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Recently I wrote about inspirational Yoga Wisom.  Now I’m tuning in again for this video which talks about the philosophy of wholeness, and defines all types of yoga.

Found on the Yoga Channel in StumbleUpon! StumbleUpon is fun and sometimes inspirational source for gems on the web. I find both the buddhism and yoga channels to be a serendipitous source of ancient wisdom.

When you have time, please check SU out and sign up, we’d love to discover your FGS stumbles

Namaste…

…and Calls In Sore Tomorrow

Helmet? Check. Water bottle? Got it. Metro bus pass when we poop out halfway to work? You bet your aching glutes. Today’s the day many Californians bike the walk and not just talk the talk. It’s Bike to Work Week 2008, and boy, do we need it.

In its thirteenth year, California’s Bike to Work Week officially encourages bicycling as the best form of transportation to decrease traffic congestion and improve air quality (and unofficially, to reduce obesity and try to stick it to the big oil companies). Thousands of cyclists are expected to participate statewide, and several cities are providing bike-friendly pit stops with snacks, maps, and discount coupons. In Los Angeles, bicyclists can already ride for free (all year long) on any Metro bus or light rail as long as they have their bike or helmet with them. (I do wonder about riders who just carry their helmets onto the bus or train, picturing their Schwinn in a twisted heap on the side of Sunset Boulevard.)

For more info, check out californiabikecommute.com.

I have always loved pandas, ever since I was a baby, and was happy to discover a bit of feel good news about the giant panda in China this week via the uplifting cute-overload blog.

Pictured here is a painting of a baby panda I worked on for a project my partner and I wrote called Sustainability Illustrated. We hope it translates well in Chinese.

It is times like this when innocent creatures of our natural world may inspire us to make the planet a better place!

Lovely Lokta is naturally died paper made from the Daphne or Lokta bushes that grow in the Himalayan mountains. And it IS lovely . . . but it also is made quite sustainably - no trees were harmed in the production of this paper!

Here’s what makes it so groovy and green:

Lokta paper is handmade and sun dried, so there are no machines or chemicals involved;

The bush grows quickly and actually needs agressive pruning or it would die, but the bush also helps stabalize the soil and protect rural Nepalese villages from mudslides during the monsoon season;

Read the rest of this entry »

Bamboo-Fabric Tees That Make Everybody Happy

When Kathryn Haydn-Hays read a story six years ago about forced child labor in foreign sweatshops, she realized that she didn’t know where her clothes really came from. “I really understood, for the first time, that nearly everything we purchase has a direct effect on people around the world, whether it’s an environmental or socio-economic impact,” says Haydn-Hays.

So she made it her life’s work to raise awareness and create more conscientious consumers. She started Affirm-Aware.org, a website which sells bamboo and organic cotton fabric tee-shirts, soy candles, organic reusable totes, and lovely unique jewelry — all created by 100% sweatshop-free labor.

But Kathyrn wanted to go a step further. She wanted to print affirmations on the tee-shirts so that the wearer would benefit from reading it every time he or she looked in the mirror, so she printed reverse images of the affirmations and called them “AffirmaTees.” (The “Duet” line has the affirmation both forwards and backwards, for those that want to spread the happy thoughts in both directions.) The site also features an “Affirmation Cafe” which has tips for meditation and positive thinking.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lately I’ve been reading Liz Lark’s 1,001 Pearls of Yoga Wisdom ~ Take your Practice Beyond the Mat. In fact, today as I picked up the book for a burst of inspiration I came across this Ralph Waldo Emerson quote:

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”

And as I was reading this in the morning over tea, blackberries, honey and toast, life became miraculously better with another burst of yogi wisdom in my cup of Yogi Tea with a charming quote on the teabag tag reading:

“The purpose of life is to enjoy every moment.”

