Tread Earth Lightly

Favorite Asana of the Week - Laura Erdman-Luntz

“I had a hard time choosing a favorite...my students tease me because I frequently say, ‘this is my favorite pose!’  I decided on head balance because it is rejuvenating and gives me a new perspective.  Plus, I love the feeling of being upside down.  There is something delightfully ‘childish’ about it!”

-Yoga teacher Laura Erdman-Luntz
MA, E-RYT(500)
  Laura teaches in the Twin Cities area and leads international retreats.
Learn more at:
Studies with Laura
Www.Muselan.com
Contact: Laura@muselan.com
Follow me on twitter and facebook!

Honda FCX Clarity - The Car of the Future

I know what you're thinking: "Really the car of the future? Wasn't the Prius the car of the future?" The answer: no not really. It was a step in the right direction, but far from being the answer to our petroleum addiction. So now the new "Car of the Future" candidate is the Honda FCX Clarity. A hydrogen/battery powered, zero emission 4 door sedan. And it looks a lot like a normal car. It pretty much is a normal car except for how it's powered. As for safety they have that covered too because really that's the biggest concern. Sure, for my husband and most men, they like to know about the speed and power, as well as safety, but I could care less about how fast it goes from 0 to 60. Though this car is only available in California (for now hopefully), it is not an experimental or prototype vehicle. It is a certified, assembly-line produced car ready to be driven by the general public. More fueling stations just have to be opened world and nation wide. Here is Top Gear's review of the Honda Clarity.

Grow Yor Own Fresh Air

A majority know that plants and trees are our air filters. They clean our dirty air and give back clean oxygen for us to breath. However, with the increase in indoor pollution caused by toxic cleaners, fire proofing chemicals, and other contaminants, we need to start bringing more plants inside.
(But please don't forget about planting trees outside too. That's just as important.)
Here is a video from Ted with researcher Kamal Meattle discussing how we can grow our own fresh air indoors.

Not 100% Cotton

This is why organic is best!

Watch this video to find out why.

Chemicals
Cancer
Death
Pollution
Water Contamination
Birth Defects

If you are buying cotton clothing that is not labeled/certified organic than it probably was produced using very harmful chemicals. Most people I run into always question why organic is more expensive, and why even buy it to begin with? Is there really a difference? The answer is YES! It's not just about the environment it's also about the effects chemicals have on humans directly. Most cotton is grown in third world countries, like India, where there are NO regulations on how to grow and manufacture cotton. This means that chemical companies from all over go to these areas to sell there products because they have no restrictions. Which means lots of money for them. But what happens to the farmers, and factory workers? Watch this video and find out. Maybe we should all think twice and then not purchase things from big chain stores. Just think if more people started buying organic then there would be a higher demand and more production of it. Then the price would go down because there was more of it. It starts with us, the consumers, so start demanding!
Now you know why organic is best!

Your Green Tips

 

What are some of the ways you and your family "Go Green?"

We want to know what some of your green tips are.
This will be a great way for everyone to share and connect with each other. 
Post your tips in the comments on our "Green Tips" Page.
We can't wait for you to share.
Thanks!

Forget the Black Widows

So let's just take a moment and think where most of our produce comes from, other countries with evil and disgusting spiders like this one. This ones' name is the Brazilian Wandering Spider, and it has wandered to a Whole Foods in Oklahoma. This story has just increased my fear of those ugly little arachnids. These guys kill more humans than any other spider. They laugh at black widows and have a leg span of 4-5 inches.

NO THANKS!
All I have to say is it better not wander over to my Whole Foods or I will freak out!

POM WONDERFUL JUICE REVIEW

    If you are anything like me then you had no idea what a pomegranate was until you found out about POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate juice. I remember that the bottle, obviously, was what caught my eye. It reminded me of a genie bottle. Actually, if you think about it, maybe it is like having little genie inside, considering all the health benefits that are in pomegranate juice.

    Well, anyway I decided to try it and of course I had to get one of every flavor they make. Cherry/pomegranate is my favorite. The blends of pomegranate and the other juices helps to take away the tartness that sometimes regular pomegranate juice has. It's also not very easy to eat the actual fruit of a pomegranate; drinking the juice is much easier. Plus, it has more health benefits than plain old orange or apple juice. All in all POM Wonderful is a great change for the old flavor palette, and your immune system.

Wasted Food on Elephant Journal.com

I love Elephant Journal! So much so that I wanted to contribute as well. Here is my article on wasted food.

Let's Play!

These videos are about play. The Ted video is a lecture with Stuart Brown and why he thinks that play is vital to human development. The other videos are from Ellen Degeneres' stand up show The Beginning. Towards the end of the first video she starts to discuss her inner child and how it just wants to play. She believes that if we played more as adults, we wouldn't be so grumpy and angry all of the time.

I agree! Sometimes it seems that as we get older we just become too serious about everything. We lose the joy that is inherent in our lives. I know that even with Yoga it seems that some classes, teachers, students etc. just seem too uptight. Don't get me wrong there is a need for seriousness with Yoga, but there also is a need for more lightness and laughter. Just because it's Yoga doesn't mean it can't be fun and playful. And I think that is true of everything. Imagine if our jobs were more playful and fun, how much more would we enjoy going to work?

If you are a parent or work with kids, then you already have the best teachers right in front of you. Children in all of their glory are experts when it comes to play. So be sure to take a few lessons from the masters and start playing!

Green & Frugal Tip: No Fancy Compost Here

This is our lovely compost bowl. Yup! That's it. No fancy lid or baggies or odor eaters. Just a plain, old fashioned stainless steal bowl. Not to mention cheap. A large bowl like this only goes for about 10 to 15 dollars. I know what your thinking though. What about the smell and the fruit flies? Well, that's were procrastination, with bringing it out to the outside compost bin, has to go. In the winter it's not really warm enough for tons of flies, but the Summer can be a different story. If fruit flies do become a problem in a tiny bowl or glass mix together some dish soap and red wine (not an expensive red wine) and place it somewhere near the bowl of compost. Flies love that stuff and yet it's like the tar pits to them. Hopefully, you won't need to waste any wine this Summer, especially if you have central air and the house is closed anyway. Just remember a sure way to keep the bugs away is to take your compost out right away, and then you won't need any fancy tricks or gadgets.