Finding balance for your family.

Green Goes Simple: Family Footprints

Yoga for Families

By Dana Goeglein for Green Goes Simple

For busy families, finding time to spend together can be as hard as finding time to exercise. But what if you could do both at once?

Practicing yoga is a fun, simple way to connect with every member of the family. (Kids and dads can do it too!) Yoga increases strength, flexibility, and according to experts, an energy force called “prana” — so you’re not only saving energy by turning off the television, you’re creating some as well!

Jodi Komitor, the founder of Next Generation Yoga, based in New York and California, began practicing with her family as a teenager. Her interest began while watching her parents move through yoga poses together on a dock overlooking a bay. The setting was stunning, but Komitor also noticed how relaxed they were after practicing. Soon, she was inspired to learn the poses herself, and their family practice was born.

While she started out working with a private instructor twice a week, Komitor later began seeking out group classes to take with her mom. Aside from the physical benefits and time together, Komitor says that practicing yoga made her feel “more open and expressive, and more able to communicate with my friends and family.” She also found that consistent yoga practice increased her patience and tolerance and helped her be more accepting of herself.

For Komitor, this experience sparked a lifelong passion of sharing yoga with children and families. Next Generation Yoga has numerous public and private yoga programs for kids and families throughout New York and California. It’s just one of many local yoga studios throughout the U.S. that’s started offering family yoga classes, giving parents and children a space to explore yoga together with other families.

Whether you’re new to the practice or a seasoned yogi wanting to share your love of yoga with your family, Komitor offers five tips to help you get your brood started:

1.  Do your homework.
If you can’t find a family yoga class in your area, pick up a DVD or an instruction book. You don’t have to be an expert. Simply familiarize yourself with a few basic postures and then share them with your family. Involve your kids in your research and let them guide you to their favorite poses.

2.  Get creative.
Kids are often attracted to yoga because it draws from nature, with poses like Cat, Cow, Tree and Camel, just to name a few. Explore the traditional versions of the poses or allow kids to create their own. Feel free to make animal noises and turn on some music!

3.  Create the space.
Find a quiet room — or better yet, go outdoors. Parks, patios and backyards are fun options, as they let you connect to the nature scenes and animal images many poses invoke. Arrange your mats in a circle so you can face each other and share the experience.

4.  Relax and let go.
A family yoga practice is different from practicing on your own; so let go of any expectations. There are many forms of yoga and many ways to practice, so be open to the unique aspects of practicing with your family. If your kids are young, this probably won’t be a time for quiet and stillness — but a moment of dedicated exploration, playfulness and movement might be even more fun!

5.  Resist the urge to “correct” the postures.
Kids’ bodies are adaptable, and injuries are rare. Unless they’re doing something really risky, let your kids explore the poses without worrying about right and wrong alignment.

If you’ve never experienced the benefits of yoga for yourself, the effects of a regular practice can be far-reaching. Increased calm, mental awareness and patience are just a few of the positive results — as well as stronger abs and more open hamstrings. Making time to support each other’s physical and emotional well-being can help bring even the busiest of families into balance.

Dana Goeglein received a bachelor’s in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a master’s in food studies from New York University. She is a writer, yoga instructor and whole foods educator in New York City, where she strives to help others create harmonious, connected lives.

Green Goes Simple: Conservation at Home

Go Green — and Save Money

By Amy Levin-Epstein for Green Goes Simple

Sure, protecting the environment can sometimes mean spending more, but there are plenty of ways that greening your life can help keep more green in your wallet. “Living green and healthy can be done on a budget and, in many cases, can actually save you money,” says Sara Snow, green lifestyle expert and author of Sara Snow’s Fresh Living. Here are six tips from Snow on how any family — with any budget — can start helping the planet and saving money today.

Make Time for a Tune-up
Next time you get your oil changed, spring for a new air filter, which can improve fuel efficiency by 10 percent. Driving around with a clean air filter, properly inflated tires and working spark plugs can save you as much as $600 a year in fuel and maintenance charges.

