Natural Awakenings Magazine ~ April 2009

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET feel good live simply laugh more

GREEN JOBS

ways to work for the planet

exercise that translates to real life

functional

FITNESS

CELEBRATE earth day April 22

APRIL 2009 West Michigan Edition | NaturalWestMichigan.com FREE FREE West Michigan Edition | NaturalWestMichigan.com NaturalWestMichigan.com

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April 2009

Natural Awakenings is your guide to a healthier, more balanced life. In each issue readers find cutting-edge information on natural health, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, creative expression and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.

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inside this issue

departments publishersletter 4 newsbriefs 5 globalbriefs 9 healthbriefs 12 inspiration 14 consciouseating 15 healingways 17 fitbody 27 greenliving 29 healthykids 30 naturalpet 34 calendar 35 ongoingevents 37 classifieds 37 naturaldirectory 38 coverartist 39

now online

More healthbriefs More globalbriefs News Articles

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Celebrate Earth Day Spiritual Healing

by Nancy O’Donohue

Homeopathy...

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Putting Health in Your Own Hand

by Bob Huttinga

pg. 14 pg. 15

Welcome to Green Collar America

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Functional Fitness

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The Case Against Homework

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Why Dog People are Naturally Greener

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A Workable Way to New Jobs and Sustained Recovery

by Brita Belli

pg. 21

Exercise that Translates to Real LIfe

by Lisa Marshall Family Benefits of a Reality Check

by Sara Bennett

by Lola Michelin WeB-eXCLUSIVE ARTICLES

Eating for Yoga

online

Foods to support Joints and Speed Recovery

by Jennifer Grossman

Archives Calendar Classifieds naturaldirectory

Sweet Nothings

online

Natural Alternatives to White Sugar

by Melissa B. Scott

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contact us Publishers Kyle & Amy Hass Editors MaryAnn Lawrence S. Alison Chabonais Linda Sechrist Design & Production Scott Carvey Printer Newsweb - Greenville Jeff Verheek - jverheek@staffordgroup.com

Natural Awakenings 484 Sunmeadow Dr. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49508 Phone: 616-656-9232 Publisher@NaturalWestMichigan.com

www.NaturalWestMichigan.com

Subscriptions are available by sending $30 (12 issues) to the above address. © 2009 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved.

Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing.

Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers. It is available in selected stores, health and education centers, healing centers, public libraries and wherever free publications are generally seen. Please call for a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business.

We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised. We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback.

Committed to Sustainability Natural Awakenings is locally owned and operated.

letterfrompublishers Natural Awakenings invites us all to celebrate Earth Day this month by focusing on America’s up-and-coming Green Economy, a topic widely bandied about in the news these days. Thank goodness our federal government finally seems to be seriously considering renewable energy alternatives and eco-friendly methods of remodeling buildings, evident in the stimulus package. But, as we know, the reality of a truly effective green economy is far broader.

Check out, for instance, our Community Spotlight on page 26, to see what several of our advertisers are doing to become greener from the inside out. It’s now clear that every one of us needs to learn fresh ways of living and going about our business. How satisfying it is to discover practical resources and ways to do our part in helping Mother Nature sustain quality of life on this planet.

We’re glad to have made some green inroads at our house. Over the past few years we have worked to rid our home life of anything that is not good for our health and the environment. Our rule of thumb is: If it’s not organic or all natural, we don’t buy it.

This applies to food, cleaners, personal care and cosmetics. We have recycled plastic kitchenware in favor of glass containers for food storage.

We installed compact fluorescent light bulbs. The family saves energy (and cuts electric bills) by unplugging appliances and electronics when they’re not in use. We just refurbished our bathroom with no-VOC paint; like the rest of the house, it sports low-flow faucets.

This month, we’re particularly tickled with some new pillows made of wheat fiber and organic cotton. We’ve also discovered a local store that sells only sustainable clothing and accessories. It will take time to realize a full sustainable wardrobe, but we are on our way. And we love our hybrid Prius. Although we have a long way to go on the path to being fully green, we’re working at it, as we know you are.

We’re glad to say that the pillows and paint came from one of our advertisers, Eden Environments. The clothes are from another advertiser, Clothing Matters. Try them, you’ll like them!

Please join with our community in celebrating Earth Day on April 22. Page 8 details local events where people are connecting around West Michigan. You’ll find us at John Ball Zoo on April 18; come by to pick up your free copy of Natural Awakenings, as together we learn to honor Earth Day every day of the year.

As singer and social activist Bono observes, “When the story of these times gets written, we want it to say that we did all we could, and it was more than anyone could have imagined.” How will we answer the call to make this world a better place to live?

Here’s to a better tomorrow,

Natural Awakenings is printed on 100% recycled newsprint with soy based ink.

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April 2009

Amy and Kyle

newsbriefs

Local Reiki Practitioner Releases Second CD

The Chirofit Wellness Center Now Open in Gas Light Village

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Practitioners Needed to Help Soldiers of War

Search Engine Focuses on Healthy Recipe Listings

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he Chirofit Wellness Center brings integrated Health and Wellness Services to East Grand Rapids. Now open and offering multiple modalities such as on-site Nutrition consulting with Registered Dietitian, Mandy Gruner and Chiropractic care integrated with in-house fitness protocols for strengthening muscles supporting the spine by Dr. Lindsay Rademacher, DC. Mandy Gruner, Dr. Lindsey Radem- Hawaiian Hot Stone Therapy and Deep Tissue massage is acher, DC & Cindy Mulkerin, MT also provided by Certified Massage Therapist, Cindy Mulkerin, CMT. All three modalities combined form a refined system of corrective treatment.

“Many patients utilize all three modalities for the thorough Wellness Package, however using one service, as needed, is certainly welcome too,” states Rademacher.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact The Chirofit Wellness Center, 2249 Wealthy Street, Suite 240., East Grand Rapids, MI 49506. 616-458-CFIT, thechirofit.com. See ad page 39.

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eturning from combat leaves many American soldiers with both physical and psychological scars. The traumas of war can cause post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, co-dependencies, anxiety and depression. Pro Bono for Soldiers (PBFS) offers free holistic services to soldiers who have returned from war torn areas around the globe.

Currently, the organization is seeking qualified practitioners who have been working in their chosen modalities for at least five years and have an established presence in their area of expertise. Each PBFS practitioner must be open to working free of charge for up to three sessions. Three sessions is typically enough time to give a sense of whether the fit between practitioner and soldier is a good one. Practitioners must also commit to two or three pro bono sessions per month.

Practitioners may have experience in Emotional Freedom Technique, energy balancing, Trager, Cranio-sacral and other forms of bodywork and holistic therapy. Those who join will be listed on the web site and have the PBFS logo available on their own website and offices.

For more information email Admin@ProBonoForSoldiers.com or visit ProBonoForSoldiers.com

ichigan resident Lisa Guyman, Reiki master, author and Chopra meditation instructor, has just released a five-CD Reiki set, Journey Through Reiki: complete Treatments, Principles, Instruction and Music.

Guyman has been teaching Reiki since 1998.

In this program Guyman guides the Reiki practitioner through core concepts, practices and treatments in a meditative and thoughtful way. Her soothing voice merges with the ambient musical compositions of Rob Wallace. This healing program includes three guided practice sessions, three deeply relaxing self treatments, essential healing principles and 10 ways to increase the flow of Reiki. This CD set also includes one hour of healing and meditative music composed for Reiki.

CD sets are available at InnerSanctum.com and at Amazon.com for $44.95. Guyman has also authored the CD Journey into Meditation: Guided Meditations for Healing, Insight and Manifestation” Both CDs are available at iTunes.

Lisa Guyman teaches Reiki workshops in Birmingham, Michigan and Denver, Colorado. For more information contact Guyman at 303-861-2280 or email at LisaGuyman@ Inner-Sanctum.com.

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oodieView is a unique recipe search engine providing one-click access to the internet’s largest collection of vegetarian and vegan recipes. Since 2005 FoodieView has made it easy to find good food fast online. Instead of visiting individual Web sites to search for recipes one by one, through FoodieView’s unique and convenient recipe search engine anyone can quickly search all of the Internet’s best recipe sites simultaneously from one single search tool. Search by ingredient, keyword, dish name, cuisine, chef, dietary restrictions and more. The recipe search results are sorted by relevance and user rating, making it effortless to find the most popular, promising recipes. Viewers can also keep track of favorite recipe links using FoodieView’s free recipe box tool.

For those hungering for more, FoodieView also offers a comprehensive restaurant guide covering nine major markets (Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle), cookbook reviews, “Recipe Roundup” newsletters and other food-related information resources.

For more information please visit FoodieView.com or contact them by email at Contact@FoodieView.com.

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newsbriefs CUP Welcomes New Practitioner

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heresa Pearce, owner of Be Aligned, has become the newest practitioner at The Center of Unlimited Possibilities (CUP.) Pearce brings 27 years of experience in cranial sacral work, Miracle Ball Method, Rolf Method, movement education and meditation. Pearce also facilitates personal and professional development classes for healthcare providers in the areas of self-care, client relationship building and wellness applications. At CUP, Pearce will offer classes and workshops as well as individual sessions of the Rolf Method, iRest Meditation and movement instruction. Pearce is a professional member of The International Association of Structural Integrators, International Association of Yoga Therapist, and International Association of Healthcare Practitioners.

Contact Theresa Pearce at 616-881-3281. Be Aligned is located at14998 Cleveland, Suite G&H, in Spring Lake. Call 616842-0264 and visit BeAligned.com. See classified ad page 37.

New Addition to EcoTrek Fitness Leadership Team

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coTrek Fitness, the locally-owned West Michigan company offering unique group outdoor workouts, has named Muskegon resident Lori McCollum as North Muskegon Area Series Leader.

McCollum who relocated to her birth town of Grand Haven in 1992 after being a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania says, “I am thrilled and excited to start this new adventure in my life! EcoTrek is amazing in the fact that there are so many beautiful parks Lori McCollum we can utilize, and it’s a wonderful way to make new friends too. You are constantly moving so you don’t even realize you’re working out, it never gets boring and it’s always in a group so it’s a safe way to get outside, get fresh air and get in touch with nature.

One of the best things about EcoTrek is it’s a ‘no excuse’ type of workout, we go in all types of weather. Since joining EcoTrek, I have been to more parks and climbed more dunes than I ever

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knew existed!” “Lori’s North Muskegon Area Spring Series runs through April and May, and the two new series kick-off in April with “teaser” sessions beginning April 6 in the Southeast Grand Rapids Series with Bridget Meyers leading, and beginning April 13 in the Holland Area Series with Amy Miller leading!

All schedule details can be found on the website,” says Cari Draft Elliott, owner and creator of EcoTrek Fitness.

Visit EcoTrekFitness.com for schedules, costs, locations and easy online registration. See ad page 11.

New Web Site Supports School Lunch Programs

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he Wellness Forum has introduced a new site for parents, teachers and children on healthier lifestyles. WellnessForumKids.org offers support for schools through healthy lifestyle programs, especially through lunch programs and proper nutrition.

A library of recommended books for classroom use and children’s reading is available as well as success stories from teachers that have utilized some unique ideas to create interest and share knowledge on how to eat nutritious foods. Articles include those on diabetes, childhood obesity, family meals, food allergies and sleep.

The Wellness Forum Foundation has a mission to share education with teacher and parents and children on how to live a healthier lifestyle and provide the materials to help achieve that goal. The information the Wellness Forum provides is backed by scientific research and long-term studies that prove the benefits of a plant-based diet and small amounts of quality animal intake.

For more information, contact Sue Scharf at The Wellness Forum, 616-942-7907. See ad page 38.

Taste of Home

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ature’s Market in Holland will have a booth at Taste of Home cooking show on Thursday April 23 at the Community Reformed Church of Zeeland from 5 to 8 pm. The Van 92.7 will broad cast live from the show. Please make sure to stop by the Nature’s Market booth to try the numerous free samples from the store and register to win a $100 gift certificate. Tickets must be purchased in advance at WHTC, call 616-392-3121.

Nature’s Market is located at 1013 South Washington, Holland. Call 616-394-5250 or visit NaturesMarketHolland. com. See ad page 25.

Women’s Eco-Spirit Retreat for Solitude

Center Raises Funds for Clean Water

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ealing Ground Wellness Center will host Good Care for a Good Cause from 12 to 5 p.m. April 16 at 857 W Summit Ave., in Muskegon. The benefit will raise money for clean drinking water filters for the Christian relief/mission International Aid. The filters cost $50 each. The fundraiser will offer massage, chiropractic and reflexology treatments to participants. Music and refreshments will be on hand.

For more information contact Dr Linda Palter or Jodi Ellinger at Healing Ground, 231-755-3832.

Holistic Health Traditional, Homeopathic, & Herbal

Rev. Barbara & Bob Huttinga PA-C Certified Natural Health Practitioners & Naturopathic Educators

Healing Techniques Nutrition Consultation, Iridology, Muscle Testing, Reflexology, Therapeutic Massage, Light Touch Healing, Ionic Detoxification

Blue Cross and Medicare Accepted

Now Offering

Whole Body Vibration Therapy $1 per 5 Minutes

Also Available for Purchase

• Reduces Cellulite • Increases Circulation • Non-Impact Exercise • Increases Endurance • Increases Bone Density • Increases Muscle Mass • Decreases Fluid Retention • Loosens Joints & Muscles • Speed Trauma (Stroke) Recovery

10 Minutes Equals 4 Miles Jogging

The Healing Center In

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nchanted Lake has been a magical place that has helped the feminine spirit blossom since 1988. Awakened Potentials is offering women and couples seeking to de-stress in a safe, sacred setting the opportunity to stay in a stocked 18 foot camper trailer. The camper has majestic views of the lake, nature trails, and it’s very own paddle boat. Dates are available from April to October. Call 616-754-9672 or book online with prices starting at $45.00 per night. Guests are responsible for food.

Daina (DINAH) Puodziunas, owner of Awakened Potentials, is a ceremonialist, retreat leader, public speaker, and midlife renewal coach.

For information on booking, signing up for a free newsletter, updates, and photo gallery visit, Awakenedpotentials.com or Midlifefairygodmothers.com.

Enchanted Lake is located 35 miles NE of Grand Rapids.

