Every now and then I read something that strikes a chord, leaving me to ponder over the idea for days and days on end. Last week it was the following extract from The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell:

“People say that what we’re seeking is a meaning of life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”

Rather eloquently said, don’t you think?

What is it that inspires and pleasures you, so much so that your enthusiasm for being alive drives you each and every day to build upon that joy?

What choices are you making that bring you closer to reaching that state of being?

What contribution are you making to the community and earth to enable it to be a “better” place for future generations to live in?

If you’re reading this article, chances are you live in a world of information overload, an abundance of choice and the luxury to be, think and act as you wish. Whilst this is a wonderful freedom that we have created, it also brings with it many distractions that “dumb down” our consciousness and divert our attention from what would truly be nurturing for ourselves, loved ones, future generations and the world in which we live in.

Have you ever thought about what consequence your choices are having? (on your life; your loved ones’ lives; your community; the planet; future beliefs, standards and ideals)

Whether we like to believe it or not, there is always choice. It’s very easy to blame something or someone else for our circumstances or lack of, but the truth is we are all responsible for our own choices and can make a different choice when ever we choose to.

The four key areas that I work with, are developing rituals to:

improve energy levels;
encourage a peaceful night’s sleep;
learn how to cope with stress; and
nurture our own self and loved ones more so.

Why? Because I strongly believe that by balancing these four areas in your life helps to bring about holistic happiness, which in turn improves one’s health, life experiences and Joseph Campbell’s idea of feeling “the rapture of being alive”.

Over the next four months I will feature each one of these key areas in a holistic manner, demonstrating how best to make improvements that benefit you, your loved ones and the planet we share.

If holistic happiness is something that you would like a little inspiration with then how about using this next month to become more aware of how you feel, the choices you are making and whether there is any relation between the two.

What Consequence Are Your Choices Having? By Sam Sample.

Fun, easy, affordable ways to clean up & green up…

I dont know about anyone else, but I have had this invisible weight on my shoulders ever since I started learning in school about oil spills, global warming, ozone layers, and something called a carbon footprint. Silly myths, right? Well this nagging little green angel on my shoulder keeps tugging on my ear to stop ignoring the “what ifs” and just DO SOMETHING.

But what can I do, really? I dont have tons of money to turn my house into this solar paneled, self-sufficient, recycled water-using, organic mud brick hut with a compost garden. I tend to be an all-or-nothing kind of person, and I figured if I couldnt do all that, why should I do anything? Well, since Ive gotten older and had to spend my own money on rent, gas, food, and other things of normal living, that weight on my shoulders starting getting heavier and heavier. I couldnt figure out why.

That little green angel finally got smart and started turning on the news at night, or sending me to websites on the green efforts around the planet, or turning the channel to Animal Planet and National Geographic. Let me tell you, it worked. The bottom line is, no matter how trite it seems to do one small thing to help the planet, the millions of other people doing their little insignificant acts just multiplied your little insignificant act, and this effort just became significant.

The plan for this new section is to share a user-friendly way to GO GREEN each week without breaking the bank or taking too much time away from our already jam-packed schedules. I am on this personal mission too, so we will be in it together!

Our first green effort is to buy reusable shopping bags…

Personally, I dont like grocery shopping. Its cold in there, the aisles are crowded, and I have to carry all those heavy bags up a flight of stairs at my apartment. I usually get plastic bags, and the only good thing Ive ever done with them is keep them for packed lunches. Still, they get thrown out after two uses. There are entire websites dedicated to how bad this is for the planet. Here is a quote from National Geographic’s news website about plastic grocery bags:

“They sit balled up and stuffed into the one that hangs from the pantry door. They line bathroom trash bins. They carry clothes to the gym. They clutter landfills. They flap from trees. They float in the breeze. They clog roadside drains. They drift on the high seas. They fill sea turtle bellies.”

Where have I been?! How big of a deal is it to keep some reusable bags in my car and walk into the grocery store with them? They take up too much space? Nope. They are selling these bags that fit four in a pouch, which is no bigger than your fist! Put them in your glove box, people. There is no excuse to not utilize this genius approach.

