Haiti would not be the first place you think about when trying to regain health and vitality. Ironically, working on my computer day in and day out in my pursuit to bring the world green health resources, was slowly deteriorating my health! I was eager to break out of the daily grind to lend a hand to the Natural Health program in Leogane, Haiti (now, one of the most devastated cities due to the recent earthquake).

What could this developing country possibly offer a sophisticated westerner such as myself?

1). SLOW down to speed up Health.

The director of the NEGES foundation reminded me before I left that “Haitians aren’t in a hurry.” It takes time to adjust to NOT feeling like you have to wake up at a certain hour, early in the morning and work vigorously through a daily 9-5 routine. My body and mind needed a couple of weeks of a slower pace of living. Haiti was the perfect place.

2). A technology DETOX.

Haiti definitely has cell phones, computers, TVs and the like, however the fast speed connections, flatscreens in every room of the house (or even in every house) and the ability to stay wired 24 hours a day is not prevalent. What a blessing in disguise! Although I am deeply infatuated with my MAC computer and enjoy the novelty of iPhone apps, I had a fantasy filled, secret love affair with waking up to the cry of roosters, spending my days on a small farm with chickens scurrying and chillaxin’ to great face-to-face conversations increasing my fluency in French.

3) The SUN is the best antidote.

Vitamin D deficiency is a huge problem in the U.S and has been implicated in perpetuating many conditions such as cancer, viral infections, depression etc. My body was screaming for natural light and rebelled at me constantly allowing a computer screen to block its path to delight in the Sun’s rays. For two whole weeks, I spent a total of 5 minutes on a computer and 15 minutes on a cell phone in exchange for free doses of sunlight while working outdoors. My body, mind and spirit came into full agreement that this was the smartest move I made since my pact to naturally heal the three of them several years ago.

4) Don’t forget ENJOYMENT & PEOPLE in your pursuit of Healthy Eating.

The observations of the French eating highly fattening foods without suffering from obesity or heart disease led to the theory of “The French Paradox.” The French paradox alludes to the fact that the enjoyment of food and slow eating can’t be left out of the equation of a healthy diet. While spending time in France’s former colonial conquest, I was able to spend several of my meal times eating with my newfound Haitian family (I admit that I am notorious for eating in a hurry and it is rare that I have the opportunity to dine with someone). This led me to write a poem entitled “Manger avec Moi” (translates to Eating with Me) that captured how the Haitians provided me with a deeper experience of Love & Health through our meal times together.

From the Rainforest Alliance:

New Rainforest Alliance Standards Verify Companies’ Wood Purchases as Legal

New York – Illegal logging throughout the world’s forests continues to undermine efforts to promote social equity, environmental conservation and sustainable economic growth in many nations.  In developing countries alone, it has been suggested that illegal logging may result in lost assets and revenues of more than US $10 billion annually.  To address the problem of illegal logging, the Rainforest Alliance released at the Chatham House Illegal Logging Forum in London last week updated timber legality verification standards to help companies protect their supply chains and comply with new laws.

While it is difficult to accurately quantify the extent of illegal logging, estimates in some countries indicate that illegally harvested timber exceeds that of legally harvested.  The social impact of illegal logging is significant, contributing to poverty and resource inequity while jeopardizing the natural resources on which many people rely.

Increased efforts have been undertaken on international, national and private levels to address the problem of illegal logging.  In the United States, the government has amended the Lacey Act to include a ban on illegally harvested wood and wood products.  The European Commission’s Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) has focused on promoting the availability, utilization and trade in legal forest products imported by the European Union (EU).  New regulations are under development to define the requirements for timber importers who place wood and wood products in the EU markets.

Increasingly, committed businesses that want to eliminate destructive and illegal forest products from their supply chains are creating purchasing policies and seeking independent legality verification and independent forest monitoring.

“In order for those voluntary initiatives to be credible, third-party auditing is critical,” said Christian Sloth, verification services manager for the Rainforest Alliance.  “We developed standards for verification of legality to respond to a growing need for companies to provide assurances – to customers, owners, investors, or the general public – that answer questions about the legal status of timber sources.”

The Rainforest Alliance approach to legality includes a step-by-step approach starting with two levels of legality assurance; the first level is Verification of Legal Origin (VLO).  Verification of Legal Origin (VLO) verifies that timber comes from a source that has a documented legal right to harvest, according to the laws and regulations of the local government. Suppliers of VLO timber must follow and maintain documented chain-of-custody systems.

