In the interactive Gingerbread Adventures exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden, children learn about the different plant parts used in creating one of their favorite holiday snacks, gingerbread. The Everett Children’s Adventure Garden is home of Gingerbread Adventures, through January 10, 2010.Vibrant vignettes of a gingerbread town deck the halls of the Discovery Center. A gingerbread jazz band, ice skaters and a gingerbread farmer are among the colorful characters displayed in the exhibit.

Youngsters will experience that cinnamon comes from the bark of a tree and ginger is derived from an underground stem, as they explore these and other plant ingredients that go into the classic gingerbread recipe. Children are invited to grind and examine gingerbread ingredients under a microscope and develop a field research notebook about their visit. Less research-oriented children may also enjoy decorating pots with faces and planting wheat seeds that will quickly sprout into miniature heads of wheat, once the pots are brought home to root on sunny windowsills, a lasting reminder that flour (a key ingredient in gingerbread) comes from a plant.

Gingerbread Adventures also features a whimsical display of gingerbread houses. Some of New York’s most imaginative bakers have prepared unique gingerbread creations, certain to capture the imaginations of both children and adults, while evoking the wonder and delicious joys of the holiday season. This year the bakers creating the fairy-tale themed confections are Jill Adams, The Cake Studio, Brooklyn; Kate Almond, Sugar and Spice Bake Shop, the Bronx; Liv Hansen, Riviera Bakehouse, Ardsley; Kate Sullivan, Lovin Sullivan Cakes, Manhattan; and Mark Tasker, Balthazar Bakery, Manhattan.

For more information visit: nybg.com.

Popular Medium Now Available in Manhattan for Private Sessions and Appointments
For fifteen years, internationally renowned psychic medium Glenn Klausner has reunited thousands of people from all walks of life with loved ones who have “crossed over.”

Glenn’s passion for his work, his down-to-earth personality, and his accurate and detailed messages have earned him a vast and loyal following. Bob Olson, Editor from OfSpirit.com Magazine writes that Glenn’s sincerity and popularity will help him follow in the footsteps of psychic mediums James Van Praagh and John Edward. Glen has appeared on ABC, CBS and NBC News (in a documentary entitled After Death Communication: Fact or Fiction), and on various radio programs throughout the United States.

He’s also hosted his own show on Contact Talk Radio, and is a regular guest contributor on internet programs for Hay House Radio and Blog Talk Radio. Glenn is available for private sessions and consultations.

To contact Glenn Klausner and learn more about his work, call 
212-496-3151 or visit glennklausner.com.

Integrated Medicine & Nutrition Brings Concierge Practice 
to NYC

Dr. Michael B. Wald and Dr. Nilay Shah of Integrated Medicine of Mount Kisco have additionally brought their practice to New York City with the opening of new offices at 48 West 68th Street. Integrated Medicine & Nutrition offers Concierge Medicine to their patients. Concierge Service is relatively new in the U.S. and offers unique services to patients.

Dr. Wald and Dr. Shah appreciate the balance of traditional medical and complimentary medical approaches for the prevention and treatment of all varieties of health issues. Their mission is to be their patients’ trusted source for wellness. To accomplish this goal, they see fewer patients, maximizing time spent with each person.  Individualized attention is an extremely rare commodity in health care today and the Integrated Medicine & Nutrition Physicians ensure each patient has enough time to fully express health concerns and goals. They also provide lifestyle education in a practical and individualized style, always with the goal of teaching their patients how to get and stay healthy.

As Director of Nutritional Services, Dr. Michael B. Wald provides detailed and highly specific consultations and recommends appropriate tests to assess nutritional needs. Dr. Wald’s training allows him to incorporate medical health history, nutritional tests and dietary recommendations into a holistic, comprehensive program that addresses each person’s health concerns.

Dr. Nilay Shah, Director of Medical Services, combines traditional medical training with a ‘nutritional and holistic spin,’ ensuring his patients receive a wide range of health care options – including those from both natural and conventional medicine.

Appreciating the diverse needs and schedules of New Yorkers, Integrated Medicine & Nutrition has 24-hour accessibility for scheduling and rescheduling and can arrange special appointments on off-hours or weekends and will even come to your home, for an additional fee.  Dr. Shah and Dr. Wald look forward to becoming New Yorker’s gateway for internal medicine, neurologic and nutrition expertise.

To celebrate their NYC launch, Integrated Medicine & Nutrition is offering complimentary 15-minute consultations. For more information about services or appointments call 914-242-8844 or visit their website: intmedny.com.

Every family has their favorite holiday cookies. This is the time of year we all dig up our long-cherished recipes that have been handed down from one generation to another.  Eventually some cookies become tiresome, and are rotated out of the roster. But other recipes stand the test of time to become standards, replayed every year like classic holiday carols.  