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ur Own Ha

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332 S. Lincoln Lakeview

989-352-6500 www.TheHealingCenterOfLakeview.com

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SATURDAY, APRIL 18

Earth Day Events

Kay Charter on Birds - 9-11am. Fairmount Minerals, Ltd., presents Kay Charter, a nationally recognized speaker and author on bird conservation. Please join Kay at the Tri-Cities Family YMCA for an award-winning PowerPoint presentation followed by a guided bird walk behind Mulligan’s Hollow.

Contact Jan Koella at janetk@lakeshoreenvironmental.com.

1 Y Drive, Grand Haven.

Party for The Planet - 10am-3pm. Party for The Planet is a gathering of all the conservation, preservation, and green practicing individuals, companies and organizations in the region. PARTY FOR THE PLANET also puts families in the community together with professionals like the Assoc. of Grand Rapids Landscape Professionals, Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan and the Michigan Nature Association. Adults $3.50 Children 13 & under $3. For more information visit johnballzoosociety. org or kbylund@johnballzoosociety.org. John Ball Zoological Garden, 1300 W. Fulton St. in Grand Rapids.

Indoor Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market - 10am-3pm. Selling a variety of local, and often times free-range and chemical-free goods like maple syrup, honey, cheese, potatoes, greenhouse greens, and meat. Local artists will be selling handmade items such as art, jewelry, soap and clothes. Free / Open to the public. GR Public Library Level 3, Main Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids. 616-988-5400.

Earth Day Green Parade - 12:30-1:30pm. Come join with us on anything that doesn’t use fossil fuels: your feet, your bike, your roller blades, etc. Contact Kelly Whalen at kellyw@ lakeshoreenvironmental.com. We will meet at Franklin Street parking lot opposite the old courthouse, and proceed to the Earth Day Fair at Mulligan’s Hollow, 1 Y Drive, Grand Haven.

Earth Day Fair - 1:30- 4pm. Visit booths of environmental organizations and businesses, community and educational groups. There will be food, games and music. Rain location: YMCA. For information or exhibit information, contact Jean King at jeanegad@hotmail.com. Mulligan’s Hollow, 1 Y Drive, Grand Haven.

Earth Rock Open Mic Enviro-Party - 8-11pm. Teens and the young at heart: Come and perform at our open mic! We welcome bands, individual musicians and poets. Music and words with earth-friendly themes. For more information, contact Yvonne Olmsted at yvonne@olmsign.com. Tri-Cities Family YMCA, Grand Haven.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21

Who Killed the Electric Car? - 7-8pm. This documentary delves into the short life of the GM EV1 electric car - once all the rage in the mid-1990s and now fallen by the roadside. How could such an efficient, green-friendly vehicle fail to transform our garages and skies? Through interviews with government officials, former GM employees and concerned celebs, Chris Paine seeks to answer the question. GR Public Library Ryerson Auditorium, Level 3, Main Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids. 616-988-5400.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 25

Earth Day at Pine Bend - 10am-4pm. Tai Chi demos, BYO picnic lunch, folk dancing for beginners, guided nature hikes.

For information, contact Bobbi Sabine at aamazonwoman@ juno.com. Hosted by Friends of the Ottawa County Parks at the historic Weaver House, Pine Bend County Park, Grand Haven.

Bio-Diesel Workshop - 10-11am. This program promotes energy independence. Tim Ball will teach people how to establish their own co-op where bio-diesel is produced by, and for, the members. The goal of this project is to empower groups of individuals to become responsible for meeting their own energy needs as part of their local economy. GR Public Library Vander Veen Center for the Book, Level 4, Main Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids. 616-988-5400.

Looks Better on You - 10am- 4pm. Have a closet full of clothes?

Too many shoes, bags, and other accessories to wear in your lifetime? Need something new? Bring your gently used items you no longer need to the Library for someone else and take what will look better on you than on its original owner. This program will help you save money and the environment! Baby clothes to adult clothes welcome. GR Public Library Ryerson Auditorium, Level 3, Main Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids. 616-988-5400.

Rain Garden Tours - 10:30-11:30am. Partnering with WMEAC and Rain Gardens of West Michigan, Patricia Pennell will guide tours of the Library’s Rain Garden, and two of GRCC’s Rain Gardens. Learn the use of innovative strategies that value and capture our storm water runoff and reduce pollution to our local water bodies. East of Bldg, Main Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids. 616-988-5400.

Green Clean! - 11:15am-12:15pm. Green Earth Cleaning owners Becky Van Dyke and Cassandra Hagedorn will demonstrate how easy, economical and effective it is to make and use your own green cleaning products. We will also discuss the benefits of using essential oils in your homemade cleaning products.

GR Public Library Quiet Study Rm , Main Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids. 616-988-5400.

Re-Shirt - 1-2pm. This program is about taking an old, useless t-shirt and transforming it into something new, cool and hip!

Program participants will be asked to bring one or two old tshirts that we will cut up, tear, and reassemble into something useful again. From new shirts to bags, we will turn old rags into new duds. For ages 13 and up. Main Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids. 616-988-5400.

Food Memories - 3:15-4:15pm. Just what is Slow Food? Come learn more about this international movement and how you can be involved. Slow Food West Michigan President Amy Sherman will introduce you to the principles of Slow Food through an exclusive tasting menu with focus on food memories and traditions, artisanal producers and local farmers, heritage breeds and seeds, sustainability and local sourcing, as well as the pleasures of the table. GR Public Library Quiet Study Rm , Main Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids. 616-988-5400.

globalbriefs News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that works for all.

Rethinking Education

Essential Skills for a Fast-Changing Century

Grid Parity

Solar Could Rival Fossil Fuel in Five Years “We’re confident that we’re not that far away from a tipping point, where energy from solar will be competitive with fossil fuels,” says Ray Kurzweil, who participated in a 2008 National Academy of Engineers panel reporting on the future of solar power. “I personally believe that we’re within five years of that tipping point.”

To do that, the cost of electricity produced by rooftop solar panels needs to fall by half, from about 32 cents per kilowatt hour today, including subsidies, to about 15 cents per kwh by 2012, according to a report by FBR Capital Markets. When such “grid parity” arrives, a sharp surge in residential solar panel use is expected, driven by a desire to lower utility bills.

In 2009, enough solar panels will be sold in the United States to generate 330 megawatts of power, FBR projects.

But the country could well see a 20-fold rise in solar panel sales by 2013, enough to power 3.5 million homes using twokilowatt rooftop solar arrays. As one think tank pundit put it, “In five to seven years, the idea of building a home without solar energy on it will be as silly as building without plumbing.”

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

In a knowledge economy, the ability to articulate and solve problems, generate original ideas and work collaboratively across cultural boundaries is essential, and growing exponentially in importance. The challenge facing schools is to find ways to shift from traditional rote learning to integrate these skills into core curricula, all while giving due diligence to the three R’s.

Innovative teachers have long proven the value of moving beyond the world of academia to engage students in real world projects and practical applications of new technologies. But the United States should have “a system built around the idea that every kid needs to be able to critically think and problem-solve,” maintains Ken Kay, president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a national advocacy group in Tucson, Arizona, which includes businesses, educational organizations and policymakers.

To do this, Kay says, teacher training, state curricula and testing all need to align with partnership goals. So far, 10 states have signed on: Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

For information visit 21stCenturySkills.org.

Gender Bender

Pollutants Cause Global Feminization A report based on 250 scientific studies around the world has concluded that male fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals—including humans—are being feminized by environmental pollution. Common culprits include phthalates used in plastic food wraps, cosmetics and other products; flame retardants; and many pesticides. The new report was released by CHEMTrust, a British organization that advocates for protection of humans and wildlife from harmful chemicals.

The report follows a U.S. study that shows baby boys born to women exposed to such chemicals while pregnant have smaller penises and feminized genitals. A British newspaper, The Independent, also notes that women in communities heavily polluted with such chemicals in Canada, Russia and Italy have been giving birth to twice as many girls as boys, perhaps helping to explain a shift in sex ratios worldwide. At the same time, studies in more than 20 countries show that men’s sperm counts have dropped, from 150 million per milliliter of sperm fluid to 60 million over the past 50 years.

Source: DrWeil.com

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Ballad of Thoreau Earth Day on Walden Pond

Earth Grants

2009 Opportunities for Innovative Leaders Each year, 40 new promising and proven leaders selected by TogetherGreen from among scores of outstanding applicants, receive professional development opportunities, a $10,000 grant to help support an innovative conservation action project, and introduction to an international network of committed leaders. Results of these role model programs roll out as significant gains in habitat, water and energy conservation and environmental education.

In 2008, TogetherGreen awarded $1.4 million in funding to new and existing collaborative projects, ranging from restoration of wetlands, grasslands and global bird habitat to engaging children with nature and encouraging the next generation of conservation professionals. The 2009-2010 Fellows program runs 18 months. Participants attend a five-day Leadership Institute this summer and a three-day retreat next summer.

Applications are due April 15, 2009; selections are announced in July. For details, visit TogetherGreen.org.

Earth Day Network is joining with playwright Michael Johnathon in exploring the vital role we each play in protecting the Earth by living more simply and preserving natural environments in our home communities.

Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau will stream online via EarthDayTV.net and be broadcast over public TV and radio and in theaters on Earth Day, April 22. To date, 7,200 schools and community theatres have performed the play in 35 countries, bringing to life the lessons of Henry David Thoreau, father of the environmental movement in America.

Thoreau’s records of Walden’s plant species from 1851 to 1858 provide a baseline for today’s naturalists. They report that 27 percent of this Concord, Massachusetts pond’s flowers have vanished. Another 36 percent are on the brink.

Boston University scientists report that the average annual temperature there is now 4.3 degrees higher, due in part to surrounding asphalt and buildings, causing species that can’t adapt to earlier bloom times to die out because spring pollinators are arriving earlier, as well. Climate change is throwing off the synchronicity of nature.

Evolutionary biologist Charles Davis notes that “Major branches in the tree of life are being lost, groups that we all know and love: dogwoods, orchids and members of the lily and rose families.”

For more information visit WaldenPlay.com.

Growing Answer

Tree Planting Movement Gains Support The National Climatic Data Center reports that the average global temperature in 2008 was .88º Fahrenheit higher than the 20th century average. Whether global warming is due to planetary cycles, as 44 percent of U.S. voters responding to a Rasmussen Reports survey now say, or to human behavior, or both, levels of greenhouse gases are accelerating. Related environmental issues are increasingly touching people’s lives in terms of health, science, business, politics, technology, fashion and travel.

Against this backdrop and in the face of ongoing tropical deforestation in Asia, Africa and Latin America, a Swedish energy firm, Vattenfall, has examined the large-scale potential for foresting manmade wastelands as part of global climate stabilization. Researchers estimate that reclaiming half the world’s degraded land, some 2.3 billion acres, has the potential to absorb 21.6 billion tons of CO2 each year. Foresting even 18 percent would sequester 3.5 billion tons a year.

Meanwhile, another initiative, a United Nations Environment program that has planted 2 billion trees in 150 countries in less than two years, has set a new goal of 7 billion trees by 2009. That’s more than one tree for every person on the planet.

Primary source: Grist.com

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globalbriefs People’s Wisdom

World’s Citizens Want Renewable Energy From Buenos Aires to Nairobi and Beijing, 77 percent of the population in 21 nations polled by the University of Maryland said their governments should put more emphasis on solar and wind energy systems. Sixty-nine percent said utility companies should be obliged to use more renewable energy sources, “even if this increases the cost of energy in the short run.” Yet, the poll also suggests that an increasing number of people believe that a shift away from fossil fuel toward renewable energy sources offers practical and immediate economic benefits.

“I was struck by the consistency and strength of support,” says Steven Kull, head of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland.

“People think of this as an investment and a transition.” SustainableBusiness.com reports that total new investment in clean energy worldwide rose 4.4 percent during 2008, exceeding the $150 billion mark for the first time.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

People’s University

Celebrating Libraries’ Contributions to Community A year past the half-century mark, this year’s theme for National Library Week, April 12-18, “Worlds Connect @ Your Library,” aptly characterizes the essential role that public, academic and special libraries play in our communities. As Project for Public Spaces reports, “If the old model of the library was the inwardfocused reading room, the new one is more like a community front porch.”

These welcoming institutions not only foster the habit of reading in both adults and children, they teach us how to become savvy in accessing, evaluating and using information. With almost all U.S. public libraries now online, these continuing bastions of democracy provide access to onsite and global resources to all people, regardless of their ability to pay. Onsite English as a Second Language classes support immigrants in becoming productive citizens. Libraries also increasingly serve as the social gathering places that early public library advocate and builder Andrew Carnegie envisioned. They can even be a fulcrum for renewal in cities and neighborhoods.

Check with local libraries for schedules of special events, classes, lectures, book talks, children’s programs and other activities.

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healthbriefs World Tai Chi & Qigong Day

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n April 25, World Tai Chi & Qigong Day exhibitions and teach-ins in hundreds of cities in 65 nations on six continents will unfold, as people gracefully move into and glide through sequences of poses, practicing the age-old Chinese exercises of qigong and Tai chi. Qigong means cultivating one’s vital life force energy (qi) over time. As a practice, it combines movement, self-massage, meditation and breathing. Tai chi is the most well-known and popular moving form of qigong; it is essentially meditation in motion.

Reported benefits of Tai chi include improved posture, balance and flexibility, muscle strength and definition, energy, stamina and agility, all while reducing stress and promoting a general sense of well-being. Since the American Heart Association reported on Tai chi’s effect of lowering blood pressure in older adults a decade ago, supporting science has been emanating from the Mayo Clinic, National Institutes of Health and American Cancer Society. Extensive medical studies conducted in China underscore qigong’s ability to ease chronic problems such as hypertension, allergies and asthma, and to improve cardiovascular health.

Roger Jahnke, doctor of Oriental medicine, author of The Healer Within and director and chief instructor of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai chi, says, “When you cultivate balance and harmony within yourself, or in the world—that is Tai chi. When you work and play with the essence and energy of life, nature and the Universe for healing, clarity and inner peace—that is qigong.”

Wormwood Fights Cancer Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered that a compound derived from the sweet wormwood plant (Artemisia annua L), an ancient herb used in Chinese medicine and in Asian salad dishes, is more than 1,200 times more specific in killing certain kinds of cancer cells than currently available drugs. The finding heralds the possibility of a more effective chemotherapy drug with minimal side effects.

Source: University of Washington, 2008

For more information visit WorldTaiChiDay.com.

