Review of "Vine.com:" Natural Products for Green Living

A few weeks ago on Facebook, I saw an advertisement obviously geared for someone like me: www.vine.com, which is a "Free Shipping" enterprise which stocks "natural products for green living." Since I hate shopping, I figured this was right up my alley, and downloaded the iPhone App for the store after being prompted about its ease of use on the Mobile Website.

The Test: I put the internal site Search Engine to the ultimate test: did the website have my absolute favorite body scrub? The Giovanni Detox Scrub made of volcanic ash and heated charcoal with Acai and Goji Berries. Which used to be sold at Publix, but has been "sold out" since August.

The Results: Not only did they have the body scrub, but they had the whole Giovanni detox system: volcanic ash body bar as well.

Why this company? Giovanni cosmetics not only donates 5% of all sales to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, but this company uses mild, plant based "eco chic" ingredients and doesn't test on animals. These features are why vine.com selected these products to be on their storefront.

The Quest: I began to search through the other categories of items on the site of companies who meet the Vine's "Green Philosophy;" products that are made from sustainable materials, energy efficient, natural, organic, designed to remove toxins, powered by renewable energy, reusable, water efficient, and more. 

I found an amazing solar powered/hand cranked AM/FM radio in "GEAR & GADGETS" that has a USB plug so you could also charge your cell phone or any other USB port device! Best part? It's only $31! Never mind the "Vine" online coupons that you can find/use for a first time purchase on Retailmenot.com! Perfect for any act of weather/Mother Nature/Emergency scenario!

There are also a variety of solar powered cell phone chargers on the site worth checking out!

Back to Beauty: Because I hate shopping for beauty products in stores, where I'm often overwhelmed by selection, I returned to the Beauty and Healthy and Wellness categories of green products and ended up trying this new skin toner made of natural ingredients such as garden tomatoes by Burt's Bees, and my go-to favorite nighttime Blemish Stick also by Burt's Bees.

What else? I also brought some organic tea by NUMI (one of the most ethical companies in the world) and some essential oils. (Being allergic to most everything else.)

Worth the visit? So between the free two day shipping and first time coupon saved me over $20 on my cart of green products. I will be using this site again soon, especially now that I know they have a great range of Gluten-free products and other organic foods!

Surviving an Apocalypse: Real Estate.

Yahoo had an awesome article today which featured the latest in Zombie-proof Real Estate which was ACTUALLY FOR SALE in America. Highly amusing.


One such house in Florida had its own moat for about $10M:

While yet another had an underground Nuclear Bunker for only $800k:

Although, if it weren't for hurricanes (and money), I'd probably buy this Floridian Island near Marathon  for $12M:

And finally, and perhaps the most ridiculous safe, is the "Jamesburg Earth Station" in California, complete with original satellite, working generators, a helipad and a gym. 

Which one would you pick? See the rest at the article, here,

OR: You can check out my "How to Survive a Supervolcano" Eruption Guide and even my original 

Apocalypse Article: "How to Survive an Ice Age."

"The Modern Survivalist," by Aimee.

So, I should admit that I like to consider the future and possible economic or environmental outcomes, a lot. (I have created an "Apocalypse Betting Book" and survival and gear packing guides for wolf attacks, Supervolcano eruptions and the next Ice Age.  While they were created mostly in jest, they did include real research into the impact of the particular gear needed and provide information to further study survival, even I will admit that my guides fall short in event likelihood or gear investments, I do hope that people will consider how to protect themselves in the event of disaster. The more prepared I am, the safer I feel about the situation.)

Nicole forwarded me a link the other day called www.thesurvivalpodcast.com, (thank you Nicole: for providing me with this apocalypse/survival resource!) where survivalists can join and post and listen to the shows. I for one, don't have a lot of time to listen to podcasts on a daily basis generally, so I prefer written articles and research, but there is a lot of wisdom in this page that I would like to share some of it with you today in a review.

"The Survivalist Podcast: A Review by Aimee Nadow."

The site has some articles by Jack, the founder, who touts his website as "one man's opinion" like I do mine, and includes his general philosophy about the modern survivalist in a way we can all relate to, and  in some way apply to our own lives:

"The survivalist community is often perceived as a bunch of gloom and doom types sitting on a pile of MREs, ammunition and guns in some far out corner of the North West. Of course the survivalist is also typecast as expecting TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it) to occur any day now, in fact he is actually hoping for it. Honestly it is time for this stereotype to die a deserving death. Modern survivalists are many things but very few are actually concerned about the infamous black helicopters or FEMA Camps. Most instead are simply realists who understand that sometimes things do go wrong and it is better to be prepared than to expect someone else to solve your problems. " (Source: Jack's Survival Tenet #1: from thesurvivalpodcast.com. )

He lays out his ten-point philosophy about Survival and how it should apply to us, but to summarize, here are the most encompassing:

"Plan for disaster in the following order of priority – Personal-Localized-Regional-State-National-Global. [This resonated with me the most.] Despite the real possibility of a true economic melt down or catastrophic terrorist attack or some other major global disaster the most probable “disaster” for any individual is personal. Loss of a job, loss of a family member, a fire or localized weather event are the most probable threats to impact any individual. So plan and prepare for those first, then continue to build going forward." (source)

Which makes me think that these should be our survival priorities:


PERSONAL: 
(1) A fire escape plane.
(2) Life insurance. (Will creation).

LOCALIZED:
(3) A hurricane/tornado/brief (1-3 week) disaster plan/kit.
(4) Flood/fire/house & car insurance.

REGIONAL/STATE:
(5) An evacuation plan/destination and emergency funds.

NATIONAL:
(6) Supervolcano eruption plan/gear.
(7) Viral/bacterial plan/gear.
(8) Emergency funds/food/first aid kit/gear.

