By Dr. Harvey Karp, Pediatrician and Child Development Specialist and Creator of “The Happiest Baby on the Block” and “The Happiest Toddler on the Block” book and DVD series and LuxEco Advocate

Recently, I was reading through Lisa Belkin’s column, Motherlode, in the New York Times and came across a blog called “Too Much Crying?” It was a guest post from a mother named Lee, who shared her exhausting and demoralizing battle with her infant’s colic, or persistent crying. After reading her heartfelt story and those expressed by other parents who commented afterward, I had to jump in and offer some support.

By Jessica Borges, LuxEco Living Editorial Assistant

We can all thank the sun for making trash disposal a more eco-friendly task; and while we’re at it, we can also thank the creators of BigBelly Solar Trash Cans. These solar powered beefy looking trash cans are sprouting up on street corners in several metropolitan areas with goals of being more cost, time and energy efficient.

By Alanna Brown, LuxEco Editorial Assistant

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article entitled “Fragrance Chemicals and the Scent of Suspicion,” the fragrance industry has been keeping vital chemical information from the public. The article says two recent reports, one by the EWG and one by Women’s Voices for the Earth, have caused a stir amongst researchers, environmental groups, consumers, and industry legislation. These reports reveal that on the label of any given personal care product, bottle of perfume, or cleaning agent the word “fragrance” is loaded with unknown meaning. Manufacturers have used this one word, a nondescript listing among the other ingredients, as a catch-all to legally mask the dozen-or-more chemicals not actually listed.

By Laura Turner Seydel, Chairman of the Captain Planet Foundation, Co-founder of Mothers & Others for Clean Air and LuxEco Advocate
Via Defenders of Wildlife
Defenders wins lawsuit; future of wolf recovery still uncertain
* U.S. district court overturns Interior Secretary Salazar’s action that removed wolves in the Northern Rockies from the endangered species list
* Ruling makes it clear that subdividing a wild population based on political boundaries rather than science violates the Endangered Species Act
* Defenders calls for update of science and regional stakeholder collaboration to ensure continued wolf recovery and proper removal of federal protections

By: Leslie Harris, Interior Designer, Leslie Harris Interior Design and LuxEco Advocate
In October 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy sponsored what has turned out to be a biannual competition called Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. 20 teams from colleges and universities from the U.S., Canada, Germany and Spain were selected and asked to design, build and operate an energy efficient house powered exclusively by the sun. The winning team produced a house that best blended affordability, ease of living, attractiveness, comfortable and healthy indoor environmental conditions, enough energy to run all household appliances and hot water as well as producing more energy than it consumes. Workshops were provided about the current state of green design technologies, jobs and the future of the smart grid.

Welcome to the first edition of Nancy’s Organic Kitchen at the Green Home Under the H! Nancy Chuda, Founder of LuxEco Living and Healthy Child Healthy World, shares her delicious recipes from produce that flourishes in her garden.  Starting with a little chilled organic beet soup to tease the palate, Nancy rounds out her fabulous [...]

By Robyn O’Brien, Founder of Allergy Kids Foundation and LuxEco Advocate
Now, I’m not sure where you stand on this whole food thing. But if you’re anything like me, you probably don’t want someone telling you what to eat. So when friends first started trying to educate me about terms like organic, local, natural and grass fed, I have to admit, I tuned out (and probably rolled my eyes). Because the reality is that food is never just food. Food is comfort.
Food is family. It is security. It is politics. And it is loaded.

By Alanna Brown, LuxEco Editorial Assistant (originally published on eHow.com)

In the month of April 2010, the United States spent $25.5 billion on electricity, using a total of 266.3 billion kilowatthours. While those numbers include retail sales to residential, industrial and commercial sectors, household owners have the power to drastically decrease electricity use overall by dropping the residential portion. Home dwellers have many options for reducing their monthly electric bill while simultaneously helping the environment.

A very special recipe from Nancy’s Organic Kitchen by Nancy Chuda, Founder of LuxEco Living Ingredients: 1/2 packet (1 teaspoon) unflavored gelatin powder 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped 1/3 cup sugar, plus [...]

By Bernadette Bowman, Comedienne and LuxEco Advocate who writes the LIFE GOES RETROGRADE series.

It all started when I updated my Facebook status this past week.

Bernadette Bowman thinks that children should be carded at Starbucks.

This bold statement after witnessing an nine-year old boy, who I honestly mistook as a “little person” speaking in tongues, spouting the following in rapid-fire speed:

“Venti half-white-mocha-half-caff-vanilla, easy ice, with 3 shots, pour affogato (this means: to drown) with extra whip, and caramel drizzle frappuccino.”

Parents, it’s three o’clock on a Wednesday afternoon:

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE??

By Amanda Nisenson, LuxEco Advocate

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” This Robert Frost quote has stayed with me from the first day I heard it in eighth grade English class. It has continued to serve as a metaphor throughout my evolving journey as an artist.
My road less traveled is calling me in new directions. I need to keep the faith and know the opportunities will come in order for me to reach my goal. It is the relationship and connection with the audience that drives my performance, inspiring hope through music and bringing joy through song.

“Operatunity” is about transformation through music. Our journeys, no matter how difficult, must be accepted as life is accepted. I am grateful for my “gifts”, and for the chance to help others find joy in the moment.

Tune into Part 2 of Laura Turner Seydel’s interview with Nancy Chuda, co-founder of LuxEco Living and Healthy Child Healthy World. In today’s interview, we learn about the results of Laura’s body burden test. Even Laura, who lives a lifestyle committed to health and environmental wellbeing, found that she had several toxic chemicals in her body. Imagine how many chemicals would be found in the average person’s body!

By: Leslie Harris, Interior Designer, Leslie Harris Interior Design and LuxEco Advocate

I believe that every home should be a sanctuary and that upon entering it one should immediately feel physically and emotionally protected. What I first noticed upon entering Jim and Nancy Chudas Green Home to select a room to design for an upcoming feature in Los Angeles Magazine was that it had all of those qualities even in the construction phase.

By Molly Cimikoski, Editorial Assistant Yoga-wear gurus from the company lululemon are telling us to get ready to sweat, and saying, “Take Your Asana Outside!” This Saturday, August 7, 2010, lululemon is sponsoring Salutation Nation, an event taking place from 9:00-10:00 AM (in all time zones) across North America. One of the things that is [...]