...Issue 2012.06	.	June Issue	.
Message from Anna Dear Friends, During the World Economic Forum for East Asia 2012 in which Dylan and I had the privilege of attending, one of the things that struck me most was the speech of Nobel Peace Prize winner and Burmese political prisoner, Aung Saan Suu Kyi. When asked by one of the audience about how she kept hope alive in the 24 years that she was not allowed to leave the country, 15 years of which was spent on house arrest, she simply said it was her mother who had instilled in her a sense of duty for our country. In this day when the popular sentiment is just to follow your personal dreams and be happy, duty seems to be an old-fashioned almost obsolete concept. But duty, a sense of responsibility for the greater good especially for one's countrymen, I realize, is exactly what the Philippines needs in order to rise above poverty, corruption and many of the other social ills that plague us. It is this love that has allowed our Asian neighbors to prosper - love that motivated Koreans to buy only Korean products even when their products were yet unknown and not as good as as the imported ones, love that dictates the Thai policy to allocate 20% of all retail space to local brands and love that drives the Thai people to believe that Thai products are what's best for them. Even Indonesia is becoming a hotspot for emerging social enterprises all determined to use businesses to benefit the country's future. As I write, it is the 114th celebration of the founding of our country. The rains came down heavily putting a bit of a damper on all the Independence Day celebrations. But in many Gawad Kalinga sites all over the country, the hopeful and happy hearts of the volunteers are undeterred because a little rain is not going to extinguish the passion and love that these patriots feel for their Motherland. Their hearts burn with their love for the poor with every hollow block that they lay and every child that they teach. And until every Filipino has dignity and has the same choices that every first world country citizen has, they will not stop, they will not quit because that's just how love is. Anna Meloto-Wilk President Gandang Kalikasan Inc. Top to Toe Treats Time for a "Me Spree!" Pamper yourself even more and indulge in nature's goodness. Avail of our Top to Toe Treats promo starting June 16 and enjoy whopping discounts on our Hydrating Facial Washes, Face Toners, Hair Masks, Juicy Burst Spray Sanitizers and Passion Fruit Hydrating Lotions. So from top to bottom, we've got you... covered! Don't forget, this promo is only valid from June 16 - 29! So what are you waiting for? Get your Me Spree now! Frequent Shopper Reward Card Shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotions, deodorant, hand sanitizers, insect repellent, massage oils, make up, and so much more... it's really so convenient to shop at Human Nature because we have these all-natural goodies! But hey, we just made shopping for these items even more fun! With our Frequent Shopper Rewards Program, you can get free items on us! Just follow our three easy steps. Head on to any Human Nature branch or log into our website, http://humanheartnature.com/buy, and go shopping for your personal care favorites. Ask and you shall receive... your reward card! With a single-receipt purchase of P250 or P500, your card will get stamped for your purchase. Once you've collected four of these stamps, you get a free item of your choice; Feminine Wash, Healthy Lotion, Baby Lotion, Strengthening or Moisturizing Shampoo, or a Spray Sanitizer! So don't forget to bring your Frequent Shopper Reward Card the next time you shop at your nearest Human Nature branch or online! Complete the stamp slots and get a gift! Easy, isn't it? This is our way of showing our immense appreciation to all our loyal customers. Without your support and trust in our products, advocacies and what we stand for, we would not be able to get to where we are today, touching the lives of so many around the country. Got questions? Feel free to contact any Human Nature branch and we'd be happy to clarify them for you. Happy shopping! Remember, every product you patronize goes beyond Human Nature; you save the environment, you help the poor, you believe in the Filipino. CAFE DE SUG SULU COFFEE: The Giving Coffee Ahh yes, the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning. Delightful, isn't it? What's even more delightful than that though, is knowing that with every cup of Sulu coffee you brew, you're helping send someone off to school. Sulu, mostly viewed by many as a war-torn society, and infamously known for kidnappings, terrorists and violence, is more than that. It's a beautiful place with vast land and verdant mountains where Cafe de Sug Sulu Coffee, the giving coffee, comes from. That's what Sulu really is and is what Sulu should be known for. It was this vision for Sulu that inspired founder Xilca Alvarez to establish the Cafe de Sug Sulu Coffee social enterprise, from which 20% of the profits made is donated to sponsor Gawad Kalinga (GK) Sulu Sibol pre-school teachers who help give hope to young minds living through the trauma of belonging in a war-torn society. .. Human Nature has been fully supporting the advocacy behind Cafe de Sug Sulu Coffee and has been selling the