My 10 Re-Commandments
By Zhenya Gershman, Artist, Educator and LuxEco Advocate
1. The true deadly sin is not to make art
2. The only taboo in art is bad art
3....
My Top Ten Thrift Store Finds
By Mary Elizabeth Williams-Villano, LuxEco Editorial Assistant and author of the Resplendent Repurposing series
I found a black leather unisex blazer from the Gap: $20.00 at Goodwill in Van Nuys. Someone recently told me he owns the identical blazer. He paid $300.00 for it. by Mary Elizabeth Williams-Villano, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
Whole Foods Market Recycling Wine Corks
By Alanna Brown, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
Whole Foods Market is a forward-thinking grocery chain that has broken down barriers and paved the way for progress in the green movement. In addition to its organic standards for food and non-food products, and its existing recycling infrastructure, Whole Foods is now starting a wine cork recycling system. The popular grocery franchise will implement this new program at all of its 292 stores across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
WATCH: Food, Glorious Real Food
By Nancy Chuda, co-founder of LuxEcoLiving.com and Healthy Child Healthy World
A divine inspiration. A remarkable event. An outstanding evening. Jim and I were treated to one of the most memorable moments in our lives—at Coleman Farm’s annual dinner. Their mission is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it.
Lotusland in Santa Barbara is one of the best horticultural sites in the world
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor-in-Chief of LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
This week we are taking you on a tour of...
Retaking our Green Wedding Vows at the Hotel Bel-Air
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor-in-Chief of LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
In a historic setting which rekindles Hollywoods Golden but now...
Bell Street Farm Cafe in Los Alamos is one of the Best Organic Restaurants...
Santa Barbara County Los Alamos- Bell Street Farm
LuxEcoLiving photo credits
Mozy into town... you've arrived in Los Alamos where you will discover a three block...
Economic Repercussions From an Eco-Friendly Oil Clean Up?
By: Molly Rovero, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
Skeptics would say that Darryl Carpenter and Otis Goodman of C.W. Roberts in Florida did not thoroughly think their...
Mary Nohr is one of a kind: A mechanic and artist who broke through...
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor-in-Chief of LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
Artist Mary Nohr Courtesy of LuxEcoLiving
"She's got your back...
Hollywood Hair Trend: Ombre Hair
By Sahar Ghaffari, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
There’s a new trend in hair fashion that’s sexy, earthy, and may actually be easier on your pocket book. It’s called ombre, which in French means shaded or graduated in tone. The look involves darker roots which gradually become lighter as you go down the hair; giving a natural, sun-kissed look.
Write a Novel, Lose Weight, Win at Work, and Prevent Disease…With A Lifespan Treadmill...
By Alanna Rosette Brown, a writer/filmmaker, LuxEcoLiving Advocate, and author of Moonpennies. Follow her blog at alannarosette.com
Make a New Years Resolution: Stand-Up and Walk...
In Memory of Colette: Healthy Child Healthy World Celebrates Twenty Green but Golden Years
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor-in-Chief of LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World.
This year Healthy Child Healthy World is celebrating its twentieth...
Right Downstream
By Lush Huxley, Editorial Assistant
Beth Nielsen Chapman is one such songwriter who has succeeded in the competitive field of modern music. You may not have heard of her, but her resume is stacked (as they say). She’s written for the likes of Willie Nelson, Elton John, and Mary Carpenter, and performed with country crooners Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt.
Remember the Faith Hill song “This Kiss?” Yeah, she wrote that too. Beth’s very well respected and established among the songwriting community in Nashville, TN, where she makes her home.
Her story is an unconventional one. In the 70s, Beth was being lauded among record company big shots as one of the songwriting world’s up-and-comers. Around 1979, her song “If I’d Only Known” appeared next to Bob Dylan’s “Slow Train” in the “Singles to Watch” section of industry magazines across the country. However, when her record failed to meet the expectations of the label, the big money people pulled the plug on her publishing deal. Perceiving her musical career as virtually terminated, Chapman entered a new chapter of her life as domesticated mother and housewife. But the songwriting bug stayed with her.
A Manifesto For Change
By Nancy Chuda, Co-Founder of Healthy Child Healthy World and Founder of LuxEco Living
Seth Godin is my hero. His book, Tribes has become my...
Hotel Bristol in Vienna is one of the Best in the World: Part 2
By James and Nancy Chuda founders of LuxEcoLiving and Healthy Child Healthy World
Hotel Bristol Kärntner Ring 1 1010 Vienna, Austria
Discovering the finest Austrian Art at...
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
By Bernadette Bowman, Comedienne and LuxEco Advocate who writes the LIFE GOES RETROGRADE series.
Gosh, I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to write this letter. I...
Parenting for Peace by Marcy Axness, PhD: A Book Review
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor-in Chief of LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World.
It...
The Fess Parker Wine Country Inn and Spa in Los Olivos California is the...
By Nancy and James Chuda founders of LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
Step into paradise. Once you enter the Fess Parker Inn...
Travels with Journey: Hotel Cheval in Paso Robles is a Derby Winner
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor-in-Chief LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
Hotel Cheval celebrates the bold beauty and history of legendary 17th...
New Research Finds 9/11 First Responders at Risk for Persistent Health Problems
Courtesy of Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc, Principal Investigator for Mount Sinai's WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program. Founding and Honorary Board...
