Posted by Sally Malanga on Wed, Jul 28, 2010 @ 03:35 PM
Snap, snap, snap go my clothes hangers. Blue. “No”, Purple. “No”, Peach, “No. I need white, not beige, not white with stripes, white.”
Found it. A 1940’s-inspired white linen shorts and button-down top not touched in 3 years and still perfectly pressed. White linen, a straw hat, Ecco Bella Merlot Lipstick, a few swirls of our natural black mascara and I am good to go on this 90 degree day.
When you are born, your family hangs a sign around your neck that states what you are; then they hand you instructions that tell you what to do about it. If you are like me, you go along with the traditions. Sometimes, I do it because I wish to honor my parents and their parents and theirs….and other times because I like to do it.
I was invited to the annual Friday night Jewish Sabbath worship service on the beach. Wear white, I was told. Meet at the temple in Elberon, New Jersey and we will walk to the beach with our chairs. Afterwards, back at the temple, there will be a barbeque. “You’ll like it” my mother implored, “The Rabbi brings his guitar and sings.” “OK.” I said, “I will leave Ecco Bella early and be there.”
I arrived at the temple at 5:30 p.m. as instructed, just in time to say hello to Rabbi Stanway, who in his white shorts and with guitar hanging around his neck, called out, “Shabbat Shalom.” to me and my husband, Kevin and then marched off down the wide, beautifully landscaped street to the beach with everyone following. 
I went inside the temple to ask about the barbeque. Being 99% vegan, and a Boardmember of Friends of Animals, I do not trust the word, barbeque. I feel sad that my fellow humans have parties that revolve around the prior harm to animals. Once awakened I am certain many people would not want to participate, either.
The kind people inside the temple said, “Don’t worry we have others just like you, and there will be portabello burgers.” “Perfect, I said.” Knowing I would be fed later, I too, marched off down the street to the beach, husband alongside, meeting my parents along the way.
We joined the long stream of people, headed for the beach, and I, feeling the peace and unity of the moment, deeply appreciated having said yes.
As we neared the ocean, turning past lovely, manicured houses nestled side by side like shorebirds at the edge of the embankment, the heat fell away and the wind took over.
The early evening light, transformed the landscape, featuring in turn, humans then sea grass, and ocean and lastly, seagulls, another flock of worshippers at the water's edge.
The Atlantic ocean set a glorious and watery stage for us. The photo below is of my parents, Jack and Max with me in the middle, and as we say at the Jersey Shore, “This is the best time of day.”
Please enjoy the video that I made for you so that you could savor the moment too.
Rabbi Stanway said. “Take a moment to reflect in silence."
No one knows what another prays for, but I’ll share. I prayed in gratitude for my good fortune in having been able to participate in a service rooted in history that took place in the natural beauty of my home state of New Jersey.
Talk to you soon! Sally
Posted by Sally Malanga on Thu, Jul 15, 2010 @ 02:55 PM
I opened up my email to find these photos of natural beauties posing on the beach in Belmar, New Jersey, a place I used to love to visit in the summer. In fact, on some lucky Sundays as a youngster, I would wander into the bathroom where my father was shaving and he would say in his deep voice way above my head, "We're going to Belmar, today." This would unleash pandemonium in our small apartment. My feet would start jumping and I would leap into the air like a Mexican jumping bean and jump, not walk, to tell my sister, Kim, who once notified of the news, would also start jumping all around the apartment in anticipation of going to Belmar. In fact, we never stopped jumping. We even jumped in and out of the waves and sand all day.
Leaving my reverie and getting back to the present; the photos are from my friends at Clean Ocean Action, a group that protects New Jersey's beaches. A lucky person had both a good camera and a good eye that produced these photos.
I looked up Least terns on the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife site and found that they are an endangered species. And I learned this: "Least terns produce several calls, more musical and high pitched than other terns,and described variously as kip, kip, kip or kit-kit-kit, and kid-ick, kid-ick, and also a rasping zr-e-e-e-p. Calls are often given in such rapid succession that two or three birds can sound like a large flock."
Well, not only are they beautiful, they can sing. A talent I do not possess.
Their parenting skills look quite good too. I never attempted to be a mother, but I am an adventerous aunt. My nieces and nephews are still alive after having gone on vacation with me numerous times.
I also admire their bright yellow beaks and jet black heads.... 
as they snuggle into the sand.
Good luck little buddy. You can count on me to do everything in my power to protect and preserve your home and you. After all, I still jump for joy over the natural beauty of all living beings. How about all you natural beauties, will you do the same?
Posted by Sally Malanga on Fri, Jul 09, 2010 @ 02:24 PM
When you take a break from a campaign (the gulf) and business Ecco Bella, you also give the campaign and business, a break from yourself, much to the betterment of both. I took off for the weekend with my parents, husband, joined my aunt and uncle who planned this getaway to the Hudson River Valley. Have you been there?
We stayed at the Castle on the Hudson. The beds had perfect pillows, every brass 
doorknob gleamed, the pool was a glimmering jewel set amongst natural gardens, and the staff superb. At breakfast, as I was reading out loud, an article about the Old Growth Forest campaign (it never ends!) to my companions, our waiter stood to the side politely, until I finished. Usually waitstaff rush in to take orders during jokes, stories, probably even marriage proposals.
