NEHA Teleconference July 2012 outline

 

July 2012

Northeast Herbal Association Teleconference

‘Walking the Talk

The Herbalist’s Responsibility as Earth Steward’  ~ with Kim Falcone

Walking Forward…

1. Emphasize that some plants are rare/endangered. Offer substitutes (eg.  Goldenseal vs. Oregon Grape) to your clients/customers.

2. Cultivate a sanctuary of at risk medicinals in your herbal gardens so that visitors can appreciate them when they walk through.  When you give a weed/garden walk always provide your attendees with information on United Plant Savers and the importance of preserving at risk species. 

3. Add an insert to your customers/clients’ shopping bags (a gently-used bag, or cloth if it is in the budget) that encourages plant preservation through green practices.  Print on both sides of paper, 100% recycled of course.

4. Purchase only organically grown seeds/plants: Horizon Herbs, FEDCO Organica Seed

5.  Choose organic farming/lawn care methods on your land or better yet, don’t even mow!

6.  Choose chemical and fragrance-free household and body products, such as shampoos, soaps, toothpastes to preserve your health and groundwater.

a.   Lose the excess paper and plastic.  Use cloth whenever possible.

b.   Buy reusable water bottles and coffee mugs.

c.    When attending daylong/weekend classes, seminars and conferences, bring reusable dishware and cutlery whenever possible.

7. Stop your engines.  Did you know that after 30 seconds of vehicle idling, you burn more gas than if you shut the car off and restart it? For more info:   http://www.consumerenergycenter.org

8. Learn the uses of invasive plants  (get Timothy Lee Scott’s book ‘Invasive Plant Medicine’) and rather than eradicate them, educate others on their important contribution then tincture them up for yourself/clients/customers.

9. Be an activist!  Whether it’s getting out on the front lines against corporate giants like Monsanto and the devious Koch Brothers regime, or signing online petitions against their web of greed, or both, make your voice heard.

10.  Learn about herbal Community Supported Agriculture. Obtain locally grown herbs from each other to decrease our carbon footprint, which results from ordering long distance.

FOLLOWING THE KOCH BROTHERS...

If you have been following news about the Koch brothers, you might be curious as to which products they manufacture...and even if you haven't ever heard of them, please read on and be aware.  Warning! The list is very, very long.

  brothers products

   Georgia-Pacific also distributes paper towels, napkins and soap dispensing systems used in commerical settings. Some GP commercial toilet paper brands: Envision, Coronet®, SCA, Tork and Fort James. GP produces Pacific Garden liquid soaps...

Georgia-Pacific produces ink and office paper under the labels: Advantage, GP (including GP Harmon recycled papers), ImagePlus and the Spectrum® family of office paper products.

Wood Products:
Georgia-Pacific is the largest manufacturer of plywood in the U.S.. Including Plytanium Plywood®, DryPly® plywood, Ply-Bead®.
Georgia-Pacific is one of the country's largest suppliers of corrugated boxes and containers.
Various, numerous wood products, dimensional lumber and building materials:Blue Ribbon, Clutter Cutter, DensArmor Plus, DensDeck, DensGlass, DensShield® gypsum board, DryPly, Fireguard®, Grant Forest OSB Board, GP Lam, Hushboard, Nautilus, Ply-Bead, Plytanium, Southern Gold, Sta-Strait, Thermostat, ToughRock and Wood I Beam.

Textiles and Plastics
via Invista Products:
 Stainmaster

• Dacron
• Lycra
• CoolMax
• SolarMax
• Polarguard 
• Thermolite
• Antron
  Comforel fiberfill
• DBE® dibasic esters
  Tactel
  Tactesse Carpet Fibers
• Terathane
• ADI-Pure®
• Polyshield®
• Polyclear®
• Oxyclear™
• Performa®
  Cordura fabric
  Supplex® Fabric
  Somerelle® Bedding
    Invista produces a large selection of products under this business, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymers for carbonated soft drink, water, beer, juice, food and custom container applications. Production also includes polyester intermediate feedstocks, film products, fibers, and specialty polymers for a variety of applications, inlcuding PBT-based engineering polymer.

