In case you missed it in your inbox, we put together a very special gift to help you bring in 2008. If you come across this late, remember, it’s NEVER too late for new beginnings.

Go ahead and click the link below, and PRINT THIS OFF!

We wanted a way to thank you for your support and encouragement this last year! It has been a treat getting to know many of you and we look forward to the surprises and adventures in store for us around the corner. 2008 is on her way and she looks better and brighter than any that came before her.

Hope this little gift comes at the right time and helps make this year a magical one.

Love, hugs and gratitute,

Amy and Tera

We’ve got lots of recipes in the Sisterhood Forum that have been posted recently, so go check them out if you’re needing more inspiration. This week, in light of the standard overload of elaborate recipes and overeating that tends to come at this time of year, we’re recommending the following:

Persimmon Kisses
1 serving

Take a perfectly delicate, jelly-like, hatchya persimmon and just spend a moment admiring the perfectly constructed work of art brought to you by Mother Nature herself.

Then nibble on the end of it and let the sweet insides start to make their way into your mouth. If you must do this in a public place, do try to keep the noise down. There’s no way a perfectly charming and ripe persimmon can keep you from squealing in delight when it reaches your lips.

The rest, dear Diva, is up to you as you lose and loose yourself in the explosion of perceptions and sensations of food at its very finest.

A Charming Roman

Preparation: This dish is much more effectively enjoyed after a good, long jog.

Directions: When your appetite is ripe, and you’ve just completed a good long run or jog, hit the local fresh food market and grab a head of Organic Romaine lettuce. Clutch it in your hands and giggle as you walk through the market, grinning from ear to ear and crunching on your lettuce and giggling as you realize how perfectly silly it is to drown the deliciousness of a good head of lettuce with all manner of sauces, spices and complicate combinations

Pleasure is contagious. Let the world know how good it is just with your smile.

Parfum de Muscat

Directions:

Wait until you’re hungry! VERY HUNGRY!
Then grab yourself the plumpest, most beautiful bundle of muscat grapes you can find. Then lose yourself, one by one, in the perfumed bliss of these tasty little morcels.

And just keep popping ‘em in and revelling in bliss until their perfume starts to seem slightly less blissful to you. That’s your body saying you’ve had enough.

Then stop, knowing you’ve had a totally satisfying meal. And go play with the day and the the world know how great life is.

Happy nibbling…

I will never forget the weekend I sat down for a conversation with a woman who was working on her PhD thesis in nutrition. She talked to me all about the project that she was working on. It had to do with feeding rats infant formula. She was very excited about how this information would revolutionize hospital food for people who were not able to eat solid foods.

I felt rather repulsed by the idea of it all, but smiled, acknowledged her communication, then asked her a question, that surely anyone with a PhD in nutrition would know.

I said, “Can you tell me how heat affects nutrients?”

She hummed and hawed then said, “Well, it activates enzymes.”

Huh!?

Anyone who has ever tried to plant or sprout heated seeds, knows that heat doesn’t activate enzymes it destroys them.

I couldn’t believe that after 6 years of full time study in nutrition there wasn’t an extensive study of heat and its affect on food. I mean, surely if there had been, we’d have a lot more raw foodists on the planet.

As hard as it is to believe, the truth is that we’ve become so accustomed and unconscious about cooking our foods, that few people actually stop to consider the consequences of what heat does to the foods we eat. And so I thought I’d cover a few things that really empowered me to go full force as I started off on the raw food path a few years ago on that very subject.

If you already know these things, then great! Forward them on to someone who doesn’t. If you’ve forgotten, maybe this can be an inspiring refresher.

If you’re coming across this information for the first time, then dive in and enjoy the adventure. We hope this information can inspire you to make healthier choices for yourself.

So why raw food?

Though there are countless reasons, let’s look specifically at what happens when we heat food. More appropriately the question we’re answering would be,

“Why NOT cooked food?”

