Vital Technologies, Inc.

They see you when you're sleeping. They watch you in the day. They're living in your pillows! You have to get away!
Dust mites are tiny microscopic mites that live in vast quantities within modern homes. Although virtually invisible to the human eye they live in close proximity to humans within their beds and in upholstered furniture, carpets and soft furnishings. Dust mites multiply very rapidly and it is believed that within 4-6 months a new mattress will be colonised. Dust mites do not bite and it is not the mite itself that causes problems but their faecal pellets, which contain an allergen known as DerP1. "The droppings are 4-20 microns in size, but they can crumble into fragments of 1-3 microns, and the tiniest bits are only 0.5 micros across." During their three month life span each dust mite lays 20-40 eggs and produces up to 2000 droppings. This causes the concentration of dust mite allergen to increase very rapidly. "Up to 1,000 individual mites can be counted in just one gram of dust (and there are approx. 28 grams in an ounce). This means that the average bed contains more than 10,000 dust mites and perhaps in excess of two million faecal pellets."

Not very refreshing to know that these little bugs are relieving themselves where you and your family sleep is it? If you thought these little critters were gross before, it only gets worse! Much like a fungus, Dust mites thrive in the warm, humid conditions found in modern houses. They live in mattresses, bedding and carpets and any nice warm, dark, damp place where food is plentiful. "Dust mites live on shed skin scales from humans and animals, but only if the scales have been broken down by mould first. This is why humid conditions suit the dust mite so well. The other reason why mites need high humidity levels is that they do not drink, but absorb water from the air.

1. Start by drawing a 1/2-inch asterisk on the side of a clean 1-liter soda bottle, about 4 inches from the bottom. Rotate the bottle 90 degrees and draw another asterisk 2 inches from the bottom. Draw a 1-inch-wide circle opposite each asterisk, as shown.

2. Use a craft knife to slit the asterisk lines and cut out the circles (a parent's job). Insert a wooden spoon handle first through each hole and then through the opposite asterisk, as shown.

3. Remove the bottle cap and twist a small eye screw into the top of it for hanging.

4. Finally, fill your feeder with birdseed, recap it, and use a length of twine to hang it from a tree.

I was reading The Nation the other day, and I came across a pretty startling article entitled "Drugged-Up Nation". I wanted to share some of the article with you guys, I'm hoping it might inspire everyone to do something. So here's a little of what I read:
Drugged-Up Nation
America is awash in antidepressants.
Literally so.
In March the Associated Press reported that the drinking water of at least 41 million Americans is contaminated with at times voluminous cocktails of prescription drugs. Many of these contaminants are psychiatric drugs. In Philadelphia, for example, a glass of tap water brings along with it trace elements of up to fifty-six pharmaceuticals and byproducts, including Prozac, Valium and Risperdal, a drug primarily used to treat schizophrenia... Charles Barber of The Nation

Pretty scary eh? So what can we do? That's the real question right, or what can YOU do to keep you and your family safe and healthy?

First, get your water tested. Although comprehensive testing at a private lab will cost $100 or more, the results may allay any concerns and save you the expense and trouble of installing a purifier. And if they do indicate problems, they will guide you in selecting the right system. The kind you choose depends on the types of toxins in your water.
A lot of people think that buying bottled water is the best solution. However, bottled water is expenisve, it may not be as pure as it's being advertised, and it comes in plastic containers that may be contaminating the water itself, and that if not recycled are a major waste.

Here are some water purification systems that also may be an option for you:

All warm blooded pets, including dogs, cats, and birds, produce substances that can trigger asthma (allergens). These allergens include dander, (flakes from the hair or skin as well as substances found in the saliva, feces, and urine of of an animal). If a child is sensitive to these allergens then having an animal in the house can make their asthma worse.

Most physicians will suggest that removing the pet from the home is the best option for your child's asthma, but this is a difficult decision to make. We are all aware of how important it is to a child to have their very own pet. Maybe it's that their friend just got an adorable, fun, puppy and now they are dying to teach a puppy of their own some tricks. Or perhaps the character they watch and admire on television has a really great pet rabbit, and they want to be just like their television idol. It could be that your neighbor's cat just had a litter of kittens, and your child wants to give one of them a safe and happy home. Whatever the case may be, kids usually yearn for a pet of their own, and if your child has asthma you probably already know how terrible it is to see the disappointment they feel when you have to say “no”.