Sleeping on It Helps Us Learn

S

leep helps the human mind learn complicated skills and recover learning we thought we had forgotten from the previous day, concludes a new study by the University of Chicago. Howard Nusbaum, professor of psychology at the university, explains that “Sleep consolidates learning by restoring what was lost over the course of a day and by protecting what was learned against subsequent loss.”

Researchers tested their theory by asking 200 college students to learn a new video game containing a rich, multisensory virtual environment, in which players had to use both hands to deal with continually changing visual and auditory signals. The volunteers, most of whom had no previous gaming experience, were divided into three groups, each trained and tested at different times of the day. The groups that were allowed to get a good night’s sleep before being tested again the next morning achieved the highest performance scores.

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April 2009

Conquering Cravings

Cravings for sweets can thwart any diet, but new research suggests that we can get cravings under control by taking a short, brisk walk. Walking, like any other exercise, has been shown helpful to people trying to manage dependencies like alcohol and nicotine, and the same seems to hold true for food cravings.

Source: University of Exeter, 2008

Military Trains Doctors in Acupuncture

T

he ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture is catching on in the military as a pain treatment for troops wounded in combat.

While only a handful of medical centers currently use acupuncture, Walter Reed Army Medical Center has considered it a viable treatment since the 1980s. Now, Andrews Air Force Base, which operates the military’s only acupuncture clinic, is boosting interest by training doctors to take acupuncture into the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan.

In a pilot program started in March, the military is preparing 44 U.S. Air Force, Navy and Army doctors to use acupuncture as a part of emergency care in combat and frontline hospitals. Air Force physician Col. Richard Niemtzow developed the battlefield acupuncture method in 2001; based on traditional ear acupuncture, it uses shorter needles, to fit under combat helmets.

Niemtzow says that most of his patients report a decrease in pain within minutes. Acupuncture treatment also allows troops to reduce narcotics prescribed for pain, giving physicians a more accurate assessment of any underlying brain injury. Plus, according to Col. Arnyce Pock, medical director for the Air Force Medical Corps, acupuncture’s pain relief avoids traditional painkillers’ side effects.

Pectin Power Scientists have found a possible new explanation for why people who eat more fruits and vegetables have higher resistance to the spread of cancer. The answer lies in a simple fiber, called pectin. Pectin, found in all fruits and vegetables and known for its jam-jelling qualities, appears to bind to and inhibit galectin 3, a protein in the body that plays a role in all stages of cancer progression.

Source: Norwich BioScience Institutes, 2008

Source: Military.com, 2009

NaturalWestMichigan.com 13

inspiration

Acceptance Brings Contentment

by Lama Surya Das

I

have been thinking a lot lately about acceptance and its transformative magic. It helps us become more patient, tolerant, flexible, empathic and open-minded. It can bring contentment and also change.

Acceptance does not mean condoning the evils, injustices or inequalities in life. It can help us more clearly see what is, just as it is, and how and why things work the way they do.

When we calmly observe and investigate the causes of things and the fact that nothing happens by accident, the truth reveals itself, whether it is to our liking or not. Cultivating patience and acceptance provides the mental

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April 2009

clarity and spaciousness that allows us to examine input before unthinkingly reacting in a way that may escalate the problem.

In taking a sacred pause, we dramatically increase the chances of making better choices and undertaking wiser actions. We simply have to remember to breathe once and relax, enjoying a moment of mindfulness and reflection, before responding.

Sometimes, we may not know what to do. That is a good time to do nothing. Too often, compulsive overdoing creates unnecessary complications.

When at a complete loss, many truth seekers bow their head, fold their hands and rely on their higher power for clarity, guidance and direction. The way to go forward comes.

Such patience does not mean passivity. Neither does acceptance infer weakness, apathy, indifference or carelessness. We can cultivate patient forbearance and loosen our tight grip a bit by remembering the Buddhist mantra, “This too, shall pass.” Is it really a matter of life or death, as my emotional reaction seems to insist? Or, is this drama only an ephemeral local weather condition, which soon will be replaced by other thoughts and feelings? Ask: “How much will this matter to me next month, next year, five years from now?”

Here is one secret of spiritual mastery and inner peace, freedom and autonomy: It is not what happens to us, but what we make of it, that makes all the difference. We can’t control the wind, but we can learn how to sail better. It’s not the hand we are dealt, but how we play it.

Unconditional acceptance is not static, but ecstatic; vibrant, dynamically engaged in and connected with reality. The spiritual hero strides fearlessly into life’s depths, facing its incessantly undulating waves without holding back.

Unconditional acceptance is the kind of love Jesus spoke of when he taught us to love our neighbor, and what Buddha meant when he said that an enemy, adversary or competitor can be one’s greatest teacher.

We must first love and accept ourselves before we can love and accept others. To quote Carl Jung: “The most terrifying thing in the world is to accept oneself totally.” What are we afraid of?

Lama Surya Das, author, founder of the Dzogchen Center and leading Western Buddhist meditation teacher and scholar, is a main interpreter of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. He is a keynote speaker at the International Conference on Energy Psychology in Orlando, May 28-31, and his June 1 workshop, “The Big Questions: How to Find Your Own Answers to Life’s Essential Mysteries.”

consciouseating

Great Cooking Oils As Good as Liquid Gold

by Monika Rice

A

ll oils, by definition, are pure fat, but not all oils are created equal.

Though many of us are accustomed to choosing easy to find vegetable and olive oils, intriguing options are showing up on grocery shelves across the country. Oils of grape seed, sesame, coconut, peanut, walnut, safflower, pumpkin and sunflower now greet us.

With so many unfamiliar choices, we need to be aware that some oils are more useful than others, in terms of light, healthy and flavorful cooking.

Bottled Benefits

“Fats and oils can be among the healthiest substances in your diet,” advises nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., “but only if they’re organic.” She notes that oils in conventionally grown seeds and nuts can be “a storehouse of fattening pesticides.” Like other nationally certified foods, organic oils produced without toxic and persistent pesticides are clearly preferable.

Liquid at room temperature, most oils are a blend of saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, with the exception of coconut oil, a plant oil comprised mostly of saturated fatty acids, which is solid

at room temperature. Its composition makes coconut oil safe for high-heat cooking and searing, without risking oxidation of the oil and the introduction of free radicals into the food, a risk when oils high in polyunsaturated fats, such as walnut and sunflower oils, are exposed to high heat.

Canola oil rates high among nutritionists and physicians because it, too, can help lower the risk of heart disease.

Extracted from rapeseed, a plant in the cabbage family, its generous helping of omega-3s helps qualify it as the best fatty acid composition (good versus bad fat) among oils. Its mild taste also makes it a preferred selection for cooking and baking.

Look for organic, expeller-pressed brands of canola oil, advises Dr. Andrew Weil. “When extracted with chemical solvents or high-speed presses that generate heat, canola oil’s fatty

acid chemistry is altered in undesirable ways,” he says.

Olive oil, a top-seller around the world, is renowned as the Mediterranean secret to good health and long life. Its distinct flavor complements multiple heart-healthy ingredients.

Research attributes olive oil’s particular benefits to its monounsaturated fat content, which can lower the risk of heart disease by reducing cholesterol levels.

It’s also a good source of vitamins E, A and K, and abundant in polyphenols, a powerful class of antioxidants.

Flavor Factors

Oils pack plenty of flavor punch, so small amounts can go a long way.

Few are as multitasking as olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil, the least processed and most flavorful type, works best in unheated dips or sauces, salad dressings and marinades. Virgin olive

Heating olive oil does not diminish its nutritional value, but does weaken its flavor. Many chefs choose virgin olive oil for cooking, saving extra virgin varieties for cold dishes and for flavoring.

NaturalWestMichigan.com 15

oil, slightly more acidic, is useful for general cooking.

Russell Scott, certified master chef and executive chef at Isleworth Country Club, in Windermere, Florida, and a former associate professor at the Culinary Institute of America, lauds olive oil’s versatility. “There are lots of varieties,” he advises, “and it has a great flavor that holds up during cooking.”

Nut oils like walnut and almond are also favorites of Scott. Though many have strong flavors, most have low smoke points, so Scott suggests adding them at the end of cooking. “Just a drizzle can wake up a dish,” he notes.

Seed oils burst with distinctive tastes, too. Pumpkin seed oil, a recent addition to American cuisine, is a polyunsaturated powerhouse of antioxidants. Try it as a memorable, last-minute seasoning for fish or a delectable enhancement to steamed vegetables.

Grapeseed oil, high in heart-healthy vitamin E, has a high smoke point, so it’s good for stir-frying and sautéing. Its light, nutty and slightly fruity taste is the perfect foil for fruit salads or baby greens that might be overpowered by olive oil’s more robust flavor.

Untoasted sesame seed oil is another culinary multitasker with a high smoke point, although toasted sesame oil is usually used as a flavoring agent only, rather than in cooking. European or cold-pressed sesame oil is light in color and nutty in flavor; the Asian variety is made from toasted seeds, giving it a darker color and more pronounced taste.

A final tip: For the optimum culinary adventure, choose oils in glass bottles to avoid the risk of the oils interacting with chemicals found in plastic containers and to ensure the freshness and genuine flavors of the product.

Primary sources: OliveOilSource.com; MedicalNewsToday.com; MayoClinic.com; CoconutResearchCenter.org, DrWeil.com; TheEpicentre.com.

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April 2009

Caper and Olive Tapenade

5 tablespoons capers ½ cup green or black olives 2 flat anchovy filets, or to taste 4 garlic cloves ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Coarsely chop ingredients or blend in a food processor. Spoon the spread over slices of crusty French or sourdough bread, serve as a dip with vegetables, or use as a savory sauce over pasta.

Source: OliveOilSource.com/recipes.htm

Recipe of the Month Couscous Salad 10 ounces couscous 1 can of vegetable broth 1 cup water ¼ cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 1 zucchini, chopped ½ green pepper, chopped 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped • Bring the vegetable broth and water to a boil in a large saucepan.

• Remove from heat and add couscous. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes.

• Stir in the balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar.

• Add the beans and vegetables, stir to combine.

Can be served hot or cold Recipe is from the BIG and HEALTHY Cookbook. For more information or to order the cookbook for $27.95, contact The Wellness Forum, 830 Forest Hill Ave, Grand Rapids, 616-942-7907.

healingways

Healthful Herbs The People’s Medicine

by Susan DeSantis

H

erbs, whether prepared as extracts, infusions, compresses, poultices or tinctures, are ancient remedies garnering new public favor. A recent National Health Interview Survey by University of Iowa researchers indicates that some 38 million U.S. adults had used natural herbs or supplements during the 12-month period researched.

Relied upon for thousands of years to restore and maintain health, herbs perform several functions that help the body heal itself. They cleanse, strengthen and normalize the glands and bodily functions; provide nutrition; raise energy levels; and stimulate the immune system. High in vitamins and minerals, as well as many plant-derived chemical compounds known as phytochemicals, herbs can be compared with food, because they nourish the body and help it thrive.

According to Michael Tierra, a doctor of Oriental medicine, clinical herbalist/acupuncturist, founder of the American Herbalist Guild and author of The Way of Herbs, “Most modern pharmaceuticals are based on chemical constituents that were at one time isolated from the traditionally used herbs. Today, herbs serve as the basis for at least 25 percent of all pharmaceutical drugs.” As just one example,

the anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving phytochemicals contained in the leaves of the white willow tree are synthetically produced in the common, overthe-counter remedy, aspirin.

“Herbs have long been considered the people’s first choice of medicine, and they generally work better in combinations,” says world-renowned herbalist and author, Rosemary Gladstar, co-founder of Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center and Botanical Sanctuary, in Vermont. She explains that, unlike allopathic medicine’s release of drugs into the human system as “single silver bullets,” which can create havoc in the body, herbal formulas contain a mixture of herbs, acknowledging that a single herb may have an effect that is too strong or a set of effects is desired that no one herb can provide.

“This makes sense,” says Gladstar, “since humanity has co-evolved with plants. Plants and people are interrelated, just like our body parts and the symptoms that we experience.” She notes that this means several herbs are usually needed to affect each aspect of a health challenge, although there are exceptions where a single herb is used for a particular condition.

“To restore health, herbal therapies generally require the consumption of herbs over an extended period of time,” advises Master Herbalist James Oc-

chiogrosso, of Estero, Florida. “In fact, it is important to continue the treatment beyond the point where the symptoms have vanished, to return strength and vitality to the deepest levels.”

A general rule of thumb, cited by Occhiogrosso, is that herbs need to be taken for a minimum of three months, plus one month for every year that the problem has existed. “This is because herbs, which treat the source of the problem, rather than just the symptoms, are more gentle-acting than pharmaceuticals,” he explains.

Occhiogrosso makes a point to educate his clients about the herbs they choose. “Since herbs are becoming so popular and people are seeing them advertised on television, in magazines and on the Internet,” he notes, “education and understanding are essential.”

Some herbs conflict with prescriptive medicines, so it is vital that people are aware of the dangers. That’s why consulting a knowledgeable herbalist is a necessity.

Occhiogrosso highlights, as a common example, the allopathic drug, Coumadin, prescribed as a blood thinner.

Some herbs also contain blood-thinning properties and should not be used by individuals taking Coumadin. “Even allopathic practitioners have to educate themselves about herbs,” he advises.

“Herbs are inexpensive and readily available,” observes Gladstar. “As the people’s medicine, the wisdom inherent in the plants continues to be passed down in the community, from one generation to the next.”

Licensing laws for recommending herbs vary from state to state; for additional information, visit AmericanHerbalistGuild.com. For more information on herbs see Herbs.org.

To connect with Rosemary Gladstar, visit SageMountain.com.

Contact Michael Tierra at PlanetHerbs.com.

Call James Occhiogrosso, natural health practitioner, at 239498-1547.

NaturalWestMichigan.com 17

Spiritual Healing:

Britain’s Best Export

by Nancy O’Donohue

D

r. Richard Lawson of Somerset, England had been treating a male patient with advanced prostate cancer for some weeks. The patient’s prognosis was poor; he had only a short time to live. Running out of medical options, Dr. Lawson referred his patient to Britain’s National Federation of Spiritual Healers [NFSH]. The cancer went into remission soon after the patient started Spiritual Healing treatments. Dr. Lawson maintains, “The shrinkage of the tumor was associated with the patient receiving Spiritual Healing.”

Perhaps even more remarkable is that this is not an isolated case. Such dramatic improvement is not uncommon in patients who receive Spiritual Healing.

