For the last 40 years, Earth Day has been celebrated around the world to call attention to some of our most pressing environmental and social problems, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and dwindling natural resources. This year, the Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet (www.NourishingthePlanet.org) highlights 15 agricultural innovations that are already working on the ground to address some of those problems.
“Agriculture provides food for all of us and income for more than 1 billion people around the world,” said Danielle Nierenberg, director of Worldwatch’s Nourishing the Planet project. “Relatively simple innovations to reduce the amount of food we waste, or to help the urban poor become more self-sufficient, can help agriculture feed the world without destroying the planet. The progress we have witnessed in these areas over the last year is definitely encouraging.”

The 15 innovations are used by farmers, scientists, activists, politicians, and businesses and promote a healthier environment and a more food-secure future.

1. Guaranteeing the Right to Food. Some 1 billion people worldwide experience chronic hunger, and 98 percent of these people live in developing countries. To combat hunger in rural or remote communities, the Brazilian government operates the Food Acquisition Program, which funds local organizations, including community kitchens, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and schools, to buy and distribute fruits, vegetables, and animal products from smallholder farmers in their region.

2. Harnessing the Nutritional and Economic Potential of Vegetables. Micronutrient deficiencies, including lack of vitamin A, iodine, and iron, affect 1 billion people worldwide and stem partly from a lack of variety in people’s diets. Slow Food International works to broaden diets, and preserve biodiversity, by helping farmers grow local and indigenous varieties of fruits and vegetables, organizing cooking workshops, and helping producers get access to traditional seeds.

3. Reducing Food Waste. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that roughly a third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year. In New York City, City Harvest collects nearly 28 million pounds of excess food each year from restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms and delivers it to some 600 local food programs.

4. Feeding Cities. Poor urban households spend from 60 to 80 percent of their income on food, putting them at risk of hunger or malnutrition when food prices rise or their incomes fall. The French non-governmental organization Solidarités has provided women in Kibera, an urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya, with training, seeds, and sacks to grow vegetables in “vertical farms,” a space-efficient way to increase food security in cities.

5. Getting More Crop per Drop. Millions of farmers, including the majority of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, depend on rainfall to water their crops—-which climate scientists predict will decline in coming decades. The company International Development Enterprises sells simple and inexpensive irrigation systems to farmers in Zambia, India, and other countries. Their systems include a treadle pump that draws water from underground without the use of fossil fuels, and a drip irrigation kit that costs just US$5 can efficiently water 20 square meters.

6. Using Farmers’ Knowledge in Research and Development. Many agricultural research and development programs exclude smallholder farmers. But in Kenya, the Muyafwa Development Program, with help from the U.S.-based nonprofit World Neighbors, involves local farmers in comparing a newly introduced sweet potato variety with the existing indigenous one—-ensuring detailed and accurate feedback on the productivity, taste, storability, and hardiness of each variety.

7. Improving Soil Fertility. Each year, more than 29 million acres, or enough land to grow 20 million tons of grain, turn into deserts. To combat desertification and land degradation, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics is training farmers in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to apply small and targeted quantities of fertilizer to crops at planting time or soon after. This has increased yields of the staple crops sorghum and millet by between 44 and 120 percent.

8. Safeguarding Local Food Biodiversity. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a quarter of the world’s known plant species—-some 60,000 to 100,000 species—-are threatened with extinction, while soy, wheat, and maize become more and more prevalent in people’s everyday diets. In Norway, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault protects thousands of seed varieties that farmers in developing countries can use to help re-harvest crops that have been affected by disease, climate, or conflict.

9. Coping with Climate Change and Building Resilience. Global climate change will negatively affect agriculture by reducing soil fertility and decreasing crop yields. In preparation for these impacts, and in response to the land degradation that has already occurred, farmers in Niger have planted nearly 5 million hectares of trees that conserve water, prevent soil erosion, and sequester carbon, making their farms more productive and drought-resistant without the use of chemicals.

10. Harnessing the Knowledge and Skills of Women Farmers. Women farmers face a variety of obstacles, including a lack of access to information technology, agricultural training, financial services, and support networks like co-operatives or trade unions. The Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), a female trade union in India that began in 1992, helps poor, self-employed women achieve full employment and self-reliance by linking them to markets, banks, co-operatives, and self-help groups.

