31-08-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksI got a GREAT and inspiring message from Bill Jensen!
I send him the blog I wrote about the simplicity lecture I had at my work.
Irene:
Thank you so much!
My goals were obviously focused on how to help
you and others at work.
But as you keenly observed, I also had a higher-level definition of success...touching people like you in a way that helps all of us focus on things beyond work...
That maintaining NICE in one’s total life also yields great results at work.
Thanks again,
Bill J
Wow! that's so nice of him!
He obviously mastered the technique of managing e-mails because he send one back right away! (and I just cleared my mailbox for the first time this year!)
I hope this simplicity lifestyle really becomes a way I can improve my life at work.
To NICE my life for sure!
03-08-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksHaha!!! Sorry just kidding!
Here it is for real!
At my work we had a nice lecture from Bill Jensen about simplicity.
(No! not the electronics kind but the work kind)
It was about how you should manage your time at work.
Basically he said:
DO LESS!!!
Filter all the crap you receive trough phone and email and try to perfect the art of work not done.
Work you shouldn't do or doesn't need to be done.
Every hour of meetings, calling and reading mails is only 5 minutes for you!
Of 325 pages of info only 5 you NEED!
Ask yourself what is in it for me!
Prevent information overload.
Every 550 days mails, texts and messages DOUBLES!
So pay attention during meetings!
(don't check phone and mails)
2 to 4 hours are wasted on communication
This also about respect!
Treat your collegues like you would want to be treated!
Nothing is getting simpler without someone saying it!
Find the guts!
There are only 1440 minutes a day!
You don't get any more!!!
Interesting right?
If you want to know more?
Check out Bill Jensen's Simplicity survival handbook
And for tips on his website
22-07-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
My dutch friend Jeroen Koeman from Ecotulips is doing an amazing job! What is that job? He is trying to change the flower industry by making it organic! You would think that all flowers that you buy in markets are organic, but fact is that most flowers and plants are grown with a lot of chemicals and pesticides. This is bad for the bees and for other animals, and of course the ground they grow in. Ecotulips is offering beautiful, organic flowers. I will profile this company a bit more in the future.
For now I received an email that you can get a discount until August 1st!:
"Hello eco-friendly friends!
This message is for every eco-friendly farmer/gardener in your network.
eco-friendly organizations and farmers this year a chance to purchase organic bulbs for a low price, to support organic gardening.
Our pre-season bulk sale gives up to 80% discount to all:
Order deadline August 1st.
Help me reach my goal to increase the market share of organic flower bulbs from 0.1% to 1% in 3 years!
Visit http://www.ecotulips.com/categories/Pre-season-bulk-sale and click on the “like” button, thanks!
Together we can make it a better world, send this message to your eco-friendly friends!
All the best,
The Tulip Man"
will you order organic tulips for your community?
Picture: "The Tulip Man" Jeroen Koeman and his tulips
19-07-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksThough twitter I’ve met some other fashionlovers!
One of them is my fashionfriend Robin, He works for the menswear fashionbrand NÕN by KIM, and through him I was able to get a ticket for the Amsterdam Fashion week show on saturday!
This was my first time I went to a catwalkshow that was part of the official program and it was awesome!
I loved the collection!
The pants and jackets were quite sharp looking but the colors and materials made it more casual. I loved the detailing in some of the blouses, shirts and sweaters. I was constantly thinking: would I buy this for my boyfriend? I think the answers were quite a lot of yeses for sure!
After the show I talked to designer Kim Bakker to congratulate her on her new collection. To stay in line with the green fashion spirit of the day before I asked her what is her brands position towards sustainability?
And her first answer really surprised me!
She said that most of all she tries to make the style sustainable, so you don’t need to buy new looks every season but you can keep your clothes from older seasons and combine them with the new ones.
Of course! that makes sense!
It’s great to have clothes that have a style and quality that you can wear for many years!
I also asked her about the materials she used.
She said she uses recycled cotton and a cotton-like fiber called Kapok, and even her friends HAIR! (For the accessories during the show)
She tries to watch for good fabrics and materials but also said that it is quite hard to find good ones because there is a lot less choice and a lot less available.
Well, I hope she continues on this path! It would be great to have a good sustainable menswear fashion brand around!
My boyfriend is always complaining there isn’t much choice for men. So this could be something for him for sure!
Check out the video of the show below and photos on the forum.
19-07-2010 | Posted by: Maruja Retana
A few years ago I was obsessed with a book called 'Emotional Intelligence', which described how emotions play a very large role in the way we think and act, and in accomplishing personal and professional success. The writer, Daniel Goleman, has a fantastic way of writing, combining engaging anecdotes with scientific information. So...when I saw his book 'Social Intelligence' in the local bookstore, I didn't hesitate for a second. I started reading it yesterday and I'm loving it so far. 'Socal Intelligence' describes how our brains are designed to make connections with other people. We have a natural ability to do so (think of how easily we copy other people's behavior (yawning, smiling, crying, flirting, being irritated, etc.)), but we can also develop these skills in order to succeed even more in any social situation. Interesting stuff!
Daniel Goleman also wrote a book called 'Ecological Intelligence', about the environmental consequences of what we make and buy. Sounds very promising as well! Check him out in these links below:
18-07-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksToday is Mandela day!
At the London celebrations of Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday at Hyde park in June 2008, Mandela said: : “It is time for the next generations to continue our struggle against social injustice and for the rights of humanity. It is in your hands.”
After this it was decided to celebrate his birthday every year with a day dedicated to his life’s work to ensure that his legacy continues forever.
So what is Mandela day?
(source)
I think Mandela is such an inspirational person!
Sometimes I feel: how can we change? How can I make a change? And whenever I think of Mandela, I think WOW! He really did it! He made such a big change, not only for himself, but for the entire world!
Hopefully people will continue feeling inspired by him and really pick up the torch from him and try to make an imprint on the world!
I‘ve put 67 ways to change your world on the forum, so everyday can be a Mandela day!
It really is in your hands!
13-07-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksThis week it’s Amsterdam International Fashion Week (AIFW). All week all through Amsterdam there are many events and shows, some of them are open for the public but most of the fashion shows are by invitation only.
If you follow me on twitter, then you’ll know that I am such a fashion junky!
I always check all the fashion shows in New York, London, Milan and definitely in Paris! I watch them all on my style.com iPhone app. And load all the pretty ones on my twitterpage.
A few weeks ago Lonneke surprised me with an invitation for a fashion show in Amsterdam. She got invited to Ready to Fish_, a brand by Ilja Visser. Since Lonneke is still in New York she couldn’t come to the show herself and asked if I could come instead! (JEEEE thanks LONN!!!)
Well, Yesterday was the show, and it was absolutely FAB!!!
The models came from stairs down to the catwalk. And guess where I was sitting!!! Right NEXT to bottom of the stairs! So I had the absolute most fabulous view ever!
All the clothes were very light and flowy with supercute tailoring. I totally fell in love with this stained marble-like light brown silk fabric they used for jackets, pants and dresses. Overall the whole look was perfect for summer, it looked very feminine and HOT!
Check out my pictures on the forum
Next show I will go to is on Friday, then will be the launch of the Green Fashion Competition, of which Lonneke will be the ambassador and member of the jury. After the launch there is a show of a sustainable collection by Kentroy Yearwood for RANGAKU.
Can’t wait to see that!!!
04-07-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelI just discovered this great Tv show: Glee!
Funny,with a lot of dancing and singing, it is the latest hit in the USA! They already snatched the Golden Globe for Best Comedy this year. You have to watch it, Jane Lynch is hilarious! Like her character's Sue Silvester's Vogue, or Brittany's "smart" quotes.
May we also add that Corey Monteith, who plays Finn Hudson, and the teacher Will Schuester, played by Matthew Morrison are pretty good on the eye?
But the original Glee I discovered was a different kind:
While organic chewing gum is still does not exist, this gum comes close with using only natural ingredients, which most are already organic.
It tastes great and comes in many flavors like cinnamon, tangerine, spearmint,bubblegum to name a few.
From the Glee Gum website:
"What makes Glee Gum special?
Glee Gum is completely all-natural, with no preservatives, artificial flavorings, or colorings. Also, it is the only gum on the market which contains chicle in its gum base. And using chicle helps sustain the rainforest!
Glee Gum Is: Vegetarian, Additive Free, Lactose Free, Dairy Free, Wheat Free, Gluten Free, Casein Free, Egg Free, Yeast Free, Nut Free, and Peanut Free.
If you want to know more about Glee Gum, read the facts on their website.!
What's also great about this company, is that they are also affiliated with great causes like 1% for the Planet and Trees for the Future to name a few.
I will watch Glee while chewing my Glee Gum!
Great combination!
30-06-2010 | Posted by: Anne-Marie Van Dijk.... about Stonyfield Farm!
As Lonneke mentioned in her previous post, StonyField Farm makes extraordinary greek yogurt! Oikos.