Indeed we try! Read the rest of this entry »

As a former publisher of a regional sustainable living magazine and as a perennial editor, writer and content producer, I get a lot of products to review. This is definitely one of my favorite parts of what I do. Not that they are all winners, but honestly most of what I’ve gotten has been truly interesting and largely useful.One of the cleverest new products to hit my doorstep lately is a new concept called ReProduct from a company called C2C, a cradle-to-cradle design company.

Re-Usable greeting cards?

When I first heard about the idea, I mistakenly thought it involved erasable ink and a new envelope. Wrong. I’m not as stupid as I sound, but this was not an easy concept to grasp initially, but now that I’ve seen the cards and read a little more about the process (if you’re anything like me, reading directions isn’t always the first thing I do), I’m pretty excited about the whole thing.

The cards in the pic here were designed by singer/songwriter John Mayer for ReProduct! So, not only is he hot, he’s talented in more ways than just the tunes AND he clearly cares about creating a more sustainable way of being.

Back to the cards and how it works . . . it’s a little like Netflix, and if you love movies and haven’t tried it yet - DO IT!!! The idea of mailing movies back and forth seems cumbersome and awkward or something, but they make it so easy, that once you try it, you are sold.

ReProduct has taken the idea of making re-mailing very simple and easy and applied it to the all-American custom of sending greeting cards. By the way, the cards are beautiful. First of all, the cards are made from healthy, non-toxic materials that minimize chemical waste in the manufacturing process and if folks follow this new concept, they don’t end up in landfills - or at least not for a VERY long time.

Here’s how it works:

Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a great new book on the shelves by award-winning author Renée Loux: Easy Green Living. Loux, who penned Living Cuisine and the Gourmand Award-winning The Balanced Plate, is a celebrated raw foods chef and host of the TV show “Easy Being Green.”

In her new book, Loux applies her whole-foods philosophy to our homes, gardens, and beauty routines, including lots of “5 Step” lists which make it easy to implement changes easily. Without being condescending or preachy, Loux conveys her philosophy about what it really means to live a “green” life, and how each little change we make contributes to a higher quality of life in every aspect. It’s inspiring as well as instructive.

The 416-page book is available at Amazon.com and you can read more from (and about) Renee Loux at her website, reneeloux.com.

The “green” cleaning products on the market are great, but they can be pricey. You know you should mix all your own house cleaning solutions, but it can be a hassle, and who knows if you’re using the right ingredients in the proper amounts? Finally, we found an easy way to make all the healthy “green” home cleaning products you need, all in one handy kit.

With the Eco-Me Home Kit, you provide the white vinegar, baking soda, olive oil, and water, and you’ve got everything you need to make an all-purpose cleaner, a wood polish cleanser, and a scrub cleanser, too — at a fraction of the cost of most store-bought non-toxic cleaners.

The Eco-Me Home Kit contains:
2 spray bottles for mixing spray cleaner and polish
1 jar for mixing scrub cleanser
1 natural bristle scrub brush
1 handy mixer
1 microfiber cleaning cloth
1 bottle Eco-Me Home Cleaning Essential Oil
1 natural fiber storage bag
Easy to follow instructions on how to mix ingredients (right from your own kitchen).

The essential oil contains tea tree, lemongrass, rosemary, and lavender pure plant oils, and helps purge surfaces of mold, mildew, grime, and water stains (plus it smells great!). The kit is available at eZoetic.com for $26.00, and you’ll also find an Eco-Me Baby Kit, Eco-Me Cat Kit, and Eco-Me Dog Kit there, too. Now it’s easier than ever to “green-it-yourself!”

The work of Byron Katie is brilliant! She has been tagged by the 11th Hour Action network as an expert on their list of gurus. Her mission is to end human (mental) suffering.

Byron has posted a number of talks to her site called The Work which  “is a simple yet powerful process of inquiry that teaches you to identify and question thoughts that cause all the suffering in the world. It’s a way to understand what’s hurting you, and to address your problems with clarity”

The Work begins with a four step worksheet: Read the rest of this entry »