I love smells. Especially perfume-y smells and for a few significant years I wore 'Satsuma' from the Body Shop. It was my 'smell'... mmm oranges. I had a whole collection depending on the day, vanilla, tangerine, chocolate... (are you catching a trend? I like smelling like food hah. Andrew wishes I had a 'bacon' perfume for sure).
Working in health care means a 'no scent' policy, which I like just fine actually. We've all experienced those people that simply reek of some sort of cologne or perfume smell. A pet peeve I have is if you walk by and I can smell you, it's too much. A friend while living in Montreal used to spray her M.A.C. perfume at least five times as she walked through the misty cloud she created. Swirly her ridiculously beautiful red hair and fluffing her boobs (yes... that is what she did). We loved her, but man did she SMELL.
Word to the wise: no one needs to smell the cloud of chemicals as you walk by; le cough.
Practicing yoga next to someone who smells, either icky or like lavender patchouli, also isn't fun. My ujaiji breath isn't meant to absorb 'essence of sandalwood'.
Beyond the incredibly rude, offensive aspect, typical perfume and cologne is like a sludgy cocktail of chemicals that we're dousing on ourselves continuously to inhale and absorb into our bloodstream.
On average there are 800 chemicals in a bottle of perfume; many asthma triggering VOC's, endocrine disrupting synthetic musks and hormone disrupting phthalates. Even though Canada and the US has banned phthalates from children's toys, you don't hear anything about how we're spritzing these plasticizers all over ourselves every day (sometimes several). (Ecoholic 2009).
Think it's just our own health these nasty sprays are affecting? In 2010 the California Air Resources Board announced that it was penalizing Unilever's Axe bodyspray 1.3 million in air pollution fines. Yep, each and every can of Axe bodyspray failed to meet California's clean air standards and was fined for selling 2.8 million units between 2006 and 2008 (ENS 2010).
So what's a perfume lovin' yogini to do?
Well... my transition to Aveda's version of 'natural' perfume was really a sad one. In 2007 both Aveda and Aubrey Organics were found to have phthalates in their perfumes (Ecoholic 2009). Some companies may have phthalate and scary synthetic chemical-free options, but oils and ingredients are sourced from long distances and may not be sustainably harvested or produced.
My favourite options?
1. Five Seed's natural solid perfume or body massage oils. They smell delicious and are all hand crafted from organic, natural ingredients.
2. Make your own with organic essential oils. Be sure essential oils are safe for you (depending if you're pregnant or have health conditions you should consult your family physician), choose a favourite scent, or mix and match, and a few dabs- presto! Yummy smell coming right up.
3. DIY au complêt: A few ounces of vodka (look for local vodka or liqueurs- Lunenburg's Ironworks Distillery sells at the Seaport Market) and your essential oils. Let sit for a few days and sprinkle in some distilled water. Shake and let sit for another few days. Any small jam glass jar or cleaned out makeup jar would do just fine. :)
What are your favourite non-chemical ways to stay yummy smelling?
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
A Framable Wedding 'Guest Book'
It has been over five months since Andrew and I were hitched... and we finally got our 'guest book' framed and hung up. I thought I'd take a break from the boring politics to share with you our version of a wedding guest book.
A bit of background: I've never enjoyed the idea of having a random book that people wrote vague and ambiguous best wishes for our future life together. I knew I wouldn't just leaf through it over the years, and that house guests really weren't interested in knowing that my Tante Denise wishes us 'La joie et...' well you get the picture. Of course our guests wish us well, that's why they were invited.
We also didn't want a 'Wish tree' where guests write well wishes on little cue cards and hang them up on branches of a fabricated tree. What were we going to do with those little pieces of paper after?
It all just seemed like a colossal waste of paper and energy.
Until- I read about the 'Wedding Tree' online. Guests would put their thumbprint as leaves, sign under their 'leaf' and abacadabra we have a guest book that is framable and wouldn't collect dust somewhere in a drawer. Since our wedding was in Autumn it was even better- Fall coloured leaves!
I bought fancy schmancy water colour paper at a local art store, some gouache water colours and a paintbrush. A couple of hours of penciling in what I thought the tree should look like, three hours of painting the actual tree and letters and we were ready for the wedding. Hah, I had no idea that actually creating this guest tree would involve almost 5 hours of actual art-y work.
I was SUPER worried that with both of our mostly old fashioned families would balk at having to dip their thumbs in paint to 'sign' the tree. So much so that I stationed two of my lovely 'BTA' (Bridal Team of Awesomeness) to stand guard, explained the deal and make sure everybody signed. Overall, they assured me that it was very well received (and the fact that we had bowls of water, a wash cloth and a bathroom nearby was helpful).
Four months later we finally got it framed. It wasn't until I saw it framed in it's beautiful shadow box that I realized how happy I was that I did all that painting. We love our 'Wedding Tree'.
Every time I see the signatures and careful thumbprints I think about our family and friends who were with us that day to share in our love and commitment. Seeing the ridges and shapes of their thumbprints, something I'm sure many of them haven't done since they were children, makes me smile. It's like having a tangible snapshot of that person's presence during that moment.
Happy Sunday!
article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
A bit of background: I've never enjoyed the idea of having a random book that people wrote vague and ambiguous best wishes for our future life together. I knew I wouldn't just leaf through it over the years, and that house guests really weren't interested in knowing that my Tante Denise wishes us 'La joie et...' well you get the picture. Of course our guests wish us well, that's why they were invited.
We also didn't want a 'Wish tree' where guests write well wishes on little cue cards and hang them up on branches of a fabricated tree. What were we going to do with those little pieces of paper after?
It all just seemed like a colossal waste of paper and energy.