11. Investing in Africa’s Land. Governments and private investors are acquiring large swathes of agricultural land around the world at very low or no cost, particularly in Africa and Asia—-often displacing indigenous peoples. In Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, African farmers and foreign investing companies have reached a compromise: farmers grow green beans for the Dutch market during the European winter months, but cultivate corn and other crops for local consumption during the remaining months.

12. Charting a New Path to Eliminating Hunger. Reactive measures to famines and natural disasters, including sending shipments of vitamin-fortified, pre-packaged food, too often replace preventative measures like investing in sustainable agricultural systems or building infrastructure to transport food to remote communities in developing countries. The UN World Food Programme has developed the Purchase for Progress program, which buys fresh produce directly from local farmers and distributes it as food aid both within the farmers’ country and abroad.

13. Improving Food Production from Livestock. The FAO estimates that 21 percent of the world’s livestock breeds are at risk of extinction. But in India, farmers in the state of Andhra Pradesh are improving the quality of their feed by using grass, sorghum, stover, and brans to produce more milk from fewer animals, demonstrating that animal husbandry can provide an income without harming the environment.

14. Going beyond Production. Although scarcity and famine dominate the discussion of food security in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, many countries are unequipped to deal with the crop surpluses that lead to low commodity prices and food waste. In Uganda, the organization TechnoServe has helped to improve market conditions for banana farmers by forming business groups through which they can buy inputs, receive technical advice, and sell their crops collectively.

15. Moving Ecoagriculture into the Mainstream. Agricultural practices that emphasize increased production have contributed to the degradation of land, soil, wildlife, and local ecosystems, and ultimately hurt the livelihoods of the farmers who depend on these natural resources. Ranchers and farmers in Dimbangombe, in western Zimbabwe, have committed 20,000 acres of degraded grassland to be communally owned, grazed, and maintained, with the aim of restoring the area’s plants and wildlife while sustainably raising livestock on the land.

These and other efforts to make agriculture a healthy and stable source of income and nourishment will need to continue to be scaled up in the coming years and be passed on to the next generation to ensure that the march toward sustainability continues.

About the Worldwatch Institute: Worldwatch is an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues. The Institute’s State of the World report is published annually in more than 18 languages. For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org.

(1) Buy local

“Small Business Saturday,” falling between “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday,” was established in 2010 as a way to support small businesses during the busiest shopping time of the year. Author and consumer advocate Michael Shuman argues that local small businesses are more sustainable because they are often more accountable for their actions, have smaller environmental footprints, and innovate to meet local conditions—-providing models for others to learn from.

What you can do:

• Instead of relying exclusively on large supermarkets, consider farmers markets and local farms for your produce, eggs, dairy, and meat. Food from these sources is usually fresher and more flavorful, and your money will be going directly to these food producers.

(2) Get out and ride

We all know that carpooling and using public transportation helps cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, as well as our gas bills. Now, cities across the country are investing in new mobility options that provide exercise and offer an alternative to being cramped in subways or buses. Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C. have major bike sharing programs that allow people to rent bikes for short-term use. Similar programs exist in other cities, and more are planned for places from Miami, Florida, to Madison, Wisconsin.

What you can do:

• If available, use your city’s bike share program to run short errands or commute to work. Memberships are generally inexpensive (only $75 for the year in Washington, D.C.), and by eliminating transportation costs, as well as a gym membership, you can save quite a bit of money!

• Even if without bike share programs, many cities and towns are incorporating bike lanes and trails, making it easier and safer to use your bike for transportation and recreation.

(3) Share a car

Car sharing programs spread from Europe to the United States nearly 13 years ago and are increasingly popular, with U.S. membership jumping 117 percent between 2007 and 2009. According to the University of California Transportation Center, each shared car replaces 15 personally owned vehicles, and roughly 80 percent of more than 6,000 car-sharing households surveyed across North America got rid of their cars after joining a sharing service. In 2009, car-sharing was credited with reducing U.S. carbon emissions by more than 482,000 tons. Innovative programs such as Chicago’s I-GO are even introducing solar-powered cars to their fleets, making the impact of these programs even more eco-friendly.

What you can do:

• Join a car share program! As of July 2011, there were 26 such programs in the U.S., with more than 560,000 people sharing over 10,000 vehicles. Even if you don’t want to get rid of your own car, using a shared car when traveling in a city can greatly reduce the challenges of finding parking (car share programs have their own designated spots), as well as your environmental impact as you run errands or commute to work.

