April 2016 Natural Awakenings Gulf Coast AL/MS

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feel good • live simply • laugh more

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Sustainability

Freshwater Supplies Are Shrinking

April 2016 | Gulf Coast AL/MS Edition | HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

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Mobile Bay on April 23 Come see us at Earth Day e samples of suppleat Fairhope Pier Park for fre t products & snacks. ments, cleaning products, pe

APRIL STORE

20% off Irwin Naturals, Natures SPECI A LS: Secret, KAL and Solaray Products!

20% off Garden of Life and New Chapter everyday 15% off all supplements on Sundays

Virginia’s Health Foods • 3055 A Dauphin St in Mobile • 251-479-3952 Fairhope Health Foods • 280 Eastern Shore Shopping Ctr in Fairhope • 251-928-0644

Offering full organic lunch menus in Fairhope & Mobile.

Also Sunday brunch and dinner on Thursdays and Fridays in Fairhope Featuring free-range meats, farm-fresh produce, organic wines & options for special dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free).

Asian Fusion • Mediterranean • Italian • Tex-Mex • Thai Pizza • Sandwiches • Pasta • Salads Catering service and take-out available. Menus online. Call for specials.

Located next door to Fairhope Health Foods and inside Virginia’s Health Foods in Mobile.

Fairhope: 251-929-0055

Mon-Sat 10:30am-4pm; Sunday Brunch 10:30am-2pm Thursday & Friday Dinner 5-9pm

Mobile: 251-479-3200 Mon-Sat 10:30am-4pm Sunday 11am-2pm

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April 2016

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contents

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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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22 TROUBLED WATERS

Our Precious Freshwater Supplies Are Shrinking

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24 EDIBLE HEIRLOOMS

Disclosures: This plan is NOT insurance. The plan is not insurance coverage and does not meet the minimum creditable coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act or Massachusetts M.G.L. c. 111M and 956 CMR 5.00. This plan provides discounts at certain healthcare providers for medical services. This plan does not make payments directly to the providers of medical services. The plan member is obligated to pay for all healthcare services but will receive a discount from those healthcare providers who have contracted with the discount plan organization.

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by Linda Sechrist

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Old-Fashioned Fruits and Veggies Return to the Table

by Avery Mack

28 FARM-TO-HOSPITAL

On-Site Farms Grow Organics for Patients

28

by Judith Fertig

30 MARIE KONDO

ON THE JOY OF TIDYING UP

Simplicity Invites Happiness into Our Lives

by April Thompson

32 HORSE RESCUE

32

Caring Homes Sought for Aging and Abandoned Horses

by Sandra Murphy

34 EARTH SONG

Mother Nature’s Rhythms Restore the Soul

by Susan Andra Lion

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9 7 newsbriefs 9 healthbriefs 10 globalbriefs 1 3 actionalert 14 earthdayevents 18 healthykids 20 community 10 spotlight 22 greenliving 23 localinsight 24 consciouseating 28 healingways 30 wisewords 14 32 naturalpet 34 inspiration 35 calendar 38 classifieds 40 naturaldirectory

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Fairhope Pier Park in Fairhope Live Music•Earth-Friendly Exhibitors Art & Educational Activities for All Ages Environmental Film Festival Free BRATS Shuttle Service

(from Big Lots Parking Lot on N Greeno Rd.)

FREE ADMISSION

www.EarthDayMobileBay.org Event sponsored by Earth Day Mobile Bay Volunteers, City of Fairhope and Alabama Sierra Club Foundation natural awakenings April 2016

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letterfrompublisher From my work as the publisher of this magazine to what I pack in my kids’ lunchboxes, an hour doesn’t go by that I’m not thinking about sustainability.

Because of this my mom asked me to join her and my grandmother in presenting a workshop about green living, from the perspective of our family's four living generations.

Representing the two youngest generations, I reflected on some of the eco-friendly habits that my household practiced, noting that our son Mays who was 1 ½ at the time, already knew the difference in the trash can and the recycle bin.

My parents had recently rebuilt their house and my mom explained how Habitat for Humanity meticulously deconstructed their old house, salvaging 65 percent of the materials to benefit their programs for families in need. Influenced by my dedication to eco-friendly living, my parents incorporated sustainable materials such as bamboo and cork floors, double-paned windows, a radiant barrier on the roof, energy efficient appliances, low flow toilets and low VOC paints into their new home.

During the planning process, my grandmother, who was 85 at the time, felt a little detached from the green movement and wasn’t initially sure how she would fit into the presentation. But when topics such as reducing the use of paper products arose, she remembered a time when paper plates and Kleenex were not a part of everyday life.

Milk was still delivered in glass bottles and cloth diapers weren’t a new trend, they were the only option. “We weren’t being green, that’s just how everyone lived,” she recalled.

Sustainable development is a catchphrase that became popularized within the last decade and a half. As alternative energy, electric cars and curbside recylcing have become more widely available, so has the ubiquity of bottled water, pesticide use and gas guzzling vehicles.

Many current eco-friendly products make sustainable living more user friendly— today’s cloth diapers are not like the one’s my grandmother had, and I’m grateful for that! But maybe our desire to develop modern solutions should be balanced with efforts to return to a simpler way of life, inspired by how earlier generations lived.

Several articles in this month’s issue note the value of multi-generational initiatives and the connection that exists between those that were here before us and those who will be here after we’re gone. As consumers we are bombarded with choices and often influenced to think that we need specific products to add convenience to our lives. But what if we made life easier with less? More than 14,500 copies of Natural Awakenings Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi are picked up each month. Imagine if we all added a new planet-conscious habit to our lives this month.

In celebration of Earth Day join me in acting upon our gratitude for this planet we call home. Talk to individuals that are both older and younger than you and see how their perspective on green living can benefit yours.

With Gratitude,

contact us Publisher/Editor Meredith Montgomery Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com Marketing Manager Marcia Manuel Distribution Manager Stephanie Klumpp Editing Team Michelle Bense, Anne Wilson, Michael Wilson, Gabrielle Wyant-Perillo, Josh Montgomery Design and Production Meredith Montgomery Natural Awakenings Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi P.O. Box 725, Fairhope, AL 36533 Phone: 251-990-9552 Fax: 251-281-2375

HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

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It is available in selected stores, health and education centers, healing centers, public libraries and wherever free publications are generally seen. Please call to find 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.

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Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

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newsbriefs Natural Awakenings Sticker Giveaway at Earth Day Celebrate Earth Day with Natural Awakenings by stopping by their booth at Earth Day Mobile Bay, April 23, in Fairhope. Free stickers with the magazine’s tagline, “feel good. live simply. laugh more.” will be handed out, along with current and back issues of the Gulf Coast Alabama-Mississippi edition. Susan Haines, of Stitchin’ with Susan, will also be leading creative and mindful activities at Natural Awakenings’ booth from 1 to 3 p.m.

“We love spending the day by the bay getting to know our existing readers and introducing our publication to community members that have not previously discovered us,” says Publisher Meredith Montgomery. Natural Awakenings magazines will be available at many of the area’s Earth Day events.

For more information visit EarthDayMobileBay.org and HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

Earth Day Savings at Health Food Stores Fairhope Health Foods and Virginia’s Health Food Stores are celebrating Earth Day with great in-store deals during the month of April. All Irwin Naturals, Nature’s Secret, KAL, Solaray, Garden of Life and New Chapter products will be sold for 20 percent off the regular price.

Krissy Little, manager of Virginia’s Health Foods, says, “Come visit both of our stores at the annual Earth Day Mobile Bay event at Fairhope Pier Park on April 23. We will have lots of information and free samples of supplements, cleaning products, pet products and snacks to give away to everyone visiting our booths.”

There will also be sign-ups for product giveaways and the Sunflower Café will be selling organic food and drinks.

Self-Treatment for Pain-Free Living Synergy Yoga & Pilates, in Mobile, is now incorporating the MELT treatment protocol into its studio offerings. “We are teaching people how the connective tissue matrix gets dehydrated, the common aches and pains it can cause and how to rehydrate this essential system in our bodies for vibrant health and pain-free movement,” says studio owner and MELT Instructor Dana Garrett.

MELT restores balance in the nervous system and fosters healthy connective tissue to provide support and optimal mindbody communication. When used for just 10 minutes, three times a week, this simple self-treatment method can naturally erase pain and tension in hands, feet, neck and low back brought on by everyday stress, overuse, age or chronic conditions such as arthritis, bunions, plantar fasciitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

MELT is for those that want to slow down the aging process, including older adults that want to stay active, mobile and independent, and younger athletes who want to achieve optimal performance without debilitating wear and tear.

For more information, call 251-473-1104 or visit Synergyoga.net and MELTMethod.com. See ad, page 31.

For more information, call the Mobile store at 251-479-3952, the Fairhope store at 251-928-0644 or visit VA-FairhopeHealthFoods.com. See ad, page 3.

Changing the World, One Cloth Diaper at a Time Luna Babies is hosting The Gulf Coast Natural Parenting Expo, featuring The Great Cloth Diaper Change from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 23 at Edgewater Mall, in Biloxi. Along with thousands of other families around the world, Gulf Coast cloth diapering families will attempt to break the record for most simultaneous cloth diaper changes. It’s an event that brings local parents together to build community, to feature the practicality and benefits of cloth diapers and to raise funds for the Real Diaper Association.

“Beyond the fun of adding our numbers to the count, we want to help raise awareness and support for cloth diapering and overall green living in our community,” says Luna Babies owner Tera Smith. In addition to refreshments and giveaways, the expo will host booths featuring local support groups, providers and retailers that support a green lifestyle.

Luna Babies, a natural parenting store in Gulfport, offers cloth diapers, baby carriers, green products for families and regular educational classes and support groups.

Location: 2600 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS. For more information on the event and booth space, call 228-357-5574 or follow Gulf Coast Natural Parenting Expo-Featuring The Great Diaper Change on Facebook. See ad, page 18. natural awakenings April 2016

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newsbriefs New Fragrances Fill the Air at The Willow Tree The Willow Tree at Rosie Bluum now carries natural and handcrafted products from The Soap & Paper Factory. Formulated and fragranced meticulously, with eco-friendly packaging, the product line is a beautiful addition to this Fairhope store that likes to provide retail therapy for the soul.

