Since 1921 Weleda Magazine F R E E C O U P O N S I N S I D E • I ssue 12 • su m m er / F a l l 2 0 1 3 PURE Beauty Time Well spent y little girl, Bailey, has always loved taking a bath. Even now as a toddler, on the crankiest of days when nothing seems to make her happy, she is all smiles, giggles and kicks when we put her in the tub. Even though she loves bath time, sometimes for me it can feel like another to-do on a very long daily list. The article on page 32 by Shannon Honeybloom, a Waldorf teacher and author of Making a Family Home, reminded me of the importance of enjoying bath time instead of looking at it as just another chore. At the end of a busy day, bath time can be an opportunity for togetherness, tenderness and joy, a time to symbolically wash the day away and get ready for sleep. I’ve been inspired to try to spend a little extra time gently massaging Bailey’s head, rinsing her with the warm water, tickling her in her towel and tenderly applying her Weleda Baby Calendula Lotion. I know it’s time well spent for her, and me too. Cherishing “bath time” as “together time” is a piece of advice I would gladly share with other new moms out there. In this issue, we’ve reached out to six amazing women and asked them to share the best baby care advice they ever received from others. As a full-time working mom, I often ask myself, Am I doing it right? I found the advice these women shared incredibly honest, meaningful, and powerful. Every now and then it’s helpful to be reminded about what’s most important, and really all that matters, is that your baby is loved, cared for and feels secure. There is no one right way to be a mom. I hope you enjoy this issue of Weleda Magazine. Don’t forget to clip the coupons in the back to save on your favorite Weleda products. M Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 Carrie Ruehlman Share and Win! We invite you to share your best baby care advice with us on our blog for a chance to win a gift basket full of Weleda products for your whole family. Just visit us at usa.weleda.com/BabyTipContest and leave your tip. Three winners will be randomly selected at the end of September and notified by email. 2 W ele da M AGA ZINE Weleda Magazine ingredients AT WOR K W ITH T HE WO RL D Cove r F EATURE 18 Get Real 4 Planting for the Future BIODYNAMIC S® S PA - I F I C ATIO N 24 Miracles of Nature 8 Q&A with Romy Soleimani We e C are RETAILER S P OTL IG HT 28 Sharing the Wisdom 11 Kootenay Co-op, British Columbia of Mothers F EAT U RE AU NATUREL 12 A Farm Grows in Brooklyn 32 The Wonder of the Bath Weleda Magazine Summer–Fall 2013 Issue 12 (published since 2007) Published by Weleda North America: 1 Bridge Street, Suite 42 Irvington, NY 10533 Editorial Contributors Gloria Dawson, Shannon Honeybloom, Michael Leuenberger, Nanci McArdle, Connie Montalvo, Dena Moskowitz, Carrie Ruehlman, Erdmann Wingert Photo Contributors Matthew Benson, 12, 17. Gloria Dawson, 15, 16. Adam Golfer, 14. Porter Harvey, 9. Tillmann Franzen, 24-25. Kootenay Co-op, 11. Justin Meshberg, 8. Giulio Rustichelli (Benetton S13 Campaign), 9. Thomas Whiteside (Jessica Biel), 9. Weleda Magazine is a free yearly publication Weleda Magazine Editor in Chief Carrie Ruehlman for Weleda North America Tel: 1.800.241.1030 Fax: 1.800.280.4899 usa.weleda.com; weleda.ca [email protected] Art Direction/Design Michael Kelly Designs [email protected], www.mlkelly.com Reprinting of articles is not permitted without permission Printing Allied Printing Services, Inc., an EPA green power partner Biodynamic® is a registered certification mark of the Demeter Association, Inc. Subscribe Online! Go to usa.weleda.com/signup to sign up for the digital version. W ele da M aga zine 3 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 At W o r k w i t h the World Planting for t he F uture » Weleda’s Sustainable Sandalwood Project in Sri Lanka » Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 n the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, 5,000 feet above sea level, tiny, delicate sandalwood seedlings begin to sprout inside a plant nursery. Mr. Kula, the bearded gardener who owns the nursery, gently runs his hands over the leaves of the young plants. If all goes well, they will be large and strong enough for harvesting in 20 years. The seedlings are a sandalwood variety known as Santalum album. It grows naturally in Sri Lanka and India and is a high-quality variety that Weleda uses in its Sea Buckthorn and Pomegranate products. Sandalwood oil is extremely valuable; there is a huge demand and limited supply. In India, the trade is subject to strict legal regulation, and all sandalwood trees are the property of the government. As a result, an illegal sandalwood trade has popped up there, making a transparent supply nearly impossible to come by. This is why Weleda traveled to Sri Lanka to find partners for the sustainable cultivation of sandalwood. In 2009, when Weleda’s project partner in Sri Lanka, Kumar Devi, first asked Kula whether he would be able I 4 W ele da M AGA ZINE watches the proceedings carefully. The 25-year-old and his father, Ramasamy, are delighted to be starting something new together on their long-overgrown family land. “Until the 1950s, 130 tea pickers used to work on around 500 acres of our land,” says Kulatungam. “When the tea and rubber plantations were nationalized in 1972, we lost three-quarters of our land in one fell swoop,” says his father. Although parts of this process were reversed in 1978, the business settled into a deep slumber that lasted decades. An inquiry from Kumar Devi in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo finally breathed life back into the business. Devi, who supplies Weleda with around 80 gallons of sandalwood oil per year from his own production operations, put Kulatungam and his father in touch with Bas Schneiders, former head of strategic sourcing at Weleda. In the next 10 years, Kulatungam will harvest the 500 or so sandalwood trees that grow naturally on his 100-acre farm for Weleda, while an additional 125 trees per acre will be replanted in the project’s initial phase. Depending on how well the young plants thrive, this will result in a sustainable harvest method in just a few years’ time. INDIA Laccadive Sea SRI LANKA Colombo MALDIVES Indian Ocean to cultivate a few thousand seedlings for a special reforestation program, Kula doubted whether the idea would succeed. To his knowledge, sandalwood had never before been planted in Sri Lanka on a large scale. Kula experimented with various types of earth, compost and cultivation methods until he found a suitable solution that mimicked sandalwood’s ideal habitat. Even today, more than half of the young plants do not survive the first few months. Despite the continued challenges, this is still a success in the eyes of the dedicated gardener, since barely a tenth of the seeds germinated during the first year. After his initial scepticism, Kula has now been completely won over by the seedlings in his care. The Old Tea Plantation About 12 miles away from Kula’s tree nursery, there is a tea plantation overgrown by vegetation. Nothing but the rhythmic, metallic sound of chopping rings out across the fields. A team of 15 farmers from the nearby village slowly work their way up the steep sides of the plantation, clearing space in the overgrown fields where Kula’s sandalwood seedlings will be planted. The workers unearth thousands of tea bushes more than 100 years old. Young sandalwood trees are also uncovered. Some are barely three-feet tall, while others stand at an impressive 16 feet and are a good 10 years old. Agricultural engineer Rajiv Kulatungam W ele da M aga zine A worker on Kulatungam's former tea plantation prepares the ground for sandalwood seedlings. 