Patrick Swayze died today at the age of 57 after a 20 month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Maybe you knew him best as the misunderstood dancer Johnny Castle in "Dirty Dancing." Or perhaps your favorite memories of him are from the amazing fight scenes in "Road House." We all have our favorite Swayze moments, and it's with a heavy heart that we say good-bye to the screen icon and one-time "Sexiest Man Alive".

Not only did he have a major impact on cinema, but he was a conservationist as well. While filming "King Solomon's Mines" in South Africa, he was moved by the people and animals in the African bush.

"Out of this experience was born an idea for a global conservation documentary series that is turning huge," Swayze told the LA Times in 2004. "I've got some of the leading paleoanthropological scientists in the world coming on my team, and award-winning wildlife documentarians."

(Photo by Daniel Berehulak, Getty Images)

I know I'm a little late to the No 'Poo Party, but I love -- no really, love -- hair product and styles and rituals. I'm a loyal salon customer, and my bathroom looks like a beauty supply store. So the thought of completely giving up shampoo puts an icy shard of fear in my heart.

Instead of indulging in the rich lather and floral fragrance of store bought shampoo, people are "cleaning" their hair with baking soda. And "conditioning" with apple vinegar. Please say it isn't so!

But loads of people are doing it, and not just the ugly hemp-ghetto girls and dirty hippies. To my amazement, the No 'Poo movement was started by Lorraine Massey, a stylist. The blasphemy! She swears that swearing off shampoo is what helped her curls become the envy of the hair world, and inspired her to write the best-selling Curly Girl, a guide to managing your waves and ringlets.

Muffatees

Shown in the picture, via Green Mom Finds, Muffatees are fingerless gloves that cover the space between the top of your mitten and your jacket sleeve. Intriguing.

Taking the Homeopathic Route for Cold and Flu Season

SafeMama has some favorite products and tips for kids, now that over-the-counter cold medicines carry so many warnings.

Fertility Drugs and Cancer

Crunchy talks about a new study.

Microwave Ovens Singing Jingle Bells

Because you always wanted to see microwave ovens singing Christmas songs, via Effect Measure.

This story about genetically modified tomatoes rang all kinds of alarm bells for me.

English scientists modified tomatoes by adding two snapdragon genes that make them able to express anthocyanin, the pigment that makes blackberries and cranberries -- and now these tomatoes -- purple.

Anthocyanins are also believed to help protect against all kinds of ailments, like cancer and heart disease, and it may reduce inflammation, obesity and diabetes.

Wow, sounds like a naturally occurring wonder drug, and the scientists recommend that we should all eat lots of blackberries and cranberries, right? Wrong.

Rather than get people to change their eating habits, the researchers are trying to enhance the foods that people already eat. Like tomatoes.

The part that really creeped me out is that they tested the efficacy of the genetically modified tomatoes on genetically modified mice. Sure, the mice lived longer, but what does that actually prove? It's all Frankenstein data!

Am I over reacting? Are genetically modfied foods just good science, or a dangerously over-engineered solution to our lazy diets?

FiveHumans is a super stylish message t-shirt company with collections that support some big medical diseases: Autism, Cancer, Asthma, Diabetes, and Heart Disease. Ten percent of the sale of each t-shirt is donated to support a corresponding non-profit organization.

They just announced that their eponymous "FiveHumans" line, which until now hasn't been assigned a specific beneficiary, will support the Starlight Children's Foundation. Through this new partnership, FiveHumans is continuing their commitment to donating as much as possible to non-profit organizations.

Starlight is a wonderful organization that provides support and entertainment to seriously ill children and their families. The programs are a relief from the day to day drugery of dealing with a serious medical condition, and helps the young patients cope with the challenges they're facing.

In the gallery, see some of FiveHumans cool t-shirts, including a special, limited edition pink t-shirt that supports Breast Cancer Awareness.

We're always talking about foods that decrease your risk for cancer but which ones can flat out make you sick? I came across an interesting post today on Care2 listing ten foods that are not only bad for your health but can give you the Big C if all of the variables are met (i.e. genetics, ingested in high enough amounts, etc.) I don't want to panic you (I'm refuse to lose sleep over it as lack of a good nights rest can probably cause cancer too), however, it's definitely food for thought.

Ten foods that can give you cancer:

1. All charred foods -- marshmallows, hot dogs and toast are not to be blackened as they can create heterocyclic aromatic amines.
2. Well-done red meat. Stick with medium or rare -- or just opt for the free-range, organic chicken.
3. Sugar.
4. Heavily salted, smoked or pickled foods can lead to stomach cancer.
   
5. Soda is bad not only because of the sweeteners and additives but also because you could be drinking something much more nutritious in its place.
6. Trans fats.
7. Aspartame - just say "no."
8. "Excess" alcohol -- I don't know how much is too much but I would guess that if you frequently wake up in a place other than your bed or even your house, maybe you should cut back -- or at least switch to red wine.
9. Baked goods as they contain acrylamid which causes cancer in rats when given in large dosages (no baked goods? LA LA LA I can't hear you).
10. Farmed fish -- oh we already knew that they were bad. We are so FAR ahead of the curve.
    

Well, there you have it. Do with this list as you wish. You could do nothing but wait until a new study finds that half these things are actually good for you. That's my plan of action.
[via: Care2]

If you enjoy burning incense, well, you might not want to read this. According to a new study by Dr. Jeppe Friborg at the Statens Serum Institute in Denmark, exposure to burning incense, over long periods of time, raises the risk of developing cancers of the upper respiratory tract. However, burning incense did not increase the overall risk of lung cancer.