Thick and creamy, you can get it in three flavors (plain, honey and vanilla). It satisfies both the palette and the stomach while preserving our well-being and that of the planet by being organic.
Thumbs up for StonyField!
But what truly sets them apart is what I am going to share with you next:
As many of you are aware of there is one thing most yoghurt companies have in common - whether they are organic or not - and that is that their products come in plastic tubs.
What few people realize is that these plastic tubs are often non-recyclable. Why? Because most recycling plants don't take #5 type plastics (check the number under your tub, more than likely it will be a 5-type plastic.)
StonyField thought this was unacceptable and, together with Organic Valley, partnered with Preserve to create the Gimme 5 program.
The Gimme 5 program places drop-off boxes at various locations, including WholeFoods, to help people get rid of their #5 tubs in a responsible fashion.
Preserve then collects these plastics and recycles them back into a variety of products, including toothbrushes, razors and tableware.
In any case, when reading about this I couldn't help but feel humbled by their efforts to help preserve our planet.
Make sure to do your part by depositing your empty tubs in a Gimme 5 recycling box :)
30-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelFigs I like very much, also the dried ones.They are excellent snacks if you are hungry. Both versions are very healthy and this is what I found on Wikipedia:
"Figs are one of the highest plant sources of calcium and fiber. According to USDA data for the Mission variety, dried figs are richest in fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and vitamin K, relative to human needs. They have smaller amounts of many other nutrients. Figs have a laxative effect and contain many antioxidants. They are good source of flavonoids and polyphenols.[3] In one study, a 40-gram portion of dried figs (two medium size figs) produced a significant increase in plasma antioxidant capacity.[4]"
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1,041 kJ (249 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 63.87 g |
| Sugars | 47.92 g |
| Dietary fiber | 9.8 g |
| Fat | 0.93 g |
| Protein | 3.30 g |
| Thiamine (Vit. B1) | 0.085 mg (7%) |
| Riboflavin (Vit. B2) | 0.082 mg (5%) |
| Niacin (Vit. B3) | 0.619 mg (4%) |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.434 mg (9%) |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.106 mg (8%) |
| Folate (Vit. B9) | 9 μg (2%) |
| Vitamin C | 1.2 mg (2%) |
| Calcium | 162 mg (16%) |
| Iron | 2.03 mg (16%) |
| Magnesium | 68 mg (18%) |
| Phosphorus | 67 mg (10%) |
| Potassium | 680 mg (14%) |
| Zinc | 0.55 mg (6%) |
| Percentages are relative to US recommendationsfor adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database |
|
And on top of that, Anne-Marie got me hooked on this organic Greek yogurt by Stoney Field Farms called Oikos!
It is much fresher, thicker than regular yogurt, and I love it in the summer.
I take the plain version, and add the fresh figs in it! It is sooo good! I add a little bit of agave syrup (or honey).
It is refreshing and yummy a great dish for the summer!
29-06-2010 | Posted by: Anne-Marie Van DijkTwo months ago I wrote about a great site that allows you to see whether certain ingredients in your favorite skin care products are carcinogenic. The site is called Skin Deep.
I was so impressed by their concept that I decided to become a member of the umbrella organization called Environmental Working Group.
Today, I received a number of tips to help protect yourself against environmental toxins.
Exposure to certain environmental toxins, over time, can lead to cancer. It is an under-unrecognized but very real threat. Below are a few tips from the EWG to help protect yourself against these various (daily) toxins:
1. Filter your tap water: common carcinogens include arsenic, chromium and chemical byproducts.
2. Seal outdoor wooden decks and play sets: some are coated with an arsenic pesticide.
3. Cut down on stain- and grease-proofing chemicals: "Fluorochemicals" related to Teflon are dangerous to your health.
4. Stay safe in the sun: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is cancer-causing. Seek shade, wear protective clothing and use safe and effective sunscreen (visit EWG's sunscreen database)
5. Cut down on fatty meat and high-fat dairy products: Dioxins and PCBs accumulate in animal fat.
6. Eat EWG's Clean 15: Many pesticides have been linked to cancer. Lonneke wrote a great piece about the least contaminated fruits and vegetables (See OYL post: "Dirty Dozen")
7. Cut your exposure to BPA: a synthetic estrogen found in hard plastic water bottles.
8. Avoid carcinogens in cosmetics: use EWG's Skin Deep cosmetic database to find out which products are harmful and which ones are safe!
9. Read the warnings: Some products actually list warnings of cancer risks - Read the label before you buy :)
10. Want to do more? Sign EWG's petition demanding congress reform the nations broken toxic chemicals policy.
29-06-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksWell one of the things my father introduced me to was to do fundraisers for the Red Cross. He was once in the board of the Red Cross of Eindhoven and he was responsible for the fundings. He changed a lot of ways to try and get people to donate money.
One of them was the fundraising heist! It would work like this:
I helped many years because I thought this made it a lot of fun.
Since my father isn’t on the board anymore I didn’t join the fundraisers anymore.
And that was kinda shame.]]>
So I decided to volunteer again this year together with my boyfriend. So last week during fundraising week we walked around our neighborhood all evening and rang every doorbell.
My boyfriend had never done it before I introduced it to him and I am pleased to say that he really enjoyed it!
If you have never tried it before, then please do it at least once. You’ll love it!
It’s not a lot of work, only takes a few hours of your time and is worth so much for each charity organization! Not just raising the money but also to give the organization a face people could relate to.
Next year I’m doing it again!
28-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelToday, when Eyal, Anne-Marie and me had a meeting to talk about all the fun events we are organizing coming months, we tried some really nice new drinks.
We met at Great Jones Spa, a spa that is trying to offer organic, and or healthy treatments, juices and foods. A perfect location to meet. Great Jones Spa is located-as the name shows already- On Great Jones in NYC.
The one drink I liked was Dr. Andrew Weil for Tea in Darjeeling. It was a fresh, light, refreshing little can, also called a "shot". Supposedly there are many antioxidants in one can, and no calories and 100% of daily value of Vitamin C. Dr Weil is a popular American physician, that focusses mostly on integrative medicine. He wrote many interesting books.
The other one was our all time favorite Coconut water, by Zico. Other really good brands are Vita Coco and O.N.E.. Also a very refreshing drink. low calories and sodium and high in potassium, making it an ideal sports drink.
Another new drink we tried was from the brand Alo, a drink made with aloe vera. There are different ones like "Awaken" that has wheatgrass and aloe vera, Enliven with 12 different vegetables and fruits, or Allure with mangosteen to name a few. This drink has chunks of aloe vera in it, and it comes closest (I think) to the bubble tea we all love! It is sweetened with honey and/or cane sugar. So they are not the lowest in calorie drinks, but don't have thickeners or emulsifiers in them, or other chemical ingredients. I liked the taste, but one whole bottle was too much for me!
Really nice also is to brew your own tea, and then chill it. You can sweeten it with a hint of agave syrup or honey. Or not.I think that is the best!
Cold drinks rule in the hot summer!
27-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelI just went on a short trip for a shoot to Newport. This old colonial style town I really liked, and I am sure I will visit it again sometime to see a bit more of the cultural sites, like the preserved houses and museums. Those houses and estates are enormous and amazing! Like the Breakers, a famous house once owned by the Vanderbilt family.
I could choose: Airplane or train. Since I try to fly as little as possible, I took the train. The Acela express takes you in less than 3 hours from NYC Penn Station to Providence. From there I was picked up by a car service, to get to Newport. The train was pretty nice! My business class seat was probably on par with one in an airplane. But this is so much more convenient! Free wi-fi and food shop on board. Add the lack of lines and security screening, and this made it a very convenient trip.
I stayed at Hotel Viking. A really old hotel with nice rooms in the middle of town. They have a good gym, that I used a lot, and a nice indoor pool. Although their food did not look too organice( They “Proudly serve Starbucks Coffee”) I did find some green things in this hotel.Check their environmental policy! For instance, my key card was made of recycled paper, and was recyclable too. Good choice! And they use biodegradable detergents... and more!
I always try to mix work with fun, that means either getting a massage, watch a good movie, or go around town. This time I did not have too much time, so I spent it working on Organiceyourlife.com, which is a major pleasure factor for me!
I woke up very early, and went to the gym. 15 min treadmill, 20 min bike, 15 min excercises. Unfortunately when I arrived to the shoot, they only had breakfast from Starbucks, so I ended up eating 2 bananas for breakfast. Lunch was better, and I overate on potatoes (so good!) When I get back I am going to do a cleanse or something haha!
The people I worked with were very nice. We shot at The Marble House, also a house once owned by the Vanderbilt family. As the name already shows, it had a lot of marble, and is definitely worth visiting when you get to Newport. It was a nice day and I enjoyed the sun.
When I went the train station of Providence, I noticed they put baskets out, where people could leave their unwanted newspapers and magazines, to get recycled. That’s a little thing you can do but does a lot! All that paper can be used in many new different ways… like for the production of my keycard at the hotel I told you about before!
