Perfumes (Crafting all natural perfumes)

I have a backlog of posts (what else is new, LOL!) that I will be posting over the next few days.  For some of the posts the same topics will also be posted on my business blog (but even when cross posting, I will still be writing a new post here; it will just be on the same topics.  So there will be some of the same info and some different info in those posts).  But other posts will be totally new posts, only posted here on SKEB.  :)

I try not to post too much business stuff here (though over the next few days will be).  But just posted a post on perfumery and crafting perfumes for a business (what goes into it) on Earth Alkemie's blog.  Part 1 is mostly on the research, and so will part 2.  Part 3 will be on the actual perfume.  I just posted part 1, and thought people might be interested in what goes into perfume making from a small business outlook, so decided to mention it here on my personal eco blog (it is not just crafting it, but perfume making takes a lot of research and experimentation).  Hope you enjoy it!

On a related side note, a few days ago I received the perfumes from the perfume swap I am in.  They all look gorgeous (I wasn't able to smell them yet because I have been so congested but hopefully soon).  I am so excited to receive them and hope to sniff them soon!

Happy Memorial Day and new article on ticks and essential oils

I hope everyone is having a good Memorial Day weekend.  Today is the day we honor those who have fallen serving our country.  I hope that everyone is spending time with loved ones today.

I just answered a question on essential oils (I am the allnatural beauty website’s Eco Living and DIY Natural Beauty Formulating Expert, so answer questions on anything green, and also how to make natural skin care).  I was asked if tea tree essentialoil was effective as a tick repellent, and if it was safe for children andpregnant women (thanks Barbara for the question!).  I also included information on two other essential oils (lavender and citronella) for tick repellency, and information on using herbs on cats and dogs.  There is also information on what to use on insect bites too.  So even if you don’t plan on using it on kids, or if you aren’t pregnant, there is still a lot of good information in the article.

I have been using essential oils as insect repellents for many years (since I started learning about aromatherapy so eleven or so years), and have found them to be very effective in many different types of environments, and against many different types of insects too (some essential oils are better general repellents, while others are better for repelling only certain types of insects).  I love using essential oils as repellents because they not only are effective, but smell great!

Hope you enjoy the article!  Feel free to ask me or any of the other anb experts questions (be sure to ask your question through the anb website, or on the anb’sfacebook page).  I also wrote more about this article and insect repellents on Earth Alkemie's blog (my blog for my skin care business) too.

Eco Living: Kale, Spinach, and Chard Chips

I love kale, chard, and spinach chips.  But I don't have a food dehydrator yet so I created a recipe for making them in the oven.  For May's Eco Living article I have shared my recipe for kale, chard, and spinach chips.  They are so good: they are nutritious, healthy, but taste delicious.  And less expensive to make too (many health food stores sell the dehydrated kind, that are kind of pricey).  I have included lots of notes in my article on ingredient subs, and you can cater them to your tastes by using different oils, spices/seasonings etc.

I hope everyone has a Happy Mother's Day!

Eco Living and DIY Formulating Expert

I am so excited!  I have just been made the Eco Living and DIY Natural Beauty Formulating Expert over at the all natural beauty websites!  I posted a long entry explaining this on my other blog (my business /Earth Alkemie's blog).  Read my newest EA blog entry for more information!

I am so honored to become an expert, because some of the other anb experts are some of the best in the natural fields (including aromatherapist and herbal pioneer Jeanne Rose!).  So feel free to ask me or the other experts a question (right now when you ask a question, you will also be entered in a monthly drawing for free products from the different anb partners/ vendors.  So you could win some nice products too, in addition to getting your questions answered!).

Happy Earth Day and Month!

I hope everyone is having a Happy Earth Day! Though this month is Earth Awareness Month, I have not been posting as much as I’d hoped. ☹ I’ve written parts of many different posts (for both this blog and my business blog) but I’ve been dealing with many personal issues (my own health, my dad’s health, etc) and I have been focusing on working to get my business reopen (I still have so much to do before then!). So I haven’t had as much time to devote to writing as I’d like.

