How To Teach Your Kids About Plastic Waste

Countless Marine Creatures Are Tangled Up in Plastic Every Day, So How Can You Help? By Getting The Whole Family Involved In The Effort.

The world has a major pollution problem, and much of it has to do with plastic waste. Between 2004 and 2014, global production of plastics grew from 225 million tons to 311 million tons. In fact, nearly half of all plastic ever manufactured was made since the year 2000. That isn't inherently bad news on its own, but when you consider that less than one-fifth of all plastic is recycled worldwide and 18 billion pounds of plastic waste flows into our planet's oceans each year, then the predicament starts to become clear. And as recent data shows, our marine life is paying the price.

You may have seen one of the heartwrenching, and graphic, videos of a helpless sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck deep inside its nose. Or, even worse, your kids may have seen one of these videos and become distraught. But while it's clear that something needs to be done, it's not always easy to figure out what that "something" should be.

Here's How to Encourage Your Kids to Stay Active This Summer

School's nearly out for the summer, a fact which understandably fills American children with joy. But many parents will react with a groan. With so much free time at their kids' fingertips, boredom will certainly ensue. It's not all about learning loss, either; although a certain amount of boredom can actually be healthy, too much can often lead to excessive social media use and general inactivity. Since your child's health and happiness are likely among your top priorities, you'll want to do everything you can to keep them active over the summer. Struggling to come up with ideas?

The ones below can lay the foundation for healthy habits and allow your kids to have an incredible and memorable vacation.

Green Traveling 101: How to Be More Sustainable on Your Next Family Trip

Traveling with the whole family is a great way to make fun memories that will last forever. With 95 percent of all Americans living within an hour's drive of a navigable body of water, there are plenty of vacation opportunities available. So whether it's to the 596 square miles of Oahu or just a few hours away from home, every family should try to travel at some point. But oftentimes, traveling can result in a lot of waste, which can be harmful to the environment. So if you're looking for easy ways to travel and be more eco-friendly, keep reading for some great tips.

Why Thrifting And Resale Is On The Rise

When it comes to shopping, Americans tend to spend a surprisingly large amount on clothing and fashion. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that we spend $1,800 a year on clothing. That might seem excessive until you account for families with children. Unfortunately, as the parents of growing kids can confirm, much of this is spent on clothing that will quickly become damaged or unusable within that same twelve-month period. On top of that, fast fashion has thrived on quickly producing inexpensive clothing with a shorter lifespan that keeps consumers coming back for more, and more, and more.

Genes Aren't Your Destiny

We recently came across this podcast with Luke Storey and Bruce Lipton. Anyone who has followed our blog for along time knows how much we appreciate Bruce's teachings. We had the pleasure of speaking with him and his lovely wife at a Hay House conference in Seattle in 2010. He's very genuine and down to earth.

In this video Bruce and Luke talk about how much of our programming takes place within the first seven years of life, how to change your programming, quantum physics and soooo much more! Read full video description down below. Grab your favorite beverage, kick your feet up and enjoy!


Quantum Creation And Epigenetics: Genes Aren't Your Destiny w/ Bruce Lipton #200

Dr. Bruce Lipton is a stem cell biologist, bestselling author, and thought leader who is bridging the often disparate worlds of science and spirit. Dr. Lipton did pioneering research on cloned human stem cells, then later served as a Research Fellow in the Department of Pathology in Stanford University’s School of Medicine, where their research revealed the nature of the biochemical pathways by which the mind (perceptions/beliefs) controls behavior and genetic activity. His discoveries ran counter to the established scientific view that life is controlled by the genes, and that laid the foundation for today’s revolutionary new field of Epigenetics. It’s cellular biology by way of quantum physics, and it has not only changed Dr. Lipton’s professional life, but his personal life and physical health as well – so now, he is trying to share this knowledge and pass it on to others so that we can experience the benefits of understanding, too. 

Topics Discussed In This Episode: 

Study Finds That One in Three Kids Experience Back Pain

Yes, the way kids wear their backpacks really can affect their posture!

Experiencing back pain is extremely common in today's society. In fact, experts believe that 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in their lives. Whether it's from a genetic condition, poor posture, or an accident like a staircase injury, which is the second leading type of accidental injury, millions of people experience back pain regularly. And now, a new study has found that back pain among children and adolescents is significantly higher than might be expected.

According to the study, “The Epidemiology of Back Pain in Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study of 3,669 American Youth,” one in three children between the ages of 10 and 18 reported experiencing backaches within the past year. The survey reached about 3,700 children between these ages.

Easy Ways To Reduce Water Waste At Home

While you generally don't think of water as a non-renewable resource, maybe you should be. Only 3% of Earth’s water is fresh water, and with climate change causing significant problems for environments around the world, freshwater access is becoming more difficult. In fact, about one in every eight people in the world do not have access to clean water. While water might cover the majority of the planet, fresh, clean water is surprisingly hard to come by, and a lack of it can prove disastrous.

Around 20% of wastewater comes from agricultural operations and commercial discharge, but that still leaves a significant portion that's the result of individuals like you and me. The average home uses more water than you might think for everything from flushing toilets to washing clothes to cooking meals and more. Luckily, there are a few small things you can do at home to reduce your water consumption and do your part to save our limited sources of clean drinking water.

Teaching Children About Energetic Boundaries

Energy Boundaries for Kids:

Helping Them Be The “You” That They Are

By Cyndi Dale

A while back, I received a call from my son’s school.

Now I’ve been called by the principal every so often for all sorts of concerns. There was the time Gabe “accidently” punched a kid in the stomach after the other kid “mistakenly” kicked him in the gut. There was the day nearly every boy’s mother was asked to restrict her son’s activities at school, after the boys collectively staged a mass jump into a huge mud puddle—the one near the recess teacher. There have been the flu calls and the “dog ate the homework” calls, the latter usually accurate, as we’ve tended to host dogs that eat just about everything, except the dog food, of course. This particular call, however, flipped my stomach.

“Your son threw his back out,” the school nurse informed me.

“How?” I asked, my stomach now officially sinking.

“Apparently he was simply sitting in his desk at 1:30 and said his back started throbbing. He’s having a hard time walking right now.”

I groaned—not only because I was concerned about Gabe’s well being, but also because I was the reason for his malady. You see at precisely 1:30 p.m. that day I was “releasing energy” from my lower back while sitting in an office with my therapist. My “old emotions” had transferred immediately from my body to Gabe’s, no stopping at “Go.”