In our home Pecan Puff Ball cookies have become a Christmas tradition. I enjoy serving them when friends drop in and everyone seems to love them. These are simply my favorite cookie to bake and give away to family and friends. Sometimes a homemade gift can give the most pleasure to those you love, especially when they’re this delicious. I usually make several batches to keep up with the requests for more, more, more!!! These can also be made ahead and frozen for holiday giving. Just make sure they’re packed in tightly-sealed, freezer-friendly containers.

Pecan Puff Balls
Yields about 3 dozen cookies

½ cup, plus ¼ cup confectioner’s 
(powdered) sugar
2 sticks unsalted soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup of coarsely-chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with a “silpat” sheet, or parchment paper.
Into medium-sized mixing bowl, sift ½ cup of the powdered sugar (for dusting pecan cookies), set aside.
In separate mixing bowl, cream butter and ¼ cup powdered sugar; add vanilla and almond extracts.
Stir flour and salt into the mixture.
Blend in pecans.
Roll teaspoon-sized dough into neatly shaped balls and place 1” apart on cookie sheets.
Bake about 20 minute but check them at 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on a rack, about 5 minutes.
Roll cookies into sifted powdered sugar. When cookies have cooled completely, roll them in the powdered sugar for a second coating.
Stir in airtight containers or tins.

We can recognize the solstice as a powerful moment of annual turning by lighting a candle or burning a Yule log, in keeping with ancient traditions. It’s a time to seek warmth by surrounding ourselves with friends and family dear to our hearts. It’s a time to bring mistletoe, holly, ivy and piney evergreens home, gather around the table, laugh over shared stories, read poetry and renew our spirits with photographed memories of recent vacations.

Solstice brings a time of stillness and reflection. Placing seeds such as acorns into an offering bowl serves as a gentle reminder of nature’s empowering renewal of life through rebirth. Children will enjoy venturing outdoors to look at the stars through a telescope. Stargazing on a clear night is a humbling experience that can shift and lift our mood and perspective.

Source: Adapted from Shambhala.org.

Nuts Over Pistachios

Green—a theme of this holiday season—can benefit us even more when packaged in the form of pistachio nuts, say researchers at Penn State University. Pistachios, the researchers note, contain both beneficial plant sterols and fiber and an important enzyme involved in the body’s synthesis of fatty acids, especially cholesterol. They see the nuts as a valuable addition to any healthy diet aimed at reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease.

In this new, first study considering the cholesterol lowering effects of the heart-healthy party favorite, participants ate a general cholesterol-lowering diet that included pistachios in meals and as snacks, as a substitute for other fats. The control group ate the cholesterol-lowering diet only, with the same fat content, but without the nuts. In comparison with the control group, the pistachio group lowered their LDL, or bad cholesterol, by about 12 percent.

The Green Healer

It turns out that broccoli is a super way to green holiday menus. This wonder veggie, which has been found to lower the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer, now has been found to even reverse damage done to heart vessels as a result of diabetes, according to UK researchers.

People with diabetes are evidently up to five times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than others. With diabetes on the rise, we have good reason this season not to shy away from having seconds of the green stuff.

SOURCE: MEDICAL NEWS TODAY

GREEN LIGHTS
New energy-saving LED holiday lights 
use 90 percent less energy than conventional 
bulbs and can save up to $50 on the household
 energy bill through the holiday season.   Source: SierraClub.org

It’s easiest to start with just a few categories. Challenge the whole family to get on board and have some fun. For example: Reusing the same decorations, tableware and activities year after year creates treasured traditions among family and friends.

Remember to emphasize quality over quantity: buy 25 percent less than normal when shopping, for everything from trimmings to hors d’oeuvres. It’s likely that no one will miss the excess, and every effort aids the planet.
Here are some ideas to kick-start the celebrations:

Trees — Invest in a live tree to plant in the yard after the holidays, and patronize a local, pesticide-free, sustainable farm or grower if possible. For a cut tree, chip and compost it later. (Many communities offer post-holiday curbside pickup, composting trees for mulch. Call your public works or waste management department for details.)

Lights — New light-emitting diode (LED), fluorescent or solar holiday lights are preferred replacements when old-style lights fail. Put them on a timer and use conservatively. With traditional lights, pick strings with smaller bulbs, which use less energy and emit less heat.

Ornaments and décor — The best decorations are handcrafted, made from 100 percent natural materials, and created at home, locally or by artisans in other countries earning fair wages. Avoid products containing non-recyclable plastics, lead, phthalates or other toxins.

Creating zero-waste home decorations can become a cherished family tradition, eagerly anticipated each year and enjoyed by all ages. Consider designing recycled-paper snowflake cutouts; wreaths and centerpieces from collected tree trimmings; non-microwave popcorn and cranberry garlands; gingerbread houses; soy or beeswax candles; and stockings made from fabric scraps or knit natural fibers.

Tableware — Favor reusable plates, glasses, utensils, napkins and tablecloths. For larger gatherings, borrow extra place settings from friends or family, rent them, or stock up at a consignment or thrift store.