 For the local peeps (VA/DC/MD), George Mason University has been having many different activities and events this month. For the next several days they will be having a lot of activities. These activities will be focused on more ‘local’ green tips and activities. I hope I will be able to attend some of them (but I have lots of testing and doctors appointments—both mine and my dad’s—to go to this week, and I take care of my dad during the day, so may not be able to this year). I have gone to some activities in previous years though, and they were all very informative and educational, but fun! I am proud of my school (I attended grad school there) for becoming more and more eco-aware and green, due to many wonderful professors (including my advisor/committee chair), current students, GMU’s Office of Sustainability, and alums (some of which who work in the OOS). Here is the link to the list of activities.

 If you don’t live the the DC metro area, places you can check for local green activities this month include local colleges, other local schools, community centers, and environmental non-profits. Local newspapers may also have a listing of activities or a list of simple green practices. You can also check your favorite green organization for eco tips (it doesn’t have to be a local organization). Lastly there are many great eco tips on this blog (there are over 200 entries here) or my eco living articles (there are around forty articles or so) on anb (all natural beauty) mall. Not all of my posts are listed on the right side of this blog, and not every eco living article is listed on the main page of anb mall’s eco living section, so you may have to do a search for the topic you are interested in. ☺ There are also some eco tips on my business (Earth Alkemie's) blog too (mostly in relation to natural and organic ingredients and herbs).

Eco Living: Conservation and Preservation

Happy Earth Awareness Month! For April's eco living article on anb (all natural beauty) mall I have written an article on conservation and preservation. Basically I have explained the differences between these two terms, and I also provide a few quick eco tips and lots of links to environmental, ecological, conservation, and preservation non-profit organizations.

So like many of my previous eco living articles, I am sharing my extra thoughts and notes on this subject, here on my personal blog. :) I won't define the difference between the two words here (since I already did that in my article) but here is more food for thought.

Many people mix up the terms conservation and preservation nowadays. In the early 1900s, there was a very clear cut distinction between the two terms (in the U.S.), and in my opinion, there was still a pretty strong distinction up until maybe a decade or so ago. I remember when I was a teen (when I first learned about environmental issues; so about 19 or so years ago) and during my undergrad years (studying environmental issues/biology), I learned about the differences between the two. But sometime between the time I graduated college and now, I've noticed a lot of people (the general public) use the terms interchangeably. I even noticed that many (though not all) of my fellow grad school classmates (when I was getting my masters in environmental science and policy not too long ago) also used the terms in place of each other. And sometimes the wrong word comes out of my mouth too (slip of the tongue!), even though I know the difference! ;P The lines between the two have become blurred, at least in the public eye and even to various degrees in the environmental field itself.

As an environmentalist I am an advocate of both conservation and preservation (a lot of other naturalists and environmentalists support one or the other, though many support both like me). I think both conservation and preservation are needed. In theory, preservation probably sounds the most ideal to many 'green' advocates: that we (humans) should leave the land, animals, and plants in a 'pristine state', and that the environment should be preserved for its own sake. I think that preservation is needed, because of the utter devastation we have had on this Planet. In my mind and heart, not everything is a resource to be exploited: we share this Earth with a vast array of fascinating creatures large and small, and humans are not the center of the universe (even though many people think we are). Some land should be relatively untouched in my humble opinion. Advocates of preservation disagree on the level of human involvement in preservation. Some people believe that no management is the best policy (to leave the wild area totally alone), while others believe in limited management (that humans should oversee an area or species to prevent issues such human development in an area, but for the most part nature is left alone).

But there are other things to consider. A lot of habitat and ecosystems are not in 'pristine conditions'; there is habitat loss, deforestation, threatened and endangered species, pollution, etc. That's where conservation comes into play: to manage habitats, ecosystems, and species and to take responsibility for our actions, and try to reverse some of the damage we have done to the Earth. And for that conservation management and human involvement is needed. Conservation is about WISE human usage. Humans live, breathe, and need to consume (some) resources to survive. But we should use natural resources wisely, so that they are there for future generations.