Until- I read about the 'Wedding Tree' online. Guests would put their thumbprint as leaves, sign under their 'leaf' and abacadabra we have a guest book that is framable and wouldn't collect dust somewhere in a drawer. Since our wedding was in Autumn it was even better- Fall coloured leaves!
I bought fancy schmancy water colour paper at a local art store, some gouache water colours and a paintbrush. A couple of hours of penciling in what I thought the tree should look like, three hours of painting the actual tree and letters and we were ready for the wedding. Hah, I had no idea that actually creating this guest tree would involve almost 5 hours of actual art-y work.
Tree post paint+our seating chart 'Value Village' frames. Each table was named for places Andrew and I had been together- this one was at Lorenzo's Restaurant in Enderby BC.
The printing in process! My wonderful friends had handy little diagrams all ready, the paints were in Value Village tea plates- yay! The frame behind (an old one from home) explains how in lieu of favours Andrew and I donated money to the Canadian Cancer society in memory of our family members who fought against Cancer (the most recent being my Uncle Walter a few months before our wedding).
I was SUPER worried that with both of our mostly old fashioned families would balk at having to dip their thumbs in paint to 'sign' the tree. So much so that I stationed two of my lovely 'BTA' (Bridal Team of Awesomeness) to stand guard, explained the deal and make sure everybody signed. Overall, they assured me that it was very well received (and the fact that we had bowls of water, a wash cloth and a bathroom nearby was helpful).
Every time I see the signatures and careful thumbprints I think about our family and friends who were with us that day to share in our love and commitment. Seeing the ridges and shapes of their thumbprints, something I'm sure many of them haven't done since they were children, makes me smile. It's like having a tangible snapshot of that person's presence during that moment.
Happy Sunday!
article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Yoga of Voting
I know lots of you awesome readers aren't Canadian, but for those who are I'm sure you've heard... 'Countdown to Election' happening in May.
As an artsy fartsy yogini I find politics *yawn* so incredibly boring and at the same time terrifyingly frustrating. To the point that although I strongly believe this is an important post... I kinda didn't want to write it. BLEGH politics.
The most interesting conversation I've ever listened to was how despite the common belief that 'young' people (generation x-y-ers) don't vote because they aren't interested- in fact they are; they just don't believe the political machine is the way to make a difference. Instead of voting we invest energy, time and money in NGO's and grass roots community organizations, charities and volunteering projects. I can relate to that. It's not that I don't care; it's that government just seems so broken and overwhelming.
After some thought and calm contemplation I had to be honest with myself... the best way to make a significant difference for our planet will come from large governmental policy changes. Last week on St Patrick's Day we went to see Dr. William Rees, the leading Canadian researcher on carbon footprint. It was beyond interesting, scary and a thought provoking lecture. The big message? We need to make a cultural and social shift that is supported by government.
How do we do that? We vote. We write letters. We protest.
The past year or so I've taken some time to meditate past my frustrations, my sense of despair on my little voice ever being heard and have decided that the government will only reflect ME if I demand it to.
So, as boring and frustrating as it may seem- please add voting to your toolbox labeled 'Essentials for Saving My Planet' alongside decreasing plastic, walking to yoga practice and shopping local.
Canadian political parties: information link! (Check out the Rhino and Pirate Parties! Hah!).
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
As an artsy fartsy yogini I find politics *yawn* so incredibly boring and at the same time terrifyingly frustrating. To the point that although I strongly believe this is an important post... I kinda didn't want to write it. BLEGH politics.
The most interesting conversation I've ever listened to was how despite the common belief that 'young' people (generation x-y-ers) don't vote because they aren't interested- in fact they are; they just don't believe the political machine is the way to make a difference. Instead of voting we invest energy, time and money in NGO's and grass roots community organizations, charities and volunteering projects. I can relate to that. It's not that I don't care; it's that government just seems so broken and overwhelming.
After some thought and calm contemplation I had to be honest with myself... the best way to make a significant difference for our planet will come from large governmental policy changes. Last week on St Patrick's Day we went to see Dr. William Rees, the leading Canadian researcher on carbon footprint. It was beyond interesting, scary and a thought provoking lecture. The big message? We need to make a cultural and social shift that is supported by government.
How do we do that? We vote. We write letters. We protest.
The past year or so I've taken some time to meditate past my frustrations, my sense of despair on my little voice ever being heard and have decided that the government will only reflect ME if I demand it to.
So, as boring and frustrating as it may seem- please add voting to your toolbox labeled 'Essentials for Saving My Planet' alongside decreasing plastic, walking to yoga practice and shopping local.
Canadian political parties: information link! (Check out the Rhino and Pirate Parties! Hah!).
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The DivaCup Adventures: The Replacement.
In the past two months I've done a lot of traveling for work...which meant a lot of moving stuff around. Including the migration of my Diva Cup.
Now, many of you know how I adore this doodad, best invention EVER for women who are menstruating. It's been 3 years since my conversion and recently while out shopping for "feminine products" with a friend I realized that I can't even begin to imagine life back in the tampon trenches. Seriously, how did I even manage myself once a month?? Let's just recap the wonderfulness of the DivaCup:
Ummmm.... Uncomfortable moment. After searching every.single.place.ever I had to admit that I must have left my DC in a hotel somewhere. Awkward silence.
OMGoddess, poor poor soul who found that.
In any case, this also resulted in a "Well, now what am I supposed to do?". It has been over three years since I've had to worry about supplies. Ever. You can imagine I was a little panicked.
Sadly, I had to buy a new one. Which I canceled friend yoga today in order to accomplish.
I thought, since it is brand spanking new, that I could actually take pictures and perhaps display them here for all you Yoginis out there who were thinking of buying but maybe a bit nervous.
There are two boxes available: 1. Under 30yrs and no children- the pink box 2. Over 30yrs or have had children- blue box.