Notwithstanding The Beatles, Agent 007 and English Breakfast Tea, Britain’s best export is undoubtedly the energy therapy modality known as Spiritual Healing. In The United Kingdom it’s not unusual to find Spiritual Healers working alongside medical doctors in hospitals, hospices and cancer care centers. Since September 1991, Britain’s Department of Health has made healing part of the National Health Service, under the provision that the patient’s doctor remain in charge of the patient. University College Hospital in London, one of the country’s oldest and most highly regarded teaching hospitals, recently added two spiritual healers as full time staff, and the head of research at Penny Brohn Cancer Care in Bristol calls Spiritual Healing “the cornerstone of our work.”

Harry Edwards, one of the greatest natural healers in modern England, founded the NFSH in 1954. At the peak of his career, he received thousands of letters weekly requesting distant healing. He had particular success with spinal problems and arthritis; within a few minutes of Edwards touching a person very lightly, spines would 18

April 2009

straighten and limbs would become straight and strong. People who came in on crutches or wheel chairs could leave them behind and walk out because theirs was permanent healing, not just an illusion or a quick fix. There are also documented cases of individuals who came to Edwards being cured of cancer.

The medical community at the time refused to acknowledge Edwards’ success so he founded the NFSH, and began the work of developing a stringent training program and a code of ethics along with a certification process to underscore credibility. Over time, the National Health Service came to acknowledge Spiritual Healing as a valid therapy. Today, the NFSH is the largest healing organization in England, with over 6,500 members throughout Europe. [www.nfsh.org.uk] In truth, a Spiritual Healing practitioner does not heal a client. Just as new skin grows over a cut and broken bones mend, our bodies have the ability to heal themselves. However, due to the stress of modern life and the ingestion of toxins, our bodies often need assistance from an outside source. That is where Spiritual Healing comes in.

The practitioner acts as a conduit for life force energy to flow to a client and facilitate their return to physical, emotional, mental and spiritual balance.

A healing may not include a cure, but for a patient to achieve a state of peace of mind and reduction in pain is a great gift.

A guiding principle of the NFSH is that each one of us has the ability to develop our healing gifts and their courses are designed to help foster those abilities. One of the things that sets the NFSH apart from other energy therapy organizations is its stringent membership requirements.

Students go through a two-year training period before being eligible to apply for full healer mem-

Coming in

MAY

bership by submitting case histories and client references to a panel, demonstrating a healing, and undergoing oral examination to establish their familiarity with the NFSH’s Code of Conduct. However, it is not necessary to apply for membership in the organization to benefit from the courses, which are also designed to foster each student’s personal growth.

The practice is not limited to humans. Animals are so emotionally and spiritually open they respond very well to Spiritual Healing.

Renowned British animal healer Margrit Coates, author of Healing for Horses, is one of several members of the NFSH using Spiritual Healing on animals, with great success.

Time and time again, after a patient has worked with a Spiritual Healer, both doctors and patients have reported recovery from terminal illness, pain reduction and much-improved quality of life, often defying the statistical odds for recovery.

Unfortunately, there is not yet such a strong synergetic relationship between doctors and healers in the U.S. For years, as more Americans learned about Spiritual Healing and sought its benefits, they had to either travel to England, or receive distant healing from an NFSH certified Spiritual Healer there. But things are looking up.

In 2002, two senior trainers with the NFSH relocated to California where they founded a sister organization called NFSH - Healing in America [www.healinginamerica.com]. They have taught courses around the country and in the past two years certified the first U.S.based healers and licensed trainers, including several in Michigan.

Their goal is to make Spiritual Healing as available in the U.S. as it is in Britain. To quote Roger Ford, head of NFSH-Healing in America, “We – the Spiritual Healer, the surgeon, the support staff – collectively believe in the patient’s full recovery, and on some level the patient’s sub-conscious mind attunes to that message. The work and the response can only be positive.”

Nancy O’Donohue is a Healer Member of, and Licensed Trainer for, NFSH-Healing in America and is the author of numerous articles on healing. Her healing practice includes people, pets and horses. Her website is www.

LakeshoreHealing.com.

Women’s HEALTH Today’s women are finding new ways to care for ourselves and our families.

Join us in exploring a healthier view of life in this special edition of Natural Awakenings.

For more information about advertising and how you can participate, call

616-656-9232 NaturalWestMichigan.com 19

Homeopathy...

Putting Health in Your Own Hands

By Bob Huttinga

Utopian Marketplace Natural Goods for Healthy Living

Join Us Monday, April 27, 2009 6:30 - 7:30pm $10 Introductory Class on Economical Cleaning Solutions

8832 Water St • Montague, MI 231.894.9530 open 7 days a week

www.UtopianMarketplace.com

Want a beautiful, healthy, “green” home?

Visit Eden Environments, your personal green experts . sustainable design building materials interior finishes furnishings natural cleaners 5747 28th St. SE 616-956-5000 www.EdenEnvironments.com

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April 2009

“If there is nothing wrong, why do I feel so bad” is a question I have heard many times in my 30 years as a Physician Assistant. The answer to this interesting question lies in the study of how illnesses progress and how traditional medicine defines illness. In general we could name three states of health. First – “healthy and well.” Second – “functional conditions.” Third – “pathologic conditions.”

Healthy and well is where we all want to be; having enough vital energy every day to do the things we desire to do with no limitations.

The third state, pathologic conditions are diseases and illness that have recognizable damaged tissue, abnormal lab tests, and abnormal x-rays. These illnesses have names and once diagnosed, traditional medicine can deal with it.

The middle ground, functional limbo-land, is where a lot of people find themselves. They feel bad, they have a lot of symptoms, but nothing shows up on tests.

Dr. Bennett, our family physician, used to say, “it is not your age, it is the mileage.” This is so true. As we go through life, each time we have an acute illness, an injury, or an emotional shock, we have a reduction in our overall level of health, if we do not totally recover from those insults. As a result of the overall reduction in our level of health we begin to see signs of stress on our weakest systems. Long before actual tissue damage occurs, we enter this area of functional illness.

This is where homeopathy and natural health shine.

An accurately selected remedy can totally remove the symptoms of a functional condition, therefore preventing it from going on to become a pathological disease.

Homeopathic treatment of every insult to our systems will prevent the emergence of the functional state, therefore maintaining good health.

Bob Huttinga has been a Certified Physician’s Assistant for 30 years. The Healing Center, 334 N. Lincoln Ave, Lakeview, MI.48850. 989-352-6500 TheHealingCenterofLakeview.com.

Green Collar Welcome to

America

A Workable Way to New Jobs and Sustained Recovery

by Brita Belli Illustrations by Joe Weissmann

Yes, the traditional American economic picture is bleak, with every major sector—retail, banking, automotive and construction— reporting record job losses.

Twenty-two of the 30 companies comprising the Dow Jones industrial average have reported job losses since the economy began crumbling in October 2008, including industries that many experts thought were strong enough to weather the storm; even construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar announced 20,000 jobs would be cut on January 27, and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced 8,000 job cuts the same day. That month, the nationwide unemployment rate reached 7.6 percent, its highest level since the 1980s recession.

But, the previously nascent green economy is taking shape, bringing with it the promise of new jobs.

Among these will be well-paying manufacturing jobs; management and sales opportunities with huge growth potential; and abundant niche positions for enterprising students and others seeking alternative careers. On the upper tiers of the economic ladder, many CEOs and CFOs are already jumping into green jobs. Online green job directories are heavy with listings for those with pertinent business experience.

NaturalWestMichigan.com 21

Top 10 Green Jobs Government Stimulus

To jumpstart this new green economy, much hope rests upon the economic stimulus package called the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan,” which President Obama signed into law in February 2009, and with the business expansion and job creation that legislation promises. By directing federal money to infrastructure building and clean energy, President Obama’s administration has pledged to use the $787 billion authorized in the bill to rebuild the American economy and with it, the struggling middle class.

The ambitious goal of that legislation is the creation of 3.5 million new jobs, some of which will directly contribute to the country’s renewable energy future. The idea is that the stimulus package can solve two problems simultaneously: getting Americans the dependable, well-paying work that will allow them to support their families and stay in their homes; and redirecting the U.S. energy picture away from dirty, polluting fossil fuels like oil and coal and into clean, renewable energies like wind and solar.

“This is a green and bold stimulus package that will help our economy and protect our environment,” said Representative Edward J. Markey, who chairs key energy and global warming panels in the House.

By adding critical job training skills to reach those in greatest need—inner-city kids, former inmates and welfare recipients among them—Van Jones, founder and president of Green For All, believes the federal economic stimulus effort can go even further—to fight poverty and pollution, simultaneously. His nonprofit advocacy organization is dedicated to building an all-inclusive, green economy.

“There’s this whole invisible infrastructure, trying to get people who need jobs connected with work,” says Jones, who also authored The New York Times 2008 bestselling book, The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Solve Our Two Biggest Problems. “There are vocational training centers, return-from-prison work centers and community colleges. But none of that infrastructure is pointed at the green economy.” He’s out to change that.

The goal of the legislation is the creation of 3.5 million new jobs, some of which will directly contribute to the country’s renewable energy future.

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April 2009

by Brita Belli, Kathryn Gutlebar, Julia Hirsch, Jessica Knoblauch and Shawn Query

Across every industry, new job possibilities are emerging for those with the skills to bridge the divide between the old, fossil-fuel-based economy and the new, energy-efficient one.

Many corporations are partnering with nonprofits and hiring corporate social responsibility managers.

1) Green Globetrotters: Travel and Hospitality

Green travel employees generally work for private companies, government and public institutions and nonprofits. The Green Hotels Association, for example, states that “A ‘Green Team’ can turn hotel employees into educators, showing us how we can be more sustainable.”

Connect: International Ecotourism Society, 202-347-9203, EcoTourism.org; Green Hotels Association, 713-789-8889, GreenHotels.com; Lindblad Expeditions & National Geographic, 1-800-EXPEDITION, Expeditions.com.

2) Sustainability Stewards: Planning and Land Use

Local governments are increasingly interested in how they can reduce their communities’ carbon footprint and are turning to city planning professionals for direction. A new view of smart urban planning, which emphasizes sustainable and transit-oriented development, is growing, particularly in the Southeast, California and the Pacific Northwest. Stormwater management and wetlands restoration are other areas coming to the forefront.

Connect: American Planning Association, 202-872-0611, Planning.org; International City/County Management Association, 202-289-ICMA, icma.org.

3) Complementary Care: Health and Medicine

A 2008 survey reports that 38 percent of U.S. adults and 12 percent of our children use some form of alternative care. The most popular holistic techniques are deep breathing exercise, meditation, chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, massage and yoga. While both coasts are stocked with

natural-care physicians, the need for alternative practitioners is spreading across the rural states.

Connect: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 1-888-644-6226, nccam.nih.org.

4) Power Pushers: Energy and Renewables

“Solar and wind are already multibillion-dollar industries,” says Peter Beadle, president of Greenjobs.com, “but hydrogen and fuel cell production are still in the nascent stages.”

Job seekers will have an easier time breaking into the renewables industry via marketing and sales. Workers also are needed to install and maintain solar panels and wind turbines, and certification is readily available.

Connect: GreenJobs.com; Apollo Alliance, 415-371-1700, ApolloAlliance.org.

5) Planet Protectors: Legal Careers

Environmental law groups go to court. Lewis and Clark Law School students, in Portland, Oregon, can get environmental law certification with their degree, and most go on to work in state or federal government offices or private practices with an environmental bent.

Earthjustice, a nonprofit that started as the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund in 1971, employs some 150 lawyers, communications specialists and fundraising and general support personnel. They also keep an online list of job openings.

Connect: Lewis & Clark Law School, 503-768-6600; Earthjustice, 1-800-584-6460, EarthJustice.org.

6) Green Geeks: Information Technology

“People think there is some kind of mystery, ‘Where are the green jobs?” says Marie Kerpan, founder of consulting practice Green Careers. “There are a bazillion companies where you can take your skills and put it to work in a green company.” She particularly notes opportunities in outreach, fundraising and political awareness.

Connect: EcoVentures International, 202-667-0802, Eco-Ventures.org.

7) Eco Educators: Green Learning

Sustainability coordinators have been joining the ranks of educational institutions looking to go green. Although not many schools offer degrees in sustainability, that’s beginning to change; more schools are either converting existing programs or starting new ones.

The stimulus package responds by including language from the Green Jobs Act of 2007, part of that year’s larger Energy Savings Act. It includes $100 million for worker training in upgrading the nation’s electrical grid, and up to $500 million for renewable energy and electric power transmission projects, with provisions that all laborers and mechanics are paid fair wages. Another $750 million is designated for competitive grants for “worker training and placement in high growth and emerging energy sectors.”

Some $250 million is directed toward building Job Corps Centers around the country, which the legislation notes “may include training for careers in the energy efficiency, renewable energy and environmental protection industries.”

On a larger scale, $16.8 billion of the federal package is directed toward energy efficiency and renewable energy research and projects that include: advanced batteries to power plug-in, hybrid vehicles; geothermal and biomass projects; wind and solar installations; building weatherization; modernizing the electrical grid; and environmental cleanup.

A February 2009 report by Good Jobs First, a smart growth advocacy group, cautions that, in the rush to create a quantity of jobs, it’s crucial that we pay sufficient attention to the quality of those jobs.

To make corporations more responsive to environmental, human rights and health issues, corporate responsibility advocates have persuaded some corporations to move from thinking solely about profits to the three P’s— people, planet and profits.

Private Sector Progress In its State of Green Business 2009, Greener World Media asks the tough questions that must be addressed. Are we moving far enough, fast enough? Do current initiatives represent true transformation? Or, are we just nibbling at the edges of national and global problems?

Joel Makower, chairman and executive editor of Greener World Media and the editors of its flagship GreenBiz.com, see optimistic signs that the shift to a green economy is real.

For example, green building is on the rise, spurring new technologies that save energy and money, while creating more healthful workplaces. The automobile industry seems finally engaged in a green race to introduce electric vehicles.

NaturalWestMichigan.com 23

Leading makers and retailers of consumer products are starting to more rigorously assess the environmental impacts of their products and signaling suppliers that tomorrow’s goods must hew to higher levels of environmental responsibility.