Cards — Send e-cards or email the family newsletter, or find snail-mail cards, invitations and thank-you notes made from recycled or tree-free materials and soy-based inks, via the Internet (search “eco-friendly cards” and “recycled holiday cards”). Find creative ways to parlay incoming cards by searching “reuse holiday cards.”

Gifts — Ideal presents sare handmade, activity-based, consumable or charitable. Look for a fair trade stamp of approval, as well as use of natural, sustainable, reused or recycled materials. Forego anything overpackaged, mass-produced, disposable, cheaply made, of unknown origin or requiring lots of additional components.

Wrapping — Creative giftwrap options include reusing decorative papers and traditional ribbons, raffia ribbons and repurposed fabrics.

Food and drink — Enjoy healthy holiday meals made from local and organic foods, to avoid genetically modified ingredients (see Natural Awakenings November 2008 issue). Cut down on meats, while upping the fruit and veggie quotient. Select organic drinks and liqueurs, and wine with real cork stoppers. Finally, compost table scraps.

Hosting a splashy party during the holidays, or anytime, can be as enjoyable as it is eco-friendly. The key to going green is to plan ahead, get everyone involved, and make it fun.

Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell are mother and daughter coauthors of Celebrate Green! – Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations & Traditions for the Whole Family, from which this article was adapted. Find more ideas for enlivening occasions throughout the year at CelebrateGreen.net.

Bye Bye Birdie made its Broadway debut almost 50 years ago. Now Birdie is back on Broadway, this time at The Henry Miller Theatre on 43rd Street in Times Square. Audiences have been entering the theatre through the famous neo-Georgian façade since it first opened in 1918. But once through the front doors, the audience won’t remember ever having been there before.  That’s because it’s all new…And all GREEN!

Closed since 2004, the Henry Miller Theatre has also returned to Broadway with the new production of Bye Bye Birdie.
Although Bye Bye Birdie takes place in the last century, the new Henry Miller Theatre is all about the future. The theatre is now part of the Bank of America Tower.  This 2.1 million-square-foot, 55 story project was redesigned and repurposed according to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum standards.  The original facade of the theatre was left intact, while the rest of the theatre was rebuilt from the foundation up, to meet the rigorous LEED certification process regulations.

All choices in the design process and materials reflect a united goal to make the new Henry Miller Theatre the first totally-sustainable and green Broadway Theatre. This meticulously executed project necessitated a huge learning curve within the NYC construction community, hopefully raising the bar for future Broadway renovations with some of the innovations listed below.

Potable Water: Several measures have been taken to reduce the amount of potable water being used. Some of these measures include waterless urinals, and a “gray water system” that repurposes water from sinks, to be reused for flushing toilets and cooling systems in the building.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning: Henry Miller Theatre system uses highly rated filters on the outdoor air intake. The filters minimize the amount of particulate matter entering the air supply to the interior spaces.
Wood: Solid wood and wood veneers are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. Native North American cherry, and a rapidly renewable bamboo were selected as finish materials in the Henry Miller Theatre.

Carpets: All carpets meet the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label plus requirements , which further reduces the amount of air contaminants.
VOC Levels: paint, concrete sealants and carpentry/carpet adhesives were all selected for low VOC levels, to maximize the environmental quality for patrons and staff.

Stone: The marble flooring and countertops were quarried in Vermont, within a 500 mile radius of New York City, reducing the energy and carbon emissions that might have come from transporting the materials from a more remote location.While meeting all environmental and sustainable design elements, the Henry

Miller Theatre has also managed to incorporate the latest technology into the backstage element of the building, without disturbing this newly achieved eco-balance. And the theatre’s 1055 new seats (located on two levels) all have full views of the stage. Bye Bye Birdie has brought the Henry Miller Theatre back to Broadway, and now this eco-showcase will inspire the Broadway community and audiences into the possibilities for a green and sustainable future everywhere.

Not all not aquariums are created equal when it comes to
sustainability. Energy used to run filters and lights is a 
major concern. Where the fish originate is another, as 
well as where they go at the end of the relationship.

by Nina Shen Rastogi

The ideal eco-aquarium, balanced and self-contained, is a cherished concept of hobbyists. But research shows that energy usage for a typical home aquarium can vary widely, depending on the setup. According to a 1997 report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a small freshwater aquarium—say, 10 gallons in size—might use as little as 90 to 120 kilowatt-hours a year to run its lights, filters and aerators. That’s about as much as a typical coffeemaker uses in a year—hardly a major energy suck in the grand scheme of things.

With increasing size, electricity costs naturally rise. A big, 55-gallon freshwater tank might use between 280 and 400 kilowatt-hours annually. Adding plants further ups an aquarium’s energy appetite, as it requires heavier-duty lighting to keep the plants alive.

Generally speaking, saltwater tanks use more energy than freshwater ones, due to the increased need for pumps and power heads to create 
water currents. Marine aquariums can pull 230 kilowatt-hours a year for a small tank, and up to about 800 for a large tank.