In the box you get these four things: A clear silicone Diva Cup, a handy dandy purple flowery lame bag (I mean, just cuz I have a vagina does not mean I like purple and/or flowers...), a weird flower pin and some pretty intense instructions. After opening the package, I promptly stabbed myself with the useless pin and dropped the DivaCup on the floor. Awesome.
I would also like to point out that the instructions actually have a section that states "Do NOT panic if you can't reach the stem and remove the cup..." This is essential to remember. As it happened to me the first time and Andrew was outside the door shouting: "The instructions say DO NOT PANIC! So don't panic, it is OKAY". (I never read instructions... Andrew loves instructions. As a result, he was the one who read up on the DivaCup that first time lol).
Even though I said the purple flowery bag was lame (which it is), I will admit that it can be handy to actually have a bag to store the cup in. Sadly, it doesn't stay all nice and clear (ew, sorry!). So the bag is useful. I just wish it wasn't so stereotypical.
Anyhoo, that is it. My new DivaCup. It has been sterilized in boiling water and will make my moontime so much easier for the next three/four years, while saving me money and the environment pollution.
If you're not a DivaCup yogini yet and still have questions (or are a newbie with some FAQs) check out the following posts:
What about it? Any tips, suggestions, thoughts fellow Yoginis? :)
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Now, many of you know how I adore this doodad, best invention EVER for women who are menstruating. It's been 3 years since my conversion and recently while out shopping for "feminine products" with a friend I realized that I can't even begin to imagine life back in the tampon trenches. Seriously, how did I even manage myself once a month?? Let's just recap the wonderfulness of the DivaCup:
- Since switching over I have saved over 300$ in tampons and about 720 tampons from going in the landfill. Woot!
- I never, EVER have to worry about being prepared for my moon time (except for this unforeseen circumstance, which I will explain shortly).
- No more leakages, uncomfortableness, needing to "change" something during the day. The DivaCup lasts throughout 90% of my work days and all night.
- No uncomfortable strings or movement during yoga. EVER. LOVE!
- Weirdly, I feel much much more connected to my moontime now that I can see it. I know, strange.
- DivaCups are excellent for traveling; 7ish hours at a time mean less need to change during driving or flights.
- No more worrying about swimming... :)
- General overall awesomeness. All around.
Ummmm.... Uncomfortable moment. After searching every.single.place.ever I had to admit that I must have left my DC in a hotel somewhere. Awkward silence.
OMGoddess, poor poor soul who found that.
In any case, this also resulted in a "Well, now what am I supposed to do?". It has been over three years since I've had to worry about supplies. Ever. You can imagine I was a little panicked.
Sadly, I had to buy a new one. Which I canceled friend yoga today in order to accomplish.
I thought, since it is brand spanking new, that I could actually take pictures and perhaps display them here for all you Yoginis out there who were thinking of buying but maybe a bit nervous.
There are two boxes available: 1. Under 30yrs and no children- the pink box 2. Over 30yrs or have had children- blue box.
In the box you get these four things: A clear silicone Diva Cup, a handy dandy purple flowery lame bag (I mean, just cuz I have a vagina does not mean I like purple and/or flowers...), a weird flower pin and some pretty intense instructions. After opening the package, I promptly stabbed myself with the useless pin and dropped the DivaCup on the floor. Awesome.
I would also like to point out that the instructions actually have a section that states "Do NOT panic if you can't reach the stem and remove the cup..." This is essential to remember. As it happened to me the first time and Andrew was outside the door shouting: "The instructions say DO NOT PANIC! So don't panic, it is OKAY". (I never read instructions... Andrew loves instructions. As a result, he was the one who read up on the DivaCup that first time lol).
Even though I said the purple flowery bag was lame (which it is), I will admit that it can be handy to actually have a bag to store the cup in. Sadly, it doesn't stay all nice and clear (ew, sorry!). So the bag is useful. I just wish it wasn't so stereotypical.
Anyhoo, that is it. My new DivaCup. It has been sterilized in boiling water and will make my moontime so much easier for the next three/four years, while saving me money and the environment pollution.
If you're not a DivaCup yogini yet and still have questions (or are a newbie with some FAQs) check out the following posts:
- DivaCup: An Overshare: my first overshare with a few tips and suggestions on insertion, removal and cleaning.
- DivaCup: An Update! Info (partway through) on how DivaCup recommends replacing it every two years (which I think is utter crap).
- DivaCup: A Love-Annoyance Relationship of Three Years and Counting: some ranting on some aspects of the DivaCup.
What about it? Any tips, suggestions, thoughts fellow Yoginis? :)
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Whole Milk in Glass Bottles!
I am so excited that Nova Scotia finally has glass bottled milk. While we lived in BC we could buy glass bottled milk at the local grocery store (although it wasn't "whole" milk, nor was it that fresh or local). These bottles make me think of old time milk delivery people... except at my parents house they still have a milk "man" who delivers milk once a week, takes the cash out of the mason jar, peruses the list and leaves the change (he arrives at 5am ish).
Fox Hill Cheese House, a local farm that sells at the Halifax Seaport's Farmer's Market has started selling milk in glass 1 litre bottles, as far as I know the only of it's kind provincially. Fox Hill Cheese is located in the Annapolis Valley (a few hours away from Halifax) and they have a "small" herd of cows that for the past four years have been exposed only to the farm's own nutrients.
When we stopped in last week to pick up our first bottle, the lady at the counter felt *very* strongly that we should try the milk, as it's whole milk and a higher fat percentage (about 4ish). I tried to tell her that I don't typically like milk 'straight up' so it really didn't matter what it tasted like, I was gonna suck it up and use it in my coffee. Which of course resulted in a weird look... so I took the little cup. Honestly? It tastes like milk. I don't like milk. So there ya go. I was really nervous I would hate whole milk, and since it just tasted like regular milk to me, I am hugely relieved.