How can I make this even more convenient for you? Order online. Done. I just did it. I have a confirmation number. You dont want to carry something that will clash with your outfit? Well, I came across some pretty nifty designer ones in all colors and sizes, I might even start carrying everything else in them too. You assume they are probably expensive, right? They range from $0.45 each to $35 for a designer set of four. Not bad.

So, even though I dont enjoy grocery shopping, it has now become my first effort in saving the planet, and that makes it much more fun…one reusable bag at a time.

Here are a few websites where you can read more and order your reusable bags: reusablebags.com, reuseit.com, customearthpromos.com, reusablebagsdepot.com

But What Can I Do? Healing the Planet, it’s in the Bag by Courtney Raney

Living green can be overwhelming. Where to start? From eco cars and planet-friendly cleaning products to organic wines and veganism, its little wonder many opt to do nothing for fear of not being able to do it all.

Yet its the little steps that add up to mean something big.

A great way to test the eco waters is at this years Go Green Expo, to be held at the LA Convention Center from January 22 to 24. Get the goss on natural personal care products, green gadgets, eco-celebrities, yoga classes, green industry and activists including Ed Begley Jr., Mariel Hemingway, John Picard and Eric Corey Freed.

With more than 300 exhibitors, the Go Green Expo is a favorite for those who are eco-curious or full immersed in all things environmental.

Food and wine lovers also mark the event on their calendars thanks to the local restaurant and wine tasting pavilion. Pet lovers can also help fido go green at the Pet Expo.

For 50 per cent off the online ticket price, check out the Go Green banner on The Green Dove home page for the exclusive code.

Find out more about the 2010 Go Green Expo at www.gogreenexpo.com

Go Green Expo Los Angeles is proudly sponsored by The Green Dove, CBS Television, The Los Angeles Business Journal, Natural Health Magazine, Natural Home Magazine, Spirituality & Health Magazine, Mother Earth News, Kiwi Magazine, Green Lifestyles Magazine, Whole Life Times, The Sierra Club and more.

The Climate Quilt Campaign (www.climatequilt.org), an International initiative created to encourage youth worldwide to get involved with protecting the environment was recently on display at the UN Climate Conference and is now headed back to the US for Earth Day (April 22).

The quilt was on display at both the NGO reception and the Global Day of Conversation in Copenhagen. Students around the world have designed “pledge patches” from recycled materials with their individual promises to preserve the future of the planet.

In Australia, the quilt has already gotten the attention of their government officials. The Australian delegation carried a portion of the climate quilt with them to Copenhagen in an effort to show their support of the campaign and help spread the word globally. Senator Penny Wong has made a promise back to the children of her country that have committed themselves to the campaign with her pledge, “To remember your pledges when I am at Copenhagen”.

The Climate Quilt Campaign launched in September during New York Climate Week as an initiative of Habitat Heroes with only two schools and has grown expontentially ever since. Schools and organizations from states across the US including New York, Connecticut, Maine, Montana, and Arizona s have already sent in their quilt panels. To date, the campaign has pledge patches from students from around countries such as US, Australia, China, New Zealand, the UK, Phillipines, Africa and South Africa.

The quilt has appeared on such well known television shows as The Today Show, Good Morning America, News 12 and in such high profile websites as Greenrightnow, Treehugger and Blisstree.

Children in every country and city throughout the world can still get involved through their schools or individually to have their pledge patch included by going to www.climatequilt.org.

“This Climate Quilt creates an opportunity to give a voice to our children and is a symbol of their deep commitment to preserve our Earth’s great resources for all future generations,” said Peg Watson, Founder of the Green Schools Alliance.

The campaign is designed to empower youth, raise awareness and build global community. The quilt will ultimately be a representation of children’s hopes and dreams for the future of the Earth and their pledge to do their part to protect the environment.

As Christmas day nears, I’ve been thinking about jolly ol’ Santa and his love for milk and cookies … how his turning vegan could be the biggest gift to vegan activists everywhere.

Imagine the influence he’d have. Children worldwide would be begging their parents for freshly-made almond milk with a side of raw vegan truffle balls, forget the cows, thank you very much.

