zip it up!

This past November through January, I did not have a car. No car in Atlanta? That's unheard of. How did I get around? Mostly, on my bicycle. No snow here, so I just threw on a few layers and my backpack and pedaled to teach yoga classes. For errands and grocery shopping, I joined zipcar. You may have seen zipcars parked around downtown and midtown. There a zipcar parked a few blocks from my house. After I signed on for a yearly membership, I just reserved a car online for the day and time I needed the car. I received a membership car that I waved above the windshield to open the locks, and with the key inside, off I went. There was always a car nearby when I needed one, and they were new and clean. Occasionally I drove a Prius, a BMW Mini, or the super-efficient Honda Civic. There are also a few small trucks around town that would be good to borrow if you needed to haul furniture or move.

It's a great option for visitors or travel (your zipcar membership is good in tons of cities) or if your car is in the shop. I highly recommend signing on with zipcar, and exploring other options for transportation, like walking/biking, and using marta.

Driving less gives your life a new vantage point. Instead of being enclosed in your car, you're interacting with the environment. When I lived in Chicago, I didn't have a car for two years. I walked or rode public transportation everywhere. I loved it. I read a lot of books on the train. Walking the mile to the El in the morning got my brain and body moving before work, walking home was meditative and calming after a long day, and especially lovely in the warm months. I also super toned legs from all the walking, a positive side benefit. Also, no car insurance, maintenance, and parking fees. So I'm trying to find that same balance here in Atlanta. I have a car now, but my personal code is never to drive when I could walk. So I stroll down to the post office when I'm shipping boxes for my business teddylux. I ride my bike to teach yoga classes. Occansionally DC and I walk or ride bikes to nearby restaurants. Once we rode our bikes to Daddy D'zs, loaded up on barbeque, beer, and fried okra, and the pedal home was torture. :)

seriously, if you are interested in giving zipcar a try, click on the zipcar above and get $25 in free driving credit. Not just in Atlanta, but nationwide.

adventures in green living: the clothesline

Back in the 90s, I was a ski bum living in Crested Butte, Colorado. Skied all day, socialized in the small town bars in the evenings. One of the bars hosted two talented singers, Jackie and Vanita, who were spending time town on their way to Alaska. They were similar in sound to the Indigo Girls. One of my favorite songs of theirs was "Hanging on a Clothesline" and it was a funny take on a bigger girls' relationship with a thinner guy, and how their clothing looked together big and small, hanging on the line, flapping in the wind.

Fast forward to today, it's beautiful here in Atlanta, about 80 degrees already, and I'm starting to put out some clothes to dry. We live in an urban environment, with only a small bit of outdoor space, so I've always just brought a few clothing items out on hangers and hung them up to dry. This spring, I'm going to pick up a retractable clothes line I can hang up, and dry even more items outside. this is the one I'm going to buy.

The fact is that hanging your clothes on a line to dry is better for them. Colors last longer, giving your clothes a longer life. The fabric holds up longer--dryer lint is nothing but a thin layer that has been sheared from your clothes. The high heat of a dryer can also play havoc with the size of your clothes, so that something with a perfect fit comes out misshapen or, worse, six sizes smaller.

Also when you line-dry something, you're not eating up electricity. In terms of energy, dryers are by far the most wasteful appliance in the house, gobbling up 6% of your electric bill. The Wall Street Journal reported that eliminating the dryer portion of your laundry chores will cut an astounding 4.4 pounds of carbon emissions. One ecological watchdog calculates that as the equivalent of losing 16 square feet of natural habitat per load. Run a dryer for two hours only six times a month, and you're spending at least $70 a year, based on a national average of 12¢ per kilowatt-hour.

In Atlanta, line drying season has begun! I encourage you to give it a try.

do you need an eco yoga mat?

do you know what your mat is made of?

If you are not using an eco-yoga mat, which are a fairly new, non-vinyl concoction, your yoga mat is made of vinyl or PVC, a petroleum-based, non-renewable source, which continues to give off gases throughout its existence.

Vinyl contains phthalates, or plasticizers, which have been linked to a host of health risks, including damage to the liver, lungs, and reproductive system. Phthalates, which can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin, have veen banned from some products by the European Union , but not by the US or Canada.

Eco-mats are made with other materials, such as polymer envrionmental resin, natural rubber, or blends containing natural fibers such as jute. They are free of heavy metals. And being biodegradable, they'll revert to their origins at the end of their lifecycle.

source: envionmnet.about.com; PVCFree.org; Grist.org

sage naturalceuticals, organic body+beauty boutique in atlanta

This Saturday I was walking around my neighborhood, Castleberry Hill, and I stopped into a little store I've been meaning to visit: sage naturalceuticals. Cindy, the owner, has made a bright, welcoming shop full of organic products: haircare, skincare, bodycare, perfumes, and soy candles. I bought a John Masters Organic detangler, citrus and neroli (smells aaamazing). Next I'm going to try a Pacifica solid soy perfume. And if I need a gift soon, I'm definitely buying a Skeem candle, blended soy in gorgeous silkscreened glasses that can be reused. Stop by the store- there's lots of testers to try - or shop online - I highly recommend it!

Sage Naturalceuticals

design your own eco-yoga mat

yogamatic.com

now you can design the graphics to inspire you on your yoga mat! As a designer, this is right up my alley. You upload your image, a .jpg or .tif file, and it is printed on an eco-friendly yoga mat.

Brilliant!

