Conscious Living TV Blog

Winter White is Right - 02.03.12 / Style

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Nothing quite does it for me like the color white. Brides wear it to their weddings. Babies wear it to their christenings. Back in the ‘70s, John Lennon and Yoko wore it almost everywhere. Not surprising. It’s the color of purity, the color of clouds, and in winter, the color of falling snow.

Though so-called “fashion experts” claim white is to be worn only in the summer (between Memorial Day and Labor Day, naturally), true fashion icons know differently. Like black, red, navy or brown, in the right fabric, the right cut, and the proper tone (which of course, varies according to complexion), white is not only suitable for wearing year-round, it’s the perfect neutral: a go-to foundation for any stylish wardrobe.

Understanding this intuitively, when given the choice to pick up this adorable poncho by Ponchissimo in basic black, heather grey or even a warm brown, I jumped at the chance to take it home in winter white. It’s not quite ivory, not quite cream, and much richer than off-white. And against my dark skin with white shades, it was a show-stopper on Park City’s Main Street during this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Although I have a penchant for timeless pieces that transcend “trends”, the fact that ponchos are on point this season is worthy of mention. And, the fact that this poncho was made in accordance with fair trade principles from sustainably harvested keep-me-toasty alpaca wool was a bonus, though even that didn’t seal the deal. What did? The removable, button-off belt with built-in zippered pocket.

And so, when I’m traveling lightly on walkable city jaunts around Chicago, New York and even on Main Street, it provides a nipped-in, peplum-like silhouette that securely fits my keys, credit cards, and I-phone in one place. And when I’m feeling a bit more dramatic, like I was in this photo taken by my friend and stylist Souk Supantavong on our first day at the festival--I can unloop the buttons, nix the pouch, and channel my inner Diana Ross.

Going steadfast with the theme, I donned a pair of these faux fur boot covers from Huggrz, which I discovered at one of Sundance’s ubiquitous celebrity eco lounges. They create the illusion of full boots, but like leg warmers, pull up easily over leggings or jeans. Best of all, they’re vegan, and come in almost every color and texture—including a buttery soft, sherpa-like winter white.

To see conscious coverage of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, including A-list interviews, or for more on the hottest eco-fashion, tune in to Conscious Living TV.

A Man A Bike And A Food Fight - 06.15.11 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

By Lynn Hasselberger

Determined to raise $50,000 for the Nature Conservancy, Nathan Winters spent 5 months pedaling 4,300 miles across the country. I met Nathan on twitter of all places—where he’s been touted as one of “The Top 20 Real Food Advocates to Follow”—and was intrigued by what could possibly motivate a man to set out on such a journey.

Nathan explains in this excerpt from his book, An Unconventional Harvest—

    Why did I spend 5 months pedaling 4,300 miles across the country to rediscover our food system? Before I answer that question, I must point out that a major transition in my personal life and the undertaking of this journey had inexplicably collided with 3 timely events:

        The economic collapse of 2008 reared its ugly head. While our newly elected President, Barack Obama was busy bailing out big bankers on Wall Street – the middle class working on Main Street were struggling to get by. No one felt the shattering impact more than our nation’s farmers and rural communities.
        Our food system had become a hot topic. 2 months after my departure the controversial documentary Food Inc. was released claiming that agribusiness produces food that is unhealthy, environmentally harmful and abusive of both animals and its employees.
        The social media phenomenon was in full swing. Web based services such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook were growing their user base at an exponential rate. Suddenly, sharing user generated content with the masses was as easy as two taps on an iPhone.

    It was the perfect recipe for an interactive journey into our food system. Before this nomadic excursion came to me I was busy working for a software development company specializing in the delivery of data driven fantasy sports applications. I was competing in the rat race of Los Angeles, working nearly 80 hours a week and trying hard to grab the attention of my peers. One morning it was business as usual until I got called into a meeting and informed that the company I had faithfully served was no longer in need of my services. Like millions of other hard working Americans, I had gotten laid off and was now in the unemployment line.

    With a plethora of much needed free time on my hands I made a typical visit to the dog park with my beautiful dog Chaya. As she wrestled with her canine friends, I soaked up the sun and overheard a man rambling on and on about his wonderful getaway in Thailand filled with pristine beaches, cheap lodging and 2 hour Thai massages. His enthusiasm undoubtedly resonated with me and two hours later I returned home and booked a ticket to Bangkok. What can I say? I was feeling spontaneous.

    For the last 2 weeks of what turned out to be a 2 month soul searching quest through South East Asia I drank cocktails and spent countless hours drifting aimlessly on a raft off the Island of Ko Chang. As the days slipped by and I carelessly squandered the hours bobbing up and down on the crystal clear waters, I started to reminisce about one of my favorite books written by Peter Jenkins called A Walk Across America. Ultimately, Jenkins’ disillusionment with society in the 1970’s drove him out onto the road on a walk across America to find himself. It was an amazing story full of personal growth, adventure and American culture. Needless to say I was in a place in my life where I could genuinely relate to Jenkins, his wanderlust and his state of confusion.

    Don’t get me wrong, before this trek I had done my share of American travel. In fact, I accrued well over 50,000 road trip miles via automobile. As my gas powered engine whipped me across the heartland in pursuit of national parks and the next tourist attraction, I had never taken the time to get to know my fellow Americans. More importantly I had never taken the time to get to know the people in small towns across America. Suddenly, I was consumed by an overwhelming sense of discontentment and as far as I was concerned there were too many stones I had left unturned. This is when I decided to embark upon my slow journey across America.

    It took Jenkins 3 years to walk from Connecticut to New Orleans. I decided a bike ride would suit me better.

    With my new found mission and in preparation for my upcoming journey I returned to my hometown in central Pennsylvania where I witnessed a huge transition in both the landscape and the local economy. I hadn’t been home in well over a year and I was quick to notice that Pennsylvania no longer felt like the rural and scenic hometown I had remembered growing up. Instead, I observed so much farmland lost to commercial and residential development that I could barely recognize the place. And sure enough, according to the American Farmland Trust, Pennsylvania had lost 1.6 million acres of rural land due to development between the years of 1982 and 2007. It seemed as though everyone back home was now living in some housing development called “Cedar Meadows” or “Pine Trail Estates”, but without the meadows or pine trails.

    In such difficult economic times I grew frustrated to know that the only “local” businesses that seemed to be thriving were the corporate giant Wal-Mart and its nearby fast food establishments. It just seemed odd to me that people were willing to give their money to multi-billion dollar corporations before they would invest in their own community. Granted, I had just come back from Southern California, one might anticipate a good bit of culture shock when returning home to a small blue collar town. But still, why weren’t the local establishments thriving? What had happened to much of the pristine farmland I remembered from my youth? Was this happening elsewhere? There was only one way to find out.

    My journey now had a purpose and I was in search of the true answers. It was time to hit the road.

    * * *

You can read more excerpts from Nathan’s book on CookingUpAStory.com. A new excerpt is posted every Wednesday.

I especially like this quote from one of the farmer’s Nathan met along the way.

    “The environment affects agriculture and agriculture affects food and food effects people’s well-being. We should try and think about what we can do to make things better and would help assure that our future generations of children will be able to eat and have nutrition.” ~Meagen Kresge, Gather Round Farm, Cleveland, OH from Nathan’s book An Unconventional Harvest

Video from the road.

    “On this journey I met and talked with many organizations and individuals that are very concerned and knowledgeable in regards to climate change and the role industrial agriculture plays in that relationship. Here are a few snippets I felt were important to share.” ~Nathan Winters

Mimi Arnstein from Wellspring Farm talks about the importance of not only getting to know your local farmer but, more importantly, get to know the land and then you will truly have a connection to where your local food comes from.

“We forget that food grows from the earth, with the help of people.” “Part of the solution is in fact to getting to know the growers. But to dig a potato and to pull carrots from the earth, that is moving for people. It’s not just about you purchasing from me. I want you to get on my farm and pick a tomato. That makes the difference.”            ~ Mimi Arnstein, Wellspring CSA, Marshfield, VT

Book reviews—

    “The Unconventional Harvest seeks to reconnect us to our agricultural roots and put on a face on the farmers who provide Americans with food on a daily basis. This book shows us that agriculture is something that has been, and always will be, ingrained in America’s cultural identity.”
    ~ Greg Plotkin, Sustainable Food Writer – Change.org

    “Winters has a knack for painting compelling word pictures, while taking us on an important agricultural journey. Read along and you will experience more than four thousand miles of farm and ranch faces, widely variable production methods and a genuine taste of what rural living is allabout in the 21st century. “
    ~ Hank Will, Editor in Chief – GRIT Magazine

    “Winters has discovered along his slow, cross-country bicycle journey, the deeper meaning behind our food system. The probing questions he asks, provide a raw view into the soul of modern American life—finding remote pockets of hope—alive, for a richer, hungry tomorrow.”
    ~ Fred Gerendasy, co-founder – Cooking Up a Story

    “A book that brings home the true essence of a young man on a mission, and shares his eye-popping agricultural education with us in a comforting, passionate way. He took it upon himself to learn where his food comes from, and the results are mind numbing and powerful. It’s a journey with whimsy, tact and brings moving portraits of the food heroes along the way.”
    ~Dean Sparks, Founder – Empire Organics

    “This journey seamlessly blends the stories of American Farmers with the hard hitting facts of the food crisis in this country. As someone who has spent way too much time reading about food, I enjoyed entering into the lives of the individuals across the country who aren’t always included in the dialogue: the farmers. And you don’t just learn about their job, you get to know them as individuals. A very tranformative read.”
    ~Daniel Klein, Founder – The Perennial Plate

More about Nathan.

Nathan currently lives in Vermont where he farms seasonally. He has become deeply rooted into the sustainable food movement and various issues surrounding agriculture through his writing and activism. He continues to fight the food fight on his blog, Fair Food Fight.

For more information about his latest adventures visit http://www.follownathan.org You can also follow Nathan on Twitter, @follownathan.

The Return of Tribal Style - 06.12.11 / Style

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

By Bianca Alexander, Esq.

In a society where looking like everybody else and “fitting in” is often embraced over stepping out as an individual, it’s refreshing to see a unique fashion trend dominating the Paris, Milan and New York runways: tribal style. From ethnic fabrics to exotic prints, almost every designer has incorporated aspects of this look into their current lines.

According to Vogue, “tribal” is a convenient catch-all term for a new look that encompasses anything pre-industrial, aboriginal, or indigenous. Despite the buzz, there’s really nothing new about it. Historically, ethnic styles influenced Western mode for centuries, but became more prominent beginning in the 20th century. Then, the culture of colonization made traditional ethnic dress obsolete, leaving a cultural void. Its resurgence today represents a push back against our over-industrialized, “melting pot” society, where farming, manufacturing, and even human life are relegated to the assembly line in search of the “hot dog and apple pie” American dream.

The saturation of 24/7 technology, computers, PDAs and social media give us the tools to consume more, faster. Despite the gains technology has created for mankind, it’s also created a disconnection from our truest essence. As a result, our Spirits crave something with more soul substance--something more permanent, authentic and fulfilling. Like most art forms, fashion is a visible symbol of the subconscious, unmet cravings and aspirations of our time. It’s a relatively risk-free, non-verbal step towards expressing deep-seated emotions and desires. Consequently, wearing indigenous fashion may allow us to return to a simpler, more primitive time where community and nature mattered more than how quickly and how much we consumed. By donning these sacred fabrics and symbols, we may once again be able to navigate and embrace our place in history, society and the world at large.

Tribal Style Basics
Tribal style embodies an ethnic journey across multiple continents, textures and tones. A few defining characteristics:

1. Exotic International Fabrics. Many indigenous peoples wore special fabric to denote geographic origin, status and position in the tribe. On the runways, designers are mixing ethnic textiles like African Batik and Kente cloth prints, Indonesian Ikat fabrics, Indian Saris, and Chinese dragon silks with contemporary, Western silhouettes.

2. Indigenous Accessories. These looks are often adorned with chunky necklaces, wood and bone earrings and bracelets and native beadwork. Colorful turbans, gladiator sandals, Eskimo boots and bohemian head-wraps ground the look.

3. Global Safari Chic: Slim & sexy cargo pants, out-of-Africa jackets, harem pants and military uniforms evoke the neutrality and comfort needed to travel the world in style for the adventure of a lifetime.

4. Animal Prints. In pre-historic times, our connection with animals was more immediate—which is why leopard will never go out of style! Cheetah, zebra and giraffe prints offer fresh takes on an old favorite.

5. Hair Statement. It’s almost impossible to walk down a city street without seeing a Native American Mohawk, Afro, or dreds.

Your guide to rocking tribal style
If these looks feel a little over the top, don’t be afraid to modify to your own personal style. Ultimately, the goal of fashion is to express your authentic self, so it needs to work for you. If your wardrobe is mostly shades of gray, incorporate a pop of tribal color with a neutral top or bottom. At the office, sport heels with a cargo jacket over a blouse and jeans, slacks, or skirt. For a night on the town, dress up traditional fabrics with metallic shoes and accessories. No need to go on a shopping spree—find these looks at your local flea market, Goodwill, vintage boutique or best friend’s closet.

No matter which clan speaks to your style soul, play dress up and have fun with it. We all have an inner “indigenous queen” dying to get out and express herself. Sure, it’s just fashion, but it could be the easiest way to embrace, allow and empower something essential—and beautiful--about the primal you.
--
For more tips on ethnic style, visit the Style page of Conscious Living TV, or watch “Africa Rising: Modahnik” to see it live on the conscious catwalk at Vert Couture 2010.

The Year in Conscious Fashion - Part One - 06.08.11 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

By Bianca Alexander

2011 is only half way over and already it has been a record year for conscious fashion.

For starters, color is back in a major way. Not long ago, the book on style began and ended with the elegant and oh-so-predictable LBD (little black dress), required reading as a simple cure-all for every fashion occasion. By contrast, this year’s designers are mixing cool metallic fibers with an out of the ordinary spectrum of cobalt blues, tribal tangerines and royal magentas. This expanded color palette offers modern fashionistas more authentic means of self-expression, allowing them to reflect a more complex continuum of mood and emotion through their personal style choices.

At last, it seems that runways are also becoming more diverse. In the days before Beverly Johnson and Naomi Campbell, it was almost unheard of for ethnic-looking women to have a presence on haute couture runways. Though the fashion industry still falls short of reflecting the diversity of the world from which it draws inspiration, today supermodels like Alex Wek, Chanel Iman, Jourdan Dunn and Anais Mali are gracing couture catwalks from Paris to Milan—and occasionally covers of international fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle & W.

