Eco- Expo; I am officially an Enviro-Nerd.

You know those people who go to "expos" and huge "conferences"? (Yes I'm also referring to Star Trek conventions... I mean I DID bring up that I am a fan last post). I was always pretty sure they were UBER committed. Like it was a SIGN when you attended one of these. Kinda like when my dad used to drag us to Ducks Unlimited... Or when we got tipsy and went to the "sexpo" in Montreal (THAT was a kick!).

This past Sunday Halifax hosted an "eco-expo", and we went. I am not officially a geek, not only did we go but I actually ranted to a few vendors!! AND I took pictures for all you lovely peeps! Sad, I know.
(awesome F150 extended cab "eco" truck outside the expo. NICE)

Speaking of sad, I'm pretty sure, even though I haven't been to any eco-expos before (I swear!) that this one was pretty darn... sparse. However, in true maritime style there was local BEER (yum) and huge displays of whales.

Yep, although the entire event was powered by Bullfrog sustainably sourced power, I thought it was a bit much to have GIANT blown up, nylon whales hanging out. Still couldn't resist running through while trying to look disdainful and NOT like I was having fun. At all. (ok, I am excited to run through...)

Probably my favourite parts of the expo were in this order:

1. No-water Urinals. YES- nestled in a tiny display with scooters and some other thing (really, after the urinals who cares?) were these sans-water urinals. I totally wanted to take a picture, but became quite self-conscious when the lady saw us prance up excitedly and proceeded to inform us on the environmental benefits of using gravity instead of water to bring the urine down. Only downside- weird replaceable plastic deal that needs to be thrown out every so six months. I was THIS close to taking a picture of Andrew and the urinal, but chickened out. The lady had flare that said: "Pee Green"...

2. Meeting Deux Fm designer. Almost felt like meeting a famous person. Seriously fantastic clothing. She even said she had been sneaking out back to do the "baby- p-u-m-p thing" all afternoon.

3. Getting free stuff from Green Beaver rep. It was fun as he obviously was not from the maritimes, talked fast and was a sales rep to the nines. He thought it was hilarious that every time he told people to "try some lip balm" they took cautious hand-dabs with the testers and didn't get that he meant take a FREE ONE. I guess in Toronto they grab the entire display. Oh polite Maritimers. (free vegan lipbalm!)

4. Chatting with the lady from HRM's organics systems. I got to be all annoying and ask her why bio-plastics and "compostable" coffee cups weren't being accepted into the municipality's compost system. She had some pretty interesting insights, which I will blog about in more detail in the near future. I also *told* on the local companies and their theories of passive overloading... She was not pleased.

5. Chatting with the ladies from Olivier Soap company. I heard them speaking French and moseyed on over with Jen. After a few translation moments Jen pointed out that I spoke French... which led to some confused and sheepish explanations as to why my accent was weird enough that I was just speaking in English. Seems that the ladies from Ste Anne New Brunswick were having NONE of that. So after I finally caved and started my "montreal" hard earned accent and gave a few examples of "par-en-bas" French they kinda stopped harassing me. Really, two years of things like asking the GAP lady to "arrumer mon manteau" (who knew that arrumer was the archaic way of saying "arranger"???) I was tired of explaining myself. (stern unhappy face at the air generator for the giant waste of energy)

This soap company has a fantastic website and is all hand made. I bought some shampoo in the HOPES that it would fare better than BISH has so far. I KNOW, I was all excited about BISH.... but sadly this has failed along with the rest and has been delegated to awesome body wash.
I'm giving this new shampoo a week and will update you all on the entire affair.

So, the end result was this minimal "booty" (I refused a LOT of paper hand outs and was especially disgusted by the Majesta plastic wrapped individual TP) including yummy local "winter" beer and a sticker... and a feeling like "YEA" I'm doing my part. I even got to snag a new yoga card although the Yogini wasn't around... Halima!

Weird but true. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the craziness of a Star Trek convention better. At least I could have dressed up.... lol.

Yes for nerd-dom. And if you needed any further validation of how nerdom=awesome, check out this fantastical video- nerds vs jocks at some presidential dealy. I laughed out loud several times... please tell me I wasn't the only one?

Blessings!

article and photos copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Personal Practice: Admitting Insecurity

I gotta admit, Eco Yogi/ni's, I've been feeling some all around pressure lately. Pressure to be more "green" for sure, but mostly pressure to be more Yogic. I got it in my head for a few weeks that my three yoga asana practices a week just wasn't enough. It didn't measure up to say... other daily practitioners. Where yoga is their LIFE, it's what they do and think and breathe... it's who they are.

Key word- "they". Yoga is definitely an important part of my life, but I have to admit that it isn't My Life, capital letters. Today when the thought of an asana practice made me feel heavy and sad... well that should be a sign right? That even though I still have my own little "me vs they" when it comes to yoga, I should let it go before my personal practice turns into something Else. Ever have those moments?

After all this reading about what yoga should and shouldn't be, or discussions about it's history etc, I've realized that there is definitely something different about how I view yoga and how others do. I always prided myself in viewing it as more than asana, more than the physical. Which I still do. But yoga isn't and never was my faith. Discussions on the Divine, on our divinity, mention of Hindu gods and goddesses leave me feeling disconnected. My faith isn't yoga.

Which perhaps as a result has left me feeling less affected or offended (well, except for my feminist soap boxes of course!) regarding the should's and shouldn'ts or the accuracies and "facts". Perhaps because paganism is "new" AND "old", similarly to yoga, that historical implications have no true sway. I've adjusted quite well to the concept that age or history doesn't affect or lessen my faith.

My Personal Practice tonight has been acceptance of my Authentic Self. Which is to stop pretending to be "all yogi" and to accept that I am "part-yogi" and part-feminist-Goddessian-singer-sensitive-sci-fi lovin' (yep that includes Star Trek)-fantasy reading extraordinaire. Who likes chocolate. Especially fair trade dark chocolate. And coffee. Yum.