Atlanta Pet Food Bank

For the past few months, I have had the honor of working with Ann King at Blooming Cookies, a creative cookie/gift company that ships nationwide. We've been working on a line of eco-friendly gifts, which fabulous. Also Blooming Cookies are all-natural, preservative free, in biodegradable wrappers, and very, very, tasty. If you're going to indulge, I recommend the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie.

The Blooming Cookies office is a very dog-friendly environment. Ann is very involved in Animal Rescue and there's always a posse of dogs with her. Just a few weeks ago, after hearing that folks in Atlanta are abandoning their pets because they can no longer afford their food and care, that Animal Rescue and Control facilities are beyond capacity, she rallied pet rescue groups, volunteers, and pet businesses to support a brand-new Pet Food Bank. Donations are accepted at many companies and shelters around Atlanta, and the food is distributed at PALS Atlanta for needy pet owners. Support already has been huge, and Ann was on WSBTV news last night, drawing more attention to the issue.

More information on how to donate, volunteer, or pick up pet food: See "Animal Activism"
WSBTV clip

recycle, cut + sew

when i'm not teaching/doing yoga, i'm usually creating and making stuff. In 2004, on a whim, I started a business called teddylux cashmere, based on teddy bears I was making from recycled cashmere sweaters. I sell online and locally around Atlanta. In 2006 I shot an episode of the HGTV show "That's Clever", showing how I make a bear. It aired in 2007. In 2007 I was commissioned to create a custom cashmere polar bear for the Coca Cola Museum store in Atlanta. In 2008 I added a line of recycled cashmere headbands, glitzed with vintage rhinestones and reworked costume jewelry. This spring I changed the bear shape to the cuties you see here, and added elephants and bunnies to the mix.

Everything I make at teddylux cashmere is recycled, one-of-a-kind, and earth friendly. I have always been so fortunate to have a core group of customers who value handmade gifts. If you are looking for a unique gift for a new baby, child, or girlfriend, please take a look at teddylux!

farmer's markets in atlanta

this morning my husband and i rode our bikes to the Piedmont Park Green Market. It's on Saturdays, and features local organic produce, breads, pastas, cheeses, honey, granola, and more. The market was buzzing with people shopping organic and supporting local farmers and artisans.

Normally I have private clients on Saturdays, but i had today off, so it was a special treat to bike on over to the Park, shop the market, and do a lap around the park. We bought some tasty looking tomatoes from 2 Doves Farm and a big bunch of basil and cucumber from another organic farm. We're going to make a killer cucumber salad, and I'm going to put some of the tomato on portobello burgers we're grilling Sunday night.

I found this resource, georgia organics, for a list of farmer's markets in Atlanta - there's a lot!

out of the darkness, into the light

When I'm not teaching, and I take a class as a student, I've been tending to really enjoy an intense, challenging, power/Ashtanga blend practice. Which means sweating like crazy during class. I ride my bike there in the Atlanta heat, so I'm hot before we even get started. Afterwards, I'm walking on air - I can feel a marked difference in my body- more space in areas where there was tension before.

My parents gave me a Yogitoes Deity Towel for my birthday. Yogitoes are great for any practice where you generate a lot of heat, or if you tend to have slippery palms. Topside is towelling and the backside is covered in eco-friendly silicone nubs that grip your yoga mat so it stays well anchored. My Yogitoes is silkscreened in gold with the image of Kali Ma, up at the top, for your drishti, or focus point. Kali Ma is The Black Goddess who takes the darkness away from devotees who strives in the path of perfection. A portion of the proceeds from the Deity towels, and there's a rainbow of colors and gods/goddesses, goes to various international charitable organizations. I've been "needing" a Yogitoes for a while now, making do with a little camp towel, and instead of snapping one up, I waited for my birthday, so it would be a special treat, reminding me of my fab parents, and useful gift.

I believe, that as people are becoming more conscious in their consumer choices, that they are going to be more selective in their purchases, and look for products that are meaningful to them. Eco-friendly products are a priority, and also the practices and the values of a company is going to be a greater consideration in purchasing. Overall, I've been trying to purchase less and when I do buy, to buy quality, optimally of an artisanal level made in the USA in a conscious way, maintaining what I have by reworking, reusing and recycling. It seems like this movement is growing, and I think that is a positive change.

drink.more.water.

one of my 2008 mantras.  in my 20s, i used to be thirsty all the time. i had a nalgene water bottle i was constantly filling up and taking with me everywhere. somehow that trailed off, and now i have to keep reminding myself to hydrate more. some days i am just having a few gulps all day long, and that's troubling.

Water is a curative element for headaches, stomachaches, low-energy levels, and general malaise. It's key to a healthy immune system and for efficient body function. Most of us are walking around dehydrated all the time because of all the sugar and caffeine we consume. Often, when we think we're hungry, we're actually dehydrated!

now i have one of those stainless steel SIGG bottles that i recommend - i like the way water tastes coming from it, very fresh. i guess now there are studies that plastic bottles may leach a bit into the water, which sounds like a bad idea, and stainless is supposed to safer. SIGG has all kinds of groovy silkscreened bottles, and though it's rather expensive for a water vessel, if you are mindful and don't leave it behind at the gym or yoga studio, it will last a long time. According to their website "Using a premium reusable bottle like SIGG greatly helps reduce unnecessary environmental waste caused by plastic PET water bottles. Sadly, Americans add over 30 million plastic water bottles to our nation's landfills – everyday!" On the website you can choose the design you like best with the top that works best for you.