The second level of legality verification is called Verification of Legal Compliance (VLC). The VLC standard expands upon the basic component of VLO by verifying that timber harvesting complies with all applicable laws and regulations related to forestry, including laws relating to environmental protection, wildlife, water and soil conservation, harvesting rules, worker health and safety, and fairness to communities.

The Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program updated legality verification standards can be downloaded from the legality verification site on www.rainforest-alliance.org.

In 2007, Greenpeace carried out an evaluation of existing legality verification standards and the Rainforest Alliance’s legality verification program received the highest score of all systems evaluated.

The Rainforest Alliance verification program has developed quickly over the past year. The program has verified almost 20 companies and forests in Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia.  New verification clients are under evaluation in Laos, China, Paraguay and Congo.

As a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-accredited certifier, the Rainforest Alliance recognizes FSC certification as a core element to a sound company purchasing policy.  However, for companies with extremely complex supply chains, it can take time to “green” their supply chain and increase volumes of certified supply.  Companies that have requirements (voluntary or mandatory) to demonstrate progress in increasing the percentages of legal and sustainable forest products can work with the Rainforest Alliance’s forestry team to establish a sourcing plan. There are many steps to this – phasing out unknown and uncertified wood; phasing in known, legal, or controlled wood (as per FSC standards); sourcing from those engaged in a stepwise program for certification, such as the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartStep program.

“By working within the realm of sources that have the potential to be legal and sustainable, we can increase the amount of responsibly managed forests over the long run,” said Sloth.

The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. For more information, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org.

Image courtesy of rainforest-alliance.org

According to the animal activist group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), by replacing the famous Punxsutawney Phil with an animatronic version “the bitter winter that’s made him into an unwilling media attraction will end, making way for a sunny spring that everyone can enjoy.”

For those not in the know, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow then we have six more weeks of Winter. If he doesn’t, then we have an early Spring. But according to PETA, the robot version will undoubtedly give us the warmer weather most of us desire.

PETA expresses that the famous animal is mistreated, and denied of his yearly hibernation. Instead, he is subject to his loads of fans and constant human handling. And so, PETA penned a letter (PDF) to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club expressing their “exciting, innovative” robot option, but that “tradition is no excuse for cruelty”.

What do you think?

We think that, regardless, the movie Groundhog Day is pretty awesome.

Image courtesy of groundhog.org

Some big ticket items are the most hazardous to the environment, but are deemed crucial in the home, so how can we make them more enviro-savvy for our world?

Your Old Mattress

The Washington Post reports that most mattresses are made out of petroleum based ingredients such as polyurethane foam, and contain flame retardants which are required by law, but are often made up of chemicals harmful to human health.

Aside from the make-up of your mattress, regular tossing and turning can result in a break down of the foam within the mattress and causes dust particles to float into the air your breathe.

In 2006, a Consumer Product Safety Commission study estimated that “the average adult sleeping  on a conventional mattress will be exposed to 0.802 milligrams of antimony and 0.081 milligrams of boric acid, which is commonly used to kill cockroaches every night”. This fact alone has me questioning my Serta Beauty Rest and considering the positives a chemical free mattress may have not only on the environment, but on my peace of mind as well.

Purchasing Your New Mattress

If your in the market to purchase an organic mattress, many retailers such as JC Penney offer organic lines. Another great website to check out and purchase organic mattresses (within the US only) is The Organic Mattress Store (theorganicmatressstore.com).

They offer a wide range of mattresses for babies to adults which are made from 100% pure rubber latex (not synthetic latex) at its core and quilted with pure wool, certified organic cotton, and wrapped in a certified organic cotton fabric cover. The site also boasts duvets, pillows, organic sheets, and wooden and metal bed frames- all environmentally sound.

Lets All Do Our Part

So now that you’re doing your part and trading that old mattress in for an upgrade, it is comforting to know that others are following suit. Mattress giant Sleep Country Canada is taking initiative at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games and donating mattresses for all our athletes to get their rest on, and when the Olympics are completed, they are donating all mattresses, box springs and frames to charitable organizations throughout the Sleep Country chain region.

To read more on environmental sustainability within the 2010 Games check out vancouver2010.com/sustainability and rest at ease on some organic (bed) support.

Image courtesy of smh.com.au

Their mission is to educate, inspire and organize people to create justice and peace through nonviolence. We had the chance to chat with the founders of the company to see what drives them to fulfill this passion.