Featured products include shea butter soap that is gentle enough for the face; solid perfume that can be applied to pulse points for fragrance or used as pomade in hair; velvety hand cream loaded with therapeutic oils; nurturing bubble bath that softens the skin; and pure soy candles that burn for 75 hours. All products are paraben- and sulfate-free and The Willow Tree has several scents available, including gardenia, jasmine, green tea and lavender.

Location: 6A S. Bancroft St., Fairhope, AL. For more information, call 251-517-5626 or visit TheWillowTreeAtRosieBluum. com and SoapAndPaperFactory.com. See ad, page 19.

Sharing Yoga, Mat by Mat Soul Shine Yoga recently launched Mat by Mat, an initiative to provide new and gently used yoga mats and props to Baldwin County groups in need. For every yoga mat Soul Shine sells, the studio will donate a mat, blanket or block to a nonprofit organization that offers free yoga as part of its programming. Additionally, yogis are encouraged to keep their old mats out of the trash by donating them to Mat by Mat in exchange for 10 percent off the purchase of a new one.

The idea developed when studio owner Emily Sommerville was helping another teacher plan a class for the Exceptional Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides daily programs for developmentally and physically challenged individuals. “I learned that while they have mats, they don’t have blocks, and it occurred to me that these special needs populations could really benefit from props in their practice,” says Sommerville.

Any yoga teacher or organization in Baldwin County can apply to participate in the Mat by Mat program. Sommerville says, “We look forward to connecting teachers and groups with the resources they need to do yoga—spreading the practice of yoga, mat by mat.”

Weekly Farmers’ Markets Return in Mobile The city of Mobile’s Market on the Square— a marketplace for fresh, locally produced foods and goods—is open from 7:30 a.m. to noon, Saturdays, from April 16 to July 30, downtown in Cathedral Square. The Market on the Hill, which also has handcrafted items by local artists, operates from 3 to 6 p.m., Thursdays, from May 26 to July 28, at Lavretta Park.

Both of these certified Alabama Farmers’ Markets support local merchants and farmers. At this time of year, they will be featuring tomatoes, potatoes, sweet corn, cantaloupe, blueberries, blackberries, watermelon, seafood, flowers, plants, baked breads, pasta, casseroles, pies, soaps, lotions, handcrafted goods and more.

For more information, call 251-2081550, visit SpecialEventsMobile.org or find Market On The Square on Facebook. See ad, back cover.

For more information, call 251-225-4597 or email Emily@ TheSoulShineLife.com. See ad, page 31.

NEWS TO SHARE?

Send submissions to Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com or call 251-990-9552 before the 10th. For submission guidelines, visit www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

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Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

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healthbriefs

Kiwis Boost Heart Health

A

multi-center study from the University of Salamanca, in Spain, has found that consuming even one kiwi fruit (Actinidia deliciosa) per week will significantly boost cardiovascular health. The researchers tested 1,469 healthy people throughout Spain. The volunteers were given dietary questionnaires and underwent testing for cholesterol lipids and inflammatory markers for heart disease.

The researchers determined that those that ate at least one kiwi fruit per week had significantly lower triglycerides and fibrinogen (a marker for inflammation), and higher HDL-cholesterol levels. Higher levels of HDL-cholesterol are associated with reduced incidence of atherosclerosis.

The researchers concluded: “Consumption of at least one kiwi a week is associated with lower plasma concentrations of fibrinogen and improved plasma lipid profile in the context of a normal diet and regular exercise.”

Tai Chi Eases Effects of Chronic Disease

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review of research from the University of British Columbia tested the effects of tai chi exercise upon people with four chronic diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, osteoarthritis and cancer. Dr. Yi-Wen Chen and his team analyzed 33 studies of more than 1,500 people that participated in tai chi.

The research also tested the effects of the practice on general health, including walking speed, muscle strength, speed in standing up from a sitting position, quality of life, symptoms of depression and knee strength. The heart disease patients among the subjects showed a reduction in depression symptoms, and all shared a reduction of muscle stiffness and pain, increased speeds in both walking and standing from a sitting position and improved well-being.

“Given the fact that many middle-aged and older persons have more than one chronic condition, it’s important to examine the benefits of treatment/exercise interventions across several co-existing conditions,” says Chen.

Nature’s Colors Aid Focus and Accuracy

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esearchers from the University of Melbourne determined that taking a quick break and looking at natural colors can significantly increase attention, focus and job performance. The researchers tested 150 university students that were randomly selected to view one of two city scenes consisting of a building with and without a flowering meadow green roof.

The two views were experienced as micro-breaks, a 30-second period that can be taken every 40 minutes. Both groups were tested before and after viewing the scene for sustained attention spans, along with a performance test upon completing a task. Subjects that looked at the scene with the verdant roof had significantly longer attention spans and fewer errors in doing their tasks.

The ‘Dirty Dozen’ of Cancer-Causing Chemicals

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cientists at the Environmental Working Group published a list of the 12 chemicals that have been most prevalently linked to cancer in numerous research studies. The list encompasses bisphenol A, atrazine, organophosphate pesticides, dibutyl phthalate, lead, mercury, per- or polyfluorochemicals (PFC), phthalates, diethlyhexyl phthalate, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, triclosan and nonylphenol.

The scientists suggest that consumers can reduce their exposure to each of these chemicals by avoiding plastics marked with “PC” (polycarbonates) or the recycling number 7 mark, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics in food packaging, PFC-treated wrappers on food and other products, lead paints, mercury-laden seafoods, phthalates-containing fragrances and plastics, foam products made before 2005, foreign antibacterial soaps, and detergents and paints with nonylphenol.

Other proactive measures include drinking only filtered water when in agricultural areas and purchasing organic foods.

The researchers contend, “Given that we live in a sea of chemicals, it makes sense to begin reducing exposures to ones we know are bad actors.”

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globalbriefs

GMO-Free Germany

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

Ground Control

Down-to-Earth Climate Change Strategy The Center for Food Safety’s Cool Foods Campaign report Soil & Carbon: Soil Solutions to Climate Problems maintains that it’s possible to take atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) that fuels climate change and put it back into the soil, where much of it was once a solid mineral. There’s too much carbon in the atmosphere and the oceans, but not enough stable carbon in the ground supporting healthy soils.

Cultivated soils globally have lost 50 to 70 percent of their original carbon content through paving, converting grasslands to cropland and agricultural practices that rob soil of organic matter and its ability to store carbon, making it more susceptible to flooding and erosion. Healthy soils—fed through organic agriculture practices like polycultures, cover crops and compost—give soil microbes the ability to store more CO2 and withstand drought and floods better, because revitalized soil structure allows it to act like a sponge.

The report concludes, “Rebuilding soil carbon is a zero-risk, low-cost proposition. It has universal application and we already know how to do it.”

Five Dozen Countries Now Ban or Label GMO Crops New rules implemented by the European Union now allow individual member states to block farmers from using genetically modified organisms (GMO), even if the variety has been approved on an EU-wide basis.

Scotland was the first to opt out and Germany is next, according to German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt.

Controversy concerning the safety and/or necessity of GMOs persists, but countries like these have decided not to idly sit by while the effects posed by long-term consumption of GMO foods are revealed. This move makes Germany one of between 64 and 74 countries that have instituted some type of ban or mandatory labeling requirements.

Source: CollectivelyConscious.net

Download the report at Tinyurl.com/CFS-Climate-Report.

Bee Kind The Good Fight for Honeybees A U.S. federal appeals court has blocked the use of the pesticide sulfoxaflor over concerns about its effect on honeybees, which have been disappearing throughout the country in recent years. “Initial studies showed sulfoxaflor was highly toxic to honeybees, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was required to get further tests,” says Circuit Judge Mary Schroeder. “Given the precariousness of bee populations, leaving the EPA’s registration of sulfoxaflor in place risks more potential environmental harm than vacating it.” The product, sold in the U.S. as Transform or Closer, must be pulled from store shelves by October 18.

Paul Towers, a spokesperson for the nonprofit advocacy group Pesticide Action Network, comments, “This is [an example of] the classic pesticide industry shell game. As more science underscores the harms of a pesticide, they shift to newer, less-studied products, and it takes regulators years to catch up.”

On another front, an insect form of Alzheimer’s disease caused by aluminum contamination from pesticides is another suspected contributing cause of the welldocumented widespread bee colony collapse, according to a study published in the journal PLOS ONE. Honeybees studied had levels of aluminum in their bodies equivalent to those that could cause brain damage in humans.

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Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

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EARTH DAY April 22

Grading Grocers

Greenpeace Issues Report on Seafood As a link between the oceans and consumers, supermarkets play a pivotal role in the destruction of our oceans and have big opportunities to help protect them. Greenpeace evaluates major U.S. retailers for seafood sustainability in four key areas.

Policies examine the systems in place that govern a company’s purchasing decisions and how it avoids supporting destructive practices. They encourage retailers to enforce strong standards for both the wild-caught and farm-raised seafood in their stores. They also evaluate retailers’ participation in coalitions and initiatives that promote seafood sustainability and ocean conservation such as supporting sustainable fishing, calling for protection of vital marine habitat and working to stop human rights abuses in the seafood industry. Finally, the need for labeling and transparency takes into account retailers’ levels of truthfulness about where and how they source their seafood and how clearly this is communicated to customers. The group’s Red List Inventory, a scientifically compiled list of 22 marine species that don’t belong in supermarkets, is at Tinyurl.com/GreenpeaceRedList.

View the store ratings at Seafood.GreenpeaceUSA.org/grocery-store-scorecard.

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globalbriefs

Working Worms

Oily Oops Touted Dispersants Worsened Effects of Gulf Oil Spill A study conducted by the University of Georgia has found that the Corexit oil dispersant lauded by British Petroleum during the devastating 2010 Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico oil spill not only failed to perform as expected, but may have formed deposits on the seafloor in a chemically altered condition. The naturally occurring proliferation of a particular species of bacteria (marinobacters) that eats untreated oil was completely curtailed when the spill was replaced with dispersed oil. This could be a worst-case scenario, because marine life would continue to be exposed to it over many years, if not decades.

According to the report Environmental and Health Impacts of the BP Gulf Oil Spill, “As compared with only oil, Corexit-laden oil is four times more lethal; dispersed oil is 10 times more deadly than the dispersant alone.”

The Center for Biological Diversity reports, “One of the dispersants used at the BP spill, Corexit 9527A, contains the toxin 2-butoxyethanol, which may cause injury to red blood cells, kidneys or the liver with repeated or excessive exposure.”

