Heart Full

With the terribly tragic oil spill, and it’s unstoppable damage my thoughts can’t help but turn to environmentalism — and what we’ve done to change this world. It’s enormously tragic that many people (some I dare call friends) don’t spare more than a second’s thought to the greatest ecological disaster in history. In the 11th Hour one expert estimated that Mother Nature as an industry “gives back” to us in the order of 38 Trillion dollars a year — that’s more than twice the combined economies of the world, and she does it for free. So in the spirit of giving just a little bit back — or really doing just a little less damage than I already was, here are some things that we could do to help that tree in the forest falling…

1. Buy paper products with recycled content – especially post consumer fibers.

2. Buy paper products made with clean, safe processes – paper products are bleached to make them whiter and brighter. But chlorine contributes to the formation of harmful chemicals that wind up in the air and water and are highly toxic. Look for products labeled chlorine free.

3. Make sure any virgin fiber content in the paper you buy is forest friendly – if the products you buy aren’t labelled 100% recylced, make sure the trees used to manufacture them came from sustainably harvested forests certified by Forest Stewardship Council.

Some interesting stats:

If every house hold in the US replaced just one box of virgin fiber facial tissues (175 sheets) with 100% recycled ones we could save 163,000 trees. Recycled brands include: Fluff out, Green Forest, Hankies, Marcal, and Seventh Generation.

If every household in the US replaced just one roll of virgin toilet paper (500 sheets) with 100% recycled ones we could save 423,000 trees. Recycled  brands include: 365 Whole foods, Ambiance, April Soft, Best Value, Earth First, Fiesta, Green Forest, Marcal, Planet, Pert, Seventh Generation, Sofpac.

If every household in the US replaced just one roll of virgin fiber towels (70 Sheets) with 100% recycled ones we could save 544,000 trees. Brands include: 365, Atlantic, Best Value, Earth First, Fiesta, Green Forest, Pert, Marcal, Planet, Seventh Generation.

If every household in the US replaced just one package of virgin fiber napkins (250 count) with 100% recylced ones we could save one million trees. Brands include 365, Bella, Earth First, Green Forest, Marcal, Seventh Generation.

That’s a lot of trees that don’t have to fall.

The mat is something most yogis even the beginning yogi has an opinion on. When I first started the thin purple mats available to rent at my local yoga studio didn’t do it for me. Sitting on them was like a battle between my sit bones (Ischial Tuberosity for the anatomically inclined) and the hardwood floors, the hardwood floors being the victor. I opted for a plush pink mat one that I could happily move into crescent moon on and not have to do the ill-timed mat fold, or risk unhappy knees. But as my practice progressed, my body opened to find a comfortable fleshy part of the knee and I learned to balance myself so minimal weight was placed on it. I found myself returning to the thin mats (not always purple), for the connection it offered to the earth / floor. I was well onto my way to stage two of my mat progression, expression. I bought a pretty koi mat that matched my water bottle was content that my accessories matched my practice and my personality. More then I could say for just about everything else I owned.

But as my awareness progressed I became painfully aware that my mat may not be the most eco-friendly in town. I read that it was 100% natural, but sources were dubious about how eco-friendly or biodegradable it was. Moreover, my friend Desmond wondered out-loud how biodegradable ANY yoga mat was and she’s a botanist / biologist making me feel worse. So I elected that once the koi mat wore out, I’d find an eco-friendly one. But my budget and shoulders sagged at the weight of the eco-friendly mats. I continued to ignore the skid marks on my koi, and made do. Enter the Eternetfit mat. I discovered it during the Global Mala Project, the founder was selling them on the side for a fraction of their retail price. And it seemed like the answer to my inner most mat wishes.
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My teacher slyly told us, that as long as we practice yoga, it’s teachings “get in there”. I wasn’t entirely sure what she meant. Did she mean the guilt, that I don’t do more volunteer work, or that I’m often judgmental and snippy and I should know better. I figured all of the above.

But I think she meant a lot more than just the slow re-adjustment in attitude that happened so gradually for me, it was a shock. One day, I couldn’t deny it, I was morphing into the dreaded “granola girl”, the smelly hippie. I would soon be “one of those oddities” people like my friends wrinkle their noses at. We’ve all seen them, vegans who somehow always find a convenient guitar in a park and/or campsite and sing about mother earth.  But here I am, trying to eat less red meat, looking at labels, whining to my husband about organic food, and that we *really* need to go miles out of our way, to spend more money and get less food at WholeFoods. I am a truly blessed that he relented (under the condition we never buy anything NOT on sale).
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