5 Tips for Earth Day

Since we have so much happening this month, I am going to keep this part of the newsletter short with 5 easy tips for Earth Day.

1) Change the margins on your printer - Changing printer margins from 1.25 inches to 0.75 inches on all sides reduces the amount of paper you use by almost 5 percent. We could save 6,156,000 trees if everyone in the U.S. made this single change.

2) Put a few tennis balls in the dryer - That’s right, your clothes will dry faster and use less energy by adding tennis balls or ‘dryer balls’. By keeping the clothes from sticking to the sides of the dryer clothes they will tumble more and dry faster. Or, try the old-fashion way of drying them on the line.

3) Drink tap water - Did you know 38 billion water bottles end up in landfills each year where they sit for an average of 700 years before they decompose? Those 38 million bottles require 1.5 million barrels of oil to manufacture. One last fact, studies have shown that one fourth of bottled water is tap water. Tap water is free! And, you can buy a filter if you’re worried about the quality of your water. I use a Brita faucet filter, which even has a program to recycle the filters when you’re done! The best reusable water bottles are SIGG or Klean Kanteen.
Sigg Traveler Classic Water Bottle (1.0-Liters)
Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottles


4) Use Earth911 - http://earth911.com - This website has great info on how to recycle or get rid of almost everything from wire clothes hangers, batteries, electronics, make-up and eye glasses.

5) Try Freecycle - http://www.freecycle.org - This is a great place to get rid of things Goodwill won’t take. All you need to do is post your item, wait for someone to respond, and then schedule a time for them to pick the item up from you. No money is exchanged. My husband and I have freecycle’d three-ring binders, half-used paint cans, DVDs and a paper-shredder.

Peace and love,

Danay

Why Earth Day Is Now One of My Favorite Holidays

When I moved to California in September of 1998 I told myself I would check out this yoga thing. As soon as I was settled I checked out a class and was immediately hooked. I loved the way it made me feel. I wanted more and tried out lots of different classes and took my first training within 3-4 months of moving to California.

Yoga philosophies resonated with my beliefs and I quickly realized that what I put into my body and mind impacted me. As a result, I found myself paying attention more to the world around me. Combined with the experience of living by the ocean the environmentalist in me began to surface. I began recycling, I started picking up trash rather than walking past it, and I started spending more time outside - hiking, walking on the strand, and at that time rollerblading.

My love and passion for the earth continues to grow. I’m now a real ‘tree hugger’ and often cry when I see a tree being cut down. But my commitment is more than that. I no longer use toxic cleaning products, I scrutinize the ingredients and production practices of all of the body products we use, I eat mostly organic food, run all my errands at one time and purchase recycled paper products for YogaBuddies.

Yoga teaches balance through postures, meditation and pranayama (breathing). I’m finding this month I am exploring balance. I like studying Chinese medicine and am fascinated by how it teaches balance through Yin and Yang.

Yang is activity, heat, fire, brightness, excitement, stimulation, the father or masculine energy.

Yin is rest, quiet, completion, fruition, receptiveness, the mother or feminine energy.

Neither is better than the other. In fact we need both – in balance. In our go, go, go and do, do, do (Yang) society we often need to remember to take time to rest, relax, and just be (Yin).

Finding something (healthy) that allows you to let go is very important. Being in nature is often a great way to acknowledge the Yin in your life and (often very quickly) helps keep us grounded.

In honor of Earth Day my recommendations for finding balance in nature are:

- Taking a walk

- Going on a hike

- Sitting under a tree

- Walking in the grass with bare feet

- Smelling a flower

- Sitting at the beach (or near any body of water)

- Standing still outside to listen to the sounds around you

- Gardening

- If you aren’t able to get in nature, close your eyes and visualize a place

YogaBuddies is now on Twitter

You can now connect with YogaBuddies on Twitter.

For a great overview of what Twitter is try watching this two minute video.

Pose of the Month: Around the World

Around the World

Start standing with feet wide apart, arms stretched up above the head and fingertips reaching for the ceiling. Slowly lean the upper body over to the left, bend the left knee, circling the arms toward the left and coming down, sweeping the hands on the floor (make sure knees are bent). Then continue circling the arms up on the right until you have made a circle. Do this several times to the left then switch and circle around several times on the right.


This is a free flowing movement.

10 Tips - Ways for Kids to Celebrate Earth Day

What is Earth Day? Earth Day is like a birthday! Just like a birthday is a special day to celebrate a person, Earth Day is a special day that celebrates the Earth.

Earth Day began on April 22, 1970, in San Francisco, California. Every year, America and over 100 different countries join together in the celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd. Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide. On Earth Day, we remember to appreciate nature and learn ways to protect our environment. (http://www.epa.gov/superfund/kids/earthday.htm. )

Here are some ways that you can protect our environment:
1. Don’t be a couch potato. Turn off the TV and play outside!
2. Not all trash is junk. You can make crafts out of old milk cartons, toilet paper rolls, scrap paper, and other things.
3. Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
4. Pick up trash.
5. Help the Earth by planting trees, flowers, or other plants.
6. Use rechargeable batteries. They keep going and going.
7. Walk or ride your bike instead of going in a car.
8. Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth.
9. Save water by taking a quick shower instead of a bath.
10. Use a reusable bag for your lunch.
(http://library.thinkquest.org/6076/New%20Pages/KidsDoEnvtips.html )

Check out these awesome books about the environment and Earth Day:
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Earth Day Birthday by Patty Schnetzel
Recycle! A Handbook for Kids by Gail Gibbons
Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel