Toxic Free Talk Radio Archives
Finding and Eliminating Toxic Exposures in Your Home
My guest today is Diana Schultz, CEO of Green and Healthy Homes, and a Certified Building Biologist and Bau-Biologie Environmental Consultant in Orlando, Florida. We’ll be talking about the types of toxic exposures she is finding and measuring in living spaces and how she was able to reduce or eliminate these toxic exposures to improve indoor air quality. With a background in Urban Planning with Environmental Studies and personal experience in designing and building her own home, Diana was introduced to the International Institute for Bau-Biologie and EcologyT (Building Biology) and became Certified by the Institute in 2008. Building Biology is the study of healthy buildings and everything that affects the relationship between our bodies and our built environment. In addition to conducting client home assessments, mitigation services and educational workshops at Green and Healthy Homes, Diana serves as a Program Provider for the International Institute for Building Biology and participates in many of the Institute’s on-site 5-day Seminars as Instructor and Student Mentor. Diana is passionate about sharing the holistic message that Mother Nature is our ultimate guide – “We are dedicated to the principles of living in harmony with nature and in creating built environments that naturally support health and well being in homes and work places every day.” www.greenandhealthyhomes.net
Foraging & Feasting: How to Find and Eat the Wild Foods Around You
My guest today is Dina Falconi, author of Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook. We’ll be talking about how you can identify wild edible plants, harvest and cook them, celebrating local bounty and traditional foodways. Dina is a clinical herbalist wit
h a strong focus on food activism and nutritional healing. An avid gardener, wildcrafter, and permaculturalist, Dina has been teaching classes about the use of herbs for food, medicine, and pleasure,including wild food foraging and cooking, for more than twenty years. She produces Falcon Formulations natural body care products and Earthly Extracts medicinal tinctures. She is a founding member of the Northeast Herbal Association, a chapter leader of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and an organizer of Slow Food-Hudson Valley. www.botanicalartspress.com/example-product.html
A New Kind of Natural Bed
My guest today is Eliana Jantz, founder of Shepherd’s Dream (which is now owned and run by her daughter Sarah Sunshine Smith). Eliana has taken another step in the innovation of using wool to make beds with her new business, Heartfelt Collective. We’ll be talking about her new venture, mattress design, and her experience with wool. Eliana has been a pioneer in the creation of wool beds for the past three decades and has worked closely with her wool growers to develop organic standards for wool (I helped write them). We have been friends for years. www.debralynndadd.com/debras-list/heartfelt-collective, www.debralynndadd.com/debras-list/shepherds-dream.
Heal Skin Problems With Organic Products
My guest today is Sheila Jacaman, Managing Partner & Formulator for Divina Natural, a 100% natural luxurious skin care line with focus on natural treatments for anti-aging, skin lightening, serious skin conditions and long lasting hydration. With Sheila’s products you can “rejuvenate, restore and revitalize your skin organically and holistically with the finest and most effective ingredients at the most affordable prices.” We’ll be talking about her special products and how they can be used to to heal, transform, and protect your skin. Sheila’s interest in developing creams began in 1999 when she could not find a cream that truly nourished and protected her skin. Her background was in research and development of juice blends for international juice companies. In this capacity, she did very sophisticated analytical research on many natural ingredients. When she decided to formulate her own skin care line, she brought this same level of interest and professionalism to formulating her products. http://debralynndadd.com/category/debras-list/divina-natural
Toxic-Free Building and Remodeling
My guest today is Victoria Schomer, ASID, LEED AP. As an architect, innkeeper, and real estate agent, Victoria and been at the helm of many ‘firsts’ in the green design and build movement, completing her first green project in 1990. We’ve been friends for years and today we’ll be talking about toxic-free design for building and remodeling, including information on LEED and other green building programs. In 1991, Victoria began publishing “Interior Concerns” the first green design and building newsletter in the US. She followed the next year with the first green materials and products resource guide. She later formed the nonprofit, Building Concerns, to further broaden the base of design and build education tools and programs. In 2000, Victoria was honored for her pioneering work in green design with the American Society of Interior Designer’s (ASID) prestigious “Design for Humanity Award.” Victoria is a co-founded and co-author of the REGREEN: Residential Remodeling Guidelines. She is a founder member of ASID’s Sustainable Design Council, a member of their Distinguished Speakers Bureau, and is REGREEN Trained. She is a LEED AP and BD+C, and a USGBC REGREEN Faculty member. Victoria continues her design and consulting business, Green Built Environments, working on projects throughout the US, and based in North Carolina. And most recently has become a real estate broker to offer comprehensive evaluation and assessment of properties for their green potentials. Green Built Environments, Real Living Carolina Property, Asheville Green Cottage
Let it Shine: The History and Possibilites of Solar Energy
My guest is John Perlin, author of Let it Shine: The 6,000-year story of Solar Energy. I still have on my shelf an autographed copy of his previous book A Golden Thread: 2500 Years of Solar Architecture and Technology, published in 1980 (now out-of-print). It’s actually 
one of my favorite books of all time and can’t wait to read the new one. John’s work, to me, is an inspiration for solar energy. John is an international expert on solar energy and has lectured around the world on the subject. We’ll be talking about the history of solar energy and the possibilities of using solar energy as a less toxic energy source now and in the future. www.john-perlin.com