(4) Plant a garden

Whether you live in a studio loft or a suburban McMansion, growing your own vegetables is a simple way to bring fresh and nutritious food literally to your doorstep. Researchers at the FAO and the United Nations Development Programme estimate that 200 million city dwellers around the world are already growing and selling their own food, feeding some 800 million of their neighbors. Growing a garden doesn’t have to take up a lot of space, and in light of high food prices and recent food safety scares, even a small plot can make a big impact on your diet and wallet.

What you can do:

• Plant some lettuce in a window box. Lettuce seeds are cheap and easy to find, and when planted in full sun, one window box can provide enough to make several salads worth throughout a season.

(5) Compost

And what better way to fertilize your garden than using your own composted organic waste. You will not only reduce costs by buying less fertilizer, but you will also help to cut down on food and other organic waste.

What you can do:

• If you are unsure about the right ways to compost, websites such as HowToCompost.org and organizations such as the U.S. Composting Council, provide easy steps to reuse your organic waste.

(6) Reduce your meat consumption

Livestock production accounts for about 18 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for about 23 percent of all global water used in agriculture. Yet global meat production has experienced a 20 percent growth rate since 2000 to meet the per capita increase of meat consumption of about 42 kilograms.

What you can do:

• You don’t have to become a vegetarian or vegan, but by simply cutting down on the amount of meat you consume can go a long way. Consider substituting one meal day with a vegetarian option. And if you are unable to think of how to substitute your meat-heavy diet, websites such as Meatless Monday and Eating Well offer numerous vegetarian recipes that are healthy for you and the environment.

The most successful and lasting New Year’s resolutions are those that are practiced regularly and have an important goal. Watching the ball drop in Times Square happens only once a year, but for more and more people across the world, the impacts of hunger, poverty, and climate change are felt every day. Thankfully, simple practices, such as recycling or riding a bike, can have great impact. As we prepare to ring in the new year, let’s all resolve to make 2012 a healthier, happier, and greener year for all

About the Worldwatch Institute:

Worldwatch is an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues. The Institute’s State of the World report is published annually in more than 20 languages. For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org.

Read Part One Six Tips for Going Green in 2012

Part One of a Two-part article: As we ring in the new year, here are six steps that we can all take to reduce our impact on the environment

As we head into 2012, many of us will be resolving to lose those few extra pounds, save more money, or spend a few more hours with our families and friends. But there are also some resolutions we can make to make our lives a little greener. Each of us, especially in the United States, can make a commitment to reducing our environmental impacts.

“The global community, and particularly people living in industrialized societies, have put unsustainable demands on our planet’s limited resources,” says Robert Engelman, President of the Worldwatch Institute, a global environmental research organization based on Washington, D.C. “If we expect to be able to feed, shelter, and provide even basic living conditions to our growing population in years to come, we must act now to change.”

The United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. Broadening access to sustainable energy is essential to solving many of the world’s challenges, including food production, security, and poverty. “With so many hungry and poor in the world, addressing these issues is critical,” says Danielle Nierenberg, director of Worldwatch’s Nourishing the Planet project. “Fortunately, the solutions to these problems can come from simple innovations and practices.”

The Nourishing the Planet team recently traveled to 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and will be soon traveling to Latin America, to research and highlight such solutions. The project shines a spotlight on innovations in agriculture that can help alleviate hunger and poverty while also protecting the environment. These innovations are elaborated in Worldwatch’s flagship annual report, State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet.

Hunger, poverty, and climate change are issues that we can all help address. Here are 6 simple steps to go green in 2012:

(1) Recycle

Recycling programs exist in cities and towns across the United States, helping to save energy and protect the environment. In 2009, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to require all homes and businesses to use recycling and composting collection programs. As a result, more than 75 percent of all material collected is being recycled, diverting 1.6 million tons from the landfills annually—-double the weight of the Golden Gate Bridge. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for each pound of aluminum recovered, Americans save the energy resources necessary to generate roughly 7.5 kilowatt-hours of electricity—-enough to power a city the size of Pittsburgh for six years!

What you can do:

• Put a separate container next to your trash can or printer, making it easier to recycle your bottles, cans, and paper.

(2) Turn off the lights

On the last Saturday in March—-March 31 in 2012—-hundreds of people, businesses, and governments around the world turn off their lights for an hour as part of Earth Hour, a movement to address climate change.