Many nations have since outlawed the use of dispersants in their territorial waters in response to these revelations.

Read the report at Tinyurl.com/BP-Oil-Spill-Report.

100 Percenter

Lower Austria Wholly Powered

by Renewable Energy Lower Austria, the largest of the country’s nine states and home to 1.65 million people, now receives 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources. The country’s total power output is about 70 percent renewable.

The Danube River is so powerful that hydroelectric power is a natural choice.

The mountainous geography means that vast amounts of energy can be generated from this high-capacity river rapidly flowing down through a series of steep slopes.

The remainder of the state’s energy is sourced from wind, biomass and solar power.

Free Park-ing National Parks Announce Fee-Free Days The National Park Service turns 100 years young in 2016 and is offering free admission on special days. Next up are April 16 to 24, National Park Week; August 25 to 28, its birthday celebration; September 24, National Public Lands Day; and November 11, Veterans Day. They invite everyone to come out and play.

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

Mealworms can safely and effectively biodegrade certain types of plastic waste, according to groundbreaking new research from Stanford University and China’s Beihang University. In two newly released companion studies, researchers reveal that microorganisms living in the mealworm’s gut effectively break down Styrofoam and plastic into biodegraded fragments that look similar to tiny rabbit droppings.

Plastic waste takes notoriously long to biodegrade; a single water bottle is estimated to take 450 years to break down in a landfill. Due to poor waste management, plastic waste often ends up in the environment, and research reveals that 90 percent of all seabirds and up to 25 percent of fish sold in markets have plastic waste in their stomachs.

Worms that dined regularly on plastic appeared to be as healthy as their non-plastic-eating companions, and researchers believe that the waste they produce could be safely repurposed in agriculture. Further research is needed before the worms can be widely deployed. It’s possible that worms could also biodegrade polypropylene, used in textiles, bioplastics and microbeads.

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Ballot Power

Community Initiatives Secure Local Eco-Rights

While America will choose its next president this November, voters in Oregon may also vote on the right to local community self-government, enabling protection of citizens’ fundamental rights and prohibiting corporate activities that violate them. The Oregonians for Community Rights group, formed by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), submitted a constitutional amendment proposal to the secretary of state in January as a prelude to a larger signature-gathering effort to qualify the measure for the state ballot.

Concurrently, the CELDF is supporting other community initiatives on various topics that may inspire other regions to also be active at the grassroots level. For example, Oregon’s Coos County Protection Council is currently finishing its signature gathering to place a Right to a Sustainable Energy Future ordinance on a special ballot in May. It would protect citizens’ rights to clean air and water and the production of sustainable, localized energy, instead of county approval of several potential non-green energy projects.

Oregon’s Columbia County Sustainable Action for Green Energy is gathering signatures for a Right to a Sustainable Energy Future ordinance for its November ballot that would protect the county from fossil fuel projects like coal and oil trains and a proposed methanol plant, and close two natural gas power plants by 2025. Other state groups are seeking to have November ballots in Lane and Lincoln counties include bans on aerial pesticide spraying. A Lane County group has filed a local food system charter amendment that would ban GMO (genetically modified) crops locally.

“Community rights are driven by the people in the community, not by any organization targeting potential activism,” says Kai Huschke, Northwest and Hawaii community organizer of the CELDF, which has supported 200-plus separate community initiatives. Particularly active states have included New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania. “Organizing typically comes about due to a localized threat. It means settling into a long-term battle to change the structure of government, having resolve and organizing beyond just a ballot vote.”

Learn how to take local action at celdf.org.

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earthdayevents

All events are free unless noted otherwise.

Green Drinks Earth Day Celebration 5 to 7 p.m., April 12 Fairhope Brewing Company Fairhope, AL

The April Green Drinks event will celebrate Earth Day with live music by Light Travelers and a farmers’ market featuring local produce, meat, seafood, eggs and honey. The family-friendly evening will also include food from Sunflower Café.

For more information, call 251-2797517, email MobileBayGreenDrinks@ gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/ MobileBayGreenDrinks. See ad, opposite page.

Celebrating Earth Day Locally and Globally

by Meredith Montgomery

R

epresentatives from nearly every country on Earth gathered in Paris for the 2015 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the Paris Agreement a triumph for people, the planet and multilateralism. The signing ceremony is set for Earth Day, April 22, at UN headquarters, in New York City.

For the first time, every country has pledged to curb their emissions, strengthen resilience to related impacts and act internationally and domestically to address climate change. Other key elements aimed at achieving a state of climate neutrality—having a zero carbon footprint—before the century’s end include transparency, accountability and a plan for developed countries to support climate action in developing countries.

“A big part of the Paris agreement focuses on reduced use of gas, coal and oil, but there is also a focus on preserving trees and expanding forests,” says Earth Day Network (EDN) spokesperson Timothy

14

McHugh, referring to this year’s Earth Day theme of Trees for Earth.

This year also kicks off a four-year countdown to the environmental campaign’s 50th anniversary on Earth Day 2020. “By that mark, we hope to have planted 7.8 billion trees—approximately one tree for every person on the planet.

Trees are vitally important because they soak up carbon and clean the air,” McHugh explains.

In addition to countering climate change and pollution, EDN’s global tree planting seeks to support communities and local economies, protect biodiversity and inspire environmental stewardship.

From global leaders convening at the UN to people participating in community events close to home, billions of the world’s citizens will celebrate our precious home planet this year. To join the worldwide observance, find an event online at EarthDay.org or participate in one or more of the local events listed here.

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Earth Day Scramble and Outdoor Environmental Expo 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., April 16 Graham Creek Nature Preserve Foley, AL

The 2-mile scramble, a scavenger hunt race, begins at 9 a.m. followed by an eco-expo at 10 a.m with live music, children’s activities and vendors. Exhibitors will include environmental educators, grassroots organizations, local food growers and outdoor recreation guides.

Scramble entry fee is $60 per three-member team. For more information, call 251-9234267 or visit GrahamCreekPreserve.org.

Springhill Hospital Earth Day and Farmers’ Market

10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 22 Springhill Medical Center (Breezeway Drive), Mobile, AL Springhill Hospital hosts this community event to present a variety of local and green options for the public, raising awareness to save the planet. Highlights include eco-friendly exhibitors, children’s activities and a farmers’ market.

For more information, call 251-460-5264.

Natural Awakenings magazines and giveaways will be available at many of these events!

BioQuest

9 a.m. to 3 p.m., April 23 Pascagoula River Audubon Center Moss Point, MS For Earth Day, the center is hosting a bioquest event, which is a focused search for organisms to document the biodiversity of a given area. Their staff, along with visiting college students, will collect, identify and share with the public as many different organisms across different taxa as they can, before releasing them back into the bayou.

Free for members and included with admission for non-members. For more information, call 228-475-0825, email EParker@ Audubon.org or visit PascagoulaRiver.

Audubon.org.

Earth Day Mobile Bay

10 a.m. to 6 p.m., April 23 Fairhope Pier Park Fairhope, AL This is Alabama’s largest Earth Day celebration, honoring the Earth and the beautiful Mobile Bay. The 46th annual event hosts more than 100 environmental displays. Highlights include a children’s parade, educational activities, environmental film festival, electronics recycling and live entertainment throughout the day. Free BRATS shuttle service provided from Big Lots parking lot on North Greeno Road.

For more information, call 702-496-5050 or visit EarthDayMobileBay.org. See ad, page 5.

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This community group hosts informal yet engaging happy hours for environmentally thoughtful folks.

Drinking is optional and attendees are welcome to stay for as little or as long as they like.

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Earth Day Pensacola

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 23 Bayview Park Pensacola, FL This annual celebration and educational forum promotes green lifestyles with a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. This year’s theme is Energy, Transportation and Sustainability and vendors will represent ride sharing, public transportation, hybrid vehicles, alternative energy sources and gardening. Enjoy live music, dancing, yoga and a children’s area as well.

For more information, call 850-293-3578 or visit EarthDayPensacola.org.

Page 1

Energize Your Home, Energize Your Life Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast

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15

EVERYDAY SUSTAINABILITY Practical Ways We Can Help Out the Planet

by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko

F

or many Americans, living more sustainably has become a natural part of their daily routine as they consistently recycle, eat healthy and use energy more efficiently. It’s just what they normally do every day.

Every one of them had to start somewhere, growing their efforts over time to the point that nearly every activity yields better results for themselves, their family, their community and the planet. It might begin with the way we eat and eventually expand to encompass the way we work.

New American Way

“The sustainability movement is large and growing in the U.S.,” says Todd Larsen, with Green America, a grassroots nonprofit organization harnessing economic forces to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

“Half a million people turned out in New York City to march for action on climate change. People also are working in their local communities to oppose fracking and pollution, and to support green building and clean energy. Many businesses now 16

include sustainability as a core business practice, including the 3,000 certified members of Green America’s Green Business Network.”

This month, Natural Awakenings profiles the experiences of representative individuals from around the country that are helping to both make the world more sustainable and their own lives richer and more meaningful. From growing and cooking family food and line-drying laundry to powering their business with renewable energy, their approaches are as varied as the places they call home.

First Steps

“Many people start with something small at home, particularly if they’re concerned about the impacts on their family’s health,” says Larsen. “More Americans are approaching sustainability first through food.

It’s relatively easy to change spending habits to incorporate more organic, fair trade and non-GMO [genetically modified] foods, and with the growth of farmers’ markets nationwide, people are able to buy local more easily.”

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

A focus on food quality is how Wendy Brown and her husband and five children launched their eco-journey just outside of Portland, Maine. “We started thinking about where our food came from, how it was grown and raised and what we could do to ensure that it was better,” says Brown.

“What we don’t grow or forage ourselves, we try to purchase from local farmers.”

Living more simply during the past decade has helped the family cut debt and become more financially stable.

“Our entry point to sustainable living was to grow tomatoes on the steps of an apartment that Kelly and I once called home years ago,” echoes Erik Knutzen, who, with his wife Kelly Coyne, have transformed their 960-square-foot Los Angeles bungalow into an oasis where they grow food, keep chickens and bees, brew, bake and house their bikes.

Gabriele Marewski’s journey also started with what she ate. “I became a vegetarian at 14, after reading Diet for a Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappé,” says Marewski, who in 1999 turned an avocado orchard in Homestead, Florida, into Paradise Farms. “Forty-seven years later, I’m still a strict vegetarian. I believe it’s the single most important statement we can make about saving the planet.”