Building on the possibility offered by such public and private investment, along with the promise of a true, “green collar,” workforce, government officials joined with thousands of labor, environmental and business advocates in Washington, D.C., February 4 to 6, for the Good Jobs Green Jobs National Conference and public expo, dedicated to exploring emerging green-oriented career paths. It was sponsored by the Blue Green Alliance, an unprecedented national partnership formed in 2006 between the Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers Union.

Kevin Doyle, president of green consulting and training company Green Economy, advises that the government’s initial investment is only meant to be a launch pad. “The federal government serves best as an innovative leader,” he counsels.

“Money from the private sector should be at least five times that much.”

Green on Top “CEOs and senior level executives across a broad spectrum are entering the environmental field in droves,” says Rona Fried, founder and president of SustainableBusiness.com, which includes a “Green Dream Jobs” online directory. Corporations need strong communicators as they build environmental strategy into their policy, partner with nonprofits and work to respond more quickly to rising public concern over environmental issues.

“Many companies have environmental managers, who are now being upgraded in terms of status,” says Dan Esty, co-director of the Center for Business and Environment at Yale University, and co-author of Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value and Build Competitive Advantage. “To be a successful manager, you need good analytical skills, to understand the environment in a business context—as a core business strategy.”

The 300 largest corporations are now in the initial stages of crafting a new social frontier, writes author Bruce Piasecki, in World Inc. “Business first seeks to sustain and further itself,” he notes from his perch as president and founder of his consulting firm, American Hazard Control Group, “but this revolution has the side benefit of being good for us all.”

Turning Blue and White Collars Green The 10 Midwestern states perhaps suffering most from the disintegration of the country’s traditional middle class are ideally suited for wind energy development. According to the Environmental Law and Policy Center, they could jointly realize nearly 37,000 new jobs by 2020 if the nation’s renewable energy portfolio were set to 22 percent.

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April 2009

Connect: Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, aashe.org, 859-258-2551, aashe. org; Presidio School of Management, 415-5616555, PresidioMBA.org.

8) Better Builders: Design and Construction

Green builders already have a competitive advantage over traditional builders in both commercial and residential arenas, advises Ashley Katz, manager of communications for the U.S. Green Building Council.

That advantage will continue to grow as sustainable, energy-efficient building practices become the norm. Opportunities exist for greenminded engineers, contractors, architects and designers as well as more employees in service businesses making green products and materials.

Connect: U.S. Green Building Council, 1-800-795-1747, usgbc.org.

9) Improving Industry: Corporate Social Responsibility

To make corporations more responsive to environmental, human rights and health issues, corporate responsibility advocates have persuaded some corporations to move from thinking solely about profits to the three P’s—people, planet and profits. Job seekers need knowledge of labor law and human resource management.

Connect: Social Venture Network, 415-561-6501, svn.org.

10) Organic Occupations: Food and Farming

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, land used for organic crops increased from 48,000 acres in 1997 to 122,000 acres in 2005, and that number continues to grow, opening doors for students seeking experience on a working farm through the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF).

Some workers manage organic farms by leasing it through a land trust. Other jobs exist in farmland protection, education opportunities at on-campus student farms and in the restaurant/hospitality niche, with a need for chefs specializing in local foods.

Connect: WWOOF, 831-425-FARM, wwoofusa.org; Northeast Organic Farming Association, 203-888-5146, ctnofa.org.

A University of California at Berkeley study update in 2006, “Putting Renewables to Work: How Many Jobs Can the Clean Energy Industry Generate?” projects that the renewable energy industry could consistently produce more jobs per megawatt of electricity generated—in construction, manufacturing, installation, operations and management and fuel processing—than its fossil fuel industry counterpart.

Given a 20 percent national renewable energy standard that includes 55 percent wind energy, that could equal 188,018 new jobs by 2020.

Kate Gordon, co-director for the Apollo Alliance, a nonprofit working for American energy independence, summarizes the point. “There’s been a wholesale loss of manufacturing jobs, which are union-protected, highly skilled jobs.

But with wind turbines, solar panels, energy-efficient retrofits—there’s a whole world of green jobs. It’s pretty exciting, if you can harness it.”

Doyle advises that there are two key strategies. One is to look at what skills are needed by all industries to solve environmental problems. All need, for example, information management and financing. “So much starts with gathering huge amounts of data,” Doyle says. This includes jobs in information technology, geography and statistics.

Similarly, whether a nonprofit, government agency or business is looking to purchase open space or evaluating smart growth versus sprawl, they need to find funds. This opens up a host of jobs, including sector analysts, green accountants, government finance officers and foundation managers.

The second strategy for green job seekers is to, “Pick a niche without any sense of ideological blinders,” advises Doyle. Someone wanting to “fix” climate change would investigate the major sources of carbon emissions—power plants, automobiles and gas flares—and focus on finding solutions within these polluting industries.

Perhaps the report at StateofGreenBusiness.com summarizes it best: “To achieve their increasingly ambitious environmental goals, companies will need to educate, engage, empower and activate their employees to think and act green. And, learn from them, too, recognizing that when it comes to running a leaner, greener business, no one knows where the waste and inefficiencies lie more than those on the front lines. Despite all the oft-repeated dictums about ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ management techniques, effectively greening the corporation sometimes requires that companies learn how to lead from the middle.”

On-the-Ground Training Where Students and Graduates Go to Get Their Hands Dirty Environmental Leadership Program Washington, D.C., 202-332-3320, elpnet.org Offers training, mentoring and fellowships to environmental activists and professionals.

Green Corps Boston, Massachusetts, 617-426-8506, GreenCorps.org Trains young people in the skills and strategies of grassroots environmental organizing and advocating for green job creation.

The National Council for Science and the Environment Washington, D.C., 202-530-5810, ncseonline.org Offers three- to six-month internships for students and recent graduates assisting in outreach to academic, governmental, business and civil society communities.

Student Conservation Association Charlestown, New Hampshire, 603-543-1700, thesca.org Offers conservation internships to more than 3,000 individuals each year, including high school and college students.

Brita Belli is the editor of E/The Environmental Magazine, where portions of this article and sidebars first appeared.

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.

– Frank Lloyd Wright NaturalWestMichigan.com 25

Community Spotlight

Local Businesses Strive for Sustainable Practices

By Kyle Hass

Natural Awakenings of West Michigan is proud of our contributors, our readers, our sponsors and advertisers.

We are fortunate in this area of the state to have at our disposal so many healthy choices – from food to fitness to bodywork and beyond. Our family of advertisers not only offer products and services that support a healthy lifestyle, they also take great strides to utilize sustainable practices in the daily operation of their businesses. The following are some examples of the green practices of our advertisers.

Cascade Yoga Studio (CascadeYogaStudio.com) uses all natural cleaning products to clean their studio. For students, the studio offers eco-friendly yoga mats for sale.

They also donate their old mats and those left unclaimed.

In an effort to save paper, Cascade Yoga Studio newsletters are only sent via email, and office notepads are created from scrap paper.

Aside from using the great outdoors as their gym every day, EcoTrek Fitness (EcoTrekFitness.com) also gives out reusable EcoTrek tote shopping bags. The company schedules group fitness classes in the great outdoors. The only carbon footprint they leave is generated by transportation to and from the sessions.

Dominican Center’s Bodywork Services (DominicanCenter.com) switched from serving bottled water to filtered water in biodegradable cups made from corn.

The service also uses all natural green cleaning products.

The recycling efforts they make also save on waste going to area landfills.

Amy Overeiner, a member at The Wellness Forum, recycles all the empty green tea tins that are brought in.

Some tins are used for keeping students’ personal items; others are used for personal care items for local women’s shelters. Some tins are also filled with cookies and sent to

men and women in the armed forces.

Wholistic Kinesiology Health Services (WKHealthServices.com) recently switched out all its standard light bulbs with a more energy efficient full spectrum. The center only uses recycled paper products in its daily operation.

The staff of The Chirofit Wellness Center (TheChirofit. com) considered many different materials during the build out of their office space before choosing recycled carpet tiles paired with low VOC paint. The staff also chose Host Papa, a wind-powered, no-carbon emitting company as their web hosting provider.

From the Heart Yoga (FromTheHeartYoga.com) has hired Grand Rapids’ Bazzani and Associates to renovate a building that will serve as live/work environment for them thus reducing their carbon footprint. Upon completion, the new building should have the capability of being Silver LEED Certified. Bazzani offers green real estate, building and architectural services to the greater Grand Rapids area.

Affordable Nutrition uses only eco-friendly bags for their retail customers and reuses all their unwanted junk mail as packing material when they ship products.

Furthering their recycling efforts, Affordable Nutrition networks with other neighboring businesses and offers them the junk mail packing materials that they are unable to use.

These businesses are just a few that West Michigan can look to for examples of green business practices. We are confident that as you read through Natural Awakenings Magazine you will find other products and services that are working hard to lower their carbon footprint. We hope you will support these locally owned businesses and help grow our local West Michigan economy. Together, we can make every dollar count.

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April 2009

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fitbody

Functional Fitness exercise that translates to real life

by Lisa Marshall

S

o, you can bench press 200 pounds, run 10 kilometers in 45 minutes and turn heads when you slip on your Speedo.

But, can you hoist your suitcase into the overhead compartment without throwing your back out, or squat to tie your toddler’s shoes without grimacing? According to advocates of “functional training”—predicted to be among the hottest fitness trends in 2009—these are the questions and answers that really matter.

“Functional training is about doing exercises that assist you in performing activities of daily living more efficiently,” says Fabio Comana, an exercise physiologist with the San Diego-based American Council on Exercise (ACE).

The notion of practicing everyday movements during a workout, rather than just bulking up with weights or slogging away on the bike, is not new.

Professional golfers and skiers have long mimicked swings or turns in the gym. Physical therapists often ask rehab patients to practice the motions they perform most at work. But, only in the past decade has the idea of

Functional Fitness Program at Home Consider a trainer: Functional training requires balance, stability and coordination; it can be more challenging than using machines that support body weight. A personal trainer can start you off right.

Use your body for resistance: Squatting, standing on one leg or standing on one leg and reaching for a lightweight object on the floor

functional training reached the general population.

The updated philosophy has transformed everything from the way some weight machines are made (with more freedom of movement) to the types of equipment used in classes (think lightweight medicine balls, kettle bells, resistance bands and Bosu balls) and the everyday moves trainers ask clients to do.

In November 2008, the IDEA Health and Fitness Association, a trade group for health clubs, listed functional training among the top trends for 2009.

This spring, the nonprofit ACE will travel the country, hosting workshops from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Portland, Oregon to teach personal trainers how to safely incorporate functional fitness into their classes.

“It’s a whole new paradigm in fitness,” observes Juan Carlos Santana, a Florida-based trainer who creates functional fitness videos. “It can be done with easily accessible equipment that is not intimidating to the regular Jane or Joe.”

Walk through RallySport Health and Fitness club in Boulder, Colorado, on any given day and you’ll find svelte men and women doing squats (handy for tying shoes) and overhead reaches (for pulling a plate from the top shelf) with 2- to 4-pound medicine balls.

They also perform squats or stand on one foot, atop an unstable surface, such as a DynaDisc or Airex pad, to train their bodies to maintain stability; it’s a good skill to have when traversing an icy parking lot.

In an adjacent studio, trainer Erin Carson leads women in their 30s to 50s through an hour-long class using

with one hand or foot, promotes balance.

Once mastered, add more resistance.

Add a little resistance at a time: Lightweight medicine balls, dumbbells or kettlebells add resistance while allowing freedom of movement. Resistance bands, anchored to a stable surface such as the pole on a stationary bike, can lend resistance for stationary running or upper body exercises.

Throw in an unstable surface: After mastering the moves, try them on a balance pad or wobble-board. Ultimately, add some weight, but avoid injury by using wisdom and not upping the ante too soon.

NaturalWestMichigan.com 27

functional circuit machines called Kinesis. They are honing oft-neglected stabilizing muscles and refining their coordination.

“When you do a bench press or a seated chest press on a conventional machine, you are training your muscles like a bodybuilder, making one muscle perform the same range

of motion over and over again,” explains Carson. “That’s good for building muscle and strength, but it’s not how people move in daily life.”

Instead, the Kinesis machines employ pulleys that allow a full range of motion and force the user to stand while lifting. In this particular class, the women work through a se-

ries of exercises that resemble movements in a busy parent’s day: a “single-leg dead lift with a reach,” looks a lot like leaning over to pick up a kid’s toy; a “lateral lunge with an overhead press,” mimics reaching into an overhead compartment; and a “lateral lunge with a decline press,” resembles pushing a vacuum cleaner.

Functional fitness group classes have proved a hit among seniors, too, with YMCAs from Atlanta to Albuquerque joining in. One recent study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, found that adults ages 58 to 78 who engaged in functional training three times a week showed greater improvements in upper and lower body strength, cardio-respiratory endurance, agility and shoulder flexibility than those who stuck to lifting weights and cardiovascular training.

No one has to convince Cindy Cruz-Mazzei of the benefits of functional fitness. She says she’s seen her training translate to real-life, time and again: “We were in the grocery store once when my daughters were little, and both of them jumped on the cart on one side. It was about to tilt over on them, when I grabbed the cart and flipped it back,” she relates. “My body just instinctively did all the right things it was supposed to do, and I didn’t hurt myself. It just kicks in.”

Lisa Marshall is a freelance writer in Estes Park, CO. Connect at LisaAnnMarshall.com.

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April 2009

greenliving

Sea Reef Burial Choosing Green Forever

by Gail Condrick

A

n ancient tradition continues; the honoring of the dead and the continuation of life. But here there are no ashes to merge with the water, in this place and at this time, that job has already been done. Instead, a crane lowers a 400-pound memorial reef ball containing cremated remain into place 30 feet below to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. Fifteen families are gathered on a fishing boat transformed with flowers for the occasion to watch the placement on Lynn Silvertooth Reef, an artificial reef located 1.8 nautical miles off the coast of Sarasota, Florida.

This is an example of a green burial, the ultimate act of environmentalism, giving of the self back to nature in a direct way. In life and in death, we can quite literally go green, whether by land or sea.

Tom Rinaldi had seen a story about the artificial reefs on television and decided that was what he wanted for himself.

His memorial reef ball was put in place on the same date as his and his wife, Dawn’s, 30th anniversary, as a celebration of their love.

“Artificial reefs benefit the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay. We see sea turtles, grouper, sharks and seasonal fish on Silvertooth Reef,” says Mike Solum, artificial reef coordinator for Sarasota County. Florida leads the nation and is second only to Japan in artificial reef development, according to Solum.