So, without further adieu, here is my letter to Santa this year-10 reasons he should go vegan. I just hope he gets it on time…

1. Your cholesterol levels, Santa, would be back to normal. No more need for those pesky GP visits and poisonous pharmaceuticals;

2. Your energy levels would skyrocket, especially if you adopt a mostly raw diet. Raw, live foods are packed with enzymes, which are the givers of life. Kids everywhere want to see you around for a long time to come. Eating raw and vegan is healthy for you, animals and the planet.

3. Santa, I know you love animals. What bigger gift could you give to them than not eating or wearing them?

4. I don’t mean to be rude, Santa, but being overweight is a serious risk to your health. Did you know tummy fat raises your risk for high blood cholesterol by about 50 percent? A healthy vegan diet will have you at your optimal weight in no time.

5. Most cookies are laden with butter and processed sugar. Many of the mass-produced kind are even worse, with ingredients made up of numbers and boasting names impossible to pronounce. Santa, do you know where your cookies came from?

6. Drinking cows milk has been linked to all sorts of dis-eases, including asthma, osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes and more. Making milk from nuts is a cinch and doesn’t require harming animals or using massive amounts of the earth’s energy.

7. I hate to be the one to break it to you Santa, but that big fur collar that keeps you warm as you deliver your presents once belonged to real, live animals – defenseless creatures who were tortured and skinned without a second thought. I’ve also been told that fur has formaldehyde in it, which has been known to cause cancers. I don’t want you getting sick, Santa.

8. I know eating on the run must be tempting to a busy man like you, Santa. But I think you should know that fast food meats have thousands of additives that are addictive and fattening. Much of the meat on menus today are also full of pesticides and hormones.

9. Bacon and pork may be tempting, but did you know that pigs are more intelligent than dogs? Word has it they are intelligent as a three year old. I know you’d never eat a three year old, would you, Santa?

10. Those fancy leather seats in your sleigh may be comfy Santa, but did you know how many cows died to make them? If you compare your ride to the average Mercedes Benz, my guess is around seven.

So Santa, if you’re reading this, I urge you to take the pledge. Go vegan in 2010. Imagine the energy you’d have delivering presents next year. Those rosy cheeks would have a truly healthy glow, Mrs Claus could learn new culinary skills, whipping up raw vegan recipes to share with the elves. I’m certain Rudolph would be grateful too, knowing for certain he won’t be re-named venison when it’s time for retirement.

And to PETA, I think I’m onto something. I’ll let you take it from here.

10 Reasons Santa Should Go Vegan from Diary of a Vegan

A new generation of eco-commerce is arising out of the dust of Amazon.com’s explosive growth – online shoppers, particularly parents, are more concerned than ever about product certification, safety and customer feedback. Enter Sproubaby.com, the brainchild of eco-preneur Jody Sherman. To cater to this more discerning market, his online baby products shop features only items vetted through expert, family and personal reviews.

In honor of busy parents everywhere, The Green Dove tracked down this businessman (pictured left) with a conscience to give us the lowdown on Sproutbaby’s mission, success to date and to also share some green words of wisdom.

How and when did sprout baby sprout?

The idea for Sproutbaby was conceived in my living room in may of 2008. We started building the site and testing in December of 2008 (which is why we are having our birthday celebration and giving away $2500 to one of our customers). The idea began as an exploration of how the social behavior of moms influenced purchasing behavior.

I started seeing moms talking to moms everywhere I went — once I started paying attention. I saw pregnant women talking to moms. I saw moms of all ages engaged in conversation with each other. And very often, what they were talking about was “What product do you use,” “When are you due?” “Who is your doctor?, “You should try this food,” and more. I began to see how much of a “club” these moms were a part of, and that they were in it for life. I started picking through their shopping carts and asking them questions about what they buy, why they buy it, how the do research, etc. And what I found was that the more eco-conscious they were, the more challenged they were in finding comprehensive resources where they could learn about products that were good to put in, on, and around their babies and families — and where to purchase them.

