the whole article is a must-read, so check it out. The jist of the post brings us tools to evaluate how large/small our carbon footprint is, and then gives us snappy ways to implement greener living from the comfort of our own home.

Joel’s words: Whether or not you believe carbon dioxide is the cause of global warming or not, it is harmful to the environment and reducing your carbon footprint is a great idea.

I evaluated myself at one of the several sites mentioned [Carbon Footprint], one that is based out of the UK but has data to compare me to my peers here in central U.S.A. The calculations for the primary emissions are based on a combination of metrics from the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the UK’s Department for Transport, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). P.s. it was fun.

I gave US dollar figures for various types of fuel (electricity, coal, natural gas, LP, others) use at home and the results:

Total for your home = 7.437 tonnes of CO2
Total for your cars = 3.124 tonnes of CO2
Total secondary footprint = 4.813 tonnes of CO2
Total = 15.374 tonnes of CO2

* The average footprint for people in United States is 20.4 tonnes.
* The average for the industrial nations is about 11 tonnes.
* The average worldwide carbon footprint is about 4 tonnes.
* To combat climate change the worldwide average needs to reduce to 2 tonnes.

The final stage of the evaluation reveals several options to donate to offset one’s personal carbon footprint!

Photo by Dez Pain

Eat your vegetables… exercise… don’t smoke… don’t drink… reduce your carbon footprint… give to the less fortunate… meditate… volunteer… don’t pollute… plant a tree… save the planet… buy organic… buy local… help fight injustice…

You do what you can, but in the end - you’re just one person. Although one person’s actions can change the world, you, being one person, can only do so much. You can only change but so many habits at once… if they stick.

Besides, your choices make you who you are. Being different is your strength. Choosing to be different is, in fact, a sign that you are an intelligent person.

At the end of the day, the best you can do is the best you can do. Focus your efforts on what will provide the greatest benefit, and don’t worry so much about being perfect.

“I am only one, but I am one. I can’t do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will.”

Edward Everett Hale (American Clergyman and Writer 1822-1909)

 April 4th was National Walk to Work Day.  We might have missed it, but there’s no reason we can’t extend it to today and to places other than work.   As someone walks, he or she is saving money put into their vehicles (including costly repairs and gasoline) and spending a lot of their own energy instead - with each mile a person burns approximatly 100 calories. 
According to the The Walking Site, burning  3500 calories is equal to one pound. Further, think of the amount of money and gasoline I’m saving!  I live about 1 mile driving distance from my school and lets say I go to school about 200 days of the year and that I live in a dorm.

200 days x 1 mile x 60 students in my school = 12,000 miles driven less this year!  That also means that collectively all the students have lost about 343 pounds!!!

Read the rest of this entry »