Chemicals, Coal & Oil:
Through its subsidiaries Koch operates refineries in Alaska, Minnesota and Texas, with a combined crude oil processing capacity of more than 800,000 barrels per day. Koch Industries owns or operates about 4,000 miles of pipelines that transport crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas liquids and chemicals. Koch Minerals and its affiliates are among the world’s largest dry-bulk commodity handlers, marketing and trading more than 40 million tons of coal, coke, cement and other related products annually. Flint Hills Resources produces about 9 billion pounds of building-block chemicals per year. Koch is a leading producer of paving and roofing asphalt. www.kochind.com

Koch Industries Produces:


    * Gasoline
    * Diesel
    * Jet fuel
    * Naphtha
    * Asphalt
    * Benzene
    * Toluene
    * Metaxylene
    * Paraxylene
    * Orthoxylene
    * Cumene
    * Cycohexane
    * Heavy reformate
    * Pseudocumene
    * Sure Sol ® 100
    * Sure Sol ® 150
    * Purified Isophthalic Acid
    * Maleic Anhydride
    * Trimellitic Anhydride
    * Ethylene
    * Chemical Grade Propylene
    * Polypropylene
    * Polyethylene
"In Flint Hills Resources manufacturing plants, various hydrocarbon products are the basic feedstocks. At the refineries, the main feedstock is crude oil. The refineries produce a wide range of transportation fuels for motorists, truckers and the airline industry. In the olefins plants, the company processes natural gas liquids into ethylene and propylene. In the polymers plants, those two products are processed into various forms of olypropylene, which are key ingredients in products such as consumer and healthcare products, packaging and other plastic products. In the aromatics plant, products produced during the crude oil refining process become xylenes, cumenes and other light products. Those products are the building blocks for many other chemicals and plastics."* www.fhrstage.fhr.com

Koch Carbon, LLC and its affiliates globally trade and transport petroleum coke, coal, cement, pulp and paper, sulfur and other related commodities through a network of bulk import/export terminals in the United States and Europe. The C. Reiss Coal Company is a leading supplier of coal and related products typically used in industrial applications or to generate electricity.

Koch Exploration Company, LLC and its affiliates acquire, develop and trade petroleum and natural gas properties in the United States, Canada and Brazil.

Pipelines:
Koch Pipeline Company, L.P. and its affiliates own or operate about 4,000 miles of pipelines that transport crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas liquids and chemicals.

Koch Alaska Pipeline Company, LLC owns an approximate 3 percent interest in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. Another Koch company has a 28 percent interest in Colonial Pipeline Company, owner and operator of the world’s largest-volume refined products pipeline.

Fertilizer:
Koch Fertilizer, LLC and its affiliates;  have the capability to manufacture, market and distribute more than 10 million tons of nitrogen fertilizer products annually. They distribute to dealers, so their product has many a label. "Fertilizer today is an intensely industrial business more akin to oil refining or chemical production."* www.kochind.com

Equipment:
Koch-Glitsch, LP and its affiliates are global leaders in the design, manufacture and installation of mass transfer and mist elimination equipment. The company’s products are found in refineries and chemical plants worldwide.

Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. develops and manufactures membrane separation systems for a variety of applications worldwide, including membranes for microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis.

John Zink Company, LLC and its affiliates are global leaders in ultra-low emission process burners, boiler burners, duct burners, flares and thermal oxidizers. The companies are also global suppliers of flare gas/vapor recovery and vapor combustor systems.
Cattle:

Koch Agriculture Company, operates three ranches with a total of 15,000 head of cattle in Kansas, Montana, and Texas. "Matador Ranch in Texas offers a number of hunting packages that include first-class accommodations. Everything is provided to ensure an enjoyable experience." www.kochind.com

Services:
Koch Supply & Trading companies around the world trade and provide risk management services in crude oil; refined petroleum products; natural gas and gas liquids; gas, power and emissions;  industrial metals; and other commodities and financial instruments.

Optimized Process Designs, Inc. provides consulting, engineering, design, procurement, fabrication and construction services for the natural gas and gas processing industries worldwide. OPD has been the general contractor on some of the largest natural gas plants built in the U.S.

Koch Knight LLC and its affiliates are leaders in acid proof solutions. The companies offer construction, engineering and services through a global network of manufacturing and outsourcing facilities. Their products, made from state-of-the-art ceramics and plastic materials, are available worldwide.

IPT provides the resources and know how to deliver world-scale technology for licensing to a growing portfolio of technologies in the polyester, polyurethane and nylon value chains.

European brands:

• 
  Colhogar®
• Delica®
• Demak'Up®
• Inversoft®
• Kitten Soft®
• Lotus®
• Moltonel®
• Nouvelle®
• Okay
• Tenderly® 
• Tutto®

Source =  www.kochind.com
Logos property of Koch Industries www.worldofkoch.com

Pollution:
University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute, shows Koch Industries as one of the nation’s top 10 polluters/emitters. See detailed emissions breakdowns - www.peri.umass.edu/toxic_index

A Sampling of Environmental Charges Verses Koch:
September 2000, a federal grand jury in Corpus Christi, Texas returned a 97-count indictment against Koch Industries Inc., Koch Petroleum Group for violating federal clean air and hazardous waste laws, due to the release of at least 91 metric tons of uncontrolled, untreated carcinogenic benzene. www.justice.gov

