http://ecogeek.org/automobiles/2942-first-algae-fueled-car-crossing-the-country

http://www.examiner.com/x-8134-SF-Gadgets-Examiner~y2009m8d17-San-Fransisco-nextgen-bus-stops-to-get-free-solarpowered-WiFi

http://www.physorg.com/news167321476.html#

What is Back2Yourself?

Back2Yourself is a provider of a simple, home-based method to eliminate or prevent Back Pain by improving your body mechanics. They provide an online program of exercises designed to strengthen your core trunk muscles, which helps support and encourage better posture.

Does it Work?

Well, ask yourself this – long-term, do the pain-killers you’re taking now work? I would never and will never speak out against our medical system in general – it has its place, especially for acute pain and life-threatening issues; however, environmentastic! always supports prevention and natural solutions before committing to a lifetime of medicine that may cause addiction, dependence, and/or side effects (some of which may require there own medication to fight – seems like a vicious circle, no?).

So now let me answer the question more directly – The New England Journal of Medicine posted an article by Richard A. Deyo M.D., M.P.H. and James N. Weinstein D.O. stating that nearly 70% of back pain is caused by muscle strains and sprains (see page 3). Stronger and more flexible muscles can limit strains and sprains. So yes – if you follow the exercises, you can have fewer and shorter pain episodes, as well as faster and easier recovery from episodes when they occur.

But will you follow the exercises? I can’t answer that for you. What I can say is that Back2Yourself seems to have a program that will keep you motivated. They encourage daily back exercise, self evaluation tracking, and support from their team to make sure you acheive the results you want. The program is flexible, adjustable, and personable.

Conclusion

Back2Yourself costs $29.95 per month, which could be well worth the expense if you regularly suffer from back pain. They also – at least for now – have a free trial option on their website so you can check it out and try it out before you commit to paying for it.

It’s worth a look to see if it can help you avoid permanent “temporary’ pain killers for preventable back pain!

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

As we quickly approach Food Independence Day, I ask what you’ve considered about your own food consumption habits?

*I spent last weekend in lovely Manchester, TN at the Bonnaroo Festival. Bonnaroo does more than most festivals in trying to lessen its footprint, which got me thinking about what a little citizen action could do at ANY event!

1-Separate bins for trash, recycling, and compost throughout the grounds.
2- A person called a “trash talker” posted at trash stations to help tell you whether you needed to recycle, compost, or trash. (I do wish they’d been dressed like scarecrows so the pointing would’ve been more theatrical…)
3- Water refilling stations throughout the venue that encourage the use of reusable bottles.

How easy would it be to incorporate these small steps into any community festival or even outdoor concert facility? How can we make this happen? Public events are monsters for trash generation, and I would argue the implementation of the “trash talkers” made a significant difference in making sure disposables got placed in the right container… just some thoughts.

**Do you eat soy? (tofu, edamame, soy milk… chances are you eat soy whether you know it or not!)

Our pals at the Cornucopia Institute have provided this guide to help navigate which companies are giving you the goods, and which ones are giving you the runaround. (Personally, I love their use of the word “charlatans.” Grrrr!)

Soy Report and Scorecard

[while you're there I also recommend checking out the "Who Owns Organic?" chart... it will make you choke on your wheatgrass to see how the food system is structured!]

***Want something to look forward to on Mondays?

Sir Paul McCartney (my third fave Beatle) has announced his MEAT FREE MONDAY campaign– just one day a week can help reduce world carbon emissions, your own carbon footprint, and with the recipes provided on his website, your waistline, too!

MEAT FREE? PASS THE TWO VEG!

**** And if you’re just looking for some healthier substitutes in your regular diet, MomCentral compiled this list of easy substitutes that improve your nutrient intake… frequently with yummier substitutions. (Admittedly, I’m biased– most days I’m convinced I could live on sweet potatoes and avocados.)

Mom says eat right!

Be delicious!
BB

Here are my quick links of the week to some information that is designed to inspire. Red states and blue states, we can all use a little jolt of love to remind us to keep moving and working forward.

One about food (eat well!), one about the movement (live well!).