And just when you thought they were finally put to rest, the roaring 70’s are back for yet another round. With environmental decimation lurking over our heads and the U.S. now at war with over 45 countries, the socio-political culture of 2011 is reminiscent of the Vietnam era. Under this historical backdrop, ideals of peace and environmental sustainability are also back by popular demand, along with new notions of gender and racial equality. Fashionably speaking, as a child of the ‘70s, I’ve gladly re-incorporated bell bottoms, platform shoes and afros into my look, and designers seem to be doing the same. Brands like Yves Saint Laurent and their New Vintage line are re-mastering 70’s silhouettes with cleaner finishes and eco tie-dying processes, bringing a chic edge and added longevity to what seems to be a never-say-die decade.

But by far the fashion highlight of the year has been the rise of sustainable fashion. Though conscious fashion became increasingly popular with stars like Bono (whose wife launched Edun, a high end eco-fair trade line sold at Barney’s), it has had little to no measurable impact on the mainstream garment industry. Until now. This year, some big box stores--often criticized for manufacturing cheap sweatshop clothing with a high cost to human life and the planet--have launched more responsible lines, like H & M’s “Conscious Collection” made from recycled fabrics, organic cotton and renewable materials like tencel.

This year also marked the launch of Runway to Green, an initiative designed to foster environmental awareness and pair top designers with eco-causes. The kick-off was held at the second annual Bid to Save the Earth event, held this spring at Christie’s New York. Produced by the editors of Vogue, the event welcomed a well-heeled crowd of philanthropists, designers, and A-list fashionistas (eco-supermodel Angela Lindvall, Zoe Kravitz and actress Diane Kruger were in the house, among others).

Upon arriving at the event wearing a kelly green polymorphic dress by 71 Jules, I went with the flow and took my husband Michael’s hand, following him up carpeted stairs to the second level and event floor. A small, well-mannered crowd formed a queue at the entrance to a side door. We followed suit, and within seconds unwittingly found ourselves back stage side by side with none other than Anna Wintour (editor of Vogue) and celebrity make-up artist Pat McGrath. Later, we found our seats amidst a standing room only crowd and the fundraising began. The auction, emceed by comedian Seth Myers, included amazing gifts like a trip to Paris for a personal fitting and shopping spree at Chanel, a flight with Harrison Ford on his private plane, and a four star food and wine lovers’ vacation to Italy. With bids ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 a pop, the auction and retail event on net-a-porter.net raised nearly $4.3 million for four of the world’s leading, science-based environmental nonprofits including: Oceana, National Resources Defense Council, Central Park Conservancy and Conservation International.

Bianca Alexander wearing 71 Jules, Michelle Harper

Afterwards, guests were treated to a delicious preview of Fall 2011 haute couture looks by top designers like Rachel Roy, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu and Tory Burch, all set amidst a runway backdrop of luscious green foliage. My personal favorite—sadly one of the few 100% sustainable looks presented on the catwalk—was a cozy colorblock dress by Stella McCartney made from orange organic wool and alpaca. Though notably fashion forward, most of the garments showcased were disappointingly far from “eco”. Notwithstanding, Runway to Green represented a significant step in the right direction: all of the designers featured committed to investigating how to incorporate more sustainable manufacturing practices as set forth by the National Resource Defense Council’s Clean by Design initiative. The evening concluded with a surprise performance by Billboard charting Nikki Minaj, who wore a two-foot tall green and white wig a la Marie Antoinette. Like her wig, the event evoked the spirit of the burgeoning green style revolution—and how it translates to wider, more mainstream audiences.

2012 has been predicted by many as the year our world will make a “shift” in consciousness. Looking back at the year of fashion in 2011, it looks like the shift has already begun.

For the latest trends in eco-fashion, check out the Conscious Living TV style page.

The Greener Side of Tulum - 05.06.11 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Pick your Own Shade of Green When Hitting the Beaches, Yoga and Bikini Bootcamps in Tulum, Mexico
By Judith Nemes

There are many shades of green when it comes to eco-travel. And in a magical, remote, yoga-inspired beachfront town like Tulum, the green-minded globetrotter can easily find a way to dial it up or down, depending on how minimalist, rustic or eco-chic you want your vacation to be.

our private deck, Azulik Resort

Flying into Cancun, known for its all-inclusive commercialized resorts and hordes of wild college students on spring break, it’s hard to imagine that 90 minutes down Mexico’s Riviera Maya is a town off the grid that’s dotted with boutique hotels powered by wind turbines and solar panels. Once you pass Cancun and Playa del Carmen further down the coast, you get the distinct feeling you’re peeling away layers of noisy, touristy civilization.

Tulum is a well-known magnet for its yoga retreats and Mayan spas, including Maya Tulum and Retiro Maya, but there’s plenty there for anyone not interested in perfecting their eagle pose or chanting Om on the beach at sunrise. The soft, sandy Caribbean beach goes on for miles, with options to rent kayaks and take kiteboarding lessons or bake in the seductive sun like one of the iguanas you’re likely to see slithering by where the sand meets the jungle a few hundred feet away.

For those who want to leave in better shape than when they arrived, there’s the famous Bikini Bootcamp at Amansala, run by Melissa Perlman, an American who escaped New York after 9/11. More on that later.

Nature lovers are drawn to the area to explore Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, the largest protected area in Mexico at 1.3 million acres. There’s an estimated 103 known mammal species and 336 known bird species within the reserve, as well as nesting grounds for many species of wading birds.

Entrance to the reserve opens at the southern end of Tulum’s winding beach road. Tourists can sign up for a range of guided activities, including canal tours through the lagoons of Caapechen and Boca Paila, sunset birdwatching tours, and kayaking. Enjoy a lovely sunset dinner at the CESiaK Restaurant, part of the biosphere’s own laid-back eco-resort within (http://www.cesiak.org).

Snorkeling and scuba diving are big draws at nearby cenotes, or freshwater caves. The largest, most popular one is aptly named Gran Cenotes, west toward the Coba ruins about 2 miles past the main intersection in town. You can rent snorkeling and diving equipment on the premises.

There’s no shortage of cenotes in other spots nearby. A couple of small ones are sketchily marked off the roadside just before entering the Sian Ka’an Biosphere and a few more are just off the highway north of Tulum heading towards Playa del Carmen, including Cenote Dos Ojos.

Tulum is also famous for its own seaside Mayan ruins about three miles north of town that was considered an important port city hundreds of years ago. Much less spectacular than the acclaimed ruins at Chichen Itza, but still worth the trip.

The city is walled in on three sides, with the cliff-top coast on the eastern border (Tulum means fortification or walled city). The fortress city is believed to have been built around 300 BC, but most of the buildings appear to date from between 1200 to 1500 AD, when the Mayans inhabited the city. Guided tours are available, but you can purchase small guidebooks brimming with information and most structures have signposts with descriptions of their ancient functions and architectural features.

No matter how internationally hip or traditionally Mexican the food is prepared in Tulum, the common denominator for all is local and fresh. Fish is caught daily in the local Caribbean waters and fruit and vegetables come from nearby farms run by Mexican farmers.

There’s plenty of beach side restaurants with a cool vibe and fabulous food. Hipsters were streaming in to Posada Margherita, a chic Italian open-air restaurant and hotel with a bohemian tone set by the wildly-tattooed owner Alessandro Carozzino, who will sit at your table and gently urge you to have the red snapper cooked in seawater topped with tomatoes, olive oil and pine nuts. It may be the best fish you’ve ever had. Another night we returned to indulge in grilled lobster covered by a mound of homemade tagliatelle, asparagus and tomatoes and white wine.

At Casa Violeta, a lounge-y open restaurant with hanging white paper lantern globes swinging in the tropical breeze, we loved the zucchini and eggplant carpaccio that came with the house starter of grilled flatbread with olive oil, rosemary and sea salt. Appetizers were followed by giant grilled mojito shrimp and vegetables on skewers. One morning we had a delightful breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt, cinnamon french toast, flaky croissants and cappuccinos at Be Tulum, an uber-chic hotel and restaurant at the far southern end of the beachfront that is a big draw for folks in the fashion and advertising industry. We had the option to stay for the day at the hotel beach club that offered plush raised beds on the sand covered in fluffy blue and white striped towels. We took a pass and hit the Mayan ruins instead.

A British green home interior designer I met at Bikini Bootcamp raved about the ceviche at La Zebra’s tequila beach bar (http://www.lazebratulum.com/). And at Amansala, a waiter happily delivered to our beach chairs a huge platter of grouper fish tacos and side salad with ginger and honey vinaigrette, plenty for two to share. We washed down our al fresco lunch with frozen mint margaritas and an icy, local Modelo beer.

Further down the beach strip across from Parayso on the jungle side of the narrow winding road is Hartwood Restaurant, a newcomer barely open a few months that’s already getting buzz as one of the best places to eat in Tulum. Owner/chef Eric Werner, a veteran New York chef, cooks only a handful of dishes each night in the open wood-burning oven that diners can see at the far end of the candle-lit open-air space. That night, we feasted on plump shrimp, cauliflower and tomatoes sauteed in anchovy butter right out of the iron skillet, then shared a delicate pan-roasted whole red snapper with cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs, and roasted eggplant drizzled with Mayan honey.

Hartwood owner Eric Werner, prepares dinner

There are lots of other dining choices off the beachfront too. With a short ride into the town of Tulum, you’ll find a strip of restaurants, Mexican trinket shops and India-inspired jewelry and craft stores along the main drag of Avenida Tulum. We ate at La Nave, a classic Italian eatery where we enjoyed thin-crust prosciutto, mozzarella and arugula pizza and traditional lasagna bolognese. We rounded out our meal with an inexpensive Cabernet from Chile.

At the far southern end of the strip, locals sang the praises of El Camello, a no-frills inexpensive Mexican seafood joint with lines down the block at prime time. Other notables in town include Altamar, a South American seafood place, and Ginger, a haute cuisine restaurant one block west off the strip that offers eclectic entrees including fish fillet with passion fruit and tuna with tamarind sauce.

Travelers who find their way to Tulum tend to fall into one of several categories: A hip, bohemian eco-chic crowd, many adorned with tattoos or wearing India-inspired breezy shifts; the yoga-minded individuals seeking a getaway that’s restorative and peaceful; and the nature lover in search of pristine beaches and protected natural habitats that aren’t yet overrun with masses of cookie-cutter tourists. You can also spot the occasional dread-locked hippie walking roadside with backpack in tow, thumbing a ride to a nearby hostel or campground. Common to all is a desire to leave a small carbon footprint while engaging in their own travel adventure.

What shade of green is your travel flavor?

My husband and I began our week-long trip to Tulum by checking in at Azulik, a no-electricity beachfront hotel on the strip that’s part of a trio of upscale cabanas/villas catering to travelers looking for a decidedly rustic (but pricey) way of dropping out. Owned by Eco-Tulum Hotels Group (http://www.ecotulum.com/), Azulik consists of a handful of minimalist-decorated villas perched high atop a rocky cliff overlooking the Caribbean sea. The other two Eco-Tulum hotels next door are Copal (less expensive one-room villas tucked into the jungle just off the beachfront), and Zahra, the only one of the three that welcomes children. The resort is an apparent draw for Europeans. A London art dealer and his younger British female companion were our neighbors on one side and a hipster couple from Barcelona were staying in the villa just south of us.

Azulik’s villas were built with local sustainable materials, and have a decidedly minimalist Balinese feel. Our thatched-roof hut had a comfy, large bed with a netted canopy and side tables, a swinging mattress for lounging, a bathtub for two carved out of a native tree with a hand-held spray for showering, and a couple of tables with chairs. Only saltwater flowed from the tub, or canoe, as my husband affectionately called it.

Each villa has a private deck that juts out over the rocks with a sunken over-sized tub that beckons you to step in and relax while you watch pelicans Kamikaze-diving for their daily fish or check out sunbathers at the adjacent clothing-optional beach. The view of the Caribbean sea stretching out forever to the horizon was nothing short of spectacular.

The hotel leaves candles in glasses around the room, but you’d be wise to bring flashlights to find your way at night. During our trip in mid-January, the sun set around 5:30 p.m. and we suddenly found ourselves bathed in darkness with nothing to see but the glow of candles amid a backdrop of the sound of Caribbean waves crashing against the rocks below. Thankfully, we remembered to charge our MacBook, iPad and BlackBerry with 3G at the reception desk where a couple of power strips were packed with chargers hooked up to a bevy of laptops and smartphones. Even without electricity in our villa, two bars on my BlackBerry were enough to keep us in touch with civilization if we were so inclined.

The sunrises were magnificent -- hard to miss when the first rays of daylight come blazing in through the wide wooden slats of our villa. I loved the idea of staying in a place completely off the grid -- an antidote to our hectic, city-oriented energy-filled lives back home in Chicago. There was something romantic about moving around by candlelight after dark, as long as you weren’t looking for anything tucked too far out of reach.

Room service was available, but the food from Copal Restaurant didn’t measure up to the fantastic cuisine we were sampling further down the beach. And while the Maya Spa on Eco-Tulum’s grounds got good reviews from a psychotherapist/yoga instructor on her umpteenth visit from Washington, D.C., my scheduled appointment with a highly-recommended Mayan healing massage therapist was a no-show.

The idea of living ascetically with no power whatsoever was adventuresome initially, but the novelty wore off and we quickly decided it wasn’t the right shade of green for us.

After about four days, we decided to change it up for Amansala, an eco-chic boutique hotel owned by Melissa Perlman and famous for its Bikini Bootcamp and yoga retreats. We found its accommodations more to our speed, while still leaving the gentle footprint we sought for this trip. There was electricity everywhere powered by the sun and WiFi in the restaurant and lounge area a few sandy steps from our lovely beachfront room.

We had a walk-in shower with terrific pressure and windows covered with wispy scarves in fiery shades of orange and red. No need for air conditioners -- the ocean breeze was delightful, though a bit humid. A funky Indian chest was at the foot of our canopied bed and one stucco wall was decorated with tiles shaped into a whimsical curlicue that we found repeated throughout the compound as a reminder to feel at one with the universe. After all, Amansala, as Melissa tells it, means peaceful water in Sanskrit.

One morning I joined a group of hard-bodied gals (aged in their mid-30s to early 50s) at Bikini Bootcamp for a 7 a.m. walk in silence along the beach followed by an intense workout led by Josh the trainer who kicked our butts for another hour. We made our way back with a long sprint to the volley ball net, then a series of deep lunges back to Josh’s line in the sand. We sweated through some cardio-boxing moves, jumping jacks and tricep dips off the end of our beach chairs. Our session ended with a grueling round of ab work that was bound to make a difference in our bikinis.