What led you in this direction to create BE LOVE?

We created Be Love to help us fund the Peace Education work that we do through our nonprofit partner Common Peace.

Be Love has been a natural way for us to live our core beliefs.
This work allows us to be creative and express ourselves through inspiring and eco friendly production and design.

What is your most popular style?

All Be Love styles are our favorites, of course! So much of us goes into creating ones that we love. KamGi especially likes our long sleeve organic top in ocean blue with the Be Love design and Kyle digs the new organic charcoal T with the Peace Warrior design. (Note from ecoki: We love the simple, yet artistic, styles!)

Who is your ideal customer?

Our customers run the spectrum of old and young, male and female of all colors, shapes and sizes. Be Love attracts customers that love beauty and have a strong desire to buy and wear clothing that represents their core beliefs in environmental sustainability and nonviolence. Our customers support great work through their purchase of Be Love and this is very important to them.

What does the future hold for BE LOVE?

God only knows but we see a continuation of great new designs and purposeful products. We also look forward to growing peace studies and  activism around the principles of nonviolence to create positive changes in the communities we find ourselves in.

How do you live an eco-friendly lifestyle?

We think about the consequences of our actions and how they affect the earth that we will leave to our children grandchildren and so-forth.

We educate ourselves about the issues and challenges we face as people who are stewards of this planet.
We live simply so that others can simply live.

It doesn’t end there, though. We definitely recommend you check out their Peace Studies on their website. This is where we know that the company is driven to making a change, by providing easily attained resources at the tips of our fingers.

We also love that the crew at Be Love donates 10% of all sales to Common Peace, an organization that helps teach the principles of peace, nonviolence, and conflict resolution.  The rest of their profits go toward building nonviolence workshops and funding campaigns of non-violent direct action.

They say their t-shirts communicate a message of strength, compassion, and loving determination for peace and social justice. If that’s not enough, they look good, too.
Check them out at beloveforall.com

BE LOVE GIVEAWAY!

Want to win your own Be Love tee? Simply drop us a comment below – a random writer will be chosen at the end of the month – contest closes January 28th!

This four-day event includes a variety of international speakers, including keynote speaker Margaret Webb, a leading Toronto writer and author of ‘Apples to Oysters: A Food Lover’s Tour of Canadian Farms’.

It also includes a variety of seminars and workshops, including topics on genetically engineering, organic certification, climate change, eco-friendly building, food security and more.

For those who might not be able to make time to listen to and explore the presentations, they also a featuring an Organic Expo/Tasting Fair with 160+ exhibitors (including 35 food vendors) on Saturday and Sunday, which is free to the public. And filled with incredible – and delicious – fair-trade, organic products.

Online registration is closed, but you can still register at the door. (Click here for more information).

If you’re heading there, we’d love to get a review on what you think! Drop us an email if you attend.

For more information about the conference, visit guelphorganicconf.ca

This is not an absolute truth, however; as anything you do to protect the environment ultimately produces positive effects on human health. Nonetheless, there are several green habits just 1° of separation from protecting your body and the earth.

1) Got Mercury? Mercury, a neurotoxin, is extremely hazardous to human health especially in children and developing fetuses. Use this calculator to make healthier seafood choices and AVOID mercury.

2) Pollution in my Neighborhood? It may be easier for you to take action if you understand just how bad pollution is on your street. Scorecard.org allows you to put in your zipcode to determine:

• Toxic Chemical Levels
• Air & Water pollution
• Companies that are the biggest environmental offenders

Don’t underestimate the impact of toxic substances (like lead), air and water pollution and their effects on your health. More importantly, don’t underestimate the health effects of all 3 of these combined!

3) Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. Chemicals are in virtually all cosmetics and body care products even some of the ones claiming to be natural (exceptions exist only for a handful of truly Green beauty companies). These chemicals have been linked to cancer, birth defects and several other health problems. Consumers can search based on ingredients, cosmetic company and product name to determine potential toxic exposure. (Check out our post on this subject: Chemicals in your cosmetics)

4) What’s on my food? This is a very profound, even prophetic question. If you are jaded about the organic revolution then run your conventional foods through this calculator and you may have a change in heart. The fact that a tool had to be developed to actually quantify pesticide levels along with listing the specific contaminants is a reality check of how far off balance we have become in producing pure foods – a master key for creating health.