I was hungry, and saw a lot of junk food, as you usually see at gift shops around America. Then I try to choose the thing that is the least harmful, and it became raw almonds. While there are stories out that tell us that those almonds are maybe not so raw as the company say they are, I prefer those over chips, colorful chocolates, or cookies that never go stale. Next time I pack a few more of the healthy snacks I usually bring (nuts, dried fruits, granola)
The best thing of getting back to NYC, was that I went straight to meet Anne-Marie at Purumé, the new organic restaurant on 13th street. The bokchoy dumplings are sooo good!
A great end to this fun weekend !
25-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelI just started reading this amazing book by David Wolfe, talking about The Beauty Diet®. It is called Eating for Beauty, and I think you should read it, if you want to become healthier and more beautiful!
For you who don't know who this David Wolfe is, he is an expert in the field of nutrition, especially raw food, and what he calls "Superfoods". In "Eating for Beauty" he explains his nutrition plan to achieve beauty, and it is not about restriction, but about adding in amazing super foods. (Sounds good!).
When I went to school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC, he came as a guest speaker and was very captivating. He was like giving light almost that was how positive he was about the world and food! He believes in raw foods, as they have the most enzymes and most life in them. (not heated over 120 degrees Fahrenheit). He works with pictures called Kirlian photography, that show how much energy is in each food item. What you see in this way of photographing, is rays of light in different parts of the food. When you do this with raw foods, there are more and stronger rays, then when you do it with cooked or processed foods. You have to see it to understand so click to this page for the explanation: Kirlian photography.
There are certain foods that have so many good qualities, minerals, antioxidants or other good things in them, people call them: Superfoods. David Wolfe believes eating those kind of foods helps your cells function better, which could help you become the healthiest and most beautiful you can be!
David LOVES food, raw and vegan. He says there are so many varieties and colors in plant based foods, that eating these nutritious foods are like orgasms for your taste buds !( his words not mine!) I think he especially likes avocado, as his nickname is supposedly David "Avocado" Wolfe!
Some things he says in the book stayed with me for a while. He is absolutely right: Positivity is the way to go about food, not restricting, dieting, or being afraid of it! Your thoughts, and actions in every part of your life are connected to the way you look and feel. That's what I believe too!
Here are a few quotes I thought were very powerful:
"If you want to become beautiful, you have to become that type of person on the inside first, and then attract beauty to you. It seems to work this way in all facets of life"
"The logic of "You are what You eat" implies that those who wish to become healthier should eat the healthiest foods. Those who wish to beautify themselves should eat the most beautifying foods"
David Wolfe actually started to offer those beautifying foods, with his company: Sunfood nutrition. You can find their products at many health food stores, and supermarkets. Their range of products include raw cacao powder and beans,coconut oil, goji berries,aloe vera and hemp seeds to name a few.
I think David Wolfe is amazing inspiring person. I really think you should try one of his foods ( so yummy!) or read one of his books. Besides Eating for Beauty he also wrote Naked Chocolate (all about chocolate) and The Sunfood Diet Success System (in which he explains more about his theory of fresh, raw and vegan (super) foods).
David Wolfe has so many good things about him that it is too much to tell you in this post! So better go check him out yourself!
23-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelThese days you cannot even get through security at airports with a bottle of water. We all know that! But how annoying is that? Flying is one of the biggest things in drying out your skin! You NEED to drink a lot of water... But to bother the flight attendant the whole flight is not so nice either... And all the plastic cups you waste! I see airlines recycling those cups more and more, Like Continental's Eco Skies plan, where they try to collect and recycle all the metal and plastic cups on board. Great idea!
But what I saw a woman do, sitting in 8C on this flight from Amsterdam to NYC, was something I just always forgot to do! She brought on board a reusable bottle filled with water, that she filled up after the security check!
Smart! You can bring an empty bottle on board, and ask a flight attendant to fill it up. This way you have water to drink whenever you need it! Sometimes you can fill it up before the flight with a tap in the bathroom, but some countries the water is not so clean ( In the Netherlands the water from the tap is suitable to drink).
So now I am going to bring my reusable bottle with me on every flight!
There are many good brands, like Sigg, Klean Kanteen and Natura.
The Klean Kanteen one has a wide mouth, so it is easy to drink from it.
I have one from Natura Water and Sigg that I love! Remember last December's Pura Vida party? we gave out free reusable bottles to create awareness around all the plastic waste we have! You can find pictures in the OYL picture section above.
By the way, it's the silver one from Natura for the people who are going to look for it ;) Also, they now have a competition to win one, so go to the site and sign up!
22-06-2010 | Posted by: Valentina ZelyaevaToday I want to share another great recipe. It's super easy to make and very beneficial for your health. I have to tell, the ingredients you'll need for this recipe I'm sure you have in your fridge right now, but you never think to combine them all together. So, let's see:
- 1 or 2 bananas
- 1 apple Gala
- 2 cups of spinach
- 2 cups of fresh water
Put everything in blender and run for 30 sec or until everything blends very well. That's it! The Green Smoothie is ready:)
It's so yummy, you wouldn't believe it! Don'tt worry about spinach, you will not taste it at all. All you taste is bananas and apple! But spinach adds so much vitamins and minerals to this drink!
You can have it for breakfast or dinner or as a snack in between the meals.
If you like this recipe, later you can experiment with different greens: kale, arugula, mint, romaine etc. As well as with fruits: you can use blueberries, pear, melon, mango..
This smoothie contains so much nutritions that your body craves, that you will loose your cravings for unhealthy food.
Love, Val
20-06-2010 | Posted by: Eyal Amir
Eco Kingdom. Making our homes friendlier to the environment shouldn't take more then a few simple steps. My responsibility as a real-estate broker, who happens to love this planet, is to give you some tips to help you upgrade your apartment/home into an eco-friendly kingdom. Step One: ENERGY - we should all support renewable energy, like wind power, green power or even solar power. These days, big companies like Con Edison give us easy and affordable solutions to make this change. Go to: http://www.conedsolutions.com/residential_green_power.html to get more information. Of course, there are many different companies who offer different programs to fit our needs. Please research the web to find the program that best fits you! Step Two: RECYCLE - As citizens born into a consuming society, it is impossible for us not to create trash on a daily basis. But it doesn’t mean that we can’t do anything about it. Actually the solution is pretty simple. Get 3 trash bins and make one for paper, one for plastic and metal and one for biodegradable/compostable trash. Make sure to divide your trash into these 3 groups and always place it in the right bin. There are companies like Tiffany Carting Corps who take your trash and make sure to keep it divided until it gets to the right recycling plant. Go to http://tiffanycarting.com/index.html to get more information about it. Step Three: WATER – We must use our water resources wisely, as it is one of the most important pillars of our planet! Don’t waste water! Use it wisely and with extra care. Personally I recommend installing water filtration systems to the general pipelines of your apartment and, if it turns out to be too expensive, you should start at least with your kitchen pipeline. Go to http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com to compare and contrast various water filtration systems. Step Four: ECO-FRIENDLY HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS – we all use many different products to ensure proper housekeeping. From cleaning products to personal hygiene products and also products to improve the lives of our favorite pets. Almost every product that we purchase can be greener and better for the environment. These days it is very common to find green solutions in almost every drugstore. You can also shop online in stores like http://www.greenhome.com. Step Five: GREEN DESIGN – Personally, whenever I see a piece of furniture that I like laying on the side walk, I take it, clean and sanitize it, and use it for my personal use. If you don’t like used or second-hand furniture pieces you can shop for eco-friendly furniture. There are many stores to choose from, http://www.eco-furniture.com is a website where you can find some great options. We can find endless ways to make our homes greener and with time I will give you more tips that I have found to be useful. As of now, you can start by applying the simple tips mentioned above. Please do, and make a difference! Eyal.
16-06-2010 | Posted by: Mallory June
I was so pleasantly surprised when my boyfriend told me that he had a surprise trip organized for me to celebrate my birthday.
He had convinced me that we were going to take his car upstate somewhere and go camping on the beach, which sounded like so much fun to me!
On the morning of our departure he called for a cab to take us to his car, which seemed alittle strange to me.
Once i got in the car he said, Take us to La Guardia airport! I was completely surprised! When we got to the airport I found out we were going to MIAMI!!
This vacation was the most perfect vacation.
We stayed at the Delano, one of the nicest hotels in Miami. The room was all in white and the pool was probably the nicest pool I've ever seen.
We spent the next four days going out to amazing dinners, laying by the pool, swimming in the ocean (which the hotel was connected to) jet skiing in the bay where we saw dolphins and walking around Miami.
It was the most relaxing, romantic time with my boyfriend.
The most amazing birthday present ever!
15-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelYesterday I celebrated my birthday!
And of course that celebration comes with some stress, of cleaning and decorating my apartment with ribbons and balloons, making sure there were enough drinks and food, and hoping everyone was gonna enjoy themselves!