Marewski’s five-acre farm showcases certified organic micro greens, edible flowers, oyster mushrooms and a variety of tropical fruits marketed to Miamiarea chefs. Her farm also offers Dinner in Paradise farm-to-table experiences to raise funds for local nonprofits providing food for underprivileged city residents, and bedand-breakfast lodging.

Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology offers a free online course, Sustainability in Everyday Life, based on five themes: energy, climate change, food, chemicals and globalization. “People can make a difference by making responsible choices in their everyday life,” says Anna Nyström Claesson, one of the three original teachers.

Consume Less

“Every step toward sustainability is important and in the right direction,” explains Gina Miresse, with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA), which will again host the world’s largest energy fair in June in Custer, Wisconsin. “It’s easy to start at home by adopting one new practice

and sticking with it until it becomes a habit; then add a second practice and so on. This keeps people from getting overwhelmed.”

We might, for example, switch to nontoxic home cleaning products when current products are used up. “There’s no need to throw everything in the trash and replace it all immediately—that would partially defeat the purpose of sustainability,” says Miresse.

Green America, which suggests green alternatives to many products in online publications at GreenAmerica. org, recommends a congruent strategy.

“We see people first change the way they purchase their food, move to reduce their purchases overall and green those they make, and then make their home more energy-efficient,” remarks Larsen. “Next, they consider walking and biking more.”

Pamela Dixon explains, “On a dayto-day basis, it’s really about the products we use, like transferring to eco-friendly cleaners and yard maintenance, recycling electronic devices, paying bills electronically and receiving statements via email.”

She and her husband, David Anderson, own Dave’s BrewFarm, in rural Wilson, Wisconsin, where they grow herbs, hops, raspberries and apples on 35 acres.

“A 20-kilowatt wind generator supplies our electricity, and we use geothermal for heating and cooling,” adds Dixon. Due to career opportunities involving teaching principles of sustainability, the Wisconsin couple is in the process of selling the BrewFarm to move to La Crosse. “At our new home, we’re replacing the windows and appliances with more energy-efficient ones. We also chose our neighborhood so we can walk or bike to local grocery coops. We prefer to repair things when they break rather than buying something new, recycle everything the city will accept, compost food scraps and buy clothes at secondhand stores.”

When the MREA Energy Fair began 27 years ago, the majority of attendees were interested in learning about first steps, such as recycling, relates Miresse. Today, sustainability basics ranging from fuel savings to water conservation are familiar, and they’re focused on revitalizing local economies.

“Folks are now considering more ambitious practices such as sourcing food directly from local farmers, producing their own solar energy and incorporating energy storage, driving an electric vehicle or switching to more socially responsible investing.” The

fair’s 250 workshops provide tools to help in taking their next steps on the journey to sustainability.

Knutzen and Coyne’s passion has evolved from growing food into a larger DIY mode. “Cooking from scratch is something I prefer to do,” comments Knutzen. “I even grind my own flour.” Library books provide his primary source of inspiration.

The Brown family likely echoes the thoughts of many American families.

“We have many dreams, but the stark reality is that we live in a world that requires money,” says Wendy Brown.

An electric car or solar electric system, for example, is a large investment.

“The biggest barriers were mental blocks because we ‘gave up’ previous lifestyle norms,” she says. “Most people we know have a clothes dryer and can’t imagine living without one. Line-drying is just part of the bigger issue of time management for us, because living sustainably and doing things by hand takes longer.”

Each Day Counts

“The biggest and most positive impact I have comes from my general non-waste philosophy,” advises Brown. “I try to reuse something rather than throwing it away.

I’ve made underwear out of old camisoles and pajama pants from old flannel sheets.

I reuse elastic from worn-out clothing. My travel beverage cup is a sauce jar with a reusable canning lid drilled with a hole for a reusable straw. Such examples show how we live every day.”

Marewski’s love of travel doesn’t interfere with her sustainability quest.

“When I travel, I like to walk or bicycle across countries,” she says. “It gives me a closer connection to the land and spontaneous contact with interesting people.

I’m building a tiny home on wheels that’ll be completely self-sufficient, with solar, composting toilet and water catchment to reduce my footprint even further.”

“Last August, I started a tenure-track position in the school of business at Viterbo University,” says Dixon, who emphasizes how students can pursue sustainability in business and life. “I teach systems thinking, complex systems change and globally responsible leadership, all of which have a sustainability component.” She’s also faculty advisor to Enactus, a student organization focused on social entrepreneurship and making a positive impact on the community.

“The best part of how we live is when my daughters make everyday eco-minded choices without even realizing it,” observes Brown. “I can see how remarkable it is, because I have the perspective of having lived differently. But for them, it’s just the way things are done. I think in that way, I’ve succeeded.”

Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko’s ecojourney is captured in their books, ECOpreneuring, Farmstead Chef, Homemade for Sale, Rural Renaissance and Soil Sisters.

Every day, they eat from their organic gardens surrounding their farm powered by the wind and sun.

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healthykids

A GREENER SHADE OF YOUTH New Generations Put Earth First

by Randy Kambic

Every generation gets a chance to change the world. ~Paul David Hewson (Bono)

B

aby boomers inspired in their youth

by Earth Day are now supporting a new generation’s enthusiasm for sustainability through educational and employment opportunities. A 2015 Nature Conservancy survey of 602 teens from 13 to 18 years old revealed that roughly 76 percent strongly believe that issues like climate change can be solved if action is taken now; they also hold that safeguarding important lands and waters should be a priority, regardless of ancillary benefits or the economy. This represents an increase in awareness since a 2010 Yale University

Project on Climate Change Communication survey of 517 youths 13 to 17 years old showed that just 54 percent believed global warming was even happening.

Launched as Teens for Safe Cosmetics in 2005 and renamed Teens Turning Green two years later, today’s expanded Turning Green (TG) nonprofit of Marin County, California, also informs and inspires college and graduate students to live and advocate for an eco-lifestyle (TurningGreen.org).

TG’s first 30-day Project Green Challenge (PGC) in 2011 involved 2,600

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students nationwide and internationally; last fall’s annual edition drew 4,000 students. “We’ve seen tremendous increases in sustainability offices and curriculums at universities nationwide,” notes Judi Shils, founder and executive director.

“They have set an intention.”

Reilly Reynolds, a senior at Ohio Wesleyan University, hopes to take up urban farming and eventually own a farm-to-table organic restaurant. The PGC finalist and TG student advisory board member says, “I strive to lead an environmentally friendly and socially responsible life, but there is always room for improvement.”

Another PGC 2015 finalist, Matt Gal, a senior at the University of Arkansas, also aspires to be an organic farmer. He wants “to grow and give away as much fresh and organic food as possible to people who need it most.”

The TG ProjectGreenU.org site features eco-friendly products, plus green advice geared for college students. It also operates a Conscience College Road Tour, leadership program, and organic nonGMO school lunch programs in Marin County and Sausalito schools via its Conscious Kitchen and Eco Top Chef programs.

Milwaukee’s 13th annual Sustainability Summit and Exposition (SustainabilitySummit.us), from April 13 to 15, will admit local students for free. “We’ll address trends and potential careers in energy engineering, environmental health and water quality technology, sustainability and renewable energy,” says Summit Chair George Stone, a Milwaukee Area Technical College natural sciences instructor.

Bradley Blaeser, founder and coowner of The Green Team of Wisconsin, Inc., which provides eco-friendly

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landscaping and gardening services, helped start the Sustainable Enterprise Association of Milwaukee. As a social worker at the nonprofit Neighborhood House of Milwaukee in the late 90s, he helped young people in schools and community centers learn how to build their own aquaponics system, plus other gardening skills.

“We hit the marks as far as science guidelines,” he recalls. “Kids would see the entire seed-to-harvest cycle through after-school and summer camps. Teachers also embraced nature a little more and saw how they could infuse it in curriculums.” He notes that two young men that subsequently graduated from local colleges currently work for Neighborhood House and Growing Power.

More recently, he’s worked with two local organizations, Next Door Foundation and Operation Dream, to teach youngsters agricultural skills and find recruits for related job training internships and employment. Green Team landscape technician Darius Smith, 25, of Milwaukee, will become a crew leader this spring. “You get a good feeling installing plants,” he says. “We’re a team, working in sync.”

For the 13th year, the Agricultural Fair Association of New Jersey (njagfairs. com) has selected a youth ambassador— Rebecca Carmeli-Peslak, 16, of Millstone Township, near Princeton—to visit 2016 fairs to promote agri-tourism and encourage youngsters to pursue agricultural careers.

“It’s important for kids to know where food comes from,” says CarmeliPeslak, who is also in her second year as a local 4-H Club health and fitness ambassador, visiting Monmouth County libraries to speak on healthy eating and exercise. She’s training selected peers to speak in other counties; the club’s latest Look to You award recognizes her mentoring prowess.

She says, “I want to be a large animal vet and own a farm.”

“Young people are becoming well informed about environmental issues by traditional and social media,” observes Shils. “There’s exponential growth in their taking a stand and becoming more active.”

Randy Kambic is an Estero, FL, freelance editor and writer who regularly contributes to Natural Awakenings.

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19

communityspotlight

INSPIRING CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY The Greening of University of South Alabama Changes Lives

by Meredith Montgomery

A

s the country experienced economic decline during the Great Recession, global studies warned that green initiatives on a corporate level would be put on hold. However, in many cases, the pressure to cut spending actually initiated environmental efficiency as demonstrated by the formation of University of South Alabama’s (USA) Sustainability Committee in 2010.

“We formed the committee to improve sustainability and resiliency around campus and initially our emphasis was on energy conservation as a way to reduce resource consumption and spending,” says one of the committee’s founders, Associate Professor and Assistant Director of University Honors Doug Marshall.

The team of faculty and students launched awareness campaigns to educate students about the impacts of things such

as leaving electronic devices plugged in overnight and leaving lights on in unoccupied rooms. “On an individual basis, these are small amounts of energy being wasted, but as a campus, this consumption adds up to be substantial,” says Marshall.

The committee also developed the Jag Bikes program to encourage students to bike instead of drive. Currently, there are about 30 bikes being checked out each semester by students, for a nominal cost.