Asthma doesn't have to prevent your child from having the pet he or she wants to love and take care of. At the Ecology Works (www.ecologyworks.com) we create several different products that can help control the common allergens found in your home. Our Anti-Allergen Pet Shampoo solution treats dogs, cats, and small animals. It helps to neutralize dustmite allergens, allergens in pet dander, and it also controls fleas and ticks which can produce allergens of their own. The Aloe Vera in our shampoo will keep your pet's coat feeling soft, healthy and clean.

Your child doesn't have to be the only one in class without a pet, there are other solutions. Ecology Works Anti-Allergen Pet Shampoo may be one of them!

For hundreds of years human beings have been affecting our ecosystem in ways that at times, are irreversible. I'll begin by sharing with you the story of the Dodo bird.

The Dodo bird lived peacefully on an island in the Indian Ocean called Mauritius. Here the Dodo resided undisturbed for so many years that it eventually lost all of its ability to fly. It lived and nested on the ground and ate fruits that had fallen from trees. There were no mammals on the island to threaten the Dodo, and there was a high variety of bird species that lived in the dense forests.

In the 1500's the Portuguese became the first humans to set foot on the island of Mauritius. They quickly transformed the island into a stopping ground for ships engaged in trade. The Dodo bird, weighing up to fifty pounds, became a great source of meat for the Portuguese sailors, and soon many of the Dodos were killed for food.

Years passed, and soon the Dutch began using Mauritius as a penal colony. The Dutch brought pigs and monkeys with them, along with many uninvited rodents that lived upon their ships. Before all of this, the Dodo had no fear of predators but now the bird and its eggs were vulnerable to the new creatures sharing its environment. 100 years after human arrival, the once safe and abundant Dodo was considered a rare bird. The last Dodo was killed in 1681.

Recently a scientist noticed that a certain species of tree was becoming quite rare on the island of Mauritius. He noticed that out of 13 remaining trees all were over 300 years old, and none had been germinated since the late 1600's. It turns out that the Dodo bird actually ate the fruit from this tree, and it was only by passing through the Dodo's digestive system that the seds of the tree became active and could grow. Now 300 years after one species was extinct, another was to follow as a direct consequence.

Going Green doesn't mean spending tons of green. Here are 10 simple ways to help the environment while saving money and improving your health:

1. Save energy to save money.

Set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.

Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.

Unplug appliances when you're not using them. Or, use a "smart" power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use.

Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water. Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying. If you must use a dryer, consider adding dryer balls to cut drying time.

2. Save water to save money.

Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too.

Install a low-flow showerhead. They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.

Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.

Plant drought-tolerant native plants in your garden. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.

3. Less gas = more money (and better health!).

Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.

Consider telecommuting if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.

Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.

4. Eat smart.

I’ve been feeling kind of guilty lately. A little irresponsible. Sort of like a schmuck. You see, my vehicle needs an oil change. Badly. It’s been way more than 3,000 miles since the last Jiffy Lube visit, and as the odometer ticks and ticks, I have an increasing awareness that I’ve failed to keep up my end of the car-human relationship.

So it came as a great relief when I read yesterday the following headline: The 3,000 Mile Oil Change Myth. The big news? “The traditional oil change recommendation was based on decades-old engine and oil technologies. Today's engines are built using advanced technology, reducing or eliminating contaminants and increasing the recommended time between oil changes.”

Ok, ok. So this breaking news is actually from a GM press release touting their “Oil Life System” -- some wonderful, whiz-bang technology that “determines the optimum oil change interval for each vehicle.” Whatever. But there are some interesting stats in the release: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 185 million gallons of used motor oil are improperly disposed of each year, dumped onto the ground, thrown in the trash, or poured down the drain. And the California Integrated Waste Management Board says that just one gallon of used motor oil can contaminate a million gallons of drinking water.”

So here’s the bottom line: Going more miles between oil changes can save you money, reduce improperly disposed of oil, and keep drinking water safer. I’m sold. How about you?