Not only was it my birthday, the Dutch National Team played their first match against Denmark. They won! So it was a double celebration!
I thought to add to the fun to prepare all the food and drinks in orange, as it is the national color of Holland! Maybe with a bit of cheating with red white and blue colors of the flag, I managed to make mostly orange food. And it tasted good too! I also decorated my place all in orange with some red, white and blue flags!
I had shrimps and "whiskey cocktailsauce" which is an orange colored sauce, and I made orange pumpkin mini pies. I also made orange peppersoup ( delish!) which was easy to make, and I made orange pasta, with orange sauce! Big Hit! I wish I took a picture of that. Instead I made a picture of the snacks.... which were also orange.
Maybe for coming games, you can also cook for your friends in your countries' colors?
Funny thing is that usually the person whose birthday it is, is mostly catering to others, and missing out on fun! Well this time I could enjoy, as I prepared everything beforehand. That's the secret of a good party: thinking ahead, planning and preparation!
Also, make sure you invite all your really good friends. Don't just invite people because you are afraid that not many people will show up. Trust me it is better when you are hanging out with the people you like, no matter how many of them show up! And I was happy as most of my dear friends were there....And also Maruja and Irene who are contributors to OYL! Maruja and I go way back, and has seen a lot of birthdays... I think this one was one of my favorites!
And gifts... I never ask for gifts, I just want fun and happiness on my birthday! But my friends know what to give me.... Little things that are useful in my house! I will write a blog in the future about possible gifts you can give people that don't cost much, but do a lot.
Well, that was it.... going to clean up the mess from yesterday now!
If you have any stories of parties you organized, you want to share with us, don't hesitate and leave them in the Community, by clicking on the link below!
12-06-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksAfter reading my last blog you might wonder: who actually won?
Well I didn’t forget, honestly! It was just such a great film that it was worth its very own blogpost.
The winner of the Golden Strawberry DEFF best green film award was:
DIVE
A film by Jeremy Seifert
This film is about that supermarkets and grocery stores are massively filling their dumpsters with food. Not rotten, spoiled food, but billions of pounds of good, edible food. They throw it away because the expiration date is nearing.
The film is about a group of friends that “dumpster dive” in the back alleys of the grocery stores and dive through all the garbage and not only find great food but also an ugly truth about waste in America. Why aren’t the stores giving the food to the people who need it? The group of friends no longer spend money on groceries and probably haven’t eaten this well ever before!
The power of the film lies in its ability to motivate: Will you ask your grocery store manager what is done with their waste?
It might just be that you will end up in a dumpster yourself!
12-06-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksSunday last week I went to the Dutch Environmental Film Festival Awards.
It was the last day of the film festival and as it turned out, the film festival had been a great success! Lots of people came to the theatres and the parties in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and the films got a great response from the audiences. This film festival was to give people a positive feeling about what they can do for a better environment instead of just telling them how bad everything is and make everybody feel bad.
Well organiceyourlife couldn’t agree more about that! In our blogs here we are also always trying to be positive and NICE and trying to give you tips and advice about a better youniverse
I thought it was a great honor to be at the awards. The whole evening was just so incredi bly nice!
It started with a strawberry cocktail and after some mingling we were invited to sit down on rows of long tables where we would get some amazing food and wines from the Dutch Youth Food Movement. This is an organization of students, cooks, farmers, food producers, fishermen etc that together try to promote the slow-food movement; which basically meant that all food we ate was all locally produced. And it was delicious! I had never eaten parelgort before but that was like Dutch Risotto! During the meal we were shown some videos of the festival, and some trailers of the different films that were played during the festival.
Halfway during the meal everybody had to change seats with the one sitting behind you. So this way I got to speak to many more people! I talked to a woman from Oxfam Novib, a man from one of my favorite TV shows “de keuringsdienst van waarde” (about what is really in your food), to a trendwatcher, a woman from an organization called the club van 30 (about creating solutions for sustainability) and at the bathroom I was talking to a girl and told her I was from organiceyourlife and she knew the website! She told her colleague immediately that I was from OYL! That was really awesome!
I had never met anyone that knew and liked the website before! So that made me really proud!
The girls were from Veggie in Pumps, which is an organization that promotes ecofabulousness: a lifestyle that is about awareness, sustainability, beauty, environment, animal-care, fashion and passion.
After meeting all these people I felt really inspired and enthusiastic. I got a lot of new ideas for organiceyourlife events. And hopefully they will turn out to be just as nice and that I can find people to work with just like the ones I met this evening!
12-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelYou know a baby can put a lot of pressure on the household, and also the environment. Think about all the clothes you have to wash after just one burp attack. Or all the toys you buy or get. And of course the diapers, that you use A LOT for your baby.
When I was shopping, I came across a flyer for a dutch shop: Kaatje Katoen ( "Kathy Cotton"). The flyer and website are in Dutch, but what was interesting is, that they sell washable diapers. The modern kind is much more fun than the ones my parents used for me ( Yes, I was a washable diaper baby). Those classic ones where horrible, with that cotton cloth, and plastic diaper u had to tie around the baby.... those days are over!
Because now there are different brands who offer nice diapers, that are washable. Like Itti Bitti ( see picture on the left), a diaper made of fleece or fleece velours, in many different bright colors, with buttons to close.
Or the diapers of Tots Bots, like the Bamboozle, made of sustainable bamboo. You do need a plastic wrap for on top, but these days those wraps are much nicer!
All the washable diapers have in common, that they are comfortable for the baby, but most of all: create much less waste. And that is something to keep in mind in this era of overconsumption.
I am gonna give one to my sister to try out with her baby boy. I mean, it is a colorful present!
What do you think of washable baby diapers?
10-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelThe Glammies, the Award Show organized by Dutch Glamour and Ici Paris XL, was a true happening!
I never really go to events in my home country of the Netherlands, but last Tuesday, me and my best friend Maruja (Who is also an OYL contributor) went to Paradiso in Amsterdam, the location where this event was held. Paradiso is a true Pop heaven, having bands like the Rolling Stones perform there in the past. Maruja had never seen it, so as she is about to sign a record deal, I told her she needed to see where she is gonna perform in the near future!
The pink carpet had some of Holland's most famous walk by, and even though the paparazzi is nothing like the ones in the USA, there were some, and it felt very glamourous!
Jetteke van Lexmond, a head stylist at Glamour, dressed me in this cute black dress by Carven. Her sister Lieke van Lexmond won Female Beauty Personality of the Year. ( Male Beauty Personality became dutch actor Barry Atsma)
The Glammies are a yearly award show, in which people and products are being honored. Best Fragrance for women became YSL Parisienne, and for men it was Boss Bottled (That had OYL's very own Marius play the lead in the advertising and commercial!) Tweezerman got a price, and also Lancome's Geneifique. That Glammy was accepted by Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann. ( who is also very committed to a better world by studying something like Environmental Science at a university in London. She is also a very very sweet girl!)
Performances by Paloma Faith and Jenny Lane were great!! These women truly know how to dress great, and have really good voices!
The afterparty was very nice! The cocktails were yummy (something with lemon?) and people looked amazing.
We went home with a goody box with all the winning products, and the new edition of Glamour in it.
Glammies: You rock!
10-06-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksTomorrow is the start of the World Cup in South Africa.
Are you all also so EXCITED!
I totally am!
Too bad the first game in which Holland is playing is during working hours, but yesterday we had some great news that the WHOLE building is allowed to watch the game on giant screens in the lunch restaurant.
YAY!!! Can’t wait to wear some orange!!! (Dutch team color)
Good thing about this World Cup is that the whole tournament is dedicated to the 1GOAL campaign. This campaign is based on that during the world cup games you don’t only cheer for your country and your team but also together for 1 goal:
Together support the footballers and call on all world leaders to do their part to ensure every child can go to school. To see action at the world cup and bey ond !
Story behind this campaign is:
In 2000, 164 world governments came together to create the Education for All goals, 189 governments also created the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Two of the eight goals involve ending poverty through education:
They promised to make sure there was enough money and that the policies were in place to make it a reality. Since then many countries have abolished school fees, spending was increased by $4 billion and an extra 40 million children are now going to school.
Yet progress is not fast enough. With business ‘as usual’ over 50 million children will still be without an education in 2015
1GOAL is an initiative of the football strand of the Class of 2015 and is run by the Global Campaign for Education to mobilize support to hold world leaders to these promises for 2015.
On October 6th 2009, the 1GOAL campaign was officially launched among others led by the 2010 FIFA World Cup host, South Africa President Jacob Zuma, Her Majesty Rania Al-Abdullah, Queen of Jordan, President of Ghana John Atta Mills, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, President of Spain, Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General and Sepp Blatter, the FIFA President.
