Brain Science, Athletics And Love

Mike Spino is a running coach who specializes in mind/body integration, teaching athletes woo-woo techniques such as visualization and meditation to improve their performance. Spino says that as athletes approach peak performance, they enter a “state of elegance”. This happens, he says, only a few times in a season. Spino’ role, as a coach, is to [Read More]

Angela Merkel- Attacking Climate Change

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is at the forefront of environmental advocacy and is the leading politician pushing climate change issues on to a world forum. Last year she brought climate change back to the table as leader of the Group of Eight (G8) nations and used Germany’s weight as president of the EU to push for [Read More]

100 Mile Diet

This is a challenge merely because we’ve become so dependent on resource intensive food—food that sits in gas-guzzling trucks, boats, or airplanes before reaching our supermarkets. Transportation and large-scale agriculture are chief culprits of the global warming crisis; that’s why the 100 Mile Diet’s motto is: “Local eating for global change”. Ingredients [Read More]

People’s Food Co-op

People’s Food Co-op is an awesome neighborhood grocery store in southeast Portland, Oregon. As the name “co-op” implies, this is a cooperative system where instead of one owner, there are thousands of community owners who each own a share in the store. Each member has a say in how it is operated, so [Read More]

Green By-ways Of America

Traveling America is eye opening. So far, I’ve explored 17,000 miles of the vast country. 17, 000 miles? Well, yes. And only 5,000 more left. I’ve experienced many cultures and climates in my fourth month of this trip. Gas prices are affecting me, but not as much as most consumers. See, I’m riding on a little [Read More]

Pizza With A Conscience

Hotlips is a local pizza joint here in Portland that seems at first glance like just any other, but a friend of mine pointed out that they use electric cars to deliver pizza. So I decided to look further into it. I discovered that this is a business to admire, using almost all local and mostly [Read More]

Insulation – Recycled Cellulose

If you’re planning on insulating your home, consider using recycled cellulose. It’s more environmentally friendly and effective than many other forms of insulating material.In our old house we had fiberglass batts; which are commonly common choice – I think I’m still pulling out shards of it from my clothing and body two years later. [Read More]

Hope Overcomes Fear in El Salvador

A friend of mine just returned from El Salvador, where she was acting as an international observer during the elections held last week. This is the first peacetime election El Salvador has seen since it’s Independence as a country in the 1920’s, and the first democratically elected leadership they’ve had in two decades. A recurring [Read More]

Nature Deficit Disorder In Children

Richard Louv’s popular book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder”, published in 2005, may have the environmental importance that Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” did. In preparation for the book, Louv went across the country interviewing children, parents, and teachers, and the sad fact is that children are spending [Read More]

Sustainable Tourism In China’s Northwest Yunnan

Ever wanted to explore China? The Northwest Yunnan province, located in the South of China may be a good place to start. The NW Yunnan offers unique geographical diversity, encompassing five of China ’s greatest rivers and four of its most towering mountain ranges. The area boasts a rich cultural heritage and spectacular biodiversity. Community efforts [Read More]