Instead of practicing yoga tonight, I played some guitar. After a few songs, halfheartedly sung, I realized that I needed to simply *play*. With that thought, a free-flow melody strummed out... simple and easy. Repetitive, then a switch and a change in feel. A meditative, healing "song" with no end, no lyrics, no thoughts. Just the harmonics, the open chords that brought vibrations through my body and quieted my mind. A few major chords, their related minor chords (thank you classical training) and a feeling of openness.

Healing.

That was my Personal Practice tonight.

I hope yours was as revealing. :)

Blessings Eco-Yogi/nis!

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Decrease Stagnation; Glass water bottles rock!

My friend H. came across this awesome company this week and I thought I'd share it with everyone here! We all know that plastic bottled water is a terrible concept, both ethically and environmentally. Clean water should not be a commodity to be bought and sold, nor should our local water sources be controlled by huge corporations bent on sucking it up and selling it.

We know that the plastic leaches chemicals into the water and as a result into our bodies. No matter how much we recycle, each bottle is made from virgin plastic which means more petrochemicals. Recycling plastic also downgrades the plastic, making it less viable for reuse each cycle. For more information on plastic recycling, please visit Beth's Fake Plastic Fish.

What is an eco-yogi/ni to do? Obviously a reusable water bottle is the ticket. Since nalgene is plastic (and all plastic actually leaches BPA) stainless steel or aluminum it was. However, aluminum requires a coating, which SIGG has recently demonstrated could contain BPA or other chemicals. Klean Kanteen was our choice and we adore our stainless steel water bottles. (image from here)

However, stainless steel is quite energy intensive and not always great for the environment. All stainless steel bottles are manufactured in China which is not ideal, what with carbon from shipping and manufacturing. Although Klean Kanteen seems quite transparent on their website, I would prefer less mileage on my bottle... Also, just the process of mining steel is quite damaging to the environment, along with the actual manufacturing the steel into bottle shape (please read here for more details). Although the end result of amount of plastic bottles saved by using the stainless steel bottle a few hundred times balances the scales, I have wondered if there was a more gentle approach.

Enter glass. Glass is a fantastic product, easy to produce and extremely versatile in recycling with virtually no downgrading of the product. I've seen glass water bottles at Chapters, but they seem so fragile and thin... not exactly something I'd want to actually carry around. I am a hand talker and pretty darn clumsy... might be a messy situation.

Tap Water Bottles , on the other hand, look pretty fantastic! They appear to be made from thicker glass and have a more practical bottle shape. I also love the nifty, attached stopper which is perfect for a missed-placed type gal like myself. It would seem that they are made in Canada as their retailers are all in Toronto and they were created by a Canadian... but I'm not entirely sure as their website doesn't say. They would make a pretty snazzy holiday eco-gift though :) (image from here)

My favourite quote from their site:

"Tap water is constantly moving, staying fresh and never stagnating."

I do believe that if you're a periodic, or gentle water drinker (i.e. you like to bring water with you to work, the park or to the library) than a glass water bottle would be much less environmentally damaging than a stainless steel water bottle. I much prefer glass it requires much less energy and chemicals and hasn't scoured our Earth in mining. However, if you bring your water hiking, bicycling or are extremely clumsy and might drop the bottle... and you know you'd save hundreds of plastic bottles, a stainless steel might be best.

Thank you very much for the link H.!! :)

Happy Weekend and many Blessings!

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Surprise! Tonic Canadian Yoga Wear!

I know that yoga isn't about what you wear and I have personally practiced in my pajamas as well as jeans (although that was a bit tricky!) at home. However, when I first started practicing, I wasn't ready to invest in crazy, expensive yoga clothing and tried the "thai" pants instead. It was the most awkward yoga practices I have ever experience. From the initial holding up of the pants and thinking "how the eff am I supposed to work this?" right up to actually practicing and getting caught in the "flaps" of the open legs, the ties coming undone (ack!) and bunching. (camel... Andrew took FOREVER to take this one... my face is turning red!!)

Nope, my first pair of lulu pants and top (which I still have in perfect condition five years later) was like night and day. Something about wearing "yoga" clothing helps me transition to that internal space. Weird? Sure. It's like a costume where I become "Lisa- Super Yogini"... lol- kidding!

In all seriousness, due to other body-type issues, I am also not one for being able to wear a regular t-shirt with a sports bra. These same "boobed challenges" (sorry guys!) have resulted in certain tops being...shall we say... not very appropriate. Which unfortunately is only discovered during a class, whereas a couple of postures in the store really didn't prepare me for the true performance. Awkward. (my downdog, heals SO CLOSE!! 5 years in the making!)

Needless to say, Lululemon may be great for pants, but not so great for other area-challenged. Also, the whole "consciously formulated in Vancouver, made in China" crap really really irks me. Further, they have a very small collected of organic materials (I have a pair of organic cotton pants... not so great). Not made in Canada and not sustainable equals... well not ideal.

Enter Bhavana Yoga Boutique and my recent discovery of such Canadian yoga companies as Tonic and Skyler Clothing (Lululemon is now majority American owned). A few months ago I bought a gorgeous black wrap made from bamboo and I adore it. I've worn it to practice outside and wear it as an everyday top all the time. Seriously so soft and comfy, I heart that wrap. While at Bhavana I was telling Krista how I find the current Tonic tops she had there weren't ideal for my body type.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and Krista sends me a message via blog comment asking me to come stop by the shop- Tonic had sent a little surprise! SURPRISE?? I LOVE surprises!! Expecting a cute head band or something I was super pumped to find a ridiculously perfect yoga top. Made JUST for yoginis like moi! In a small, biodegradable bag I found a note from Aleksa of Tonic wishing me a happy belated birthday! And it fit like a dream... YES! (upward dog... guess my shoulders are pretty darn tight! lol)

I officially tested it out with yogaglo on Sunday (see pictures!). Verdict? Absolutely no awkward moments, opening, slipping or pulling. It's long and just snug enough to stay down during inversions and at no point needed adjustments. Tonic makes all their clothing in Canada (woot!) and it was very cool that it came in a biodegradable bag. Unfortunately, as we know that Halifax doesn't accept bio-plastic, I won't be able to compost it, but upon emailing (to say THANK YOU!) Aleksa suggested using it as a doggy-poo bag... which I think I'll use it to wrap our chicken-ends in...