5) Healthystuff.org has widgets to guide you when shopping for kids toys and other products so you won’t choose ones that are manufactured with high levels of lead, arsenic, PVC, cadmium, mercury and other chemicals (Kids Stuff & Chemicals). Needless to say, removing these chemicals from a child’s environment is a powerful green choice to make.

Scientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder have found that because of this, more greenhouse gasses will be left in the atmosphere.

Hu, along with ecology and evolutionary biology professor and CIRES Fellow Russell Monson, found that while the growing season was extended, it also lessened water availbility to forets in summer and fall. As a result, these trees could not effectively convert CO2 into biomass.

Because snow is more effective than rain in giving water to the forests, an increase in warmer weather downpours won’t make the difference if there is a lack of snow.

The team found that 60% of the water in the trees could be traced back to snowmelt. But as the snowmelt declines, the rate of carbon uptake follows.

The study also includes authors David Moore of King’s College London and Sean Burns of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and CU-Boulder.

CIRES is a joint institute of CU-Boulder and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Read more from their website cires.colorado.edu.

The study is to be published in the February edition of the journal Global Change Biology.

Source: Science Daily.

Image courtesy of rohan.sdsu.edu

Started by two sisters who grew up living and exploring nature at its finest, they soon developed an emotional connection with the environment that they could not ignore.

American Family Naturally strives to bring you the absolute best in eco-friendly goods, whether its clothing for men, women and baby, gear for your pet, or items for your home or car. All products they carry meet and exceed eco-expectations – and it shows through the quality that they carry.

Their bamboo towels are no exception. The high thread count and fine quality deliver an indulgence that is perfect for pampering. Made of 100% organic bamboo, it combines the bonuses of bamboo as a material, with a gorgeous and comfortable end result.

Bamboo, as we’ve often highlighted, is a renewable source with many positive health benefits. Those allergic and with sensitive skin can feel at ease with its hypo-allergenic properties, and it’s deceiving durability is thanks to rejecting mold and mildew. It’s also anti-microbial and anti-static, making it an all-around good choice for your go-to towel.

But what we like most is its ability to absorb. Despite its cashmere-like thinness, bamboo is sixty percent more absorbent than Egyptian cotton, which is often the towel material of choice.

We also love their variety of colours, all of which the towels retain wash after wash. Made with Oeko-tex 100 Class1 dyes – meaning harm-free – they are completely void of any additional pesticides and chemicals.  American Family Naturally ensures that what you’re getting is high quality and comfort with a greener twist.

Bath Towel
$27.95
55 x 27 x .5 inches / 1lb

Organic Bamboo Wash Cloth
$5.95
12 x .5 inches / 0.25lbs

Organic Bamboo Hand Towels
$15.95
30 x 20 x .5 inches / 0.5lbs

Available in black pearl, charcoal grey, chocolate brown, midnight blue, pearl white, roasted almond, sage green, soft pink, steel blue, storm grey, or our favorite, sunny yellow.

Apple Crisp

Serve plain or with Vanilla Creme Sauce or Vanilla Ice Cream (both of which are available in her book)

Makes one 8-inch crisp, 8 servings

Equipment: cutting board, peeler, 8″ chef’s knife, paring knife, measuring cups, measuring spoons, food processor, rubber spatula, small mixing bowl, 8″ square glass pan

2 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 apples, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup pitted medjool dates, soaked
1/2 cup raisins, soaked
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups Crumble Topping (see below)

Toss the sliced apples with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and set aside. Place the chopped apples, dates, raisins, cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until smooth. Remove from the food processor and mix with the sliced apples.

To assemble the crisp, press 1/2 cup of the Crumble Topping into an 8″ square glass baking dish. Spread the apple filling on top using a rubber spatula. Using your hands, knead pieces of the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Crumble Topping until they stick together. Lay these pieces of topping on the apple filling to form a cobbled appearance, allowing some of the filling to peek through. Serve at room temperature or warm in a slow oven or dehydrator (see note). Covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator, Apple Crisp will keep for three days.

Note: To warm, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Turn off the oven, insert the Apple Crisp, and warm for 15 minutes. Alternatively, heat the Apple Crisp for 30 minutes in a food dehydrator set at 105 degrees F.

Crumble Topping

This topping tastes like it was freshly baked! Use it on crisps, as a crust for Apple Crumb Cake or eat it straight.

Makes 2 cups, 8 servings

Equipment: measuring cups, measuring spoons, food processor, rubber spatula.