5 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 W h at ’ s S o S p e c i a l About S a n d a lwoo d ? Weleda uses 16,000 ounces a year of sandalwood oil, an important base fragrance for natural essential oil mixtures. With its characteristic velvety, warm and woody notes, precious sandalwood oil is used in Weleda's Pomegranate and Sea Buckthorn products. As well as having an inspirational fragrance, sandalwood oil supports the skin's natural balance and self-regulating capabilities. Between 2011 and 2014, 2,500 seedlings will be planted each year in open fields. Kulatungam hopes to turn the former tea farm into a hub of biodiversity, with cinnamon trees and vegetables growing alongside sandalwood. He also plans to open an educational center where locals can learn about organic agriculture. It will still be a few years before the first drops of oil from the reforestation project managed by Weleda, Kulatungam and Devi can be captured in glass bottles, but Devi is convinced that this patience will pay off — there is no alternative. “Without constant development work and the cultivation of sandalwood trees, there would be hardly any sandalwood oil produced in Sri Lanka 30 or 40 years from now. This partnership came at just the right time. I hope that others will follow our lead and that the project will inspire them to adopt a sustainable approach to producing this precious natural substance.” Michael Leuenberger The Distillery T he sandalwood distillery, on the outskirts of the capital of Colombo, is a six-hour drive from Kulatungam’s plantation. At dusk the gray building looks nondescript; no name or number hints as to what lies inside its walls. Inside the unadorned factory buildings, Devi explains the method for extracting sandalwood oil, which is simple in theory but in practice can only be achieved with a great deal of knowledge and experience. “During the two-to-three-day distillation process, we extract about 30 ounces of essential oil from 200 pounds of wood,” says Devi. Security levels are high here — the precious pale yellow liquid drips into a sealed conical glass jar, which can only be accessed by one employee. Rubbing a couple of drops of sandalwood oil into the skin reveals why this distinctive and delicate scent has been valued for centuries in the East. The balmy wood aroma, reminiscent of cedar, emits a calming sensation that wraps you in warmth and comfort. Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 A 20-year-old sandalwood tree in the mountains of Sri Lanka is ready to be harvested. 6 W ele da M AGA ZINE Since 1921 Trust your intuition and Mother Nature. Look for our updated and improved Calendula Baby Care products with even more organic content. Available this fall. In harmony with nature and the human being usa.weleda.com S pa - i f i c at i o n A Q&A with Makeup Artist Ro my Soleimani » What do you love most about natural products? Romy: I love the way natural products omy Soleimani knows a thing or two about beauty. As an editorial makeup artist, her work has appeared in magazines like Vogue, Elle and Allure, to name a few. Her gifted creativity has been seen on the runways of Jason Wu and Kate Spade, as well as in ad campaigns for Tory Burch, Elie Tahari and more. Beauty editors regularly seek her out for tips and tricks; she’s even a beauty director at large at Beauty.com and a makeup artist for such celebrities as Rachel McAdams, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Kerry Washington. You might not guess it based on her mainstream prof ile, but Soleimani is a big fan of natural beauty products, including Weleda’s. When she’s working, she often uses them to create her signature trademark: glowing, healthy skin — the perfect canvas for makeup. We sought out this natural beauty to discover exactly why she loves Weleda’s eco-friendly products and her tips for creating a radiant complexion. Read on to find out what she had to say. Carrie Ruehlman R Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 smell and feel, and the way they absorb into the skin instead of just laying on top of it. Natural products make me feel like I’m putting something safe on the skin, and models and clients really appreciate that. They are always so happy with the fresh, non-chemical smells that make you feel good! » What are your top-three backstage beauty secrets? Romy: My top-three backstage beauty secrets are 1) Always start with a fresh, clean, well-moisturized face; 2) Combine your foundation with a natural moisturizer to make the coverage look more natural and less makeup-y; 3) When it comes to makeup, less is more. There are amazing natural skin-care products like Weleda’s that 8 W ele da M AGA ZINE Left: Romy Soleimani, a natural beauty herself, is a big fan of natural beauty products; Below and right: Examples of Soleimani's work can be seen here in an ad campaign for Benetton and an Elle magazine cover of Jessica Biel; Below right: Soleimani creates a look for fashion brand VPL's fashion show. can help bring a glow and life to the skin. Healthy skin needs less makeup. » Which Weleda products are your favorites? Ro my: Skin Food is my number- one favorite product from Weleda. It’s always in my kit wherever I go. I also now love the new Pomegranate Regenerating Body Lotion. It smells incredible. I always use Weleda Calendula Baby Care products on my daughter. When I was pregnant, Stretch Mark Massage Oil saved me from any stretch marks and the scent was so pleasant. The Citrus Deodorant is the freshest out there and the Body Oils are a skin saver in the winter and after-sun. » How do you use Weleda products on your clients? Romy: I like to use Skin Food not only on dry hands but also on areas of the face and even the lips. On photo shoots, I like to use it alone for a dewy look as a highlighter on the cheek bones. You can use it at home to do this. Sometimes I combine it with a shimmery highlighter for a high-beam glossy highlight that really pops in photographs. I also add a little to the collarbone and shoulders for an extra glow. It’s very pretty and feminine. I can’t tell you how many tubes of Skin Food I have given away on