I did have a few questions for Aleksa, one of which included the packaging. She responded saying that they are working on phasing out the plastic packaging completely. I also asked about more sustainable fabrics (beyond bamboo) and she indicated that they are testing modal, lyocell and soy/organic cotton blends now and should have new options available for Spring 2011. Supplex, however (the fabric of this top) is extremely durable and made to LAST through frequent washing and wear. Not as awesome as non-petrochemical fabrics (plastic is forever) but at least it will mean no more top shopping!

What I did notice was there were a whole bunch of tags...which although neat to read about Libra (name of the tank) seemed a bit excessive. There were two exact same tags.... I'll be recycling them, but really would have been ok with one or none even.

I am now good to go for yoga clothing for quite some time (perhaps another five years?) which is great for my wallet and for the Earth. I have a feeling that should I perhaps "outgrow" or as we age "change" my yoga clothing will still be in fantastic condition for another yogi at a local woman's shelter or transition house to enjoy. (ps- yogaglo update- fantastic!! Actually feels like you're in a class! Definitely has helped boost my home practice three-fold!)

Blessings!


Article and photos copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Creepy Junior High Yoga... with Beer

There has been a LOT of talk about what "is" and "isn't/shouldn't" be yoga around the bloggy community lately. Overall I'm pretty tired of reading how other individuals view their yoga as best. Perhaps by remaining a student I'll keep the openness to learning and acceptance that seems to slip through the grasp of most yoga teachers immersed in what they believe is "right". At least, I hope to keep that integrity. (windmill in the fog at home)

Regardless, I do have a few issues on what I personally believe pushes those boundaries of acceptance (yoga as competition being one) and I thought I'd share a WTF yoga gossip with you.

In my village and the surrounding villages there are three or four yoga teachers. Which is strange as the population is so small and populated by fishermen and their wives for the most part. In any case, it has been growing in popularity where students (for the longest time wives who had money to spend on lulu clothing and classes) practiced in Legion Halls, old Ballet studios, school gyms and even lofts of barns (which I heard was beautiful).

I attended a few classes at the Legion while visiting family with a specific local instructor. It was a bit scary, the environment was pretty hostile and the women formed a cohesive, gossip-y judging group (there's a reason I decided to move away...). The instruction itself consisted of the teacher practicing at the front with most students trying to emulate her asanas without modifications or adjustments. If she suggested a more advanced version, EVERYONE tried it, whether or not they had the basics. (view from the water of my village!)

Not really my thing. A few more classes like that, leaving me feeling stressed and hostile and home practice it was for future family visits. An injury while being caught up in the competitive nature isn't really my thing, I'm there to learn and not compete.

The other day my mom, Tante C., cousin C. and cousin R's gf were in Halifax to shop. I was sick that week, but met up for supper. My cousin's gf is the epitome of why I don't practice yoga at home; money and brand-names are the most important thing and I'm sure she went home and let everyone know what I was wearing and what I said during supper. An example, she commented on my SamSara bag so I told her how it was vegan, a Canadian company and proceeds are donated to Canadian charities. Her response: did it cost more than a Mat&Nat bag? (as in, it's only cool if it did).

She practices with M., the non-adjusting teacher at home. She also informed us that she got my cousin, a fisherman, to practice yoga with her. Wow- that's pretty darn impressive! The instructor had set up a partner's yoga class and it was actually attended by the fisherman spouses!

How did the yoga teacher do it?

One acronym: BYOB. Yep, it was a bring your own beer/liquor yoga session. Apparently the men drank alcohol while the women warmed up on their mats and they watched. Kinda like a creepy junior high dance where the guys stood and watched the girls dance. Then they moved to the front of their partner's yoga mats and the women demonstrated asanas while they watched close up. For example, downward dog....and made some minor adjustments (pulling on the hips etc). According to my cousin's gf, comments were made about the suggestive nature of the postures and jokes were had. One man even said: "This is the closest I've ever been to an orgy with my wife around!"

ICK.

These people paid for a set of partner yoga classes. Although the students think nothing of it, it surprises me that someone who traveled to India, trained with respected yogis in the city would do warp something so beautiful into an experience filled with sexism and alcohol.

But hey, that's just me... and I AM trying to move towards being more open and tolerant right?

Happy Sunday Yogi/nis and be safe: Don't Drink and Asana!


article and photos copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Eco Yoga Mat Guide!

I know I have written quite a few separate posts on each option, but I thought I'd amalgamate the whole bunch into one UBER post for you all linking back to each separate post for more detail! There is so much greenwashing hype going on out there in the yoga community (sad but true...lol oh Het, you were so right), that it's tough for an Eco-Yogi/ni to sort through the best option.

What I've done here is reviewed the current eco-yoga mat options from best to worse while considering environmental impact, durability, reliability of claims, performance and price. Of course, what works best for ME as a yogini may differ for others, so the important thing is to evaluate your situation and practice and choose accordingly!

1. Keep using your mat! Alright, so this one is a bit of a no-brainer, but seriously if your mat works why replace it? Those wear marks? They are a visible testament to your love of yoga- "wear" them with joy! If your mat is really falling apart (like yours Dr. Jay!) or you're having an allergic reaction, or you for some random reason need two please please please Recycle or Reuse it!