So in a nutshell, I think both preservation and conservation are important and needed, especially in modern day times. I think that it is important to distinguish the two terms, understand the difference, and realize that one is not necessarily better than the other and that they are both needed (or at least that is what I personally believe).

033012 Li's Crafting Notes (Perfume Crafting)

It's been a long time since I've written a crafting notes entry. Much of my crafting in the past couple years has been devoted to my business and many of the new products I have crafted have eventually became Earth Alkemie products (I try to keep business information on my business blog, and personal information here) or they have became recipes on my eco living articles. Because of that, time, and health constraints I haven't been posting much about what I've been crafting for myself (or much on this blog for that matter)!

Since I've been posting much more regularly here again, I thought it was time to post a new 'Li's Crafting Notes'! Basically most of what I've been working on the last several weeks are perfumes. I am working on a perfume for my business called Chen (a few entries on crafting Chen will be posted on Earth Alkemie's blog over the next few weeks) and also perfumes for a perfume swap I am in.

I am a long time member of 'The Dish' forum, which is one of the largest soap and crafting forums online. I like many of the people there and I have participated in a few of the swaps. This is the third perfume swap I have been a part of.

Basically for this swap or challenge, we have to create a perfume that must contain five basic ingredients: lavender, fir, labdanum, clove, and ambrette. We are allowed to use any form of these so we can use the essential oil, absolute, co2 extract, tincture, etc (if available), and also allowed to add whatever other ingredients to the perfume. Since it is a natural swap, we are only using natural ingredients and no fragrance/synthetic oils. (Commercial perfumes are either completely or mostly synthetic with either no or little natural ingredients. But there are a few natural perfumers, including me, that make 100% natural perfumes, and there are a few other mostly natural perfumers that make nearly all natural perfumes with traces of synthetics). Making a natural perfume definitely costs more (since the natural ingredients cost a lot more than synthetic fragrances) but I think they are worth every penny!

I have been working on a few different perfumes (perfumes take time to age, so their scent greatly alters over time, so crafting a few to see which one matures the best!). So far I have crafted three and I will see which one ages the best. There is still a month until the due date since it was extended again (so I have time to craft maybe one more if I make it within the next couple days, but it is kind of pushing the time frame it will need to age).

I am trying to use some of the more unusual forms of the plants, like lavender absolute or Himalayan lavender essential oil, and ambrette co2 extract. I also have some rare white rose co2 extract I am using in some of the perfumes (white rose essential oil is pretty rare, and the co2 extract is even rarer. To my nose: white rose's scent is very intense, sweet, and very 'rosey', and has less of the herbal/green notes than damask rose essential oil).

I've crafted three perfumes so far. One of them I absolutely adore so far. It seems to be aging well. One of the additional ingredients I used in it was frangipani absolute, another kind of rare absolute (there are several species of frangipani that are used in making absolutes). Most frangipani scents on the market are not the real absolute but are the synthetic fragrance. I think this is one of the best perfumes I have crafted, made with pre-dilutions.

The second I like but it seems to be missing something so I will be tweaking that. In this one I tried to use lavender as a top note (most sources say it is a middle note, though a few people consider it a top note or a top to middle note) and I think I definitely like using it as a middle note better; in most of my past perfumes I have always used lavender as a middle note. I think that is why my nose thinks something is missing since the other tops notes (not including lavender) in this perfume are small, and when I smell lavender, though it is the first thing I smell in this perfume, my mind doesn't register it as a top note. As time passes this one smells better and better though so maybe I am just being too picky. :)

The third one I really like too but some notes, especially the lemon myrtle, are still a little strong. But as time passes it is becoming more mellow, so over the next week or so I will see if it needs tweaking or to leave it as it. The lemon myrtle is potent, I didn't add too much but it kind of has over taken the perfume, but as it ages, and that note becomes softer, and the other notes are coming out to play, I like it more and more.

If I have time I will work on a fourth one (but will need to do that over the next few days so it has some time to age).