We were rewarded with a breakfast of vanilla yogurt, granola and big bowls of fresh papaya, pineapple, cantaloupe and bananas that awaited us at Amansala’s open-air restaurant with long communal tables.

Some of us then joined others in a yoga class and inspirational session led by that week’s yoga retreat leader Sadie Nardini (http://www.sadienardini.com/). An internationally-acclaimed yoga instructor and wellness expert, Sadie was at Amansala teaching her personal brand of Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga and imparting her message of self-empowerment and balanced living. Sadie is based out of Studio 94 in Brooklyn, N.Y., but travels the globe leading retreats and workshops.

The yoga class took place in an open room above the dining area with wide-open windows that faced the ocean and let a cool breeze waft into the space. Sadie focused on strengthening our pelvic core as she led us through a series of Vinyasa flow and balancing poses that helped stretch and relax my tired limbs from the early morning workout.

I bowed out of the late-morning activity where Melissa and her helpers slathered participants from head to toe in yellow clay and honey, then led them through a meditation at the water’s edge. When they were done, they dunked in the water to rinse off the dried clay and wash away the troubles they brought with them on vacation.

On my last day in Tulum, I got my Mayan healing massage after all. It turned out the same Mayan healer who canceled on me days earlier was on the roster of massage therapists at Amansala too. He led me to a thatched roof hut high in the treetops across the road where my only instructions were to listen to the birds call to each other in the jungle just outside the hut and submit to his healing hands as the sun set in the distance. The 90-minute experience was nothing short of transformative.

I left Tulum with a healthy glow, some wispy scarves in orange and blue with peaceful Sanskrit messages, and a few locally-crafted bracelets. Packed away in my suitcase was a Bikini Bootcamp tank top from Amansala’s gift shop to remind me where I want to return with a couple of girlfriends next winter.

Namaste.

Judith Nemes is a Chicago-based freelance journalist specializing in green issues and urban sustainability. She writes a weekly column online for Crain’s Chicago Business called Green Scene and freelances for the Chicago Tribune, Edible Chicago, GreenBiz.com and other publications.
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Fun Ways to Spend Earth Day - 04.15.11 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Spring marks the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, a holiday adopted globally on April 22, 1970 to foster greater levels of environmental awareness and protection. With Chicago’s commitment to being one of the greenest cities in the U.S., there’s no shortage of fun events this season to help you and yours celebrate Mother Earth and learn how to live more sustainably.

1.   “Design for a Living World” Exhibit. Witness the best of sustainable design from around the world at The Nature Conservancy’s exhibit featuring commissioned eco-works from ten acclaimed designers, including Isaac Mizrahi, who transform organic materials into one-of-a-kind works of art. Catch the live exhibit beginning May 15th at the Field Museum, or stop by Millennium Park beginning April 13th for a photo exhibit showcasing the design ethic behind each masterpiece. After, grab a bag lunch and hit the lawn for The Nature Conservancy’s “Picnic for the Planet”. www.Natureconservancy.org

2.     Hug a Tree or Run a 10K. If you love trees, celebrate Arbor Day, the oldest environmental holiday in the U.S. on April 29th with a visit to the Morton Arboretum just outside Chicago. While you’re there, take an tram tour of the 1,700-acre grounds home to over 4,000 tree species, then bring the kids to a tree-planting led by character Curious George in the award-winning Children’s Garden. For a more vigorous workout, sign up for the Bloom & Zoom race on April 16th. During this challenging USATF-certified 10K course, you’ll experience the sights, sounds and smells of springtime amidst the beauty of crabapple, magnolia and daffodil. www.mortonarb.org.

3.   Green Metropolis Fair. Whether you’re a certified treehugger or curious about going green, this event offers something for everyone: four family-friendly floors of green vendors, a food market with local chefs and farm animals, and hands-on presentations covering everything from composting to car-sharing. Top off the day and learn how to become an eco-hero by attending screenings of popular films Dirt! The Movie and Vanishing of the Bees. Saturday April 16th, 10-4pm, Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox. www.GreenMetropolisFair.com

4.   Earth Day 5K Run/Walk and Green Living Expo. Get fit for the planet at Chicago’s second annual 5K for Earth Day run/walk in historic Humboldt Park. The race kicks off at 8am in one of the oldest Hispanic communities in Chicago, and ends at a picturesque lakeside boat house replete with ducks and natural wildlife. After the race, cool down at the Green Living Expo featuring live entertainment, food, and vendors. Saturday, April 23rd. Humboldt Park www.earthday5kchicago.com

5.     Brookfield Zoo’s Party for the Planet. Learn about what you can do to stop climate change—and save the Polar Bears—at this all-day event. Stroll through the Eco Expo to learn more about the environment, or to recycle old electronics like cell phones and MP3s. Enjoy live entertainment, chat with animal keepers about the lives of animals, or get your hands dirty by planting seeds and saplings. April 23rd, 10-4pm. http://www.czs.org/CZS/partyfortheplanet.

6.   Garfield Park Conservatory’s Spring Flower Show. Now through May 8th, stop and smell the flowers with a visit to the Garfield Park Conservatory’s annual Spring Flower Show. There, you can bask in the glow of dozens of varieties of flowers and plants. Or, get your green thumb up and running with a garden of your own at the 19th annual “Green and Growing Fair” on Saturday, April 30th. 300 North Central Park Ave., Oak Park. www.garfield-conservatory.org.

7.   Chicago Green Festival. Don’t miss the 10th Anniversary of the country’s largest green event and expo to over 20,000 attendees. This event features exciting presentations from over 125 green leaders (including yours truly), 350 eco-friendly vendors and businesses, a kids pavilion, yoga and organic food, beer and wine court, and plenty of live music and entertainment for the entire family. McCormick Place (Lakeside). Saturday and Sunday May 14-15th. www.GreenFestivals.org.

8.   Bike for the Planet: Ride to Recharge. Hop on a bike and join hundreds of environmentally concerned citizens on Climate Cycle’s annual bike ride that raises funds for solar panels and environmental projects in Chicagoland schools. After registering to secure charitable pledges from friends and family, choose from a 4, 10, 20, 62 or even 125-mile course along picturesque Lake Michigan. You’ll get a great workout, while inspiring our youth to live a greener lifestyle. Grant Park (North), Sunday May 22nd
www.Climatecycle.com.

For more tips on the eco-friendly living or green events around town, watch www.ConsciousLivingTV.com.

Top Eco-Shops in Chicago - 04.08.11 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

By Bianca Alexander, Esq.

This article first appeared in Concierge Preferred Magazine available now until May 31, 2011

Whether you’re a certified tree-hugger or just looking for fun ways to live more sustainably, Chicago’s shopping scene is chock-full of green gems. From eco-fair trade clothing, accessories and one of a kind vintage finds, to cutting-edge environmentally-friendly furniture, Chicago is sure to delight your shopping senses—so get out there and vote with your spending dollars. Happy shopping!

Eco-Fashion 101
The traditional apparel industry is notorious for poisoning our earth’s oceans, rivers, and drinking water with toxic dyes and chemicals. In fact, it takes a whopping 1/3 pound of pesticides just to make a single cotton t-shirt. On top of that, once no longer in season, most clothes end up in landfills, which place a heavy burden mother Earth. Next time you shop, make a more conscious choice and opt for clothes made from pesticide-free organic cotton, renewable materials like bamboo, or recycled vintage fabrics.

1. So Fresh and So Green. Update your eco-wardrobe while giving yourself a tour of the best shopping neighborhoods in the city. Step out onto the Gold Coast’s American Apparel on Walton Street or H & M on Michigan Avenue for cool separates and cocktails dresses made from organic cotton. Or, chill out further West at Connect in Wicker Park to find sleek, purpose-driven outerwear for men and women made from recycled fabrics.

2. The New Vintage. Reduce, reuse and recycle while riding one of the hottest fashion trends today—rocking vintage. Deliciously Vintage in the über-artsy Pilsen neighborhood offers a finely-culled selection of designer brands like Chanel, Dior and Versace. Treasure-hunting on a budget? Bring your eagle eye and a sense of adventure to Milwaukee avenue in Wicker Park, for the best vintage shopping in Chicago including Crossroads Trading, or thrift stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army in River West, which are both chocked full of fashion basics like tanks, jackets and slacks—at a serious discount.

3. Fair Trade Accessorize. Shop for one-of-a-kind clothing, jewelry and home accessories from around the world at boutiques like 10,000 Villages in Evanston and Oak Park and Greenheart Shop in Wicker Park, where your purchase will support living-wage artisans in third world countries. Or, be creative and “regemerate” old precious gems, silver and gold into brand-new designs with eco-jeweler and gallery Takohl in River West, where you can also pick up their exclusive “Earth Ring” that houses a miniature live green plant you can wear everywhere. Bonus: Visit the G.R.N’Namdi Gallery next door for eco-abstract African-American fine art.

4. Home Green Home. Looking to design a healthier home? Head over to Fulton Market for hand-made eco-friendly Tibetan carpets from Organic Looms, and Green Home Chicago for a wide array of environmentally safe furniture and materials like low-VOC paint and window treatments. Or, visit the 5,000 square foot Florense showroom in River North for ISO Green certified cabinetry and countertops, plus eco-luxe LED Pallucco lighting and energy-efficient Miele appliances.

For more tips and videos on Going Green in Chicago and beyond, visit www.ChicagoGreenLoop.com.

SHOP DIRECTORY

I. SO FRESH AND SO GREEN

1. American Apparel
Gold Coast
46 E. Walton St.
(312) 255-8360
www.AmericanApparel.net

2. H & M
840 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Il 60611
312-640-0060
www.hm.com

3. Connect Chicago (Wicker Park)
1330 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL, 60622
773-360-1520
www.cbyconnect.com

II. THE NEW VINTAGE

1. Deliciously Vintage (Pilsen)
1747 South Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60608-4254
(312) 733-0407
www.DVChicago.com

2. Crossroads Trading (Lincoln Park, Wicker Park)
Mon-Thurs 11am-7pm?Fri & Sat 11am – 8pm?Sunday 12pm – 7pm
2711 North Clark Street? (at Diversey)? Chicago, Il 60614
773) 296-1000
www.Crossroadstrading.com

3. Goodwill (West Loop)
1201 W Washington St
Chicago, IL 60686
Neighborhoods: Near West Side, West Loop
(312) 563-1187
www.AmazingGoodwill.com/stores/23

4. Salvation Army (River West)
(312) 492-6803
1 N Ogden Ave ?Chicago, IL 60607
www.SalvationArmy.org

C. FAIR TRADE ACCESSORIZE

1. 10,000 Villages (Evanston, Oak Park)
719 Main Street ?Evanston, IL 60202 Phone: 847-733-8258
www.tenthousandvillages.com

2. The Greenheart Shop (Wicker Park)
1911 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL 60622
Tel: 312.264.1625
Hours: Mon-Fri 11-7, Sat 11-6, Sun 11-5
www.Greenheartshop.com

3. Takohl (River West)
110 N. Peoria St.?Chicago, IL 60607?
800.480.6999?312.421.6222
http://www.greenearthring.com/

4. G. R. N’Namdi Gallery (River West)
Tues-Sat 11am-6pm
110 North Peoria
Chicago, Il 60607
312.563.9240
www.Grnnamdi.com

IV. HOME GREEN HOME

1. Organic Looms
1019 W. Fulton
Chicago, IL 60607-1222
(312) 733-8187
www.organiclooms.com

2. Green Home Chicago
213 N. Morgan Street #1D
Chicago 60607
312.432.9400
www.ghcdesigncenter.com

3. Florense
M-F 10:00-6:00pm
Saturday: 10:00-4:00pm
300 West Ontario Street
Chicago,IL 60610
(312) 640-0066
www.florense.com

Soul Mating - 02.16.11 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Before getting married, my life was like a rerun of Sex & the City. On an endless quest for Mr. Right, I dated every loser in the book. The nice guy next door: he was a perfect gentleman but boring in bed; the jet-setting playboy who made my spine tingle: he was a verbally abusive philanderer; the freakishly handsome jock with 6-pack abs but the IQ and emotional maturity of a 12 year-old; the artistically talented but tortured artist with an incurable drug problem; and the brilliantly insecure attorney who wanted me to shelf my career to become his stay-at-home trophy wife. I could go on, but I'll spare you the drama.

This article first appeared in the February 2011 edition of Mindful Metropolis Magazine.

Read the rest of the article on my blog at ChicagoNow.com here

B's Cool List: A Sexy and Sustainable Valentine's Day - 02.07.11 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity to show love for your honey—and the planet. Here are 10 eco-friendly gift ideas, as well as fun ways to make this Valentine’s Day both sexy and sustainable.

1) Order organic flowers. Flowers are a great way to show your loved one you care, but unfortunately, the cut flower industry is notorious for polluting the planet with harmful pesticides. This year, instead of buying just any old roses, order pesticide-free organic flowers online from www.OrganicStyle.com. They are more beautiful and smell better than traditional cut flowers, and are delivered in an eco-friendly package made from recycled materials. And to celebrate Black History Month, you can even order the Rosa Parks Freedom Rose bouquet, where 10% of the proceeds of your purchase will be donated to The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development.

2) Surprise your sweetie with eco-friendly lingerie. Every woman loves lingerie, but textiles like traditional cotton that are used to make most clothing damage our bodies and the planet. Instead, surprise your sweetie with soft and sexy lingerie made from sustainable materials like soy, bamboo, silk and organic cotton from www.EcoBoudoir.com and www.AmericanApparel.com.

3) Give sweet scents in recycled bottles. With Bond No. 9’s artisanal perfume, you can indulge your sweetie with irresistible scents and still reduce, reuse and recycle. Exchange any old perfume bottle for recycling at any Bond No. 9 or Saks Fifth Avenue store, and get a refillable pocket spray free with any purchase as a thank you.

4) Say “I Love You” with sustainable jewelry. Diamonds are a girl's best friend, but only if they're mined responsibly. Purchase conflict-free diamonds from companies like www.BrilliantEarth.com, or the “Green Bracelet” from Russell & Kimora Lee Simmons new jewelry line, Simmons Jewelry, and you’ll be able to give back to African communities afflicted by the diamond trade. If gold’s your thing, go to www.greenkarat.com to express your originality by creating a custom design made from recycled gold (you can even contribute your own unused gold jewelry). And if your sweetheart is more of an earthy type, help her stay natural with ethnic jewelry from www.Verlu.com, which produces fashion-forward necklaces, cuffs and earrings made from sustainably harvested wood.

5) Enjoy organic champagne and chocolates. Organic bon-bons are better for the planet, and will also be better for your loved one's health. Toast the day with biodynamic USDA certified wine and chocolates which are pesticide, antibiotic, and hormone free from www.OrganicStyle.com.