What you can do:

• Earth Hour happens only once a year, but you can make an impact every day by turning off lights during bright daylight, or whenever you will be away for an extended period of time.

(3) Make the switch

In 2007, Australia became the first country to “ban the bulb,” drastically reducing domestic usage of incandescent light bulbs. By late 2010, incandescent bulbs had been totally phased out, and, according to the country’s environment minister, this simple move has made a big difference, cutting an estimated 4 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2012. China also recently pledged to replace the 1 billion incandescent bulbs used in its government offices with more energy efficient models within five years.

What you can do:

• A bill in Congress to eliminate incandescent in the United States failed in 2011, but you can still make the switch at home. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) use only 20-30 percent of the energy required by incandescents to create the same amount of light, and LEDs use only 10 percent, helping reduce both electric bills and carbon emissions.

(4) Turn on the tap

The bottled water industry sold 8.8 billion gallons of water in 2010, generating nearly $11 billion in profits. Yet plastic water bottles create huge environmental problems. The energy required to produce and transport these bottles could fuel an estimated 1.5 million cars for a year, yet approximately 75 percent of water bottles are not recycled—-they end up in landfills, litter roadsides, and pollute waterways and oceans. And while public tap water is subject to strict safety regulations, the bottled water industry is not required to report testing results for its products. According to a study, 10 of the most popular brands of bottled water contain a wide range of pollutants, including pharmaceuticals, fertilizer residue, and arsenic.

What you can do:

• Fill up your glasses and reusable water bottles with water from the sink. The United States has more than 160,000 public water systems, and by eliminating bottled water you can help to keep nearly 1 million tons of bottles out of the landfill, as well as save money on water costs.

(5) Turn down the heat

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that consumers can save up to 15 percent on heating and cooling bills just by adjusting their thermostats. Turning down the heat by 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours can result in savings of 5-15 percent on your home heating bill.

What you can do:

• Turn down your thermostat when you leave for work, or use a programmable thermostat to control your heating settings.

(6) Support food recovery programs

Each year, roughly a third of all food produced for human consumption—-approximately 1.3 billion tons—-gets lost or wasted, including 34 million tons in the United States, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Grocery stores, bakeries, and other food providers throw away tons of food daily that is perfectly edible but is cosmetically imperfect or has passed its expiration date. In response, food recovery programs run by homeless shelters or food banks collect this food and use it to provide meals for the hungry, helping to divert food away from landfills and into the bellies of people who need it most.

What you can do:

• Encourage your local restaurants and grocery stores to partner with food rescue organizations, like City Harvest in New York City or Second Harvest Heartland in Minnesota.

• Go through your cabinets and shelves and donate any non-perishable canned and dried foods that you won’t be using to your nearest food bank or shelter.

About the Worldwatch Institute:

Worldwatch is an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues. The Institute’s State of the World report is published annually in more than 20 languages. For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org.

 Read 6 More Steps for Going Green in 2012

By Bea Kunz

Holiday Season is once again upon us…yeah from my corner, I love, love, love the season. From October through January-my lights are twinkling…how about you ?

Are you thinking ‘ turkey’ for the Thanksgiving table…if so…think Heritage…prior to WW11-Americans feasted on a variety of turkeys, Bourbon Red, Narragansett, Jersey Buff, Standard Bronze, and Midget White. Thankfully , with the interest in healthier foods, greener living, and better health all around, these lovely breeds are making a comeback. Slow Food USA, Organic Consumers, and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy-and other wonderful, green/organic/health awareness groups have played a huge part in this movement.

Heritage turkeys are long, lean and well-exercised. They have a slower growth rate and are harvested at a more mature age. The final result is firmer, leaner meat.

Planning ahead is a must if your thinking Heritage this year.

You can find suppliers at localharvest.org, albc-usa.org…and you may find them in your own home town -try your local farmers market for ideas.

Another greening idea for the kitchen is serving local and in season foods for your holiday meals . Eating in season does a big dose of good for the environment in many ways. Two of those being…cutting back on transit and all that brings to the environment, and, puts more back into the local economy.

Want to know more about eating in season, sustainable living, and ways to upgrade your health report card ?

http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

Here you will also find many delicious and health-wise recipes for your every-day and holiday fare.

Earth Wise thinking, I trust- is more than a once a year thought.

There are many simple ways we can integrate ideas and changes into our daily lives that will make our environment healthier, and in turn better and safer living for each of us.