Andrew on the other hand LOVES it. When we order coffee there is no "non-fat" part for him, it's always "yes fat". Since we don't drink a lot of milk, I really don't feel that bad using milk with a few extra fat percentages thrown in.
Our friend J. lets the milk set for 72 hours in the fridge to allow the fat to separate, takes an eye dropped and sucks up a bunch of the cream on top. She uses this for baking or coffee. Andrew clearly informed me I wasn't allowed to "steal" his fat. hah.
Today when we brought the bottle for an exchange, we learned that the milk was acquired from the cows (the milk was milked?) on Friday, bottled and sold to us on Saturday! Super fresh and local.
Regardless, we are in love with our glass bottled, sustainable and nutrient rich milk! If any of you were nervous about drinking whole milk due to taste (or even fat content), I hope this helps give you a little nudge. Check out your local farms and Farmer's Markets to see if you can get some glass bottle fresh milk too :)
article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Ouuu, aren't they pretty bottles? Love!
Andrew on the other hand LOVES it. When we order coffee there is no "non-fat" part for him, it's always "yes fat". Since we don't drink a lot of milk, I really don't feel that bad using milk with a few extra fat percentages thrown in.
Our friend J. lets the milk set for 72 hours in the fridge to allow the fat to separate, takes an eye dropped and sucks up a bunch of the cream on top. She uses this for baking or coffee. Andrew clearly informed me I wasn't allowed to "steal" his fat. hah.
Today when we brought the bottle for an exchange, we learned that the milk was acquired from the cows (the milk was milked?) on Friday, bottled and sold to us on Saturday! Super fresh and local.
Note the bilingual bottles- Yay two official languages :)
A few differences between regular store milk and fresh local milk:
- By purchasing local milk we're making sure all our money stays in Nova Scotia and sending a clear message to the agriculture industry that sustainable and ecological farming matters to us.
- Fresh whole milk is minimally processed which means the nutrients are more readily available for our body to benefit (yay!)
- Lack of preservatives (and homogenization) allows for us to process the milk without synthetic additives.
- Less plastic! If you don't exchange the bottle (which would be silly, since you'd pay a deposit every time) you can of course recycle the glass easily. The lids, sadly are #4 plastic.
- We're investing in our health and the future of our ability to sustain ourselves with farming.
Regardless, we are in love with our glass bottled, sustainable and nutrient rich milk! If any of you were nervous about drinking whole milk due to taste (or even fat content), I hope this helps give you a little nudge. Check out your local farms and Farmer's Markets to see if you can get some glass bottle fresh milk too :)
article and photographs copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Friday, March 18, 2011
Being "Eco" at Work
Work.... although it would be nice, blogging is not my day job :)
Ecological questions and life changes truly become much more than a few things you do at home to make life better. Once a person realizes that our current destructive way of living, consuming our resources until there are none left (which scientific genius and leading researcher Dr. William Rees informed us we were consuming 1.6 planet Earths currently... ) we realize that our children and grandchildren's lives are at stake.
Not to be all fear mongering, but when all scientific evidence points to climate change, lack of resources and explosive population growth on a finite planet we really can't deny that the human race is in peril.
So. This acceptance is kinda a big deal for many. Not really the same as saying: "Well, Yoga isn't for everyone, no biggie". This is why becoming an Eco-Yogi(ni) really does mean more than changing a few things at home, it means bringing this realization and passion to every part of your life. Including where we spend the majority of our waking hours.... work.
Work is hard as so many decisions are beyond our control. For example, cleaning agents, paper use, recycling facilities, light and computer energy usage. Although every place is different, I have worked in three separate sites over the past two years and have tried several different things.
1. Recycling. At my former site the building itself had recycling bins placed for patients throughout, but our clinic cleaning staff (not our employees, but contracted out by the building) refused to recycle anything except paper. So, after chatting with colleagues I volunteered to bring plastic, cardboard and metal home for recycling. It involved a few chats with the cleaning staff as well, some signage with pictures and a few minutes every two weeks bringing the bag home and sorting.
I think the hardest part was the convincing a few specific staff members that I wasn't trying to make them feel bad, or guilty. In the world of corporate life direct conversations can be tricky...
2. Paper usage. I have figured out how to print all my reports double-sided. WOO. Also, our organization has many of the filing components that are paperless which is fabulous. At the same time, there are certain things beyond my control. Like use of weird little paper forms to communicate tasks.
3. Light, heat and computer usage... this one is tough. Our staff room light is always on during the day, even when no one is in there. I think it's ridiculous and was shutting off the light during my first few weeks... until I noticed that someone was going right behind me and turning it back on. So. This is a long term goal for me. I do turn down the heat in my office every evening and have asked co-workers to do the same (which I wouldn't have done if they weren't open to the idea).
4. Group site events (i.e. meetings). This was a huge success recently as my friend J. helped organized a meeting for all three sites. When she sent out an email stating we should all bring our reusable mugs for coffee/tea I responded with a supportive email... as did a few other of my site's coworkers. Thank goodness, as we found out later that one of J.'s colleagues was extremely against the idea. J. also had a compost bin she brought from home (and had to take home herself) and although she was forced to buy bottled water- the plastic was post-consumer recycled content. Yay!
5. Leaky Tap in the public washroom. I started to panic when I noticed that the tap in the public washroom at work was *ALWAYS* dripping whenever I went in. This was because the taps needed to be pushed back forcefully to stop the dripping. It was mind blowing the amount of water that was wasted over the course of a day. Just because people were too lazy to give it a bit of a push.
So... I made a little sign that says: "Please push taps, I leak!" with a picture of a leaky faucet.
Now. I can't say that it is never dripping now... but it's gone down to about 30-40% (from 100%). I say that is a success.