6) Take a romantic green getaway. Fossil fuels emitted from air and car travel are the largest contributors to global warming, so traveling green will help you romance your sweetheart without hurting the planet. How about a green ski or snowboarding getaway to Northstar-at-Tahoe (www.northstarattahoe.com), or a biodynamic romp through wine country with a stay at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn’s Four Star green hotel and spa (www.Fairmont.com). And wherever you go, don’t forget to minimize your eco-footprint by offsetting the carbon emitted from the plane, train, or automobile that got you there at www.Carbonfund.org.

7) Send a card that keeps on giving. Do your part to save trees by sending an e-card, or buying a card made from recycled paper at www.GreenFieldPaper.com. And if saving trees isn’t enough, each card comes embedded with an added bonus: wildflower seeds, which will produce beautiful flowers if you water and plant the card.

8) Stay at home between the sheets. Treat your body and the planet by staying at home and cuddling up with your loved one under colorful, sustainable organic cotton sheets from www.GreenNest.com

9) Give safe sex a whole new meaning. Toxic chemicals can pollute our rivers and streams, not to mention take the fun out of getting intimate, so romance your loved one safely with an all-natural, water-based personal lubricant like Yes Lubricant (www.yesyesyes.org). It’s free of parabens and skin-irritating petrochemicals, and is certified organic.

10) Wine and dine at a local, vegetarian Restaurant. Instead of going out for salmon, veal or filet mignon this Valentine’s Day, pass on meat and save the earth’s precious land and natural resources that are unnecessarily wasted in the animal farming industry. Not sure where to start? You can find a local, delicious vegetarian restaurant in over 7,000 locations around the globe at www.HappyCow.com.

To check out our Sexy and Sustainable Valentine’s Day episode, or for more tips on living sustainably year round, watch www.ConsciousLivingTV.com.

Couture for a Cause: Runway to Green - 01.25.11 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

At last, the fashion industry has responded en masse to consumer demand for ethical apparel.

Last week, the global Runway to Green initiative was launched in New York City to raise awareness about sustainable practices in garment design and manufacturing, and to generate funds for several leading environmental organizations. In response to growing awareness about the fashion industry’s mammoth carbon footprint, Runway to Green will work in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Clean by Design educational program, launched last fall with prestigious lead partner Council of Fashion Designers of America. Most notably, Runway to Green is tapping the talent of several of the world’s most influential fashion designers to integrate more environmentally friendly practices into the production of apparel worldwide—all while showcasing the best of sustainable design.

Some of the most well-known participating designers include Gucci, Prada, Balenciaga, Burberry, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Manolo Blahnik, Oscar de la Renta, Stella McCartney, Jason Wu, Alexander Wang, Tory Burch, Marchesa, Michael Kors, Rachel Roy, Rag & Bone, and Thakoon. To demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, each Runway to Green designer is dedicated to creating a sustainable item of their choosing as part of their Fall 2011 collection.
All pieces will be sold exclusively on NET-A-PORTER, which will donate a portion of the proceeds to Runway to Green. In turn, Runway to Green will donate funds to leading environmental organizations at the forefront of green initiatives, including Alliance for Climate Protection, the United Nations Billion Tree Campaign and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Runway to Green will be launched internationally at events in major cities around the world, starting with the Bid to Save the Earth event on March 29, 2011 in New York City. This star-studded evening is being held in partnership with Christie’s, and will bring together the top names in fashion, art and philanthropy, including hosts François-Henri Pinault and his wife Salma Hayek-Pinault, David and Susan Rockefeller, Graydon and Anna Carter, and Vogue. The show will be co-styled by Vogue’s Fashion Director, Tonne Goodman and Contributing Editor, Tabitha Simmons, and is set to feature a live fantasy auction by Christie’s Green Auction, which supports environmental non-profits like the Central Park Conservancy, Conservation International, and Oceana.

According to Runway to Green chairman, Lorenzo Roccia, this collaboration between environmental advocacy groups and couture design community represents ”one of the most important commitments made on behalf of the fashion industry to learn and address its impact on the environment. It uses the power and reach of the industry to deliver a global message about the relevance and necessity to be educated on our individual role and responsibility in protecting the environment.”

For more information on Runway to Green, or to see a sneak-preview of the designer collections, visit: www.runwaytogreen.com. Or, to see ethical haute couture in action on the runway, watch “Conscious Catwalk”, coverage from LA fashion week, on the Style page of ConsciousLivingTV.com.

Conscious Shopping Resolutions for 2011 - 01.24.11 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Bianca Alexander, Esq.

Unconscious consumption is one of the biggest culprits responsible for over-pollution, global warming, and the deterioration of our planet and our pocketbooks. But in our modern society where most people don’t grow their own food or sew their own clothes, it’s unrealistic to just stop shopping all together. To do my part to shop more consciously this year, I’m resolving to vote with my spending dollars wherever possible. Here are a few of the ways I’m planning to do it:

1. Purge before buying. Before buying anything new, I’ve resolved to purge my closets, cabinets and drawers of things I no longer need, want or use. That includes clothes that are too big, too small or that I haven’t worn in a year; books I no longer read that someone else might enjoy; and gadgets and appliances that I no longer have space for or that don’t work. Electrical appliances, books, and clothing can easily be recycled and donated to thrift stores. An emotional attachment to “stuff” can make getting rid of excess baggage hard to do, but it frees up space for good Feng Shui, or energy, to flow. The same is true for my body: I cleanse four times a year using all-natural, gentle herbs likes these I distribute from Symmetry. They are better than organic, and remove disease-causing toxins and parasites from internal organs for optimal health. One of the things I love most about cleansing is that it helps keep my mind sharp and I always feel happier after doing it. Best of all, I also usually lose a few pounds, which helps me get back into my skinny jeans so I don’t have to buy new ones.

2. Shop Local. I’m resolving to reduce my carbon footprint this year by shopping within 300 miles of Chicago where possible. This includes buying my produce from local farmer’s markets around the city, which support food growers from Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. By making purchases that support the sustainability of the local living economy here in the Midwest, I also minimize the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from planes, trains and automobiles used to ship goods my way. On top of that, I feel good having a deeper connection to the goods I use. For a list of certified local Chicago businesses and services, visit www.LocalFirstChicago.org.

3. Shop Vintage. One of the key tenets of green living is “reduce, reuse, and recycle”, so instead of buying new, this year I’m resolving to shop vintage and consignment shops for gently used items like clothes and accessories, books and appliances. Vintage fashion is all the rage these days—it makes up about half of my wardrobe. It’s also a great way to acquire unique, one-of-a-kind pieces at affordable prices. My first retail destinations this year will be the #1 consignment store for hipsters nationwide, Crossroads Trading (www.Crossroadstrading.com) and local clothing vintner Buffalo Exchange on Milwaukee in Wicker Park. There, customers can buy, sell or trade gently used clothing that’s in-season and in-style. Whatever I can’t trade will be dropped off at Goodwill (www.Goodwill.org) for a nice tax write-off, and the chance to stock up on wardrobe basics, like tops, slacks, and jackets, for a fraction of the price. Last year, I found my current skinny jeans—a pair of Seven’s in mint condition--and a cropped velvet DKNY both for under $30. To add to my booty, this year I’m also hosting a co-ed clothing swap with a few of my favorite conscious friends, who have great taste and wear my size. That way, we’ll all get fab new clothes—and fashion advice--without spending a dime.

4. Buy Eco/Fair Trade. If I absolutely have to buy something new, this year I’m resolving to purchase items that don’t harm people, animals or the environment. My favorite accessories these days are colorful bags by Ecoist (www.ecoist.com) made from recycled candy wrappers that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill. Instead of leather Jimmy Choos or Manolos, I’ll spring for luxury eco shoes by Kailia Footwear (www.KailiaFootwear.com) and Cri-de-Coeur (www.cri-de-coeur.com) made from vegan leather. For outerwear I’ll shop from three of my favorite local eco-designers, all of whom were featured at our Chicago Fashion Focus/Vert Couture show this year. In addition to creating stylish eco-clothing, they pay their seamstresses fair, living wages: Modahnik (www.Modahnik.com), who makes bright ethnic African print frocks, Crescendo Apparel (www.CrescendoApparel.com) who uses vegan leather and natural fibers to construct on-trend separates for women with small waists and fuller hips like me, and 71 Jules (www.71Jules.com) polymorphic multifaceted dress made from renewable modal fabric—it’s like getting 100 different dresses for the price of one. To see these and other eco-designs on the runway, check out our style page. For a list of local Fair Trade businesses, visit www.ChicagoFairTrade.org.

5. Go Organic. I’m resolving to make all of my food purchases organic in 2011. This will ensure the food I eat is free of toxic pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and hormones, which are harmful to my health. Organic food is also better for the planet: the toxins used on crops eventually end up in our rivers and streams, and pesticides have been linked to CCD—Colony Collapse Disorder--which has been blamed for the world’s dwindling bee population. Thankfully, for those on a budget, Whole Foods is not the only option. These days, USDA-certified organic brands (which are 95% organic or higher) are available at affordable prices at stores like Dominick’s, Jewel Osco, Trader Joe’s and even Wal-Mart.

Even as a dedicated advocate for conscious living, I’m far from perfect. The key is taking baby steps: if for whatever reason you can’t follow all of the steps above, just pick one that resonates with you the most, and stick to it. Happy shopping!
Bianca is the host of Conscious Living TV and Soul of Green and the co-Ceo of Conscious Planet Media.

© 2011 Conscious Planet Media

Umoja! Celebrating Kwanzaa - 12.24.10 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

By Bianca Alexander, Esq.

When I was little, I believed in Santa Claus. It was part of my family’s annual Christmas ritual. Each year, the day after Thanksgiving, dad climbed into the attic and pulled down dozens of trash bags filled with recycled Christmas decorations. There was wrapping paper and tinsel, strings of colored lights, a jolly white Santa head and stockings, and old faithful: a forest-green artificial tree that took forever to put together. But the pièce-de-résistance was a plug-in nativity scene featuring Mary, Joseph and three wise men huddled over a wooden cradle with an eight inch, blond-haired, white baby Jesus. He looked like a younger version of the blue-eyed “Jesus” we all prayed to on Christmas day—and every other Sunday--at our all-black A.M.E. (African Methodist Episcopal) church.

Though I always celebrated a traditional Christmas, including near idol-worship of good old Saint Nick, for many African-Americans, the season falls short of reflecting their rich cultural heritage. As a result, many celebrate Kwanzaa during the holidays instead. Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase “Matunda ya kwanzaa,” or first fruits, and is a five-day celebration spanning December 26 - January 1st. Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 after the notorious L.A. Watts riots in 1965. At the time, Dr. Karenga was a professor and chairman of the Black Studies department at Cal State Long Beach. He established Kwanzaa to heal emotional trauma from the riots and the societal “isms” that prompted them, provide a community for African-Americans living in the U.S., and create a positive, life-affirming tradition from which people of color could draw strength to carry on.

Every family celebrates Kwanzaa differently, but its basic tenets are the same, including use of a Kinara, or candle-holder, with seven candles: three red, three green and a black one in the center. Similar to Hanukkah, each night a different candle is lit with an affirmation of seven core values that build community, spirit and abundance in African-American culture: 1. Umoja: unity 2. Kujichagulia: self-determination 3. Ujima: collective work and responsibility 4. Ujamaa: cooperative economics 5. Nia: purpose 6. Kuumba: creativity 7. Imani: faith. In addition to lighting candles and prayer, the celebration includes song, dance, drumming, storytelling and on the last night, December 31st, a large Karamu, or African feast, feast. Meaningful gifts are given on this day to encourage growth, success and improvement. According to tradition, accepting the gift implies a moral obligation to fulfill promises made during Kwanzaa week.

Despite the beauty of the tradition, I am one of many Black Americans who never celebrated Kwanzaa. Growing up, I was taught to believe that being Christian meant exclusively worshipping Jesus. Though I always had a natural curiosity about other cultures and religions, sadly, I feared opening to other faiths and spiritual points of view was blasphemous and might result in “going to hell”. As such, I steered clear of anything seeming too “different” from traditional Christianity—including Kwanzaa.

It wasn’t until I moved to Hollywood to work at Paramount Studios that I mustered the courage to be creative, test my beliefs and explore the highest truth in all other religions. I began with yoga, then studied everything from evangelical Christianity to Science of Mind, Buddhism, to Jewish Kabbalah and even Scientology. Though each religion employed a different unique approach to finding God, each taught me different aspects of the same a singular truth: we are spiritual beings--children of God having a physical experience on Earth; we are all one; and what goes around, comes around. that we are all one, that what goes around, comes around, and that we are all here to realize and fulfill our highest God-given potential. In sum, the very essence of Christ’s teachings.

Later, after meeting my husband Michael, we joined the Self-Realization Fellowship. SRF was , a meditation-based practice founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, an Indian saint who came to the West in 1920 to teach scientific healing techniques for using Kriya Yoga and meditation to attain direct personal experience of God. Through meditation, I’ve learned that the unity of all religions—and all peoples—is possible. I the science of yoga, meditation and inner-revelation based on a direct experiential contact with god that ultimately unifies and underlies all people, races and religions. Transcending body consciousness, in the Spirit of unity—Umoja—this holiday season I’m thinking about celebrating Kwanzaa for the first time this year along with the best parts of all religions celebrating this holiday season. Perhaps I’ll call it Kwanz--anukkhah-mas. But I’m not giving up Santa.

To learn how to meditate, watch the Spirit page of Conscious Living TV.com.

This article originally appeared in the December issue of Mindful Metropolis Magazine in Chicago.

And the Emmy Goes to... - 11.12.10 / News

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

And the Emmy goes to…Bianca Alexander for Soul of Green on Next TV

This week, Soul of Green Correspondent Bianca Alexander, Esq. took home the coveted Chicago/Midwest EMMY for Outstanding Achievement for Individual Excellence on Camera: Programming – Program Host/Moderator/Contributor. The EMMY honored her work on the groundbreaking first season of Soul of Green on nextTV on Saturday, November 6, 2010.

Bianca co-created the original program with her husband and partner Michael Alexander in the hopes of “bringing inspiration, hope and healing to the African- American community—and the world—by highlighting the visionaries and entrepreneurs on the leading edge of the green and environmental justice movements.”

Launched online in 2008, Soul of Green made its network TV debut as a bi-monthly segment on the second season of EMMY-award winning nextTV. Next TV is produced by the Chicago Urban League, and airs Sundays on Fox (WFLD) at 8:00AM and on my50 at 12:30PM. The Soul of Green segments include entertaining stories on entrepreneurs such as Chicago vintage fashion icon Bryant McLemore Smith, vegan soul food institutions Soul Vegetarian and Karyn’s restaurants, a VIP tour of the African-American designed Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago and an enlightening interview with politico turned organic foodie and Chicago Mayoral candidate, Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun.