Since the Berkeley Laboratory report came out a dozen years ago, there have been a few advances in the efficiencies of aquarium equipment. Using LED lights can shave off a few kilowatt-hours and newer, energy-saving pumps and ballasts have come onto the market. One equipment salesperson estimated that the amount of electricity used by aquariums today could be about 25 percent lower than in 1997 with up-to-date equipment.

Aquariums can also have hidden environmental costs upstream. In some parts of Southeast Asia, where the vast majority of the world’s saltwater “ornamental” organisms come from, fish are caught using squirt bottles filled with cyanide, which stuns the animals and makes them easier to extract from coral reefs. But the chemical can also damage the coral, as well as other organisms living in the reefs—not to mention weakening the fish so that fewer of them survive transport. Keeping fish healthy is more than an animal rights issue, it’s also an ecological concern, because the fewer animals that survive the process, the more intensive the harvesting becomes.

So when buying wild-caught fish, look for those that have been captured with hand nets, rather than chemicals. Always avoid threatened and endangered species among both freshwater and saltwater fish. The silvery, black-striped, Banggai cardinalfish, only found in a few pockets off the coast of Indonesia, for example, has been labeled an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, largely due to overzealous harvesting for the aquarium trade.

The United Nations’ environmental office noted in 2003 that less than 10 percent of marine ornamental species were capable of being farm-cultured. Fortunately, sustainable collection is less of an issue with freshwater aquarium species, because 90 percent are farm-raised. Captive breeding helps reduce pressure on wild animal populations; although many conservationists argue that maintaining a sustainable trade in wild-caught organisms can be an environmentally friendly strategy if it provides economic incentives for fishermen to keep their local ecosystems healthy.

Before heading to the pet store, do a bit of homework to find out where the desired fish comes from. There are four Marine Aquarium Council-certified retailers in the United States—in Florida, Illinois, Michigan and New Jersey—where saltwater fish have been verified to be sustainably collected or cultured and then properly handled throughout the supply chain. A new licensing program should increase the number of stores supplying MAC-approved fish.

Reef Protection International’s Reef Fish Guide (ReefProtect.org/fish_guide.htm) further assesses popular marine species based on four criteria: survivability in home aquaria; abundance in the wild; availability and potential for captive breeding; and the collection methods used. Local hobbyist groups can be other good sources of information and, 
occasionally, homebred fish stock.

Finally, make sure any kids in the house don’t harbor a Finding Nemo fantasy. Releasing non-native species into the wild can cause ecological problems, particularly if those species become established populations. Do not dump an unwanted fish in a pond or flush it down a toilet. Instead, find a new home for a fish that has worn out its welcome, perhaps with a local pet store.

The best of all worlds is to avoid getting into such a situation in the first place: Make sure to buy only fish species that won’t grow too big for the designated aquarium and won’t start turf wars with their tank-mates. As with any other purchase, the greenest choice will be the one we don’t have to replace.

Nina Shen Rastogi writes a weekly environmental column at Slate.com.

By Robin Mattson

My CSA produce has gently shifted to autumnal rewards, lots of apples, winter squash like sweet sugar pumpkins and a variety of root vegetables, such as carrots, beets and potatoes. The colorful kale also continues to arrive, along with a huge head of cabbage.  Depending on the weather and time of year these CSA pick- ups can be overwhelmingly abundant even with just a single share of the farm’s crops.

When I see too many fruits and vegetables piling up I like to turn to juicing as way of using up the goods. Juicing is quick and easy and makes sense, especially if you’ve already made the investment in a juicing machine that has been collecting dust for a while, as mine has. The apples, carrots and a small piece of beet from today’s haul make a terrific taste combination, full of vitamins.

Have you seen those baby Sugar Pumpkins?  They are great for baking, have a mild, sweet flavor and are also a great source of vitamin A.  I keep reminding myself not to forget to save the seeds for toasting and to keep on hand as a healthy snack. Then it occurs to me that I’ve never included a dessert in this column.

The flesh from the small size Sugar Pumpkin is tender and succulent and of course is a natural for pies and muffins, but I want something different that goes together quickly and does not require me to roll out a crust. I may not be a baker, but I am a pudding maker, and this one is inspired by the filling of a pumpkin pie.

During the month of October we are bombarded with pumpkins, they seem to be everywhere. This time of year they are most often considered for their decorative possibilities, as we take a stab at creative carving for Halloween. Lest their culinary applications be forgotten, here is a sweet reminder that carving isn’t the only way to go with a pumpkin in October. Pumpkin Pudding is a delicious twist on that old standby Pumpkin Pie. 

And don’t try re-purposing the flesh from your carving pumpkins to make this recipe. You need a Sugar Pumpkin for baking purposes. I get my Sugar Pumpkins from my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) deliveries, but they are also readily available at farmer’s markets and grocery stores. If you must use canned pumpkin, do not buy the canned pumpkin “pie-mix,” opt instead for the canned organic pumpkin with no additives.