2. Natural Rubber Mat: eKo by Manduka followed by Jade Yoga Mats and/or prAna Revolution/Natural Eco Yoga Mats.
The rubber mats above are made from renewable resources, the rubber tree. The sap is harvested without any harm to the tree and made into a rubber-like latex substance. Natural rubber by itself is technically biodegradable whereas other types of rubber such as car tires are made from synthetic rubber re: petrochemicals.
Most rubber trees predominantly grow in the Amazon Rainforest and increased demand has resulted in monocrops of rubber, destroying the delicate biodiversity of the Rainforest. My Post.

A) Manduka eKo Mat:
ECO-NESS: Made from non-Amazonian rubber trees, completely free of PVC or plasticizers (re: cancer causing phtalates), use recycled silk and cotton as reinforcement and they have a recycling program for your old mat. According to their partnership with Recycle Your Mat, if you send in your (postage paid) old mat you'll get a 20% discount on your Manduka mat purchase!
These mats are supposed to LAST, approximately 5000 uses (or a lifetime). They are cushy and have phenomenal grip. I've tried out a few and adore their performance and heavy, slightly cushy feel. Minimal rubber scent after it's been broken in.

SKETCH: No real specifics on exactly what they use to bind the rubber together. No info on where the rubber actually comes from or where the mats are made. Also, better check your composting system as these mats require special facilities to process, they won't "biodegrade" that quickly in the landfill or a backyard compost. Price isn't cheap- 70$ for a regular and 42$ for a "lite" (American).
Will degrade in the sunlight and not safe for washing machine. Unsure of colour dyes.

B) Jade and prAna:
ECO-NESS: made from renewable rubber tree. Jade Yoga plants a tree for every mat purchased and prAna has a pretty fantastic renewable energy initiative that is third party certified. Haven't tried either, but have heard that they both have excellent performance, although the Jade mat is definitely thinner than Manduka's eKo mat. prAna revolution mat is wider and longer, nice for Anusara-style practice or taller people.

SKETCH: not sure where they are made or where the rubber comes from. Jade mats have a pretty strong smell and having a longer-wider mat like the prAna revolution also means more energy and rubber used...which a first step is always "Reduce". prAna's price: 90$ for revolution (whoa!) and 68$ for the Neo Natural (same but smaller version). Not sure on chemicals used for colours.

3. Jute or Organic Cotton Mats
ECO-NESS: made from a natural fiber, jute is a renewable and no pesticides necessary to grow! Will biodegrade (as it's a plant fiber) and enhances connection to the Earth. There are some jute-rubber combos that look pretty darn interesting out there!

SKETCH: fair trade and labour concerns as grown in India predominantly by women and children. Not sticky or cushy and susceptible to wear like any fabric. If the cotton isn't organic- than heavy pesticides and chemicals were used to grow the stuff. My Post

4. TPE/Black Mat
ECO-NESS: yep you read right, I placed TPE or Thermoplastic Elastomers in the SAME category as the Black Mat which is PVC. TPE basically means plastic made from non-pvc sources which could be anything. For a longer discussion check out this post, but realistically this stuff is mostly greenwashing hype. The Black Mat is here because it's guaranteed for life and should technically be the LAST mat you'll ever buy. They also have a recycling program and the PVC used to make the mat is the only Oeko-Tex certified. This means that the creation of the mat is carbon and chemical neutral!

SKETCH: TPE is another non-biodegrade "biodegradable" option. Won't compost in your backyard or many municipal composting systems (special facilities required) and ESPECIALLY won't compost in the landfill. When it does break-down it will be in smaller petrochemical versions of itself. Also, Lulu's TPE mats flake off and break down within a few months of use and aren't all that sticky.
The Black Mat is made from PVC and although it should be the last mat you buy (decreasing mats used) it will still be adding to the "plastic is forever" dangerous PVC to the planet, even with recycling. They are PRICEY at 90$ American.

Alright! What a "summary" lol. I hope it will be useful for some of you trying to sort through the greenwash-poo that's out there. :)

Blessings!

article copyright by EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Poppies and lost dreams

Remembrance Day, poppies and national anthems. It's always been a Big Deal in my family and in my village growing up. So many men who went to World War II, not so many for the Vietnam nor for the current war.

It was always a day of somber and sadness, remembering those whose lives were lost. It was never about supporting a war (at least from my perspective), nor was it about glorifying such a horrific concept... war. There were too many stories of sadness, grief, lost hopes and dreams. All those young men believing it was exciting and "good" being confronted with the reality of loss and suffering.

My grandpere passed away two years ago after a long period of illness. Remembrance Day has always been about him.

He, with many village fishermen, left for war at the young age of 17 years old. Grand-mere refused to accept his proposal of marriage pre-leaving as she said in her abrupt way: "I didn't want to be married to someone missing a limb... so I waited." (you can see how perhaps they weren't the best match).

Instead of glory and heroism, Grandpere found three years in the front lines as a foot soldier. Upon his return he obviously battled with the trauma that haunted him, medicating with alcohol until half his stomach was removed and he suffered a stroke. It wasn't until he was much older and losing control of his emotions that we heard much of his story. Before then, every Remembrance day he'd take out his suit with all his metals and join those who were left to honour those who had passed. Tears streaming down his face, but without much of a word being spoken.

The chances of living through the war as a foot soldier were pretty dim. Front lines, in the trenches, most of those he served with died. He once told a story of how during long months they slept and waited in muddy trenches. With no place to relieve themselves other than where they lay their heads, his helmet became his toilet and his food bowl. He always said that it wasn't good for much else.

Grandmere usually told most of the few stories as Grandpere was too emotional. She'd talk about how he'd be looking up at the stars at night and wonder if he'd ever see his friends and family again. How he had never felt so alone. All the while, Grandpere sat and silently shook as tears rolled down his cheeks and he looked away, for some reason embarrassed.

The most poignant (and last) story I heard was about how at one time he was stuck in a hole of some sort with German soldiers all around. Certain he was about to be found and killed he readied himself. A German soldier stopped at the foot of the hole and they stared at each other. He said they both saw how they were the same: boys who were being forced to kill each other, human beings with families and loved ones killing each other.