Tonight the campaign and start of the world cup is celebrated by a huge concert. The world’s biggest superstars will come together live on www.worldcup.vevo.com from Soweto/Johannesburg, South Africa for the FIFA WORLD CUP™ KICK–OFF CELEBRATION CONCERT. Watch once in a lifetime performances from Alicia Keys, Amadou & Mariam, Angélique Kidjo, Black Eyed Peas, BLK JKS, John Legend, Juanes, Shakira, The Parlotones, Tinariwen, Vieux Farka Touré and Vusi Mahlasela,
I think this is such a great initiative!
For the next few weeks all eyes are on South Africa. It would be great if people everywhere would learn more about the importance of education for everybody and see how this isn’t just a competition between countries but also a way to unite with each others!
So let’s all cheer together! That way we will all win!
p.s. I wanted to add a video about the launch of the campaign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW9JBDF3C1c
but Shakira's song made me listen to it 6 times in a row so far and really gives me the party-football mood
I LOVE world cups! They're so much FUN!!!
01-06-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelDo you know one of my favorite destinations ever, is a Bed & Breakfast, location to be discussed, somewhere on an amazing place on earth?
Why book a Bed & Breakfast if you want to book a holiday?
Let me give you 6 reasons why I do so:
1. it is usually much cheaper than a good hotel room. You can find nice B & B's for under 100 dollar a night.
2. The people who own the B & B are usually very friendly, and can tell you more about the city or country where you stay. This way you get the inside scoop on things. (Best places, Best restaurants etc.)
3. The owners are in my experience very hospitable, and really want to make sure you enjoy your stay to the fullest.
4. The Breakfast is better than in hotels, as it is made "with love" by the owner, and sometimes they even bake something special for their guests.
5. If you book a B & B, you almost feel like you own the whole place, and you have people to take care of the property. Because most B & B are small, they only have a few rooms (even only one) that they rent out. So it is very private.
6. It is very romantic, so perfect for a romantic getaway with your partner.
Great right?
You can find many Bed & Breakfasts in Great Britain, USA & Canada, or Europe.
29-05-2010 | Posted by: Valentina ZelyaevaNo, I am not trying to promote drugs! In fact, oil made with hemp seeds is the most healthy and nutritious oil you can possibly add to your diet!
Everybody knows that green salad in your diet is very important. More greens you add to your daily intake the healthier and more energetic you will feel. Chlorophyll that all greens contain in abundance alkalizes your blood which is the key to beautiful skin, nail, hair and overall health!
Before I discovered Hemp Oil, I used to add olive oil in all my salads. I love olive oil and I still use it everyday in my recipes. But I wanted something different, something extra special to add to my meals.
I went to Whole Foods and bought bottle of Hemp Oil, out of curiosity. I've read that It's a much better alternative to Fish Oil, which is obviously not vegan and until fish oil supplements get to supermarket they turn rancid and will do more harm to your body then good.
Hempseed oil contains healthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids. These fatty acids considered essential because they cannot be manufactured by the body. We must receive them from special foods such as hemp oil.
I star using Hemp Oil not just a s supplement ( 1 Tspoon a day) but also to add to my recipes. To me Hemp Oil has delicious nutty flavor. If you find taste to be too strong, mix it with olive oil half and half. Sometimes I put Hemp Oil in my smoothies and juices.
Store it in the fridge and watch out for expiration date - hemp oil is very sensitive and doesn't last long. Enjoy!
love, Val
27-05-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksOK summer is still on my mind! (Although the sun is gone again)
I hope this weekend the weather will be better again, and I really feel like having a BBQ then! I’m no vegetarian but using only (biological) meat on the BBQ I think is absolute nonsense! There are so many delicious recipes for a vegetarian BBQ you can try! No need to have a complete meatfest!
Here are some tips for you to try:
Some examples for marinades:
As a dessert you can grill fruit!
Enjoy! Hhhmmmm!
Do you have any more tips? Please share them on the forum!
24-05-2010 | Posted by: Irene Dirks
Finally it’s Sunny! I’m so happy it is finally summertime!
Most people like me that work at an office find it very hard during the long months of fall, winter and spring to catch a nice daily doses of sunlight. In the wintermonths you arrive in the dark and leave in the evening when it’s dark again! So now whenever the weather starts to clear up and the sun shines it is lovely to be able to be outside A LOT!!!
It is actually very important to catch some sunlight everyday!
Since 2002 there has been a discovery by a professor at Brown University that in your eyes there are a type of photocells that regulate your biological clock.
For example: If you work in a place where there is no natural sunlight (like a mall) then it might be possible you don’t see any sunlight all day. This could result in feely sleepy and tired during the day and can’t sleep at night, because your body doesn’t know what time it is. It’s like creating your own jetlag!
If you then would make a habit out of catching some sunlight every morning without sunglasses. (Sunglasses block the light from coming into your eyes. So if it’s too bright it’s better to wear a cap instead)
This resets your clock every day and you don't have these problems anymore!
22-05-2010 | Posted by: Valentina ZelyaevaYou probably asking yourself: What on Earth is capoeira (pronounce as kah-puh-ei-rah)? It's sounds similar to caipirinha - although capoeira has nothing to do with the drink but both of them came from Brazil.
Capoeira is a fun work out that combines music, fight, dance, flips, jumps, kicks and specific movements. Sounds complicated but it's actually not!
When 3 years ago, friend of my invited me to capoeira class, I didn't want to look ridiculous in front of the other advanced students, but I was too curious to know capoeira. So I went!
At the beginning of the class we did warm up for 20 minutes and after we start doing all those movements - ginga, armada, au, meia lua de frente etc. I was awkward at the beginning but as everyone do, I catch up later and totally loved it.
Now, I own my belt #4. I wish I could do capoeira more often, but I miss too many classes due traveling.
If you want to try capoeira, visit the website for more info (below). It's fun but still a work out, all your muscles will be involved (that's why I love it!). So, be ready to be sore after your first class. But trust me, it is worth it!
love, Val
19-05-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksOnce every year an amazing woman called Ilyana comes from Bulgaria to the Netherlands for a few weeks. Ilyana visits her sister who lives here and while she stays she goes to many houses to work as a cleaning lady.
She is actually not a cleaning lady in Bulgaria at all, but works at an office and her husband is a veterinarian. But coming here and work for 6 weeks gives her that extra bit of spendingmoney she can use the whole year.
The first time she came she saved up for buying a car, a few years later she used the money for her daughters wedding and now since last year she has become a grandmother.
Every year when my mother hears Ilyana is back in town she always immediately lets Ilyana come to clean once every week. After that her house is SUPERCLEAN!
My mother always calls her the white tornado because of that! Haha
So when I heard she was back again I asked my mother if she could arrange Ilyana to come to my house once too! So on the day before I went on holiday Ilyana the white tornado came to my house and I think she cleaned every single spot in my livingroom, kitchen, toilet and bathroom and vacuumed the bedrooms!!!
AMAZING!!!
It was so great too leave your home for two weeks knowing that it will be clean when you return!
And it really was!!
I was so happy I could just unpack, do some laundry, take a shower, and go to bed!!!
To me, this was a very good example of orgaNICE your HOME!
And worth every penny!
18-05-2010 | Posted by: Anne-Marie Van DijkDid you know that Continental Airlines started its own green corporate initiative?
I usually fly with Sky Team, but this time on a short trip to Sweden my ticket was booked with Continental and I had the pleasure to stumble upon Continental's Eco-Skies recycling bags.
Surprised, I started paying attention and noticed that the stewards diligently picked up and separated every single plastic cup from the paper cups and threw them in separate bags. They also collected the (cheap, throw-away) plastic meal trays and carefully placed those in another container.
Little from the "obvious" stuff seemed to have been wasted.
Upon arriving at my hotel I decided to look up "Eco-Skies" to see if their commitment is indeed sincere.
I was amazed - their initiative doesn't just stop with the recycling program, Continental Airlines has championed in several other areas as well.
Watch this impressive video to get a sense of what they are doing and what they have accomplished thus far.
* Needless to say, in the future we will still have to come up with an even greater sustainable solution to avoid manufacturing such great amounts of cups/trays or anything else for that matter (whether plastic or paper)...
16-05-2010 | Posted by: Nancy BommelI don’t believe in coincidence, so when I meet special people, there’s always a reason for it. So was my meeting with Hetty van der Linden. An artist with a great artistic heart for disadvantaged children.
Hetty’s enthusiasm and dedication leave an indelible impression after a conversation in which her message is even more clear with all the examples and stories she uses to help you understand.
She travels around the world and asks children to paint their dreams so that one day their dreams might come true. Established and well-known artists from many different countries are inspired by the dreams the children paint and incorporate them into their own works of art. The paintings are sold and the proceeds go directly back to the child - helping to fulfill their dreams and create a better future for them and their families.
Picture: Lalaine from Madagascar She had never seen a paintbrush up till then but still painted the word Bienvenue and a buffalo. She lives in the tiny village of Beloa, three hour’s drive from the capital Antananarivo. Her school was provided with teaching materials and each the 191 families recieved a chicken, a bucket, a shovel, all kinds of seeds and various household utensils with the proceeds from this painting.