March 2000, Koch petroleum which operates a refinery in Rosemount, Minn., was sentenced to pay a $6 million criminal fine and pay an additional $2 million in remediation costs. This is the largest federal environmental fine ever paid in Minnesota. Koch admitted that it negligently discharged 200,000 - 600,000 gallons of aviation fuel into a wetland and an adjoining waterway. In addition, their way of recovering the fuel (a year and a half later) destroyed a portion of the surrounding ecosystem and wildlife habitat. In a separate offense, Koch dumped a million gallons of wastewater with high ammonia content on the ground between November 1996 and March 1997 and also increased its flow of wastewater into the Mississippi River on weekends when no one monitored discharges. These actions allowed Koch to circumvent the weekly monitoring and reporting requirements of its wastewater discharge permit. The case was investigated by EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and was prosecuted by the U. S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota. www.ehso.com

Koch's Sterling butane pipeline had a leak in Lively, Texas, on August 24, 1996. Two teenagers on the way to report the leak drove into the unseen butane cloud, and were killed when the gas exploded and burned. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that severe external pipeline corrosion was the cause of the failure. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_Industries

In 1999, a federal jury found that Koch Industries had stolen oil from government and American Indian lands and had lied about its purchases more than 24,000 times. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_Industries

In January 2000, Koch Pipeline, agreed to a $35 million settlement with the U.S. Justice Department and the State of Texas as fines for the firm's three hundred oil spills (300 million gallons) in Texas and five other states going back to 1990. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_Industries
Clip from new Koch Brother's movie: www.youtube.com

Climate Change Denial:
A March 2010 Greenpeace report shows that Koch Industry foundations have contributed (2005-2008) nearly $25 million to organizations that oppose clean energy and climate policy. That does not include oil and gas lobbying of $37.9 million. For more info on Koch Industries' funding of Climate Denial Groups -- See GreenPeace's report "Koch Industries Funding the Climate Denial Machine" www.greenpeace.org

In the August, 2010 New York Magazine article 'Covert Operations,' oil tycoon David Koch was quoted as saying, global warming will be a good thing for the planet and will help "support enormously more people because a far greater land area will be available to produce food." www.newyorker.com



Revenue:
Koch Industries currently brings in $100 billion in revenue annually.
Each brother is personally worth $21.5 billion. Together 43 billion.*
Koch Industries spent a total of $37.9 million on oil and gas lobbying
from January 2006 to December 2009. www.sourcewatch.org
*www.thinkprogress.org

Voting:
Since the Citizen's United decision, corporations can now attempt to influence their employees' votes. The Koch Brothers jumped on that band wagon right away and mailed out lists of Koch supported candidates to their 50,000 employees during the last election. See info and a copy of a recommended election packet at www.thenation.com


University Affairs:
"Billionaire's role in hiring decisions at Florida State University raises questions" They give as long as they can pick the teachers. www.tampabay.com

Not Just Florida State...Utah, West Virginia, etc... www.insidehighered.com

The Mercatus Center is a conservative Think Tank at George Mason University’s Arlington campus. It is a university-based research center that makes its research findings available to the media and public policy makers. According to GreenPeace the Mercatus Center has received over 10 million dollars worth of funding from the Koch Brothers. Mercatus also fights environmental regulation, opposes clean energy legislation and lobbys to prevent curbs on industrial pollution. www.greenpeace.org  mercatus.org

'Greenwashing' in Action?

Happy 2012 to all!

I was just sent this article by a member of my herb group, Ocean State Herbal Association (OSHA) about a product, even I thought was non-toxic. It has been around since my kids were in elementary school since I remember using it for class car wash fundraisers back in the 90's. To be honest, I detest the smell of it so stopped using it-I guess the scent should have given me a clue right there!

So, read on and be enlightened...

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/16/toxic-chemicals-in-green-cleaning-products.aspx

Summer Solstice Greetings!

A blessed Summer Solstice to all on this space in time when the Earth's axis is tilted towards the sun at its maximum angle of 23° 26', also referred to as Midsummer. Worldwide, interpretation of the Summer Solstice has varied among cultures, but most have held a recognition as a sign of fertility. It is especially celebrated in Europe. One of my favorite traditions occurs in northern Spain where pagan beliefs are especially evident. These beliefs are based on three planetary elements: Earth, Fire and Water, which are exemplified as the importance of medicinal plants, especially in relation to health, youth and beauty; the protective character of fire to ward off evil spirits and witches and, finally, the purifying, miraculous effects of water.