It has been a challenge since I have never worked with fir absolute (I am also using a different fir for some of the perfumes too) or ambrette. I am also working with pre-dilutions (that is diluting my essential oils etc with carrier oils, and then using the dilutions to make the perfume), which I hardly ever do. Many other perfumers like working with dilutions, but I prefer to dilute everything afterwards since I think I am a better perfumer doing it that way.

Also for this challenge, I am not working with accords to save some time in crafting. I love using accords when making perfumes (since I am better at creating extremely complex perfumes when I use that technique) but sometimes I use them and sometimes I don't in perfume making. It depends on the perfume; I have crafted some beautiful perfumes without accords, and for most of my aromatherapy blends I don't use accords either. But some of my favorite and best perfumes were made with accords.

After I craft the perfumes I will submit the best smelling one I have for the swap. I can't wait to smell everyone else's creations!

Eco Living: Potato Eye Remedy

My newest eco living article is up on anb mall! Since it is almost St. Patrick's Day I decided to write about an Irish associated ingredient that is used in natural herbal skin care: the potato! My eco living article is called "Potato Eye Remedy" since I have posted a few recipes for eye skin care using the humble potato!

Raw potatoes are great ingredients to use in skin care. In these recipes I have used a few common household ingredients like potatoes, organic whole milk, and chamomile (the herb or the tea). These recipes can help brighten and lighten the eye area, banish some types of dark circles, and may also help eye puffiness in some people. Two of the three recipes are vegan. I have listed a few of the properties of these ingredients too. And most people probably already have all the ingredients in their cupboards!

Notes: make sure the potatoes are raw, uncooked. And the remedies work best chilled.

All Natural, Do It Yourself Skin Care Recipes and Books

One of the things I love doing most is crafting all natural skin care. So I love sharing recipes for making simple, natural, 'kitchen', DIY (Do It Yourself), MIY (Make It Yourself) cosmetics. There are many recipes located on this blog (you may have to do a search in the search box--located in the upper top left hand side of this blog--to find them, because although some of the more popular posts are listed on the right hand side of this blog, there are over two hundred entries on this blog, so I can't link all of my posts on the right side). Search using the name of the herb/plant first (such as 'aloe'), and if that doesn't help, then I recommend searching for the basic type of recipe (like 'brown sugar scrub').

Here is my list for other good (free) recipes online:

One of my friends, Sharon, has three amazing all natural beauty (anb) websites, and all three websites have skin care and hair care recipes from herbalists, aromatherapists, natural skin care formulators, skin care business owners, and/or diy recipe enthusiasts, including herbal and aromatherapy pioneer Jeanne Rose and aromatherapist Alexandra Avery. I have posted many recipes on all three websites too (either under Li Wong or the user names Snowcat or Solarkat). I have been posting recipes and articles on the anb websites for many years (years before I ever started my all natural skin care and DIY ingredient business, Earth Alkemie). I am proud to say that Earth Alkemie is an all natural beauty partner to all three anb websites! (The criteria to become an anb partner is very strict, especially for anb portal and all natural beauty website). There are so many amazing recipes, articles, and other companies listed on her websites, so I highly recommend checking them out.

The all natural beauty website has a nice recipe section. Be sure to also check out the articles (many of which discuss ingredients and herbs) and also the list of all natural companies too!


There are a lot of recipes on anb portal. Some of the recipes are the same as the ones on all natural beauty website, but others are exclusive to the anb portal.


There are several beauty recipes on anb mall.

I have many recipes in my eco living articles on anb mall. This includes recipes not posted in the anb mall beauty recipe section above, and my articles also include more in depth notes. I have also written a lot of articles on green house cleaning (including recipes) and many other eco living topics.

The other article sections (beautiful living, inspired living, and the general article section) of anb mall have some recipes too.


One of my favorite forums, skin care talk has a nice recipe section too. I have posted one recipe there (for a vinegar based toner).



Here are some links to several good book reviews or book lists:

A long time ago I wrote several posts on book recommendations or book reviews on natural skin care (herbal, aromatherapy, and other books) here on this blog. The link will bring you to many of my previous posts. :)


This is Sharon's list of books and their links to amazon, and some reviews on anb portal.