Currently Hetty is visiting Peru and who knows one day we will be travelling together to the native country of my daughters, Guatemala, where we will be painting for the future of Guatemalan disadvantaged children. If you meet her she probably comes in her fantastic, painted bus, home to all kinds of dreams. Don’t forget to watch her movie about Madagascar while visiting her site!
13-05-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelI found this chewing gum a while ago, and really like it!
A lot of gum brands are actually not vegan, and not even vegetarian, as a lot of brands use animal products to coat it or give it that shine.
B fresh gum has many different flavors, I really like the bubblegum and lemon flavor ones! ( others are mint, cinnamon,
But why is it so special and different from other gum brands?
Well like I said it is vegan. But it is also kosher, diabetic safe, soyfree. It is sweetened with 100% xylitol, and it has 300% RDI Vitamin B-12 (!)
But that's not all.
They claim they "revolutionize the breath fresheners market". Because most breath fresheners mask the bad odor in your mouth, B fresh gum alters the PH levels in your mouth so that it eliminates bacteria that cause tooth decay, plaque and bad breath.
B fresh gum contains no sugar, salt or preservatives. Their formula is even patented.
They have the regular packages with 10 gums, or the big 50 piece bottle ( I take that one).
You can buy it at Wholefoods.
Also try the mints, they are good too!
13-05-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelAs I believe you can't do everything at once, can't be all perfect at once, I do everything step by step.
Right now, I am looking into ways to filter tap water at home, so I can kick my plastic habit!
There are many different ways to do so... Some products filter better than others. Well known brands that help you get cleaner water from your tap, are Brita, Natura Water,Aquasana and Watts.
What I think I want is a seperate tap next to the kitchen sink, where the filtration system is attached to. That way I never have to bring big plastic gallon bottles to my apartment!
And that is saving energy, creating less waste and plastic.
Not to mention the better taste, maybe even better than the expensive bottled water brands out there!
Also, I want to attach one to my shower head, as the heavy metals, and chlorine in the water is not good for my skin, nor for the color of my hair.
Do you have any great filtration systems you think I should look at? Please leave your ideas in the Community link below.
Thanks in advance!
13-05-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelMy favorite new discovery is Intelligent Nutrients. Skincare, Haircare and Aromatherapy!
When I was at ABC Carpet in NYC, a magical place where they sell a lot of beautiful and organic things for yourself and your home, I found a rack with great products from this brand.
I spoke to the manager, Marisa Gubert, and was intrigued with this brand.
Why?
The packaging is very simple and beautiful. On the packaging it tells you about what Intelligent Nutrients stands for. Which is pure, organic, ethical, cruelty free, organic products, in recyclable packaging, and good for you.
Founded by Horst M. Rechelbacher,this brand focusses on plants and aromatherapy, with the goal of creating sound nutritional products for both a healthier personal ecosystem and a healthier planet.
Horst also started the Aveda company years ago before he sold it to Estee Lauder.
More information I found on his site:
"Horst was voted one of the most notable Austrians living in America by the Austrian press, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wolfgang Puck. Vanity Fair magazine voted Horst as one of the most influential environmentalists in the U.S. in 1995 and again in 2005. Horst is one of the three original founders of Business for Social Responsibility, which promotes the idea that businesses have the greatest responsibility and opportunity to provide sustainability to all living species. In 2004, he became a founding member of the Organic Center for Education, Research and Promotion, and the beauty industry awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2007, the International Congress of Esthetics and Spa presented Horst with the Crystal Award, and he received the Rachel Carson Award for a Lifetime Commitment to Environmental Ethics & Integrity. Later that year, the Spa & Salon Professional Association Incorporated honored him as an Industry Innovator & Legend for his lifetime contribution to the cosmetology industry."
But that's not all!
Right now I am reading the book Horst wrote:
It is an easy read and gives a great insight in the leadership of Horst M. Rechelbacher, of one of the most innovative skincare companies in the world! He gives tips and advice how we all can make this world a better place, including offering good products that respect people, nature and animals, which in his opinion, is the only way we can guarantee a safe future of Planet Earth.
I AGREE!
Intelligent Nutrients and Horst M. Rechelbacher:
I am a big fan!
11-05-2010 | Posted by: Irene Dirks
I just heard really good and fun news on the radio!
This year the glass house of 3FM’s Christmas charity event for Red Cross will be in:
EINHOVEN!
Every year the Dutch radio station 3FM organizes an event in the week before Christmas.
3 DJ’s lock themselves up in a glass house where all their movements can be followed for a week and in which they have to make radio shows 24 hours a day while they do not eat! (Only juices)
All listeners can “buy” songs the DJ’s will play on the radio; you can choose yourself what song and how much money you want to donate for it.
Also there are lots of other ways to donate money like auctions or sponsorships, this all to raise money for several goals of the Red Cross foundation. Last year it was for buying Mosquito nets against Malaria.
And ever since it started it has been a HUGE success!
Last year they raised 7.113.447 EURO!
Also in other countries like Belgium, Sweden and Switzerland have started events like these, always with the same theme and charity goal in every country.
I’m so glad I’m not planning to go to my boyfriend’s parents in Switzerland for Christmas this year, so I can enjoy all the events that are here in the middle of Eindhoven. Lots of people come to the house and so many events are organized to raise money.
I’m sure it will be a lot of fun!
Can’t wait!
Maybe this is a good event for organiceyourlife to participate?
Anybody has any suggestions how we can raise money to support the Red Cross?
Please visit the forum and let us know!
11-05-2010 | Posted by: Irene Dirks
A week ago I returned from a vacation in Zwitserland.
My boyfriend’s parents live near Montreux and have a beautiful view of the lake of Geneva. We try to go and visit them regularly and from there take trips to Vevey, Montreux, Lausanne or Geneva together.
The last few times we went in the December month to visit them for Christmas. My boyfriend’s parents then always like to take walks on the mountains. They are really good at it and go up so much faster than I could ever! I’m not used to climbing mountains, let alone in the snow! (No practicing that in NL!) So for me this is always very difficult.
This time we decided to take a little longer visit in April and from there take a nice trip somewhere. Because we wanted to do something different then taking walks and visiting the cities nearby, we decided to take a biketrip AROUND the lake of Geneva!
In Switzerland they call this a tour de Lac (lake of Geneva is called Lac Léman in French).
It was my first time on a camping vacation ever!
I never did that with my parents. (my dad would never!) And since then I never did it myself either.
But we had the BEST time together! Being with just the two of us was so fun and romantic.
In Switzerland there was a bike-route all the way up to Geneva that went through all the little villages, past lovely castles and through the fields and we saw lots of cows, goats, birds and flowers (it went even past a tulip festival! So amazing!).
And the view across Lake Geneva of course! It was always spectacular!
We met so many nice people and the weather was so incredibly nice. All this made us feel very lucky!
Please read my full report of our 250KM biketrip on the forum which I promised to post there to my parents, sisters, friends and Lonneke too of course!
09-05-2010 | Posted by: Anne-Marie Van DijkThis is a very special post, on a very special day.
Today is Mother's Day and I would like to dedicate this post to a very special organization that praises and honors motherhood around the world.
The White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) passionately works toward making pregnancy and childbirth safe in countries around the world.
Every year, according to the WRA "every minute of every day, a woman dies of pregnancy related complications."
According to Christy Turlington, who actively supports and is actively supported by the White Ribbon Alliance, 90% of those deaths are preventable.
I wish to honor all women, mothers and non-mothers alike, around the world and praise the WRA for making childbirth a little bit safer every step of the way!
~ Happy Mother's Day ~
05-05-2010 | Posted by: Anne-Marie Van Dijk
With a special thanks to Lonneke, Eyal and I were invited to a very special occasion - an introduction and sneak preview of Christy Turlington's first and new documentary movie, "No Woman, No Cry".
The event was attended by a nice group of people, including famous designer Diane Von Furstenberg and model Liya Kebede, who is also known for her tremendous charity work.
"No Woman, No Cry" is dedicated to addressing the lack of maternal healthcare in countries around the world leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of women each year while in 90% of those cases the deaths were completely preventable!!
It is shocking to learn about such high numbers when in fact, the technology is there. America alone has a high maternal death rate, but not just because there isn't enough maternal care....... ethnicity plays a role in this case with caucasian women having a higher chance of receiving proper care than women of different color.
This is shocking and deeply tragic.
If you feel as strongly as we do about this or would like to know more, visit the links below.
We, at OYL, will of course keep you updated when Christy's film comes out in the cinema!
In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful trailer - Eyal and I were especially touched by Christy's sincerity and devotion to the cause.
She stands behind every word she says and is a true 'ambassador' when it comes to maternal healthcare.
04-05-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelYou know what we forgot to tell you?