The best thing was when I came back from Pete's Frootique with my salad in my reusable tin. That got lots of discussion going about how their salad containers aren't recyclable or compostable.
Turn off the lights as you leave a room, turn the heat down in your office and if there isn't any recycling in your office building consider bringing your own container to bring home every so often. People will notice.
Instead, make a few comments here and there. For example, a colleague of mine leaves her office heat on all the time. A few times I've entered in and commented on how hot it was... and asking if they forgot to turn the heat down over night.
Last week we were talking about coffee filters and I commented on how I though cleaning the reusable filters was easier. My colleague indicated she used paper towel... and I responded with how paper towel was no more in my household. With a caveat that it was very very difficult to decrease my paper towel addiction. This led to sharing ideas on cleaning at home. She now uses a spoon to scoop out her coffee grinds.
For example, I was so excited about the new farm fresh glass bottled milk I bought at the farmer's market. My colleague asked the milk fat percentage- about 4%- and the amount in a bottle- 1 litre. She has two boys and typically buys 8 litres of skim milk a WEEK. Boys drink a lot of milk.
Instead of trying to convince her of alternatives or to try it anyways, I nodded, agreed that it would be almost impossible and let it go.
Actually, I only talk politics with the closest of friends. Not everyone has the same ideas that I do and I know from experience that my discourse and heated passion won't change their minds. Again, small comments here and there are the way to go.
This means being a bit more calm and matter of fact about things that just no longer fly. I guess I'm also young enough (barely!) to say things like: "That is so not cool" (although maybe that dates me too?? lol).
When you think of it that way, the above strategies to fall in naturally.
Do you have any eco-work change ideas to suggest?
Blessings!
Article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Ecological questions and life changes truly become much more than a few things you do at home to make life better. Once a person realizes that our current destructive way of living, consuming our resources until there are none left (which scientific genius and leading researcher Dr. William Rees informed us we were consuming 1.6 planet Earths currently... ) we realize that our children and grandchildren's lives are at stake.
Not to be all fear mongering, but when all scientific evidence points to climate change, lack of resources and explosive population growth on a finite planet we really can't deny that the human race is in peril.
So. This acceptance is kinda a big deal for many. Not really the same as saying: "Well, Yoga isn't for everyone, no biggie". This is why becoming an Eco-Yogi(ni) really does mean more than changing a few things at home, it means bringing this realization and passion to every part of your life. Including where we spend the majority of our waking hours.... work.
Work is hard as so many decisions are beyond our control. For example, cleaning agents, paper use, recycling facilities, light and computer energy usage. Although every place is different, I have worked in three separate sites over the past two years and have tried several different things.
1. Recycling. At my former site the building itself had recycling bins placed for patients throughout, but our clinic cleaning staff (not our employees, but contracted out by the building) refused to recycle anything except paper. So, after chatting with colleagues I volunteered to bring plastic, cardboard and metal home for recycling. It involved a few chats with the cleaning staff as well, some signage with pictures and a few minutes every two weeks bringing the bag home and sorting.
I think the hardest part was the convincing a few specific staff members that I wasn't trying to make them feel bad, or guilty. In the world of corporate life direct conversations can be tricky...
2. Paper usage. I have figured out how to print all my reports double-sided. WOO. Also, our organization has many of the filing components that are paperless which is fabulous. At the same time, there are certain things beyond my control. Like use of weird little paper forms to communicate tasks.
3. Light, heat and computer usage... this one is tough. Our staff room light is always on during the day, even when no one is in there. I think it's ridiculous and was shutting off the light during my first few weeks... until I noticed that someone was going right behind me and turning it back on. So. This is a long term goal for me. I do turn down the heat in my office every evening and have asked co-workers to do the same (which I wouldn't have done if they weren't open to the idea).
4. Group site events (i.e. meetings). This was a huge success recently as my friend J. helped organized a meeting for all three sites. When she sent out an email stating we should all bring our reusable mugs for coffee/tea I responded with a supportive email... as did a few other of my site's coworkers. Thank goodness, as we found out later that one of J.'s colleagues was extremely against the idea. J. also had a compost bin she brought from home (and had to take home herself) and although she was forced to buy bottled water- the plastic was post-consumer recycled content. Yay!
5. Leaky Tap in the public washroom. I started to panic when I noticed that the tap in the public washroom at work was *ALWAYS* dripping whenever I went in. This was because the taps needed to be pushed back forcefully to stop the dripping. It was mind blowing the amount of water that was wasted over the course of a day. Just because people were too lazy to give it a bit of a push.
So... I made a little sign that says: "Please push taps, I leak!" with a picture of a leaky faucet.
Now. I can't say that it is never dripping now... but it's gone down to about 30-40% (from 100%). I say that is a success.
What I have learned in this process of bringing ecological mores to my work environment:
Lead by example.
People really don't want to hear your go ON about how they are terrible people and you are awesome (even though we all know that you are). I've found that people will notice when you bring in your really cool stainless steel lunch box (or glass containers) and reusable mugs. They ask questions and you can give a few reasons why it's so important.The best thing was when I came back from Pete's Frootique with my salad in my reusable tin. That got lots of discussion going about how their salad containers aren't recyclable or compostable.
Turn off the lights as you leave a room, turn the heat down in your office and if there isn't any recycling in your office building consider bringing your own container to bring home every so often. People will notice.
Make a few comments.
This is key. Although a coworker may appear to be interested in the environment, often a heated political debate isn't exactly empowering. They will undoubtedly compare what you're saying "should" happen with what they haven't been doing.Instead, make a few comments here and there. For example, a colleague of mine leaves her office heat on all the time. A few times I've entered in and commented on how hot it was... and asking if they forgot to turn the heat down over night.