In my spotlight (about my plant background) on the anb websites, I have listed many books, scientific journals, and other resources (it's a long spotlight, so you will have to scroll down in the article for this info).

My friend Markey of Garden of Wisdom has also listed some of her favorite books on her website (she offers a lot of nice ingredients too).

Amazon has great prices for used books (many of them are only available used). A few of the more popular ones may be available as an e-book, but many of my favorites are not yet available as e-books.

Your local library may have some books or you can request them through interlibrary loan. Sometimes libraries have annual (old library book) sales too. Another good place to try are local used book stores.

Black Bean Brownies with Agave (Hypoglycemic and diabetic friendly, gluten free, flour free, vegetarian recipe)

Many years ago I used to love to bake (my sister used to call me cookie master!). But when I discovered I was hypoglycemic I stopped eating sweets and stopped baking for a very long time (usually the only sweet thing I will eat is fruit, with lots of protein, but no real desserts). Nowadays, every once in a while (maybe once every couple months) I will get a craving and actually bake or make a dessert. When making desserts, I use sweetener alternatives that don't make me react that much, such as agave. Too much still makes me feel ill, so when baking or making sweets I still have to watch the amount of alternative sweeteners, and make sure the dessert is protein rich. I also try to limit my other carbs too, and really watch the serving size (wish I could eat larger servings, since I love sweets and I need to gain weight, but since I get sick if I eat too much, I need to limit myself strictly to one small serving). So it can be difficult finding recipes that I can eat or that I can easily convert. A lot of the time I look at vegan, gluten-free, and sometimes raw websites since often these recipes are made with ingredients I can eat, or I only have to alter the recipes a little.

One of my favorite recipes is a black bean brownie recipe from 'Baking with agave' by Ania Catalano. The recipe is posted on the 101 cookbooks website. This recipe is not only delicious, but it is made with agave, a single serving does not make me react (I like to drink organic soy or cow milk with the brownie, for extra protein and since the combo of milk and brownies is yummy!), and I didn't need to change the recipe at all. Catalano has hypoglycemia so she uses agave and alternative sweeteners, and also does not use white/refined wheat flour in her recipes. I have seen other so called 'hypoglycemic' recipes that don't use white sugar but that use refined/white wheat flour, so it is nice that she really knows how to bake for this condition, since she has it herself too! Her recipe is also gluten free and grain/flour free (basically the ground nuts serve as the flour). Now some of her other recipes still have a touch too much agave for me (different people have different reactions to sweeteners so some people may be able to tolerate much higher amounts of agave than I, and others may not be able to tolerate it at all). I highly recommend getting her cookbook too.

For agave brands, I basically just get whatever organic agave brand is onsale or least expensive at whole foods or another natural foods store (I have tried a few different brands and they are all pretty good). There are two versions of agave: light/regular and dark. The light version is sweet and heavenly, while the dark version is a bit richer in taste and tastes a little like maple syrup (not exactly like it but it reminds me of it). Agave is technically sweeter than white sugar, so when using it in recipes, you need to use less than the amount of other sweeteners. But Agave is mostly fructose and low glycemic.

Eco Living: Rose Cosmetics

For my newest eco living article on anb (all natural beauty) mall for the month of February, I choose to write about the rose: a symbol of love and beauty.

Rose is one of my favorite skin care ingredients. Since this article was an eco living article, and I try to keep my eco living tips simple, I decided to write about a cosmetic that anyone could easily make, and that had multiple uses (I love multiple use cosmetics; it makes skin and hair care much easier!). So this month's anb mall's eco living article is on using rose infusion in cosmetics. I posted my recipe for organic rose infusion (tea), the properties of rose infusion, and also how to use rose infusion in skin and hair care.

Additional notes, not posted in the article: there are many good vendors for organic roses. You can buy them already dried, or you can dry fresh organic roses (just hang the bunch upside down and let it dry out). I had planned to carry some in my store (but at the time of this writing, I am currently on hiatus, so Earth Alkemie is closed right now, but check back later! I hope to reopen this spring). You may be able to find them locally: either buy fresh organic roses (Whole Foods usually carries them, and you can get a small bunch for only a few dollars--surprisingly much cheaper than other food stores and floral shops--at least in my local store), or check the dried herb or the tea aisle of health food stores. Your local small natural skin care company may carry them. You can find some on amazon. Also one of my favorite herbal vendors, Mountain Rose Herbs carries some.