Be a Biker
If you haven’t already joined the ranks of the two-wheeled, you can start by buying an inexpensive used bike online. Assuming you spend about $30 a week in gas, you could save up to $1,500 a year in fuel costs by peddling from point A to point B. Even if you only bike once or twice a week, it will still add up to some serious dough. The bonus? You’ll get nice toned legs along the way.

Go Veggie
Not only does meat cost more money than vegetables, it costs the environment more resources, including water and feed. Even if you can’t quit turkey, well, cold turkey, try going veggie a few days each week. If you spend about $20 on meat each week, you could save around $500 a year by eating it half as often. Plus, a healthy plant-based diet may reduce your medical bills as well.

Streamline Your Stuff
Be the ultimate antihoarder by selling valuable household items that you rarely use. The Belgian waffle maker gifted by your Aunt Suzy last Christmas? Let it go. The vintage roller skates you never got around to using? Say goodbye. If you sell your I-made-one-juice-last-year $300 juicer for $100, you’ll be recycling the product — and cycling some money back into your bank account. You can host a garage sale or offload used things to new owners online.

Buy a Better Bulb
Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than standard incandescent lightbulbs. Plus, each CFL can save you about $30 in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb. Figuring that a CFL bulb will last about 10 years, that’s $3 per year per bulb. By replacing 20 bulbs in your house, you’ll save $60 annually in lighting costs — clearly, a bright idea.

Take Control of Your Thermostat
Your thermostat no longer calls the shots automatically. A one-time investment of $30 will upgrade your old device to a programmable version that will allow you to control when and how intensely your home will be heated or cooled. You can also set the thermostat to turn off when you’re away or asleep, saving around $100 a year in energy costs.

Amy Levin-Epstein is a freelance writer who’s been published in magazines like Glamour, Self and Prevention, on websites like AOL, Babble and Details and in newspapers like The New York Post and the Boston Globe. You can read more of her writing at AmyLevinEpstein.com.

Fall Tunics: Keeping It Really Real This Season | EcoSalon: Green Fashion, Culture, News and Lifestyle.

I love this tunic, is it wrong to have an entire wardrobe of gray?

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Planning a Green Vacation

By Rachel Bertsche for Green Goes Simple

I recently returned from a weeklong honeymoon. Aside from being in awe of Croatia’s breathtaking scenery, delicious wine and fabulous seafood, I was struck by the little steps my hotel took to be greener. We had to use our key to turn the lights on in our room, which meant we could never leave the lights on when we weren’t there. Brilliant! Also, the air conditioner only worked when all the windows were closed, so no energy was wasted. Genius!

The hotel’s green tendencies got me thinking about what I could do to increase the eco-friendly factor of all my vacations. Turns out you don’t have to sleep in a tree house to travel green. The International Ecotourism Society offers plenty of tips for making your trip safe for the earth, no matter if you’re booking a five-star getaway or a rustic trek.

“People think sustainable travel means really roughing it, but there are a range of options and a range of opportunities,” says Ayako Ezaki, director of communications for TIES. “You don’t need to be one specific kind of traveler, and you don’t need to be overwhelmed.” Follow these tips for a green vacation everyone will love:

• Before you book, call any hotels or tour operators you’re thinking of using and ask them if they have any environmental policies and if they employ local citizens. Find out if they have any eco-label ratings or have won any eco-awards.

• When choosing your method of travel, think about the hierarchy of transportation. According to TIES, air traffic is responsible for 10 percent of greenhouse gases worldwide. Coach buses are the greenest option, followed by trains, then cars. If you don’t have to fly, consider another mode of transportation.

• While you’re there, support the local community. “The key words we often use are ‘local’ and ‘authentic,’” says Ezaki. “Take advantage of the vast knowledge of the citizens by hiring local tour guides.” Also, skip souvenirs that may have been manufactured thousands of miles away and instead buy gifts made in the community.