We need to start with the understanding that nutrients are delivered to the body in three major categories:

Carboydrates (which can be simple (fruits, sugars) or complex (grains, cereals and starchy vegetables like potatoes, etc.)
Protein
Fat

Carbohydrates, when subjected to heat, become water saturated. When this happens, they become more difficult to digest. Inefficient carbohydrate digestion ultimately leads to fermentation in the gut. In case you don’t know, we have 3 nasty by-products of fermentation being produced in the body:

Gas
Alcohol
Acetic acid

Chances are good that you’re familiar with the effects of gas and alcohol. So let’s talk about acetic acid. I haven’t yet figured out why people continue to use vinegar, a diluted form of acetic acid, when the following is what you’ll find in a chemical laboratory, regarding it’s material safety data:

POISON! DANGER! CORROSIVE. LIQUID AND MIST CAUSE SEVERE BURNS TO ALL BODY TISSUE. MAY BE FATAL IF SWALLOWED. HARMFUL IF INHALED. INHALATION MAY CAUSE LUNG AND TOOTH DAMAGE. FLAMMABLE LIQUID AND VAPOR.

Having acetic acid in the body is clearly an invitation for trouble.

When there is acetic acid in the body, it leaches phosphorus and ultimately causes stress to the part of our body designed to help us most during stress: our adrenal glands (the little glands on top of the kidneys that are responsible for our “flight or fight” responses).

Taxing these guys means trouble in the form of body odor, mucus production, increased heart rate, headaches and thoose awful dark circles you get under the eyes.

Most people who eat grains and breads have that infamous bulge in the belly and bloated feeling. These are the tell-tale signs of fermentation hard at work in the gut. Most people experience a drastic difference in these symptoms after only 3 days on all raw foods.

So that’s carboydrates. What happens when we throw protein onto the fire?

Proteins are kind of like lego, composed of smaller parts called amino acids, which are bound together with “peptide bonds” (a kind of chemical glue for these amino acids. When protein is cooked, the bonds between the lego (amino acids) become tight and tough to break down. The body reacts to these unbreakable lego much the same way it would a foreign invader and it increases the production of prostaglandins (hormone like substances responsible for creating inflammation and other pain-responses in the body).

Many pain-relieving drugs like aspirin inhibit the production of prostaglandins in the body to reduce pain, inflammation and swelling.

For women with painful menstrual cycles, TAKE NOTE!

For YEARS I suffered with terrible menstrual cramps and PMS. During my university days, because this was really debilitating, I was prescribed prostaglandin inhibitors to help deal with the pain. Although I was a strict vegetarian and vegan for over 7 years, I never experienced any real improvement in my condition until becoming a raw foodist. Being nearly 100% raw, I have NO PMS, NO CRAMPS, and totally normal, regular, healthy cycles. A BIG wow, because for a lot of years I was doubled over in pain for days.

Now I know why. Cooked proteins and prostaglandins!! More recent experiments on myself have proven that while my cycle is in progress, eating cooked proteins creates a nearly INSTANTANEOUS reaction in my body and within minutes I will start to experience mildly uncomfortable cramps! It was only this week, however, that I managed to make the connection to prostaglandins.

Eliminating cooked protein has been a huge factor in helping people overcome chronic conditions of rheumatoid arthritis, and other auto-immune diseases (conditions in which the body apparently attacks itself) involving pain and inflammation. The body, in these circumstances, is not actually “attacking” itself, but actually fighting to protect the body from the invasion of foreign particles (cooked proteins) which are not necessary for the survival and well-being of the body itself.

Another thing about cooking proteins is the fact that it alters specific amino acids which are necessary for the transport of oxygen in the blood. Hemoglobin (which is responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body in the blood) simply cannot do its job as efficiently in the presence of cooked proteins, because it depends upon the specific location of sulfur found on amino acids, which is altered and damaged through the heating process.

So why is that important?

Well, anyone who has ever walked up a set of stairs, or been involved in sports of any kind knows that getting oxygen moving in the blood makes a huge difference in being able to perform well cardio- vascularly.

We also know that cancer thrives in an environment that is anaerobic or (lacking in oxygen). So, getting oxygen traveling efficiently through the body is vital to maintaining overall health.

Now here’s the nastiest one of them all: FAT! What happens when we cook fat?

If you’ve ever washed dishes after a fatty cooked food meal (and who hasn’t) then you’ve got a great visual of what is going on inside your intestinal tract and blood. Fats get sticky when heated, and just like cheese sticks to the size of the lasagna pan, cooked fats cause your blood cells to stick together and eventually form blockages which are major contributors to strokes and heart attacks.