set. Skin Food is an all-around miracle cream! » How did you discover Weleda? Romy: I discovered Weleda when I was living in Europe a few years ago. It was available at most pharmacies there. I’m an online shopper, so now I buy it at Drugstore.com. W ele da M aga zine 9 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 Since 1921 Arnica massage oil and massages: A perfect match for 90 years. Our Arnica Massage Oil has been soothing and relieving aching muscles for 90 years — in a 100% certified-natural way. In harmony with nature and the human being usa.weleda.com R e ta i l e r S p o t l i g h t Kootenay Co-op, Nelson, British Columbia | kootenay.coop estled in t he beautiful Selkirk No newcomer to healthy, holistic living, Mountains, in southeast ern Kootenay was originally established in British Columbia, Nelson is 1975 to support and promote the health of a community that proudly maintains its local families. Today, it’s easy to be bowled “small-town” feel. With 350 restored build- over by the knowledgeable employees and ings leftover from the town’s silver rush of friendly service. Carver says they offer the 1890s, this area is known for its scenic cooking classes, workshops and events to setting, surplus of organic gardens and educate the community, get kids involved friendly locals. It’s also home to and ensure the welfare of their Kootenay is a much-loved community co-op neighbors. “It’s inspiring to no newcomer called Kootenay. see our members learn how to O w n e d a n d o p e r a t e d b y support their own health and to healthy, friends, neighbors and family, holistic living. wellness and get great results,” Kootenay carries an array of highsays Carver. quality organic, fair trade and local products. Weleda products are a staple on Koote“People in Nelson and the surrounding area nay’s shelves, according to Carver. Their take pleasure and pride in their community. customers let them know when Skin Food They are committed to environmental con- is running low. “We love Weleda’s clean, cerns and enthusiastic about natural living,” all-natural ingredients and commitment says Jocelyn Carver, marketing and outreach to a supply chain with integrity,” she says. manager. “For a town of 10,000 to have a “Weleda is not afraid to be beautiful as well natural foods co-op with 12,000 members is as effective!” Connie Montalvo pretty incredible. We have many members Above: Kootenay’s Myriam Zbinden-Laplante at the Weleda demo table. from the surrounding community, too.” N W ele da M aga zine 11 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 A FA R M Grows in B rooklyn E a g l e S t r e e t F a r m Ta k e s G a r d e n i n g to N e w H e i g h t s Annie Novak was used to the hard work of farming. She was used to toiling away among the rows of produce in the early morning hours, before the rest of the world awoke. But farming with a city view is something different. Farming in wide, expansive fields with fresh air and nothing but crops as far as the eye can see feels like “being on a boat in the middle of the ocean,” says Novak. But these days, she focuses her energy, time and hard work on a smaller space. She’s made a farming oasis high above the hustle and bustle of Brooklyn with her very own rooftop farm. W ele da M aga zine 13 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 For Annie Novak, the most exciting farming she's ever done happens to be in ... Brooklyn. After years of agriculture work and training in more than nine countries, including work with West African chocolate farmers, Novak co-founded the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, in 2009. Although she misses the fresh, clean air and wide open space, she calls urban farming “some of the most exciting farming I’ve ever done.” With her long, dirty-blonde locks, Novak was named “Cutest Organic Farmer” by the online magazine Huffington Post a few Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 years back. But looks are the last thing on her mind when she’s tending to her 6,000-square-foot elevated garden full of organic vegetables, which sits on the roof of a warehouse near the shoreline of the East River separating Brooklyn from Manhattan. Novak, along with other farm staffers and local volunteers, labors away cultivating hot peppers, spinach, radishes, kale and other produce on a patch of earth that, on its surface, isn’t much different than any other farm. But when the 14 W ele da M AGA ZINE farmers at Eagle Street look up, it’s the sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline that greet them. T he spectacle of the Chrysler building sits just beyond the sight of their crops. City and country life combine here, and some say it’s the best of both worlds. of rainwater. The rainwater helps the crops, of course, but also assists in cooling the warehouse down below, which is home to Broadway Stages, a sound stage company. After the green roof base was installed, a mixture of compost, rock particulates and shale was brought in by crane. Although urban and rooftop farming feel like modern phenomena, Novak says that New Yorkers have been putting plants on their roofs for decades. “Urban farms have been documented here since the First World War,” she says. Those gardens were called Victory Gardens back then. Sarah C. Rich, a California-based writer and the author of the book Urban Farms, calls Victory Gardens “the greatest historical examples of people growing their own food.” At the time, these gardens helped with the war effort and reduced the pressure on the food supply, but they also helped everyday people feel empowered, something that is echoed in today’s urban farm movement. The goal of the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm is a little different than gardens of the past. “What I noticed, and what I find interesting,” says Novak, “was that gardening movements have historically been about supplying food when people don’t have access to it. Today, it’s not that they necessarily lack for food, it’s that It Ta ke s a C i ty A dedicated environmentalist, Novak often found that people’s eyes would glaze over when she spoke of environmental issues. But when she was working at farmers’ markets in New York City, she realized that food was a popular topic. Many people were curious and concerned about where their food came from, so Novak thought that by getting involved in food and farming, she might be able to broaden the conversation and others’ concerns for additional environmental issues. “A lot of the folks that came and shopped with us were starting to ask intelligent questions about the way the food was grown and where it was grown,” she says. “They were starting to ask questions like you would ask if you were a farmer.” Maybe these city folk wanted a way to connect with the land, she thought. The seeds for her rooftop farm were sown. She quickly realized that starting a rooftop farm the size of Eagle Street requires a great deal more than