Join me and Sage Hill Farms…and other farmers and consumers all across the country in a happy, healthy, and greener-Holiday Season.

Bea Rigsby-Kunz
Sage Hill Farms

Customers want a gym and exercise facility that’s part of their “green” lifestyle

The growth and adoption of green products by consumers in the U.S. continues to accelerate from driving hybrid cars to interest in alternative energy and natural foods to adopting of recycling and energy conservation as utility bills continue to climb.

Awareness of how companies could “green-up” their exercise facilities was first introduced by SportsArt Fitness with their “Green-o-vations” campaign in 2007 to raise awareness on improving the environmental friendliness of exercise facilities.

How-To Tips to Green A Gym or Club

It’s not that difficult to begin greening up a gym or exercise facility – and even modest, baby steps can be taken by any facility owner to phase in green improvements that will be of interest to their green-minded members and customers.

Gyms can also announce their green initiatives to their members through their websites, newsletter and blogs to let members know about their favorite gym going green. Signage about “going green” in the facility is also a good idea.

Here are some suggestions on how to green-up your facility:

GREEN EXERCISE EQUIPMENT

SportsArt Fitness has a new energy-producing Green System that joins an established line of eco-friendly fitness products. The launch of their ECO-POWRT treadmill five years ago offered club owners a treadmill that uses 32% less energy than a traditional club treadmill. And, SportsArt offers a line of completely self-generating ellipticals and cycles that require no outside power source to operate.

The new Green System includes a “pod” of fitness products attached to an inverter that harnesses human-generated power from exercisers – and feeds it back into the power grid as electricity. While people exercise on the equipment they are literally converting their exercise energy into electricity that is sent to the power grid.

The Green System is for health club owners who want to offset some of their electricity costs with human energy. The system will be sold in pods of up to eight products per inverter to gyms and health clubs.

LIGHTING

Replace all incandescent bulbs with fluorescent fixtures.

In rooms with adequate natural lighting, shut off regular lights during daylight hours.

Where possible, replace lights with skylights or SolaTubes. SolaTubes are inserted through the roof and provide remarkably bright daytime natural lighting in lieu of electric lights.

Tint or treat windows to reflect heat out (saves on A/C in warm climates)

FLOORING

Use recycled rubber for flooring in the weight room, also consider using 40″ squares rather than rolled flooring as it can allow less flooring to be used when a section needs replacing.

Use bamboo flooring in the cardio area – bamboo is considered eco-friendly due to its rapid growth rate and can be sustainably-harvested.

Consider sustainably-harvested hemp carpeting.

Use recycled, and recyclable, rugs or carpet for offices and reception area.

PAINTING

There are many excellent brands of paints in beautiful colors now available that are low VOC (volatile organic compounds) eliminating the outgassing of fumes.

LOCKER ROOMS

Install automatic dispensers since they regulate portion control and reduce waste.

Remove paper towels and add air hand dryers.

Install low-flow toilets and faucets, with automatic shut-off if possible.

Install motion detection lighting in the locker room/toilet area – during off-peak hours (when electricity is least expensive) this can save a lot on utility bills.

Install a recirculating hot water system. Even better, install a solar hot water heating system. Check with you local utility about local rebates and incentive programs. There are many that vary state to state.

Install low-flow showerheads.

Use recycled toilet paper.

Consider using gray water (which is recycled and collected water) for laundry and bathroom facilities and watering the landscaping.

CLEANING/GENERAL

Use environmentally friendly cleaning products that do not include toxic chemicals.

Use recycled paper towels.

Use green building materials when remodeling. This includes everything from beautiful tiling using recycled materials to FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified and sustainably harvested woods.

Use thermal pool blankets (if you have a pool amenity).

Choose natural landscaping that does not require much watering. Some government water districts will provide incentives to replant your landscaping with water-conserving plants.

Recycle all newspapers, magazines, plastics, batteries, etc.

HEATING/COOLING & ELECTRICITY

Upgrading to Energy Star rated HVAC equipment can cut energy bills by 10 to 20%.

Review the Environmental Protection Agency Green Power partner program – it lets you know where to turn if you want to buy electricity from renewable sources.

Install a solar electric (PV) system. There is a nation-wide Federal tax credit and many state-by-state rebate programs that vary by state and city. Check out your local energy conservation and solar rebate programs at: XXX.