GLOBAL:
(9) Environmental plan/gear.
(10) Ice Age survival plan/gear.
(11) Insert any other Apocalypse plans/survival gear here.

I guess I'm going to have to read more on the subject. Jack has a list of recommended books here.  I mostly like the Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants, (see left) but I vaguely remember the kid in Into the Wild dying of consuming the wrong (but similar poisonou one from his field guide. I also liked the The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live it. These look like great reads: although, I'm slightly partial to Survival books- ever since I read that first copy of The Worst Case Scenario Handbook... 

"The Supervolcano Survival Plan," by Aimee.

UPDATE: (1/30/2011) SEE VIDEO BELOW:

Due largely in part to the surprising popularity of my article "How to Survive an Ice Age" I have decided to extend this series of Apocalypse Survival Guide articles. Tonight's topic? "How to survive a super-volcano eruption."

As you probably already know, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA, is home to a "Volcanic Caldera" (a volcanic depression where previously magma existed, but after being expelled in the last eruption, has now been filled in with the mountain that was above.) The Yellowstone Caldera extends 34x35 miles into parts of Eastern Idaho and the last time it erupted it covered Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Idaho and Wyoming with lava and three quarters of the rest of our country in ash.

Is there a legitimate reason to be worried about the Yellowstone Caldera Super-volcano? I've done some research on the subject:  "Here's what we know. Back in 1995 satellite images began to show that the Yellowstone Caldera was rising. This was mostly likely due to a backup of molten rock miles below the surface. The good news is that the majority of the caldera sank again in 1997. However, the north rim continued to rise until 2003, and with it several geysers awoke along with holes emitting gas and steam. Once the rise stopped (in 2003) so did the majority of the strange activity."1

So, the chances are slim in the immediate future, but no one wants to make that call, and then be proven wrong. So the best thing we can do is to consider the eruption scenario, and the devastation that might be caused, and try to plan accordingly:

1. There is a possibility that the ash from the eruption could block out the sun's rays and kill a great deal (or all) plant life on our continent or the world. (If this happens please refer to the "Ice Age Survival Guide.")
 2. Anyone within 100km of the volcano would die from the explosion. 
 3. Three quarters (or more) of the U.S. could be under ash. This is bad because ash (super fine rock and mineral particles) are bad for pretty much everything: breathing, cars, electronics, plants, etc... Ash is abrasive to the eyes and can cement together and shut down your airways. (So add goggles and a gas/dust mask to your packing list, in addition to ziplock baggies for your electronics.)
 4. Migrate towards a part of the country that hasn't been covered in ash. This is fun! You can come here to Florida and chill with me.

The Super-Volcano Survival Guide Packing List:
-Gas/dust mask 
-goggles
-hiking boots (your car might break down in ash laden areas)
-maps
 -compass or GPS
-ziplocks for all electronic gear
-back pack
-first aid kit
-cleaning supplies (for gear/body)
-cash (in case the credit card systems are down nationwide)
-radio with batteries
-flashlight with batteries
-Did I miss anything? Comment below.

 Sources:
1. http://www.secretsofsurvival.com/survival/yellowstone_supervolcano.html

"How to Survive an Ice Age." by Aimee.

“How to Survive an Ice Age.” By Aimee.

With 2012 approaching, my slightly comical yet morbid "Apocalyptic Betting Book" is open:

1:2 The next ICE AGE (Greenland or North Pole melt, ocean belts stop, deep freeze in 8 years or less.)
1:3 A Monster Plague. H1-N2 anyone?
1:4 Super volcanoes erupt, blocking out the sun, killing everything.
1:5 Nuclear Holocaust.
1:6 A combination of any of 1-10.
1:7 Mutant/Zombie/Robot Invasion.
1:8 Deep Fried Earth: The Greenhouse Effect.
1:9 Alien Invasion. (I am still shuddering from Signs.)
1:10 A Doomsday Asteriod or Comet. (Sorry Bruce Willis- not this time.)

With the next ICE AGE leading the pack of possibilities: I’ve decided to create a “Packing List” of gear that will help one survive being buried under a mile or so of snow. Firstly, I’m assuming the next ice age will come upon us gradually, over the course of eight or so years, as the ocean conveyor belts shut down much sooner than its counterpart “the Greenhouse effect” can totally deep fry us. I’m going to call the 8-year (or so) period between anything the size of Rhode Island melting and mile-deep our “Grace period.” With eight years to plan, we should get started soon!

1. Base & Outer Clothing: I would recommend the First Ascent brand from Eddie Bauer as this was the first gear to be worn by an American up Mt. Everest (and since that's where we'll be heading for altitude) for base layers, and down layers. There are better "Everest Gear Lists" here... and here...

2. Shelter: It's important to have mobile shelter: so I'd recommend an expedition tent that can be packed easily. Save your pennies, North Face's Expedition Tent costs a cool $5,000.00.

3. Transportation: After perusing an Alaskan blog about the best types of truck for extreme colds, I've narrowed my selection down to trucks, yes, and most likely a F-350 Dually. Since my Aunt and Uncle have one in Austin, TX and it can pull a 10-horse trailer, I'm heading there as soon as I get the word about melting ice in the north pole.

4. Destination: South of the Border? Will it matter? Most of the population will be heading to the equator, so I'd rather head to the upper elevations of the Rockies and make a safe house, with lots of food storage at higher elevations. (2.5 miles above sea level.)

Thoughts?

Jay: Don't forget: vitamins to barter, and birth control, leather working tools.

Sea Colonization...

Saw this awesome article on Dennis Chamberlain, who is starting to colonize the sea with human underwater living habitats in Key Largo! Sign me up!
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