2 cups raw walnuts or pecans, unsoaked
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins, unsoaked
8 pitted medjool dates, unsoaked
1/4 cup whole can sugar or maple syrup (optional, for a sweeter topping)

Place the walnuts, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in the food processor fitted with the S blade and process until coarsely ground. Add the raisins and dates and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and begins to stick together. Don’t over process. Add the optional whole cane sugar and process briefly. Stored in a sealed container, Crumble Topping will keep for one month in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer.

Image courtesy of wellsphere.com

Harvest Salad

Makes 1 serving

This salad makes a delicious first course for a fall or winter meal.

Equipment: salad spinner, medium mixing bowl, measuring cups, measuring spoons, tongs, serving plate, cutting board, 8″ chef’s knife

2 cups torn red leaf lettuce or mesclun
1/4 apple or ripe pear, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Classic Vinaigrette (see below)
1 tablespoon chopped pecans, unsoaked
1 tablespoon fresh raspberries, dried cherries or dried cranberries (see note)

Place the lettuce, apple and vinaigrette in a mixing bowl and toss gently. Transfer to a serving plate and arrange pecans and raspberries on top. Serve immediately.

Variation: For Harvest Salad with Cheese: Add 2 tablespoons blue cheese, such as Roquefort or Gorgonzola

Note: If using dried cherries or cranberries, soak them in water for 10 minutes to plump them, then drain well.

For the Classic Vinaigrette:

Apple cider vinegar is easier to digest than red wine vinegars and it has a fine fruity flavour. For a more traditional taste, substitute balsamic vinegar.

Makes 1/4 cup, 2 servings

Equipment: measuring spoons, small mixing bowl, whisk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
1/8 teaspoon salt
dash black pepper (optional)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Place the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the olive oil and whisk until smooth. Store in a cruet or glass jar in the refrigerator. Classic Vinaigrette will keep for one week.

Variation: For Classic Vinaigrette with Herbs and Shallots: Add 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh parsley and 1/2 teaspoon minced shallots.

I fell deeply in love with sushi – I ate every type of roll from the newbie’s shrimp tempura to a sushi connoisseur’s barbeque eel roll.

I embarrassingly craved sushi all of the time and even began to pick up the small sushi platters that became popular in the chain grocery stores. Eating two sushi rolls and a cup of miso soup was so filling, tasty and healthy ~ or so I thought.

I stopped my sushi habit cold turkey when I began to learn about the high levels of contamination in seafood. Furthermore, I was consuming raw seafood from restaurants that most likely were not purchasing low-contamination, eco-friendly fish.

Information is now available that help us choose safer sushi which is awesome news for the green sushi lovers of the world. Seafood Watch®, a program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has a vision for sustainability which is to “help sustain wild, diverse and healthy ocean ecosystems that will exist long into the future…..by encouraging consumers and businesses to purchase seafood that is fished or farmed in ways that don’t harm the environment. When there is scientific uncertainty, we err on the side of conservation.”

Seafood Watch developed a sushi guide to help consumers and restaurant owners choose the most eco-friendly and least contaminated seafood available. Seafood Watch also provides action items on What You Can Do to help solve these pollution problems:

• Order fish from the Best Choice and Good Alternatives List

• Talk with your Chef about sustainable seafood and slip them the seafood guide

• Spread the Word about Sustainable Seafood – Post a link on Twitter or Facebook

Seafood Watch also provides a fun quiz entitled “Not all sushi is created equal” which tests your Sustainable Sushi Smarts.

I now look forward to going to a good sushi restaurant to devour an Iwana roll dipped in wasabi and soy sauce, salad with ginger dressing and a shot of sake.

Images courtesy of Seafood Watch and library.thinkquest.org

Whole Foods Market(R) Invites Shoppers to Welcome 2010 With ‘This Is My Year to…’ Campaign

By Simply Sharing Aspirations, Shoppers Will Also Log Support for Non-Profits

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — To kick off the New Year, Whole Foods Market invites shoppers to share their aspirations for living and giving through in-store declarations and a new Facebook application that will give back to three national non-profit food organizations.

In lieu of traditional New Year’s resolutions, Whole Foods Market’s first-ever Facebook application encourages shoppers to declare “This is my year to…,” choosing a food-related mantra that best describes their aspirations for the coming year. Shoppers and fans of Whole Foods Market’s Facebook page can update their status by deciding their “This is my year to…” aspirations while logging their support for a non-profit group.