adding soil and hoping the rafters hold. Eagle Street staff worked with Goode Greene, a green roof design and installation firm, to create the base for the farm, which included separation fabrics and drainage mats. The green roof can hold more than an inch and a half Page 12: A bird’s-eye view of the western half of the organic farm Brooklyn Grange in Queens, NY. Above, left: At Eagle Street farm, vegetables grow on the roof of a warehouse, soon to be sold at farmers’ markets and to restaurants around New York City. Right: An urban dweller takes a little piece of nature home in a bicycle. W ele da M aga zine 15 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 Below: Even a windowsill container garden can help an urban dweller reconnect with nature. Growing Power is situated in an area of Milwaukee considered a food desert — an area with little or no access to fresh food. Allen has implemented impressive farming techniques at Growing Power, including hydroponic farming, fish farming, and multilayers of growing systems that save space and are often looked to as the future of urban farming. F inding Your Own Farming Oasis You don’t need to start your own multifaceted farming system to get in on the urban farming movement. “It’s hard to find a city these days that doesn’t have one community garden, if not more,” says Rich. “There are ways to plug into existing projects.” You can also start small projects in your own backyard, rooftop or windowsill. Rich started a container garden while working on her book and found the experience of growing leafy greens “thrilling.” If you’re new to gardening and farming, sprouts and leafy greens are a great way to start, says Novak. “It’s easier than you think,” she adds. “If you’ve ever walked down a city street and seen the number of weeds pushing their way up through the concrete, [then you’ve seen] the sheer tenacity of plants.” If you plan on going beyond a small container or windowsill garden, Novak reminds would-be farmers to have your space inspected. Rooftops need to hold the weight of the farm, and ground-level gardeners need to think about soil safety. However you plan to do your urban planting, remember: “Plants have survived for millions of years,” says Novak. “So as long as you’re providing the basic things they need, you really cannot fail, and if you do, the great thing about agriculture is that every season you get a new chance to try again and improve your skills.” Gloria Dawson they want that sense of empowerment and knowledge that comes from urban farming.” T h e F u n ct i o n of a Fa r m Urban farms come in all shapes and sizes, with different schemes for making it all work. Like Eagle Street, some farms exist to produce food for restaurants or farmers’ markets. Other farms focus on education and community initiatives; Eagle Street also runs programs in this vein. Whether the goal is to feed the mind, the body, or a bit of both, “I don’t think that in any way negates their usefulness in cities,” says Rich. In Rich’s book she travels to dozens of urban farms, from Brooklyn Grange, another New York City-based rooftop farm, to Ghost Town Farm, a ground-level homestead among the often-turbulent streets of Oakland, California. Rich won’t pin point an exact location where she believes the modern movement began, but she says it’s far from a fleeting trend, and it’s not something that only happens in Brooklyn or on the West Coast. Rich points to Will Allen’s farm, Growing Power, as a role model for the modern movement. His farm was founded in Wisconsin, far from New York and California. Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 16 W ele da M AGA ZINE City Farm, in the shadow of Chicago’s iconic Hancock Tower, turned vacant land into farm land. W ele da M aga zine 17 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 get Real Swap your conventional skin-care products for natural alternatives that are safe — and effective. It’s the time of year to draw back your curtains, throw open the windows, let the fresh air in and get out the mop for the annual spring clean we all know so well. After you’re finished fluffing the pillows and sweeping under the sofa, don’t forget to clean out your beauty cabinet. Make sure it’s healthy for you and your family — meaning free of conventional skin-care products that contain potentially toxic chemical ingredients. Mounting evidence shows that many of these substances, including triclosan, phthalates and parabens, can alter our bodies’ healthy functioning and seep into the environment. Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 18 W ele da M AGA ZINE It’s the potential long-term effects of repeated exposure to these chemicals that are so concerning. Every morning, tens of millions of women apply 12 to 20 products to their skin, according to the Personal Care Product Council. The average American adult is exposed to more than 100 distinct chemicals every day through these very products. Given this volume, we have to at least wonder where these chemicals are going and what they are doing to our environment and us. Weleda has been making plant-based, natural products since the 1920s — before the proliferation of manmade chemicals and back when the wonders of the world came from nature. Our founders, Dr. Rudolf Steiner and Dr. Ita Wegman, knew long ago that beauty and health come from pure, direct-from-nature vitamins and minerals. They took the time to note how plants reacted naturally to their environment and correlated those findings to how your skin and body could benefit from their use. This is a much different approach than forcing an ingredient to do what you want in a lab. “The cornerstone of Weleda products is that you see visible benefits with natural ingredients that work with your body, not against it,” says Robert Genco, Weleda’s holistic skin-care educator. “With pure, real ingredients, you can expect results without worrying about chemical ingredients that might be too strong for your skin or burdening your body with toxicity.” Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 F o l l o w N at u r e ’ s L e a d Genco gives the example of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that protects skin from damage and helps brighten dark spots. “You can buy natural products that are made with vitamin C, but the vitamin C is basically a ground-up vitamin tablet that’s added to the formula. That form of vitamin C is not plant-based or a naturally occurring component of a plant,” explains Genco. “Weleda’s Wild Rose Smoothing Day Cream is made differently. It contains rosehip seed oil, which is naturally rich in vitamin C, so it’s like getting vitamin C from food instead of taking a supplement made with a synthetic version. When you get the ingredients from the plant itself, the Facial Cleansers and Toners Clarifies and cleans skin without drying it out 20 W ele da M AGA ZINE Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Care Smooths the look of fine lines and helps improve elasticity Iris Hydrating Facial Care +23% Increased elasticity, tested after 28 days* For balanced, healthy-looking, radiant skin +16% Increased moisture, tested after 14 days* of comfort and defense against external irritants. The pomegranate is an energetic fruit, so full of life that when it’s ripe, it pops right off of the tree branch. Its tiny, jewellike seeds bring this same energy to your skin in the form of vitamins A, C and E. Vitamins A, C and E are antioxidants that protect your skin from free radicals, help lessen dark spots and help speed cell renewal. “Free-radical damage is happening all of the time, but when you’re young, your body can fend it off pretty easily,” says Genco. “But the cumulative effect of exposure to pollution, stress and sun eventually takes its toll. As you age, your body and skin are less able to protect themselves from free-radical damage. That is when antioxidant support in the form of supplements or vitamin is symbiotic with the ingredients and with your skin; it’s more potent and less irritating than the chemical copy. It contains the life force from nature that the synthetic vitamin simply does not have.” T he Wel ed a p r o d uc t de ve lo pme nt process begins with a deep understanding of our skin and nature. By observing how plants behave in nature, we can see the effect they will have on the skin. The almond nut grows safely protected in its hard outer shell; the vitamin E found in the nut offers your skin the same kind W ele da M aga zine *What women at least 30-years-old experienced when used twice daily. 21 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 29% Wrinkle appearance reduction tested after 28 days* +39% Increased moisture tested after 30 minutes* Pomegranate Firming Facial Care Visibly reduces appearance of wrinkles and protects from environmental stressors skin care is necessary because your body isn’t able to mitigate that damage on its own and bounce back as quickly.” Pomegranate seed oil contains important ingredients like polyphenol antioxidants and punicic acid, an essential fatty acid and healthy fat that helps keep skin hydrated, healthy and younger looking. Our Pomegranate Firming Facial Care is intended for mature skin, and according to Genco, you don’t need to use these highly active products until your skin really needs them. “Using the Weleda Pomegranate Firming Facial Care in your 20s is like overeating,” he says. “You’re snacking on rich foods that taste good, but you’re giving your skin too much. You’re asking the 25-year-old skin to be more active than it needs to be. It doesn’t require regeneration yet, and it won’t know how to handle that.” Genco recommends the Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Care for skin in the 20s and 30s that is just beginning to show the first signs of aging. Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 A L i f e s t y l e C h o i c e Eating whole, organic foods, drinking plenty of water, meditating, getting outdoors, practicing yoga — all of these things are part of a lifestyle focused on caring for your body, soul and spirit. Using natural products can be an important part of a holistic lifestyle by helping support your overall health and well-being. The harmonizing aroma of organic Rosa damascena flowers from Turkey, found in Weleda’s Wild Rose products, can help you feel balanced; lavender from Moldova in the Lavender Relaxing Body Oil will gently melt your stress away. One aspect of living a healthy lifestyle is knowing where your food comes from and what’s in it. Traceability is a growing trend in skin care as well. With Weleda products, you can know where the pomegranate seed oil was sourced, where the iris root was extracted and in what village in Turkey the 22 W ele da M AGA ZINE Almond Soothing Facial Care +24% Increased smoothness, tested after 28 days* Moisturizes to soothe sensitive skin hypoallergenic “Weleda has the collective experience of 90-plus years of understanding how ingredients come together to maximize their effectiveness.” Research shows that real, plant-based ingredients like pomegranate seed oil and argan oil, important oils in our Pomegranate Firming Facial Care, are highly active ingredients with dynamic effects on the skin. Weleda’s third-party efficacy tests showed that women who used Pomegranate Firming Facial Serum twice daily for 28 days saw a 29% reduction in wrinkles.* “If you eat antioxidant-rich foods or take a supplement because you know they are good for your body on the inside, why not see what they can do for you on the outside,” says Genco. “A lot of people will avoid chemicals in their food and on their body, but when it comes to their face, they will turn to the harshest chemicals to keep the wrinkles at bay. Why compromise when there are safe, natural products that are proven effective just a few steps away in the personal care aisle.” Carrie Ruehlman rose petals were picked. Michael Straub, the head gardener of Weleda’s Biodynamic ® gardens in Germany, knows the names of hundreds of farmers in Turkey who grow the Rosa damascena f lowers Weleda uses to fragrance its Wild Rose skin and body care products. Even ingredients that are components of Weleda’s essential oil blends, like sandalwood (see page 4–6), are sourced through long-term cooperation with partners we know by name. The plants they grow harness the richness of healthy soil, the energy of the sun, the nutrients of the rain to thrive. Most of the plants are grown organically or biodynamically. Some are wild-crafted, meaning they grow wild in their natural habitat but are protected from overharvesting. They develop an incredible healing power and potency, which is locked within each Weleda product. Every ingredient in Weleda’s products has a purpose; nothing is superfluous or added as a filler. “All ingredients communicate and work with each other and with your skin to deliver the benefits,” says Genco. W ele da M aga zine *What women at least 30-years-old experienced when used twice daily. 