Cold Spring was where we ate dinner. Riverview Restaurant
had lots of vegetarian choices.
I am so glad great estates like Boscobel were preserved. 
In the evening, outdoors on a great lawn, with the wetlands of the Hudson River and West Point in the background I experienced the most bubbling Shakespeare ever! Set to the music of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, with actors in candy colored sixties costumes--it was Taming of the Shrew in it's most hilarious and brilliant interpretation. In my exuberant childhoold, I danced to Herb Alpert all around my house for hours.
And my father said to me, " Do you remember my taking you to St. John Terrell Music Circus to see My Fair Lady, in Lambertville, NJ. ?" "Yes." "You were three years old."
During the day we visited the John Jay Homestead and gardens. Historic Preservation is a great way for towns to make money on upscale, intelligent tourism!
Brunch was at the Sweetgrass Grill in Tarrytown. I always enjoy regal local produce, which is their speciality. Then off to listen to music at Caramoor. I did what I was told, and was given tickets to Tiempo Libre a Cuban jazz group who loves J.S. Bach and the United States of America. 
I admired this perfectly designed urn, at Caramoor's luxurious gardens, and thought you would too. 
Just before we came home we stopped at Sunnyside, 
Washington Irving's home. He was the kind of uncle you'd love, because he allowed his five nieces to move in with him forever!
I hope you go!
Posted by Sally Malanga on Sat, Jun 26, 2010 @ 12:28 PM
Through July 22nd we will donate 30 percent of our internet-based revenue towards cleanup of the Gulf.
T
hrough my research, I have learned of proposals to collect the Gulf oil spill from underneath and on the water’s surface with readily available oil tankers, the method used to clean the far larger Saudi Aramco spill in 1993. In fact this week, we contacted Nick Pozzi, the engineeer in charge of that clean-up.
He is still waiting for permission from the US Coast Guard to launch his large ships. Meanwhile he is training small shrimp boats to collect the oil.
The Coast Guard is instead focusing on dispersants, burning, booms and surface skimming, with poor results. Although Coast Guard Admiral Allen stated on June 10 that the area near the Deepwater well is too crowded with vessels to allow the use of tankers, he did not address the collection of oil elsewhere in the Gulf.
In parallel with the Gift with Purchase program, we urge citizens to contact their elected officials and demand that the Coast Guard contract large ships for the Gulf oil spill clean up.
We’ll tighten our belt to help get tankers into the Gulf. That’s why I call it the world’s largest gift with purchase, ever. Each one of us must take that sledgehammer and chip away at the senseless bureaucracy that's denying help to the Gulf.
Posted by Sally Malanga on Sun, Jun 13, 2010 @ 07:50 PM
As an environmentalist and Board member of Friends of Animals and Founder of a national natural beauty company I have a lot of questions for President Obama and Admiral of the Coast Guard Thad Allen. ” Why is BP still managing a failed clean up? BP has just increased the number of vessels from 1900 to 3100, why are there not 10,000? And if they are indeed skimming oil, why is so much still in the water? But the biggest question of all is, where are the super tankers? Through my own research, I discovered that there are indeed super tankers available. From a company called Renergie, Inc.
Recently an alternative energy company Renergie, Inc. (325-328-7469) submitted unsolicited proposals to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), the Governor of Louisiana, and the USCG for the purpose of: (a) collecting the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico with three Panamax crude tankers; (b) separating the oil and water onboard the tankers; and (c) transporting the separated crude oil to a shoreside facility. The three tankers employed by Renergie, Inc. would be capable of collecting 1,419,000 barrels of the BP oil spill; and, via a series of onboard skid-mounted three-stage oil/water separators, be able to separate a combined total of 432,000 barrels/day of the BP oil spill.
The cost? $30,000 per ship per day.
To date, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) has not responded.
The Office of the Governor of Louisiana forwarded Renergie’s proposal to BP and the USCG for their review.
The USCG response, sent via three emails, stated, “The Coast Guard is not currently hiring contractors. BP, the responsible party, continues to handle all contracting requirements.” and “Unfortunately, the Coast Guard does not currently have a mission and is not hiring contractors. However, if BP requests names, I will recommend and forward your company.” As the BP oil spill continues to wash ashore in Louisiana, USCG further explained, “I am the POC for unsolicited proposals for the Coast Guard. A valid unsolicited proposal must be an innovative and unique product or service that is not commercially available to the Government. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.603 provides the specific criteria that must be met before an unsolicited proposal can be submitted. It appears that your product better fits the description of a commercial item offer, which is therefore not suitable for submission as an unsolicited proposal. We appreciate your interest in U.S. Coast Guard requirements.”
The CEO of Renergie, Brian Donovan, stated, “I want to know what it will take to cut the red tape and deliver the supertankers into the area? The oil is poisoning the ocean, but it can be skimmed off the surface and from under the surface and hauled away. It is do-able engineering and can be accomplished. The ships are available now.”
For Thad Allen’s response to Super Tankers: The brush off.
