Conscious News

All people seeking to live green will have to strive every day to live consciously as well, for the earth and its inhabitants are one organism.  

From the December 2008 issue of Conscious Choice magazine - 

There is an organization called the Theosophical Society in America in Wheaton, IL.  They encourage open-minded inquiry into world religions, philosophy, science, and the arts in order to understand the wisdom of the ages, respect the unity of all life, and help people explore spiritual self-transformation.  They are located at 1926 North Main Street in Wheaton, IL 60187 or visit their web site at www.theosophical.org.  

Help alleviate global poverty.  Check out the following web sites:

MicroPlace

Kiva.org

Oxfam America

Heifer International

CARE  

Global Alliance for Africa

Local and sustainably-minded businesses: The Enterprising Kitchen (TEK) and Mint.

For the kitchen: Lotus Foods Stainless Steel Rice Cooker and Vegetable Steamer-stainless steel is the only non-reactive cooking surface, does not rust, tarnish, peel or pit and is 100% recyclable. $79.95 at www.lotusfoods.com

A book for those of us who long to be able to meditate, but can't sit in a quiet place without having our minds go into overdrive: Nine Designs for Inner Peace: The Ultimate Guide to Meditating with Color, Shape, and Sound (Destiny Books, 2008) by Sarah Tomlinson. Tomlinson is the founder of the Ayurveda-Yoga Institute of New York. She believes that creating yantras (elaborate geometric patterns designed to help those who draw them cultivate a sense of centeredness, inner awareness and peace) is beneficial for energetic people who have found traditional sitting meditation difficult, or for those people who are seeking a new way of tapping deeper into their creative and spiritual selves. 

Eco News

From the January 2008 Conscious Choice magazine - 

In the living library, everyone is an open book.  Founded in Europe by Ronni Abergel, a Danish anti-violence activist, the Living Library stages events around the world and has just been introduced in the US.  "What we really need to do is give each person a chance to be seen and heard as an individual," explains Abergel.  And a library is the perfect, neutral place to start the dialogue.  "Readers" check out "books" by sitting down and talking to individuals whose lifestyles fall prey to preconceived notions-everyone from Buddhists to homeless people to police officers to vegans.

For Chicagoans, get over $8000 in local green savings with the 2008-2009 MeGoGreen Savings Guide for only $20.  It is Chicagoland's path to living green.

To-Go Ware for those people who want to get food to go without all the waste of styrofoam containers and plastic utensils.  They produce stainless steel food carriers, cotton carrier bags, ceramic cups, and a utensil set made of bamboo along with a 100% recycled plastic holder.  

The EcoUsable bottle is a BPA-free, non-leaching stainless steel water bottle that filters your water as you drink it.  They claim to remove 99.99% of pollutants as you drink.  

Boskke Sky Planters are low-maintenance, air-purifying plants that hang down from the ceiling and are self-watering, provided that you refill them once or twice per month.  They conserve water and floor space and are especially nice for people with little living space and/or people with pets.

From the January/February Body + Soul magazine - 

Instead of tossing all of those holiday cards, mail them to St. Jude's Ranch for Children.  The nonprofit uses donated greeting cards to create new card sets, and the proceeds help abused children.              

Eco News

From the December 2008 Body + Soul magazine -  

Three cities are elevating recycling to the next level - San Francisco, Minneapolis and Toronto all accept leftover food and yard clippings and turn them into compost.  

Two reusable bags that are not only collapsable for easy carrying, but they are also made from recycled materials.  CarryEco from TokyoBay and Trek Light tote.  The CarryEco is made from recycled plastic and the Trek Light tote is made from leftover hammock materials.  

Next time you need to ship something, instead of using styrofoam peanuts or any other environmentally-unfriendly packing material, consider these natural alternatives - 

edible peanuts in the shell, air-popped popcorn, tattered t-shirts or any worn-out fabric, and any hard candy in wrappers.  

University of Washington scientists tested six top-selling laundry products and air fresheners and determined that each product contained one or more chemicals that government agencies deemed toxic or hazardous (such as acetone, limonene, acetaldehyde, and 1,4-dioxane).  The study, which did not disclose the names of the products, also found that the chemicals were not listed on the labels. For a list of independently screened nontoxic household goods search for "cleaning products" at Co-op America's National Green Pages.        

Eco News

www.sustainabletable.org  provides a wallet-sized cheat sheet to take with you to the grocery store or farmers market, with a list of questions to ask about meat and dairy products.

www.centerforfoodsafety.org  provides a ready-to-send electronic form letter you can send to your elected officials and the FDA concerning food safety with the click of a button.

Sears.com and VenJuvo.com launched the Trade4Credit online program giving customers Sears store credit in exchange for unwanted electronics, including first generation Apple iPhones, digital cameras, digital camcorders, MP3 players, GPS systems, gaming systems, or any pre-owned electronics that are determined to still have value.  In addition, the Trade4Credit program offers participants free recycling and free shipping.

In praise of a vegetarian diet, or at least cutting back on meat consumption.  According to an article in E: The Environmental Magazine entitled "The Meat of the Matter"   

• "If all the grain currently used to feed livestock in the US was consumed directly by people, the number who could be fed is nearly 800 million."
  
• "The methane that cattle and their manure produce has a global warming effect equal to that of 33 million automobiles," the Center for Science in the Public Interest reports in its book Six Arguments for a Greener Diet. 
  
• Raising livestock for human consumption occupies 26% of the ice- and water-free surface of the planet, and the area devoted to feed these animals amounts to 33% of arable land.
• Livestock production consumes 8% of the world's water, causes 55% of land erosion and sediment, uses 37% of all pesticides, directly or indirectly results in 50% of all antibiotic use, and dumps a third of all nitrogen and phosphorous into our fresh water supplies.