Without a word the German soldier left, obviously reporting that he had seen nothing as no one else came looking. Because of that German soldier, my Grandpere lived.

That last story is what war will always be for me.

Lest We Forget.

In loving memory of Grandpere Albert d'Eon

article copyright by EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Step One in Eco-Yoga Mat Activism... or Geekism

As most of you awesome eco-yogi/ni readers know, I've been trying to take that next step in my "eco"-ness which has mostly resulted in writing emails to a few companies. Although I still have a few emails percolating, I do believe that emailing is a little bit of the passive-aggressive approach. It's so much easier to email someone without having to directly speak or approach them about your concerns. Kinda like writing a blog (*wink).

In order to prove to myself that being slightly more pro-active does not have to make me some crazy, harried environmental doomsday spouter... I took one more step.

And made small posters.

Yep, I am a nerd. Officially an Earth-lovin' hippie.

For a few months I was thinking about how ridiculous it was that studios and stores around Halifax don't encourage their customers to recycle old mats when they purchase a new one. Mostly it occurred to me that evening where the lady next to me was chatting it up with the studio owner about how she hated her current mat and wanted to purchase a new one from the studio. While they were checking out the mats I kept biting back my crazy, "eco" mat recycling options and had to rush out afterwards in order to prevent some awkward random info-spouting.

Wouldn't it be great if studios had some nifty, simple posters with 10 easy ideas on what to do with previously loved yoga mats? So I made some. They sat on my computer for a while, then I printed them off on cardstock (not very eco- but I had run out of my 80% post consumer recycled cardstock we had for wedding invite practice runs). Those sat in my closet for about a month and then I finally got the nerve on Friday.

I put them in my purse and marched myself over to Lululemon Friday afternoon. I pretended to look around for a few minutes, tried to look like a legit shopper, asked a worker a few questions...she looked non-flaky and reasonable so I took a deep breath and:

"Ok, I have a weird question, and I've never done this before and I feel like such a geek but... would you put up a poster with ways to recycle a yoga mat?"

"Oh wow that's a fantastic idea!! We totally would!" (she looked sincere- YES)

"Cool! I know this is even weirder, like I'm handing out flyers or something, but I actually have some here with me.... you wanna see them?"

Lol, I am such a geek. She went on to explain how Lulu's mats are TPE and biodegradable and like the nerd that I am I had to explain how HRM doesn't actually accept these "biodegradable" plastic material so in fact in Halifax they are not (I didn't even GET into the whole- and who knows exactly what types of polymers are in TPE...). Sigh. In any case, she gladly took my poster and said they'd put it up! YAY!

I am such an activist. Ha. Next step- try to figure out a polite way to offer my beauts to local studios... If anyone else is interested in the poster, just leave your email here (I won't publish your comment) and I'll email it to you as an attachment :)

ps- weekend at home was fantastic, some yummy haddock and lobster were spoils of the visit!

Blessings!

article and photo copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Grass eating Ungulates...

This post is part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Fridays. Please check out the fantastic posts written about Real Food!

I am not a vegan or a vegetarian and still I consider myself an environmentalist and Yogini. For some I know this should result in something akin to cognitive dissonance... and this is not a post about that debate but I thought I would put a little something as to why I've chosen to remain an omnivore pre:story.

From an environmental perspective, the most effective way to slash your carbon footprint would be to cut out meat. Traditional meat raising (CAFO) involves huge amounts of water (100,000 kilos for every pound of beef produced), grain that's grown using carbon sucking machinery, polluting pesticides and genetically modified seeds. Often animals are sick and fed hormones to encourage faster growth and antibiotics to decrease illness pre-slaughter.

From a Yogi perspective, Ahimsa, one of the five Yamas ("restraints"), means non-violence or non-harm. Which would apply to both the cruelty involved with traditional meat farming and the environmental harm. However, we could take this debate to the extremes as Olivia Rosewood discusses.

My reasons for being a meat-eater are health related. I have such a restricted diet (especially when it comes to vegetables and fruit) that further restrictions would simply result in an unhealthy me. Since I refuse to eat soy (especially after watching "The World According to Monsanto"), knowing the amount of pesticides, pollution, monocultures and GMO's involved in soy's journey, a balanced diet comes with some meat.

Our compromise? Trying to eat less meat, as many local and sustainable vegetables and grains as possible. Whenever we do buy meat, we try to invest in those that are local, organic and grass-fed. Sustainable farms don't mistreat their animals, use harmful pesticides or antibiotics. Their animals are healthy and some would argue happy. For a fantastic example, please check out Joel Salatin's farm Polyface.

A few weeks ago Andrew and I decided to treat ourselves and buy some local organic grass-fed steaks from Planet Organic. I think they were from Getaway Farms. Unfortunately, unless you go directly to the farm or the farmer's market all local meats are frozen (I'm assuming it has to do with processing regulations and demand). Two steaks cost us 18$... WOW. It's fine,(higher, more panic-y internal voice) we were treating ourselves. Grass-fed beef means the cows ate what their stomach's have evolved to digest... grass, they were happier and healthier and as a result so would our planet and ourselves be.

Interestingly enough, I also felt much more connected to this meat than any other beef I've bought. Although it looked nothing like a cow, knowing it had been raised, lived and slaughtered only a few hours drive away made me stop and consider how it had been a living creature. As geeky as it sounds, I found myself thanking the Goddess for providing this life and energy... you know all the spiritual stuff. All the things we're supposed to consider to encourage more connectedness with our world.

What we didn't consider was how to cook the steaks. We defrosted them and Andrew did his usual fancy schmancy steak thing, we sat down to eat our yummy local, sustainable steaks and took a bite. And chewed.... and chewed some more. Then we chewed even more. They were the most chewy, dry steaks I have ever eaten. Crap. We totally didn't consider the small fact that... well they were grass-fed.