Having that sticky stuff along the lining of your intestinal tract can make the absorption of nutrients through the intestinal wall much more difficult.

Vitamin E and A, which naturally protect us from free radicals in the body, are destroyed by heating. When we heat fats, we dramatically increase the amount of free radicals in the body and are destroying the Vitamins that protect us from these free radicals in the first place. A double dose of trouble from cooked fats.

The Best Nutritional Supplement EVER

All that having been said, don’t forget that stress itself inhibits digestions and assimilation of nutrients, which leads to many of the above conditions as well. Let this information inspire you to take the next step forward in your health journey–not turn you into an introverted, food-obsessed paranoid who is terrified of steamed broccoli.

I can’t count the number of people, raw food chefs, and leaders in the community who state very clearly that they are embracing a journey, and do not beat themselves up for compromises along the way.

I don’t know where YOU are at in your journey,  but if you’ve fallen off the proverbial wagon, let this article inspire you to step back up to the challenge that fits with your lifestyle and circumstances.

I don’t believe that a degree in nutrition will necessarily bring you any closer to achieving your ideal health. Informing yourself about the basics of physiology, however, so that you feel knowledgeable about what’s going on in the body, is a very empowering thing and helps us answer up with confidence when people ask us why we live on rabbit food. I’ve noticed it also helps as motivation when walking past bakeries, chocolate shops, and New Year’s dinners.

Above all, keep your thoughts positive! Look out around you at that beautiful world we’ve created, take it all in and may your joy and thirst for life be your greatest nutritional supplement EVER.

So, how was your Christmas? As you may have noticed, we kept quiet around here, wanting to respect family and vacation time for everyone.  We hope that your Christmas was full of sparkles, warm smiles and fond memories spent with those you love.

While the spirit of the season still lingers, we’re getting all ready to pack up the Christmas decorations, put away the tinsel and prepare for the kick off of 2008.

I absolutely adore new beginnings and a chance to clean the slate. It may be just a numbers game, but when the 1st of January rolls around, I can’t help but feel like opportunity is in the air–a rebirth, a chance to start fresh and play a new game.

It’s also time to reflect back on the things that have happened in 2007. Watch your inboxes on New Year’s Eve as we send out a special gift to Raw Divas everywhere. The PERFECT tool  to help you prepare for 2008 with confidence and infinite possibilities.

At the Raw Divas, we’re excited about what we’ve got up our sleeves for 2008, but nothing can compare to the excitement we feel about the fact that Amy will be bringing a little life into the world. So that’s our top priority around here–making sure she’s getting the rest, love and support she needs. Please send out your good vibes to her, because this first trimester has presented some tough challenges so far.

Here in Montreal, 2008 is the year that Tera turns into a social butterfly. That’s right! We’re committed to doing a lot more to create an active off-line community this year in the Great White North, and we’re getting started on January 5th with a big adventure in the snow! 

We Canuck Divas laugh at the cold and delight in the sparkle of snow! That’s why we’re having a “Winter Wonderland Potluck Picnic!” Bring your family, your friends, your children and your CRAZY CARPETS, because we’re heading up to Beaver Lake on the Mountain for hours of fun in the snow!

After we play and oxygenate our bodies, we’ll head indoors for a potluck picnic. Feel totally comfortable bringing fresh fruit and veg as it is, but if you want to prepare a dish in advance, be sure that no additional prep is required, as it is a “picnic!”

We’re totally excited about this event, and so bring the kids and let’s play Divastyle in the snow! Don’t hesitate to contact Tera for more information.

As many of you know, the Body Enlightenment System will be starting up on New Year’s Eve with our preparation week. This is going to be a special run of the BES, so if you’re not signed up yet, you can do that here! We’re putting a special emphasis on detox and simplicity to make up for the holiday feasts, and it’s going to feel AMAZING! Get on board before registrations close.

Part of getting ready for this New Year’s version of the Body Enlightenment System, I have been doing a lot of research and getting pumped up and excited about bringing in 2008 RAW and DIVA style. So, I was going through some of the resources that inspired me most as I began this journey, and whatdya know! They inspired me all over again and I hope they’ll do the same for you!

Stay tuned for the next blog entry to learn more!

They may not be pretty, but they sure are nourishing, and as many of us discovered in our recent Green Smoothie Challenge, Green Smoothies are great, but at this time of the year, hearty vegetables are nourishing and needed.

If you want to be able to increase the amount of greens and other vegetables, you’ll want to know how to make a blended salad, or raw green “soup.”

Of course, like green smoothies, the nutrients are easier to digest and assimilate than if you were to crunch on a salad. I heartily recommend chewing, because it is an important part of the digestive process, but these ideas are a great way to give your body a nutritional boost and help to change the scenery from the average salad by letting you practice the art of perfuming and recipe making.

So, before you begin your blended salad, think of yourself as a perfumer. If you’ve ever made your own essential oil blend, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.

1. Just add one ingredient at a time.

2. Taste it, and adjust it accordingly.

If you go ahead and randomly dump stuff into the blender, you may luck out and get a great effect, but tasting, adjusting and delicately working with the different “layers” of the recipes will bring you the greatest results.

3. Remember: Perfumers don’t eat garlic, onions or other strong foods because it affects their perceptions. If you’ve recently eaten strong or spicy foods, and you really want to “get” all the flavors of this creation, then you may want to wait until those strong flavors have moved out.

Otherwise, you’ll have tendency to find the recipe “bland” or dull if it doesn’t contain the spice or strength that you’ve still got on your palate.

All right, let’s get started!

My major ingredients to have on hard are tomatoes, cucumbers and celery or zucchini. Any big, juicy veg is going to make for some great soupy consistency.

On hand, and according to your own tastes and desires, you’ll need:
Bell pepper, spinach, lettuce and other tasty greens. Try some fennel, some apple, or anything you’re inspired to use. Definitely plan for a squirt of lemon or lime to zing it up.

And if you’re a fan, consider some green onions, chives, dill, cilantro or other fresh herbs. Avoid anything that is too bitter as it will overtake the taste. Remember, you’ll be adding these a bit at a time, to really get what you feel to be the “perfect” combination.

Pull out your blender (here’s hoping it’s a Vita-Mix or equivalent).

Start with the liquid ingredients first. Tomatoes are super-juicy and cucumbers are best broken into smaller pieces.

Blend these up!

Once you’ve got the juicy base of your blended salad started, you can add the zest and flavors.

While some may be inclined to use salt or seasonings, I’ve never felt great using thoseingredients regularly. One salt substitute that I don’t mind is “celery salt”. You can actually buy celery salt in the supermarket, but if you’ve got a dehydrator, then it’s much nicer to make your own.

Just dry bits of celery onto your dehydrator trays, and when thoroughly dehydrated, you can blend them up into a fine powder and use this as a salt replacement.

Go ahead and experiment with whatever you can find in your local produce market. Of course, for some people, this can be a bit overwhelming. That’s why, we’ve included the following list of the most common market greens and how best to use them.

Empowerment In The Produce Section

If you’ve ever wandered into the vegetable section of your local organic health food store and stared in wonder and confusion at the assortment of greens, then this little list of the best ways to use the most common greens should be helpful!

Common Greens and How to Use ‘Em

Arugula* (salads, soups, smoothies- but this can be strong, so use with respect)
Beet greens* (salads, smoothies, soups, steaming) – Beet greens
Turnip greens (steaming, salads)
Bok choy (salads, steaming
Broccoli (salads, steaming, cooked soups)
Broccoli raab “Rapini” (steaming, cooked soups, salads)
Cabbage (salads, steaming/sater sauté, cooked soups)
Celery* (salads, soups, smoothies)
Chard* (steaming, smoothies, salads)
Collard* (steaming, smoothies, soups)
Kale* (red, green, or “black”) Best for steaming, smoothies, salads.
Lettuce* (green/red leaf, Boston, Romaine. Skip iceberg. Not much nutritional value to speak of.)
Parsley* (yum. The best ingredient for thick puddings).
Spinach*
Sprouts: broccoli, radish, clover, alfalfa
Sunflower Greens*
Watercress

* mixes well with fruit

Green Fixin’s
These little green extras can be added to salads and soups in small quantities:

Chives
Cilantro
Dandelion
Dill
Escarole
Mint (smoothies)

I don’t eat onions or garlic, but for those who do, you might like to add garlic greens and green onions to your soups!
I hope these little tips inspire you to whip out the blender for a wintry Green Salad adventure!