Alexander’s first EMMY comes after a nearly decade-long career as host and on-air personality, including gigs on cable channels Lifetime, TV One, TV Guide and monthly appearances as a conscious living advocate on networks across the country including NBC, ABC and WGN. On stage, Bianca thanked God, her husband Michael and Next TV production team, and the city of Chicago for the win. “This Emmy is just one more illustration that viewers, producers and the television world are ready for programming that is entertaining, sexy and also helps us evolve as a planet and a community.”

Season One of Soul of Green on nextTV can be seen online 24/7 on www.soulofgreen.com and Sundays on Fox and my50 in Chicago through May 2011.

About Conscious Planet Media

Through its original multi-platform series, Conscious Living TV, Soul of Green, and Triple Bottom Line and national broadcast television news and lifestyle shows, Conscious Planet Media is redefining the role media plays in shaping a more just and sustainable world. Conscious Planet Media is lead by award winning journalists and green industry experts, Bianca and Michael Alexander. For more information, visit www.consciousplanetmedia.com.

About the Chicago Urban League

Established in 1916, the Chicago Urban League is a civil rights organization that empowers and inspires individuals to reach and exceed their economic potential. The Chicago Urban League supports and advocates for economic, educational and social progress for African-Americans through an agenda focused exclusively on economic empowerment as the key driver for social change. For more information, visit www.thechicagourbanleague.org

The Catwalk Will Never Be The Same - 11.01.10 / Event

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Vert Couture 2010: Sexy & Sustainable
With a rising crop of designers around the world creating high-end, environmentally-friendly garments, gone are the days of choosing between high fashion and sustainability. Helping to bridge the gap between both worlds, last week, green TV production company Conscious Planet Media wrapped Chicago Fashion Focus Week with its second-annual Vert Couture eco-fashion show and benefit. With a theme of “Sexy & Sustainable”, this year's show debuted some of the top up and coming eco-friendly, fair trade designers in Chicago and beyond. Profits from this charitable event benefited Chicago Gateway Green, an environmental non-profit dedicated to planting 15,000 trees by the year 2015.

Vert Couture was held at the tri-level, 80,000 square foot Mercedes Benz of Chicago, one of the largest L.E.E.D. certified buildings in the city and the presenting sponsor for this year’s event. True to its name, the event showcased the sexier side of sustainability. First, guest were treated to a vegan V.I.P. cocktail reception catered by Karyn’s on Green, and enjoyed eco-art work while sipping on gluten free organic Blueberry Rush Martinis from Organic Apple Rush and Krome Vodka, and wine by Wild Blossom Meadery &Winery and Evaton Wine & Spirits.

After introductory remarks by Conscious Planet Media co-founders Michael & Bianca Alexander and Chicago Gateway Green Executive Director Claire Woolley, the Ayodele Drum & Dance Group kicked off a glamorous runway show featuring the Spring/Summer 2011 lines of several designers, including: fair trade African print couture by Modahnik, 71 Jules’ polymorphic Multifaceted Dress made from renewable modal fabric, Crescendo Apparel’s body-tailored vegan ensembles, and colorful vintage gowns painted anew by Silkutopia. Also featured were sustainable accessories from Hard Wear, RFRM, Sophia Forero, Five Accessories, Manny B, Fanta Celah and The Earth Ring, and vegan pumps, boots and platforms by Kailia Footwear and Mohop. The show finale garnered cheers from the crowd with U.K.-based Enamore’s organic cotton and bamboo eco-lingerie and Junk Drawers’ recycled men’s undies, all sported by Factor models styled by eco-friendly Aveda Roots and Karen Marie Salons. After the show, guests jammed to the sexy sounds of DJ-stylist Niena Drake while noshing on organic vegan treats by Great Taste Cafe, Delicious Vegan Café, Soul Vegetarian, Raw Creations, Gyood Ice Cream, Doodles Cookies and Apple Rush. They also snagged discounted SS 2011 looks from the runway at the Vert Couture pop-up boutique, which also included vintage inventory from Axis of Evelyn and the You Are Loved jewelry collective.

Best known for its award-winning TV shows, Conscious Living, Triple Bottom Line, and Soul of Green (now airing on Fox), Conscious Planet Media’s mission is to inspire consumers to live more eco-friendly, sustainable lives through mainstream media and events. In order to walk its talk and make the show as sustainable as possible, Conscious Planet Media incorporated sustainable lighting, décor and programs from event sponsors PRG, Kehoe Designs, Eccentric Luxuries, Moving Pictures and Consolidated Printing, and partnered with Native Energy to offset all of the carbon emissions generated from the event. In addition, the majority of the waste generated from the show was recycled and/or composted with help from Collective Resource.

After an evening of fun, frolic and green for a great cause, guests went home with one of a kind eco-fab swag bags made by Axis of Evelyn filled with conscious goodies like earth friendly EcoTools make-up brushes, Distant Village Packaging plant-able, fair trade stationery, Bean & Body beverages, Divine Chocolate from Chicago Fair Trade, and recycled, conscious jewelry by Steampunk and Tao. Most importantly, they went home with a tangible experience of how sexy—and sustainable--conscious living can be.

For more highlights and photos from Vert Couture 2010, check out the style page of www.ConsciousLivingTV.com.

Bianca Alexander is an Emmy-nominated correspondent and producer for Conscious Living TV and Soul of Green, now airing locally in Chicago on Fox/my 50. To learn more about her and her partner Michael’s work in green TV production, visit www.ConsciousPlanetMedia.com.

Chicago Fashion Week Goes Green! Sunday October 24th - 10.01.10 / Event

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Mercedes Benz of Chicago Presents: Vert Couture, Sexy & Sustainable Eco-Conscious Fashion Show and Benefit

WHAT: As part of Chicago’s commitment to becoming the greenest city in the U.S., Conscious Living TV, Mercedes Benz of Chicago and Chicago Gateway Green are pleased to present the second annual eco-fashion experience, Vert Couture, as a culmination to Chicago Fashion Focus 2010. Vert Couture is an eco-conscious runway show and charity event benefiting Chicago Gateway Green.

The catwalk will feature the SS2011 lines of some of Chicago’s top sustainable and fair trade designers, including: Modahnik, 71Jules, Crescendo Apparel, Vintage Style by Bryant McLemore Smith and sustainable jewelry and accessories by Choosy Jewels by Manny B. & Susan Pool, Fanta Celah, and Sophia Forero. Mohop Shoes and Kailia Footwear will equip the runway with conscious, fabulous footwear. Karyn’s on Green, Chicago’s pre-eminent luxury vegan restaurant, will provide the cuisine for the VIP Reception, with sustainable, gluten-free, ultra premium cocktails by Krome Vodka. Kehoe Designs will provide sustainable and fabulous decor. Native Energy will offset all carbon generated from the event. Invited celebrities include: Oprah, Cindy Crawford, Christie Hefner, Anna Getty, Alicia Silverstone, Amy Smart, Vince Vaughn, Ginger Zee (confirmed), Joffrey Ballet's Fabrice, IL Governor Pat Quinn & Chicago Mayor Daley.

WHEN: Sunday, October 24, 2010, 3pm. Doors open at 3pm for celebrity VIP reception, delicious vegan cuisine, conscious cocktails, and step and repeat. The show will begin at 4:30pm with an after party, SS2011 exclusive pre-sale pop-up boutique, and sustainable art show, curated by Three Peas Art Lounge, immediately following. Tickets on sale at www.VertCouture.com

WHERE: Mercedes Benz of Chicago L.E.E.D.-certified showroom, 1520 West North Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

WHY: By showcasing the hottest fair trade, sustainable, eco-conscious fashion and accessories, Vert Couture celebrates fashion that sustains both people and the planet, giving fashionistas worldwide a tangible way to make a more conscious choice—while still looking and feeling fabulous. To watch highlights from Vert Couture 2009.

WHO: Conscious Planet Media is a socially responsible TV, video and event production company dedicated to promoting sustainability, social justice and healthy living. Through its green lifestyle events, multi-platform original series-- including Conscious Living TV and The Soul of Green, now airing on Fox & my50, and broadcast TV news segments, Conscious Planet Media is helping to shape a more just and sustainable world. To learn more about Conscious Planet Media, visit www.ConsciousPlanetMedia.com or contact President, Michael Alexander at (312) 618-1779, Michael@ConsciousPlanetMedia.com.

Balancing the Scales - 10.01.10 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

According to the Department of Labor, over half of the garment factories in the United States are sweatshops. The popularity of sweatshops began at the turn of the 20th century, as consumer demand rose for trendy but inexpensive off-the-rack clothing. Given the difficulty of mechanizing the clothing manufacture process, cheap human labor was needed to produce more garments by hand. Manufacturers reacted by outsourcing production globally to countries like Asia for low-wage, union-free “sweatshop” contractors, allowing them to cut costs and increase profits at the expense of human labor.

The True Cost of Cheap Fashion
Some of the worst sweatshop offenders in the U.S. are companies like H&M, Forever 21, The Gap, Nike and Guess, who offer disposable, “fast fashion” at a bargain to meet everchanging style trends. Along with other big box brands, these companies employ millions of contract laborers around the world. According to Nancy Jones, the Executive Director of Chicago Fair Trade, Chicago FairTrade.org (CFT)—a local non-profit dedicated to promoting and certifying fair trade businesses, most sweatshop workers earn below minimum wage. This amount provides only half of what is needed for basic nutrition, clothing and shelter, education and transportation. In addition, employees are often subjected to unsafe, toxic working conditions, long hours and physically debilitating quota systems. Away from the watchful eye of union representatives or law enforcement, physical and sexual abuse at the hands of employers is rampant. Since women and children represent the cheapest, most disempowered portion of the sweatshop work force, more often than not, they are the primary victims of these abuses. In addition to hurting people, fast fashion is devastating to the environment. According to the U.S. EPA, the textile industry is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gases and pollution. Each step required to make a garment (including spinning, weaving, dyeing and printing) consumes vast amounts of water and chemicals. In addition, traditional garment manufacturing releases numerous VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

A Just Exchange
According to the Fair Trade Federation, Fair Trade is a system of just exchange that honors producers, communities, consumers and the environment. This is done through:
1.) Support of small scale artisans
2.) Fair, safe labor conditions
3.) Payment of a living wage
4.) Direct, accountable trade with producers
5.) Gender equality and no child labor
6.) Community development and reinvestment
7.) Democratic, transparent cooperative organizations
8.) Building capacity through education and best practices
9.) Environmental sustainability
10.) Respect for cultural diversity and heritage.

Jones believes consumers can put a stop to injustice by purchasing fair trade fashion. “As long as people continue to demand disposable fashion at cheap prices, the garment industry will continue to wreak havoc on people and the planet. By purchasing fair trade, we show that we care more about people than money.” Through education and outreach, CFT is helping Chicago become a fair trade city. You can support CFT by attending its annual Globalfest: Africa fundraiser on October 14th at the Akainyah Gallery. The event will include an eco-fashion show featuring CFT designers. Visit their website for details.

Conscious Consumption
With rising awareness about injustices in the garment industry, consumer interest in ethically sourced fashion is on the rise. In fact, the market for fair trade products has grown to over $1 billion annually. Socially responsible companies such as Indigenous Designs (IndigenousDesigns.com), are supplying the demand. CEO and co-founder Scott Leonard and his partner Matt Reynolds are helping turn “fashionistas into passionistas” by empowering them to “wear their commitment to people and the planet on their sleeves—without sacrificing style.” Through his company, a certified B (for benefit) corporation, he produces beautiful hand-knit dresses, sweaters and shawls made by artisans in Peru from natural fibers, including alpaca, peace silk, merino wool and organic cotton. World of Good (WorldofGood.com) is harnessing our consumption-driven economy to create large-scale, market-based solutions for poverty alleviation in third world countries. Via its online store, it sells hundreds of fair trade clothing, jewelry and gifts. The company was co-founded in 2004 by CEO Priya Haji and her partner Siddharth Sanghvi while getting their MBAs from Berkeley. At the time, they envisioned a business that would help small artisan producers improve their livelihoods by providing them access to mainstream retail markets. Since then, the company has created online and offline distribution channels in more than 1,200 retail locations across the country (including Whole Foods and Hallmark), and impacted more than 40,000 individual artisans across 70 countries by connecting them with millions of U.S. consumers. In February, World of Good was acquired by Ebay, which is now delivering its fair trade products to the masses worldwide.

Chicago Style
In Chicago, there are dozens of ways to vote with your dollars on fair trade fashion, jewelry and accessories.

Greenheart Shop
This trendy Wicker Park store is a branch of the Greenheart Initiative—an environmental and social program of non-profit Center for Cultural Interchange. They carry a wide assortment of one-of-a-kind clothing, jewelry and home products that are hand crafted by artisans around the world.

Mata Traders
Maureen Dunn and Michelle King founded Mata Traders (which means mother in Hindi) to work with organizations in India that educate, employ, and empower women, giving them a voice. Their designs are made from fair trade certified cottons that are hand-block printed with eco-friendly vegetable dyes, and support an artisan based textile tradition which has existed in India for centuries.

Modahnik
Created by Ugandan-born designer Kahindo Mateene as a mix between Western contemporary lines and traditional fair trade sourced wax print fabrics from her homeland. Modahnik debuted last year through Fashion Focus Chicago’s design incubator program. This month, their spring/summer 2011 line will be featured at the “Sexy & Sustainable: Vert Couture” eco-fashion show on October 24th benefiting Chicago Gateway Green.

Boutiques
Greenola
Andersonville Galleria
www.GreenolaStyle.com

Fair Earth
Andersonville Galleria
www.OurFairEarth.com

Five Accessories
Andersonville
www.FiveAccessories.com

Ten Thousand Villages
Oak Park, Evanston & Glen Ellen
www.TenThousandVillages.com

The Fair Trader
Hyde Park
www.TheFairTraderChicago.com

Online
Koru Street
www.KoruStreet.com

Malia Designs
www.MaliaDesigns.com

Market Place: Handwork of India
www.MarketPlaceIndia.org

Maya Works
www.Mayaworks.org

Mayu
www.ShopMayu.com

World Shoppe
www.World-Shoppe.com

Indigenous Designs
IndigenousDesigns.com. Save 25% off online purchases
with promo code “VertCouture” at check-out through
December 15th, 2010.