This, along with other evidence, is prompting the American Lung Association to add burning incense as a risk factor. According to Dr. Norman Edelman of the association, while it will be added as a risk factor, burning incense does not carry the same risk as smoking two packs a day.

Incense burning produces particulate matter and can contain carcinogens such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons, carbonyls and benzene.

As an alternative for general home fragrance and for aromatherapy with a purpose, check out Young Living Oils essential oils and their diffusers.

Turn your passion into a green business John Ivanko talks about turning your passions into a green business and becoming an "ecopreneur." Some great, inspiring tips here!

Cell phone safety tips Lots of scare going on this past week or two on cell phones and cancer, especially after the head of a cancer research institute issued a warning to his faculty and staff to limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

Here are some tips from Green Living Online on how to use your cell phone safely. I would add, don't drive and talk at the same time.

Etiquette for birthday gifts SafeMama tackles the etiquette of how to ask for birthday presents for your children that don't violate your toy rules, like avoiding plastics and the like. According to SafeMama, if people ask you what your kids want or need for their birthdays, then feel free to offer suggestions, but otherwise, a gift is a gift, so say thank you.

A resurgence of addiction to a certain big box store La Marguerite confronts the fact that there is no escaping our consumerist culture and how it is so easy to get sucked back in, even into an addiction to a certain big box store that she thought she had kicked!

A review of "Not Just a Pretty Face" Green Talk reviews "Not Just a Pretty Face," by Stacy Malkan of The Compact for Safe Cosmetics. The cosmetics industry is not regulated by the FDA and consequently, according to the reviewer, often sounds like the "wild, wild, west." Read the review for more, and the book also. I know it's on my reading list.

PVC is a material that is unfortunately widely found in products that people use every day. Often referred to as vinyl, PVC releases mercury, dioxins and phthalates. Among other problems, these chemicals can cause cancer, reproductive issues, and can harm the immune system.

PVC is often used as a coating, especially for waterproofing, and is therefore found in many plastics. When the consumer unknowingly recycles these items, they can contaminate large batches of recyclable plastics, rendering them useless.

What does this mean for students? We've compiled a list of sneaky sources of PVC that are lurking in the lives of average students.

Mary Kate and her sister Ashley aren't exactly a big hit with environmental types. They're routinely blasted by animal rights groups for their fur-wearing ways -- and in fact, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals went so far as to dedicate an entire website to lampooning of the former Full House fashionistas.

And it gets worse. Now gossip blogs are afire with news that the twins' cosmetics are cancer-causing. The report comes from the Environmental Working Group (who we've posted about before), a consumer advocacy organization dedicated to educating the public about what potentially dangerous substances are in the products they purchase. EWG's Cosmetic Safety Database lists four Olsen fragrances and one body spray as "high hazards," while claiming others present a "moderate hazard" to your health -- mostly because these products contain harmful carcinogens.

Gross.

10 ways to reduce your cancer risk by going green

It's your weekly horoscope with a Green Daily twist! We might not have any idea about winning lottery numbers or when you're gonna meet your true love, but we do know about all things green and are always happy to give advice ... or a good laugh.

Cancer
June 22nd - July 23rd

Holy moly you've got bug problems (or if you don't already you're about to). You'll either wake up one morning this week with an itchy 'mystery bite' (eew) or you'll be eaten alive by mosquitoes on the weekend (okay, so that might be an exaggeration, we do expect you'll survive). Sweep out under your bed, change your sheets, load up on eco-friendly insect repellent, and pray that we're wrong (and the odds are actually pretty good that we are).

It's your weekly horoscope with a Green Daily twist! We might not have any idea about winning lottery numbers or when you're gonna meet your true love, but we do know about all things green and are always happy to give advice ... or a good laugh.

Cancer
June 22nd - July 23rd

Yay! We all survived the 4th of July weekend and didn't blow the country to pieces! Cancers, now it's time to put the hot dogs down and get back to the business of saving the planet -- this week you'll have a chance to seriously influence somebody so make sure you do the right thing (i.e. don't ask them for money) and encourage them to live a greener lifestyle somehow, perhaps by mentioning that this week is National Downshifting Week?

It's your weekly horoscope with a Green Daily twist! We might not have any idea about winning lottery numbers or when you're gonna meet your true love, but we do know about all things green and are always happy to give advice ... or a good laugh.

Cancer
June 23rd - July 22nd

This weekend is the 4th of July, a time to celebrate our nation's independence, and perhaps you should consider celebrating your own personal independence as well. We don't normally encourage people to be rude but this week we think you need some time to yourself -- maybe you should pick an evening, cancel all your plans, and take off to do something just for you.

It's not environmentally friendly to waste perfectly good friends and family members, though, so we also recommend that you come back at some point and celebrate the 4th with those closest to you!

It's your weekly horoscope with a Green Daily twist! We might not have any idea about winning lottery numbers or when you're gonna meet your true love, but we do know about all things green and are always happy to give advice ... or a good laugh.

Cancer
June 22nd - July 23rd

Something is bugging you this week and you have to be strong and resist the urge to treat the stress with "retail therapy" and go shopping for a bunch of useless junk. Instead let us suggest these ways to distract yourself from your problems:

• Relax outdoors in a hammock and waste the day away daydreaming of less troubling times
• Distract yourself with a project and brew your own beer, then drink too much of it and pass out in the hammock instead
• Treat yourself to a day at the spa
• Treat yourself to a day at the brothel (what?)

It's your weekly horoscope with a Green Daily twist! We might not have any idea about winning lottery numbers or when you're gonna meet your true love, but we do know about all things green and are always happy to give advice ... or a good laugh.

Gemini
May 21st - June 21st