Use green exercise equipment that converts usage of equipment into both powering the equipment as well as converting exercise equipment usage into electric fed back into the electric power grid.

RACQUET SPORTS

Use recycled rubber for tennis courts.

As the old saying goes, every little bit helps. Many of the initiatives listed here are easily implementable and low cost. Others may require more planning and/or budget commitment while others will actually save you money. The key is to get started – and let your members know about these green improvements to their favorite gym.

ORGANIC REFRESHMENTS AND BEVERAGES

If you provide coffee, tea or other beverages to your members, use any of the many organic beverages now on the market and readily available in bulk. It’s a small touch but all these elements used to green-up a gym will noticed by your customers – especially when you bring it to their attention through small signage in the facility and at the beverage location.

Going green and saving money on electricity bills

The new Green System joins an established line of eco-friendly fitness products offered by SportsArt Fitness. The launch of their ECO-POWRT treadmill five years ago offered club owners a treadmill that uses 32% less energy than a traditional club treadmill. Additionally, SportsArt offers a line of completely self-generating ellipticals and cycles that require no outside power source to operate.

“The combination of our ECO-POWRT treadmill motors and our Green System ellipticals and cycles will save facilities thousands in energy costs,” Ken Carpenter, Director of Sales for SportsArt Fitness said. “We welcome the entire industry to become more eco-conscience as we will continue to invest heavily into this crucial green initiative.”

Clubs and gyms can figure out, in advance, how much energy they can save with a Green Savings Calculator found at: http://green.sportsartamerica.com.

About SportsArt Fitness: SportsArt Fitness is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of high quality cardiovascular and strength equipment for home and commercial use. SportsArt retains control over every aspect of component design and the overall manufacturing process ensuring proper integration, maximum performance and longer product life. SportsArt Fitness holds TϋV and ISO 9001/9002 quality certifications and hundreds of worldwide patents for their innovations. For more information on the SportsArt Fitness brand visit: http://www.sportsartamerica.com.

1. In celebration of Earth Day, SSD Technology Partners is teaming up with Goodwill Industries of Delaware to provide businesses an environmentally safe option to getting rid of unwanted electronics. So Gather up all your unused computer equipment and dispose of it in a safe and friendly manner! Read more at Technology Recycling Earth Day Event

2. “Green is Universal” is an ongoing initiative within NBCUniversal dedicated to increasing ecological and “green” awareness. Launched in 2007, the initiative is largely responsible for the more than 250 hours of green programming and content that airs annually over more than 50 NBCUniversal brands.

Hundreds of College and High School Campuses around the nation are participating in Green Cleanup in their communities. What are you doing?

3. ECO-FRIENDLY APPS: If you’ve got a smartphone, there are plenty of good apps available that can help you be just a little bit greener. The Good Guide for the iPhone allows you to scan product barcodes and tells you what effects that product has on the environment and your health, and whether it’s associated with any social responsibility efforts. Read other Techie Ways to Go Green

4. Print PDFs instead of pages ~ Still using paper? Hey, this is the digital age! It’s no longer necessary to print a document just so you can fax it, stick it in a file drawer, or share it with co-workers. Instead, simply “print” your pages as PDF files, which you can then e-mail, stick in a hard-drive folder, or share with co-workers (electronically, of course). Read more at The Tech-pert: 5 Cheap Ways to Go Green for Earth Day 2011

5. The WEB Goes Green for the Day ~ Mashable has written about some popular sites and how they are celebrating Earth Day: As always, many popular websites are raising awareness about this day; this year Google is celebrating with an animated, interactive Doodle on its homepage and Yahoo also sports a cute animated logo in a similar vein.

Be sure to check out our Video of the Week ~ The Earth is My Church

And feel free to share your Earth Day projects with the readers of WE Magazine for Women (in the comments section below).

All of the millions of people upon this earth, takes it for granted at some point in time, and many for all time…that it will always be, always supply us with what it has always supplied us with…..abundance in water, healthy soil, fresh air, and the ability to use those resources to the good of our well-being.

And….just because I do not believe this to be so…does not make it a fact…but…facts are this:

Our air is becoming more and more polluted with each passing day.

Our soil is dead over thousands upon thousands of acres all around the world.

Water is , in my opinion the worst of the three. If one makes it a mission to really look at the water negatives in this country alone ( USA ) the results will make you a bit sick and the water itself will do the same.