• Once you’re home, write reviews and give feedback. “The tourism industry is reputation-focused, so what each traveler can tell a business is more important than you may think,” says Ezaki. “Your message as a consumer is saying, ‘I care about the environment; I want you to be greener.’ That alone will get people to implement change.”

Rachel Bertsche is a Web producer and journalist in Chicago. She’s written for publications including O: The Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Outside and Fitness. She’s currently working on her first book, MWF Seeking BFF, which will be out in 2012. If you can’t wait, check out her blog of the same name.

Having a three year old son and being an artsy person myself we make a lot of art in our house. Finding eco friendly art supplies is important.

One of our favorite mediums is crayons on cardboard. I love the way the colors look on the tan cardboard.

Lately we have been going through more art supplies. Crayons get broke into tiny pieces and become unusable. Play doh doesn’t get put away becomes hard. We paint on the front and back of everything possible.

I am keeping all of the bits of crayons thinking someday I will melt them together and make one big crayon or some cool shapes like these.

recycled crayons

I have seen a lot of recipes for homemade play dough but I haven’t tried any yet, Do you have any that you recommend?

Here are a couple great websites I have came across while looking for eco art supplies :

Clementine Art -Natural. Fresh. Real. I am going to have to check these supplies out. I am especially curious about the paint(especially for my art projects)

Eco-kids eco-kids is dedicated to offering art supplies for creative play the natural way using only the most natural ingredients and eco-friendly packaging.

Green Goes Simple: Family Footprints

How Does Your Garden Grow?

By Rachel Bertsche for Green Goes Simple

If you’re a gardener looking to go green, start by giving yourself a pat on the back: You’ve already taken the first step. The single act of growing food and flowers is a nod to the environment. “What could be simpler and more earth-friendly than putting a seed in the ground and watching its progress? It’s an amazing miracle,” says Sharon Lovejoy, author of Trowel and Error: Over 700 Tips, Remedies and Shortcuts for the Gardener.

If you really want to amp up your green thumb — and thumbprint — all you need to do is roll up your sleeves and dig in. Make it more fun by involving the whole family. “Kids can be involved in all parts of gardening,” says Lovejoy. “Just don’t ever say ‘Let’s go work in the garden.’ It’s ‘Let’s go play in the garden.’”

To keep your garden healthy and safe for the family and the earth, Lovejoy suggests following these easy steps:

1. Use natural pesticides and fertilizers.

It’s hard to imagine that gardening could be bad for the earth, but plenty of pesticides and fertilizers do more harm than good. “The great thing about natural fertilizers is that they replenish the soil without filling it with all sorts of chemicals that can run off into our waterways,” says Lovejoy. “Also, many of the harsh chemical fertilizers kill beneficial insects and active microbes in the soil. People hate to hear this, but spiders do 80 percent of the pest control in your garden, so it’s good to have them.”

2. Skip the hose, opt for rainwater.

Set out rain barrels — or any kind of bucket — to collect rainwater from your roof, then use it to water your garden. “You can cover it with a little bit of screen if you’re worried about mosquitoes laying eggs,” says Lovejoy. “It will save money on your water bill too.”

3. Water your plants early in the day.

A typical household uses more water outside than in, so conservation is key. Lovejoy suggests doing all your watering in the morning. “In the middle of the day, you lose so much to evaporation. You don’t want to give everything up to the air,” she says. Instead of watering multiple times a week, Lovejoy encourages gardeners to water only once but deeply. “One inch of water should soak to a depth of 4 to 12 inches on your lawn. I do a 6- to 8-inch soaking each week to develop long, healthy roots and grass.” Early morning watering is more family-friendly too, since putting everyone to work outside in the high midday heat is a sure recipe for grumpy kids.