1- The Ocean Beach People’s Organic Co-op has provided this AWESOME list of reasons why GM (genetically-modified, not the failed auto giant!) food is not the bees knees:

http://obpeoplesfood.blogspot.com/2009/06/10-reasons-why-we-dont-need-genetically.html

Read a label today!

2- If you haven’t heard about Paul Hawken’s inspirational commencement speech at the University of Portland, you should check it out. The title is, “You are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring”

http://yesmagazine.org/article.asp?id=3559

(my favorite parts:

“When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse. What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world. The poet Adrienne Rich wrote, “So much has been destroyed I have cast my lot with those who, age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world.” There could be no better description. Humanity is coalescing. It is reconstituting the world, and the action is taking place in schoolrooms, farms, jungles, villages, campuses, companies, refuge camps, deserts, fisheries, and slums.”

-and-

“Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would create new religions overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead, the stars come out every night and we watch television.”)

Be delicious!

BB

Happy Tuesday that feels like a Monday until you realize that Friday is closer than you think. I hope you are filled up from a holiday of delicious eating with delicious people.

This week I’m going to try and focus a little bit on the cost of food– both directly in the store and market as well as the big picture costs affiliated. We’ll see how this goes.

A couple links to help you consider your body’s fuel with as much mindfulness as you do the fuel in your home or your car:

1- The Environmental Working Group has issued a guide to pesticides for shoppers to help make it easier to determine what produce needs to be an organic purchase and where you may be able to buy conventional. It can even be downloaded to your iphone.

Check it out here:
http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php

2- Tom Philpott (who has the best name for someone writing about food issues– i could make “Philpott” jokes all day in regards to food in the recession!) wrote a great article for Grist.com that deserves a read. . He illuminates the similarities between the financial collapse and vulnerabilities in the world’s food system. All the more reason to think about how our investments in our sustenance need to have as much thoughtful consideration as the type of socks we invest in to put under our mattresses.  (I prefer a sensible organic wool.)

http://www.grist.org/article/2009-05-22-financial-collapse-food

Happy eating!

The Eat the View campaign is mobilizing to get governors’ mansions across the U.S. to plant gardens instead of using the entire lawn for grass/landscape. Why not dedicate these spaces to food production for your family and neighbors? Even planting veggies and herbs in place of flowers can increase the environmental value of your property while reducing your carbon footprint. The Eat the View Campaign’s parent organization, Kitchen Gardeners International, has declared this July 4th “Food Independence Day,” encouraging folks to consume meals made from local and sustainably grown food. And they don’t forget to tell you how delicious it is.

Vermont was the first state to follow the lead of the White House and USDA, and this morning, Pennsylvania becomes the second state to plant its garden.

More research is emerging that organic agriculture stands to make a significant impact in efficient carbon sequestration– effectively aiding in management and mitigation of greenhouse gas production.

Here are stories:
Pennsylvania
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/prnewswire/2009/05/21/prnewswire200905211404PR_NEWS_USPR_____DC21214.html

Vermont :
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090515/NEWS03/90515013/At+Vt.+Statehouse++even+the+thumbs+go+green+

If you haven’t yet declared your food independence, please do here:
http://foodindependenceday.org/

For the latest in research regarding organic agriculture and carbon sequestration visit:
http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/global_warming

Happy eating, friends!

BizzyBoots

BizzyBoots here, the newest member of the environmentastic! team.  My area of specialization will be all things food and agriculture related, and I hope to get y’all thinkin and brewin about the stuff goin in your bodies every day.

I wanted to get started by seeing if there were any burning issues you’d like me to explore and report back.

-and/or-

I know sometimes navigating the sustainable/local/organic issue with food is not only fraught with confusion, but economically dicey as well.  So, if you have questions about these topics I’d be happy to be a resource.

My personal interests include Farmers’ Markets; Community-Supported Agriculture; Organic, Biodynamic and Shumei Natural Agriculture; all things compost; Environmental effects of agriculture; Locavore-ing; and international agriculture development initiatives.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to your questions/comments!

Sunshine & compost,

-BB