What are the choices and are their real fixes for the damage already done, and ways to avoid future damage that can’t be undone…..depending on where one goes for information, will dictate what answers you come away with.

Many blame big industry…and rightfully so…with clarification….we all must take responsibility for where the issues are and how best to rebuild that which is broken.

Supply and demand powers industry, the more we demand , the more they produce…regardless what the product is.

So, Earth Day is and should be about individuals taking a day to stop, assess our surroundings, take note of how and where we can make changes that will downsize our use of, and stop the waste of, any and all of the resources that makes our beautiful earth spin.

Have and show a respect for nature, Don’t Litter. This action alone caused more water and air damage than one can imagine with a simple thought.

Take a hard look at your chemical use…from inside the home to the back yard, there is a natural, and safer method of doing all we do.

One change or many will leave a footprint…so the choice is yours and mine…and Earth Day is the time to committee ~

To our Earth and the fine tuned plan she functions from ….

Bea Rigsby-Kunz

Sage Hill Farms

Tennessee

http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

On the East Coast the snow is finally melted and there is but a hint of spring in the air. With morning birds chirping and daffodils sprouting tiny buds, I am so ready to trade in my fleece gloves for gardening gloves!

Give me just that little extra bit of daylight and I can already feel my energy increasing as we move from the stillness of winter to the growth energy of early spring. All these subtle changes are gentle reminders of how much nature affects our behavior.

Feng shui, literally translated as wind and water, is about how we respond to our environments. Imagine energy (or chi) flowing like wind and water in your home. Through this mental exercise, try to identify places where chi might get stuck.

As we transition into spring, it is a perfect time to inventory our homes, clear any blockages, and rid ourselves of anything that is no longer needed or useful.

Starting slowly, here are some areas to focus on.

Getting the Skeletons (and clothes, shoes, belt, hats, gloves scarves, even jewelry) Out of the Closet

When sorting through your things, look for anything that you haven’t worn during the winter season. A general rule of thumb is that if it hasn’t been used in the last year, it’s time to go.

Need some motivation? Remind yourself that letting go of old things only opens the space for the new.

Slaying the Paper Tiger

You can do it. Get rid of that daunting pile. I have to tell you, in a typical scenario of the shoemaker’s kids having no shoes, a year or so ago I came upon a giant bin of ancient bills and miscellaneous paperwork that was somehow hidden in a far away corner of my attic.

I was stunned to find such cords to the past. It was a trip down memory lane, for sure, and often times not exactly pleasant. But, the joy and liberation I experienced going thru hours of shredding every little piece of paper was simply indescribable. It was like I was deleting and rewriting history.

Living by the Book(s)

We all have favorite books that we go back to over and over and continue to learn from. But, beware. Some books have a way of finding a spot and refusing to budge. If you are holding onto too many of them, perhaps you are limiting yourself to the certain belief system they represent Maybe you are too rigid in your thinking, which could prevent you from seeing different perspectives.

Keep the ones that you use and recycle/give away the others. Keep in mind, there’s always the library. Separation anxiety? Go visit them.

Food for Thought

When was the last time you went through your pantry, kitchen cabinets or refrigerator? If you happened to have a weak moment at a can-can sale, make a much needed donation to your local food bank. Also, check use-by dates on all that stuff hidden in dark places.

While you are at it, take into consideration kitchen gadgets, you know the ones that sounded so fabulous in the infomercials.

Is the Medicine Worse than the Malady?

Toiletries have a way of reproducing themselves. Bathroom closets and medicine cabinets are huge breeding grounds for clutter. This adds stress to a room that is meant to make us feel refreshed. From a health risk aspect, check for expired medications and makeup that may be outdated.

Again, don’t forget the abandoned lotions and potions that didn’t quite do the trick.

Gearing Up for Spring

We’ve been insulated all winter breathing recycled air. As the days become warmer, open the windows and circulate fresh air. This will help to release any stale chi.

As human beings we have a natural affinity to nature. Make it a habit of taking walks. Your body and soul will be grateful. Mother Earth goes thru the process of change without resistance. Follow her lead and make the changes necessary to create a space that has free flowing energy.

Use the decluttering approach of feng shui to free your home and mind of useless clutter.

©Susan Tartaglino received her certification through the Feng Shui Institute of America and is a Red Ribbon Professional member of the International Feng Shui Guild.

