48 Things to Know About Sustainable Living: Book Review

Everyone is gearing up for the New Year, considering the changes they would like to make, how to improve themselves, and possibly the world.

Well Victoria Klein has just published "48 Things to Know About Sustainability," a book that will help you take on the new year, and the world!

OK, seriously, most people aren't ready to take on the world, but that's the beauty of 48 Things. You can pick your topic and start with one thing at a time. Or, pick one topic a week, and having 48, you can have a 4 week vacation.

There are three things I really like about 48 Things: 1) Victoria covers everything about sustainability, she really hits all the topics; 2) Victoria lists resources in every chapter, so further investigation is easy; 3) but mostly, what I like about 48 Things is that it's inspired from Victoria's own personal experience. She is passionate about her topic and it shows.

What else will you find that's good in 48 Things? A lot. Victoria shows you how living a sustainable life is also good for your health and your wallet - things everyone can appreciate.

I would recommend 48 Things to Know About Sustainable Living for anyone and everyone. It is a good read, a great gift, and perfect to start off the new year right!

Alexandra Gnoske is the President of RECYCLE ME, the author and illustrator of "Loui Saves the Earth," and writes the Mindful Business Blog for Mindful Metropolis.

Happy Customers

Here is a picture of some Happy RECYCLE ME Customers who enjoyed our great big sale - everything on sale for $10.00.

That sale is still good through the end of this week - December 31, 2010!

We all hope you enjoyed 2010 and look forward to growing with you in 2011.

Happy New Year!
Alexandra Gnoske,
Founder/President RECYCLE ME

Dynamic Duo Wellness

Traveling through the holidays and entering the New Year, we often feel excitement, anxiety, and a little bloated and run down. Treat yourself, or someone you love to some wellness this holiday season with the ladies at Dynamic Duo Wellness and make the most of life!

Alee Hoffman HHC, AADP and Erin Dunscomb HHC, AADP founded Dynamic Duo Wellness (DDW) in Chicago, 2009. They both are passionate about helping people lead more vibrant and joyful lives. The duo met at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition/Columbia University in New York when they were pursuing their own paths to a higher quality of health and nutrition and developed their professional relationship teaming up for some workshops on the east coast.

Dynamic Duo Wellness is not just about the collaborative partnership between Alee and Erin, it's about the relationship between a person and their food. Or as the gals at DDW like to say, "It's time to join forces with your food!"

What can DDW do for you? Quite a lot! DDW offers in person workshops, private sessions, corporate events, phone and internet sessions and Skype workshops from recipes, cooking classes and general nutrition counseling to personal health evaluations, individual plans and family and children food education.

PROGRAMS

Private Coaching (Single Session $97.00/Package $177/mo). For lasting results DDW recommends 3 months minimum commitment. In both you will receive a detailed health assessment. The package also includes two 60-75 minute session/mo, recipes, hand outs, customized tips and information, access to the DDW natural pharmacy and email support.

Group Program Package ($77.00/mo). Group health and wellness programs in a supportive community of people.

Public Workshop (normally $35.00). Include all foods/materials and discounts.

Private Workshop (up to $55.00/person). You pick a topic and invite up to 20 people to join! (price decrease after 6 people).

The best way to find out what's going on at DDW is to sign up for their newsletter at dynamicduowellness@gmail.com. It includes monthly newsletter detailing current and upcoming programs, what's new, as well as tips, recipes, and special discounts.

COMING UP IN 2011

Happy New Year! DDW will be doing the cooking demos and providing the appetizers/drinks for the ChicagoVeg Meet Up Group Pre New Year's Eve Party.

2011 Jump Start Package Special (January/$200.11). This package includes a 60 minute health assessment with a detailed health history, blood pressure, adrenal glands, and toxicity/pH check; health food store tour; 1 admission to either the New Years Workshop OR Winter Blues/seasonal depression Workshop; additional session at months end; + 10% off on first month of group program or individual counseling if you choose to continue.

LOOK FOR: DDW is currently working on a grant proposal to offer food and wellness education with CSAs in Chicago neighborhoods that don't have quality grocery stores to teach people how to eat and live well on a limited budget.

DDW teaches at Infuse Yoga Spa at 713 West Wrightwood Avenue in Chicago. They also teach in homes, by phone, online, and Skype. You can find them at www.dynamicduowellness.com.