In recent years the sustainability movement on campus has made huge leaps as the motivation evolved beyond the need to save money. For the past year, the committee’s biggest focus has been on the expansion of the university’s recycling program. Angela McGaugh, a member of the Sustainability Committee and the President of the student Sustainability Council notes, “Recycling bins used to

Food Recovery Network unites students on college campuses to fight food waste and hunger by recovering perishable food that would otherwise go to waste from their campuses and communities and donating it to people in need. ~FoodRecoveryNetwork.org 20

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

be easy to miss and students didn’t know there was a program, but now everyone is more aware and educated about recycling because of the committee’s efforts.”

A year ago, as a sophomore, McGaugh helped initiate a partnership between USA and the new Mobile Recycling Center, which is operated by the Goodwill Easter Seals. Previously, only plastic bottles and paper were collected on campus. Now there is an on-site recycling shed for the collection of paper, cardboard, aluminum and steel cans, glass bottles, batteries, printer cartridges and most plastics. Goodwill Easter Seals regularly picks up the collected materials to sell to recycling companies and the school allows them to retain the profit to fund their operations. Before this partnership, it cost USA money to recycle; the Recycling Center is now using this partnership as a model in hopes of working with other colleges in the area.

Another valuable initiative is the university’s Food Recycling Program, which diverts food waste from the solid waste system and landfill by composting the dining hall’s produce scraps and salad bar leftovers. Students, faculty and community members can also donate their food waste to the composting site at the Food Bayou, the school’s first community garden. Since last spring, the Food Bayou project has been engaging students in organic and sustainable growing practices. The harvest of vegetables, fruit and herbs are given to garden volunteers and donated to the Salvation Army through the Food Recovery Program.

USA’s Food Recovery Network (FRN) Program, the first chapter in the state, is part of a national movement to divert wasted food to those in need. Students from the Sustainability Council pick up remaining food items from four satellite

What does USA Recycle in a Month? dining areas each week before they close for the weekend. Collecting approximately 40 pounds a week, the program delivers healthy foods such as sandwiches, fruit, salads and organic produce from the garden, to the Salvation Army’s homeless shelter, every Friday afternoon.

According to McGaugh, the shelter serves the most people on weekends, and because of FRN donations, Salvation Army has been able to reallocate funds from its food budget to more rehabilitation programs for its residents.

Fueled by their current momentum, the vision of the Sustainability Committee and Council remains inspired for future endeavors. In-building recycling receptacles for the full range of recycling materials collected at the shed are already in the works; there is hope that FRN can also be utilized in the main dining halls

and at sports events; and LEED-certified buildings with wind- and solar-power may someday move from dreams to reality.

Despite being able to boast that they’re diverting tens of thousands of pounds of materials from the landfill each month, the impact of these initiatives is greater than statistics on paper. “In the profession we’re in, we’re supposed to teach students how to be good citizens.

Of course we want to save resources, but our bigger goal is to get our student body in the habit of thinking about the impacts of their own actions,” says Marshall.

McGaugh adds, “The most rewarding thing about what we do is that we’re not only helping the environment, we’re helping people.”

For more information, visit SouthAlabama. edu/specialprojects/usasustainability.

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TROUBLED

WATERS Our Precious Freshwater Supplies Are Shrinking

by Linda Sechrist

V

irtually all water, atmospheric water vapor and soil moisture presently gracing the Earth has been perpetually recycled through billions of years of evaporation, condensation and precipitation. As all living things are composed of mostly water and thus a part of this cycle, we may be drinking the same water that a Tyrannosaurus Rex splashed in 68 million years ago, along with what was poured into Cleopatra’s bath.

Pe r h a p s t h i s m y t h o l o g i c a l sense of water’s endlessness or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration images from outer space of a blue planet nearly three-quarters covered by water makes us complacent. Yet only 2.5 percent of Earth’s water is not salt water and of sufficient quality to be consumable by humans, plants and animals.

Vulnerable to the demands of humanity’s unprecedented population explosion, careless development and toxic pollution and other contamination, we must reexamine this precious resource. Sandra Postel, founder of the Global Water Policy Project, who has studied freshwater issues for more than 30 years, says, “Communities, farmers and corporations are asking what we really need the water for, whether we can meet that need with less, and how water can be better managed [through] ingenuity and ecological intelligence, rather than big pumps, pipelines, dams and canals.”

Seeking to reclaim lost ground in the protection of our water and wetland resources, the U.S. Environmental Pro22

tection Agency (EPA) proposed the 2015 Clean Water Rule. The new regulations are needed to restore the strength to the 1972 Clean Water Act that has been weakened by the courts and previous administrations.

Notably, within hours of activating the regulation, the EPA was served with lawsuits from corporate polluters, and within weeks, more than 20 state attorneys general filed suit against it. Today the legal battle continues over whether the new regulation will be allowed to stay in force or not.

“Every day, local, state and federal governments are granting permission to industries to pollute, deforest, degrade and despoil our environments, resulting in serious effects on our planet and our bodies,” says Maya K. van Rossum, a Delaware Riverkeeper and head of the four-state Delaware Riverkeeper Network.

Under van Rossum’s leadership the network has created a national initiative called For the Generations advocating for the passage of constitutional protection for environmental rights at both the state and federal levels. It was inspired by a legal victory secured by van Rossum and her organization in 2013 in a case titled Robinson Township, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, et al. vs. the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which used Pennsylvania’s Constitutional Environmental Rights Amendment to strike down significant por-

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

tions of a pro-fracking piece of legislation as unconstitutional. Until this legal victory, Pennsylvania’s constitutional environmental rights amendment was dismissed as a mere statement of policy rather than a true legal protection.

“Each individual process of fracking uses on the order of 5 million gallons of freshwater water mixed with chemicals for drilling and fracking operations, introducing highly contaminated wastewater into our environment,” explains van Rossum.

“Every frack increases the chances of carcinogenic chemical leakage into the soil and water sources.” In the pioneering Pennsylvania case, the court’s ruling made clear that the environmental rights of citizens aren’t granted by law, but are inherent and rights that cannot be removed, annulled or overturned by government or law.

“Even more significant, the court stated that these environmental rights belong to present generations living on Earth today and to future generations,” enthuses van Rossum. She also cites that although America’s Declaration of Independence includes several inalienable rights, our federal constitution and those of 48 states fail to provide protection for three basic needs required to enjoy them—the right to pure water, clean air and healthy environments.

Van Rossum’s audiences are shocked to learn that clean water isn’t enforced as a human right. Threatened by myriad environmental, political, economic and social forces, and contamination from carcinogenic pesticides, toxic herbicides, chemical warfare and rocket fuel research materials plus heavy metals like mercury and lead, an era of clean water scarcity already exists in parts of our own country and much of the world. Episodic tragedies like the 2015 Gold King Mine wastewater spill near Silverton, Colorado, and Flint, Michigan’s current lead-laced drinking water crisis raise public awareness.

“The technologies and know-how exist to increase the productivity of every liter of water,” says Postel. “But citizens must first understand the issues and insist on policies, laws and institutions that promote the sustainable use and safety of clean water.”

Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings. Connect: ItsAllAboutWe.com.

Clean drinking water is rapidly being depleted all around the world. www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

localinsight

FROM THE GROUND TO OUR WATER How Stormwater Threatens Local Waterways

from reaching aquatic plants. If large amounts of mud cover seagrass beds, the important habitat that serves as nurseries for shrimp, crabs and fish can be destroyed.

Dead zones—where nothing can live—form when fertilizer in stormwater causes algae to over blossom and then die, sucking all the oxygen out of the water. Pesticides, herbicides, oil and other chemicals are also toxic to our waterways.

While polluted stormwater is an issue that arises with every rainfall, our job as citizens is simple: watch what you put on the ground, pick up what others drop and, as an Alabama Water Watch bumper sticker reads, love your downstream neighbor.

Casi Callaway is the executive director of Mobile Baykeeper. To learn more and get involved, visit MobileBaykeeper.org.

by Casi Callaway

C

oastal Alabama is blessed with just shy of 5,000 miles of waterways. Whether we love water for drinking, swimming, paddling, fishing, playing or a source of income—our way of life depends on it.

Clean water is a finite resource and as citizens, we must do more to protect it. As an example, consider the link between stormwater runoff and environmental degradation. Stormwater is precipitation that runs off across the land instead of soaking into the ground where it falls. Anything on the ground—litter big and small, leaking oil from cars, fertilizer and pesticides on

lawns, mud from small holes in the yard or giant ones at construction sites—is ultimately headed toward a river, creek, beach or bay. Even if something drops on the ground in a parking lot, miles from any body of water, the next rain carries it to the closest gutter and then across town to the nearest waterway.

Once in the water, litter is unsightly and can be hazardous for wildlife—often appearing to be food to the nearest fish or duck.

Seemingly harmless, mud or dirt in waterways can make it hard for fish to find food and depletes their oxygen supply by preventing sunlight

How You Can Help • Cover exposed soil with mulch, especially in areas without established vegetation.

• Limit the use of fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals.

• Replace impervious surfaces, such as concrete driveways, with gravel or pavers.

• Direct downspouts toward a rain barrel or a vegetated area such as a lawn or garden.

• Wash vehicles in the yard or at a carwash (preferably one that recycles its water).

• Become a Muddy Water Watch volunteer for Mobile Baykeeper and monitor stormwater runoff from construction sites. natural awakenings April 2016

23

consciouseating

Valuable Vegetables

Edible Heirlooms Old-Fashioned Fruits and Veggies Return to the Table

O

by Avery Mack

f the 7,500 varieties of apples in the world, 2,500 are grown in the U.S., but only 100 commercially. As of the 1990s, 70 percent were Red Delicious; more recently they’re being replaced with Gala, Granny Smith and Fuji types from taller, thinner trees that can be planted more compactly for easier harvesting, yet are more sensitive to disease and require trellis supports.

Mass-produced fruits and vegetables have been modified over the years to make them look appealing and ship well, while sacrificing taste. Consumers in search of health-enhancing nutrients and robust flavor can find them by instead connecting with the past through food and flowers.

“Heirloom seeds have remained intact and unexposed to commercial pesticides,” says Jere Gettle, owner of Baker Creek Seed Company, in Mansfield, Missouri. “They’re reliable—plants grown now will be the same next year; not so with hybrids.” This cleaner, tastier 24

alternative to the status quo is typically packed with more good vitamins than good looks. Heirloom produce often also delivers a unique regional flavor, such as Vidalia onions or Hatch chile peppers.