This pudding is quick and easy to make and can be prepared and refrigerated for a day or two, tightly covered in plastic wrap.  This is comfort food to be savored. And when topped with freshly whipped cream, it’s fancy enough for company. You can try to keep them all for yourself, but you risk having a family member eat several while your back is turned, as my husband did last night. Happy Halloween!

Robin Mattson is an award-winning actress, author and chef.

Pumpkin Pudding
Serves 6

1 small sweet Sugar Pumpkin 
sometimes called Pie Pumpkins 
(not the kind usually used for carving). Or substitute 1 cup canned organic pumpkin puree.
2 cups organic low-fat milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream

If using a fresh Sugar Pumpkin, cut it in half and remove the seeds. Slice into 1 inch wedges and peel. Boil the fresh pumpkin in just enough water to cover the flesh for 5 to 6 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.

Drain pumpkin and place in medium size bowl mash the pumpkin with a fork until smooth. Set aside 1 cup of mashed pumpkin and reserve the rest for another use. Or freeze the extra in 1 cup portions for use in making future custards.

Preheat oven to 325 and butter six 4 oz custard dishes.
In a large saucepan, heat the milk, maple syrup and brown sugar over low heat stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves (about 5 minutes), remove pan from heat.

In a steady slow stream, whisk beaten eggs into warm milk mixture. Add in pumpkin puree, fresh ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla extract mix until combined.
Distribute equal amounts of custard mixture into buttered custard cups. Do not overfill.

Place filled custard cups in a shallow roasting pan and pour hot water into the roasting pan until hot water comes ½ way up to the top of the custard cups. This is called a water bath and keeps the custard from curdling and stops it from boiling over.

Bake 50 minutes and test if done by inserting a knife into the center of the custard. When knife comes out “clean,” the custard is done.
Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 1 day before serving. Top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Green Halloween

Tricks for Earth-Friendly Treats
The scariest aspects of Halloween are the unhealthy sugar overload and disposable waste in costumes, decorations and pumpkins left to rot. Ranking second only to Christmas as America’s best-loved holiday in a FamilyFun.com poll, Halloween started going green across the country last year with the help of a grassroots, volunteer-run initiative on the Web at GreenHalloween.org.

While the movement started in Seattle in 2007, spreading to New York City and Phoenix, neighborhood, school and community groups around the United States and Canada are now getting in on the act. Founder Corey Colwell-Lipson is behind the move to get people to “think outside the candy box.” Thousands are logging on for start-to-finish ideas for staging local eco-Halloween festivities.

One twist is to substitute alternative keepsakes like yarn bracelets, seed packets, polished stones, organic fruit leathers and foreign stamps instead of candy. A 2003 Yale University study found that nearly half of young trick-or-treaters picked a small toy over candy when given the choice. Another option is reverse trick-or-treating, an initiative of Global Exchange, where kids hand out free samples of fair trade chocolate with an informational card on the benefits of supporting fair practices in the cocoa industry (search trick-or-treat at GlobalExchange.org).

Europe Leads
International Support for Small Farmers and Artisans
Although fair trade is still modest in scope, given the factors of smart product design, business strategies and economies of scale, Europeans are proving that it can be a viable market, even in recessionary times. More than 70 percent of the British populace, for example, now recognizes the fair-trade mark, while just 28 percent of U.S. consumers do, according to a recent survey by the Fairtrade Foundation.

More, one in four UK shoppers now regularly buy several fair trade products, while fewer than 6 percent of Americans could even name a fair-trade organization.

Fair trade is based on the principle of paying workers a fair price for sustainable products. Damien Sanfilippo, a cotton project manager with the international Pesticide Action Network, points out yet another benefit: “Fair trade can provide a stepping stone for [Third World] farmers to convert to organic, because it’s easier to become fair-trade certified,” he says. “Once they have access [to higher fair-trade prices], they can decide to use the premium to finance the training that they need to move towards more sustainable practices—all the way up to organic.”

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Climate Treaty
Why 350 is the Most Vital Number on Earth
Grassroots activists around the globe will rally October 24 to try to convince negotiators wrapping up the United Nations global climate treaty this December to target 350 parts per million as the safe upper limit for greenhouse gases. It’s the number, say leading scientists, like James Hansen, Ph.D., and his colleagues at NASA, that humanity needs to cut back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.

The 2008 atmospheric loading hit 387 ppm, according to the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. That’s up almost 40 percent since the Industrial Revolution and the highest for at least the last 650,000 years.
More than 1,350 grassroots events in 98 countries are gearing up to make a meaningful statement on this Global Day of Climate Action. Everyone is invited to join this necessary call to action to arrest Earth’s climate emergency.

To find or schedule a local event on October 24, visit 350.org.