23 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 B i o dy n a m i cs ® Mi racles of Nature » Protecting Biodiversity Around the World » Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 H ealth and longevity a re important values for people, businesses, and not surprisingly, for our environment. At the heart of Weleda is a business model that protects and sustainably manages the natural ecosystems where it sources the ingredients used in its skin-care products and plant-based remedies Today, many of the planet’s ecosystems are in danger. Experts say that 35 to 150 species of life are vanishing every day. Of the 50,000 different plants used for medicinal purposes, 10,000 are endangered. The destruction of the rain forest and overfishing of the oceans are two examples where greed and short-term profit are destroying our earth’s biodiversity. It’s vital that we develop strategies to turn the tide. Another reason for the loss of biodiversity is the global standardization of agriculture. Andreas Ellenberger, former Weleda sustainability manager in Switzerland, points out that Biodynamic® methods have been used by Weleda since the company was founded in 1921. “Supporting the vitality of the soil and a large diversity of cultivated plants has always been a high priority,” he says. Selecting seeds for their wide genetic diversity and using organic and Biodynamic® farming 24 W ele da M AGA ZINE methods that help provide the soil with nutrients create gardens that become a welcoming habitat for many plants and animals. The result is a 70-percent increase in the amount of worms in the ground and a balanced soil that can more easily overcome droughts. Michael Straub, who manages Weleda’s Biodynamic® gardens in Germany, the largest in Europe, says that there are more than 6 billion active organisms in one handful of soil. A 21-year study in Switzerland comparing organic and Biodynamic ® farming to conventional farming found that the organic soils were indeed home to a larger and more diverse community of beneficial organisms. (The results were published in the journal Science in 2002). “This is why Biodynamic® agriculture is a role model for the whole agriculture value chain,” says Straub. “We are trying to keep the cultivation of our plants and the ecosystem in balance using various methods,” says Bas Schneiders, former head of Weleda international sourcing and corporate sustainability. This includes education and research in countries where Weleda obtains raw materials, so that the projects benefit both the natural landscape and the local communities as well. An example of this can be seen in the arnica project in Romania, where Weleda teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund to help teach locals in the Carpathian Apuseni Mountains to collect wild arnica in a sustainable way. Schneiders and Straub both know that without a reliable partner, who can appreciate and identify with the Weleda philosophy, nothing will work. For sustainable agriculture to succeed, everyone involved must be pursuing the same goals, from the farmers to the conservation organization to the university professors. One of the newest projects Weleda is engaging in for a sustainable resource supply and to protect biodiversity is the argan project in central Morocco. The argan tree, which is W ele da M aga zine the source of precious oil Weleda uses in its Pomegranate Firming Facial Care, grows in a region there that was declared a conservation area by UNESCO in 1998. Botanists say the species is more than 80 million years old. The African sun and stony barren soil are essential for the growth of the argan tree. The ecosystem of the argan plantation is complex and diverse. Argan trees thrive off of smaller plants that live in their shadows; sustainable cultivation methods ensure the survival of these shade-loving plants, which can also be used for aromatherapy and as medicinal plants. Schneiders says the protection of biodiversity contributes to a new understanding of growth, while the loss leads not only to the diminishment of plant and animal species, but also to cultural degeneration through the destruction of beauty, knowledge and the stability of societies. This is what drives Weleda to search for cultivation methods that enhance life. “If we can achieve that,” he says, “perhaps we can always say, ‘My senses are awakened to the continuous miracles of nature.’” Erdmann Wingert, edited by Dena Moskowitz Above: A harvester picks calendula in the Weleda gardens in Germany. Opposite: The morning sun shines on a blooming field of calendula in Weleda's Biodynamic® gardens in Germany. These flowers would soon be used to make Weleda Calendula Baby Care products. 25 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 T h e W e l e d a C a l e n d ul a S to r y Quality has a home in Weleda’s Biodynamic® gardens in Germany, as does the calendula herb, used in so many Weleda products. Biodynamic® farming methods pay close attention to sustaining the life of the farm, never applying chemical pesticides but instead using the rhythms of nature and herbal preparations to enliven soil and plants. The production site is close by, ensuring that the healing properties of calendula, rich in carotenoids, flavonoids and essential oils, are processed quickly to become highquality tinctures and extracts used notably in Weleda’s Calendula Baby Care. 3. 4. 2. 5. 1. 6. 7. 1 Sowing W eleda gardeners carefully select the best plant species and sow the calendula seeds directly into the field for unsurpassed quality. 2 Cultivation A n insect “hotel” houses beneficial insects that help keep the seedlings safe in the soil by eating other insects that would normally devour the plants or spread disease. 3 Harvest H and harvesting of the calendula blossoms is always Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 done under the warmth of the summer sun. The blossoms are picked in the early morning, as soon as the dew has dried. 4 Transportation D irectly next to the garden of medicinal plants is the facility where the tinctures are produced. This ensures timely processing for maximum quality. 5 Processing S plitting and chopping the blossoms is performed as gently as possible. 26 6 Active Ingredients To make calendula’s active, healing ingredients usable, Weleda uses salt or oil to extract the beneficial properties and make the tinctures, which are an essential component of the Calendula Baby Care products. 7 For Your Weleda Baby C alendula Baby Care products are some of Weleda’s most-loved, giving comfort to parents and nurturing babies throughout the world. W ele da M AGA ZINE Since 1921 Embrace natural ingredients and lasting beauty. Discover powerful, effective body care with 100% certified-natural ingredients. In harmony with nature and the human being usa.weleda.com W e e C a re Sharing the Wisdom of Mot h ers » What’s the Best Baby Care Advice You Ever Received? » Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 s new or s oon-to-be moms, it is important to be as prepared as possible for motherhood. Although answers to your most pressing questions can easily be found by thumbing through a plethora of parenting books or just a click away on the Internet, sometimes the best advice comes from word-of-mouth. Weleda spoke to several moms to find out the best advice they received from family, friends and other seasoned moms. Here, we pass their knowledge along to you. A Shazi Visram, founder, CEO and Chief Mom of Happy Family Brands: One of the best baby-care tips I know is one I figured out through my own experience. When my son was around two years old, I noticed that his skin was much drier than it was when he was a baby. I wasn’t putting baby oil on him after his bath like I did in the early days. I remembered how sweet it was to give him an infant massage with calming lavender oils, and I realized