Exemplary Fruits

Fine restaurants like to feature Yellow Wonder wild strawberries because they taste like cream. The fragrant Baron von Solemacher strawberry, an antique German Alpine variety, is small and sweet, red and full of flavor; it’s been around since the Stone Age. For pies and preserves, pair them with Victorian rhubarb, which dates back to 1856. Eat only the rhubarb stalks; the leaves contain poisonous oxalic acid.

Aunt Molly’s ground cherry (husk tomato) hails from Poland. “It’s sweet, with a hint of tart, like pineapple-apricot,” says Gettle. “The Amish and Germans use them in pies. Their high pectin content makes them good for preserves. Heirlooms send people in search of old recipes and they end up creating their own variations. It’s food as history.”

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Trending this year are purple veggies like the brilliantly colored Pusa Jamuni radish. Pair it with bright pink Pusa Gulabi radishes, high in carotenoids and anthocyanins, atop a stunning salad with Amsterdam prickly-seeded spinach’s arrow-shaped leaves, a variety once grown by Thomas Jefferson. Add a fennellike flavor with Pink Plume celery.

Brighten salsas using the Buena Mulata hot pepper, a deep violet that ripens to a sweet red. Serve with pink pleated Mushroom Basket tomatoes or Lucid Gems, with their black/orange peel and striking yellow/orange flesh. Purple tomatillos are sweeter than green varieties and can be eaten right off the plant.

“Purple sweet potatoes are found in Hawaii, but aren’t common on the mainland,” explains Gettle. “Molokai Purple sweet potatoes keep their deep purple color even when cooked, and are much higher in antioxidants than the orange variety.” To be novel, serve the Albino beet. Baker Creek’s customers use it raw in salads, roasted or fried and don’t let the greens go to waste.

Monique Prince, a clinical social worker in Chester, New Hampshire, grows heirloom organic radishes, greens, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers and pumpkins in eight raised beds.

She received Ganisisikuk pole beans (seventh-generation seeds) and Abnaki cranberry runner beans from a Native American client. Rather than eat the bounty, she’s accumulating the seeds to save the varieties.

Herbs

Thai basil loves summer heat. Make batches of pesto, then freeze it in ice cube trays for later. Christina Major, a nutritionist in Trevorton, Pennsylvania, grows heirloom herbs that include borage, with its edible flowers, and marshmallow, which is a decongestant when added to tea. Her 300-square-foot garden supplies summer veggies such as scarlet runner beans, more than 50 kinds of perennial herbs for year-round use and heirloom raspberries, gooseberries and blackberries “that are eaten as fast as they’re picked,” she says.

Heirloom enthusiasts like to exchange seeds to try new varieties. “From December to March, traders swap seeds and plot their gardens,” says Major. “I got 20 kinds of tomatoes by connecting with other traders on Facebook.”

Heirlooms extend to trees and bushes. The drought-resistant Fourwing Saltbush has a deep root system and provides cover for songbirds in the West.

SHARING SEEDS in Magnolia Springs

T

he Magnolia Springs Public Library (MagnoliaSpringsLibrary.org) is home to the first seed lending library in Alabama.

Anyone with a Baldwin County library card can borrow organic and heirloom seeds to grow and harvest their own plants.

Alida Given started the seed lending library in 2013 by filling an old card catalog with seed donations from various companies and local residents. Their most recent additions were donated by Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company and High Mowing Organic Seeds. The collection has a variety of vegetable and ornamental seeds (all organic or heirloom) and during the first year, more than 700 seed packets were checked out by eager gardeners.

“We want to help nurture a thriving community of gardeners and seed savers. In addition to providing seeds, we offer support throughout the process with gardening books, website suggestions, handouts and knowledgeable individuals,” Given says.

While it’s free to check out seeds from the Magnolia Springs Library, patrons are limited to six seed types per person and are asked to return some seeds for others to enjoy during the next growing season. Given emphasizes, “There are no fines, should failure result.” To keep the program self-sustaining, patrons with an unsuccessful harvest are asked to share purchased seeds similar to those they originally checked out.

Location: 12440 Magnolia Ave., Ste. 600, Magnolia Springs, AL. For more information, call 251-965-2305 or email MagnoliaSpringsLibrary@gmail.com.

~BBB Seed

Flowers

Of 400,000 flowering plants in the world, 20 percent are in danger of extinction.

“Instead of marigolds and petunias, consider old-fashioned annuals. Trying new things is fun,” says Gettle. Four O’clocks, familiar to many Midwesterners, come in several colors and are easily cultivated from their abundant seeds. The succulent Ice plant, with its white-pink flowers, looks like it was dipped in sugar; its edible leaves taste like spinach. Black Swan’s burgundy poppies have a frill-like edge, while Mother of Pearl poppies offer subtle watercolors.

“Save seeds, share with neighbors and pass them on to the kids,” advises Gettle.

“They’re evidence of our culture.”

Connect with the freelance writer via AveryMack@mindspring.com.

South Mississippi Herb Festival Saturday, April 23, 2016 9am-3:30pm Epley Depot Garden Center 3920 Hwy 589 Sumrall, MS booths | vendors | activities | vegetarian feast | plants | natural soaps | herbs essential oils | Chi Machine (oxygen therapy) | Far Infared (light therapy) Speakers: Darrell Martin, Local Herbalist and Advisor • Carole Bechtel, Essential Oils John Osborne, Certified Iridologist, CNC Businesses, join us! Booths are available for $20. For more information, contact Jan Hernandez: spaparty1012@yahoo.com or 601-596-3053 John Osborne: josborne0033@gmail.com or 601-913-0033

: South Mississippi Herb Festival natural awakenings April 2016

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Homegrown Heirloom Cookery Add the stock and cooked beans, return heat to high and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour.

Serve with toasted slices of bread.

Source: Adapted from Mediterranean Vegetables by Clifford Wright.

Look for Non-GMOs The Non-GMO Project label on U.S. food products assures consumers they have no genetically modified ingredients. Now a few seed companies are starting to display the butterfly label, as well.

“As demand for non-GMO choices continues to rise, farmers are seeking more non-GMO seed,” says Megan Westgate, executive director of the Non-GMO Project. “Similarly, smaller farms and home gardeners are choosing to plant more organic and non-GMO varieties.”

High Mowing Organic Seeds, in Wolcott, Vermont, is the current leader, with 700 Non-GMO Projectverified seeds. Company President Tom Stearns explains, “We continue to hear about GMO concerns from our customers and while we are certified organic, that doesn’t say anything about GMO contamination.” His team helped develop a verification program for seeds because they wanted third-party verification of their claims.

“We’d spent a huge amount of time implementing preventative measures and did GMO testing, but felt this wasn’t enough,” he notes.

Stearns reports that there are many more genetically engineered plants than most people realize. “Some 40 GMO plant species include petunia and endive,” he says. Plus, “Contamination risks exist even when a GMO crop isn’t commercially approved, like when GMO wheat escapes field trials.”

Salsa Morada Vegan Tuscan Kale Soup Yields: 4 servings

1 /3 cup extra-virgin olive oil ½ cup finely chopped celery ½ cup finely chopped onion ½ cup finely chopped carrot ¼ cup finely chopped fresh purple basil leaf 1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaf 1 lb waxy boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces 1 lb lacinato kale, washed and cut into ¼-inch-wide strips ½ cup dry cannellini beans, cooked until tender 2 qt vegetable stock Sea salt to taste

Heat olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium-high heat and sauté the celery, onion, carrot and basil until they’re almost soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and continue cooking until their liquid has almost cooked out, about 20 minutes more.

Add in the thyme and boiling potatoes, sautéing them for another 5 minutes.

Add kale and reduce heat to low, cooking until wilted, about 10 minutes.

Source: EcoWatch.com 26

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

Yields: Five cups (five 8-oz jars) 1½ lb sweet green peppers, seeded and chopped 8 oz Violet Buena Mulata hot peppers, seeded and chopped 1 cup organic sugar 1½ Tbsp pickling salt 2 Tbsp powdered fair trade unsweetened chocolate 1½ cup vinegar (preferred variety) 2 tsp ground coriander 1 Tbsp ground hot chile pepper (optional) Place the green pepper, Buena Mulata, sugar, salt, chocolate, vinegar and coriander in a heavy preserving pan.

Cover and boil gently for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and let stand for 2 to 3 hours or until the peppers are completely soft.

Purée to a smooth creamy consistency using a blender.

Reheat in a clean preserving pan and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes, and then adjust the heat factor with additional pepper to taste.

Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

Source: Adapted from a recipe courtesy of William Woys Weaver.

Natural Awakenings recommends using organic and non-GMO (genetically modified) ingredients whenever possible. www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Conventional strawberries from California are grown big for easier picking, which also subjects them to layers of toxic chemicals. cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

Vegan Eggplant, Chickpea and Spinach Curry Yields: 4 to 6 servings ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, in all; 2 Tbsp reserved 1½ lb eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 Tbsp fresh ginger paste 2 hot green chiles, deseeded and minced 2 tsp whole cumin seed ¼ tsp asafoetida resin 2 cup tomatoes, seeded and chopped 1 Tbsp coriander seed, ground 1 tsp paprika ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp turmeric ½ cup filtered water 2 cup cooked chickpeas 1 lb fresh spinach, coarsely chopped 2 tsp sea salt ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaf 1 tsp garam masala Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy pan. Add in the eggplant cubes and sauté until browned and

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high.

Add the ginger, chiles and cumin, and fry until the cumin seeds have turned brown.

Add the asafoetida and stir fry for another 15 seconds.

Add in the tomatoes, coriander, paprika, black pepper, cayenne and turmeric.

Reduce heat to medium and cook until the oil separates from the tomato sauce, about 10 minutes.

Add water and bring the sauce to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and add in the cooked eggplant cubes, chickpeas, chopped spinach and salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Before serving remove from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and garam masala.

Serve warm with brown rice or naan flatbread.

Source: Adapted from Lord Krishna’s Cuisine by Yamuna Devi.

• Double Insulated • Stainless Steel Food Grade • Eliminates Condensation/ Sweating

Safe Seed Sources In switching to heirloom varieties, first replace species known to have been subjected to higher concentrations of pesticides. According to the Environmental Working Group, this includes apples, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, grapes, celery, spinach, sweet bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, imported snap peas, potatoes, hot peppers, kale and collard greens. Here are sources of garden heirloom species.