Just wanted to mention that my recipe is for an infusion (which is pretty much a strong tea) which is different than a hydrosol, floral water, or an aromatherapy (essential oil) spray .

I hope everyone enjoys the article!

A New Beginning...

It's been a very long time since I've posted on a regular basis. A few years ago I stopped posting regularly because I was completing my master's in environmental science and policy (my research and thesis), moderating and answering questions on Garden of Wisdom's forum (which was very time consuming and extremely busy back then), and writing Eco Living articles for the anb (all natural beauty) mall. After I graduated I started an all natural skin care and mineral makeup business, Earth Alkemie, and in the past couple years, much of my online time was devoted to writing entries for Earth Alkemie's blog and EA's forum and EA's face book, answering EA emails, other emails and PMs etc, posting on various other forums, and writing my monthly Eco Living articles. With my health issues (and also helping my dad with his health issues too) that didn't leave me much time to post here.

But I miss posting on Solarkat's eco blog. I loved posting on this blog in the past since this has always been a place for my own thoughts on a wide range of subjects: plants, aromatherapy, herbalism, natural products, eco living, vegetarianism, ecological issues, etc. And even a few things that have nothing to do with some form of environmentalism, like my favorite musicians. Just basically whatever was on my mind on the moment. :) And I have missed having that outlet. I do have a personal face book page and also post regularly on EA's blog, but it is not the same as posting on a personal blog. I am just too wordy and there are some thing that just don't belong on a business blog.

So I am going to try to start posting regularly again. Right now I am on hiatus for my skin care business (because of health reasons) so posts will probably be more often now than in the future when I reopen Earth Alkemie (which I hope will be sometime in March or April. No set date yet). But for now, I will start posting again. :)

ANB mall contest for FREE products and also all natural summer sampler (Natural Skin Care)

I don't plug my skin care company, Earth Alkemie, or EA related news too much on here, as I have a business blog, forum, and facebook for that. ;P

But I am going to plug a contest for FREE products, since the contest is for my friend's website, and also plugs many other natural based skin care companies in addition to my own. :)

ANB mall is having a contest for $200 worth of FREE products from different anb mall vendors. These products are either all natural or natural based (mostly natural but non-toxic).

I haven't tried any of the other companies who contributed for the contest prize, but looking at their ingredients, the products look very nice, and many of the companies have gotten good reviews from customers on facebook or various forums. I contributed a yummy smelling aromatherapy soap as one of the prizes.

So definitely check it out and good luck to all that enter. This is an amazing contest, and a good way to try some awesome products if you win.

More all natural beauty website news, is a summer sampler that you can buy that also features products from different all natural and natural based companies. I am not involved in this sampler (but have been involved in previous anb mall samplers, and will probably be involved in the upcoming fall and winter one) but you can try some wonderful product at one low price. The products look amazing, I may get one if budget allows (I have a lot of ingredients to buy for the business, so personal treats have been put on hold for a bit).

I really want to try the perfumes in the sampler from Evan's Garden, because being an all natural perfumer, I am always interested in trying others perfumes! Their perfumes sound delectable and they are a company I've been meaning to try for a while but haven't had the chance to try yet (though I use mostly my own, I still try many other companies and crafters products, since I just like to see what others have created :) ). The other products in the sampler also look nice too.

Eco Living: Eating out the green way

A few weeks ago, I posted an Eco Living article on green tips on eating out. I wrote about a few of my favorite green tips (bringing your own utensils & containers, and also eating more vegetarian foods).