Last week we were talking about coffee filters and I commented on how I though cleaning the reusable filters was easier. My colleague indicated she used paper towel... and I responded with how paper towel was no more in my household. With a caveat that it was very very difficult to decrease my paper towel addiction. This led to sharing ideas on cleaning at home. She now uses a spoon to scoop out her coffee grinds.
Be compassionate and empathetic to different situations.
Not everyone is able to follow through with similar changes at home. My colleagues all have several children. I may be able to make changes that are much more difficult for them at home.For example, I was so excited about the new farm fresh glass bottled milk I bought at the farmer's market. My colleague asked the milk fat percentage- about 4%- and the amount in a bottle- 1 litre. She has two boys and typically buys 8 litres of skim milk a WEEK. Boys drink a lot of milk.
Instead of trying to convince her of alternatives or to try it anyways, I nodded, agreed that it would be almost impossible and let it go.
Accept that some things are beyond your control....
and begin the process as to how you can change them from a management level. This applies to the toilet paper used in the bathrooms, cleaning agents (we had scary chemical laden H1N1 killer wipes that we were forced to use on all our toys and books... that children chewed) etc. If you feel management is open to these types of discussions, request a meeting for further possibilities while approaching management as a site instead of as an individual. These things take time and a lot of calm clear headed chats. Acceptance is key. Avoid politics.
And religion. lol. Such a common sense thing for work, but there are many political aspects of being ecological (as the only real change will happen by voting and letting the big decision makers know what we want), but work really isn't the place for these discussions to take place.Actually, I only talk politics with the closest of friends. Not everyone has the same ideas that I do and I know from experience that my discourse and heated passion won't change their minds. Again, small comments here and there are the way to go.
Think cultural change-not behavioural change.
Once being wasteful, mindless consuming and polluting no longer becomes socially acceptable or "cool" that's when we start to get social and cultural change. Which leads to people demanding and voting for government change as a given as opposed to something special.This means being a bit more calm and matter of fact about things that just no longer fly. I guess I'm also young enough (barely!) to say things like: "That is so not cool" (although maybe that dates me too?? lol).
When you think of it that way, the above strategies to fall in naturally.
Do you have any eco-work change ideas to suggest?
Blessings!
Article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Monday, March 14, 2011
Love Yoga... Cuz I Say So.
The discussion from my last post along with a few other posts during last year's blogging entity, have forced me to consider how I approach yoga... and the environment with others.
When I first started practicing yoga it was like everyone *had* to know that Yoga was Awesome. They should just TRY IT. Really. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. No really. I'm not kidding.
If they had a crappy experience, well that was just because they hadn't found the Right Yoga for them, or the Right Teacher. Of course my yoga instructors were always the Right Teachers.
In B.C. I actually taught a few 'intro' classes at our Child Development Centre's gym after work hours for any or all staff who were interested in yoga but too intimidated to attend a class. (Of course it was with full disclosure that I was not a teacher and that asap they should get their bums to a 'real' class).
Once we moved to Halifax... well I had a bunch of other friends who felt the same way and thus weekly Friend Yoga was born.
Yoga yoga yoga yoga.
In the past few years, however, I've come to realize that truly, yoga isn't for every one. And that is OKAY. There are other ways to connect with the self like running, meditation, Tai Chi, Singing, Music, Dancing .... you get the picture. Just because yoga works for me doesn't mean that every single human being on the face of the planet *HAS* to do it or they will never ever reach full happiness. Or whatever. Just because I practice yoga doesn't make me somehow better, or more in connection, with my Self. I am so far from connected it's laughable. How anyone can think they are truly one with self under the age of... I dunno... 60 is beyond help.
Weirdly, now when I hear other yogis trying to figure out things like 'Why isn't everybody practicing yoga?' or 'How could we bring yoga to more people?' it just sounds creepy.
Although similar, the environmental concerns are a bit different in that there's just the added pressure of... oh you know... climate disaster and mass species death and annihilation. And whatnot.
At the same time, I really try *very* hard not to be a walking talking eco-crusader... especially outside of my home. I see stuff I don't agree with at work... and I do what I can without ruffling too many feathers. Like suggesting a reusable coffee filter. Or bringing my lunch and coffee in reusable glass and stainless steel containers. The next post will expound a bit on this topic... but you get my drift.
I heart yoga. Of course I do. But that doesn't mean we all have to :)
Blessings!
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
When I first started practicing yoga it was like everyone *had* to know that Yoga was Awesome. They should just TRY IT. Really. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. No really. I'm not kidding.
If they had a crappy experience, well that was just because they hadn't found the Right Yoga for them, or the Right Teacher. Of course my yoga instructors were always the Right Teachers.
In B.C. I actually taught a few 'intro' classes at our Child Development Centre's gym after work hours for any or all staff who were interested in yoga but too intimidated to attend a class. (Of course it was with full disclosure that I was not a teacher and that asap they should get their bums to a 'real' class).
Once we moved to Halifax... well I had a bunch of other friends who felt the same way and thus weekly Friend Yoga was born.
Yoga yoga yoga yoga.
Morning of wedding yoga... very much optional for any who wanted to attend...
Weirdly, now when I hear other yogis trying to figure out things like 'Why isn't everybody practicing yoga?' or 'How could we bring yoga to more people?' it just sounds creepy.
Although similar, the environmental concerns are a bit different in that there's just the added pressure of... oh you know... climate disaster and mass species death and annihilation. And whatnot.
At the same time, I really try *very* hard not to be a walking talking eco-crusader... especially outside of my home. I see stuff I don't agree with at work... and I do what I can without ruffling too many feathers. Like suggesting a reusable coffee filter. Or bringing my lunch and coffee in reusable glass and stainless steel containers. The next post will expound a bit on this topic... but you get my drift.