As for how often you should change your oil, the new recommendation is about every 5,000 to 10,000 miles, depending on your car, driving habits, etc. Every 10,000 miles? That’s the kind of responsibility I can live with.

I never realized that once I had my son, I was not only taking on the role of "mom", but also of an energy-saver and water-conserver. With gas prices skyrocketing through the roof, postage increasing yet again, and the prices of just about everything being on a continuous climb with no sight of relief in the future, having a family makes you do whatever you can to save a dollar . . . or even 50 cents at this point!

One of the first things we did when we moved to this area was buy bicycles! Even though it's 90-something degrees outside here in good ol' sunny Florida, we are using our bikes more just to avoid using gas in our car! I find myself doing things I never used to do--like clipping coupons to save money shopping, or hand-washing my son's bibs and hanging them up to dry instead of using the washer and dryer.

Here's a few tips from my family to yours about saving energy and conserving water this summer:

* When using your washer, use cold water whenever possible.
* If you have a dishwasher, use it. According to FPL, an automatic dishwasher uses 1/3 less water than hand-washing, which saves both money and energy. I also recommend using the "no-heat drying" setting and just drying your dishes with a dish towel. You also don't need to pre-rinse most dishes before putting them into the dishwasher--it wastes more water. I only pre-rinse ones that are coated with gunk or dried food.
* Get in the habit of shutting things off when you leave a room in your house or go out.
* Shut off ceiling fans when not in use. According to FPL, constantly running a ceiling fan costs about $10 per month, per fan!
* Always clean out your dryer filter before use.
* Keep your curtains or blinds closed when you're not home in the sunny areas of the house--you'll find the rooms to be much cooler when you get home.

Now that gas prices are soaring through the roof with no clear end in sight, some environmentalists are secretly (and others not so clandestine) hoping that prices will continue to climb higher. Are higher gas prices good for the environment? Will people actually slow down their consumption of the Earth's natural resources? How high will prices have to go before we see any significant impact (or lack thereof in this case of our environment)?

I once heard someone say that a poor economy is actually good for the environment. If people don't have money to consume and buy products, then the environment potentially wins from less stress on her resources. Especially as we witness the deleterious effects of population explosion throughout the world due to higher standards of living, advances in medical research, and simply more people procreating; our collective impact on Earth is likely to intensify and be apparent in our day to day lives in a multitude of different ways. Perhaps if gas prices climb to $10 a gallon or even higher, we will be forced to make the transition to cleaner energy and technologies. If gas is ridiculously unaffordable for most people, then maybe we will simply consume less and have fewer carbon emissions and our ozone layer will have a chance to replenish itself.

However, many scientists believe we have periously already crossed the brink of no return and our environmental impacts (on the ozone layer for example) are nearly irreversible. Further, can society really handle such major social and political upheavals? Will we have a choice? How would we transport ourselves? Is it just a dream to live oil free or can we make it a living reality?

It happened around 2 a.m. Saturday morning. I was fast asleep in my tent a few feet from the Atlantic Ocean on Florida's Long Key. For no obvious reason, I snapped awake, sat up, and looked out my tent's mesh window. There it was: the big ole yellow moon hanging over the vast sea, its rays dancing on the water. It was such a simple, perfect, and beautiful moment, I just sat there in awe.

That's why everybody should go camping. (Tent camping, that is. RV camping is a whole other experience.) To truly appreciate nature's wonder, you need to see it front and center. You need to get dirty. You need to get soaked by rain. You need to be too hot or too cold. You need to be humbled by nature to appreciate its gifts. At least that’s my take.

So go tent camping ASAP! If you can make it down to the Keys, check out Long Key State Park, which is about 90 miles south of Miami. Most sites are right on the ocean, have fire pits, water, and electric. (One caveat: Sometimes the overseas highway traffic noise can be a bit loud.)

I also highly recommend Bahia Honda State Park, which is about 40 miles south of Long Key and only about 45 minutes to Key West. Be sure to stay in Sandspur Campground, though, which is RV-free, very private, and oceanfront. Campsites 62-72 are the best – just mere inches to the water. How can you beat that?