I try not to post links to companies in my Eco Living articles that aren't anb (all natural beauty) mall vendors out of respect for the other anb mall vendors (Earth Alkemie, my all natural skin care company, is an anb mall vendor too ;P) so I have decided to post some links here on my personal blog for green utensil companies and container companies that I like. :)

The bamboo utensil travel set I mentioned in my eco living article is from To-Go Ware. I bought one of their sets in a natural food store a year and a half or so ago when I was visiting my sister. I love my bamboo utensil set, I just stick in it my purse, and bring it everywhere with me! As mentioned in my article, the set I have comes with chopsticks, a fork, knife, and spoon. I have the set in the pumpkin colored case. I just checked out their site and it looks like they have stainless steel food containers too! According to their main page, they were recently featured on the Oprah Winfrey show!

For containers, I usually just reuse any container I get from the deli, food places, etc, or I use tupperware or rubbermaid type containers. But my sister recently gave me a container made from Preserve. Preserve is a company I really respect; I like their toothbrushes and also their razors (which are eco-friendly and cruelty free). I didn't know they made food containers though, I have the small apple shaped green container--I love its small size, since I can carry snacks with me and it is small enough to stick it in my purse or bag. Preserve also has a program that recycles plastic #5, which is a widely used plastic, that is often not recycled in most areas.

My next eco living article will be posted on the anb mall site by monday (I submitted it a few days ago). I will post more about it in another post :)

Local Eco Earth Day events for Northern VA, George Mason University

I graduated a couple years ago but my grad school, George Mason University, has been having a lot of local, green, environmental events (that are free and open to the public). Here is a link to their face book post that sums up all of their Earth Day/Month events. I am going to try to go to some of them since the events look awesome! I wish I could have gone to some of the ones late last month and earlier this month, but I wasn't able to :( (I have been dealing with a lot of family and personal issues, as well as revamping and reorganizing my green skin care business, doing business taxes, and getting Earth Alkemie's new products and Earth Day specials ready--so I feel like I have been in a whirl wind recently! I will be trying to post more often on this blog too, since I miss blogging; lots of things to write and post about :) ).

Different events are being held at the different GMU campuses. Tomorrow (the 21st) there is an environmental expo at the Fairfax/main campus (from 11 am to 4 pm).

Happy Chinese New Year! :)

Gong xi fa cai! :)

Today is the art of the Year of the Metal Rabbit. It's a very special day today, for many reasons. It is also my skin care company's 1 year online anniversary, among other things).

I remember last year I wrote a post during Chinese New Year on my favorite chinese astrologers. White and Wu have updated their websites (Liao's website isn't working right now, hopefully it will be back up soon). White is also on face book and she regularly posts.

I am just spending today with my family, and also for the past couple months I have been reflecting a lot spiritually, and working to make a lot of positive changes in my life :)

Happy New Year! Hope everyone has much joy and prosperity in this coming year!

Snow, the environment, and crop failures (Environmental Issues)

We ended up getting somewhere between 5-10 inches of snow in the D.C. metro area/Northern VA (the snow depth at my house is about 7-8 inches), and according to the weather forecasters we may get some more snow on Friday and also next week too.

I like snow but it is very unusual for this area to get this much, the natural pattern is one huge snow–maybe 8-12 inches–every 8 or 9 years. We had a lot of snow last year in two super huge storms one right after another (which was also not part of the natural pattern, since we usually don’t get over a couple feet of snow, and don’t have two major storms within days of each other). We also had a major snow storm, I think in March 2009. Most of the time, in regular years, we usually get maybe 1-3 inches every once in a while during the winter time. As an environmentalist/biologist, changes like this really worries me. Other changes have been really worrying me too, like one day it is freezing cold and the next day hot. Or seeing mosquitoes out of season, or trees blooming at the wrong time, or leaves changing colors too early or too late. I’ve lived in the D.C. area my whole life–except for my undergrad years–(I am 32 now) and none of these are part of the natural patterns in this area.

Another concern that I have is crop failures all over. I’ve noticed this a lot more as a business owner (many ingredient prices are going drastically because of A LOT of crop failures or poor crop yields world wide, which I will post about shortly. There is a long list of ingredients whose prices have been changing over the last couple years. Noticed it as a hobby crafter, pre-business, but as a business owner been noticing it even more especially when many prices have doubled or more). But I’ve also noticed this as a consumer too, like cranberries not being available (a couple years ago) or pumpkin last year (there was a shortage of canned pumpkin during the holidays for a few weeks), etc.