Remember: you can heat soups up to warm them. Some blenders, left long enough, will actually boil foods. You can just heat them to the same temperature you comfortably would heat your skin. Be sure to send us your recipes and keep us posted on your success!

Hi Everyone!  It’s Amy here with another Raw World News update.  As many of you know raw almonds were recently banned for sale in the United States due to 2 salmonella outbreaks that have occurred on non-organic, industrial almond farms.  As it currently stands, even almonds labelled as raw are actually pasteurized.  Unfortunately, this pasteurization not only means all almonds can be cooked for sanitary reasons, but can actually be commonly fumigated with a highly toxic gas.

Aside from the obvious impact on the nutritional quality of our foods, this legislation means significant financial burdens on small-scale and organic farmers.

Thanks to the Cornucopia Institute and concerned citzens, reform to this legislation is being considered.  Your help is needed to get word to the people making these decisions!  If you would like the law on raw almonds reconsidered, please follow this link.  Learn more and take action today!

It’s when we stand together that we become the most powerful.  If you think that one person doesn’t make a difference, think again!  You can change the world!

I can hardly believe how much snow has been falling here in Montreal. Yesterday I finally got over my denial about it all, and bought myself a snow suit. Nothing fancy, but enough to do the job.

I admit, I wear skirts 9/10 days a week and it had been starting to feel a bit frisky.

So, last night at midnight I went for a walk through the park in my new winter snow suit. Most of the areas in the parks are crisp, untouched by human feet. The snow has been so deep most people just don’t bother going off the beaten path.

But I’ve never been one to do as most people do.

So, last night, while the moon was in her full splendor and the stars were bright I found the thickest show I could and trudged, trudged, trudged my way through the park. I couldn’t help but wonder how it must feel in parts of the world where it’s snowy AND frighteningly cold.

I would feel the snow pass my knees and almost feel fear wondering if I’d make it to the next stretch of sidewalk. I felt like my knees were up at my chin in order to get them out and make the next step. I just wanted to fall back and lose myself in the snow, but wasn’t sure if I’d make my way back out easily.

And so, while yesterday we enjoyed sunny skies and snowy carpets, today the skies are filled again with white rains from the Heavens.

I’m putting on my snow suit and heading out for another adventure. This time, with the kids! Hehehe…

And you?

What do you do to let yourself go? When do you walk off the beaten path, throw caution to the wind and play like you did when you were younger.

Marvel at snowflakes, take the time to be and play and bask in what living is all about.

Turn the TV off.

There are enough people out there worried about money, and fighting amongst themselves. You don’t need to. Life is out there and yours to play in.

Remember, EVERY SINGLE snowflake is different, and yet they’re all 6 sided! That fact alone is hours of wonderment and play.

Frosty kisses and hugs,

Tera

To counter-balance the effects of this season of excessive consumption, we thought it appropriate to fill your mind with green thoughts and plenty of suggestions for things you can do to REDUCE your consumption.

Of course, this list is just a start. But we suggest you print it off and circle all the ones you’re currently doing. Cross out all the ones that don’t apply (maybe you don’t have a car, or use dry cleaning, for example). Then get out a nice, big highlighter and highlight all the ones you can start taking steps toward handling.

Then put this list on your energy-efficient fridge, and start making things happen!

Of course, the list just starts here, but if you stick this list on your fridge, you’ll have a constant reminder and motivator to make things happen.

For those of you who would consider passing over this with a perfunctory glance, we’ve hidden a secret word within this list to encourage you to read WHOLE thing and literallly fill your mind with ideas about things you can do to make a difference. Send us an email with the secret word and tell us the next three things you’ll do to start making the world a greener place to be, and we’ll send you a special thank you gift!

With no further ado, then, here are some suggestions that prove something can be done about it:

1. Recycle paper and plastics, and inform yourself about local recycling regulations so you can reduce your waste as much as possible.