Susan was first introduced to the concepts of feng shui during her residency in Hong Kong in the 1980′s. After discovering how influenced people were by their physical environment, Susan was instantly intrigued and eager to learn more about person-place connections. Becoming a feng shui practitioner was the perfect path for her to share her enthusiasm. Other interests include a dedicated yoga practice, meditation, spending healing time with nature in her garden, and hanging out with close friends and her two cats.

I was a career flight attendant; I flew for Air Canada for 32 years. When I retired, I thought I’d find a job as a customer service rep. When I started going to job interviews however, I realized that many businesses knew very little about giving great customer service, so I started my own company doing customer service training for companies, for entrepreneurs. I also started writing a bi-weekly customer service article for a local online news source. Within about 3 months my editor asked me if I would free-lance for him. He then introduced me to a woman who was starting a digital magazine for women over 50, Timeless Woman, and I wrote a monthly article for her for 2 years.

When she closed her virtual magazine, I went online to locate other magazines that targeted women over 50. I found WE Magazine for Women and sent editor Heidi Richards Mooney some samples of my writing. Heidi asked me to start writing for WE as soon as I was able to. After a few months writing for WE, Heidi asked me to be the editor of “Women of a Certain Age.”

When did you first discover you enjoyed writing?

When I first started writing for Timeless Woman. It was such a gift to be giving free reign over what I wrote about – any topic really, so long as it applied to women over 50.

What are your favorite topics to write about?

I like writing topics that are of interest to women in their 50s and older, in order to let them know how much value they have. So many older women think poorly of themselves and I like to tell them through my articles for WE that we all still have so much value, so much to give to others.

What do you enjoy about writing for WE Magazine for Women?

WE Magazine is a great fit for me because you also target women over a certain age, in their 40s and up, so it gives me my own soapbox to write about issues that are important to us all as well as issues that are just fun for all of us. I also really like the format of WE. It’s so much like a hard-copy magazine, with leafing through all the pages.

What projects are you currently working on?

I like to have a couple of articles ‘in the bank’, so right now I have an article about Body Acceptance waiting to be posted and I’m planning on doing a piece about the book ‘Cinderella Ate My Daughter’ also.

What’s next for you?

Another book. I have one book now called ‘Celebrate Age’ which is a compilation of all the articles that I wrote for Timeless Woman. I may do something like that for the articles that I write for WE, as well as the articles I write for other online magazines.

I also have another book about three quarters finished, called “Loves Moonlight Walks on the Beach”. It’s about the real meaning of what some men put in their profiles on dating websites in order to attract women. Personally, I’ve never ever in my whole life had a partner who suggested that to me, so I think it’ll be quite humourous as I translate what men are really saying in their profiles.

Tell us about the services/products you offer.

I write marketing materials and website content for other entrepreneurs, mostly women, so their literature is captivating. I write in my client’s own voice by having her write her own words first and then I ‘fluff’ her words up. It’s important that her material be in her voice.

What do you do for fun/relaxation?

I read, I swim and I try to find time to play my piano. And writing is actually a fun thing for me to do!

What question would you like to answer that has not been asked?

I’d like women of all ages to know how much value we have, how capable we are at doing anything that needs to be done, how we can offer more and more as we age because we accumulate more and more wisdom, and how retirement from our mainstream career can open the door to doing what we’ve always dreamed of doing. We can all do that now!

How can our readers contact you?

My website is www.willowtree.ca, where you can buy Celebrate Age, my email is marcia@willowtree.ca and my website has links to all the magazines I write for.

Organic and Sustainable crops have made great strides over the last few years, what will happen to all the progress, what does one do when suddenly the grim reaper is standing at the door.

Sadly, I have no quick or easy solutions…only suggestions…the same ones we have used to come thus far.

We must never lose hope and our faith that good over-comes bad,
that hard work and education will always lead us to a new path.
If on the first trial we don’t succeed, we must dust our selves off and try again.
To take the defeats and weave them into wins.

For those who don’t know or who wish to know who and what Monsanto is and does…and please understand …we all need to know.

Organic Consumers is a wonderful, factual based site for information on all things organic and threats to same.

We must also understand that genetically modified is not only a threat to organics, but to all crops….chemical use in crops is bad for many reasons…genetically modified is Russian Roulette with a guaranteed outcome…destruction of a healthy food supply.

I ask that you make a pledge to do something toward this movement, if not you and I…then who-

http://organicconsumers.org
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com
http://beasbeatitudes.blogspot.com