Into Healthy Living

48 hours until election day…  what last efforts will you make to put Obama in office?  I made cookies.  Yup, I baked homemade chocolate chip cookies for the hundreds of volunteers at the ‘San Francisco for Obama‘ Headquarters who spent their Sunday dedicated to phonebanking.  Since I’m not too keen on cold calling myself, I decided to participate and give to the campaign “Cindy style” by energizing the volunteers with my warm, sugary cookies.

What is your style of contributing to the campaign in these last 48 hours?   There is no time like the present to step-up and donate to the Obama/Biden campaign in your own personal style!  More cookies and homemade goodies are always welcome at the volunteer sites:

(1) SF Obama Headquarters: 939 Market Street

(2) Mission Location: 375 Valencia Street

(3) Western Addition Location: 1290 Fillmore Street

Technorati Tags: Obama, election, volunteer, cookies, San Francisco, donate, donation

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I recently attended the San Francisco showing of LUNAFEST, short films by…for…about women.  The event simultaneously promotes women filmmarkers, raises awareness for women’s issues, and supports women’s nonprofit oganizations in the United States and Canada.  Be sure to check the upcoming LUNAFEST calendar as the event is running across the United States through March 2009.  One of my favorite short films was a documentary of the making of mannequins at a factory in Los Angeles.  The 8 minute film illustrates how poor body image can develop from mannequins that have “false” physical perfection with measurements of just 34×25x36.

I recommend arriving to the event at least 20 minutes early in order to sample items and pick up materials from the vendors.  One such tabletop display by PurePrevention.org caught my attention with their messaging: “only 1 out of 10 women who have breast cancer have a genetic history of the disease.”  Pure Prevention raises awareness about the environmental causes of breast cancer.  The campaign urges every woman to commit themselves to making smart choices about known environmental causes of breast cancer and pledge to do the following:

(1) Create a Healthy Home: I will make my home a sanctuary by choosing natural, chemical-free products.

(2) Eat Smart: I will read food labels, choose natural and organic foods rich in antioxidants and purchase hormone-free meat and dairy products whenever possible.

(3) Choose Safe Cosmetics: I will chose safe personal care products by avoiding ingrediants linked to breast cancer like parabens, petroleum distillates, and lead acetate.

(4) Get Outside: I will get outside to walk, exercise, or breathe deeply three times a week for 30 minutes.

One of the best web sites to help you make safe and smart choices about your cosmetics is Skin Deep.  Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products from researchers at the Environmental Working Group.  Conduct a search of your current make-up products to determine their hazard score: 0-2 is low hazard; 3-6 is moderate hazard; 7-10 is high hazard.  If your beauty products are all falling in the “high hazard” range, then its time to start making serious changes in the brands you purchase and support.

Your action item — take the pledge (see items 1-4 above) and learn the hazard score for the cosmetic products you put on your body every single day!

Technorati Tags: lunafest, pure prevention, skin deep, breast cancer

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If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, VegNews magazine ( is hosting a party on Thursday, June 26, 2008 at Electric Works Gallery (8^th and Mission in San Fran). There will be plenty of vegan appetizers, music, and drinks. Ticket prices are $15 for VegNews magazine subscribers or $25 for non-subscribers and can be purchased online at: http://vegnews.com/party.

If you are at all interested in learning about a vegan diet—you should definitely subscribe to this magazine.My favorite page of the magazine is all the way at the end—a glimpse into the refrigerator of a vegan celebrity. You can get some great ideas for stocking a vegan refrigerator. While I am not a vegan (I currently consume cheese and egg whites), this magazine keeps me up to date on veg news and activities.

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