Friday, January 11, 2013

Live Simply, And Greenly, That Others May Live

How to go green is pretty challenging if you try to do everything at once. You may find it easier to start with small steps, literally.

Natural Life Magazine offers ease - y, baby steps anyone of us can try that combine the concepts of sustainability and economy. Take for example, the suggestion to make one of those "2 mile or less" trips on foot or bike. Most people have access to at least one of those modes of transportation. The added benefit being that the exercise, itself, can increase one's sense of wellbeing and contribute to a healthy body.

Another powerful environmentally friendly, yet simple, choice each one of us can make is to embrace a beef-free diet - as writer, professor, Gene Sager notes, "I am afraid the bottom line is this: Beef production is a complex, messy and inefficient business. Compared to producing vegetables and grains, beef production involves much more energy..."

Beginning a path to sustainability by eliminating beef can be painless, and impactful, as it is the commercial, feedlot beef industry that creates such a tremendous amount of greenhouse gases, as well as water and ground pollution. Recently, there's also been a lot of attention on the heavy use of antibiotics for the steer and the impact this is having on our health.

The Protein Question
While creating a vegetarian diet is a worthy goal, for so many of us it's like contemplating moving to a third-world country - disorienting and a little scary.  I have found a few protein sources that are non-animal products that offer a healthy dose of those amino acids - proteins - that we all need to be healthy. They also, interestingly, offer a variety of the essential fatty acids.

One item I recommend is Hemp Seeds - they are tasty, light and very satisfying. They provide all the amino acids needed by humans as well as those Omega fatty acids

Another item is Barley Grass extract. It contains 19 of the 22 known amino acids, including the 8 essential amino acids the body does not produce itself. The facts on this wonder food are amazing - email friendsforagreenworld@gmail.com for a booklet; it costs $3.95 plus shipping.

The Alpha & The Omega
And what about those Omega fatty acids - fish sources are tricky, both from an environmental and purity perspective - what about a combination of non-animal sources like flax, red algae and cranberry seed oils?


How Simple Is Sustainability?
It can be as simple as walking one time this week. It can be as simple and money-saving as not buying any beef this week. It can be as simple as finding safe, organic sources of protein and omegas.

  • Make a choice to incorporate one of these actions today. You will educate and inspire the rest of us as you help us move toward a sustainable world. 

Every change is valuable; every story powerful. It is our stories and the sharing of them that create connnection.
  • You may be the story that changes someone's perspective, perhaps, even a life.

Send us your story - tell us what choice, big or small, you made today to move us toward sustainability. Let us post your choice, a pic, a video - to inspire all of us and affirm our choices.




Remember, doing a little is more fulfilling than 
thinking that a little won't matter.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Isn't It Disappointing?

Isn't it disappointing when someone you trust turns out to be dishonest?

A few months ago, I saw a list of companies that spent large amounts of money to defeat Prop. 37, here in California. 

Too many of these companies are ones that I have trusted.

I'm disappointed.

Now, I'm informed and have changed my shopping list to eliminate the pretenders. Be empowered and choose what's best for you. In case you don't know who owns some of your favorite "organic" food brands, here's the list from Cornucopia:



Natural News has provided a handy boycott list:




Both of these are printable and you can take them with you when you shop. I know I am going to.

 Another handy chart comes from Cornucopia:

Who Owns Organic?