Grass-fed beef means less marbling of fat in the meat (which we knew) which results in a different flavour (which we knew) and.... less fat to tenderize the meat throughout the steak. Sigh. 18$ worth of meat and instead of considering that we might need to marinade them like they needed a bath, we just cooked them as if they were regular steaks. Even though we bravely ate every single bite and our jaws were sore afterwards from all the chewing, I was very disappointed.

Sadly, they were way to expensive for us to buy on a regular basis so it will be a while until we give it another go. When we do, however, there will be many hours of marinading (perhaps even using my dad's method of cutting the meat to allow for more sauce to soak in, terrible I know but effective!). Perhaps we missed some crucial tip or method? Any suggestions would be welcome :)

There you have, our first "grass-fed" experience, not exactly the success we wanted. I think what I took away that was most helpful was that unexpected spiritual-ness and connectedness that comes from knowing my food's origins. Don't get me wrong, growing up in a fisherman's family meant cooking the lobsters we had just raced across the kitchen floor, seeing the rabbits my dad snared and the deer he had killed that year... but I'd never experienced similar things with beef or chicken. Instead of feeling disgusted, I felt connected which may seem completely weird for some (sorry VeganB!) but for myself it felt balanced.

Tonight Andrew and I are off to visit the family in the "village" and we'll be bringing back some fresh local haddock (frozen sadly) that my parents sourced from a local fisherman. :)

Blessings!

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Eye Goop: Mascara's Eco-Rating

Makeup... silly but I get shivers walking into a M.A.C. store. Despite my firm feminist beliefs regarding societal and cultural pressures on female beauty, makeup has always been fascinating. I know this has less to do with cultural pressures and more to do with my love of colours and yearning to "paint" something. I really only get excited about eye shadow and adore seeing all the beautiful sparkly hues in MAC.

As what I put on my face can be absorbed into my skin and blood stream, I've decided to "green" my makeup one step at a time. The cheater that I am, I'm starting with mascara first... and most likely will leave eye shadow for the very last... lol.

I know many women who abhor all makeup except mascara. Although Andrew thinks my eyelash curler is some crazy, torture contraption, mascara has been a daily thing since I was 16. I've long since stopped using waterproof mascara (if it's that difficult to remove with soap, what kind of chemical crap is seeping into my system?), but I adore my MAC mascara. (my fantastical bag of makeup-y fun! It looks catastrophic, but that's just because each product lasts a ridiculously long time... so they collect!)

However, I knew deep down that it contained some nasty chemicals. That mascara smell?? Not the result of herbs and spices and the fact that black goop can "lengthen, strengthen, volumize, grow another limb etc" is a little "Who" shouting up: "Warning! Chemical Alert!!". Mascara can be extra tricky as our eyes are sensitive areas to infections and disease. I rub my eyes a lot (not so great for infection control either!) and all that black stuff is being rubbed along the edges and absorbed into my system.

A couple of months ago I made the decision that I couldn't keep this "eco" ness up and continue buying a new MAC mascara. I went to the local natural products store (Planet Organic) and marched myself up to the lady at the beauty place. After a bit chatting, she recommended Dr. Hauschka's volumizing mascara. It was pricey, but I'd rather try something that works instead of start a wasteful trend similar to the shampoo experience (btw I'm on day number 5 and my hair isn't catastrophically greasy!! WOOT). (my mascaras, side by side)

Dr. Hauschka is a well known and quite respectable natural product company. I have tried their shampoo and was NOT a fan, but I've heard and read good things about their transparency and products. So no prior research was had, I purchased my mascara and went home.

The verdict? The mascara actually SMELLS different, kinda citrus-y. It smudges a bit more than the MAC mascara, but lasts fairly well and washes off the lashes easily with water. However, trying to get the stuff off my skin is another story. Even the facial-lady (another story I soon will report!) was amazed at how difficult it was to remove the mascara from my skin. Weird.

Now it's almost that time to invest in another tube (mascara should be replaced every three months to decrease likelihood of bacterial infection). I thought I'd just replace the one I have, but figured it wouldn't hurt to actually do a little research first... What I've discovered isn't as rosy of a picture.

First I looked up the ingredients of Dr. Hauschka mascara:
Water/Aqua, Pyrus Cydonia (Quince) Seed Extract, Alcohol,Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Sorbitol,Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Acacia Senegal Gum,Cetearyl Alcohol, Beeswax/Cera Flava, Mica, Camellia Sinensis (Black Tea) Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta (Neem) Leaf Extract, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Lysolecithin (Hydrolyzed Lecithin), Euphrasia Officinalis (Eyebright) Extract, Silk/Serica Powder, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil (Jojoba Wax), Rosa Damascena Flower Oil (Rose Essential Oil), Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Wax, Fragrance/Parfum (Essential Oil), Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool, Hectorite, Maltodextrin,Ferric Ferrocyanide/CI77510, Carmine/CI 75470, Silica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide/CI 77891, Ultramarines/CI 77007

Looks alright, some weird-type chemicals in there but nothing catastrophic. May as well compare to MAC mascara... and couldn't find the ingredients on their website. Right. So I looked it up on Skin Deep Cosmetic rating system:
WATER (AQUA PURIFICATA) PURIFIED; COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX; STEARIC ACID; GLYCERYL STEARATE; POLYISOBUTENE; SILICA; ACRYLATES COPOLYMER; AMINOMETHYL PROPANEDIOL; PVP/EICOSENE COPOLYMER; ALEURITES MOLUCCANA SEED OIL; HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN; PANTHENOL; ACACIA SENEGAL GUM; BEESWAX (CERA ALBA); TOCOPHEROL; HYDROXYETHYLCELLULOSE; PROPYLENE GLYCOL; SIMETHICONE; DIMETHICONE PEG-8 POLYACRYLATE; POLYBUTENE; PVP; OLEIC ACID; BENZYL ALCOHOL; ISOSTEARIC ACID; CALCIUM ALUMINUM BOROSILICATE; DISODIUM EDTA; PHENOXYETHANOL; METHYLPARABEN; ETHYLPARABEN; PROPYLPARABEN; BUTYLPARABEN; ISOBUTYLPARABEN; MICA; TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891); IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499); CHROMIUM HYDROXIDE GREEN (CI 77289); CHROMIUM OXIDE GREENS (CI 77288); FERRIC FERROCYANIDE (CI 77510); ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007)

Wow, much more chemicals at first glance. I felt pretty darn smug. I wonder what Dr Hauschka's rating would be? Wouldn't you know that Dr. Hauschka and MAC have close ratings?? I couldn't believe it. They both rate a 6; a moderate hazard.