Everyone Will Be a High Wire Act In The Future
By Lush Huxley, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
...Or so implies a new technology by Kolelinia lab the brain child of Bulgarian designer Martin Angelov. The lab...
Woman and Food
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.
Amanda Nisenson: Artist’s Journey to “Operatunity”
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.
Cleaning Doesn’t Have to be Toxic
By Jessica Borges, LuxEco Living Editorial Assistant
I recently moved into a new apartment, and with that came a massive scrub down of both old digs and new. My roommates and I spent hours cleaning the old place after moving everything out, but the products we used were hardly eco or health-friendly. When scrubbing the Comet-filled bathroom tub, the smell was so overwhelming that I nearly passed out. While cleaning bathrooms isn’t normally an enjoyable task, it doesn't have to be one that puts people’s health and safety at risk.
Green Lightning. Go, Green Lightning.
Green Lighting
By Lush Huxley, Editorial Assistant LuxEco Living
On a bright and sunny Wednesday in Los Angeles, I am sitting in a pleasant backyard under...
Anna Getty Gives Tips For Enjoying A Green Christmas
The Christmas season is upon us, and people everywhere are gearing up for the holiday. In her book, I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas; Gifts, Decorations, and Recipes That Use Less and Mean More, author and LuxEco Advocate, Anna Getty shares with us her ideas on how to create memorable traditions while taking small steps to reduce our carbon footprints, minimize waste, and creatively use what we already have.
Passing a knife through a melon could make you sick
By Nancy Chuda founder and Editor in Chief of LuxEcoLiving and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World
FDA confirms Listeria outbreak is linked to cantaloupe...
Reviewing “The Tree of Life”
By Nancy Chuda Founder and Editor in Chief of LuxEco Living and Healthy Child Healthy World
Where do we go when we die? How can we find mercy, forgiveness and love?
There is no turning back the clock. Time does not wait for those who are waiting to find answers in their lives. But time does stand still for hours in Malick's fifth feature, The Tree of Life starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn. It premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Palme d'Or before being released in the United States.
"The Tree of Life"A superbly conceived but somewhat stilted family drama rich in Christianity's emotional tapestries and the upheavals and uncertainties of life, reveals Brad Pitt who plays father to three sons, one being Sean Penn, brilliantly portrayed in his youth by Hunter McCracken.
Autism is America’s Fastest Growing Disability for Children
An introduction by Nancy Chuda Founder and Editor-in-Chief of LuxEco Living and co-founder of Healthy Child Healthy World.
In the last two decades, Healthy Child Healthy World has sounded many alarms to awaken parents to the prevailing problems of chemicals in our environment. With an influx of untested chemicals in commerce, coupled by a regulatory system that is stymied by scientific knowledge, the time is now for a complete overhaul of the laws which permit the inhumane testing of chemicals in our air, water and food which affect our most vulnerable citizens. Children are suffering due to these exposures and their health and life expectancy is being altered by an inept system of governance which supplies the demand for agriculture and consumer products without oversight. Years ago, many of us testified in Congress to prevail upon
Amy Dixon Bakes the Very Best at The Baker’s Table
By Nancy and James Chuda founders of LuxEcoLiving and Healthy Child Healthy World
Santa Ynez California breakfast at The Baker's Table 3563 Numancia Street
COME HUNGRY!
You...
Thinking about tying the knot? How to wed or dread the high costs of...
When Jim and I took our vows on October 6th 1984 we had a beautiful wedding. The ceremony and reception were held at the Hotel Bel Air in Los Angeles California.
A Parent’s Right to Know
By Wendy Ross Kaplan a LuxEcoLiving Advocate and contributor
You pack your 12-year old a lunch, go through the last minute parent-love/instruction exercise, hug, wave,...
A Match Made In Green Heaven
By Janine Johnson, Founder of Green Wave and LuxEco Advocate
Where do you start in telling your tale? Typically it’s an introduction, and...
Ethanol and Biomass Synthesis Could Make a New Fuel Standard
The Advent of Lignocellulosic Ethanol is a Biomass Boon
By Derin Richardson, LuxEco Living Editorial Assistant
There are a myriad of alternative fuel breakthroughs that been discovered this century--hydrogen fuel cells, ethanol, biodiesel, etc.--but there is one, recently discovered energy source that you either may not have heard or know little of. Enter leaf biofuel.
As it is scientifically labeled, lignocellulosic ethanol is the progeny of refining biomasses such as wood, grasses and/or any non-edible parts of a plant. It is a potentially sustainable and renewable biofuel, like using vegetable oil to produce biodiesel, however the insubordinate and resillient nature of this biomass make it problematic for industrial applications.
“Haha” Your Way to Better Health
A hearty "Haha" or fit of laughter may just be the key to a happier and healthier life.
By: Kammie Daniels LuxEco Editorial Assistant
A person must smile nearly a quarter of a million times to create one wrinkle. 15 seconds of laughter alone can add two days to your life span. One hearty chuckle burns over three calories. In today’s image and age-conscious society, where children want to grow up, adults want to hit the rewind button, and those in their twenties are considered to be in the "prime of their life", modern research is revealing that laughter is much more than just funny business.