OrganiceYourLife.com celebrated one year on May 1st 2010!
Last year, we started this website, to give green and healthy tips, facts and news from insiders within the fashion and entertainment industry to whoever wanted to make his or hers life a bit better!
it has been so much fun, and this website is improving everyday, with the help of you! Come sign up in the Community, and start speaking to others that are on the same path: making the world a bit more beautiful, and yourself happier everyday!
We hope to serve you, and work with you, for many more years to come!
Get Organiced®!
04-05-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelLast week I went to Ouarzazate, Morocco. You get there by flying to Casablanca, and then onwards to Ouarzazate. This is a different world than I am used to that is for sure!
Ouarzazate, is a place in Morocco known for the big blockbuster movies that are made there. A few of them: Gladiator, Alexander, Kundun and the new Prince of Persia featuring Jake Gyllenhaal, and Sex and the City 2 have all been filmed here! I saw the whole set of the Prince of Persia movie when I was there, and even sat on a horse that was used in many movies!
I was shooting for a luxury Italian designer who is mostly famous for his cashmere, with a hug crew of about 25 people... I was far away from home with people I did not know at all!
For 4 days we were there, and spent the whole day together. You suddenly are very intimate with people you have never met. I sometimes find that weird, as you act like best friends for the days you work, and most of the time, don't see the people for years after that job, and sometimes you don't even see them ever again...
But nice friendships can evolve, and you definitely experience things together, that you will not forget the rest of your live. That is why I love my work, you go to amazing places, experience things you never imagined and build interesting relationships with the people you work with.
Back to Morocco: I ate vegetarian Tajines with local and seasonal vegetables everyday.(very healthy) I saw the most beautiful sand dunes I have only seen in movies ( and the sand dunes in the movies where exactly the ones I saw now). It was simply amazing. ( even though we had to wake up every day very early to catch the first sunlight, as the early sun and late sun are the best light for pictures).
We drove to Merzouga to shoot a bit more, a drive about 6,5 hours with stops included. It was far, but so worth it. That is where I saw the sand dunes, and camels for that matter. We stayed in an amazing "sand castle" a hotel named : Kashbah Timbouktou.
Driving past all the small villages, made me realize how lucky I am. People sometimes don't even seem to have the basic necessities. they live locally, and some will probably never leave the area they live in. Like the boys who take care of the camels there , camels used to have tourists ride them. They have a very special relationship with the camels, who follow them with every step they make. Some of these young boys also sell items to tourists, like bracelets and stones and fossils, which this area is known for. They learn english, italian and even dutch from tourists... That is their life, everyday, work in the desert. But it will be very unlikely that they will travel anywhere the rest of their lives....This is their life, and that is it.
I was amazed by the contact the locals have with nature. They don't complain, they just live with the heat, the sun, the sand. They don't seem to need much. They live on the streets. Animals like dogs, cats, horses and donkeys, seem to have a much rougher life too, than our pets that get organic food and go to the groomer every few weeks...
One more thing: I did notice in the afternoon you only saw men together on terraces enjoying tea( where were the women?). I do know where this comes from... but hey, I like to drink tea too!
We did have an "Arabian Night" one night with the whole team, and danced in the middle of the desert with music by locals. It was full moon, saw many stars and we ate great food, and had an amazing time!
Morocco was definitely a great experience for me, and it opened me up to a total different world, different nature, different people I am used to, and I am very grateful to be able to do that, and share it with you :)
I will add pictures later on the community!
in the meantime: Are you just as excited as me to see Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia? And Sex and the City 2, who both coincidentally come out on the same date: May 28th 2010?
02-05-2010 | Posted by: Anne-Marie Van Dijk
26-04-2010 | Posted by: Anne-Marie Van Dijk
25-04-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
23-04-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
20-04-2010 | Posted by: Mallory June
19-04-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
15-04-2010 | Posted by: Mallory June
12-04-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksI always thought that having a personal trainer wasn’t something anybody would or could do!
I thought you needed a really big bank account to be able to afford that!
And why would you need it??
But…
I’m fortunate to have a job that almost completely pays for my sportsclub membership, which is located really close to where I work.
It only cost me 10 Euro’s of my salary before taxes!
So it’s actually only 6 Euros a month!
CHEAP!!!!
So of course I took a membership there.
It’s a great sportsclub that has a really good program in supporting you to get started, they create a whole profile for you and they help you choose which gymtools you want to use.
And every 6 weeks you can do a check-up where they check your improvement.
Really great and I’m happy to sport there.
But a while ago for my birthday they gave me a present.
I could choose between:
- 15 minutes on a tanning bed = nahhhh don’t need that.
- A haircut = my sister is a hairdresser, so don’t need that either.
- Or a free lesson from a personal trainer = Well that sounded really good!
So I took the personal trainer lesson
And it was GREAT!!!
I took it on Thursday and I think I could walk normally again on Sunday!!!
Since the sportsclub membership doesn’t cost me much.
I decided to take personal trainer lessons once every month
They cost 20 euro’s which isn’t very much at all!
And it works GREAT!
Doing this once a month gives such a boost to my shape!
All the muscles that need extra attention really get a workout!
I usually don’t really have the discipline for doing many crunches, but with the teacher joining you, you need to keep up!
I enjoy it too, the teacher is really nice, and we usually end up talking about holidays or music, during the short times I get to regain my breath.
I’m actually thinking about taking it twice a month!
08-04-2010 | Posted by: Anne-Marie Van Dijk
07-04-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksMaybe you’ve seen in the news about the Chinese ship that has banked on the Great Barrier Reef.
Already tons of oil has been spilled in the ocean, but help-organisations rushed to the site and have removed the oil from the sea by chemicals.
Now they are pumping the ship empty so no more oil will spill in the ocean
So much effort is being done to keep the environmental impact as low as possible.
Therefore I thought this would be a good moment to explain more about the Great Barrier Reef and why its existence is of great value for the earth.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometers (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometers (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia.
The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms.
This reef was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN labeled it one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
Great Barrier Reef supports a diversity of life, including many vulnerable or endangered species, some of which may be endemic to the reef system
There are an estimated 1,900 species of fish, approximately 350 species of hard-reef-building corals, more than 4,000 mollusk species, and over 400 species of sponge. In addition, these reefs harbor important nesting sites for numerous seabird species.
Found within this ecosystem are unique habitats and breeding sites for the largest populations of Dugongs, and Saltwater crocodiles.
Also found are Green sea turtles, Flatback turtles, Hawksbill sea turtles, Leatherback sea turtles, and Olive ridley turtles.
Other species of interest include the Greater crested tern, Black cod, Humpback whale, Minke whale, Killer whale, Bottlenose dolphin, Irrawaddy river dolphin, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, and the Spinner dolphin.
A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as fishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures on the reef and its ecosystem include runoff, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching, and cyclic population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish.
The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to and used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and is an important part of local groups' cultures and spirituality.
So much life on one place!
It’s sure that this place is really special!
Source: Wikipedia and National Geographic
05-04-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
02-04-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksOK, I’m officially a mascara junky!
Some people have a zillion types of lipglosses, eyeshadows or nailpolishes.
But for me #1 is mascara!
I ALWAYS wear it!
Won’t go out the door without it!
I think it began when I started to wear less make-up then in high-school or during my studies.
(Done with the black-black smokey-eyes look when I started to work)
On the days I would forget to put mascara on then people would always ask me if I was sleepy or told me I looked tired.
Apparently mascara makes me look awake!
So ever since then I always wear mascara.
And yesterday, when I just casually walked into a department store during my lunchbreak, it took me about 30 seconds to try and buy the new mascara EXTASE from DIOR!
I immediately loved it!
The new type of brush worked amazing!
I think every woman probably has something of a must have beauty item
What is yours?
What is your addiction??
Go to the forum and let me know!
02-04-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksLast week I asked on the forum if anyone knew a good handcream.
Since the cold this winter, I’ve had the worst dry hands ever!!
And nothing seemed to work.
My hands would itch all the time, and sometimes started to bleed too!!
Tajna was so nice to give me a good tip.
She recommended Sheabutter, and to put a lot on my hands before going to bed.
(Thanks Tajna!)
I decided to search for sheabutter in the bodyshop.
(I figured they must have it, since they have so many bodybutters, seemed logical to me)
And I was right they had a whole line of sheabutter products.
They had bodybutter, douchelotion, bodyscrub etc.etc.
So many choices so I decided to ask for some advice in the store what to take.
And there the girl gave me an even better tip!
Hemp Hand Protector!
For extremely dry skin.
She also advised me to buy these bio-cotton gloves so I could put a nice thick layer on my hands before going to bed.
(That seemed familiar to the tip from the forum!)
So I bought the cream and the gloves and tried it last night.
My boyfriend made so much fun of me wearing my white gloves, hahaha!
But I didn’t care because I was sure it was going to work.
And this morning the result was indeed a lot of improvement!