coffee at the Human Nature Flagship Store as soon as it was available. Last May 22, Human Nature joined Xilca as the very first check from the profits of Cafe de Sug Sulu Coffee was turned over to Ate Jainab Abdulmajid, GK Area Coordinator of the Sulu community. But our efforts together with yours don't just stop there -- this extraordinary coffee will continue to give and give back for generations to come. So, coffee drinker or not (they make great presents), do your part and show your support for our fellow Filipinos in Sulu. You can get your own aromatic, flavorful Sulu Coffee and help brew peace in the south by buying a pack at select Human Nature branches, the Human Nature Flagship store, at the Enchanted Farm Cafe right above it, or even at the Human Nature online store! RACHEL GRANT: What she's been up to Wonder what our Global Ambassador Rachel Grant has been up to? Well, she actually just left the country after a 3-week stay here and was quite the busy bee during her short but sweet visit. .. .. .. Rachel, ever since day 1 of landing on Philippine shores, has been out and about visiting building sites for her family's Padua Charitable Fund, attending Miss Earth Philippines events where she took part as a judge, had photo shoots for different publications, guested on a radio and morning TV show and even came in to the Human Nature head office several times a week to do office work for a top secret project she's currently working on (You'll have to stay tuned for that!). As if her schedule in the Philippines wasn't packed enough, she was whisked off a day earlier than anticipated to attend a luncheon in Washington DC hosted by Hillary Clinton in honour of her special guest, President Aquino! There's never a dull moment for this inspiring, talented, kind-hearted lady, so make sure you keep up with all her whereabouts at http://www.facebook.com/missrachelgrant. Missed her this trip? Not to worry! She'll be back sooner than you think so keep your ears and eyes peeled for that! Back to School: Human Nature as a Fundraising Tool It's back to school time again and for those of you involved with a school organization, you know what that means; events to organize and funds to raise. So, why not use Human Nature as a fundraising tool? It's quite simple and the fact is, you'll be doing so much more than raising funds for your organization and school. When you think of Human Nature, sure you think of a natural and organic brand that's 100% harmful chemical free, but what else? Our story goes beyond our products; it's about the farmers we help out, the environment we try to save day by day - through your support and loyalty we are able to extend help to those who need it. Think about it, you won't only be raising funds for your organization and school, you'll also be helping fellow Filipinos rise out of poverty. Now how's that for hitting two (or three or four!) birds with one stone? Sign up as a dealer to avail and enjoy the 25% discount. Signing up to be a dealer starts at Php799. Take in orders. The best way to raise funds without having to shell out so much money is to take pre-orders. This way, you know for sure that the products will be sold and there won't be any money lost or unnecessary capital invested. Sell, sell, sell and share the goodness. Don't forget, this is not just a business. It's a social enterprise and so much more so tell everyone about our advocacies - Pro Philippines, Pro Poor and Pro Environment. Enjoy the benefits. There you have it! Simple isn't it? Want to do more to help our Filipino farmers? Selling our Bug Spray and Bug Shield will help and develop different Filipino farming communities across the nation because 100% of the profits go to them through our One Heart for One Community Campaign. Selling our Passion Fruit Hydrating Lipsticks on the other hand, will help the GK farming community in Catigan, Davao which, of course, is part of our CommPassion campaign. Since the launch of CommPassion last year, our farmers in Davao have been working hard to achieve the goal of producing premium quality passion fruit seed oil and sunflower seed oil for our products. The farmers are currently testing different varieties for the passion fruit and sunflower plantation, and we can't wait to share with you the results of this exciting new venture! Want to help the GK Pueblo Antonio farming community flourish? When you continue to use Human Nature products that contain passion fruit seed oil and sunflower seed oil (like our Passion Fruit Hydrating Lotions, Healthy Lotions, Moisturizing Day and Night creams), you help support our efforts to provide these farmers and their families a better quality of life! Dangerous Chemicals 101: Teen Girls' Body Burden: Build-Up of Hormone-Altering Chemicals in the Body Living in a tropical country has its ups and downs. We get to enjoy breathtaking sceneries, take in amazing landscapes and bask in gorgeous, beautiful weather. Well, most of the time that is. That's because living in a tropical country also means dealing with a weather so humid that feeling and looking fresh sometimes becomes a bit of a challenge. It's no wonder why Filipinos have a thing about looking clean, feeling clean and, yes, smelling clean. In fact, because of our known penchant for cleanliness, most, if not all, take