• Medicinal plants: Traditionally, women collect several species of plants on St. John's eve. These vary from area to area, but mostly include Fennel, different species of fern , Rue, also called Herb of Grace, Rosemary, Dog Rose (rosa canina), Lemon Verbena, St. John's Wort, which blooms on St. John's Day, June 24th, (it has bloomed a week earlier this year) Mallow, Foxglove, and Elder flowers. In some areas, these are arranged in a bunch and hung in doorways. In most others, they are dipped in a vessel with water and left outside exposed to the dew of night until the following morning (o dia de San Xoan -St. John's day), when people use the resulting flower water to wash their faces. Calendula flowers were historically picked throughout Europe on this day as their potency was deemed to be most powerful and could ward off evil spirits.
  

• Water: Tradition holds it that the medicinal plants mentioned above are most effective when dipped in water collected from seven different springs. Also, on some beaches, women who wanted to be fertile would bathe in the sea until they were washed by nine waves.

• Fire: Bonfires are lit, usually around midnight both on beaches and inland. Occasionally, a dummy is placed at the top, representing a witch or the devil. All gather around them and feast mostly on potatoes boiled in their skins and maize or cornbread. When it is relatively safe to jump over the bonfire, it is done three times (although it could also be nine or any odd number) for good luck at the cry of “meigas fora” (witches off!). It is also common to drink Queimada, a potent Galician wine called grappa mixed with sugar, coffee beans and pieces of fruit, which is prepared while chanting an incantation against e vil spirits...

So my blessings for a fertile and joyous summer extend to all of you!

Hello friends,

My friend and webmaster, Paul Verduchi, surprised me via e-mail today in honor of my upcoming birthday with a very timely song about our important connection to Mother Earth. It's called 'No No No' by Archie Roach, an Australian born Aboriginal guitarist/singer/songwriter.

Thank you, Paul!

It goes like this:

No, No, No

Standing on a mountaintop listening to the land.
Make them stop please make them stop this burning in my brain.
People they're just passing by,
They don't understand, they can't hear our mother cry.
No they can't hear her pain

No, No, No

Feel our anger, feel our rage. How much can we take?
We're living in a nuclear age. What the hell for?
You cut our mother, watch her bleed and dig your yellowcake
When everyone has had a feed, you can go and kill some more.

No, No, No

I reach out and look around and tears fill up my eyes...

I try but can't block out the sound of crying in my ears,
So take a walk with me, my friend, you might be surprised.
Before our journey's at an end you might even hear!

No, No, No

I kiss the land, I kiss her cheek and nestle at her breast,
Then I ear my mother speak. She says we're one-you and I.

No, No, No...


Honoring the Plants

If you have ever taken an herbal tincture, sipped an herbal infusion used a plant-based medicinal salve, creme or lotion, you have been the recipient of the Earth's prolific plant bounty and its power to nourish and heal. Have you ever paused to consider and appreciate that each one is the Earth’s gift to you? The healing properties of plants are a wondrous blessing to humans and animals alike. Herbalists worldwide believe that this is indeed a time of strife for our planet. We feel it is important-now more than ever-to be mindful of the fragility of many native plant species and their habitats. Your herbal formula is much more than plant(s) combined with alcohol and/or water or an aromatic scent. It is, in fact a representation of how we as humans are connected to the Earth and how we are dependent on it for our health and well-being. So how can you show your appreciation for the plants that provide so much? One way is not to use herbicides on your lawn or garden. Pull unwanted weeds instead or use an organic alternative. Another way is to allow a small section of your yard or property to grow wild. In winter, use sustainable and non-toxic melting agents on walkways and driveway. Who knows? One day you may find a plant that is part of the very herbal formula you are taking today, ready to sprout up and send off its pollen to another meadow and insure its place as an important thread in the web of life.

Photo above: Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica). See upcoming post for more details on this wonderful gift of nature.

DEEP IMMUNE TONIC TEA BLEND

Here is a Winter time tea blend I introduced at our herb group meeting last night. I thought readers might be interested in trying it. Your thoughts are welcome! It contains Licorice and Cinnamon that are sweet but don't cause a spike in blood sugar. AND each has anti-viral properties as well. Drink throughout the winter months to create and maintain vitality!

DEEP IMMUNE TONIC tea blend
1 part Astragalus c/s
1 part Licorice root c/s
1/2 part 14 mushroom blend from Mushroom Harvest: http://www.mushroomharvest.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=201
1/2 part Elder berries
1/4 part Rhodiola rt c/s
1/4 part Cinnamon chips (or powder if you can't get)
To decoct, add 1 teaspoon of herbs to 1 cup water in a stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat down to simmer for 15 minutes. Drink 1 cup AM and PM from October to April. It's a good idea to make enough to last 2 days in refrigerator.

Now that I'm on a roll...

If you would like to win a Lily's Garden Herbals product sampler, all you need to do is log onto http://eringoodman.com/blog/ and leave a comment. This giveaway begins, today, Friday, October 29, 2010 and runs till Sunday afternoon - Halloween. Good luck!