I missed it. So nowadays I use Weleda Lavender Relaxing Body Oil to keep his elbows and knees well-oiled on the outside, and we make sure he gets plenty of omega 3, 6 and 9 fish oils for the inside. And on 28 W ele da M AGA ZINE those especially energetic nights, when he is amped up with energy and I know it’s going to be hard to get him down, I do an Epsom salt bath with a drop of lavender oil and then give him a short, soothing massage, just like the old days. It really calms him, and it works almost every time. Almost… be doing for your kids — daycare vs. nanny vs. stay-at-home; the best sports, clothes, games; jarred baby food vs. homemade. The list goes on, and it can easily drive you nuts, because no matter what you do, you feel like you should be doing more, better, different. We all know it’s hard to be a parent. After three kids and a full-time job, I’ve realized that my kids are loved, protected, have what they need, and a lot of what they want. If you are doing your best, that’s enough. And, it’s okay to just be enough. Trying to be “Supermom” all the time is unrealistic and exhausting. Susan Hunt Stevens, founder & CEO of Practically Green, a provider of sustainability education for corporate America: When we really needed our son to start sleeping better, I remember being at the pediatrician’s office groggily asking about all the different sleep-training methods available. After patiently answering lots of questions, almost as an aside, he said, “Perhaps the best advice I can give you is to remember that no baby dies from crying.” While I still didn’t like it when my son cried, it was a little saying I just repeated to myself when I really just wanted to run into his room at night. He’s eight years old now and a great sleeper, so it clearly worked. Renée Loux, author, chef, eco-advisor and monthly columnist for Women’s Health: One of my oldest girlfriends, the mother of three, taught me to “take the long view.” As a parent, the minutia of the day-to-day can appear to be extremely important, as if it could make or break life. However, in the long view, all these things pass. I’ve found Alyson Johnson, blogger for Women on Their Way: The best tip I’ve gotten from other moms is to cut yourself some slack. It’s so easy to get caught up in what you should W ele da M aga zine 29 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 Since 1921 +24% increased smoothness Tested after 28 days. Nature’s gentle embrace for sensitive skin. Discover 100% certified-natural Almond Soothing Facial Care to moisturize and soothe sensitive skin. In harmony with nature and the human being usa.weleda.com about my conundrum, and she said to me, “I always assumed my babies were healthy unless proven otherwise. Perhaps you should do the same.” I was looking at my child as one who was potentially allergic to everything instead of assuming he was perfectly healthy. Ever after, I did just that, and it turns out he’s not allergic to anything. that trying to control everything is neither realistic, nor the way I hope my son learns to navigate the world. Another important lesson came from a friend who taught me that it is important to let your child find comfort in as many arms as possible. This advice has encouraged me to freely allow other people to nurture, play with, feed and engage my son. It seems to be a mother’s natural instinct, especially with an infant, to want to be the sole source of nurturing care. While I believe that intimate bonding is an essential part of fostering security for children, I also think it is important for my child to grow up with a sense of independence. One of my greatest wishes for my child is to learn to selfsoothe and to feel a sense of ease in many different environments and in the company of different people. Alexandra Zissu, author, green living expert and consultant: I have learned the most from more-seasoned moms who constantly repeat, “This too shall pass.” This mantra has gotten me through some rough patches, because it’s true. Nothing ever lasts, and that’s both the beauty and the sadness of this experience. If you can see the big picture instead of reacting to what is hard or even amazing in the moment, you can remain calmer and let things roll off your back. It can be a personality change, a sleep issue or an aversion to a formerly favorite food. Whatever it is, it will pass. Knowing this helps me stay in the moment, which isn’t easy when there is so much to get done daily. Nanci McArdle M eg an Davi dso n , PhD, lab o r and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, breastfeeding counselor, and owner of BrooklynDoula: When I had my first child, I read all of the books about starting a baby out on solid food, so we slowly added one food at a time, waiting to see if my son would have an allergic reaction to anything. With my second son, he seemed to strongly dislike all the foods we originally tried, and I was torn between wanting to try other things but worried about testing out too many options in one week. I told my aunt W ele da M aga zine Share Your Best Baby Care Advice and Win! Visit usa.weleda.com/BabyTipContest for a chance to win a gift basket jam-packed with Weleda goodies. 31 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 Au N atu re l The Wonder of th e Bath » Simple ways to make Your Bathroom a Sanctuary » Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 I n our busy lives, the bathroom is a place where we can go for rest, for rejuvenation and for nurturing ourselves and our families. Most children love their time in the bathroom, a place to relax in the water, experience the wonder and magic of bubbles, and for feeling clean and safe. It is a place where children learn to care for their own bodies. Bath time can be part of a child’s rhythm, a refreshing way to end the day. It offers parents an additional opportunity to pay attention to and care for their children. Surprisingly, it is also possible to have more baths than may be healthy for a child’s delicate skin. A child’s ability to balance his or her body temperature is put to use during bath time, and if the child’s health is already compromised — through colds, the flu, fevers or through over-tiredness or cold weather — then a bath may be too taxing. 