2. Buy e-books and e-programs as much as possible.

3. Bring your own bags to the grocery store, and if you forget, take paper instead of plastic, which is easier to recycle! Most grocery stores now offer re-usable bags you can purchase at the counter for $1!

4. Shop at second hand stores and make it an adventure! Especially childrens clothing which tends to be outgrown while the clothes themselves are in good shape.

5. Shop close to home and support local merchants and locally produced foods as much as possible

6. Take public transport.

7. Walk, jog, ride a bike, skip or hop instead of taking a car.

8. Turn lights OFF when you leave a room.

9. Take shorter showers.

10. Eat more vegetables.

11. Install a reduced-flow shower head.

12. Clean your fridge coils for better productivity.

13. Visit your local library. There are loads of resources available at local libraries and in this modern age these resources are entirely underused!

14. Take the stairs!

15. Buy bamboo based products for housing and clothing.

16. Stop water flow when you’re washing dishes, teeth, etc.

17. Unplug electronics and appliances when not using them. (Many people don’t realize that even things like cell phone chargers are consuming power when not being used. Keep your sockets empty when not in use and reduce, reduce, reduce!)

18. Wash clothes in cold water.`

19. Check your tire’s air pressure.

20. Buy recycled paper products. (Post-consumer recycled paper requires 44% less energy to produce, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 37% and producing 48% less

21. Cut down on solid waste. Look for post-consumer recycled fiber file folders as well.

22. Swtich to recycled toilet paper. (We can save 5 million trees and 17,000 garbage trucks full of waste by replacing just one 12-roll pack in every household with tissue made from recycled paper.

23. Get a DivaCup instead of standard feminine hygiene products.

24. Print on both sides of paper.

25. If you bake, open the oven after to heat your home.

26. Buy organic fruits and veg, and support sustainable farming as much as possible.

27. Register for Green Energy with your city.

28. Drive under 60mph.

29. Compost! Worms are neat!

30. Use less garbage bags.

31. Steer clear of pesticides on your lawn or garden, and even put a little bug picture or sign stating that you don’t use these things so that others will be inspired to follow suit.

32. Give your car a tune-up, so it drives more efficiently.

33. Convert your car to vegetable-oil based fuel!

34. Avoid buying things in dollar stores that are made for instant disposal.

35. Offer gifts that come from the heart. Natural crafts, homemade cards, or wild flowers, love letter.

36. Announce to your family that Christmas gifts will be from the heart this year!

37. Seal your home. In the winter, some people put plastic along the windows
to better insulate the house.

38. Eat foods in season and as locally grown as possible.

39. Start an eco-challenge!

40. Sign up for online, paperless banking and paperless statements from phone companies, etc.

41. Cancel phone book delivery.

42. Install a ceiling fan to promote heat circulation.

43. Use energy-efficient light bulbs.

44. Support conservation agencies and donate to a green cause! We love Greenpeace!

45. Use a power strip (when in the “off” position, they don’t consume energy.)

46. Don’t charge your cell phone overnight.

47. Get involved in green politics.

48. Use a push lawn mower.

49. Buy plants, lots of them!

50. Grow indoor sprout gardens.

51. Buy products made from recycled materials.

52. Support eco-sensitive home decorations. Go for water-based and low toxic paints.

53. Go bulk, and bring your own container when you refill on soaps, detergents, etc.

54. When moving, pillage the local supermarkets and liquor stores for boxes instead of buying moving boxes.

55. Plant a garden, even an indoor herb garden! Anything!

56. Buy glass storage containers for food, instead of plastic, or even better, use old jars from pasta sauce (grab them off your neighbors if you don’t use them yourself!)

57. Rewash your Ziploc bags, if you use them.

58. Regularly do the fridge tour to reduce unnecessary waste of fruits and vegetables. Better yet, meal plan and buy accordingly.

59. Use rechargeable batteries.

60. Bring a lunch in reusable containers.

61. Avoid buying food with excessive packaging by buying fresh as much as possible.

62. Fix those drippy taps which can waste up to 50L of water per day.

63. Donate clothes, furniture, extra paint, etc. to charity.

64. Support organic cotton designers and ecologically conscious, ethical fashion!

65. The fuller your freezer the less energy it uses. Freeze those extra bananas!

66. Spend more time outside. (So you remember what we’re trying to protect!)

67. Install dimmer switches in your home.

68. Use organic beauty products.

69. Carpool.

70. Never leave your car idling.

71. Go vegetarian or vegan. If you do feel best with meat in your diet, support organic or ethical-ecological meat producers.