Savvy Students
Colleges Demonstrate Environmental Literacy
The Princeton Review’s second annual ranking of “Green Colleges” shows that schools are responding to rising demand for eco-conscious academic environments. This year, 697 institutions of all sizes participated in the green rankings, from Ivy League universities to small, private colleges.
David Soto, the magazine’s director of college rankings, notes that while paying for college is a top worry for students and parents, environmental concerns are right behind that. A quarter of students and nearly a fifth of parents attest that an institution’s commitment to the environment would “very much” impact their choice of a college or university. Comments Soto: “They know they need these skills to get a job in the green economy.”

Source: GreenBiz.com

Easy Access  Green Info to Go
Anyone tired of wading through websites and blogs trying to locate that one bit of information that will answer their question about which is the better way to go green will appreciate GreenYour.com. Categories include home, office, body, lifestyle and transportation. But that’s only the beginning. Inquirers can simply type in the query of the moment and voilá, up comes brief, well-organized bulleted lists of easy-to-understand tips and insight on the topic. Plus, in some cases, bonus comments by helpful bloggers.

Green Royals

Long Live the Green Ruling Families Around the World Grist.org has posted its picks for rulers who are leveraging “their media magnetism and sovereign sway to draw attention to a variety of eco-causes.” These leaders are helping to green their homelands, counter climate change and make sure the cake we’re eating is organic, too. Initiatives range from support for healthy ocean, rainforest and wildlife populations to sustainable energies to high-quality food, water and air.

Royals leading the way include: Prince Charles of England; Princess Basma bint Ali of Jordan; Prince Albert II of Monaco; Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco; Princess Takamado of Japan; Princess Chulabhorn Walailak of Thailand; Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan; Queen Elizabeth II of England; Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand; and King Carl Gustaf of Sweden.

For more information visit Grist.org and search “10 green royals.”

Opt Out
Stop Junk Mail at its Source
The average American adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail a year, even though, as Newsweek reports, polls show that 89 percent of us prefer not to receive direct-marketing mail; 44 percent of it is never opened. Opposition from the U.S. Postal Service and the Direct Marketing Association has so far helped defeat passage of any Do Not Mail legislative relief in 19 states.

Low-cost initiatives like 41Pounds.org ($41 for five years includes a $15 eco-cause donation) and StoptheJunkMail.com ($20 a year) are coming to citizens’ rescue with services that solve 80 to 95 percent of the problem for us. Do-it-yourself types also can make it happen using how-to tips courtesy of The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at PrivacyRights.org/fs/fs4-junk.htm, with an assist from OptOutPrescreen.com and CatalogChoice.org.

Nationwide annual benefits of getting out from under junk mail include: preventing production of greenhouse gases equal to the emissions of 9 million cars; destruction of the 100 million trees and use of 28 million gallons of freshwater it takes to produce 4 million tons of junk mail; $550 million in transportation costs; paper waste comprising 40 percent of the U.S. landfill load; and $320 million in local taxes spent on junk mail disposal. That is not to mention the estimated 350 hours each household spends sorting and shredding it to protect against identity theft and fraud.

For more tips, visit BigGreenPurse.com and search “control catalog overload.”

Sustainable Consumer
Green Becoming a Tiebreaker 
in Shopping Decisions
A 2009 Grocery Manufacturers Association survey at 11 national chains found that more than half the shoppers interviewed consider green attributes when making purchases. Yet, less than half of the shoppers who were there looking for green products actually found them; only 22 percent of the 6,400 people surveyed ended up buying green products. Researchers concluded that grocers need to do a better job of educating shoppers and promoting green products in stores.

Other key statistics also emerged: About 2 percent of those surveyed classify themselves as committed to buying products based on sustainability attributes whenever possible; 18 percent consider themselves proactive in weighing environmental factors with other values; while sustainable products influence 34 percent, all other things being equal. On the flip side, a third of shoppers were unsure or neutral about eco-attributes and 13 percent rejected or didn’t know anything about going green.

Coming Home to Yourself
When Your Home Expresses Who You Are

Home. It’s a small word for a universal idea, one that resonates deeply with complex individual meanings and associations.
Regardless of whether home is a room, apartment, cottage or mansion, how homey it seems depends first on two physical factors: light coming in on two sides and a view of greenery or sky, according to Clare Cooper Marcus, professor emerita of the departments of architecture and landscape architecture and environmental planning at the University of California, Berkeley.

“We yearn for nature,” she observes. “Houseplants or a view of a garden is a universal desire.”In her seminal book, House as a Mirror of Self: Exploring the Deeper Meaning of Home, which resulted from her work on a low-income housing project and a series of case studies, Marcus came to understand that “People consciously and unconsciously use their home environment to express something about themselves.”

For Marcus, our evolving self-image is directly reflected in the homes we create, like a chambered nautilus, around our deepest self. Sometimes, we discover that we have outgrown the shell in which we currently live, and a change is in order, remarks Jill Butler, an illustrator, creativity coach and author of Create the Space You Deserve: An Artistic Journey to Expressing Yourself Through Your Home. This could be the result of a shift, as the result of downsizing to a smaller home or again becoming a single adult; a celebration of finally being able to build a home or move to the place of our dreams; or a milestone, which might come in the form of a first apartment or new baby.

