Q & A with New York and Paris based Feng Shui and Yoga Consultant, Jade Dressler

I’ve always been fascinated by Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese system of balancing the energies in your work and living environments to insure health, wealth and prosperity. As a yogi, I toyed with it a bit and have a few tips I’ve learned (more…)

Environmentalism is everywhere these days. From your car to packaging, everyone’s doing it, but are you? What are you doing to turn green?

I’ve switched to an all-green energy supplier and I’m using compact florescent light bulbs. Everyone is responsible for our environment, find green alternatives for your lifestyle today. (more…)

My friend Joe, knowing my passion for the environment, recently sent me a link to a short 20 minute video, which I thought was just about waste and recycling. Boy, was I wrong. The Story of Stuff, explores the global materials economy and its impact on the economy, environment and health. Written and narrated by Annie Leonard, an expert in international sustainability and environmental health issues, Leonard takes us through the production and waste cycle from: extraction to production, distribution to consumption then finally to disposal. After disposal, the video closes with finding needed alternatives focusing on sustainability and equity in these dire times. Some alternatives mentioned are closed loop production, renewable energy (which I cited in a previous post) and local living economy. The Story of Stuff’s site also has a great blog, chocked full of info, insight and resources. Annie spends a lot of time, coupled with her expertise, thinking about where stuff comes from, how it was made, packaged and its final impact on the Earth. Glad someone with her “street creds” is doing so. And thanks, Joe!

After our FitMom expert and mommy-hood blogger, Andrea Page, wrote on Bispehnol-A (BPA), a potentially harmful chemical also known as “bad plastics”, from the perspective of what new mothers should know in regards to baby bottles and feeding choices, it made me start thinking about all those water bottles I use. Those same plastics are, of course, in many of the ubiquitous reusable water bottles we all carry and it’s time to rethink that! Like everyone, I go through a lot of water bottles in a week and carry a reusable with me always. Even the personal reusable plastic water bottle might not be the answer after 2 findings showcase their failing grades: a study done by the University of Cincinnati concluding that BPAs are released when bottles are exposed to boiling hot water (my method of cleaning) and that reusable plastic water bottles leach BPAs at room temperature. (more…)

According to a 5-month study by the Associated Press, antibiotics, sedatives, sex hormones and other prescription drugs were found in water supplies nationwide that serve at least 41 million Americans.

So, how did the drugs get into the water supplies? According to the reports, when people take the drugs, the body only absorbs what is needed, then the rest is flushed out or the system and down the toilet. Problem is, according to the study, water treatment plants aren’t designed to remove pharmaceutical residues, so they stay in the water. (more…)

As I continue to write on things green and how we can better our own lives while helping the planet a bit, I’m always surprised when I get these hyper large statistics related to our health and the environment. A while back, I heard a piece on NPR that China was in the process of banning free plastic bags, requiring the customer to bring their own or be charged for one. The startling reason why? China uses over 3 billion bags per day (first startling statistic). The gross problem with all this bag use is that these petroleum based bags use billions of barrels of oil to be made and hang out in landfills forever. (more…)

I’m a yogini that gets appliance and gadget envy easily. (Remember my post on the high tech toothbrush by Ultreo…) But in true yogi tradition of moderation, when I find a new technological wonder it has been researched, reviewed, price compared, day dreamed about to the point where friends and family shout, “Buy it already…” Well I’m about to go there, folks. The new under the counter composter by NatureMill is incredible. I know — composting involves worms, odors and is what hard-core environmentalist do for fun. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Enter NatureMill’s products. These under the counter composters are easy, efficient, no worms, bugs or odor. And why would we do this? The reason why we compost, quite simply, is that it’s the most efficient way to take our day-to-day waste and incorporate it back to the earth. (more…)