72. Use aromatherapy, instead of synthetics for perfume and body care.

73. Trade: ebay.com, craigslist.org, freecycle.org

74. Use concentrated, biodegradable and ecologically friendly soaps.

75. Pick up litter when you see it.

76. Find a Green Mutual Fund.

77. Buy fresh and dried herbs in bulk to make your herbal teas, or better yet, grow them yourself in pots in your house.

78. Investigate eco-architecture and sustainable housing.

79. Use toxin-free traps if you’ve got critters.

80. Climb a mountain and look out at the world. Hold a vision of a civilization without war, criminality or insanity. Think green thoughts!

81. Go LCD: An LCD flat panel uses as little as a third of the electricity of conventional tube-based models, saving you on power bill the equivalent of leaving a 50- watt bulb on all year. LCD’s use half as much energy as plasma TV’s.

82. Cook less. Eat more raw food meals and keep your food choices as local as possible.

83. Hang your clothes to dry!

84. Use greener cleaning productsers. Good ol’ baking soda with a splash of essential oils goes a looong way!

85. Avoid buying dry-clean only clothes. If you do dry-clean: bring your own garment bag and find a green dry-cleaner.

86. Skip the dry cycle on your dishwasher, or wash by hand.

87. Shut your computer down for the weekend. Just turn that thing OFF!

88. Go veggie oil for your car!

89. Join a food co-op. Did I say “co-op”? That’s the secret word: co-operation. It’s the only way we really can make a difference out there is when we work together to make things go right!

90. Buy used books or join a book-swapping club.

91. Avoid buying plastic water bottles and get your own re-usable water jug! www.greenpowerjug.com

92. Remove your name from junk mail lists.

93. Avoid Styrofoam peanuts and use shredded paper, instead.

94. Avoid packaged supplements, buy the real thing in fruit and veggie markets.

95. Install Energy-Efficient, double-pane windows

96. If you have a pet, buy organic pet food.

97. Buy energy efficient appliances.

98. Recycle your electronics. Anything with a screen: computers, cellphones, etc. Electronicrecyclers.com

99. Make your own baby food! All those little glass jars and containers make for an enormous amount of energy consumption.

Remember to print this list and put it in a place where you will constantly be reminded to implement more and more conscious choices about your consumption.

Oh, and just for the sake of even numbers:

100: Skip the wrapping paper and excessive ribbons. Find a roll of recycled paper. use old magazines and newspapers and get creative when wrapping your consumer-conscious gifts this year!

“You are really nice. Those reindeers are like the pullers that pull you into the sky. And they pull you into the sky at Christmas time with presents for the Christmas machine.

(He’s gonna laugh, right Mommy?)

I was a good boy and I was doing a great, great job.

Dear Santa, I want some presents that will send me into the sky.

Dear Santa, I’m going to meet you at the mall. You are the best, strong man. And you are a very great man into the Christmas class. The classics–I want some pajamas and some books and some shirts and some sweaters.

(I’m done, Mommy!)”
Sebastian (4 years old)

Lately Fridays have been my cuddle days with my little tiger. Today this brought me so much joy. He actually said “The Classics”. And I love, love, love his choice of gifts.

I’ve been feeling strongly lately about wanting to put more attention on sustainable living and environmental awareness. Deciding to donate 60% of the proceeds for the registrations for our new Green Smoothie Queen 3 Day Challenge to Greenpeace was a step in the right direction. But just a step. All of our own programs are electronic and we’d really like to keep it that way as much as possible.

While pamphlets and booklets and cards and printed newsletters might look nice, the costs (I mean, the long term costs) of consumerism feel more of a burden than I am willing to take on.

As Christmas Season strikes, please take a moment to watch this BRILLIANT piece of work!

The Story of Stuff!

It’ll definitely give your head a shake. Check out my list of suggestions below for ideas on how to make your own Christmas gifts rather than going all-out at the malls.

For me, I think I’m off to the thrift store to see what sparkles and hidden treasures are waiting to be discovered!