Artificial reefs have been used to create and sustain marine life in areas that have been damaged around the world for years. These reefs create a safe haven and a nursery for new sea life and blend into the underwater landscape as living ecosystems. It is this continuation of giving life to continue life that fascinates many people who choose to return to the water for this final transformation.

Eternal Reefs, located in Decatur, Georgia, was the first U.S.company to offer memorial reefs. When founder Don Brawley’s father-in-law died in 1998, he requested his cremated remains be added to the concrete cast of the reef balls that Brawley was deploying for marine rehabilitation.

This was the first time that Brawley considered how the reef balls could be an alternative, environmentally friendly funeral option. Since then, the cremated remains of some 600 individuals, couples and even pets have found their way into their memorial reef balls off the coasts of Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia. Reef balls are designed to last up to 500 years and tests of 600,000 reef balls deployed around the world for marine renewal show that they stay in place even during hurricanes.

According to Brawley, there is another, more spiritual reason for choosing this type of memorial; it brings survivors back to the ancient ways of direct involvement with the deceased and closer contact with Earth. “We are in the closure business, we get people back in touch with the process,” says Brawley.

Those electing water burial also appreciate having the choice to avoid embalming and care for loved ones at a reasonable cost. Eternal Reefs’ prices begin at $2,500 and range to $6,500; although this does not include cremation costs, it does include other features that contribute to the memorial experience.

At Eternal Reefs, the families are a hands-on part of the process, and can choose to assist in the creation of the memorial reef ball at a plant in Sarasota. Some even leave handprints on the balls for perpetuity.

“If only 2 percent of the cremations performed in the United States each year were to become memorial reefs, we could build 15,000 to 20,000 reefs per year; just think what an environmental impact could be made,” remarks Brawley.

While the practice of burial at sea is ancient, the technology is up-to-date. Leading providers offer GPS tracking data coordinates that locate individual memorials, so that families can revisit the reef and find the exact location of their loved ones for years to come. Unlike the scattering of ashes on water, this service provides a place to gather and to pay homage to the deceased and to enjoy life on and under the water.

For more information on Eternal Reefs, call 1-888-423-7333 and visit EternalReefs.com.

Gail Condrick is a freelance writer in Sarasota, FL. Connect at NiaVisions.com.

NaturalWestMichigan.com 29

healthykids

The Case Against Homework Family Benefits of a Reality Check

by Sara Bennett

These days, beginning as early as kindergarten, homework is a consuming nightly activity. According to a 2006 joint National Education Association/Leap Frog report, on average, children ages 8-13 work at it from 1½ to 1¾ hours a night. Most require almost 3 hours of help a week from their parents. It’s no wonder that parents complain about homework almost as much as, or more than, their children.

Their complaints are well founded. A 2006 Duke University review of

more than 180 research studies found that there’s virtually no correlation between homework and academic achievement in elementary school. Even in middle and high school, the only correlation is that students who do their homework do better on teacher-created tests and grades. But no proof supports the misperception that homework helps with such long-term educational goals as creating life-long learners who are creative and analytical thinkers.

Many short-term education goals aren’t strengthened by homework either.

Consider the time-honored tradition of weekly word study for a spelling test. As early as the late 19th century, research has found no link between the time spent on drills and student performance. That’s why, as so many teachers and parents know first-hand, students who can spell a new word on Friday won’t be able to incorporate it into their writing, or even remember how to spell it, the following Monday.

Similarly, endless math problems serve no educational purpose. According to the U.S. Department of Education, children can demonstrate mastery in just five problems. If they can’t, they need more guidance from the teacher, not more and more problems they can’t solve.

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April 2009

Further, homework’s most lauded benefits—developing responsibility, self-discipline and motivation—have never been formally researched.

Unfortunately, homework takes up time that could be spent in ways that better contribute to a child’s overall health, well-being, and intellectual development. For example, young children—and teens, too—need plenty of time to play. That’s how they make sense of the world and their place in it.

Play is at such a premium these days that the American Academy of Pediatrics has lamented the current trend of eliminating recess in elementary school. Its January 2009 report found that when students get 15 minutes of recess, their in-class behavior and performance improve dramatically.

Homework is also the number one reason why reading for pleasure declines at age 8, according to a 2006 Scholastic/Yankelovich poll. Yet reading, educators agree, is the most important intellectual activity of all. That’s how students learn to spell, write, analyze, and gather background knowledge that helps them develop into critical thinkers.

The National Endowment for the Arts also has found that “Reading is an important indicator of positive individual and social behavior patterns.”

According to its research, readers volunteer, attend arts and sports events, do outdoor activities and exercise at higher rates than non-readers.

Other casualties of homework overload include socializing with family and friends, family dinners, exercise, outdoor activities and sleep—all important facets of a balanced childhood and adulthood. Indeed, according to a 2001 study by the University of Michigan, family meals are the single strongest predictor of better achievement scores and fewer behavioral problems for children ages three to twelve. John Medina writes in Brain Rules that sleep deprivation, a bane of many school-aged children, affects children’s overall mood, as well as their ability to pay attention and use abstract thinking skills.

Across the country, parents and schools are beginning to seek solutions.

A principal in Wyoming who abolished homework at her elementary school in the fall of 2007, said, “Not having homework isn’t hurting. Our test scores continue to rise.” High schools are beginning to coordinate assignments, place limits on homework and even abolish homework-heavy advanced placement classes. And, parents are banding together to make sure that their children get recess and some time at the end of the school day to just be children.

Sara Bennett is the co-author of The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Children and What Parents Can Do About It and the founder of Stop Homework, a not-forprofit project dedicated to advocating for homework reform. To find out more about what parents and schools are doing, visit StopHomework.com.

How to Tame Monstrous Homework

Giving Birth To Ourselves Frame Drum Intensive Series, One Saturday each month, May to October, 2009 This will be a unique training on the Tambourine and Tar Frame Drum as a musical discipline within a spiritual framework, based on Chakra and Elemental energies. Participants receive audio recordings and new material each month.

by Sara Bennett

• Focus on what’s important for your children. If you want them to have unstructured time to dream and find their interests, make sure that happens.

• Don’t worry about their getting all A’s in school. Don’t worry so much about their grades.

Workshops held in Twin Lake, MI. For more details and costs, contact Barb Pitcher, oakdrum@earthlink.net, 231-828-5666

• Make sure they get plenty of sleep.

• If your children are spending too much time on homework, or it's causing too much family conflict, let your children do something else and write a brief note to the teacher.

• Let your children read whatever they want. Their vocabulary, writing, spelling and analytical skills will improve much more if they read voraciously than if they spend that same time on vocabulary and spelling sheets.

• Talk to other parents about the homework problem and then talk to the school.

How to Advertise To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 616-6569232 or email: Publisher@NaturalWestMichigan.com. Deadline for space reservation is the 12th of each month.

News Briefs & article submissions Email articles to: Publisher@NaturalWestMichigan.com. Deadline for articles is the 5th of the month prior to publication. Submit News Briefs online at NaturalWestMichigan.com.

Deadline for news briefs is the 12th of the month prior to publication.

calendar submissions Submit Calendar Events online at: NaturalWestMichigan.com. Calendar deadline is the 15th of the month prior to publication.

WHERE TO PICK UP NATURAL AWAKENINGS If you enjoyed this magazine and would like to know where you can pick up a free copy in your area, please contact us at 616-656-9232 or email us at: publisher@NaturalWestMichigan.com

NaturalWestMichigan.com 31

wisewords

A Conversation with Bill McKibben

by S. Alison Chabonais

B

ill McKibben is the author of a dozen books on the environment and culture, most recently, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. He explains how vibrant local economies are getting it right and showing us the way to a saner, human-scale world. McKibben also is co-founder of 350.org, the first global grassroots movement to deal with climate change.

Q. In Deep Economy, you note that America’s “more is better” mantra of economic progress is no longer making us wealthier, but instead, less happy, less healthy and more insecure.

Why is this?

Up to a certain point, accumulation does make you happier. Visit, say, rural China; there, people live in extreme poverty, often with six or seven people in a room. When you make some money, perhaps working at a factory, you can heat your hut in the winter. You can add another room for you, your wife and your kid. You get some relative privacy for the first time in your life, worth a great deal in terms of increased happiness.

But, past a certain point—which economists around the world have estimated at roughly $10,000 a year in average income, or $40,000 for a family of four in this country—that equation starts to fall apart. Americans, for example, have been using their money to build massive houses, where everyone has their own room and electronic screen.

We barely see our families, much less our neighbors. The average American today has half as many close friends as the average American of 1950.

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April 2009

Q. What else have we sacrificed by buying into advertisers’ push to accumulate more stuff?

Where to start? Health, maybe. The average American is badly overweight, largely because of the intake of relatively expensive processed commercial foods, which we often rely on because we spend so much time at our jobs, earning the money we need to support a consumer way of life.

Or, consider leisure. The average European works about seven fewer weeks a year than we do. Yes, they consequently have less disposable income, but far more time with family and friends. Not surprisingly, Europeans generally report being happier with their lives than we are, concludes prominent British economist Richard Layard, in Happiness: Lessons from a New Science.

Q. Deep Economy makes a convincing case that rebuilding community-oriented neighborhoods and sustainable local economies delivers a better quality of life; so, where do we start?

Probably the simplest place is with localizing food supplies. Because that’s a consumer decision we make three times a day, we can convert at our own pace. I once spent a year eating nothing but local foods. I met many of my neighbors for the first time—all the farmers who were growing my food.

Neighborliness is a common outcome; in one study cited by Christopher Cook in Diet for a Dead Planet, sociologists followed shoppers, first around the supermarket, and then around the farmers’ market; the average shopper engaged in ten times more

conversations at the farmers’ market.

They weren’t just acquiring their weekly calories, they were rebuilding broken communities.

Q. Realistically, which other vital areas of community life can we make sustainable soon?

We can do much more for ourselves. In communications: A few giant conglomerates own most radio stations in this country; now, a low-power FM movement is erecting community stations across America. In education: We know that the best education comes in small classrooms and small schools; it’s time to start deconsolidating. In government: In Vermont, where I live, we rely on town meetings; everyone in town gets together once a year and hashes out the budget, and it works.

Individuals’ long-term survival depends on having a strong working community. By patronizing local businesses, they remain a hardy support network in tough times.

Q. In speaking of the environmental fallout due to escalating consumption, you observe that, “If the rich countries can’t change course, then the poor countries won’t.” What will it take to make the transition to a different lifestyle tolerable?

Global warming makes it clear that we’re all in this together. The only way we’ll get out of this fix is if we work cooperatively.

That’s why we’re accelerating a huge global organizing drive for 350.org. 350 is the amount of carbon dioxide, in parts per million, that climatologists now deem the safe maximum for our atmosphere. At 387, we’re already past that total, turning the global climate issue from a problem into an emergency. We need Natural Awakenings readers to join us October 24, 2009, in organizing and attending rallies and events around the planet to draw attention to that number and its meaning. Together, we can reach out beyond individualism, toward survival of the community of humankind.

For more information visit BillMcKibben.com.

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naturalpet

Why Dog People are Naturally

Greener

by Lola Michelin

T

he latest American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) survey on pet ownership trends reports that 74.8 million canines now enjoy camaraderie with at least one special two-legged companion. Although studies regularly document the significant health benefits that dog owners experience from this close animal/human relationship—including better health, companionship, security and emotional release—only recently have we understood more about its environmental impact.

It’s uncertain whether today’s dog guardians are intentionally taking steps to become green consumers or environmental activists. But an increasing number are considering their family’s environmental impact while purchasing more than $40 billion in pet products and services, according to the latest APPMA report. Dog owners, in search of more Earth-friendly versions of everything from organic food and sustainable toys to shampoos, flea treatments and biodegradable waste bags, acknowledge that their loyal, four-legged friends frequently inspire other healthy environmental choices, as well.

Rather than driving to run errands, for example, dog people often take Fido or Fifi on recreational walks to the corner store or post office. Women out and about on their own report they are less likely to take their cars on short trips when they can enjoy the security of walking with a dog.

Such auto-free errands help reduce America’s carbon footprint, a key contributor to global warming.

Canines and their human companions also are prompting the creation of environmentally

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April 2009

friendly green spaces in urban areas. An increasing number of municipalities, responding to demand from constituents, are developing dog parks. These minimize the need to drive long distances to find open areas to exercise critters, and they add much-needed nature to city settings. Everyone using the park benefits from added opportunities to socialize, exercise and enjoy a natural setting. Everyone in the area reaps the rewards of life-giving plants in place of more concrete and asphalt.

Dogs may even nudge their two-legged kin toward a natural, holistic approach to health and well-being. Canines, like all animals, instinctively seek wellness and balance.

When faced with a health challenge, they usually respond positively to improvements in diet and exercise and to alternative healing therapies such as massage, acupuncture, hydrotherapy and chiropractic.

People who may have been skeptical about these modalities are often willing to consider them to help a beloved furry friend. These more natural approaches to health rely less upon use of drugs and other synthetic toxins that may harm the body and, via excretion, the environment. Once people witness a pet’s improving health as a result of effective treatment, they often adopt alternative modalities for themselves.

It’s a good feeling to know that the animals who love us so well can also inspire us, as caretakers, to love them, ourselves and our planet well.

Lola Michelin is director of education at the Northwest School of Animal Massage. For more information call 877836-3703, visit NWSAM.com or email Lola@NWSAM.com.

calendarofevents Note: Visit www.NaturalWestMichigan.com for guidelines and to submit entries. All Calendar events must be submitted online by the 15th of the month prior to publication.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1 National Day of Prayer Artists’ Reception –68pm Spiritual Artwork, sponsored by West Michigan Interfaith, will be showcased during the month of April at MCC. This is in connection with the event, Prayer, The Great Work on May 2nd. Free.

Muskegon Community College Library, 221 S. Quarterline Rd, Muskegon. 231-828-5020.

THURSDAY, APRIL 2 Food Tasting with Stone Road eco Farm –7pm.