Fair Trade Certification Organizations
Fair Trade USA
www.TransfairUSA .org

Fair Trade Federation
FairTradeFederation.org

- As first published in Mindful Metropolis magazine

Organic Food on the Rise - 09.26.10 / News

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

There is growing consumer demand for organic food--and for good reason. Due to profit-driven practices in the agriculture and livestock industries, the majority of food we eat contains toxic chemicals that are dangerous for our bodies, and for the planet.

The dangers of conventionally-grown food
Conventionally grown crops are sprayed with tons of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, and chemical fertilizers that contaminate our water, air and soil. These chemicals are designed to kill other forms of life, but are harmful to human cells and organs, leading to degenerative diseases like cancer, liver failure and obesity. Although washing food helps, many chemicals are deeply absorbed and cannot be rinsed off. Also, many conventional crops like apples, tomatoes and corn are genetically engineered, or GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) to yield larger, tastier, more resilient crops. GMO’s have been linked to allergies in humans and overgrowth of plant monocultures that wreak havoc on our eco-system.

Traditional livestock is treated inhumanely and fed an unnatural diet of cheap grain (versus grass), which is often filled with cardboard, cement dust and animal carcass to make it cheaper. This results in unhealthy livestock that are routinely fed antibiotics to keep them from getting sick. Animals are also fed synthetic hormones to make them grow faster and larger, which can cause pre-pubesence in young girls.

Lastly, much of our food is treated by “irradiation”, a high-intensity x-ray process designed to kill potential pathogens. Irradiation depletes food of its nutrients and changes the chemical structure of food molecules, transforming them into mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds that can promote cancer in the body.

Go Organic
Buy purchasing USDA certified organic food, you can ensure it was produced without sythentic pesticides, herbicides, irradiation or GMOs. Crops must be grown on soil free of chemical exposure for at least three years. Organic animal products come from animals raised humanely, and not fed any chemicals, antibiotic drugs, or hormones.
In addition to being better for your body, animals and the planet, organic food comes from mineral-rich, healthy soil, so can also be higher in nutritional value.

Beware of “Natural” food labeling
Be skeptical of products labeled as “natural”--use of the term on food packaging is totally unregulated by the FDA, and serves primarily as a marketing tool for food manufacturers. To ensure you are eating the cleanest food possible, look for brands with the USDA Certified Organic seal, which ensures the product is 95% or more organic. Or, look for brands featuring the “made with organic ingredients” label, which means 70% or more organic.

Organic on a budget: farmer’s market fresh
Organic food doesn’t necessarily have to be more expensive than conventional food. Due to rising consumer demand, you can find a wide array of USDA certified organic food at almost any large grocery store—and at about the same price. You can find it at Wal-Mart and Target super stores, Jewel-Osco, and my personal favorite, Dominick’s. Their O Organics brand has the widest array of great-tasting organic food, including produce, poultry, dairy, cereal, snacks and even baby food! You can also save buy purchasing organic products with thinner skins, like grapes, cherries, strawberries, and peaches, which are more likely to be tainted with chemicals that can’t be peeled off. And don’t forget your local farmer’s market. There are dozens throughout Chicago, including Daley Plaza, Logan Square, Lincoln Park, and the South Side. But hurry! Most outdoor farmer’s markets close at the end of October. To find one near you, visit www.ChicagoFarmersMarkets.us.

Keep Loving Each Other - 09.01.10 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

For some children, heading back to school is about more than saying goodbye to summer, stocking up on school supplies and deciding what to wear the first day of school; it’s about returning to violence. Last year, 39 Chicago Public School students were murdered. Local teen violence made national news when 16-year old honor student Darrien Albert was beaten to death during a gang fight on his way home from school. The entire incident was filmed and posted on YouTube, which put Chicago on the map as a hotbed for youth violence.

Like many of the city’s worst health problems—from food deserts to alarming rates of diabetes—violence is most common in neighborhoods where the majority of residents are black or Hispanic, poor and uneducated. Although violence has many root causes, some experts have attributed it to the city’s demolition of existing housing projects, like Cabrini Green. Eliminating these tenements has encouraged gentrification of formerly blighted areas, but these initiatives have also displaced numerous residents and put more violent offenders on the streets. Absent alternative housing, these individuals have had to relocate to other segregated, high-crime areas, increasing friction and violence among existing gangs.

South Side resident Rev. Torrey Barrett, Youth Pastor of New Life Community Church, works in one of these at-risk neighborhoods—Washington Park. Despite the odds, he is passionate about protecting and healing his community: “They’re targeting State Street and Garfield Boulevard as the second-worst crime area of the nation. We’re just three blocks East of that. Just West of us is Englewood. A lot of the violence…spills over into Washington Park, and we want this to be a place where residents can feel safe.” Barrett founded non-profit K.L.E.O. Community Family Life Center in order to bring peace to his community. Through after-school educational programs, affordable housing initiatives and conscious events, K.L.E.O. is strengthening families and providing a safe haven for residents impacted by violence.

Barrett’s passion for bringing peace to Washington Park began with the early death of his sister Kleo in 2007, a young woman who was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend in a brutal murder-suicide. At the time, Barrett and Kleo—who ironically, was a police officer—had just begun renovating the building that is now the home of the center. The renovation was only half complete when she died. Instead of giving up, he named it K.L.E.O., which stands for “K.eep L.oving E.ach O.ther,” to keep his sister’s spirit alive and bring hope and faith to the community.

Each year, K.L.E.O. hosts a Peace Festival and Back to School Rally. The Peace Fest is a free event for the neighborhood offering free food, a live DJ and open-mic performances. Each student receives a backpack filled with school supplies and a free hair cut. Local businesses, government agencies and non-profits are given vendor booths to highlight and promote their pro-peace initiatives. Unlike other anti-violence events, Barrett sees Peace Fest, now in its second year, as more affirmative: “It’s not an anti-violence action, it’s a peace rally,” he says. “Instead of promoting anti-violence, we promote what [we want to create]—actual peace.”

In addition to Peace Fest, K.L.E.O. hosts Friday Night Live each Friday from 6-10pm. In the tradition of American Idol, the event features a weekly contest that gives neighborhood kids a place to hang out without being on the streets, while showcasing their talent for rapping, singing and dancing. The winner is awarded a $50 cash prize and unlimited bragging rights. Each week, over 250 members of the community attend. According to Barrett, it helps kids “squash their beef on stage as opposed to using guns and weapons to fight each other,” and violent crimes on those nights have gone down in the neighborhood since the program launched.

Barrett’s not stopping there. He recently won a two-year, $1.2 Million dollar contract with CPS to create a Violence-Free Zone with the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise at Englewood’s Robinson High School. He’s also spearheading a working group that is developing a Peace Plan for the entire South Side of Chicago, and is now petitioning the city to fund the expansion of K.L.E.O. into a larger, 1,000-seat venue. Through these innovative initiatives that are promoting peace—“the change we want to see”—Chicago will begin to see more love, and less violence, on its streets.

K.L.E.O. is supported by The Washington Park Consortium, a program sponsored by LISC. To learn more, visit kleocenter.org.

- As first published in Mindful Metropolis magazine

Toxin-Free Cosmetics - 08.19.10 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Do you know what’s lurking in your medicine cabinet?

The average adult in the U.S. uses about ten cosmetics per day, including soap, toothpaste and styling products. With aisles of choices in the drug store, it’s not always easy determining which products are safe. Alarmingly, fewer than 20% of products on the shelves have been assessed for safety by the FDA. In fact, the majority of traditional cosmetics, including baby shampoo and lipstick, contain chemicals linked to degenerative diseases like cancer and brain dysfunction.

The new season is a perfect time to clean out the toxins in your medicine cabinet and replace them with healthier, more eco-friendly alternatives. Here are a few to get you started:

1. Skin Care, Soaps and Shampoos. If you check the label on the soaps, detergents, and shampoos in your medicine cabinet, you’ll find they contain toxic chemicals. For example, phthalates are used to make fragrances, but are linked to hormone disruption. Sodium laurel sulphate (SLS) is a cheap surfactant contained in most soaps to create suds, but is commonly used by mechanics to clean engines and tough oil stains. When used on the skin—the largest, most absorbent organ on the human body-it can cause severe irritation and allergic reactions. Look for products made without Phthalates and SLS, like Burt’s Bee’s, at any drug store.

2. Deodorant. Traditional deodorants contain aluminum chlorohydrate and parabens, which have been found in breast cancer tissue. Try a healthier alternative, like the Crystal Deodorant, which uses natural salt to absorb odor-causing bacteria. Or, Jason Natural stick deodorant, which goes on smooth and comes in refreshing scents like lavender. www.thecrystal.com; www.jason-natural.com.

3. Holistic Dental Care. Though we’ve all heard that fluoride’s key for strong teeth, it’s a toxin that qualifies as a hazardous material. Ingesting even small amounts on a daily basis can cause learning disabilities in children. Instead, try all-natural Weleda toothpaste. Or, visit holistic dentist Dr. Kevin Boehm’s Shaumburg, Illinois practice. In addition to giving you a toxin-free cleaning and dental hygiene products, he can also remove your toxic mercury fillings and replace them with non-leeching natural resins. www.rothchild-dds.com.

4. Natural Hair Color, Relaxers & Make-Up. Walk into any hair salon and the smell of ammonia, lye and alcohol might overwhelm you. These chemicals can cause neurological disorders, so why risk it? Head to an all-natural, eco-friendly salon like Aveda, which uses plant-based minerals to create beautiful permanent hair colors, skin treatments and make-up. Or, head to a Sephora near you for natural cosmetics like Dr. Hauschka mineral make-up and PhytoRelax’s egg and soy-based, lye-free relaxer, used by stars like Oprah and Vanessa Williams. www.Aveda.com, www.Sephora.com.

5. Toxin-Free Mani Pedis. Most nail polishes contain chemicals like formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate (also known as D.B.P.). D.B.P. is a toxic plasticizing agent that’s banned from cosmetics in Europe due to its link to birth defects. Avoid these toxins by making the switch to OPI, whose nail lacquers don’t contain formaldehyde, toluene or DBP. Or, try Sparitual’s vegan, eco-friendly polishes. They’re free of toxins and synthetic dyes, and come in an array of hip colors. Find Sparitual at Chicago’s Allyu Spa in River North. www.Allyuspa.com.

Although making the switch to toxin-free cosmetics is a first step to conscious living, there’s more you can do as an informed consumer: ask your local representative to support The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010, which gives FDA the power to ensure our personal care products are safe. For more information on the bill, or to learn which cosmetics are safe for your body, visit www.safecosmetics.org.

Toxin-Free Sun Care - 07.28.10 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

What You Don’t Know About Your Sunblock Could Hurt You

Now that summer’s officially here, it’s a perfect time to get outdoors and soak up the sun. Recent studies show that 20 minutes of sun exposure per day is ideal for optimum health—it’s like taking a daily dose of vitamin D. However, during the past few decades, incidents of skin cancer have steadily been on the rise. Some experts blame this on damaging ultraviolet rays, which have intensified over the past several years due to global warming. In addition, popular pharmaceutical drugs like antibiotics, antidepressants, diuretics and retinoids are known to cause increased sun sensitivity. As such, it’s critical to apply UV protection before heading outdoors.

Though most sunblocks are designed to protect skin, unfortunately, traditional brands like Banana Boat and Bain de Soleil contain dangerous ingredients that have been linked to skin cancer and other degenerative diseases. Both products are made with chemicals like oxybenzone and parabens. Oxybenzone is a derivative of benzophenone, which absorbs ultraviolet rays. However, when exposed to sunlight and penetrated into the skin, Oxybenzone has been found to cause malignant melanoma, which according to recent studies, is responsible for nearly 75% of all skin cancer related deaths.

Parabens are chemical preservatives used in most shampoos, shaving gels and lotions, including sunscreen. Traditionally, parabens are used for their bacteriocidal and fungicidal properties, which can be helpful in maintaining the consistency of a product. Unfortunately, most sunblocks only work when rubbed repeatedly onto skin--the largest and most absorbent organ on the human body. When parabens are absorbed into the skin or washed down the drain into what eventually becomes our drinking water, they are known to disrupt the function of the human endocrine system, which includes organs like the hypothalamus, ovaries, and thyroid, among others. In addition, some studies show that parabens can actually mimic the hormone estrogen, which has been linked to the development of breast cancer.

Given the health and environmental risks, it’s best to avoid any cosmetics, including sunblocks, containing oxybenzone, parabens or other harsh chemicals. So how can you protect your skin this summer without covering up or staying indoors? Simply--by being a conscious consumer and making a healthier choice. Though making the switch might seem overwhelming at first, the good news is, there are dozens of suncare brands on the market that will protect your skin without harmful chemicals. The next time you purchase sunscreen, look for products like Juice Beauty and Dr. Hauschka that are certified organic and made with natural sun protectants like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Since these ingredients remain on the skin’s surface, they reflect the sun’s powerful rays naturally without harsh chemicals. You can find these and other brands at healthy food stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joes and even some drugstores. Happy tanning!

Eco-Friendly Travel Tips - 07.27.10 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Did you know that carbon dioxide emissions from travel are one of the largest contributors to global warming? Before you hit the road this summer to jump on a plane, train or automobile, or book your next hotel room, think about becoming more conscious of minimizing--or at least offsetting--your total footprint on the planet. Here are just a few ways to help get you moving in a greener direction:

1. Fly Greener Skies
Airplanes release both carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, which when released high into the atmosphere during flight, create a global warming effect twice as intense as carbon dioxide alone. To minimize this impact, book your next flight with a more environmentally-friendly airline like Lufthansa, Virgin or Continental, which recently modernized its fleet and switched to energy-efficient dual twin vs. four engine aircrafts, which helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 35%.

2. Go Green to and from the Airport
With train stops at Midway and O’Hare, the greenest—and cheapest--way to the airport is simply hopping on the CTA. But if you must have door-to-door service or are running late, forego an oil-guzzling taxi and schedule an eco-friendly car service like Chicago’s Going Green Limousine. Their hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles use up to 80% fewer greenhouse gases, and are available for service throughout Chicago, Milwaukee and Northwest Indiana. Goinggreenlimousine.com.

3. Stay in a Green Hotel
Who says traveling green means you have to give up luxury? On your next vacation, book a four-star eco-suite at a local green B&B or national green hotel chain like The Fairmont or Kimpton Hotels. With a growing number of conscious consumers requesting green amenities like in-room recycling, energy and water-efficient appliances, and local and organic hotel cuisine, these hotels are setting the eco-bar high for hotels worldwide. Fairmont.com.