In the spirit of giving, Whole Foods Market with its media partner Health Magazine and vendor partner Odwalla hope to raise awareness for three selected non-profit organizations. Each group will receive a $10,000 donation, and the non-profit with the most votes will receive an additional $10,000.

The application is available for download at http://apps.facebook.com/thisismyyearto. Throughout January, fans can vote for their favorite mantra and its related non-profit organization:

This is my year to…

* Know Where My Food Comes From: The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit collaboration of manufacturers, retailers, processors, distributors, farmers, seed companies and consumers. The organization’s belief is that everyone deserves an informed choice about whether or not to consume genetically modified products, and the mission is to ensure the sustained availability of non-GMO choices. www.nongmoproject.org

* Choose Organic: Mission Organic 2010 (The Organic Center) is an ambitious campaign with an exciting goal: to increase the current market for organic food from 3 percent to 10 percent by the end of 2010. When consumers demand more organic foods, farmers and food companies will supply this growing demand. The result is healthier people and a healthier planet. www.organic-center.org

* Share My Plate: GrowingPower is a national nonprofit organization and land trust supporting people from diverse backgrounds, by providing equal access to healthy, safe and affordable food. Growing Power provides hands-on training, outreach and assistance in developing community food systems that help people grow, process, market and distribute food in a sustainable manner. www.growingpower.org

“We believe small, simple steps are the best way to enjoy healthy eating and living well on a budget, and we hope our shoppers will share their aspirations and ideas with others through the new ‘This is my year to…’ Facebook application,” says Barry Hirsch, Whole Foods Market program coordinator. “Collectively, our shoppers will also be supporting three terrific non-profit organizations.”

Whole Foods Market will highlight five more of its favorite mantras for the New Year in promotions and materials displayed throughout its stores and website: Eat My Greens, Know My Food, Learn to Cook, Save Without Compromise and Make Simple Changes. In addition, stores will host tours to help educate shoppers about healthy food choices, with emphasis on fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Shoppers can also share their personal aspirations in-store where Whole Foods Market Team Members will post customer declarations in a community area.

About Whole Foods Market®

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoodsmarket.com), a leader in the natural and organic foods industry and America’s first national certified organic grocer, was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” in 2008 and was recognized as one of “America’s Healthiest 100″ in 2009 by Health magazine. The Whole Foods Market motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”(TM) captures the company’s mission to find success in customer satisfaction and wellness, employee excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to its 51,100 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 13 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2008, the company had sales of $8 billion and currently has more than 280 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market, Fresh & Wild(TM), and Harry’s Farmers Market® are trademarks owned by Whole Foods Market IP,LP. Wild Oats® and Capers Community Market(TM) are trademarks owned by Wild Marks, Inc.”

Image courtesy of economistmom.com

1. To watch solar-powered sports

To coincide with the World Games 2009, Kaohsiung opened the world’s first state-of-the-art solar powered stadium.

2. To cycle the sites

‘Let’s bike Taiwan’: Taiwan Tourism Bureau and Giant Bicycles are promoting cycling as a healthy and environmentally friendly way to explore the country, with over 1,000 km of bike trails now available.

3. To trace a river

Specialist Taiwanese adventure activity called ‘river tracing’. Start at the bottom and make your way upstream to the source: rock-climb up mini waterfalls, hike along jungle paths, hop across boulders, and swim through crystal-clear rock pools.

4. To scale a mountain

Taiwan is one of the world’s best undiscovered trekking destinations, home to NE Asia’s tallest peak, Mt Yushan (3,952m), and with two-thirds of the island covered in mountains, it has the highest density of mountain peaks in the world.

5. To meet aborigines and witches

Take an overnight homestay with Taiwan’s indigenous tribes, each with their own dialects, traditions and tribal structures. The Paiwan tribe have recently launched a class to train students in the ancient skills of witchcraft. Students learn how to seek guidance from the gods and communicate with the souls of deceased ancestors.

6. To get naked

Taiwan is famous for its volcanic springs: hot springs, cold springs, mud springs, saltwater springs – you name it. Their medicinal properties are well-known, but it not just therapeutic: steaming up with strangers has given rise to a vibrant culture in Taiwan, so it’s very social, too.

7. To check out the birds

Taiwan is a twitcher’s paradise, chock full of rare birds. There are 15 endemic species and 60+ endemic subspecies, some of which are on track to be elevated to full species status. Look out for the Fire-breasted Flowerpecker and the extremely rare transient Chinese Egret.

8. To light a lantern

In a remote indigenous village, Pinghsi’s Lantern Festival hosts lively processions with revellers gathering to paint their sky lantern with personalised prayers for the New Year. Once lit and billowing, they are released, in their hundreds, to shimmer off into the inky sky.

9. To shop like a local

Daytime food markets are hidden throughout Taipei, unvisited by most foreigners. Get lost in a labyrinth of winding alleys along Jinhua South Road and Xinyi Road; discover strange fruits, fresh fish (not a refrigerator in sight), pens of squawking chickens, and little old ladies squeezing out dumplings in powdery stalls.

10. To go Green (literally)

A 12-minute plane ride from Taitung (or, greener still, 50 mins by ferry), is the laid-back getaway of Green Island. Don’t expect picture-perfect sandy coves – its beauty is rugged and dramatic. Coral reefs, colourful fish, and warm ocean currents make it a brilliant spot for scuba diving.

11. To surf a typhoon

While not advisable, some crazies do precisely that. Daxi and Penghu Island have a strong surfer dude culture, and while you should steer clear of a force 8, if you’re feeling brave you can test your skills against Taiwan’s famously blustery swells.

12. To take on Taroko

One of the secret wonders of the world with dense jungle and impossibly sheer rock faces sliced by the aquamarine Liwu River. Scooter through a startling network of tunnels and bridges; jump off to hike through your own corner of this 920 sq km park.

Image courtesy of culture.teldap.tw

After receiving my double cheeseburger and medium fries at a Toronto McDonalds restaurant, I stopped by the condiment stand to pick up a straw and napkins so my cheesy, salty snack wouldn’t get all over me and noticed that there was a sticker below the napkin dispenser.

This sticker read, “Why not try just one napkin with your meal. Do your part to save the environment”.

I thought I would never see the day when the fast-food king of cholesterol, grease and capitalism showed they cared about the environment. This new found information spurred me to go home and start looking into what else McDonalds has done to become a little greener and here’s what I stumbled upon.

Sustainable Methods

In the last few years it has been brought to our attention that trans fat and saturated fats were no good, and that much of the trans fats were going to be removed from the junk-foods that we consume. In keeping with this trend, McDonalds refined their cooking methods by switching over to non-hydrogenated oil in their restaurants.

What you may not know, if you are not a McDonalds frequenter like I am, is that over the past few years the company has introduced organic milk, sustainably grown coffee beans, and deli style sandwiches as alternative choices for consumers.

Another interesting fact that especially stands out is that McDonalds ensures that by working with Greenpeace, the soya they source from Brazil is produced by companies that do not destroy the rainforest.

From Red and Yellow to Green all Over

As a child of the eighties, and a daughter of a busy mother, I could recognize a McDonalds by its red and yellow interior alone-forget the golden arches. Today, they are sprucing up their image from traditional fast-food get-in-get-out atmosphere to a richer ambiance; with fireplaces, leather armchairs and coffee tables with newspapers available to allow a more pleasant dining experience.

In 2009 in North Carolina the company improved diners experiences even more by offering electric car charging stations, so while you dine you can get a boost. (Read more on this imitative here)

However, until the menu doesn’t boast double hamburger patties smothered in a special sauce, lettuce, with a sesame-seed bun as their number one item, McDonalds will probably still have its protesters. But these small changes may spark a fast-food revolution, and make other establishments look to McDonalds as a leader in the birth of green fast-food.

Images courtesy of venturebeat.com and flickr.

Plant carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin are found in corn and leafy greens vegetable such as kale, broccoli, and spinach, with an ability to protect us from chronic diseases. Among these are age-related macular degeneration, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Recent research has  shown that broccoli has even more to offer. With more carotenoids than any other members of its food family,  scientists have discovered why this just is.

Mark W. Farnham of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Charleston, South Carolina, and Dean A. Kopsell from the Plant Sciences Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, studied the cruciferous vegetable and found some interesting information.

Their research confirmed that broccoli contains a large amount of lutein, an antioxidant that we often associate with eyes and skin. Other carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, were also found, but lutein  levels were the most significant.

The team also found that when breeding broccoli, the lutein levels were linked to the plant’s genetics; the environment had little effect.

The study is published in HortScience.

So eat more broccoli. Simple as that. If you don’t know how to make it so you love it, we guarantee you’ll dig Imagine Foods’ Creamy Broccoli Organic Soup, and get inspired by The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen.