Originally posted in the Mindful Business Matters Blog by Alexandra Gnoske. Alexandra has a degree in Wildlife Biology, J.D. in Environmental Law, is the President and Founding member of RECYCLE ME, the Author and Illustrator of "Loui Saves the Earth," and writes for Mindful Metropolis Magazine.

5 Easy Steps to Save Money, Time and the Planet during the Holidays!

December is a time for holiday parties, visiting friends and family, and doing a lot of shopping. For many people it is also a time of great stress. Besides being pressured for time and money, the planet is also under pressure. In December the U.S. generates twice as much waste creating over 2 million tons of waste a week! Seventy percent of Americans say they wish there was less focus on shopping and more on the important things in life. This year you can enjoy the holidays while saving money, time, and the planet when you follow these 5 easy steps.


5 EASY STEPS TO SAVE MONEY, TIME AND THE PLANET DURING THE HOLIDAYS
1. Shop Local. When you shop local you can save money by ditching your car and walking. You can save time by cutting down your time commuting in your car. Or take the train/bus to the closest neighborhood with a shopping district. You can do some fun window shopping, get some exercise, and save the planet some carbon. You also keep the money flowing in your neighborhood, help create jobs, vote with your dollars, get better service, and invest in the community. Now don't you feel better already?

2. Give the gift(s) that keeps on giving. Instead of the latest and cheapest gifts on the market, here are some ideas for gifts that keep on giving - Reusable Gifts. Don't worry, hese haven't been used already! They are gifts that people will use over and over again saving them time, money, and helping the planet.

• My favorite is REUSABLE BAGS. Wait! They can be cute and fun, besides durable and practical. We use over 4 million tons of shopping bags and gift wrapping in December! You can give gifts in reusable bags OR give them as gifts. Try Chico, Baggu, or Envirosax. 
• Stainless steel or BPA free reusable water bottles and mugs. Do the planet, and all the animals and people a favor and help keep as much plastic out of the waste stream as possible! Americans use 2.5 million water bottles an hour and throw away 25 billion styrofoam coffee cups a year! Check out Kleen Kanteen, or discountmugs.com.
• Cloth Napkins. If everyone used one less paper napkin a day, more than a billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year! Even better, we would save somewhere around 2 million trees a year. Check out Crate and Barrel or prontohome.com for some cloth napkins.
•  Lunch Boxes/Reusable Containers. Making lunch instead of eating out or buying hot lunch at school, is healthier, costs less, and wastes less. Save someone the toxic mess and waste when you buy them an Eco Lunchbox.

These are my favorite reusable gifts because they get everyday use, are better for our health and the planet.

3. Cook less/Eat More. What? Well, after holiday parties Americans throw away 28 billion pounds of edible food. So we need to either cook less, eat more, or get a pack of dogs to eat the leftovers. You can also bring containers for leftovers at family parties, or plan ahead and familiarize yourself with local food shelters and charities who would appreciate the extra food.

4. Just say Foil! And say NO to styrofoam. Many people eat out more often during the month of December. When you are taking your leftovers say yes to foil and no to styrofoam. Styrofoam use is up at restaurants to save money because it's so cheap! Well, it's not good for your health or the planets. Styrofoam, or polystyrene, is made with petroleum, a non-sustainable and polluting resource. According to the EPA it is the 5th largest creator of hazardous waste and it is a possible human carcinogen. It's bad for humans, for animals, and the ozone. So what if it's cheap! On the other hand, aluminum foil is easily recycled and it's up to 95% energy efficient to recycle it! Visit NoFoamChicago.org for more information.

5. Live and let Live. What if you could replant your Christmas tree? At RootsforChristmas.com you can! (Well, at least you can in Chicago). Roots for Christmas is a pilot initiative to transfer live trees from farm to house to city. They will bring your tree to your house and pick it up 14 - 18 days later to plant in a tree starved neighborhood in the city. I love this idea and I think other places will follow suit. Many places offer tree mulching after the holidays, so take advantage because over 30 million trees are cut for Christmas and 10 million end up in landfills.

 

I hope this helps you enjoy December a little bit more, saves you money, and frees up some time. But mostly I hope it helps make the planet a healthier, safer place because that's good for all of us!