They went to a wide variety of sites, had “over the fence” discussions, read magazines, and networked with their mommy peers in the real world. So I thought “what if you could create a space where moms could locate, learn about, and purchase authentically great products that were good for their babies and good for the planet?” And thus sproutbaby was born.

What feedback have you received regarding the company’s mission and products?

Our customers love us. They tell us that our vision and promise matches to their concerns. They love our proactive approach to customer service. They are overwhelmingly positive about the products they have purchased from us. And this is both coming to me anecdotally, in the form of phone calls and emails, as well as quantifiably in the form of increased month over month sales and very high repeat customer purchases.

What do you say to people who use plastic disposable diapers, and are unaware of the detrimental effect these products have on the environment?

I say “you have to start somewhere”. I don’t think it is our place to preach to people about how they treat the planet. No one likes that approach, least of all me. And that approach is what has, for some people, made the idea of becoming “green” or “eco” seem daunting, exclusive, elusive, and expensive.

We know that some people are going to begin their approach to living with a smaller negative impact on the planet by feeding their babies an organic high-quality baby food. And on that front, I think we’ve nailed it by partnering with sprout baby food, an amazing new organic baby food, created by the food network’s Tyler Florence. It is organic and comes in environmentally-friendly non-bpa plastic pouches instead of glass or plastic jars. But most importantly, it tastes delicious.

For some people, they may not go any further than that, because of lifestyle, economic, or other choices that are unique to their situation. For others, adding high quality skin care products to their routine may be as far as they go. We can’t punish people for trying to do better. Naturally, we’d like to see our customers make the best and lowest impact choices possible, but it takes time, education, and advocacy. We try to influence this as much as possible by only offering what we believe are the best possible options in any category into which we enter.

We further try to educate and influence by providing helpful content to aid the decision making process, as well as sending what we hope our customers find to be useful emails that provide both information about and discounts on new products that help move new parents along in reducing their environmental footprint.

How optimistic are you about the world’s population achieving a sustainable future?

I am much more so than I was before I started Sproutbaby. I know that when I was growing up, my parents made what they thought were good choices and these choices were based on information that was state of the art at the time. As it turns out, with better information, we’ve learned that many of the decisions parents made had a detrimental impact that was previously not well understood.

Only with time and education did we come to learn that we have a finite set of resources on our planet. Every day we see a new customer come to our site and make a purchase for something that is a better option for their baby, family, and the planet, I feel more encouraged that the word is spreading. We don’t have the luxury to get it wrong with this generation and the next, and i think that message is loud and clear with new parents so I feel very positive that we will get it together.

Your favorite sprout baby product and why?

I have a few. When we launched, we started with just sprout baby food and I ate a lot of it. There were days that I was living on roasted banana and brown rice. As we’ve grown to add a wide variety of products, most of which are for moms and babies so they don’t have a use in my every day life, one product stands out and that is my Thinksport stainless steel water bottle. I love the way it feels in my hand. I like the design. I love that it keeps my water cold all day, and i love that it forces me to drink more water because I keep it with me all the time. I also like that it can take a beating. I’ve “bounce tested” it many times at the gym and it hasn’t taken more than just a scratch.

Any green words of wisdom you’d like to share?

The effort it “seems” to take to make your life more green is far more of an illusion than it is a reality. I used to think that it would take longer to sort my trash, turn off lights, make more mindful purchases, etc., turned out to be (for me) an excuse to not change my patterns. Once i made the commitment to change, and had a picture in my mind of for whom I was doing it (my nephews, who will be on this planet long after i’m gone) it became second nature. But I am also mindful that i am far from perfect in my stewardship of the planet. It is impractical for example, to ride a bike or walk everywhere, so I still have to use a car. I don’t have solar on my home. I try each day to do things that have less of an impact on the planet but I don’t beat myself up for being less than 100% because there are times when you just can’t be. I think that’s a long winded way of saying “commit to positive change one step at a time and feel good about that. once this new change becomes habit, add another, and so on.”

