This year’s 2010 Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild Annual Conference keynote speaker was Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun.  In this, her “fourth career”, she is the Founder and President of Ambassador Organics, an organic food and beverage company.

She gave a really powerful speech on sustainability and our responsibility to the planet and each other. It is well worth the read and is available it in its entirety over at Essential U.

Thank you Kayla for bringing this speech to the rest of us!

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Post tags: 2010 Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild Annual Conference, Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, sustainability

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A big thank you to all who supported Team Millie Mil this year as we took on the Race for the Cure. Every year this race takes place at the foot of The Philadelphia Museum of Art on Mother’s Day and it’s so amazing how many people come out to support the cause. It’s just as amazing to see how many people this disease has touched.

It’s my pray that one day I won’t have to get up at 4:30 am on Mother’s Day to pack up and head out this event. Believe me, I won’t be upset if I never have to see another child walking with their father donning a pink sign on the back of their shirt saying, “Walking in Memory of Mommy.”

But, this was also a day of celebration & inspiration! To see a sea of pink standing on the steps of the museum waiting to descend in their triumphant Survivors Parade, marching down those stone stairs with shouts and yells of victory. It leaves you speechless.

This year, our team doubled in size and our fundraising success did the same. I want to personally thank all those who helped us raise $600 this year.

• Anthony W. Trott Family
• Co-Workers of Charles Phy Sr.
• Edelene L. Carroll
• F.S. Edmonds Elementary School employees and friends
• Georgia Ann Holmes-Durant
• Gina Kaiser
• Harriet & Leonard Middleton
• Jeanette McVeigh
• Jim Elliott
• Jim Humble
• Lynette David
• Mary Pace
• Michael Krasulski
• Molly Mclaughlin
• Robert Flanagan
• Sheilah Lewis
• Vicki
• and all those who gave from the heart

I would also like to thank my team, both old and new, for sharing their Mother’s Day with us.

• Mildred Staten (survivor!)
• Kenishia Cook
• Brian Chambers
• Mia Chambers
• Gloria Goodwin
• Diana Harrell
• Dana Jackson
• Charles Phy Sr.
• Kam-Marie Seghit
• Simon Seghit
• Paulette Wilder
• Brenda Williams
• Vanita WIlliams

What a day!

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Post tags: race for the cure

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This is an open declaration (mostly to myself I think) that I am in the process of making Simply Clesha a greener company.  I know this isn’t going to be a quick process and I have a lot to learn and research, but I’m willing to do the leg work to reduce my environmental footprint.

I have always used natural ingredients in my formulations to create products that meet the standards required to use the "natural" label in my industry, but, admittedly, fall short in sourcing more eco-friendly packaging. So, I’m working now to make more changes.

One thing I have done is to host all of the websites with Hostgator, which is a green hosting company. All of their servers are 130% wind powered.  That means they reducing carbon emissions by using the power of the wind. I thought that was pretty cool. Here are some numbers to give you an idea of what 130% looks like:

Just how big a dent in climate change does that make?
It’s the equivalent of:

1. Removing 444 cars from the road for a year, or
2. Powering 321 homes with clean energy for a year, or
3. Saving 5,654 barrels of oil, or
4. Protecting 551 acres of forest for a year

My next small step is learning more about sustainable urban farming from the folks over Weaver’s Way Co-Op. I would love to start growing herbs, flowers and veggies that I can use in my work, as well as feed my family. The co-op has four farms and a ton of educational programs set up to teach newbies like me and the community. I love that they even have programs for the elementary aged folks.

Because the front, and backyards both need a lot work love to get them back to their green glory,  I don’t believe I’ll start planting this year.  However, I can at least start an indoor herb garden…again. My last attempts didn’t go very well (may they all rest in herbal peace). This time I’m going to get a few starter pots from Whole Foods, or my garden center, and make an herbal tower for the kitchen. That’s not so hard right?

So, what are you doing to go green? Do you have a site that would be helpful in my organic gardening quest? Add them to the comments and let me know!

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Post tags: green

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Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.  Most people wonder what Earth Day is really all about, so here’s a brief definition of Earth Day:

Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in held on April 22, 1970 and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year. Earth Day is celebrated in spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Many communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues. While the first Earth Day was focused entirely on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes—the original national coordinator in 1970—took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations. Earth Day is now observed each year on April 22 in virtually every country on Earth. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network . World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5 in a different nation every year, is the principal United Nations environmental observance.  – source WikiPedia

To me, it’s the one day of the year when a global light is shined on the environment and all the ways we can take better care of this planet of ours.

To get you in the Earth Day mood, here are some fun things that’s happening around the world and the web:

• It’s My Environment Video Project – The EPA is seeking 10 second video clips that “affirm your commitment to a clean and healthy environment by joining in the “It’s My Environment” video.”
• Kaboose has a ton of great Earth Day Crafts, living green and other projects to get you started.
• The Nature Conservancy has ways your can make a difference for marine life and healthy oceans.
• The Earth day Network is a community that is discussing all things green and environmental.
• Tracey Drake gives you 10 Easy Ideas for Earth Day events.
• Channel 6 Action News offers these promotional events & happenings.

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Post tags: Earth Day 2010

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Psst…are you following me yet?

It’s hard to believe, but it has been almost three years  since I first took up space on twitter.  I had no clue how it worked, what I would use it for, or if it was remotely possible it could turn into an addiction as everyone said it would.  Well, 1441 followers and 1300 updates later, I can tell you that it can easily turn into an addiction.  It can also turn into a great place to meet and network with people from around the world who share your interests, and some who will introduce you to something new.  Here is my twitter family.  Different backgrounds, different goals all sharing a global conversation.

I find it’s a great way to introduce yourself to wide variety of people, get help and feedback almost instantly, and to share my love of aromatherapy to those that are interested.  I also use it to stay connected to you.  Become apart of the Simply Clesha twitter family and become apart of the conversation.  I’d love to hear from you!

Get your twitter mosaic here.

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