So happy about that!!
Tonight again! And tomorrow, the day after that, and then, and then…
Until my hands are supersoft!
oh can’t wait!
01-04-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
30-03-2010 | Posted by: Mallory June
29-03-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
27-03-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
27-03-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
25-03-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksAussiebum has created a new line of male eco-friendly underwear.
Made out of the weave of the bark from the bananatree and soft organic cotton.
To be precise:
27% banana fibre, 64% cotton and 9% lycra
The bananafibre makes it very lightweight but also very absorbent.
If you would add more banana it would become too squishy.
So now every man can have a good banana in their underpants!
Hahaha! (sorry couldn’t resist making a joke about it)
25-03-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksToday I heard from a colleague about an action of Greenpeace
They are trying to move Nestlé to stop buying palm oil from manufacturers that destroy rainforest in Indonesia.
This is very threatening for the livelihoods of the local people and push Orangutans towards EXTINCTION!
After the first actions, where they asked people to send letters to Nestlé asking them to stop using palm oil from Sinar Mas (the manufacturer), there has been quite some success!
The promovideo has been watched 100.000 times and the mails send 10.000’s of times.
That same day Nestlé announced to break all contact with Sinar Mas!
That’s GREAT! (Very surprising to me, Nestlé is definitely not fair trade and doesn’t seem to have plans to become it, but hopefully that’s changing now)
But it’s only a first step.
They still use the same palm oil by buying it from other traders.
To save the Orangutans and the rainforest there is more to be done!
So if you agree, please go to their website and support this Greenpeace action.
(Be careful watching this video, it made me gross out totally and is not suitable for small children!!!)
20-03-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksYesterday there was some good news here in Noord-Brabant (south of the Netherlands).
The plans to create megastables for the meat industry are definitely over.
There were plans to approve the meat industry to grow larger and larger again and again ( the name MEGA says enough right?).
This has serious consequences for the animals, the people and nature.
With so many animals stuffed together there are many risk for illnesses, viruses, parasites and bacteria.
These could eventually spread onto humans (remember swine flu?).
Also there is a huge and still increasing use of antibiotics, which causes the animals to become resistant, which increases the risks of creating even more illnesses that could transfer onto humans.
What’s also very damaging for the surroundings is the amount of fine particles in the air (coming from intensive stockbreeding)
Which causes many respiratory problems and even early death.
Of course there is a huge overload on manure coming from these megastables, which is terribly bad for the soil, the water and the air
And then I didn’t even mention how it’s like for the animals themselves, this is of course not pleasant for them at all!
There were plans to create many of these megastables here in Noord-Brabant.
As a response to that a lot of people have grouped together to create one big citizens initiative, in which they show their protest to the Provinciale Staten van Noord-Brabant. (the local government).
And it turned out to be very successful!
No one other than 33.000 people has signed their petition (including me), which was enough to put it on their agenda.
And thus yesterday they decided that no megastable will be approved and that all license applications are declared invalid.
This shows once again that everybody can help in creating a better environment and that this can actually have a successful effect!
Now there are also plans to have this taken national so none of these megastables will come anywhere in the Netherlands.
Hopefully this will work just as successfully as this has turned out
(next step worldwide?)
16-03-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksMy boyfriend introduced me to this amazing website called the hungersite.
It’s a website that enables you to donate money or food etc. to different causes just by clicking on a button!
And it’s free!
You can click on the donate buttons on each different tab as many times as you like.
Right now there are 6 different tabs: (and they keep getting more)
-Hunger
-Breast Cancer
-Child Health
-Literacy
-Rainforest
-Animal Rescue
I try to go to this website every day.
And my boyfriend has it as his homepage so that makes it even easier.
They’re just little donations each time
But all little bits together make one big one!
15-03-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksAs most of you know LED is a great way to create high impact lighting, but with a very low impact on the earth and its environment.
I was thinking that it’s time for a news item about LED that’s not just about sustainability
But also how LED could also be amazing and FUN!
For Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT- tour, they asked designer Zaldy to create costumes to be worn during the different performances.
He wanted to create a costume for Billie Jean that would light up just like the sidewalk did in that famous video.
Together with Lumalive they created a brilliantly cool and fun costume that would light up the socks, the sidestripes on the suit and of course the GLOVE!
The costume was designed to light up to the rhythm of the song and be synchronized with the choreography.
Check out the video below to see this amazing piece of technology!
(unfortunately I could only find one video that’s partly in Dutch)
I checked out the website of Lumalive and they are a company that creates LED solutions on fabrics.
That looks really very cool indeed!
I wonder when we will see more of this in the future, imagine just being able to buy shirts like those in your favourite stores!
I’ll definitely keep it in mind for future Organice Your Life™ events!!!
12-03-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksIt’s Friday afternoon and I was discussing my plans for the weekend with my colleagues.
Somehow we landed on the subject of beer.
And it reminded me of the most interesting beer I ever drank.
MONGOZO beer!
I was at a summer-festival last year and there was this stand of interesting looking drinks.
Served in half a coconut!
Apparently they were beer with five different exotic flavors:
Coconut, Quinua, Palmnut, Mango and Banana.
My favourite was Quinua flavored.
Maybe you can imagine how pleased I was walking and dancing around with my delicious beer in a coconut.
I felt on a summer holiday although it was raining almost all day!
As it turns out while looking at their website, there is a really interesting story behind these beers!
"Mongozo means ‘to your health' in the native language of Henrique Kabia, one of the founders of Mongozo beer.
The language is that of the Chokwe people who live scattered throughout Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is the Chokwe women who have been brewing the beer for their people for more than two centuries.
Before they started brewing beer, they used to make wine using palm nuts. It was one of Henrique Kabia's distant great-grandmothers who was responsible for bringing about a great change in the eighteenth century: instead of making palm wine she began making palm beer.
Over the course of the centuries her secret recipe was handed down from mother to daughter. Henrique's mother brewed palm nut
beer too, but had no daughters. She therefore decided to break with tradition and initiate her son into the mysteries of brewing beer.
That same recipe was Henrique's only possession when, in 1993, he arrived in the Netherlands as a refugee. The recipe formed the basis for a new and exotic beer line, with which a whole new dimension was added to the European beer tradition.
The five Mongozo flavors unite the ingredients, recipes and drinking traditions from corners of the world as diverse as Ghana, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Costa Rica and Brazil.
Four of the five exotic Mongozo beer bear the Max Havelaar/Fairtrade logo.
And Mongozo also uses many organically certified ingredients in its beers."
I think that makes this beer taste even better!
(source: mongozo.com)
12-03-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
11-03-2010 | Posted by: Irene DirksThis afternoon I was enjoying an EAT NATURAL bar with brazil nuts, sultanas, almonds and hazelnuts.
These are delicious fruit and nut bars that are made from all natural ingredients, no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives, they are gluten free and they are all OK for vegetarians!
I like to eat them on the afternoons when I plan to go to the gym after work, so I’ll have some energy for it.
Because I liked them so much I checked the international website so I could write a blog about Eat Natural.
But there I saw that they have more products on the UK website than on the Dutch website!
They have:
-Bars (more flavors)
-Lunchies for kids
-Nutmix
And… BREAKFAST!!!
When I saw the bags for breakfast cereal I immediately became insanely jealous!
They looked super jummie!
They have 4 different flavors:
#1= with...crunchy toastcrumbs hazelnuts almonds oats and honey
#2= with...toasted oats cape gooseberries and pecans
#3= with...toasted buckwheat pumpkin seeds raisins and mango
#4= with...raisins almonds mixed seeds and crispy rice
I can’t wait to try them!
Hopefully they will be available in the Netherlands soon.
11-03-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke Engel
08-03-2010 | Posted by: Lonneke EngelTODAY IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!
Every year on March 8 it’s international women’s day
The first international woman’s day was declared by Clara Zetkin at the international woman’s convention in Copenhagen in 1910. Reason for this was the massive strike on the 8th of March in 1908: 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.
After that, every year on March 8th, people in several countries would hold marches and conferences about women’s issues.
Unfortunately the 1st world war ended this custom.
With the feminist movements of the sixties the interest in the Women’s day returned and in a lot of socialist countries like China, Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam it’s an official holiday and has a status equal to mother’s day.
Throughout the world there are many events today:
One of them is tonight’s premiere of the movie Desert Flower in Amsterdam
This movie is based on the biography of internationally famous supermodel Waris Dirie.
In this book she tells her story from being born into a nomad family in Somalia, about being circumcized at only 5 years old! How she escaped her family when she was to marry a very old man, and eventually moved to London and that's where she, while working as a cleaning lady in Mc Donalds, was discovered as a model.
Waris Dirie became an UN ambassador for the abolition of female genital mutilation, and since then raised her own foundation (www.waris-dirie-foundation.com)
I’ve read her book a few years ago and it moved me very much! Seeing this movie will definitely be on my list for things to do this month!
by Irene Dirks