What the eff you say? I know. However, if you look more closely, you'll see that the biggest black marks go to the ingredient "fragrance" of 8 for Dr. Hauschka. Typically this is a big red flag for scary chemicals like formaldehyde and such. However, following fragrances we have "essential oils" in parentheses, which would take care of that. Other black marks include the use of ethanol, geraniol and linalool. Both geraniol and linalool have been banned from cosmetic products in Europe since 2003. Not so great.

If we check out MAC's rating scores, we see that parabens and other pretties take up a large portion.

Want to see how your mascara fairs? Click here and search away!

There are also some low hazard ratings including Earth's Beauty mascara (2), Suncoat sugar-based mascara (2), most of Jane Iredale's mascaras (1-2's) and Coastal Classics "whispering seas" mascara gets a 0!

Well, I guess my search has not ended. Although Dr. Hauschka does have less sketchy chemicals than my MAC mascara, I'm not about to spend 25$ (yep, crazy huh?) on a mascara that a bit more chemical-free every three months.

I'm thinking that Suncoat will be my next purchase as I know a few places that carry them (re: my phobia for ordering online). I love how on their site they list why certain chemicals are dangerous (i.e. petrochemically derived) and how they are using sugar-based polymers that are renewable and biodegradable. Further, the company is Canadian :)

Happy Painting (sigh, sometimes I can be such a girl!)

article and photos copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

The Hog- My one and Only Post

I so wasn't going to chat about this topic at all. It's just been discussed to DEATH and so many people have differing opinions on the matter. However, Friday I made my decision so I thought I'd comment on that.

Friday I got the H1N1 vaccine at my work. Yep, totally got a needle and didn't cry at all- Yay me! Alright, let's back track so I can set up the "scene".

I work in a hospital setting as a Paediatric Speech Pathologist. That means that I see sick preschool children all the time. For some reason parents believe that Speech Therapy is more important than their child's fever/cough/snot etc. Also, most of my clients are medically fragile and have underlying health complications. The nature of speech therapy means that I get in close contacts with these kiddies who, as all you parents out there know, can't really be "trained" to cough in their sleeve. As a result, I get sick almost every year.

Since I eat healthily, practice yoga regularly and am otherwise pretty darn healthy, I'd have to assume that my immune system is crap. I also have never gone to get the regular flu vaccine... mostly because I have a phobia of needles. Mostly. That and usually I get a sinus infection and not a "flu".

Working in the hospital also means DAILY emails and updates from top health officials regarding "The Hog". After about six months of this, it's so easy to get caught up in the hysterical paranoia that is gripping the country. I knew weekly how many people had been diagnosed in Nova Scotia and how many people had died. I hadn't realized how convoluted the information regarding the vaccine and H1N1 was in the regular population as I've been only reading the Health Department's updates, which is pretty darn clear.

One aspect that is resoundingly clear; although for many individuals H1N1 functions as a bad "flu" for those who have underlying medical vulnerabilities or health risks it is a very real danger. For example, my fragile, all under 5 years of age, precious clients. Still, I wasn't sure what I was going to do about the whole "vaccine" situation.

I also didn't realize that different countries were administering different versions of the vaccine. What I can comment on is what is being done in Canada:
- Everyone gets the "dead" version of the virus via needle.

- It has been tested for safety during the past six months, which is much more than the yearly flu vaccine.

- Infants under 6 months are not vaccinated as research indicates their immune systems (still developing) do not respond or create antibodies. Therefore, the vaccine is not considered "unsafe" for infants, simply ineffective.

- Pregnant women should receive the unadjuvanted version of the vaccine. Adjuvanted vaccines have extra immune boosters such as vitamen E oil. According to the government of Canada, there has been insufficient research on the safety of these additives on the developing fetus. As all researchers would know, testing safety on living human fetus is difficult, ethically and scientifically (do you know many mothers who would offer their unborn child up for study?). As there is little research on safety, the government has decided to err on the side of caution. Makes sense to me.

- There has been sufficient data on the safety of the adjuvanted (regular) with adults (according to Health Canada, over 45 000 people have been tested worldwide for safety and the WHO conference in July 2009 determined no significant safety concerns). According to the official site, adjuvanted vaccines have been shown to boost immunity to protect 9/10 people as opposed to 6/10 with unadjuvanted vaccine. (Q5. Adjuvanted and Unadjuvanted Recs).

- The Canadian H1N1 vaccine does contain thimerosal (an alternate form of mercury). Much less than what is in a can of tuna. I won't get into it here, as I know it's a useless debate, but after reading the research from the Autism+vaccine scare, the subsequent data found to be completely fraudulent and the numerous recent studies indicating no link, I am completely comfortable with this. Needless to say that it angers me to no end how someone could call himself a "scientist" and cause so much pain and suffering to all those families who believed that a vaccine "caused" their child to have Autism. His fraudulent research got a lot of media, too bad his "outing" as a complete fake and shunning of the scientific community didn't.

So there you have it; that's what I know about the Canadian version of the vaccine. If you'd like more information I recommend the Public Health Agency Website. Still wasn't sure if I was going to get it. I hate needles (lame excuse I know) and despite all this I, along with so many, have a huge distrust with government regulations.