Brian J. Donovan is an attorney and marine engineer with over thirty-four years of international business experience.
Mr. Donovan, a member of The Florida Bar, The U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida and The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, holds a J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law (where he was recipient of the “Global Law & Practice Award” as the outstanding graduate in the areas of International Law and International Business Law) and a B.S., with honors, in Marine/Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
Posted by Sally Malanga on Fri, Jun 11, 2010 @ 03:30 PM
In his seminal work A Geography of Human Life (1903), Tsunesaburo Makiguchi a Buddhist educator and founder of the modern buddhist organization, The SGI remarked that "...every aspect of the entire universe can be found in the small, limited area of one's home community. But we have to be sensitive to these untold riches all around us, and we must learn how to be effective observers."
After moving into my home in 1997, I did what John Muir the founder of the Sierra Club did. I jumped over my back fence to explore what was beyond my house. I soon realized that I was in a place with very large trees.
It was peaceful and inspiring. I followed a path until I came upon a bulldozer and a large pile of fill.
Alarmed, I made some calls and was referred to Bruce Kershner, the author of the Sierra Club Guide to Ancient Forests [PDF].
He drove from Buffalo, New York to survey the site, and fell in love. Here was a hidden gem, sure enough, an old growth forest, that no one knew existed until Bruce surveyed it.
There are an amazing 33 species of trees with 50 designated urban old growth from 150-250 years old. Some are taller than 99% of the trees in New Jersey.
The site was formerly owned by the Governor of NJ and Civil War General, George McClellan and it was undisturbed until now.
Unfortunately Se
ton Hall Prep School purchased the property in 1994, and intends to clearcut 1400 trees for athletic fields.
My husband, Kevin, an attorney and I decided we would do whatever it takes to save this forest.
We lined up a land use attorney, a public planner, an environmental consultant, a storm water expert along with an historian. We challenged them at the town Zoning Board.
Some hearings had relatively few people, then gradually more and more came.
We began alone in this effort to save a shred of our environment in our own town and now we expect to turn it into a worldwide issue. The planet needs all trees standing!
Even though I never put my natural beauty company on hold, I became more and more, a steady activist on the side. Speaking up sometimes made me nervous, sometimes I would wish the problem would go away on its own, which it rarely did.
I discovered that avoiding a problem made me feel worse than the feeling that I might look foolish when standing up for what I believed in. So I honed my skills as an activist. It’s worth it!
Trees cannot run away and animals cannot call 911. So we must never look away when they need us. While a tree is alive, it is silent, but when it dies unfairly, with its death, also dies a piece of us.
Until next time, call me a tree-hugger! How about you?
Posted by Sally Malanga on Fri, Jun 11, 2010 @ 03:28 PM
Parabens and the Murdered Gulf
As a business woman running a national natural and organic cosmetics company with a mission to do good, I am struck by the similarity between the riddance of parabens and the gulf oil disaster. When parabens as a preservative in cosmetics were suspected of causing harm, you as consumers called, wrote letters and stopped buying until businesses responded by replacing them. You’ll be glad to know that Ecco Bella had long ago made our natural beauty products primarily preservative-free. Now once again, we consumers must use our combined power to compel elected officials to act to fix the murdered Gulf of Mexico.
Mobilizing against government paralysis
Unfortunately we’ve seen this kind of inaction too many times. In the previous administration it seemed like government policy. And even today there still persists a glacial speed to disaster management. Fortunately, there is action afoot by our noble citizens!
The people of Louisiana have organized and I highly recommend joining up at these two websites:
Murdered Gulf: Stop the BP Oil Flood now!
BP Oil Flood Protest
Seize BP
I emailed Lisa Jackson, Head of the EPA at jackson.lisap@epa.gov. to complain about the use of Corexit to disperse the oil. More pollution is not an acceptable solution.
We need every able bodied person in boats and ships on top of the spill on the high seas collecting that oil in hair booms and every way possible. Take a look at this wonderful and simple solution.
Pioneering green for environmental beauty
My outcry against the government is meant to be a strong statement about accountability and responsibility. I want to help fix what’s broken about the entire scene by rallying with you to the cause. Oil production should not be a priority over our food supply and the lives of all the animals and the tourism that earns so much more. Oil as a fuel supply is temporary and replaceable, all else is not. Similarly, this basic truth has been the inspiration behind Ecco Bella. I started the company in 1992 out of protest to the testing of animals for cosmetics. My mission is to use my knowledge and passion for you by keeping my "activist eyes" on every aspect of Ecco Bella and the world around us. What’s more, I am convinced that with your help, our country can conserve and innovate ourselves out of this self-destructive dependence on oil.
Activist 101
I started by buying a car so small it literally sips gas. I also signed up for clean energy. For me it’s Atlantic City Wind Power for now, until there is a better choice. You can look here for your state.
You know we have amazing beaches in New Jersey and if our federal government attempts to sell them to the oil industry, I will demand that my congress people and senators oppose it. How about you? How much gunk has to be poured on us before we say enough?
Here’s a real activist thought. Act like oil is coming out of your faucets. Go to http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml to tell them, every day, to stop poisoning our planet. Just like you did with the parabens.