4. Buy recycled equipment — or make your own.

If you’re going to use a rubber hose or plastic hand tools, opt for those made from recycled materials. Making garden equipment can double as a great DIY project for the whole family, too. “They sell things to go around trees so you don’t hit them with a weed wacker. Instead, you can just take a plastic milk jug, cut off the top and bottom, and make a slit down the side to concoct your own tree collar,” says Lovejoy.  “[You can also] start plants in old milk containers or make cloches for stuff you want to protect out of the tops of plastic water bottles.”

5. Go native.

Gardeners often opt for exotic plants rather than what comes naturally to the environment. It may look fancy, but it’s not so eco-savvy. Growing plants that are native to your region provides food and shelter for wildlife like butterflies and hummingbirds, and requires fewer pesticides and fertilizers since the plants are already adjusted to the soil. “Natives are perfectly designed with your area so they’ll fit in with all the weather in your state,” says Lovejoy. If you don’t know which plants are native to your region, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Wildflower.org/plants) lists them all by state.

Rachel Bertsche is a Web producer and journalist in Chicago. She’s written for publications including O: The Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Outside and Fitness. She’s currently working on her first book, MWF Seeking BFF, which will be out in 2012. If you can’t wait, check out her blog of the same name.

These are so comfortable, it’s like being barefoot. Plus you know when you buy a pair of Toms they donate a pair to child in need. 

TOMS Classics Available Online, Inspired By Argentine Alpargatas..

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How Does It Work? Composting

By Amy Levin-Epstein for Green Goes Simple

I’ve always known my plants could benefit from the fertilizing effects of my family’s cooking scraps, but for me, the idea of composting usually conjured up images of stinky containers bulging with fermenting cucumbers and rotten tomatoes. The process seemed complicated — and intimidating! But instead of continuing to guiltily toss my carrot peels and apple cores in with the rest of the garbage, I asked Deb Martin, co-author of The Complete Compost Gardening Guide, for some tips on using waste wisely.|

How exactly does composting work?
Compost gets made by organisms — from earthworms to bacteria — feeding on organic material and breaking it down.

Why is composting green?
Composting takes the nutrients in parts of food we don’t use and gives them back to the soil, where they can support the growth of more food. Also, it reduces the amount of trash that will never break down in a landfill.

How do I get started?
For outdoor use, you’ll need one part wet waste (like veggie scraps) and two or three parts dry waste (like newspaper), plus air and water. In an area of your lawn or garden, combine the ingredients and dampen them until they’re about as wet as a squeezed-out sponge. Stirring or turning the ingredients circulates air and keeps the process moving, which prevents the “rotten” smell.

How can urbanites compost if they don’t have room for a garden?
For apartment dwellers, there are several options: worm composting bins; under-the-sink units that grind, turn and aerate the materials; and even composting cooperatives.

For more on composting, visit CompostGardening.com.

Amy Levin-Epstein is a freelance writer who’s been published in magazines like Glamour, Self and Prevention, on websites like AOL, Babble and Details and in newspapers like The New York Post and the Boston Globe. You can read more of her writing at AmyLevinEpstein.com.

I was blown away by the incredible line up of speakers. The first person I met was the Editor in Chief from Treehugger, Meaghan O’Neil. As a huge fan of Treehugger I was thrilled. She spoke on the second day of the Forum on Green Media.

Here are some of the things I learned

• Californians need to vote and get the word out  on Prop 23, a bill that would kill clean tech jobs and innovation. http://www.StopDirtyEnergyProp.com/
• 85% of purchase decisions at home are made by women
• Plastics in the U.S. are made with 69% natural gas
• Vegetable glues are being used in eco chic shoes
• 30% of U.S. kids are obese
• Our children have a lower life expediency  then previous generations.
• The coast line has risen 9 inches in the last 100 years

My biggest take aways from the Forum were

• Don’t give up, we can make a difference
• Follow your gut, go for it!
• Build up your network, women are great at collaborating
• Engaged citizens can level the playing field with special interest groups

I couple of great women I met at the forum were from:

Recycle Match - a company that match those with waste with companies that can use it!

Natural Mill – an indoor compost bin!