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Healthy living is IN

Everybody is trying to shift to a healthier lifestyle by going organic. I can’t blame them, either. The commercial food found in groceries and restaurants contain enough preservatives and chemicals to actually shorten our lifespan. On top of that, the prices are not exactly attractive either. In health stores, you’d probably find a lot of interesting products like organic lotions and other hygienic products, organic supplements, and more organic food items like fruits and vegetables. Is it really a good decision to switch to a more organic lifestyle? You be the judge.

What to look for in organic stores

Of course, you cannot simply rely on stores that have HEALTHY and ORGANIC labels in their products. It’s important to get your food and other items from the stores that actually know their stuff. When looking for organic stores or retailers, it’s important that they have the following characteristics:

-           Wide array of products from fruits and vegetables to organic night creams.

-           Great customer service and support. The staff actually knows what they are talking about.

-           Competitive and reasonable pricing

-           Offer delivery, though this is optional but still a great bonus to look for in a store.

The top online stores for organic products

These online ecommerce stores have made it to the list simply because they have all of the characteristics mentioned above.

1.)    LocalHarvest.Org – As their slogan says, LocalHarvest.Org is where you can find real food, real farmers, and a real community. If you want the best organic food in the market, you’d want to go for the ones that are grown just near you. You can use their website to locate farmers’ markets and family farms within your area.

2.)    NaturalGrocers.Com – NaturalGrocers.com was created by Vitamin Cottage and carries more than 13,000 products. Apart from their online retail store, they also have 32 chain stores. What makes this company great is that they just don’t sell organic products. They actually make it  a point to help people make the most out of their organic products.

3.)    TrueFoodsMarket.Com – TrueFoodsMarket.Com has a great online store that showcases all 5,500 of their products. Apart from the food and items, you can find relevant articles about healthy living and some important nutritional facts.

In this day and age, we cannot afford to get sick nor eat the wrong kinds of food. If we really want to achieve a healthy lifestyle, we need all the help we can get and these stores can make that happen.

A lifetime investment

Homes are not easy to acquire, especially if you’re not financially endowed as Bill Gates, Donald Trump, or any Fortune 500 billionaire. What’s even more alarming is that it’s difficult for people who’re earning just above or within minimum wage to secure enough money to pay for a home’s initial mortgage or down-payment. As we all know, a home or shelter is one of the most basic and most important human needs yet it seems next to impossible to acquire a home that we can call our very own.

I want an Eco-friendly home

More and more people are slowly trying to GO GREEN, or going for a healthier and cleaner way of life for the sake of the environment. Manufacturers are creating eco-friendly appliances, cars, and even homes. Although it sounds like a huge financial project, eco-friendly homes are gaining in popularity; even apartments for sale Brisbane are showing signs of eco-friendliness. I have seen my fair share of eco-friendly homes and pads, and to my surprise, the prices are very reasonable. Regardless if you want to purchase or rent, you can secure an eco-friendly home if you have the finances, especially if you are in Australia.

Two ways to secure an eco-friendly home

Thankfully, you can secure your very own eco-friendly home with a little bit of financial assistance. Applying for a home loan or home construction loan is one of two ways on how to secure your very own eco-friendly home. An individual can apply for different kinds of home construction loans like:

a.)    One closing construction loan

b.)    Modifying construction loan

c.)    Two closing construction loan

These loans have different advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to locate one that will suit your financial needs.

Another way for you to secure eco-friendly homes is to invest in environment-friendly materials like switching water pumps, using solar energy, purchasing energy saving appliances, and so on. At most you will be spending a lot of converting to solar power, but the investment is worth it; just be sure you live in a country that gets decent amounts of sunlight on a daily basis.

Of course, you can combine both of these methods to get the kind of home that you need. For example, you can apply for a construction loan that will allow you to accommodate the construction of water pumps and/or the purchase of solar cells and panels.

Check with your local bank or financial agencies on how you can avail of these home construction loans to kick-start your dream of having your very own environment-friendly home.

Overlooked and underestimated

People have never considered that the farm is dangerous, and that everyone who works there risk life and limb every single day. When farm safety is overlooked, people end up with certain degrees of injuries, from minor scratches to fatal injuries. Heavy equipment is not the only thing that farmers should be worried about. Poisoning from chemical pesticides and fertilizers can also do more harm than good. In this case, consumers of farm products are also at risk of poisoning from fertilizers and insecticides. Farm safety should never be overlooked and underestimated, and should be the primary concern of every worker.

Interesting statistics from the CDC

Agriculture currently ranks as one of the most hazardous industries in the world. Farmers are always at risk for both fatal and non-fatal injuries. Truck drivers can get injured at any time and most of them can’t even afford to hire vehicle accident lawyers.

What does CDC, or Center for Disease Control and Prevention, have to say?

-           In 2010, more than 1.8 million are employed as farmers or as full time production agriculturists

-           . In the same year alone, 476 farmers and farm workers lost their lives. That’s an average of 26.1 deaths for every 100,000 workers.

-           1.09 million Adolescents and children are known to live in farms as of 2009, and 519,000 of them performing various farming-related work.

-            Between 1992 and 2009, 9,479 farmers have lost their lives from work-related injuries, with tractor overturns as the number one cause of death. The said cause of death amounts to 90 deaths annually.

How to avoid injuries and death

Farm safety doesn’t have to be out of reach for workers and owners. These steps can help turn your farm into a haven of well-placed safety regulations and procedures.

1.)    Proper training and orientation should be carried out every now and then. This helps farmers, both old and new, to be familiar with the different safety procedures involved in handling farm equipment and chemicals. You can consult with your local government if they have any programs, seminars, or conferences related to farm safety, occupational safety, and safety in industrial work.

2.)    When handling heavy equipment, be sure to browse through the operating manual or undergo training on how to use them. When necessary, you can procure training videos from your respective farming or agriculture authorities. Training courses from vocational schools and institutions are also available, so be sure to keep an eye out for these.

3.)    It’s always important to have an emergency medical response unit or kit nearby. That way, when there are any injuries, they can be treated immediately before further harm is done.

A really big and global issue

The earth is dying, as we know it. To date, we are burning fossil fuels at an alarming rate and the amount of wastes being generated by every household all over the world is just too overwhelming. Cars and factories are two dominant causes of air and water pollution respectively, and people are just too careless when it comes to waste disposal. The bitter reality here is that no matter how big the issue of global warming is, people are never really aware of the constant threats of a dying earth and a polluted environment.

Years from now

We may not be seeing the effects of global warming and pollution at this very moment, but within the next few decades or centuries, we could be looking at a post-apocalyptic earth that we could only imagine in movies; lifeless oceans, barren forests, dark and dirty air, and infertile lands are probably worse than a nuclear winter or apocalypse. The fate of Mother Nature lies in our hands and it is up to us to drive environmental awareness campaigns that will help protect the health of Mother Nature and ensure its longevity.

Reaching out on a digital level

With all the advancements made in communication and media, it’s kind of impossible to get the word out all over the world. We can rely on powerful dedicated server hosting to build websites and blogs or host videos about protecting the environment.

Can anybody reach out and send a message of awareness to billions of people around the world? You bet your clean house, you can! Here’s how:

1.)    Create a blog or website – In order to reach out to a global audience, why not start with your own website or blog dedicated to promoting environmental awareness? It’s easy to get started in creating your blog and/or website, and it shouldn’t cost you more than a hundred dollars a year on hosting and domain fees.

2.)    Create powerful content – Your blog is useless without powerful content. Why not write intriguing articles, heart-warming videos, or beautiful songs about the environment, Mother Nature, and so on. It’s time to put your creativity to the test. Do you know of any local environmentalists within your area? Set-up an interview in order to get some cold hard facts that you can share on your blog.

3.)    Share to your friends and family – There’s no point of keeping a blog or website if you don’t share it with your friends and family. When you do share it, encourage them to pay it forward or share to people they know. That way, you are building a huge web of awareness within your area and soon it will grow on its own.

It’s easy to start a campaign, but it takes a lot of hard work to keep the ball rolling. After all, it is our prime responsibility as inhabitants of this planet to take care of Mother Nature.