Getting to Know Alpacas
My guest is Steve Putney from Safe Haven Alpaca Farm, one of the largest breeders of both Suri and Huacaya alpaca in the northeast United States. We’ll be talking about alpaca as a toxic-free renewable and sustainable material for clothing, bedding, and other products.. Steve grew up in Iowa in a rural community. Following graduation from high school he entered into radio broadcasting, and spent the next 17 years working in all aspects of media. His experience in business and marketing took him to Houston, Texas in 1995 where he began a career in telecommunications In 2005 Steve moved to Connecticut to over-see operations of Safe Haven Alpaca Farm, a family business that began in 2001 with six alpaca. The addition of a large retail store featuring alpaca clothing, gifts and accessories, a bed and breakfast and growing the herd from twenty alpaca to over 100 have been accomplished since he joined the business. Steve Putney on the Board of Directors of the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association. www.safehavenalpaca.com
How To Detox Your Hair, Yes, Your Hair
My guest is Ellen Eves, Social Media Director from Morocco Method, makers of all-natural. raw, vegan hair care products, “designed to both detoxify and nourish” your hair. We’ll be talking about how standard hair care products—even “natural” brands—strip and damage your hair, requiring additional hair care products for care, and how you can remove these toxic chemicals from your hair to restore it’s natural body and luster. Founder Anthony Morrocco’s quest to find a naturally-based treatment for hair and scalp problems began with his apprenticeship at world famous Kenneth’s, a posh New York salon, where his clients included Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Mrs. Vincent Astor, Mia Farrow, Lauren Bacall, Joan Rivers, Faye Dunaway, Liza Minnelli, and numerous other celebrities. Now, after more than four decades of travel, research and experimentation, including his study of Chinese herbalism and acupressure under Bruce Lee’s master, Mr. Fung Yi of Peking and Dr. Cecilia Lu of Shanghai, Anthony has perfected a holistic program for women and men determined to make positive changes for healthier, more vibrant hair. All Morrocco Method products contain only the finest natural derived minerals and botanicals harvested from around the world. and selected for maximum potency. They have followed the principles of Old World farmers who understood that planting, harvesting and storing foods according to the lunar cycle maximizes the energetic potency of the plants. www.debralynndadd.com/debras-list/morocco-method
Personal Care Products Certified Organic To Food Standards
My guest is Narelle Chenery, who is joining us from Australia. She is the creator of Miessence, the world’s first certified organic skin care and personal care line. We’ll be talking about organic ingredients in personal care products, organic certifications, and the power consumers have to make change. Narelle is a passionate educator and activist for social and consumer change, speaking worldwide to business leaders, entrepreneurs, cosmetic industry professionals and government bodies. After completing her Applied Science degree in 1993, Narelle discovered that ‘natural’ cosmetics weren’t all they claimed to be and began making her own products in her kitchen. In 1998, 6 weeks after the birth of her third child, she launched her hand-made cosmetics as a mail order line. She quickly attracted a small and loyal band of customers, many of whom still use her products today. A year later she teamed up with her then husband Colin Chenery and business activist Alf Orpen and, after 18 months of research in 2001, Narelle revolutionised the beauty industry with the world’s first certified organic skin care products; Miessence. Seven years on, industry giants like Estee Lauder are following in her footsteps, launching their own certified organic products. Narelle is passionate about empowering and educating consumers on how to avoid harmful chemicals in their products. “We, as consumers, are incredibly powerful; we just need to own it! Most of the multi-billion dollar cosmetic industry turnover supports the use of toxic chemicals. If we tell those chemical-peddlers we will no longer put up with the toxins they put onto our bodies and the environment (by refusing to buy them) they will have no choice but to make the changes we wish to see!” Narelle is a member of the Australian Society of Cosmetic Chemists and continues to develop her Miessence products. www.debralynndadd.com/debras-list/miessence
Toxic Chemicals in Children’s Products
My guests today are Erika Schreder and Nancy Uding from Washington Toxics Coalition. We’ll be talking about their report Chemicals Revealed, which analyzes reports filed with the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) by manufacturers, in compliance with the state’s Children’s Safe Products Act of 2008. More than 5,000 reports were filed that contained a total of 41 chemicals identified by Ecology as a concern for children’s health. Erika, Science Director, leads the Washington Toxics Coalition’s research program. She has worked on the Washington Toxics Coalition staff since 1997. She has led studies including an investigation of sources of pollution to Puget Sound, tests of toxic chemicals in toys and other children’s products, and biomonitoring studies of toxics in pregnant women and other Washingtonians. In the past, she led efforts to secure protections for salmon from pesticides and win greater support for organic and sustainable agriculture. She obtained an M.S. in ecology from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in molecular biology from MIT. Nancy, author of the report, has a Bachelor’s degree in Ecosystems Analysis from Huxley College at Western Washington University, and a Master’s in Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington. She studied freshwater and marine ecosystems as an undergrad and studied bioremediation of toxic organic compounds and the environmental chemistry of pollutants in grad school. Nancy has professional experience in hazardous waste management and in waste water engineering, but also has experience representing the interests of families of children with special needs at Seattle Children’s Hospital. http://watoxics.org/chemicalsrevealed