a shower 2-3 times a day! That's 2-3 times more than people from Antartica or any cold weather country for that matter! But did you know that while you try to stay fresh and clean, you're actually also introducing a whole bunch of chemicals to your body causing more harm than good to it? Here are some chemical ingredients to watch out for. Phthalates Phthalates (pronounce THA-lates), is a widely used group of chemicals that can found in cosmetics and body care products. It's commonly used as an ingredient in fragrance mixtures to come up with those oh-so-yummy scents that we all just can't get enough of. But did you know that phthalates pose potential risks to the reproductive and thyroid systems? Aside from that, preliminary studies also link phthalates to diabetes risk, asthma and skin allergies to children (Bornehag 2004; Stahluhut 2007; Jaakkola 2008; Kolarik 2008). Yikes! Parabens Moving on to the next guilty party to avoid. Ever wonder how certain products survive for months on end, sometimes even years, without going bad? Well, you have parabens to thank for that. Or do you? See, Parabens are synthetic preservatives used in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and personal care products. They allow, well, as mentioned above, products to have long shelf lives. But watch out! These bad boys enter your body through your pores and according to a study done by the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, parabens can mimic hormones in the body and disrupt functions of the endocrine system. In one of their other studies done in 2004, they found high concentrations of parabens, particularly methylparaben, in human breast tumors. Besides being carcinogenic, parabens can also cause allergic reactions and irritation. (Schamberg 1967; Nagel 1977; Soni 2001, 2001; CIR 2006). Triclosan Triclosan, the most common anti-bacterial ingredient, can be found in most antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers and has been classified by Cosmetic database.com as an irritant and possible carcinogen. It's also a suspected endocrine disruptor as well as a having been linked to other health problems. The interesting thing though is that the American Medical Association and dozens of academic researchers have determined that commercial antimicrobial soap containing triclosan doesn't work any better than plain soap and water and doesn't prevent the spread of infections nor does it reduce bacteria on your skin! Aside from anti-bacterial soaps and hand sanitizers, triclosan can also be found in toothpastes, deodorants, face and body washes and acne treatments. So to sum it all up, teenage girls are exposed to so many harmful chemicals with all the products they use on a daily basis. Make the switch to natural products now. Keep safe, healthy and beautiful by using... Only the Good!	.	If you are having trouble viewing this email, please read the online version. Find Us On: Eco-Lifestyle: Natural Remedy to Get Rid of Cough This Rainy Season Weird weather we've been having lately, yes? One thing's for sure though, even though we have spurts of sunshine here and there, the rainy season has definitely rolled in. And, if you ever find yourself caught in the rain with no umbrella or raincoat thus causing you to cough and sniffle, make sure to get rid of it pronto - the natural way, of course! What you'll need: Oregano leaves Water Calamansi (optional) Honey (optional) What to do: 1. Boil one cup of fresh leaves in 3 cups of water for 10 minutes 2 Drain the water and squeeze the leaves into a pulp leaving you with "brown juice" 3 For your little ones, squeeze some calamansi and add a teaspoon of honey to sweeten it. (optional) Brilliant, isn't it? Quick, easy and chemical-free! Featured Personality of the Month - Lyn Pinugu Looking for a bit of inspiration? Take it from this gal. Meet Lyn Pinugu, Managing Director of Mano Amiga, an international school for underprivileged kids, and World Economic Forum Global Shaper and Representative to Davos World Economic Forum 2012. Lyn's inspiring journey started back in 2006 when she moved to Mexico as an international youth volunteer. Upon walking into Mano Amiga Guanajuato, she was surprised to find out that students only paid a symbolic amount in exchange for good, quality education and facilities. What surprised her even more though is the students' genuine desire to be of service to others. Lyn left Mexico with lots of memories, knowledge and hope that one day, the very same program would be brought over to the Philippines. That one day finally came and the program director of Altius Foundation appointed her to be the pioneer of the school system in the Philippines. Fast forward to 2012 and you've got the same gal with so much spunk, drive and passion to uplift Filipinos from poverty. Read on to learn more about her and her love affair with Human Nature. Gandang Kalikasan Inc. 463 Commonwealth Avenue Quezon City 1119 Philippines Business hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:30 pm Saturday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Store hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 6:30 pm Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Contact Details: Tel. No. (02) 931-5787 or (02) 433-1202 Fax. (02) 951-3627 Click here to email us	.