Stone Road eco Farm is a CSA family owned farm dedicated to providing the finest produce without chemicals. You will see, taste and experience the difference in their produce. First visit is free. The Wellness Forum, 830 Forest Hill Ave, Grand Rapids, 616-942-7907

SATURDAY, APRIL 4 Healthy Spring Cleaning – 1-2pm. Learn how to clean using organic & natural ingredients, creating a healthy environment for your family. We will show you how to use common, inexpensive ingredients to make cleaning products that work without polluting your home. Free. Eden Environments, 5747 28th Street SE, Suite 101, Grand Rapids. 616-956-5000

SUNDAY, APRIL 5 Open Mic – 1-4pm. Looking for something to do on Sunday afternoons? Want to watch some new, live entertainment? Maybe even try out that new song of yours. Free. The Mic is on at Utopian Marketplace, 8832 Water St, Montague. 231-894-9530.

Spiritual Healing – 2-4pm. Nancy O’Donohue will explain Spiritual Healing as taught by England’s National Federation of Spiritual Healers, largest healing organization in Europe. Donation. Open Mind, 39 Courtland St, Rockford. 616-863-8868.

MONDAY, APRIL 6

$10 suggested donation. Bethlehem Church, 250 Commerce, Grand Rapids. 616-406-9655.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11 EcoTrek Fitness Pre-Easter INTENSE Workout– 8-9:15am. EcoTrek Fitness pre-Easter INTENSE outdoor workout session with NEGR Series Leader Christi Otway. Come join us. $12 drop-in (discount for multiple sessions). Pre-register by email cari@ ecotrekfitness.com. Seidman Park, 8155 Conservation Rd, Ada, 616-291-2851.

SUNDAY, APRIL 12 Eckankar Worship Service – 10am. Come celebrate the Light and Sound of God in this monthly event, “Gods Love is a Wonderful Thing.” Free.

Meeting Room, 76th & 131-Motel 6, 7625 Caterpillar Ct, Grand Rapids. 616-752-8460.

MONDAY, APRIL 13 Menu for the Future Discussion – 6-8pm. Five week Northwest Earth Institute Discussion Course “Menu for the Future” begins. Every Monday (no 4/27) and ends May 18. Must attend first night. Class limited to 12. Free/Book is $25. Call to pre-register. Utopian Marketplace, 8832 Water St, Montague. 231-894-9530.

Organic Gardening & Farming Class – 7pm. Paul & Nancy Jones Keiser explain successful vegetable & melon production, fruits, pastures, etc. Information for new & experienced growers with slides and many handouts. $15. SanChez Bistro, 38 W. Fulton, Grand Rapids. 616-677-6176.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14 EcoTrek Fitness Lakeshore Series –5:45- 7am.

EcoTrek Fitness Lakeshore Series begins with this early morning session led by Ecotrek owner Cari Draft Elliot. Pre-register by email cari@ecotrekfitness.com. Coast Guard Park, 18101 North Shore Drive, Ferrysburg, 616-291-2851.

Life in The Soil – 7pm. Film-Fantastic below-thesoil-surface filming. The Other Side of the FenceDr. William A. Albrecht relates how plant, animal & human health comes from fertile topsoils. $7 students / $3 seniors. SanChez Bistro, 38 W. Fulton, Grand Rapids. 616-677-6176.

Spinal Decompression – 6:30-7:30pm. Is your back killing you? Find out if you are a candidate for Lordex Spinal Decompression Therapy with Dr. Brian Parkhurst. Free health care seminar courtesy of Parkhurst Chiropractic & Lakeshore Wellness Center. Ultimate Fitness 91 Douglas Ave Ste 140, Holland. 888-567-3391.

FRIDAY, APRIL 10

Balancing Hormones Naturally – 6:30-7:30pm.

Learn effective drug-free solutions to safely and naturally overcome mid-life PMS or menopausal symptoms with Dr. Karla Parkhurst. Free health care seminar courtesy of Parkhurst Chiropractic & Lakeshore Wellness Center. Holland Aquatic Center, 550 Maple Ave, Holland. 616-392-9500.

Opening Portals – 6:30pm.Rosalind will be showing you how to create portals in your land and any place on Mother Earth. Trained in Sweden, she will explain the need for them. Will make a sacred elixir to drink and raise our own frequencies. $15.

Pampered Goddess, 37 N. Main St, Cedar Springs.

616-706-6981.

Andrew Bergeron’s Passion According to John – 7pm. Announcing the premier of Andrew Bergeron’s Passion According to John. Free with

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 Film Series “Unnatural Selection” – 6-8pm.

“The Burning Issues of Our Times: A Paradigm

Culture Shift is at Hand” with select film showings on important topics such as: Ecology, Sustainability, Nutrition, GMO’s, Chemicals and Children. Free.

Utopian Marketplace, 8832 Water St, Montague.

231-894-9530.

The Talking Stick – 6-9pm. Come and make a talking stick and learn about using it to facilitate communication and problem resolution in your home, group or relationships. Booklet and supplies to make talking stick provided. $30. Pampered Goddess, 37 N. Main St, Cedar Springs. 616-706-6981.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16 Emotional Roots of Physical Illness –7pm. Nearly all physical problems have some element of emotional root to them. Ken Porter, Certified Somatic Therapist, will discuss how to seek restoration of these emotional roots through natural means. First visit is free. The Wellness Forum, 830 Forest Hill Ave, Grand Rapids, 616-942-7907 Creating Health with Therapeutic Essential Oils – 7-9:30pm. 4/17 & 4/18- 9am-9pm. Instructor Dana Clay Young presents, Essential Oils-are they all alike? Learn the Physical Aromatic Touch Program.

What are L-forms? Where do they originate? Why do they morph? Why Lymphatic drainage=good health.

4/16-Free, 4/17-4/18-$45. Holiday Inn-Airport, 3063 Lake Eastbrook Blvd, Grand Rapids. 616-698-6148.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17 Feng Shui Series, Cycles of Nature & Creation with Mimi Ray – 6:30-8:30pm. Everything has a beginning, middle and ending. We are in different parts of this process in all aspects of our lives. Explore the patterns in nature, body, mind & home. $30. Expressions of Grace Yoga, 5270 Northland Drive, NE, Grand Rapids. 616-361-8580.

Eckankar Book Discussion – 7pm. Reinvent yourself spiritually and thrive in a changing world. How to Survive Spiritually in Our Times”, by Harold Klemp. All are welcome. Free. Meeting Room, 76th & 131-Motel 6, 7625 Caterpillar Ct, Grand Rapids. 616-752-8460.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18 Party for The Planet- 10am-3pm. Party for The Planet is a gathering of all the conservation, preservation, and green practicing individuals, companies and organizations in the region. PARTY FOR THE PLANET also puts families in the community together with professionals like the Assoc. of Grand Rapids Landscape Professionals, Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan and the Michigan Nature Association. Adults $3.50 Children 13 & under $3. For more information visit johnballzoosociety.org or kbylund@ johnballzoosociety.org. John Ball Zoological Garden, 1300 W. Fulton St. in Grand Rapids.

MONDAY, APRIL 20 Herb Cultures and Uses – 7pm. Discussion- Barbara Jenness of Dogwood Farm, Dancing Goat Creamery & Udderly Wonderful Soaps. She is president of the WM Herb Society & speaks across the US. $5 students / $2 seniors. SanChez Bistro, 38 W. Fulton, Grand Rapids. 616-677-6176.

NaturalWestMichigan.com 35

Making Peace with Food – 5:30-7:00pm. In “Making Peace with Food”, participants will assess their relationship with food, identify unhealthy aspects and learn to tune into their bodies intuitive wisdom to trust themselves with food. $5. 175 S Waverly Rd, Holland. 616-394-3344.

Personal Path to Health – 7-8:00pm. Troubled by pain, fatigue, weight gain or hormone imbalance? Test, don’t guess. Attend a free lecture presented by Dr. Dan Gleason to learn how to get the source of your problems. Call to RSVP. The Gleason Center, 19084 N. Fruitport Rd, Spring Lake. 616-846-5410

TUESDAY, APRIL 21 Nourishing Ways of West Michigan – 7-8:30pm.

Growing Mineral Rich Vegetables in your backyard garden. AtleeYoder. For more info email Kathy Desser at kde5sser@aol.com. St Mark’s Episcopal Church, 134 N Division, Grand Rapids 616-532-6530.

Spirit Workshop – 7-8:30pm. Denise will teach techniques to help develop your own unique ability to listen to Divine Guidance. She helps you strengthen your connection to Spirit. Denise will also share in depth stories from her lifetime or spiritual experiences. $25. Pampered Goddess, 37 N. Main St, Cedar Springs. 616-706-6981.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 Financial Health Workshop- 6:30-7:15pm. Financial Health Workshop with Finance Advisor, Chad Zagel or Edwards Jones. Financial burden can have an impact on overall health & well-being through a holistic approach. Free. Please RSVP by April 20 to Chirofit Wellness Center, Ste 240, 2249 East Grand Rapids, 616-458-2348.

THURSDAY, APRIL 23 Essential Oils – 6:30pm. Jaime Van Dam will be talking about different essential oils. $15. Pampered Goddess, 37 N. Main St, Cedar Springs. 616-706-6981.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24

TUESDAY, APRIL 28

Guided Meditation – 6:30pm. Guided Meditation with Rosalind. Donation. Pampered Goddess, 37 N. Main St, Cedar Springs. 616-706-6981.

Stretching Your Way to Good Health – 6:307:30pm. Learn how simple stretching routines can relieve stress, improve health, balance, flexibility and strength with Dr. James Friess. Free health care seminar courtesy of Parkhurst Chiropractic & Lakeshore Wellness Center. Ultimate Fitness 91 Douglas Ave Ste 140, Holland. 616-392-9500.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25 EcoTrek Fitness 1 year Birthday Celebration Workout–8-9:15am. EcoTrek Fitness celebrates the one year birthday of the Northeast Grand Rapids EcoTrek series. $1/person special. Pre-register by email cari@ecotrekfitness.com. Collins Park, Lakeside Dr, East Grand Rapids, 616-291-2851.

Community E-Waste Recycling – 9am-1pm.

Free recycling of your old electronic equipment.

Anything with a cord. For detailed information about acceptable items, contact Comprenew Environmental 616-988-8282. Free ($10 Fee for TVs).

Eden Environments, 5747 28th Street SE, Suite 101, Grand Rapids. 616-956-5000 Cool Globes at Eden – 2pm 1st Class / 3:30pm 2nd Class. Abrakadoodle & Eden Environments have teamed up during Earth Day week to offer Green Kids in a Colorful World art classes. Kids will learn about environmentally friendly practices they can perform to improve the planet and also learn about the art exhibit Cool Globes, CoolGlobes.com.

Space is limited to 12 each class. $8 all materials included. Sign up at Abrakadoodle.com/mi01.html or call Eden Environments, 5747 28th Street SE, Suite 101, Grand Rapids. 616-956-5000

SUNDAY, APRIL 26 Yoga on the Ball with Katherine Florentine – 1011:30am & 1-2:30pm. Learn techniques to release tension, structurally realign your body and support healing. Morning focus, hips & lower back – Afternoon focus, shoulders, neck & arms. $30/$50 for both. Expressions of Grace Yoga, 5270 Northland Drive, NE, Grand Rapids. 616-361-8580.

Mediumship 101 – 12-4pm. Learn how to communicate with loved ones, spirit guides & angels as well as how to protect yourself and how to give a reading to someone. Presented by Patti Ortyl. $45.

The Crown Jewel Spa and Salon, 1035 Spaulding Road SE, Grand Rapids. 616-949-0845.

Community Croning Ceremony – 2-4pm. All women and girls age 10 and up are invited to celebrate the lives of older women in the community.

Free. YWCA/Hunting Lounge, 25 Sheldon SE, Grand Rapids. 616-887-7854.

MONDAY, APRIL 27 Green Cleaning Solutions – 6:30-7:30pm. Join Patti Moran & Marcia Willbrandt in a hands on class to learn economical ways to clean that are safe for you, your family and the planet. Supplies provided.

Pre-register by April 24th $10. Utopian Marketplace, 8832 Water St, Montague. 231-894-9530.

Water – 7pm. Discussion- Sacred to indigenous people and carrier of wastes to civilized people. Led by Paul W. Keiser, topics will cover local, regional & global solutions. Excerpts from: The Message from Water: Children’s Version. $5 students/$2 seniors. SanChez Bistro, 38 W. Fulton, Grand Rapids. 616-677-6176.

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April 2009

Creative & Fun Stress Management Workshop – 6:30-8:00pm. Explore coping techniques for dealing with daily stressors and discuss ways to create a more enjoyable life. $5. 175 S Waverly Rd, Holland. 616-394-3344.

Spring Cleaning- In Your Mind and Body – 7-8:30pm. Spring detox program. The first of four weekly sessions. Programs run on Tuesdays through May 19. Feel results- more energy, better focus, increased productivity, allergy relief, weight loss, clear skin and eyes. Led by Dr. Gleason. $50 for 4 sessions plus supplement costs. Register by 4/21 to receive $10 off. Call to RSVP. Christ Community Church, 225 E. Exchange St, Spring Lake. 616-846-5410

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 The Elements of the Four Directions – 6-8pm.

The elements of the four directions can serve as a starting point for evaluating and growing in balance in our lives. You are invited to explore aligning with the elements as a way of increasing balance in your life. Session includes booklet $30. Pampered Goddess, 37 N. Main St, Cedar Springs. 616-706-6981.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30 Energy Class – 6:30pm. Jaime Van Dam will be teaching how different energies can affect our bodies. Learn how to unlock your Chakras. $15.

Pampered Goddess, 37 N. Main St, Cedar Springs.

616-706-6981.

SATURDAY, MAY 2 Prayer, The Great Work! – 9am-9pm. Honoring The National Day of Prayer. West Michigan Interfaith presents a day of faith speakers, experiential practices, panel discussion, visual/performing arts and more. $25/full day, $15/half. Contact Deb at First Congregational Church, 1201 Jefferson St, Muskegon. 231-766-0418.

We Care- 10am-4pm. Care 4 yourself, Care 4 others. Haircuts and massages offered to benefit Mel Trotter Mission. $25 Haircut, $25 Blow-dry / $1 per minute massage (15 min minimum).

Call ahead to reserve spot. Capellii & ie3, 1514 Wealthy St SE, Suites 292 & 290, Grand Rapids.

616-356-2194.