4. Drink Eco-Friendly Water
Staying hydrated is important for maintaining optimal health when you travel. Though convenient on the road, plastic water bottles leach nasty chemicals into drinking water, your body, and the planet and eventually end up in landfills or our precious oceans. As an alternative, travel with refillable stainless steel water bottles from companies like Klean Kanteen, Sigg and Eco Usable, or try local company Green Planet’s tasty vapor-distilled water, which comes in BPA-free biodegradable bottles made from plants. Greenplanetbottling.com.

5. Offset Your Travel Carbon Footprint
If you aren’t to make a greener choice with your air, car or hotel, not to worry, you can still reduce the overall environmental impact of your lifestyle through carbon offsetting. Through sites like NativeEnergy.com, consumers can easily calculate the total amount of carbon generated from their daily travel and lifestyle, and offset that amount by purchasing “carbon offset credits”. Through these credits, you can personally contribute to innovative greenhouse gas-reducing projects around the world that generate renewable energy from wind, solar and biomass.

No matter where you fall on the green travel continuum, there are plenty of ways to reduce your carbon footprint, so just pick one and commit to it! Mother Earth will thank you.

Seeds of Change - 07.15.10 / News

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

There’s a shocking statistic in the city of Chicago: over 600,000 of our 2.8-plus million residents live in so-called “food deserts.” Local food policy consultant Mari Gallagher’s groundbreaking reports on food deserts have helped put our city on the map as a national focal point for food disparities. According to Gallagher, food deserts are neighborhoods where residents lack access to fresh, healthy produce. In Chicago, the majority of food desert residents are African-American women and children.

In an effort to provide equal access to fresh food in their communities, several grass-roots organizations are growing solutions in areas needing it most. One of the oldest is Chicago Growing Home (Growinghomeinc.org), founded in 1992 by Les Brown, then the Director of Policy for Chicago’s Coalition for the Homeless. With organic farms in Chicago and Marseilles, a CSA program and farmer’s markets across the city, Growing Home teaches at-risk and formerly incarcerated individuals how to grow food as a transition step towards re-entering the workforce and society.

The other is Chicago Growing Power (GrowingPower.org), founded in 1993 by Mac-Arthur Genius Will Allen. One of Time’s 100 Most Influential People, Allen believes it’s “impossible to have healthy communities without a healthy food system.” Through organic farms in Wisconsin and Chicago, Rainbow Farmers Cooperative CSA program and regional food security training across the country, Allen is working to ensure “everyone has the right to fresh, nutritious, affordable food—regardless of economic circumstances.”

Smaller organizations led by every day citizens are also playing a crucial role. LaDonna Redmond was living in a food desert on the West side ten years ago when she discovered her son had severe food allergies. As she explored foods she could and couldn’t feed him, she struggled to find fresh, healthy produce in her predominantly Black neighborhood. Determined to provide her family and community with “s.o.u.l.” food—sustainable, organic, urban, local—she began converting vacant lots into urban farm sites. Today, she’s the CEO of the Institute for Community Resource Development and a Kellogg and MacArthur fellow. Last year, she launched Graffiti & Grub (Graffitiandgrub.com), a restaurant, grocery store and community center in East Englewood that feeds and educates local residents on healthy living.

An hour and a half from downtown, Dr. Jifunza Wright-Carter and her husband Fred Carter have spent years working “off the grid” for food justice. They live in a yurt in Pembroke Township, Ill., a predominantly African-American farm community spanning 56-square miles founded in the late 1800s as a safe haven for escaped or newly freed slaves and Native Americans. Dr. Jifunza, a board-certified holistic doctor with a masters in public health, and Fred, the only African-American certified permaculture instructor in North America, believe that worse than food deserts, “there will soon be a major collapse in the global food system.”

With the goal of redistributing wealth in their community through food, Fred & Dr. Jifunza launched the Black Oaks Center (BlackOaksCenter.org) for Sustainable Renewable Living, a non-profit organic farm and training center run on renewable energy. Through their Healthy Food Hub, they offer a year-round CSA program sourced from Pembroke’s Black farm collective. They host bi-weekly farmer’s markets on the South Side, including one operated by students from Betty Shabbazz International, a K-12 high school and eco-campus at 78th and Ellis.

Community gardener Gregory Bratton is teaching his neighbors to grow their own food the old fashioned way. A celebrated master gardener, Bratton was instrumental in building several of Chicago’s infamous rooftop gardens, and grows food year-round in heated hoop houses. With the support of Chicago’s Department of Environment and Healthy Southeast Chicago, he acquires abandoned city lots and transforms them into green treasures like the Bush Community Garden of Hope and the Buffalo Senior Inspirational Community Garden.

One of the youngest rising stars in the movement is Seneca Price-Kern, who “sees no reason why every home in Chicago can’t grow their own food, if given a hand,” and is empowering homeowners and apartment dwellers alike to become DIY master gardeners. Through his company, We Farm America (WeFarmAmerica.com)—which offers garden planning, implementation and harvesting—Price-Kern’s objective is to convert all city lawns and vacant lots into high-yielding gardens. On an average day, you might catch him planting a 25-bed community garden on the South Side with repurposed wood from Rebuilding Exchange. Price-Kern also hosts bi-monthly garden parties in Rogers Park with nutrition consultancy Appetite For Balance.

With passionate activists like these and others planting fertile seeds of change in their communities, there’s hope that one day, all residents of the Emerald City will have access to fresh, healthy food—no matter their race, class or zip code.

- As first published in Mindful Metropolis magazine

Guaranteed Green: Chicago’s Green Restaurant Co-Op Sets the Bar High for The Windy City Food Industry - 06.16.10 / News

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Chicago’s food scene is going green--one restaurant at a time. A destination known worldwide for its decadent cuisine, the windy city will soon be recognized for having some of the greenest restaurants in the U.S. This summer, the Green Chicago Restaurant Co-op launched the Guaranteed Green Restaurant certification program. The Co-op was formed last year in order to provide a clear path for Chicago restaurants to become more environmentally friendly, and a way for consumers to choose to dine green when eating out. The Guaranteed Green program launched with an inaugural class of twenty of Chicago’s finest restaurants, including celebrity chef Rick Bayless’ world-famous Frontera Grill, and local favorites like Uncommon Ground and the Bleeding Heart Bakery. To qualify for Guaranteed Green certification, each restaurant must demonstrate adherence to a rigorous checklist of sustainability practices, including the purchase of eco-friendly food, cleaning products, serviceware, furnishings and environmentally-friendly management of energy, waste, and water.

At the press conference for the June 22 launch, held at eco-friendly Soprafinna Restaurant on 222 West Adams, owner and co-op chairman Dan Rosenthal shared his passion for greening the Chicago dining experience: “Six months ago we challenged the Chicago restaurant community to make bold changes to help protect the environment, and it responded in force,” said Rosenthal. “Today we are proud to announce the inaugural class of Guaranteed Green, twenty restaurants that challenged industry assumptions, invested time and money, and employed old-fashioned ingenuity to become more environmentally responsible.” Once certified, restaurants are allowed to feature the Guaranteed Green emblem--a sprouting green fork and leaf icon--in their front window. The emblem is a visible signal to consumers that a restaurant is truly green.

For restaurant owners, the Guaranteed Green certification is one way to stay ahead of the curve in uncertain economic times. At the event, chef Rick Bayless (http://www.rickbayless.com/ ) admitted to using locally-grown ingredients just to gain an edge in the industry. As he learned more about the slow food movement, he gained a greater appreciation of the positive impact these efforts had on the environment, and slowly began incorporating more sustainable practices into all of his restaurants. Bayless owns three of Chi-town’s beloved restaurants--Frontera Grill, Topolbampo, and Xoco. Given his meteoric rise in popularity as last year’s winner of Bravo TVs Top Chef Masters, his support for greening Chicago restaurants is sure to add momentum to the green restaurant movement.

For Helen Cameron, co-owner of Uncommon Ground (http://www.uncommonground.com) restaurant, the new Guaranteed Green program will put an end to greenwashing in the restaurant industry. “It’s one thing to say you are green, but it’s quite another to prove it through a third party certification…”, said Cameron. In 1991, she and her husband Michael opened their first location on North Clark Street in Wrigleyville featuring seasonal, regional, and organic ingredients. Last year, Uncommon Ground premiered the first USDA-certified organic rooftop garden at that location, where they source food prepared at all of their restaurants, and hold garden tours and sustainability classes.

To that end, Chris Koetke, Dean of Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, discussed the importance of teaching sustainability as a part of restaurant education. At Kendall, sustainability is taught early in the curriculum in order to help students understand the impact they can make on the environment through a task as simple as cooking. http://kendall.edu/.

Representatives from the Mayor’s office attended the event to show their support for this large initiative towards Chicago’s efforts to be the greenest city in the U.S. Suzanne Malec-McKenna, Commissioner for the City of Chicago Chicago’s Department of Environment, voiced her unconditional support for the Guaranteed Green program. She stated that she believes green certification is a positive trend that will one day become a reality everywhere. “It was an easy idea for the city to get behind”, said Malec-McKenna.

The press conference represented an important step in the Chicago food industry, positioning it not only as a city with great food and restaurants, but now as a city that is leading the forefront of providing a sustainable dining experience to all customers. To see a list of all “Guaranteed Green” restaurants, visit www.buygreenchicago.org.

Do Black and Green Go Together? - 05.01.10 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

An African-American Treehugger Sounds Off
What’s a black girl from the Nation’s Capital (aka: the Chocolate City) care about compact fluorescent light bulbs, reforestation in the Brazilian rainforest, or endangered wolf packs in Colorado? Had you met me ten years ago, I would’ve told you “not a damn thing!” But today, I stand proudly as an advocate for renewable energy, toxin-free personal care products, and organic food for the masses.

How could this unexpected metamorphosis happen?

Growing up, I always loved taking long nature walks with my dad in the vast woods behind our house, running through the sprinkler on a hot summer afternoon, making mud pies after a good rain, blowing dandelion seeds in the wind, and snapping fresh green beans with my mom from my grandfather’s garden. But I never thought about being an “environmentalist”.

Not because environmentalists are bad people. In fact, some of my “best friends” are environmentalists. Just kidding. In truth, the environmentalist movement has accomplished many great feats, from planet-friendly legislation to helping to spur a counter-culture where “gorgeous” and “green” are now synonymous. But as a young teenager, then in college and finally law school, whenever the issue of environmentalism came up, I always had a negative reaction. A reaction I tend to have about all “isms”. Why? In my view, they are all are based on some form or another of separation consciousness, an insidious “us vs. them”, a human-designed zero-sum game that keeps the “good cops” and the “bad cops” on different sides of the railroad tracks. Like racism, sexism, nationalism and classism, isms have the power to segregate people instead of uniting them--even if in theory, the ism happens to be for a justifiably good so-called ‘cause’.

Historically, the environmentalism movement--unlike many more populist movements—has appealed to people who have the luxury of getting beyond just surviving to contemplate the world at large and their relationship to it. Given the past and present struggles of the African-American community—and other segments of the world population that have traditionally been disenfranchised by the institutionalized isms of mainstream culture—it’s no surprise that the environmentalist movement has not been of much interest to people of color. Disturbing, yes, but think--when was the last time you saw or even heard about an all-Black rally for Save the Whales?

There are numerous reasons for this. Perhaps, like me, many people of color grew up hearing or believing that “environmentalists care more about penguins than they do black people”. Or perhaps, as my brother-in-Spirit, Van Jones, has so eloquently articulated, the “green movement” has traditionally not put much effort into enrolling or advocating on behalf of people of color, the uneducated masses, and those who cannot afford to shop at Whole Foods. And for this reason, it has yet to reach a tipping point within the mainstream population.

The same is true for all movements designed to benefit just a singular group of people: They fail to speak to and for everyone. Personally, I never felt included or inspired by the green movement. I always felt like I had to choose between caring about the fate of “my people” and caring about the fate of “the planet.” Now there’s separation consciousness at its finest.

And then I met my husband, Michael. He was the perfect mate: tall, dark and handsome with an athletic build, a brilliant personality and a sharp mind. And best of all, he shared my values. But he was white, from San Francisco, and…scariest of all…a passionate environmentalist.

Not soon after our wedding, he encouraged me to exchange my toxic Tide detergent for eco-friendly Seventh Generation. “Why?” I asked? “Because each cup of chemical-laden detergent you use kills one cubic foot of phytoplankton” he would answer. But why should I, a sister who prided herself on having the freshest smelling clothes on the block, care about a marine organism I couldn’t even see? Because, he said “the phytoplankton in the ocean produce at least 50% of the world’s oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere”. Wow, impressive. Changing my laundry detergent could minimize global warming! I was starting to believe. As an African-American with a life-long passion for justice, caring about planetary justice seemed like the right thing to do—and best of all, it was an excuse to go shopping!

After that came other green cleaning products, organic food, toxin-free skin care, vegetarianism, carbon-offset credits, CFL light bulbs, sustainable clothing, eco-vacations, saving endangered species, lots of Dave Matthews, and of course, treehugging. My new life as an African-American treehugger meant I got to choose from the best, or worst, of both worlds: Do I eat fried chicken or fried tofu? Listen to Jay-Z or Bono? Become a member of the NAACP or the Sierra Club? Jesse Jackson, or Al Gore?

As for choosing between saving “my people” and saving “my planet”, I choose both. The truth is, as a complex human being, neither extreme fully embodies my tastes, passions or spiritual aspirations. And with the onslaught of global warming, the larger choice for all human beings is whether we will choose to care more about survival than we do separation. After all, if African-Americans are empowered and world poverty is ended, but the planet’s burned up, would my ancestors call that Freedom? Alternatively, if the environmental status quo fails to understand that people of color and the disenfranchised are a critical component of long-term sustainability in the truest sense, who wins? Until we begin to truly work together as a one world community for the good of mother earth—who is crying out desperately for help in a myriad of ways--we are doomed as a human race to reap the consequences of a zero-sum game where everyone loses whether they’re black, white, or green.

As an African-American treehugger, I’ve still got a ways to go. After all, I could already be driving a hybrid car as opposed to shopping for “the right one”. I might have figured out a way to compost in an apartment complex. I might be living in a custom LEED-certified green home. Better yet, I might already be living off-the-grid altogether on a yurt in the wilderness. Had I been enrolled earlier in the “green movement”, perhaps I’d be further along. But for now, it’s one step at a time. I try to consume consciously. I walk 7 days a week. I try to support local businesses. I reduce, I reuse, and I recycle. And most of all, I work on being the change that I want to see. If they could see me now, I think my ancestors would be proud.

- As first published in Mindful Metropolis magazine

The Power to Make a Difference - 03.31.10 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

How can we break the cycle of poverty for millions of at-risk youth in America?

Better Education? Sports? After School Programs? Parents that are involved in their child’s education and engagement in school?