“Creating a soul space, or a nest, is not a new idea for most women,” says Butler. “What might be new is creating the nest that supports you and makes you feel loved and nurtured when your world might not. Taking the time to understand the deeper need is the first step.”

How a House Becomes a Home
“A house is more than a roof over your head,” says Butler, noting that it is far more than what it came to be seen as in recent years as Americans’ primary savings account. “The whole idea of a house became skewed when we worried more about resale value than actually living there,” she continues. “It’s time to consider their return on our emotional investment.”

A house becomes a home only as we put our own personal, emotional imprint on it. “A home is people-made,” writes Alexandra Stoddard, author of Feeling at Home: Defining Who You Are and How You Want to Live. “Our home is our essence, the ultimate Earthly place where we live and love and have our being.

“All the more reason to ask ourselves: Are we living with harmony, fulfillment, and joy at home? Are we living as well as we would like, or are we too often anxious, emotionally exhausted and stressed?”

Interior designer Kelee Katillac, author of House of Belief: Creating Your Own Personal Style, suggests we start by taking a close look at what we see around us in our home. “Homes that say nothing of who we are—what we believe in and values that we aspire toward—are places of tumultuous spiritual discontent,” she counsels. “By filling the space around us with benign objects—department-store clones with matching accessories to fill every nook and cranny—we lock ourselves into a gilded cage of fashion for which our creative spirit has no key.”

Taking Stock
Before we can create a home that truly expresses our deepest self, we need to rediscover who we are now, where we are in our life and what we really want. This calls for an assessment or inventory, a “before” snapshot.

Thomas Moore, in Care of the Soul: How to Add Depth and Meaning to Your Everyday Life, recalls a “reading” he did of one woman’s dwelling. “My idea was to see the house’s poetry and alphabet, to understand the gestures it was making in its architecture, colors, furnishing [and] decorations, and the condition it was in at that particular time.” After the exercise, he notes, “We both felt unusually connected to the place.” More, “I was motivated to reflect on my own home and to think more deeply about the poetics of everyday life.”

How well does our current home feel like we wish it to? In Feeling at Home, Stoddard lists 15 elements that contribute to the emotional intelligence of a home. In addition to the dual keys of light and a view outside, as Marcus mentions, are color, comfortable furniture, change (periodic rearrangement of elements), privacy, fresh air, nature, beauty, art, order, a working kitchen, a home library and favorite objects. The latter may encompass heirlooms, childhood souvenirs and handcrafts.

“We begin by shaping our home environments into places of inspiration and affirmation,” advises Katillac. “By keeping our beliefs in front of us in our homes and by building our belief and our confidence through artistry in our own home, we enter into an exhilarating process that affects our lives on every level.”

Creative Renewal
“Although we tend to relegate creativity to the working artist, all of us are creating all the time,” says Butler. Creativity at home may begin with a notebook filled with pictures culled from magazines, paint chips, product literature and to-do lists. We have the information and the ideas, now we must make it all happen.

Some creative house projects are relatively easy and inexpensive to do ourselves. We can make a static space, like a living or dining room, function better for how we really live—make it more informal, colorful, or lived-in—by changing the type of furniture or its arrangement, advises Katillac. Butler emphasizes that the secret to using every room lies in setting up the room exactly as we want it.

We can happily engage all the senses with favorite music, scented candles, fresh flowers, soft throws or silky pillows and perhaps a garden, visible through a window. We can repaint a room in a color we love. We can even make our own artwork. We can decorate only with objects that resonate with us, with less of an eye to the price.

“Living artfully might require taking the time to buy things with soul for the home,” counsels Moore. “Good linens, a special rug or a simple teapot can be a source of enrichment, not only for our own life, but also the lives of our children and grandchildren.”
Adds Katillac, “By surrounding ourselves with the trappings of our past successes, or with things we associate with those who have achieved the success we want in our lives, we begin to believe in the possibility of our dreams.”

When re-envisioning our home involves tearing out walls, adding rooms or building from the ground up, it’s time to call in help from experts: architects, interior designers, contractors, plumbers and painters—the works. That can seem daunting at first. But our sources share a secret: Find a professional with the credentials you want for your project, and he or she generally will lead you to other qualified people.

“Each lead, each name or name of a service, leads to the next lead,” advises Butler. “Each time you meet someone and get help, he or she will answer questions and evoke more questions yet to be answered, and on and on it goes.”

Finished … for Now
When our home project is finished we’ll know, because the space contributes to our well-being, says Butler. “You’ll feel nurtured, nested, and protected. You’ll feel at home.”
“Feeling at home is a way of life, an inspiring journey of discovery as well as a bridge that leads us to great appreciation, reverence and beauty,” concludes Stoddard. A home that feels like home is a place “where we’ve transformed our spirit because we’ve learned how to follow our own heart.”