A Bloom Garden Center Mobile, AL 251-633-6046 ABloomGardenCenter.com Good Scents Herbs and Flowers Robertsdale, AL Rain.Keane@yahoo.com Facebook.com/GoodScentsHerbs AndFlowers Magnolia Springs Seed Lending Library Magnolia Springs, AL 251-965-2305 MagnoliaSpringsLibrary.org Old Tyme Feed Fairhope, AL 251-928-1156 OldTymeFeed.com Seed Savers Exchange Decorah, Iowa SeedSavers.org Sow True Seed Asheville, NC 828-254-0708 SowTrueSeed.com

• 18/8 Vacuum Sealed For wholesale pricing call 888-304-1665 or 850-687-0825 or email: scott@xtremecanteense.com

www.XtremeCanteenSE.com Ask your local retailer or go to Body B Healthy in Crestview

#TheXtremeChange natural awakenings April 2016

27

healingways

Farm-to-Hospital On-Site Farms Grow Organics for Patients

by Judith Fertig

M

ost people would agree with the results of a 2011 study by the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: Typical hospital food is full of the dietary fat, sodium, calories, cholesterol and sugar that contribute to the medical problems that land many in the hospital in the first place. The study’s dietitians further found that some hospitals house up to five fastfood outlets.

Because studies from institutions such as the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the University of Maryland show that a poor diet contributes to a host of illnesses and longer recovery time after surgery—all of which increase healthcare costs—it befits hospitals to embrace healthier eating. Now, a dozen pioneering hospitals have their own on-site farms and others are partnering with local farms, embracing new ways to help us eat healthier, especially those that most need to heal.

28

“In a paradigm shift, hospitals are realizing the value of producing fresh, local, organic food for their patients,” says Mark Smallwood, executive director of the nonprofit Rodale Institute, in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. It recently partnered with St. Luke’s University Hospital, in nearby Bethlehem, to help support operations of the hospital’s 10-acre organic farm that yields 30 varieties of vegetables and fruits served in hospital meals to support patient recovery. New mothers are sent home with baskets of fresh produce to help instill healthy eating habits.

“Organic fruits and vegetables offer many advantages over conventionally grown foods,” says Dr. Bonnie Coyle, director of community health for St. Luke’s University Health Network. She cites the higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and antioxidants as contributing to a reduced incidence of heart disease and some cancers and a lowered risk for other common conditions such as allergies, and hyperactivity in children.

Hospital farms also benefit the environment and facilitate other healing ways. Saint Joseph Mercy Health System Ann Arbor’s hospital farm, created in 2010 in Ypsilanti, Michigan, is a win-winwin solution. “We can model the connection between food and health to our patients, visitors, staff and community,” says hospital spokesperson Laura Blodgett.

Their Health Care Without Harm pledge commits the hospital to providing local, nutritious and sustainable food.

The farm repurposed some of the hospital’s 340-acre campus, eliminating considerable lawn mowing and chemicals. Today, its organic produce also supplies an on-site farmers’ market.

Most recently, collaboration with a rehab hospital treating traumatic brain injuries resulted in a solar-heated greenhouse to continually produce organic food using raised beds and a Ferris-wheel-style planting system that enables patients to experience gardening as agritherapy. “Patients love the hands-on healing of tending the garden,” says Blodgett.

Another innovative hospital is Watertown Regional Medical Center, in rural Wisconsin. Its farm, located behind the 90-bed hospital, raises 60 pesticide-free crops a year, including vegetables, herbs and even edible flowers. “We believe that food is medicine,” says Executive Chef Justin Johnson. He also serves his healthier fare to the public via special dinners in the hospital’s café, celebrating spring and fall harvests.

Hundreds of hospitals and food service contractors across the U.S. have signed Health Care Without Harm's Healthy Food in Health Care Pledge to demonstrate their commitment to "first, do no harm” and treat food and its production and distribution as preventive medicine.

NoHarm-USCanada.org

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

In Arcata, California, Mad River Community Hospital’s designated farmer, Isaiah Webb, tills six plots and two greenhouses to supply organic carrots, beets, tomatoes, basil, potatoes, sweetcorn, artichokes, squash, pumpkins, lettuce, blueberries, apples and strawberries to patients and guests. An in-house work/share program encourages hospital employees to volunteer gardening time for a share of the produce.

A three-way partnership of the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, Fletcher Allen Health Care and Central Vermont Medical Center, all in the Burlington area, combines community supported agriculture (CSA) and physicians’ prescriptions for healthier eating. Diane Imrie, director of nutrition services at Fletcher Allen, comments, “If we want to have a ‘well’ community, they have to be well fed.” Paid student farmers from 15 to 21 years old grow and harvest eight acres of fruits and vegetables for selected doctorrecommended patients in the 12-weekgrowing season program. Patients gain an appreciation of healthy eating that remains with them, thus decreasing their need for acute medical care.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farm-to-institution programs like these both provide healthy food to hospital patients and help develop sustainable regional food systems. We all benefit from such healing ripples in the healthcare pond.

Judith Fertig is the author of awardwinning cookbooks, including The Gardener and the Grill; she blogs at AlfrescoFoodAndLifestyle.blogspot.com from Overland Park, KS.

If we are ever to halt climate change and conserve land, water and other resources, not to mention reduce animal suffering, we must celebrate Earth Day every day—at every meal.

Eat Fresh.

Buy Local.

Treat your locavore palate to farm-fresh foods while

contributing to a healthier planet and a more prosperous local economy. Support these Gulf Coast businesses!

FARMERS MARKETS

MEAL PREPARATION

COASTAL ALABAMA FARMERS & FISHERMENS MARKET

BALANCE ~ A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

20733 Miflin Road (Co. Rd. 20), Foley, AL 251-597-5557 • CoastalAlabamaMarket.com

2351 Airport Boulevard Mobile, AL 36606 251-298-2556 • GetBalanced.us

Open year round Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9-2.

Local farms with seasonal produce, beef, pork, lamb, chicken, eggs, honey, jellies, baked goods, seafood, hand-crafted soaps and more. Follow us! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest.

Locally owned, locally sourced and locally prepared, healthy meal service available for pick-up or delivery. We make getting delicious, nutrientrich food simple. Paleo friendly, gluten-free, noGMO ingredients.

RESTAURANTS & BAKERIES

MARKET ON THE HILL & MARKET ON THE SQUARE

SUNFLOWER CAFE I

Mobile, AL 251-208-1550 • SpecialEventsMobile.org Spring/Summer Market on the Square in Cathedral Square, downtown Mobile: Saturdays, Apr 16-July 30 and the Fall Market on the Square: Saturdays, Oct 8-Nov 19. Spring/Summer Market on the Hill: Lavretta Park on Thursdays, May 26-Jul 28. See ad, back cover.

320 Eastern Shore Shopping Center, Fairhope 251-929-0055 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com Organic cafe serving lunch Mon-Sat, dinner ThursFri and Sunday brunch. Using locally-grown produce, herbs and meat. New six-page menu! See ad, page 3.

SUNFLOWER CAFE II

GROCERY STORES

3055 A Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 251-479-3200 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

COAST HEALTH & NUTRITION

12100 Highway 49, Suite 628, Gulfport, MS 228-831-1785 CoastHealthAndNutrition.com Local health food store and wellness center to support your healthy lifestyle. Carrying local eggs, honey and produce. See ad, page 13.

FAIRHOPE HEALTH FOODS

280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center 251-928-0644 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com Comprehensive health food store featuring local products: organic produce, meat, eggs, honey, soap and more. See ad, page 3.

VIRGINIA'S HEALTH FOODS

3055 A Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 251-479-3952 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com Comprehensive health food store featuring local products: organic produce, meat, eggs, honey, soap and more. See ad, page 3.

Organic cafe and juice bar serving lunch Mon-Sun. Using locally-grown produce, herbs and meat. New six-page menu! See ad, page 3.

SWEET OLIVE BAKERY & CAFE

85 North Bancroft Street, Fairhope, AL 251-990-8883 • SweetOlive.co Open for breakfast and lunch every day until 5 p.m. serving European-style, artisan baked goods; freshly squeezed fruit and veggie juices; smoothies; daily lunch specials like fish tacos and poboys; delicious food to go; hot breakfast plates, and more!

Do you grow, sell or serve locally-sourced food?

Advertise on this page for $20/month!

Call 251-990-9552 or email Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com for details.

This logo identifies businesses that accept Natural Awakenings Network (NAN) discount cards. To learn more, visit www.TinyURL.com/NANCard.

~Ingrid Newkirk natural awakenings April 2016

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wisewords

Marie Kondo on the Joy of Tidying Up

Simplicity Invites Happiness into Our Lives

by April Thompson

How can we begin to get and stay organized?

It’s not about a set of rules, but acquiring the right mindset for becoming a tidy person. Think in concrete terms, so that you can picture what it would be like to live 30

in a clutter-free space.

Start by identifying your bigger goal. Ask yourself why you want this, repeating the question to get to the root of the answer. As you explore the reasons behind your ideal lifestyle, you’ll realize that the ultimate reason is to be happy. Then you are ready to begin.

I recommend cleaning out and organizing your entire space in one go-around. When completed, the change is so profound that it inspires a strong aversion to your previously cluttered state. The key is to make the change so sudden that you experience a complete change of heart. By discarding the easy things first, you can gradually hone your decision-making skills, including knowing who else can use what you don’t need. I recommend starting with clothes, then move to books, documents, miscellaneous items and finally anything with sentimental value. photo by Ichigo Natsuno

J

apanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo helps us discover happiness through tidiness. Already perusing home and lifestyle magazines by age 5, she spent her childhood “tidying” up her surroundings rather than playing with toys.

The organizing system Kondo went on to develop, the KonMari method, defies most long-held rules of organizing, such as installing clever storage solutions to accommodate stuff or de-cluttering one area at a time. Her New York Times bestseller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, has been published in 30 countries, demonstrating that her methods speak to universal desires, including a hunger for order and simplicity. She’s now released a companion book, Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up.

Kondo’s principles, including vertically stacking clothing and using special folding methods for socks, can seem quirky, yet her approach gets results.

Kondo claims a nearly zero percent “clutter relapse” rate among clients because they’ve become surrounded only by things they love.