I heart yoga. Of course I do. But that doesn't mean we all have to :)
Blessings!
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Thursday, March 10, 2011
I want to tell you a myth about an Elephant: Should Yogis be careful with Cultural Appropriation?
Imagine: You're in a yoga class, sitting on your mat and getting emotionally and mentally ready for class. You sit cross legged and patiently wait for the teacher to begin, anticipating a quick intro and maybe a few 'aums'. The teacher enters, sits on his mat and welcomes you. All is good. Then the teacher begins:
Alright, feel uncomfortable yet? What about the choice of words: 'Myth' and 'story'? We can agree, perhaps, that the more politically correct term would be 'religious parable', and that the general pretense of a religious story prior to a yoga class not otherwise specified as such (i.e. religious) feels a bit strange (to say the least). Did you feel a bit perturbed that the teacher also didn't specifically connect his 'story' with the religion of Christianity, or at least acknowledge that this 'Jesus' fellow is a religious deity for Christians?
How about we change the teacher's story to one about Ganesha... and the 16 phases of the moon. Leave the words 'myth' and 'story' as well as the extremely casual tone of the telling and lack of any reference to Ganesha being a Hindu deity. Now how do you feel?
This is not a post to say that Yoga shouldn't involve anything remotely Hindu in nature- that would be ridiculous. It is to voice my growing annoyance with individuals who co-opt certain aspects of Hinduism in an otherwise secular yoga practice. My yoga practice is spiritual and personal and does not involve Krishna, Buddha, Jesus or God for that matter. Since I can't shut off my ears, roll up my mat and leave or voice my concerns during a yoga class- it is the perfect setting to take advantage of a 'captive' audience and share their spiritual;co-opted views.
Of course, most yoga classes are not like this. Which is fabulous. Nevertheless, I am simply not a fan of appropriating parts of a religious or cultural movement as your own... so this event completely irked me.
Thoughts?
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
'Today I want to tell y'all a story. It's about this dude on my shirt here, you see? He's on a cross. Anyhow, it's really a myth about a shepherd and his flock of sheep. This dude on my shirt? His name is Jesus and he told this story about the shepherd. You see, there was this shepherd who had like a 100 sheep. One day, one of his sheep ran away, which of course upset the shepherd. He loved every one of his sheep. So, he of course left the other 99 sheep and went searching for the one that ran away. When the shepherd found his lost sheep he had a party and everyone was happy...'
Alright, feel uncomfortable yet? What about the choice of words: 'Myth' and 'story'? We can agree, perhaps, that the more politically correct term would be 'religious parable', and that the general pretense of a religious story prior to a yoga class not otherwise specified as such (i.e. religious) feels a bit strange (to say the least). Did you feel a bit perturbed that the teacher also didn't specifically connect his 'story' with the religion of Christianity, or at least acknowledge that this 'Jesus' fellow is a religious deity for Christians?
How about we change the teacher's story to one about Ganesha... and the 16 phases of the moon. Leave the words 'myth' and 'story' as well as the extremely casual tone of the telling and lack of any reference to Ganesha being a Hindu deity. Now how do you feel?
This is not a post to say that Yoga shouldn't involve anything remotely Hindu in nature- that would be ridiculous. It is to voice my growing annoyance with individuals who co-opt certain aspects of Hinduism in an otherwise secular yoga practice. My yoga practice is spiritual and personal and does not involve Krishna, Buddha, Jesus or God for that matter. Since I can't shut off my ears, roll up my mat and leave or voice my concerns during a yoga class- it is the perfect setting to take advantage of a 'captive' audience and share their spiritual;co-opted views.
Of course, most yoga classes are not like this. Which is fabulous. Nevertheless, I am simply not a fan of appropriating parts of a religious or cultural movement as your own... so this event completely irked me.
Thoughts?
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Monday, March 7, 2011
Non-Spring Denial
I love living in Canada, "The Great White North". Of course... our country is ginormous and only divided in 10 provinces and three territories. So you can imagine that living in Nova Scotia is quite different than living in any of the other provinces.
One definite difference is that spring takes so.darn.long to arrive. I've witnessed four provincial springs so far; four springs in Fredericton NB, two in Montreal Qc and two in Vernon BC (and of course the 22 odd growing up in Nova Scotia). I can tell you without a doubt that spring actually *happens* in other provinces whereas here it's cold, it rains and is chilly and damp right up until the 2-4 May weekend. Yay. Buds are barely coming out in the southern part of the province come May.
I really do not look forward to spring.
This type of weather definitely makes it difficult to plan some specific environmental changes. I've been flabbergasted reading some bloggy-friend posts where they're already planning gardens and seeing greenery and buds shooting up and out. Whaaaa?? Sigh. Or taking out the bicycle, or yoga in the park...
I've come up with a few "bright sides" to this otherwise gloomy tendency for spring:
Blessings!
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
One definite difference is that spring takes so.darn.long to arrive. I've witnessed four provincial springs so far; four springs in Fredericton NB, two in Montreal Qc and two in Vernon BC (and of course the 22 odd growing up in Nova Scotia). I can tell you without a doubt that spring actually *happens* in other provinces whereas here it's cold, it rains and is chilly and damp right up until the 2-4 May weekend. Yay. Buds are barely coming out in the southern part of the province come May.
I really do not look forward to spring.
This type of weather definitely makes it difficult to plan some specific environmental changes. I've been flabbergasted reading some bloggy-friend posts where they're already planning gardens and seeing greenery and buds shooting up and out. Whaaaa?? Sigh. Or taking out the bicycle, or yoga in the park...