The effects, too, are ongoing. “Through this process of belief-based decorating,” adds Katillac, “nothing seems beyond transformation—negative thoughts, financial trouble, loneliness—nothing.”

Judith Fertig is a freelance writer in Overland Park, KS. 
Connect at JFertig299@aol.com.

For more information and inspiration, contact Jill Butler at JillButler.com; Kelee Katillac at KeleeKatillac.com and KatillacShack.com; Clare Cooper Marcus at Clare@MyGarden.com; Thomas Moore at CareOfTheSoul.net; and Alexandra Stoddard at AlexandraStoddard.com.

This month, yoga studios and instructors around the world are hosting events to introduce people to yoga, the 5,000-year-old practice that is their passion. Individuals can choose from many schools and yoga styles to find those best suited to their body type, personality and stage of life and fitness.
 

While instructional approaches to the yoga techniques and asanas, or postures, may vary, the ultimate goal for most is the yoking of the mind to body and spirit. From the physically challenging to the meditatively transcending, this ancient discipline from India demands respect and commitment from those who seek to receive its benefits. Practitioners attest that stepping onto the yoga mat can lead to extraordinary experiences, greater self-knowledge and better health.

10 Reasons to Try Yoga

Stress Reduction ~ By encouraging 
relaxation, yoga practice can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Related reported 
benefits include lowered blood pressure and heart rate, and a reduction in the symptoms of 
anxiety, depression, fatigue, asthma and insomnia.

Pain Relief ~ Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated that practicing yogic asanas and meditation reduced pain among people with cancer, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune diseases, hypertension, arthritis and other chronic conditions. Some practitioners report that even emotional pain can be eased through the practice of yoga.

Better Breathing ~ By teaching people to take slower, deeper breaths, yoga can help to improve lung health and function, trigger the body’s relaxation response and increase the amount of oxygen available to the body.

Flexibility ~ Yoga routinely helps to improve flexibility and mobility, increasing range of movement and even reducing joint aches and pains. While many people can’t touch their toes during their first yoga class, with practice they are able to do more poses as they stretch muscles and release tensions. Yoga also helps to improve body alignment, resulting in better posture and helping to relieve back, neck, joint and muscle problems.

Increased Strength ~ Asanas use both big and small muscle groups in the body, helping to increase strength from head to toe. Yoga also helps build bone density through weight-bearing postures.

Weight Management ~ All styles of yoga can aid weight control efforts by reducing cortisol in the bloodstream, burning calories and creating muscle mass. Yoga also encourages healthy eating habits through greater body-awareness, and provides a heightened sense of well-being.

Improved Circulation ~ Combining asanas in a series or flow helps to improve circulation in the body and move oxygenated blood to the cells more efficiently. Moving through the postures also helps to flush internal organs and detoxify the body. Improved digestion and immune system function are other reported benefits of yoga.

Cardiovascular Conditioning ~ Even gentle yoga practice can provide cardiovascular benefits by lowering the resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving oxygen uptake during exercise.

Sharper Mind ~ Like meditation, yoga keeps practitioners focused on the present moment, which opens the way to improved concentration, coordination, reaction time and memory. Research shows that such mindfulness practices can actually create new neural pathways in the brain.

Inner Peace ~ Yoga’s meditative aspects often help practitioners feel more calm and centered within themselves. Many who begin the practice for other reasons say that this sense of peace is what brings them back to the mat time and again.

Sources: YogaAlliance.org; MedicalNewsToday.com; National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at nccam.nih.gov;and U.S. National Library of Medicine at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/.

YOGA CHOICES

Yoga offers tremendous variety, and students at any level may find that they enjoy more than one style and teacher. Attending workshops and seminars allows individuals to sample what’s available and expand their practice.

Options include:

•    Vigorous practice that builds strength and stamina
•    Gentle, restorative, relaxing practice
•    Meditative styles
•    Yoga with a spiritual focus that may include chanting
•    Practicing in a heated room, or not
•    Yoga as part of a cross-training regimen
•    Therapeutic yoga for injuries, joint problems
    and other health conditions

Feel free to ask teachers the 
following questions:

How often do they personally practice yoga; is it at least four times a week?
How long have they been practicing yoga? 
A minimum of three years of regular practice prior to teaching is a reasonable expectation.

With whom did they train and for how long?
Is the teacher still studying yoga? Professional associations like the Yoga Alliance require teachers to participate in continuing education in order to remain registered.

Is the instructor registered with a professional yoga teachers’ organization? These associations often keep teachers abreast of new research and developments in the field.

Does the teacher have specialized skills suited to special needs or health conditions? This may include prenatal, senior or kids’ yoga. Teachers who focus on therapeutic yoga practice may belong to the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT.org).

Could the teacher serve as a personal mentor or regularly be available to address questions during and after practice?

Can prospective students observe a class before participating or enrolling?

Many teachers and studios offer drop-in classes or even a trial class, perhaps at a reduced rate. Health clubs also may include yoga classes in their membership fees.

Source: Adapted from Yoga Alliance