All of these answers may be a part of the solution. However, they often have left me feeling that my ability to make a difference, the only way to help, was to give back by standing in a picket line or writing my congressman as one small voice in a large and daunting process to change policy.

However, many studies have shown that having a single tutor or mentor for an extended period of time can improve chances for at-risk youth to attend college, become gainfully employed and escape the cycle of poverty.

Armed with the renewed faith that I could make a difference in one young person’s life by simply spending a couple of hours each week with them, I became a tutor/mentor at Cabrini Connections, and organization that has been connecting local Chicago adults and leaders with high-risk, low-income teenagers for over 35 years. They strive to empower and encourage young adults to follow life-changing solutions through the time, effort and contribution of adult volunteers.

When I first met Shaquille, I was excited. He was a charismatic, outspoken 16 year-old. He loved music, had taught himself Final Cut Express (a student version of Apple’s highly lauded editing program utilized by many major motion pictures) to make music videos of his hip-hop group, and was a talented basketball player.

Being a teenager offers many hard choices regardless of race, class and environment. The difficulty of the myriad of choices can often be accentuated when the realities of a single parent household, socio-economic factors and being a young black man in a segregated city come into play. Such is the case with Shaquille. Although, he is a bright and talented student, Shaquille’s grades were less than adequate in his first semester working with me as a tutor. Primarily because of a school policy that penalizes children for tardiness and equates 4 tardys to one cut and four cuts to a failing grade.

Despite my weekly tutoring and mentoring sessions with Shaquille, he finished is fall semester with two Ds and an F. I knew that if his grades continued to suffer that despite his many talents and intelligence, the window of opportunity to attend college would quickly be closed to him. Further, many of Shaquille’s friends were pursuing high-risk paths that could eventually lead to jail, expulsion from school or even worse for a young black man in Chicago.

So this semester, I decided that it was time to “step up my game” with Shaquille and give him an opportunity to participate in what I called a “mastery training.” I was going to offer him a chance to interact with me not as his tutor but as an apprentice, to learn many of the life skills and disciplined work habits that carried me to graduating Phi Beta Kappa in Economics from U.C. Davis and have propelled me to a successful career building several multi-million dollar companies as an entrepreneur.

I wasn’t sure how he would respond and wanted to avoid the trap of telling him what he “needed” to do or “forcing him to do it.” It was crucial to me, that he “opted in” to the next phase of his training. So I chose attendance to a Bulls game, as the time I was going to give him this opportunity, since he is a talented basketball player, and the backdrop of a storied franchise like the Bulls would allow me plenty of examples of those who had taken the path to mastery, while their peers had taken a road to mediocrity or worse.

We discussed the idea of mastery, and what it takes to actually become a master at something. We talked about the benefits of becoming a master and he discussed his dreams, goals and aspirations. I quoted the book, Outliers, where author Malcolm Gladwell argues the point that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a master in whatever you choose.
Through a process of questions and examination, Shaquille was able to come to the conclusion on his own that it would take about 10 years, with 3-4 hours per day of practice to become a master. It was a perfect discussion when, at halftime, a master hypnotherapist came out to work his magic. We examined his options for mastery from “hanging out with girls” to “film/video editing and production, to basketball, to music. I was often tempted to give my advice about what “I thought” he “should do,” but remembered my commitment that it must be his decision. He had to “opt in” in order for this next phase of our relationship to truly be worthwhile.
For the rest of the game, we continued to bring our attention to the mastery we saw around us, Michael Jordan’s jersey, six world championship banners, his favorite Bulls players. As we left the game, Shaquille’s excitement seemed to be increasing, the tempo and intensity of his voice raised, he shot jumpers in the air and talked about all the things he wanted to master, or at least was excited about mastering. As we pulled up to his house, I found myself filled with the hope of possibility for him and also the fear that he may simply not willing into take on the responsibility of entering into the next phase of his training. As I shared with him that our relationship was going to change somewhat, that if he wanted to step into an apprenticeship of mastery, that certain things like, non-responses to my communications would no longer be acceptable and at he may not like me in certain instances because I would be more committed to his success than his feelings, just like my mentors had done for me.

As we stopped in front of the gate of his mother’s apartment complex, I finally asked him “Are you ready to enter the next phase of your training?” “Do you want me to support you in becoming a master?”

After a long pause, he broke out into a broad smile and said “Yeah, I’m ready, let’s do this.” With that, we shook hands and began his long road of training towards mastery. I am hopeful this next step will help him to not just step out of the cycle of poverty, but will assist him in the achievement of his dreams and aspirations.

Nevertheless, I don’t actually know how Shaquille’s story will end. Whether he will endure the trials and tribulations that are sure to come his way; whether he will continue to choose this path when all signals tell him to quit and all hope seems lost. But I do know that he has, at 16 years old, make a conscious choice, a choice of more responsibility, a choice to embark on the road less traveled, a road that will hopefully lead him to mastery.

Toxin-Free Spring Cleaning - 03.15.10 / News

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Green Up Your Cleaning Regimen

According to the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), levels of indoor air pollutants can be from two to more than 100 times higher than outdoors. This indoor pollution is due in large part to volatile organic compounds (V.O.C.s) that evaporate, or "offgas," from home decorating and cleaning products.

Due to a lack of federal labeling standards, most consumers aren’t aware of the hidden dangers these products can pose to their health. Under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, cleaners are the only household products for which manufacturers are not required to list all ingredients. Most traditional cleaning products on the market, e.g., Tide, Lysol, and Mr. Clean to name a few--are made with hundreds of poisonous chemicals like phosphates, phthalates, formaldehyde, surfactants and pesticides. They pollute our water and contribute to global warming. They are also bio-accumulative, meaning they aren’t easily purged from the body. Over time, even mild exposure can add up to dangerously toxic levels.

Consequently, many of the chemicals used in cleaning products, like artificial fragrances, have been linked to major health problems including liver failure and cancer. Even scarier, cleaning products are responsible for 5-10 million household poisonings annually. Most of these poisonings are fatal, involve children, and result from absorption of toxins through the skin, inhalation, or ingestion. Children and pets are more susceptible to injury because they are smaller and have weaker, developing immune systems less capable of properly metabolizing and releasing these toxins.

There's no point in cleaning your home with products that can harm you, your family or the environment. Why take the risk? Here are a few tips for making the switch to healthier, more eco-friendly products:

•    Become a more conscious consumer. Read and understand product labels before bringing them into your home. You can research all of the chemicals listed on labels via the Household Products Database. www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov.
•    Go Green. Find and purchase healthier, greener alternatives. One of my favoritesis MethodHome. You can find their affordable, effective products for almost every room in the house at convenience stores like Target.
•    Make Your Own. Save money and use homemade cleaning solutions made from ingredients in your cupboard like vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and lavender.
•    Use eco-cleaning tools. While you’re at it, save paper, trees and space in our growing landfills and clean with eco-tools like Twist natural sponges (made from recyled, biodegradable materials), recycled paper towels from Seventh Generation, or opt for re-usable cloth wipes. You can find these and other eco-products at any natural foods store, or online at www.myEarth360.com.
•    Clear the Air Naturally. It takes hundreds of toxic chemicals just to make one artificial fragrance used in candles like Glade. When the candle is burned, these chemicals are released into the air you breathe. Instead, opt for clean burning soy-based candles with essential oils. My favorite is Pacifica candles, which come in dozens of natural scents. www.PacificaPerfume.com.

Easy Green Resolutions for 2010 - 01.11.10 / Blog

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Now that “green” has gone mainstream, we all know the importance of living in a more environmentally friendly way. Nevertheless, if you have yet to take a first step, making a big lifestyle change may still seem a little daunting. To get you started, here are 10 easy resolutions you can make this year to go green and reduce your carbon footprint, save money, and improve your health in 2010.

1. Recycle. Unless a product is biodegradable, throwing it “away” means it goes to a planet-polluting landfill. Don’t toss your trash: reduce, reuse and recycle it wherever you can.

2. Switch to C.F.L.s (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs). Lower your carbon footprint by swapping out incandescent bulbs with CFLs. They use up to 75% less energy and last ten times longer—and can help you save about $30 off your utility bill over the life of each bulb.

3. Eliminate Energy Vampires. Most energy drained from your home comes from electronic appliances you aren’t using like TVs, computers and cell phone chargers. Unplug or turn off appliances when not in use for one hour, or plug into a power strip and hit the “off” switch.

4. Upgrade Your Appliances. Appliances account for 20 percent of home energy use! When old appliances give out, replace them with energy-efficient, Energy Star-certified models, which use 10-50% less energy and water and can reduce your utility bill.

5. Detox Your Home. Most homes contain dozens of hidden hazardous toxins. The biggest culprits are traditional cleaning products, which contain toxic chemicals that pose serious health risks. Protect yourself and the environment by choosing natural, organic and biodegradable cleaning and personal care products.

6. Say Goodbye to Plastic. Due to global warming and pollution, access to clean, fresh water is quickly diminishing. Cut water waste by turning off the faucet when not in use (including when brushing teeth!), and replace faucets and showerheads with low-flow alternatives.

7. Eat More Veggies. The meat industry wastes millions of tons of water, land and natural resources annually and is our planet’s largest industrial polluter. A meat diet requires 4,000+ gallons of water per day: By comparison, a vegetarian diet requires just 300 gallons. Go green and improve your health by eating less meat and eating local, organic fruits and veggies. You'll reduce your carbon footprint by nearly 15%!

8. Wear Eco-Chic Clothing. It takes 1/3 lb. of harmful pesticides to make one traditional cotton shirt. Instead, wear clothing made from sustainable, renewable fabrics like bamboo, hemp or organic cotton, or go vintage by shopping at thrift stores.

9. Green Your Commute. Cut down on greenhouse gas-causing C02 emissions by driving a fuel-efficient vehicle. Not ready to trade your car in for a hybrid? Walk, bike, carpool or take public transportation instead of driving.

10. Take Baby Steps. If overhauling your life to “go green” feels overwhelming, determine what level of green works best for your current lifestyle. Then, resolve to make one change you can commit to for 2010. Even the smallest change can make a huge difference. Here’s to a greener New Year!

Bianca Alexander is a green lifestyle expert and correspondent for Conscious Living TV and Soul of Green. Watch Bianca present a few of these tips live on WGN by clicking here: http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=18305a0c-0369-4e84-9596-c0a35f12f99c&src=front.

Or, for more tips and to stay up to date on our latest episodes, visit www.ConsciousLivingTV.com and www.SoulofGreen.com, become a fan, and sign up for our e-list!

Eco-Sexy Mineral Makeup: Stript Cosmetics - 11.24.09

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

When it comes to wearing make-up, why be eco-friendly when you can be “eco-sexy?” This is the mantra of Gina Austin, founder and Creative Director of Stript Makeup, a line of vegan, paraben-free mineral cosmetics that is taking the concept of natural beauty and mineral make-up to another level.

Through a variety of environmentally conscious practices, Stript commits itself “to the individual, to the community and to the world.” Stript consists of talc-free natural minerals and natural preservatives such as Naticide (which is derived from almonds) and Japanese honeysuckle. In addition to abstaining from animal testing, Stript also sells vegan and animal fur-free applicator brushes, 10% of the proceeds from which are donated to ASPCA. Stript even excels when it comes to packaging: its cosmetics are sold in recyclable plastic containers and post-consumer unit cartons printed with soy ink. All packing materials are biodegradable. Even the brushes are eco-friendly: sustainably forested trees supply the wooden handles for all of Stript’s applicators.

With its range of vibrant, highly-pigmented colors, Stript stands out from the pack of dozens of mineral cosmetics lines currently in the marketplace. Stript’s crushed mineral eye shadows, which come in colors like Venus, a turquoise blue, and Skye, a dramatic metallic gray, can be applied either wet or dry to convey various tones and shades, and are perfect for darker-skinned complexions or those wanting the option of more coverage. Stript also has a one-of-a-kind lipstick liner crayon that does the work of both lipstick and liner and contains hints of vanilla extract and almond. Its marine-based mineral foundations are made with vitamins A, C, E, and B, and create an emphasis on light diffusion and flawless, adaptable coverage. Stript’s mineral blushes feature antioxidants and amino acids that moisturize, nourish, and protect the skin. Although make-up free is the only way to go completely "natural", with Stript cosmetics, your skin will be healthy, radiant, and flawless--keeping you, and the planet sexier than ever!

You can see Stript make-up in action on Conscious Living’s host, Bianca Alexander, at www.ConsciousLivingTV.com. To learn more about Stript or review or purchase their cosmetic line of products, visit www.striptmakeup.com. For more tips on natural beauty, style and cosmetics, visit the Conscious Living TV beauty page.

Conscious Living TV Covers Carrotmob Chicago! - 08.13.09

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

Want to put your spending dollars toward greening your community? Recently, Conscious Living and hundreds of Chicagoans did just that by shopping at the gourmet food store Fox & Obel! Fox and Obel was host to the Carrotmob, an organization of individuals who create excitement around a particular business in order to increase that business’ profits for one day. Proceeds of the profits from that day go toward making the business more energy efficient.

Any Carrotmob event can be thought of as a reverse boycott: Carrotmobbers take to the streets outside their chosen business and encourage pedestrians to shop at the business. With the aid of signs, t-shirts, coupons and—in the case of the Fox & Obel event—a massive, papier-mâché carrot, Carrotmobbers make their business of choice the place to be.

Fox & Obel will allocate fifty percent of its proceeds on the day of the Carrotmob to making the store more energy efficient. The store’s priority is to replace its current lighting with LED lighting. With the event bringing in $4,300, Fox & Obel now has $2,150 it can now use toward energy efficiency.

To learn more about the Carrotmob and learn about upcoming Carrotmob events in your area, go to www.carrotmob.org. For our coverage on the event, check out the Food page of Conscious Living TV!

Visionary Mobile Eco-Chic Boutique - 08.01.09

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:54:14

When fashonista entrepreneur Magda Rod opened her eco-chic Visionary Boutique on trendy Melrose in 2007, she envisioned a space where she could offer customers a taste of environmental and social consciousness without having to sacrifice quality or style. After doing just that, when the recession hit she moved her store (now located on Pico) and gave it a second life with the Visionary Mobile Boutique. Housed in this green-retrofitted 1966 Airstream trailer, it offers some of the best eco-lifestyle brands on the go, including Linda Loudermilk, Kailia Footwear and Jane Iredale cosmetics. This summer, we stopped by her new mobile pad at Malibu's eco-friendly BuFest and picked up one of her custom Ecousable water bottles and a sexy charm bracelet from her inspirational jewelry line. Keep up the great work, Magda!