Awakened Potentials-Women’s Mind, Body, & Spirit Cleansing Retreat–1-10pm. Annual spring cleansing sweat lodge ceremony at Enchanted Lake facilitated by Dinah Puodziunas. Designed for women to nurture their female spirit, reconnect with mother earth release toxins. $50. For more information email Dinah@AwakenedPotentials. com. Greenville. 616-754-9672.

ongoingevents

classifieds

Note: Visit www.NaturalWestMichigan.com for guidelines and to submit entries. Events must be re-submitted each month by the 15th of the month. Events subject to change, please call ahead.

RENTAL OPPORTUNITIES

Sunday Vinyasa Yoga – 5:30-6:45pm. Vinyasa Yoga. Call for Details. Cascade Yoga Studio, 5060 Cascade Road Suite G, Grand Rapids. 616-464-1610.

Zen Meditation – 7:30-8:30pm. Great Wave Zen Sangha. Dharma talks with Q&A last Sunday of each month. Free. Visit greatwave.org or call 231843-7116 or 231-845-5559. Ludington.

Monday Medicinal Herb Study Group – 7:00-8:30pm.

Certification, professional training, home certification. Gaia School of Herbal Studies, Ann Arbor.

Gaiaherbalstudies.net. 734-769-7794.

Alive and Well Spring Yoga – 6-7:15pm. 4/6– 5/11. Learn the foundation of yoga poses, breathing techniques and effective relaxation with a trained & certified yoga teacher. Modifications provided.

Evening Class once a week $48 or 2 times per week $72. To register contact Barb Badolati , 2nd floor of Frauenthal Center, 425 W Western Ave, Ste 308, Muskegon. 616-638-5625.

Tuesday Junior High Yoga – 4:30-5:30pm. Junior High Yoga.

Call for details. Cascade Yoga Studio, 5060 Cascade Road Suite G, Grand Rapids. 616-464-1610.

Alive and Well Spring Yoga – 5:30-6:15pm. 4/7– 5/12. Intermediate. A Vinyasa flow class including asana, pranayama, savasana and meditation. Class is customized according to student’s abilities. Evening Class once a week $48 or 2 times per week $72. To register contact Barb Badolati , 2nd floor of Frauenthal Center, 425 W Western Ave, Ste 308, Muskegon. 616-638-5625.

Inner Strength and Growth Group – 6:30-8pm.

Led by Nancy Dock, LMSW, $20 per session. NLD Counseling Services, 2015 Kalamazoo Ave SE, Grand Rapids. 616-916-0943.

Ama Deus Among Us - 7-8:30pm. An opportunity for practitioners of this healing technique to come together monthly to share and receive. Alternating

the third Tuesday and Thursday evenings of the month. Ama-deus-international.com. For more info contact Sue at suegr3@ameritech.net or phone at 616-706-3869.

Wednesday Meditation at Noon – 12-12:45pm. Experience a quieting of your mind & return to work feeling refocused. $12. Cascade Yoga Studio, 5060 Cascade Road Suite G, Grand Rapids.

616-464-1610.

Room & Facility Rental. The Center of Unlimited Possibilities “CUP” is a Wellness and Eduational center that provides space to independent practitioners and facilitators. Room share opportunity: CUP has recently renovated and created a new spa suite that includes massage, reflexology, Infrared Sauna, and a shower. If you are interested in sharing a furnished treatment room and are skilled in massage, cranial sacral therapy, or other bodywork modalities, visit CUP’s website, YourNextStepUp. com. For room rates and availability or information regarding event space, contact Amy West at 616.842.0264 x3 or amy@YourNextStepUp.com.

Thursday Abs and Arms – 9:30-10am. Abs and Arms $25 month or $8 per class. 4250 Spartan Industrial Drive, Grandville. 616-538-4600.

Green Drinks GR Network – 5-7pm. 3rd Thursday. Join other environmental enthusiasts for casual networking and drinks. Grand Rapids. Info/location contact WMEAC at 616-451-3051.

Zen Meditation – 7:30-8:30pm. Great Wave Zen Sangha. Free. Visit greatwave.org or call 231-843-7116 or 231-845-5559. Ludington.

Zumba Dance Class- 7:30-8:30pm. Zumba classes includes a wide variety of dance styles such as salsa. $10. Holistic Care Approach, 3368 Beltline Ct, Grand Rapids. 616-3619221.

Saturday Zen Meditation Retreat– 8am-12pm. Great Wave Zen Sangha. Last Saturday of each month.

Free. Visit greatwave.org or call 231-843-7116 or 231-845-5559. Ludington.

Plyos Plus – 10-11am. Come and improve cardiovascular capacity, explosive power, core strength and more. Join us Saturdays March 21-April 25. $8 members / $10 non-members.

Check or Cash only payable to Deanne, Trainer.

4250 Spartan Industrial Drive, Grandville.

616-538-4600.

Rebecca Urick

231-852-0849 To Order: www.youngliving.org/smilinglotusyog rebecca@smilinglotusyoga.com smilinglotusyoga.com

NaturalWestMichigan.com 37

thenaturaldirectory ...connecting you to the leaders in natural health and green living in West Michigan. To find out how you can be included in The Natural Directory. Contact us at publisher@NaturalWestMichigan.com

ACUPUNCTURE SAMIR RAJANI, MD

Medical Acupuncturist mmpc Internal Medicine 890 S. Washington, Ste. 130 Holland: 616-396-1907 www.mmpc.com Medical acupuncture can be an effective treatment for many chronic conditions, including pain, fatigue, depression and anxiety.

Samir Rajani, MD is certified in medical acupuncture and practices at mmpc Internal Medicine.

ALTERNATIVE HEALTH PRACTITIONER OUT of the BLUE inc.

Nancy Despres RN, MBE 351 Cummings NW Grand Rapids, MI 49534 616-453-4215 www.OutofTheBlueInc.net

Out of The Blue help others find alternative ways for achieving optimal health through the use of homeopathy, enzyme therapy and nutritional supplements. Ask about our Guaranteed Weight Loss Supplements.

ART THERAPY / ART PLAY MARY DAWSON JACKSON, ARTIST Tendressa Studio 617 Lyon N.E, Grand Rapids 616-949-6234 marydawsondesign@earthlink.net

You do not need to be an artist to access your soul’s innate creativity, spontaneity, and child like wonder, through paint and pastels. Six-week sessions, starting in January 2009. $75.00. Call for times.

BODYWORK WHOLISTIC KINESIOLOGY HEALTH SERVICES, LLC Barbara Zvirzdinis, WK, CMT 616-581-3885 www.WKHealthServices.com

Certified Massage Therapist offering Therapeutic & LaStone Massage. Certified Wholistic Kinesiologist, Reconnection Healing Practitioner, Certified Herbalist, Certified Acutonics Practitioner, and a Certified Reflexologist. See ad, page 31.

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April 2009

COLON HYDROTHERAPY TRICIA E. GOSLING Holistic Care Approach 3368 Beltline Ct NE Grand Rapids 616-481-9074

Offering an advanced clientcentered dimension of colonics: gentle, safe and effective. Eliminate toxins and enhance well-being. 13 years of experience. Also offering Quantum Biofeedback sessions.

COUNSELING JANICE DE LANGE, PH.D

1514 Wealthy St. SE, Grand Rapids 616-451-3008 JDelange06@yahoo.com A mind-body-spirit approach for trauma and abuse recovery, PTSD, low sense of self-worth, panic & phobias, anxiety, depression, relationships. EMDR & Energy interventions.

NANCY L. DOCK, LMSW 2015 Kalamazoo Ave. Grand Rapids, MI 49507 616-916-0943 NLDock@yahoo.com

Clinical Social Worker. Experienced in Holistic Healing, Crisis & Trauma, Grief/Loss, Anxiety, Depression, Chronic Pain and Self Esteem issues. Phone consultations by Appointment.

Groups and Individuals.

DENTISTRY / HOLISTIC DENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER

Dr. Kevin P. Flood DDS 4990 Cascade Rd SE, Grand Rapids 616-974-4990 www.FloodTheDentist.com Comprehensive Holistic Dental Services – Amalgam Removal & Replacement.

Bio-Compatible, Metal-Free Materials, Low-Dose Digital X-Rays, Gentle Anesthesia.

Also Addressing Snoring and Sleep Apnea, Head & Neck Pain and Metal Sensitivity & Toxicity Issues.

See ad, page 2.

ENERGY HEALING AMA DEUS®

Beth Cosmos Grand Rapids: 616-648-3354 Ama-Deusenergy.com Ama Deus healing energy method is a hand mediated technique aligned with love. The energy helps to enhance one’s own and others growth and awareness or physical and emotional healing. See ad page 28.

HEALTH EDUCATION CENTER THE WELLNESS FORUM

Sue Scharf, Director 830 Forest Hill Ave., Grand Rapids 616-942-7907 An international organization committed to health and wellness through education. Learn to make a healthy lifestyle easier through classes, workshops and cooking demos.

HEALTH FOOD STORES AFFORDABLE NUTRITION Joel D. Manning, CNC®, Owner 7493 Cottonwood Drive, Jenison 616-667-1346

Certified Nutritional Consultant – member AANC, MI-CNHP, NPA. Nutritional counseling, weight loss, sports nutrition, senior discounts. Available for seminars/ lectures. Select high quality vitamins and supplements.

HEALTH HUTT

Grand Haven - 616-846-3026 Grand Rapids - 616-776-9944 Muskegon - 231-739-1568 North Muskegon - 231-744-0852 www.HealthHutt.net Natural & organic foods, vitamins & herbs, sports nutrition, gluten free foods, books, natural body care and more. See ad, page 13.

LAKESHORE NATURAL HEALTH Jyl Balder, Owner 5294 Grand Haven Rd., Norton Shores 231-798-9922

Large quantity of high quality supplements, full grocery, organic produce, wheat / gluten free, 10% senior discounts. Jyl is a certified Holistic Health Care Practitioner.

Family owned and operated. See ad, page 7.

NATURE’S MARKET

1013 S. Washington, Holland 616-394-5250 www.NaturesMarketHolland.com Full service natural food store with all natural/organic deli. Offering organic and natural groceries. Gluten-free products. Organic and local produce. Supplements and natural body care products. See ad, page 25.

UTOPIAN MARKETPLACE 8832 Water St., Montague 231-894-9530 www.UtopianMarketplace.com

Our friendly, knowledgeable staff provides a personalized shopping experience. We have a large selection of gluten-free foods, clothing, jewelry, herbs, supplements, local foods, gifts and more. Open Mic events every month. See ad, page 20.

HOLISTIC HEALTH CENTERS CHIROFIT WELLNESS CENTER

Dr. Lindsay Rademacher, DC 2249 Wealthy Ste 240, East Grand Rapids 616-458-CFIT thechirofit.com Offering integrated Health and Wellness Services. Onsite Nutrition consulting with registered dietitian. Chiropractic combined with fitness protocols for strengthening supporting muscles. Massage and hot stone therapy provided by Cindy Mulkerin, CMT. Service packages are available.

THE HEALING CENTER

352 S. Lincoln Ave, Lakeview 989-352-6500 www.TheHealingCenterOfLakeview.com Naturopathic / Holistic Practitioners. Licensed Physician Assistant, Certified Natural Health Professionals. Private consultations.

Counseling & Classes. Blood typing, acupressure, emotional release, iridology, homeopathy and more. See ad, page 7.

KINESIOLOGY WHOLISTIC KINESIOLOGY HEALTH SERVICES, LLC Barbara Zvirzdinis, WK, CMT 616-581-3885 www.WKHealthServices.com

Certified Wholistic Kinesiologist, Certified Massage Therapist, Reconnection Healing Practitioner, Certified Herbalist, Certified Acutonics Practitioner, Certified Reflexologist.

Specializing in muscle testing, massage, energy medicine, nutritional counseling. See ad, page 31.

MIDWIFERY BIRTH SONG MIDWIFERY SERVICES

352 S. Lincoln Ave, Lakeview 989-352-6500 www.TheHealingCenterOfLakeview.com A Physician assistant since 1976, specializing in naturopathic and homeopathic care. Also, certified Silva Method instructor. See ad, page 7.

AESTHETICA IMAGE GROUP

Sally Ann Loew 2312 28th St SE Ste C Grand Rapids, MI. 49508 616-299-1796 Full Service Salon featuring an Exclusive Organic Hair Color that uses only certified organic ingredients, contains absolutely no ammonia, yet still produces vibrant color while avoiding the itchy scalp and the toxic odors.

coverartist

Yolanda Visser CM, CPM Grand Rapids 616-458-8144 www.BirthSongGR.com

Homebirth services since 1982. Committed to facilitating natural birth, bonding, strengthening the family, informed active participation, and lending dignity to women through their birthing experience.

FULL CIRCLE MIDWIFERY SERVICE, INC. Patrice Bobier CM, CPM Hesperia - 231-861-2234 www.FullCircleMidwifery.com

In private practice since 1982 - specializing in homebirth. Over 1200 births attended. Offering midwifery care that maintains a familycentered safe birth experience. Empowering women to stay healthy during pregnancy, give birth naturally and parent in the best ways.

HOME BIRTHWORKS, LLC

Susan Wente, CNM, Dr. PH 231-652-3247 www.HomeBirthworks.com This regions only Certified Nurse Midwife with 28 years experience – over 3000 births attended.

Providing pre-natal, home birth and postpartum care. Gynecological and Doula services available.

HOMEOPATHY BOB HUTTINGA

SALON

REIKI REIKI HAUS

Paula Bojsen Holland: 616-392-1138 www.ReikiHaus.com Offering quality Reiki classes & treatments at affordable prices. Certified Usui Reiki Master Teacher & Gendai Reiki Shihan. All levels, Reiki Master classes and Gendai Reiki Gokukaiden.

Learn pure Japanese Reiki.

Mother Earth, Father Sky Atmara Rebecca Cloe Atmara Rebecca Cloe began her work as a digital artist when she took a few computer classes in the fall of 1995. The next spring, she was able to get her own computer and really start learning and creating. From there on, in she mostly taught herself how to create her visions.

Having taken a few art classes in college, she had never had much success with traditional media. She feels that computer technology is the medium that allows her to truly express her talents.

Atmara currently lives in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, where, she describes, “I am constantly inspired by the beauty around me. My inspiration comes from lots of sources, and ultimately from the Universe, the ‘all that is’ that we are all a part of. Creating this artwork is an ecstatic experience for me, and I hope that I can use it to help others manifest their dreams as well.”

More of Atmara’s work including originals, prints and calendars, may be viewed and purchased at www.NWCreations.com.

NaturalWestMichigan.com 39

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