Source: ScienceDaily.com

Image courtesy of herbalextractsplus.com

‘Swishing Parties’ are gaining popularity (especially in times of a recession) with the main goal of finding new homes for old clothing and accessories.

The way an event works is a group of women clean out their individual closets, bring their clothing, shoes, and accessories to the party host’s home and make trades with their own closet calamities for other’s fashion faux-pas.

After all, one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure.

Recycle Reuse and Re-Gift

As the holidays come along, holiday soirees are the way to gather everyone together and a resourceful way to do it (economically and ecologically) is to hold a Swishing Party.

Instead of buying all ten of your girlfriends individual gifts (does Sarah really need another purply M.A.C eye-shadow?) why not invite them over for a Girls-Only-Christmas Party.

Everyone bring their bag of clothing they no longer have use for, pour the Christmas cocktails and let the exchanging begin!

After everyone has gotten what they want, donate the rest to a charitable cause, such as Goodwill (goodwill.on.ca) or one of the many breast cancer donation bins located throughout Canada (find out more at breastcancersupport.org).

The Ugly Facts About Your (Ex) Cashmere

Donating or giving away clothing that you no longer want is such an obvious thing when it comes to cleaning out your closet, but many will be surprised to learn that clothing still gets dumped into the trash every year.

The Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, which is very big on clothing donation and has many donation bins situated throughout Ontario, reports that on average, “80% of textiles thrown away still have 75% of their wear-ability left”, and that “synthetic  (man-made fibres) products will not decompose, and while woolen garments, do compose, they produce methane gas which causes global warming.”

These facts alone are enough reason to haul the unwanted contents of your closet to a donation bin, or get out the calendar and plan a swishing event.

So if you’re looking for a fun way to get your girlfriends together and to get a free new-to-you sweater out of the deal, or to avoid spending too much cash at Christmas, consider swish the newest way to shop! (and if you don’t love it after you take it home, get your hands on Reconstructing Clothes For Dummies, the best in personalizing your unique style!)

Read more about Swishing from swishing.org and swishing.co.uk.

Images courtesy of furniturehomedesign.com and mams.rmit.edu.au

So I was wondering, in the different big companies evolving around travelling, what are the ones that are actively doing things against climate change?

Of course there is the ecotourism industry, but I was more interested in the mainstream one, because this is where the heart of the battle lay: if they move on and take commitments, it could have a significant impact on things.

Carbon Offset

It seems that all the companies have one nowadays, from easyJet to JetBlue. Not a must, as there is some controversy about it as it should only be a part of the solution and not the solution itself.

New Fuels

Virgin Airlines has been the company experimenting different kinds of new fuels to powers its planes, mainly biofuels. The problem is that we do not know the impact of biofuels on a large scale, so take this one cautiously.

Transparency

Well, as they are a source of pollution, it is kind of normal they publish what their carbon footprint is. Read more about this with the example of Virgin America.

Recycling

I have always been shocked by how things on plane are one use only and how recycling appears to be so limited. Recently Continental Airlines claimed to have achieved notable results with its own program.

Green Flying

What I mean by green flying is offering a different experience to customers or using new techniques to lower carbon dioxide emissions. Southwest and easyJet are leading initiatives in this field.

Despite all these things, there is a lot to be done: create a 0% carbon dioxide emission flying mode of transportation is still a far prospect, especially when you have reactions like the one of the CEO of Ryanair.

Read more about traveling eco-friendly with Green Travel: The World’s Best Eco-Lodges & Earth-Friendly Hotels.

Image courtesy of aboutmyplanet.com

Stop smoking

Millions of cigarettes swamp our coastlines, and according to TreeHugger,  one tree is destroyed for every 300 cigarettes (over 600 million trees in total). This doesn’t even begin to touch on the negative effects on our health.

Reduce water use

Decrease your water waste by adopting these two practices: stop flushing and stop washing. Well, sparingly, of course. The average toilet wastes up to 5.5 gallons per flush – so if it’s just a tinkle or two, figure out if flushing is really necessary.

Same goes for clothes, dishes and yourself – wash when dirty.

Lose some weight

Seriously. Did you know that about 70% of folks over 20 are overweight? And about 15% of kids aged 6 to 11 are, too. (more) We need to get moving more often. Try swapping your car for a bicycle or your feet for shorter trips and distances.

Recycle and compost

These two simple steps are super easy to start. You’ll be baffled at the amount of garbage you don’t have.

Have more ideas? Add them below!

Image courtesy of bbc.co.uk

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