By Adria Vasil

Maybe it’s the half-Greek in me, but there’s nothing that makes me giddier then the sight of a table full of food (well, other than actually eating the food). Trouble is most of what we stack onto our plates isn’t just weighing on our hips, hearts and cells, it’s also bloating the planet with packaging, pesticides and climate-changing gases. How can you get your fill without, er, tipping the ecological scales?

Just follow Ecoholic’s 5 earth- and body-friendly tips.

1. Eat Close To Home: And by that I don’t mean ordering takeout from your local pizza joint! Search for produce grown in your own county/state. If you can’t find homegrown garlic/greens/grapes at the grocery store, don’t be shy, ask the produce manager for more local options and trove farmers’ markets for freshly picked goodies. Not only does buying locally translate into fewer dirty fossil fuels trucking or shipping that food to you, it also means you’re helping to preserve nearby farmlands and valuable green spaces. Plus, betchya didn’t know that the vitamin content of a just-picked tomato is higher than in one plucked before it was ripe then carted 2500 miles. It tastes a hell of a lot better, too. To track down the greenest local food sources near you, punch in your zip code at localharvest.org.

2. Try Tofu Tuesdays. Eating fewer meaty meals isn’t just good for your cholesterol count, your waistline and your pocketbook — it’s also one of the top moves you can make for the planet. Gassy livestock literally burp and, um, expel more of the world’s greenhouse gases than cars, trains and planes combined! In fact, one University of Chicago study found that eating 20% fewer animal products every week reduces your greenhouse gas footprint as much as switching from a sedan to an ultra efficient Prius! And since, despite what your mom told you, there won’t always be more fish in the sea, pick your seafood choices wisely with the help of a pocket-size guide from seafoodwatch.org. Smaller fish like sardines aren’t only more sustainable than big daddies like tuna, they’re also way lighter in pollutants like mercury.

3. Get It Fair and Square: Quick, pick three things that get you through the day and I’ll bet you twenty bucks that coffee, chocolate and sugar make the list. Since none of the above grow on U.S. soil (well other than beet sugar), you want to be sure you buy the kind with a Fair Trade Certified label on the package. Why? Well, the workers that pick those ingredients are generally paid so poorly they’d have to work 3 days just to afford a Starbucks grande latte! Fair trade certified farms, on the other hand, pay farmhands in developing countries a decent wage, give their families access to health care and education and forbid the use of ultra toxic pesticides (which makes them better for your health, too). Bonus: your sugar-/caffeine-/chocolate-rush blissfully guilt-free.

4. Pass on packaging (especially the plastic kind): What goes into a Ding Dong is one thing; what’s wrapped around it is a whole other ball of plastic. Just stop emptying your kitchen’s trash bin for a week and you’ll find yourself knee deep in the food packaging (think milk cartons, cereal boxes, frozen food trays and all the double to triple layers of wrap around cookies, crackers, you name it). No wonder nearly a third of all the garbage we toss every year is packaging! Avoid the whole landfill bound mess by buying in bulk and bringing your own storage sacs shopping (you’ll find some at reusablebags.com). Choose loose lettuce instead of the boxed stuff. Buy concentrated ingredients like broth in dry form instead of bulkier watered-down cartons. And when you have a choice, pick the jam/juice/soup that comes in glass (it doesn’t leach dodgy toxins like tin cans and some plastics can).

5. Fork out for the right organics: In my dream Ecoholicland, everything in the grocery stores would be deliciously organic and we could all afford to eat chemical-free 365 days a year. But in the real world, most of us have to budget our pesticide-free picks. If you have young children, look at what they eat the most of (like milk or grapes) and switch those items to organic first. And though, yes, 73% of the fruits and veg checked by the FDA tested positive for pesticide residues, to be fair, some are worse then others. Spend your money on certified organic peaches, peppers and spinach before buying, say, organic broccoli (since conventional broccoli is quite low in residues). For a guide to the 12 worst and best produce items you can print or download to your phone, head to foodnews.org. Of course the cheapest (and tastiest) organics are the ones you grow yourself in your backyard. Okay, fine, so it’s a little late to start tomatoes, but you’re right on time to plant spinach, kale, lettuce and more. Money can’t buy greener greens.

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