EcoHearth - Clean and Green Everyday

Eco-Adventure Travel: Seven Reasons to Never Ride an Elephant

EcoContact@EcoHearth.com (Tonya Kay | Blog Entry) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

So you love elephants. And you want nothing more than to ride on the back of one of these magnificent creatures through the jungles of Thailand, India or Sri Lanka on your next vacation. But did you know that that simple ride (or the purchase of an elephant painting or attending an elephant performance) contributes to the abuse and endangerment of the Asian elephant? No tourists want to think they are harming the species they admire. Before you book that trekking package in Thailand—or anywhere—consider the bigger picture: Read on...

Natural Home Hygiene, Part 1: Environmentally Sound House Cleaning Methods

EcoContact@EcoHearth.com (Tonya Kay | Blog Entry) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

There are certain bacteria and parasites that I want nothing to do with. But since meningitis and malaria are not realistic threats in my personal toilet bowl (despite consumer advertising), I question if sanitizing against them is a necessity. Use of chemical cleaners in the home can be replaced in most cases with a little common sense. Optimizing your home's health does not involve buying a greener cleaning product (or buying any products at all), but rather understanding life's natural hygienic processes. {readmorelink}Read on…{/readmorelink}

A Father's Day Gift for the Dad Who Has Everything

EcoContact@EcoHearth.com (Tonya Kay | Blog Entry) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 05:00:00 +0000

At a certain point, parents have lived so many years on this Earth that there is no possession imaginable they might still need. This is a daughter's authentic, if not childish, perception of her father, at least. Wanting terribly to impress dad with a grand display of Father's Day gifting that says, "You're my favorite dad! (I'm your favorite daughter, too, right?)", visions of a garage full of tools, a basement packed with memorabilia, closets stuffed with clothing, shelves hosting knickknacks-a-plenty ultimately thwart the urge. Maybe, it seems to the daughter, there comes a time when parents just don't need more stuff. {readmorelink}Read on...{/readmorelink}

’No-Hassle Veg’ at the Barbecue

EcoContact@EcoHearth.com (Tonya Kay | Blog Entry) — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:00 +0000

It's a pool party! It's a production party! And it's going to be a barbecue with lots of liquor! As a raw vegan on set, I try to remain no-hassle. Because whining never gets anyone more work, more friends…or better food, I usually arrive on set with bottle after bottle of fresh juice, not expecting catering to cater to me. After more than a quarter century of being vegetarian, though, I'm starting to see an accelerated jump in people embracing my healthy lifestyle—even at the production barbecue pool party with lots of liquor. {readmorelink}Read on…{/readmorelink}

Health, Beauty and Environmental Tips: Backstage at Showtime’s 'Live Nude Comedy'

EcoContact@EcoHearth.com (Tonya Kay | Blog Entry) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 05:00:00 +0000

We were given one rehearsal on-stage—about 10 minutes on the actual set to mark dimensions, lights, camera angles and choreography. That's not much time to add a set of stairs into a dance number. In fact, 10 minutes is not a lot of time to rehearse at all. But we burlesque dancers are used to bringing in a solo act and putting it on within the context of a grand production. We're fast and we work well under pressure.  {readmorelink}Read on…{/readmorelink}

Running Your Car on Waste Vegetable Oil, Part 1: Converting Your Automobile

EcoContact@EcoHearth.com (Tonya Kay | Blog Entry) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Here is a sincere warning that goes out to anyone considering converting a car to run on waste vegetable oil (WVO) as I did: You are about to become a rock star. After only one visit, restaurants will know you by name, auto shops will call their friends to show you off, and people in the parking lot will want pictures with you with greasy hands. Thanks to recent television coverage, WVO is a fashionable topic in American living rooms, and when you arrive at the deli requesting dirty oil, they will act like you are their long-lost cousin and do everything but pinch your cheeks. {readmorelink}Read on…{/readmorelink}

I Sweat Cherry Juice

EcoContact@EcoHearth.com (Tonya Kay | Blog Entry) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Signing autographs in a different time zone each week. Waking early to make small talk on morning radio. Snarling as a dirty, corset-wearing character in front of thousands of shrieking teenagers from a sold-out stage at Madison Square Garden. Sometimes even I think it's play. But it's my job.

I've been dancing professionally for around 20 years. I was stretching splits at age seven. I was tapping time steps under my seat in kindergarten. I was counting crunches in the womb (or at least that's what mom said it felt like). And sometimes even I have to remind myself of the broken rib cartilage, torn hamstrings and transverse fasciae latae insertion tendonitis to remember that professional dance isn't all passion and play. It's a job. And it's a sport. {readmorelink}Read on...{/readmorelink}

Sustainable Wine Review: 2008 Bouchaine Estate Chardonnay

EcoContact@EcoHearth.com (Tonya Kay | Blog Entry) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Oh, lovely life. I return home from a long day at the theatre with one mission: relax and take care of myself before early rehearsal again tomorrow—our first audience is Monday night. This is an intense time in the process. I open my screenless windows at midnight to let the blooming jasmine lurk in. I flop my shoes onto the wood floors and massage my own dancer feet. I am relaxing and taking care of myself the best way I can imagine. Oh, lovely life: This day ends with wine.

Life has gifted me a bottle of 2008 Bouchaine Estate Chardonnay to consider. I surely feel indulgent opening an entire bottle all by my lonesome. What a gift this truly is! I start with an entire glass pour of water, as I always do, and decide to stick to tasting pours, rather than glass pours, which I prefer anyway. I have an exceptionally clean raw vegan diet and find my receptivity heightened, making every sensual experience quite genuine. {readmorelink}Read on…{/readmorelink}

Circus Elephants, Part 1: Seeing With Newly Informed Eyes

EcoContact@EcoHearth.com (Tonya Kay | Blog Entry) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +0000

After the first time I volunteered over in Thailand with those magistrates of evolution, the Asian elephant (specifically with her daughters, their aunties and the oldest bull), I came back home to the United States with newly informed eyes.

Not much had changed here, but things looked very different to me. For one thing, I saw animals in cages everywhere I turned. {readmorelink}Read on...{/readmorelink}

My Personal Eco-Safety Zone and the Greening of Hollywood

EcoContact@EcoHearth.com (Tonya Kay | Blog Entry) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +0000

I'm living the waste-free lifestyle at home. Over time I have reduced my desire for new products, refined my recycling methods, transitioned to human-powered or solar-powered appliances, and experimented with alternative automobile fuels and non-auto transportation. Life is so much simpler now that those systems have become second nature. And there is something deeply satisfying knowing that my two-person household tosses only five gallons of actual garbage per month into a landfill. {readmorelink}Read on…{/readmorelink}