Note: parts of this post (the above information) are also posted on Earth Alkemie's (my all natural, green skin care business) blog.

I hope one day (soon) I can get back to doing environmental field work/education/community work. I really miss it (I had to give it up because of my health issues in recent years). I try to live my life as eco-friendly as possible, but am always trying to find ways to be even more green :) One thing that I will start doing again, is posting on this blog more regularly again (another thing I miss doing!).

Miniature Earth (Environmental/Social Information)

Someone on a forum I frequent posted this powerful video called 'Miniature Earth'. Basically it shows the world's population in terms a community of 100 people. Very eye opening, and very well done, intense.

Vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, hypoglycemic friendly (Vegetarian Foods and Hypoglycemia information)

Here is a list of some of my favorite vegetarian and vegan cookbooks that are also hypoglycemic friendly (or that are easily converted to hypoglycemic friendly foods). I will post others at another time.

I am only vegetarian (I eat eggs and dairy) but my favorite veggie cookbook is actually a vegan one called 'Vegan With A Vengeance' by Isa Chandra Moskowitz". I love this cook book because the recipes are very simple to make, full of flavor, and absolutely delicious (she really knows how to use herbs and other ingredients to enhance taste; she's absolutely brilliant). Moskowitz also has a cookie and also a cupcake book that is really good too.

I've mentioned on my blog a few years ago, that it is sometimes hard to convert vegetarian recipes into something I can eat (since I can't eat white/refined flour, white sugar/refined sugars, or too much carbs, since I feel really sick and my symptoms flare up). But I've found that vegan cook books, especially ones that use a lot of whole grains and alternative sweeteners like agave, are easy to convert or don't even need any conversion. (I can have a little agave, but I still feel sick if I have a lot at one time). The author uses a lot of different grains and also things like agave, and when she doesn't, I've found the recipes are still easier to convert into something I can eat (like using whole wheat pastry flour for white flour. And instead of white sugar, try agave or coconut sugar).

She has a few other books that I hope to get soon (I have her cupcake book too but want her others). Parts of her books are viewable on google books. For 'vengeance' most of the recipes are breakfast things like scones.

I also like Madhur Jaffrey's 'World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking'. This book is not vegan (some recipes contain dairy and eggs) but many recipes are vegan, and many that aren't vegan you can substitute vegan ingredients for. I love this cookbook, the spice combos used are authentic and the dishes are tasty, very yummy. The recipes are from many different cultures around the world. Some recipes are a little complex or time consuming to make, but they are worth it. I like making several of the lentil dishes. I remember once E.G. and I made paneer (which is an Indian cheese, it took a lot of milk but it was damn good!).

Peta (People for the ethnical treatment of animals) has a vegan cookbook called 'Compassionate Cook: Please don't eat the animals'. It is one of the classic vegan cookbooks, and one of the first I ever got (I've been veggie for over 16 years). The recipes are very basic (some of them are a little bland, and need to have additional spices added to them. But other recipes are delicious) but there is a lot good info in it. There are several recipes from vegan and vegetarian celebrities, as well as quotes from famous veggies throughout time.

Washington D.C. Green Festival This Weekend

One of my favorite green festivals is this weekend at the DC convention center. There are lots of green vendors as well as environmental/green organizations, as well as speakers. You can also get discounts for admission (see their website: if you buy a ticket, you can get 'green festival bucks' and use them as a discount for vendors. Also if you are a student, senior, ride a bike or took public transportation you can get a discount and the GF bucks too), or free admission (for free admission: if you shop at MOM's organic market and bring a $25 receipt from october, OR if you become a member of Green America--which is one of the non profit environmental organizations that sponsors the green festivals--you can get free admission).

Next month (in November) there is also one in San Francisco.

There are others in other cities around the country, but these are the last two of the year.

Check out the green festival website for more information for both the Washington D.C. and San Francisco green festivals

Link to Green America's website