32 W ele da M AGA ZINE I had that experience myself. It was a cold New York winter, and my boys loved their evening bath, a daily dose of water play. But I found that they were getting sick, a lot. A doctor recommended that I cut down on the constant bathing in the wintertime. And I tried it. And they stopped getting sick so often. A Time for Teaching Bath time offers parents the opportunity to teach their child how to care for his or her own body, brush teeth, and wash hands and faces. It also gives children the opportunity to do things for themselves, to be independent and capable. Using Weleda Children’s Tooth Gel nightly is one way to help children get started on the right track with oral care. Made with natural silica and calendula extract, it’s healthy and yummy, too. Choose soap and cleansers that are safe and nourishing, made of essential oils and natural ingredients. Take the opportunity to care for your child in a loving manner with the simple act of washing hands before meals. Warm water on a washcloth with a drop of lavender oil can be gently rubbed over the child’s little fingers, making hand washing before meals a tender and caring experience. Instead of a chore, theses daily duties can be viewed as opportunities for love and kindness. Furnish the bathroom in a manner that is child-friendly: a stool by the sink allows children to be independent in the bathroom. Plenty of towels for drying hands and sopping up spills is helpful. A few bath toys — some little fish, a wooden water whistle, some sail boats — can make bathing a happy and cherished event. Awa ke n i n g a l l t h e S e n s e s E ssential oils nurture the senses and bath time is an opportunity to enjoy their benefits. Lavender, chamomile, and mandarin are just a few of the oils that are safe for little ones. Add just a couple of drops to a carrier such as sweet almond oil or whole milk, and swish it around in the water before the children get in. Or try Weleda Calendula New Look! Weleda is updating its Calendula Baby Care with new packaging and improved formulas, with even more organic content. Find them at Whole Foods Market or natural health food stores. The Diaper Care and Calendula Shampoo & Body Wash are also now available at buybuy BABY nationwide. Visit usa.weleda.com and use the store locator to find a retailer near you. W ele da M aga zine 33 Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 Cream Bath, which is perfect for washing babies and children. It is soft, creamy and nourishing to the skin. Parents can greatly affect the physical and mental health of their children by consciously incorporating touch into their daily interaction with them. Touch is important for children, and it can be nurtured through bathing, cuddling, tickling and bed-time massage. Weleda Calendula Oil is a favorite at my house for massage — it soothes and relaxes before bedtime. Touch includes washing a child’s hair, rubbing him or her dry with a towel, gently rough-housing, swinging a child around (safely) and skin brushing. Through touch, children wake up. It helps children learn his or her boundaries, to become aware of his or her own body. Me Time Too T he bathroom is the place to pay attention to our own outer and inner beauty, to care of our body, soul and spirit. For adults and children alike, the bathroom should be a private, nurturing space. For a mother with young children, it might be the only place where she can be alone to rest and rejuvenate. We need to care for ourselves in order to have the inner strength and ability to care for others. One place this self-nurturing can take place is in the comfort, warmth and privacy of a bathroom. Shannon Honeybloom Parent Tested, Parent Approved! Weleda Calendula Diaper Care recently won the Parent-Tested, Parent Approved Seal of Approval for its ability to quickly and safely soothe irritated bottoms. Learn more at usa.weleda.com. Summ e r – Fa ll 2 0 13 This article is excerpted from Shannon Honeybloom’s book Making a Family Home, available at SteinerBooks.org. 34 W ele da M AGA ZINE W e le d a E x t r acts Weleda Luxurious Body Oils Save $2.00 on the purchase of any Weleda Body Oil in stores or online at usa.weleda.com. Use promo code WEOIL. M A N U FAC T U R E R ’ S CO U P O N Survey Says… We surveyed Weleda fans to find out: What’s Your Favorite Weleda Product? Pomegranate Hand Cream and Sea Buckthorn Body Lotion tied for the most votes! Visit us at facebook.com/Weleda to sound off on your Weleda favorite! E X P I R E S 12/31/13 Redeemable at Whole Foods, select natural health and grocery stores. Retailer: Weleda, Inc. will reimburse you the face value of this coupon plus 8 cents handling for coupons redeemed in accordance with this offer. Invoices proving purchase of sufficient stock to support coupon submissions must be provided upon request. Consumers are limited to one coupon per purchase and are responsible for all taxes. Cash value is .0001 cents. Send all coupons to: WELE/Universal, P.O. Box 222510, Hollywood, FL 33022-2510. Weleda Indulgent Body Lotions Save $2.00 on the purchase of any Weleda Body Lotion in stores or online at usa.weleda.com. Use promo code WELOTION. M A N U FAC T U R E R ’ S CO U P O N A Pinterest Pick This photo of an arnica field in Romania is one of our favorites on our Pinterest page. Come pin with us at pinterest.com/Weleda. E X P I R E S 12/31/13 Redeemable at Whole Foods, select natural health and grocery stores. Retailer: Weleda, Inc. will reimburse you the face value of this coupon plus 8 cents handling for coupons redeemed in accordance with this offer. Invoices proving purchase of sufficient stock to support coupon submissions must be provided upon request. Consumers are limited to one coupon per purchase and are responsible for all taxes. Cash value is .0001 cents. Send all coupons to: WELE/Universal, P.O. Box 222510, Hollywood, FL 33022-2510. Weleda 100% Certified-Natural Facial Care Save $2.00 on the purchase of any Weleda Facial Care product from the Cleansing, Almond, Iris, Wild Rose and Pomegranate lines in stores or online at usa.weleda.com. Use promo code WEFACE. Proud Sponsor of Holistic Moms Weleda is happy to be a 2013 sponsor of Holistic Moms Network, which helps moms live healthy, live green and connect with one other. Learn more about HMN at holisticmoms.org. M A N U FAC T U R E R ’ S CO U P O N E X P I R E S 12/31/13 Redeemable at Whole Foods, select natural health and grocery stores. Retailer: Weleda, Inc. will reimburse you the face value of this coupon plus 8 cents handling for coupons redeemed in accordance with this offer. Invoices proving purchase of sufficient stock to support coupon submissions must be provided upon request. Consumers are limited to one coupon per purchase and are responsible for all taxes. Cash value is .0001 cents. Send all coupons to: WELE/Universal, P.O. Box 222510, Hollywood, FL 33022-2510. For 92 years… We have stayed true to our roots. We are Weleda — cultivators of beauty and 100% certified natural baby and skin care products — for you. We believe beauty isn’t something that’s made in a lab; it’s something that’s cultivated right from the earth. Carefully. Lovingly. And certainly without pesticides or chemicals. Those things aren’t beautiful to us. Look through our ingredients and you will find flowers and herbs. Fruit extracts. Clays. Roots. Minerals. T hese come together in meaningful products that work with your body’s own natural vitality and ability to nurture and heal. 1.800.241.1030 [email protected] 1 Bridge St. Suite 42 Irvington, NY 10533 usa.weleda.com/weledamagazine FREE COUPONS INSIDE
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