However, last week I had a significant scare. Saturday evening we came home from a delicious pre-birthday supper and within the period of, I exaggerate not, an hour I had a fever. The weirdest thing. Usually I'm tired and snotty for a few days before a fever comes on. Nope- one hour. The following day (my birthday) I had strange muscles soreness. Like I'd practiced intense yoga the day before and felt pretty darn tired. Weird.

Monday I went to work anyway (I hate canceling clients), but decided that I should just go home and rest instead. The muscle soreness in my legs and arms I acknowledged in a passing thought to be quite strange. Tuesday I had a severe sore throat and Wednesday I had quite a cough. I went to work those days anyway and saw quite a few little kiddies. I even had a special visit from a previous client (in grade primary now!) who has a rare immunodeficiency disorder. She came to visit and bring me stickers.

After she left I re-read the symptoms: sudden fever, check, muscles soreness, check, sore throat, cough, tiredness.... check. Holy crap. What was I doing?? All week I had been thinking that this was the weirdest flu ever, why was I at work? The health authority was recommending that health professionals stay home for 7 days after the first symptoms as that was the contagion time. Thursday I came into work, called all 12 of my Thursday and Friday clients and canceled every one. Each parent thanked my profusely. What if? I cannot even express how horrified I would be if I had, through my stubbornness in resisting the paranoia, I had infected even one of my little clients. They are so vulnerable. I lost sleep over this.

Friday I went in to work for the afternoon in order to do some paperwork and my colleagues informed me the vaccine clinic for health professionals only was occurring. I waited an hour and a half, convinced a colleague to go in with me and hold my hand (seriously I usually vomit) and got only the H1N1 (they were offering both).

I know you don't really "know" me or how I think, but I really couldn't care less about myself getting "The Hog". I know that I would survive, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I may have already had it, there's no real way of knowing. The thought of any one of my wonderful and special little people that I see getting sick because of me just makes me want to run to the toilet and spewing my coffee. They are so at risk for really getting sick, for suffering more than just "flu" symptoms.

All this to say that I got the H1N1 vaccine and no, I do not think I will have some weird adverse reaction. For myself and my work, the possible (most likely minimal) risks of the vaccine are worth the greater risk of endangering my little clients. I do believe that it is a personal choice and in no way do I judge any who have chosen differently. I'm pretty sure Andrew won't get the vaccine, which makes perfect sense. His immune system rocks, he's not at risk medically and he doesn't have contact with at risk or sick people.

I do believe that each person will make the choice that works best for them and their family. And that choice will be the right one.

Many Blessings

article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com

Samhain Tarot Card Reading!

Halloween, Samhain- my favourite holiday of the year. It always has been, even before I recognized my "pagan" or "wiccy" tendencies. Something about the spooky magickal time when as a child anything seems possible. As I'm not well versed in traditions or history, I thought I'd just share a Samhain tradition with you! (ugh, 10 swords!)

While in grad school I began to read tarot. I have to admit that initially I was quite skeptical. I am an academic afterall. A hopeful academic though... and I secretly loved the idea of "magic".

So it was a surprise to find out that in four daily readings I pulled similar cards from the 78 in the deck. With increasing fervor they were indicating that a heart ache was to occur, and to get on with it. That very night I broke up with my two year boyfriend. I pulled the three of swords each time...

After a few crazy years in Montreal, I bought my very own deck, pretty wooden container and some protective and clearing stones. I don't read every day and I've only recently begun to understand the broader or more deeper meanings of the cards for myself. I find they are a nice, ritualistic way for me to take a few moments of self-reflection, centering myself and asking some questions that I may have been keeping tucked away. They typically never "tell" me anything that I don't already know, but allow me to consider some aspects of my question or life as it is, confronting a few realities. (my set up with the little "witch" handmade birthday card H. and K. gave me!)

Samhain is a nice time to read the Tarot, as the veils between the spirit and 'here' world are thin. I'll be reading my tarot again tomorrow night and perhaps Andrew's as well, if he wants.

Here's a general overview of my reading tonight. I set three candles on the table- Brown and Red as they are Autumn colours and white beeswax for purity. Usually I read on the floor, there's just so much more space, but I figured that might make for awkward pictures... lol.

I held the cards in my hands and breathed deeply, imagining my energy moving from the Earth up through the cards. I always feel the most silly when other people are around and I do this. However, I'm a firm believer in energies and how we affect ourselves and others... so there you have it.

I spread the cards out and slowly build the celtic cross reading, thinking of the meaning of each card position and moving my hand over the "rainbow" until I feel it tingle.

One by one I turn the cards and review their meanings with my trusty Tarot book (what you thought I just "know" each card?? lol, I totally read the book). There are four suits and 22 major arcana (I think of them as "power" cards). I have a general feel for the meaning of each suit and some major arcana are more familiar than others, mostly because I tend to pull the same set each time.

Tonight I asked about my future-job life. Pretty general and very obvious, it's up in the air right now. As you can see (hopefully) I pulled mostly swords (not so great) and four major arcana. Here's the breakdown:

Influencing factors: Justice (upright)

past influences: 10 swords (up) Question: Nine of Wands (up) Future: 8 swords (rev)
Obstacle:The Chariot

Root of issue: 5 swords (rev)

How I see myself: Temperance (rev)
Others see me: Wheel of Fortune (rev)
Hopes/Fears: Ten of Pentacles (up)
Final outcome: Page of Pentacles (up)

What I "saw" was a preparation for a difficult situation (job interview coming up?), with some purpose and willingness to help me along. Of course there's an indication to be patient as I hate not knowing my future, with a sense of balance wanted/needed in myself as well as others seeing my life as paused... with a hope for security and a message of "keep on truckin'"!

A few cards are slightly embarassing, the 8 of swords reversed, Temperance reversed and the 5 of swords... but then I knew I was out of balance and it's a gentle reminder to be patient and open to the change that will occur. I'll finish by sorting and cleansing (by gently fanning them) the cards and placing them back in their container.

Hope that was fun for you :)

Many Blessings to everyone this Samhain!

article and photos by EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com