I've come up with a few "bright sides" to this otherwise gloomy tendency for spring:
- A long drawn out non-spring means a LOT of time to plan our urban/guerrilla garden. Yep, this is THE year. I've seen our neighbours walk up the fire escape (well our upstairs neighbours actually climb in and out of their window like it's a door) to the flat roof to sunbathe last year. I am SO planting stuff up there... just have to ask neighbour A. if we have to be clandestine about it...
- Every little change in temperature (for the better) is to be celebrated. For example, the past few days have been above zero. Yay us!
- Instead of walking in freezing -30 degree (C) winds to work, I now am walking in rain. Much warmer.
- A longer non-spring means a lot of water for our beautiful lands and earth to grow.
- We can now leave our windows open since it is above freezing and I really love listening to the rain.
- We get a LOT of thunderstorms. I love thunderstorms.
Blessings!
article copyright of EcoYogini at ecoyogini.blogspot.com
Friday, March 4, 2011
OverShare: Dry Scalp... Ew.
Winter here is dragging... and although we live right on the Atlantic Ocean, so is the dry dry weather. This winter has been especially bad for... gasp... DRY SCALP. (ugh!).
It first became apparent I had a problem while getting my hair cut- I looked down and gasped at the small little winter wonderland on the cape. Awesome. Weirdly enough, the hairstylist recommended a dandruff shampoo.
Let's get one thing straight- dry scalp and dandruff are two different things. Dandruff is usually oily flakes that are being shed due to three possible reasons:
Of course, changing shampoos isn't really the best answer either. Shampoo is for your hair, and although some shampoos have extra "stuff" (i.e. chemicals) for your scalp, the main purpose is hair. My hair is actually dry-oily and adding an uber moisturizing shampoo or conditioner will simply make my hair oily and my scalp will remain dry. Yum.
What I needed is a moisturizer for my scalp. I searched around everywhere and found some people who use olive oil and... that's about it. Although really weird, I decided that oil in some manner would be the solution, but I had another obstacle: time. I really don't have enough time in the morning to massage oil in my scalp and leave it long enough to do anything before showering. Also, washing the oil away might also negate the moisturizing effects.
The only way would be an overnighter of oil. This means I really didn't want my hair to smell like olive oil all night (ew). My final solution? Five Seed's Lavender Moon Balm. Yep, the stuff smells amazing and the ingredients consist of nice and natural coconut oil, soothing lavender and vanilla. Perfect.
The result? It definitely helped! I haven't been consistent and should probably be doing this once a week until winter finally goes away (it's a bit embarrassing to come to bed with a "hi honey, like my oily, spiky, yummy smelling hair??"), but the few times have been a success. It has helped with the sensation of itching and my hair appears healthier and happier too.
Do you have any other suggestions that might help?
*******Beware of Dandruff Shampoo:
Most dandruff shampoos have icky toxic ingredients like coal tar- linked to cancer in miners, asphalt workers and chimney sweeps (plus the actual mining of the stuff is ridiculously bad for the environment). They also have zinc- which a Swedish study found that when they poured dandruff shampoo (3 millilitres) in a 1000 litre aquarium waited 24 hours and added fish, half the fish died within 4 days.... where do you think your dandruff shampoo goes after you rinse it out? (Ecoholic, 2006)
Also, strangely enough, most dandruff shampoos contain a scalp irritant- SLS (Sodium Laurel/laureth Sulphide).
Alternatives: cutting back on sugars and refined foods, taking antifungal oregano oil or washing with tea tree oil shampoos (or add a few drops in your regular shampoo). I've read that apple cider vinegar can really help too.
It first became apparent I had a problem while getting my hair cut- I looked down and gasped at the small little winter wonderland on the cape. Awesome. Weirdly enough, the hairstylist recommended a dandruff shampoo.
Let's get one thing straight- dry scalp and dandruff are two different things. Dandruff is usually oily flakes that are being shed due to three possible reasons:
- Skin oil commonly referred to as sebum or sebaceous secretions[7]
- The metabolic by-products of skin micro-organisms (most specifically Malassezia yeasts)[8][9][10][11][12]
- Individual susceptibility (wiki)
Atreyu guaring my moisturizing arsenal.
What I needed is a moisturizer for my scalp. I searched around everywhere and found some people who use olive oil and... that's about it. Although really weird, I decided that oil in some manner would be the solution, but I had another obstacle: time. I really don't have enough time in the morning to massage oil in my scalp and leave it long enough to do anything before showering. Also, washing the oil away might also negate the moisturizing effects.
The only way would be an overnighter of oil. This means I really didn't want my hair to smell like olive oil all night (ew). My final solution? Five Seed's Lavender Moon Balm. Yep, the stuff smells amazing and the ingredients consist of nice and natural coconut oil, soothing lavender and vanilla. Perfect.
The result? It definitely helped! I haven't been consistent and should probably be doing this once a week until winter finally goes away (it's a bit embarrassing to come to bed with a "hi honey, like my oily, spiky, yummy smelling hair??"), but the few times have been a success. It has helped with the sensation of itching and my hair appears healthier and happier too.
Do you have any other suggestions that might help?
*******Beware of Dandruff Shampoo:
Most dandruff shampoos have icky toxic ingredients like coal tar- linked to cancer in miners, asphalt workers and chimney sweeps (plus the actual mining of the stuff is ridiculously bad for the environment). They also have zinc- which a Swedish study found that when they poured dandruff shampoo (3 millilitres) in a 1000 litre aquarium waited 24 hours and added fish, half the fish died within 4 days.... where do you think your dandruff shampoo goes after you rinse it out? (Ecoholic, 2006)
Also, strangely enough, most dandruff shampoos contain a scalp irritant- SLS (Sodium Laurel/laureth Sulphide).
Alternatives: cutting back on sugars and refined foods, taking antifungal oregano oil or washing with tea tree oil shampoos (or add a few drops in your regular shampoo). I've read that apple cider vinegar can really help too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)