Is it important to touch every single object in the decision process?

At one point in my life, I was virtually a “disposal unit”, constantly on the lookout for superfluous things. One day, I realized that I had been so focused on what to discard that I had forgotten to cherish the things I loved. Through this experience, I concluded that the best way to choose what to keep is to actually hold each item. As you do, ask yourself, “Does this spark joy?” When you touch

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

something, your body reacts, and its response to each item is different.

The process of assessing how you feel about the things you own—identifying those that have fulfilled their purpose, expressing your gratitude and bidding them farewell and good wishes for their onward journey—is a rite of passage to a new life.

Must keepsakes be included?

Mementoes are reminders of a time that gave us joy, yet truly precious memories will never vanish, even if you discard the associated objects. By handling each sentimental item, you process your past.

The space we live in should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.

What do you recommend for organizing what remains after a purge?

The secret to maintaining an uncluttered room is to pursue simplicity in storage, so that you can see at a glance what you have. My storage rules are simple: Store all items of the same type in one place and don’t scatter storage space.

How does this process change us and our relationship to things?

Through it, you identify both what you love and need in your home and in your life. People have told me that decluttering has helped them achieve lifelong dreams, such as launching their own business; in other cases, it has helped them let go of negative attachments and unhappy relationships.

Despite a drastic reduction in belongings, no one has ever regretted it, even those that ended up with a fifth of their earlier possessions. It’s a continuing strong reminder that they have been living all this time with things they didn’t need.

Connect with freelance writer April Thompson, of Washington, D.C., at AprilWrites.com.

Masters of Yoga & Pilates Yoga does not just change the way we see things, it transforms the person who sees. ~B.K.S. Iyengar

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natural awakenings April 2016

31

naturalpet

old, so we find them a second career,” says Nancy Koch, executive director of CANTER USA. The nonprofit’s 13 U.S. affiliates work with 20 racetracks across the country. “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of volunteers. No one here receives a salary.” Collectively, they have placed more than 23,000 horses nationally since 1997.

Wild Horse Rescue

Horse Rescue

Caring Homes Sought for Aging and Abandoned Horses

by Sandra Murphy

A

n estimated 9 million horses in the U.S. are used for racing, show, informal competitions, breeding, recreation, work and other activities.

Many need a new home when they start to slow down physically or when an owner’s finances become tight. Horses need space to run, require hoof care and when injured or ill, may require costly procedures.

Domestic Horse Rescue

“We foster 50 horses right now,” says Jennifer Taylor Williams, Ph.D., president of the Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society, in College Station, Texas, which has placed about 800 horses in the last decade. “We could have 10 times that many if we had more foster homes and space. There’s often a waiting list. We help law enforcement, animal control, and shelters with horses found through neglect or abuse cases.”

Starved and too weak to stand, Tumbleweed was an emergency case when she arrived at the Humane Society of Missouri’s Longmeadow Rescue Ranch clinic on a sled. Having since regained her health, including gaining 200 pounds to 32

reach the appropriate weight for her age and size, she illustrates the benefits of the facility’s status as one of the country’s leaders in providing equine rescue and rehabilitation.

The Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racers (CANTER USA) serves as an online matchmaker for racing horses. Volunteers take photos at tracks, obtain the horse’s bio from the owner or trainer and post them to attract potential new owners. Along with the healthy horses, the 3,000 ill or injured horses cared for by the alliance have been retrained, rehabbed and re-homed to participate in polo, show jumping, cart pulling and rodeos.

“Race horses are intelligent, used to exercise and retire as early as 2 years

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management calculates the appropriate management level (AML) for the number of wild horses.

Excess numbers are captured and offered for adoption or sale. In December 2015, 47,000 horses were waiting in holding facilities at an annual cost of $49 million. The AML projects removal of an additional 31,000 horses from Western lands. As an example, although local wild species predate the park’s existence, horses in Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park are labeled “trespass livestock”, and subject to removal.

Return to Freedom, a nonprofit wild horse rescue in Lompoc, California, recognizes the tightly bonded nature of these herd groups. Its American Wild Horse Sanctuary is the first to focus on entire family bands, providing a safe haven for about 200 horses and burros.

The Wild Horse Rescue Center, in Mims, Florida, rescues, rehabilitates and finds homes for mustangs and burros, usually housing 30 horses at a time. With many needing medical care upon arrival, expenditures average $3,000 their first year and $1,700 annually once they’re healthy. Although the goal is adoption, equine fans also can sponsor a horse by donating $5 a day or purchasing a painting done by a horse. The center also provides public educational forums.

Sponsored by the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), April 26 is Help a Horse Day, a nationwide grant competition. Last year, some 100 U.S. equine rescue groups held events to recruit

The average lifespan of a horse is 30 years. It should have two acres of land for grazing. The minimum annual cost for basic food and veterinarian services is $2,000, not including equipment and boarding, which can be more expensive in urban areas and in or near racing meccas like Kentucky or Florida. Rescues budget $300 a month per horse. www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Horses Count Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844,531 Showing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,718,954 Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,906,923 Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,752,439 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,222,847 Note: “Other” activities include farm and ranch work, rodeos, carriage tours, polo, police work and informal competitions.

Source: The Equestrian Channel; U.S. stats volunteers, gather donated supplies and find homes for adoptable horses (Tinyurl. com/ASPCA-HelpAHorseDay).

Call to Action

Although a U.S. law now bans slaughterhouses for domestic horses, each year 120,000 are sold at auction for as little as $1 each and transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter, their meat destined for human consumption in Europe and Japan or for carnivores at zoos. Horses can legally be confined to a trailer for up to 24 hours without food or water during shipment.

Two-thirds of all horse rescue operations are either at or approaching capacity. Almost 40 percent turn away animals because of lack of space or money. Many horses are ill, underweight or injured, which raises the cost of care.

“We need foster homes and volunteers. We need the time and skills people can donate; not everything is hands-on, so those that like horses but don’t have handling skills can still help,” says Williams. “Bluebonnet, for example, has many volunteer jobs that can be done remotely. Office work, social media to spread the word, gathering donations— everything helps.”

Rescue groups ask that concerned horse lovers donate time, money and land to help and lobby for legislation to ban the export of horses for meat markets.

Connect with Sandra Murphy at StLouis FreelanceWriter@mindspring.com.

FAIRHOPE, AL CHESTER SCHMIDT, LMT 19655 State Highway 181 251-359-0500 ChesterSchmidt@yahoo.com ChesterSchmidt.com ROSIE BLUUM (DOWNTOWN) Kristen Kelly, LMT 6A South Bancroft Street 251-599-5943 • 251-517-5626 RosieBluum.com See ad, page 19.

THRIVE YOGA & MASSAGE Billie Reinhart, RYT, LMT 251-379-4493 Thrive@ThriveFairhope.com ThriveFairhope.com See ad, page 31.

FOLEY, AL THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE Charlene Rester, RN, LMT Historical Downtown 117 West Orange Avenue 251-550-0117

Advertise Your Massage Business on this page for $20/month!

Call 251-990-9552 to reserve your spot.

MOBILE, AL ALABAMA HEALING ARTS 6304 Cottage Hill Road 251-753-1937 AlabamaHealingArts@gmail.com AlabamaHealingArts.com See ad, page 31.

ELEMENTS THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE 6920 Airport Boulevard, Suite 111 251-342-6415 Mobile@TouchOfElements.com ElementsMassage.com/Mobile

MONTROSE, AL JEN ADAMS, LMT 22787 US 98 at Parker Rd., Bdg. D, Ste. 5 251-616-4201 JenAdams.Massage@gmail.com JenAdamsLMT.info

ROBERTSDALE, AL HEALING ACRES Massage, Reflexology, Colonics, Reiki 22355 Price Grubbs Road 251-300-9052 See ad, page 13.

NAN cardholders receive discounts at these businesses. Visit www.TinyURL. com/NANCard for details.

natural awakenings April 2016

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inspiration

Earth Song

Mother Nature’s Rhythms Restore the Soul

by Susan Andra Lion

M

other Earth’s gentle hand is the secure cushion that warms us on long nights and sings comforting messages through endless days, protecting us even when things seem amiss. Take in her lovely presence.

Embrace her consistent wisdom. Know that her dreams are ours and ours hers,

connected by timely, comforting songs.

It’s time to step away from the manicured lawns, concrete walks and well-planned gardens. An open door beckons us to the sparkling air out there to listen to the grasses breathe and murmur. Prairie grasses roll on and on through curvaceous hills and flat-edged

fields, undeterred by human attempts to control their rippling arpeggios. We are asked to just listen. Be alone with the music of the grasses and be in harmony with the hum of the universe.

Mother Earth’s apron is laden with flowers; simple, ever-present reminders that we are loved. She tempts us to take some time off, shed our shoes and settle into the lyrical realms of her strong body.

The trees reach to the depths of the earth, deep into the mystery of lavender waters, and simultaneously throw their arms to the heavens, connecting all things living. The wind hears the prevailing songs that weave in and out of these lovely courtiers of the forest. In listening to their unerring stories, we let their siren songs sigh into our soul.

It’s time to play in Earth’s garden and see her for who she is—today. Don’t hesitate. Go, play, linger, breathe and be one with the present moment.

Adapted from Just Imagine Trees, a coloring book for all ages, by Susan Andra Lion.

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Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

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Incense, Yoga, Meditation Subscribe to our Newsletter for weekly messages from The Bodhi Tree’s Founder, Vero

calendarofevents Dates and times may change. Please call ahead to confirm. All calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Go to TinyURL.com/NACalendar to submit entries.

Celebrate Earth Day! See page 14 for a schedule of local Earth Day events. Natural Awakenings magazines and giveaways will be available at many of the events!

FRIDAY, APRIL 1

Spring Plant Sale – Apr 1-3. Baldwin County Master Gardeners sale offers many native plants for sale at very reasonable prices. We have mostly perennials but some popular annuals and herbs are also available. Free. Weeks Bay, Fairhope, AL. BaldwinCountyMasterGardeners.com.

Cloth Diaper 101 – 1pm. New to cloth diapering, or just want to learn the pros and cons of it? We are here for you! CD 101 goes over the different types, accessories and washing options. Cost is $10 and you receive a $10 off any $100 purchase coupon. Luna Babies, 1820 Pass Road Gulfport, MS. 228-357-5574.

SATURDAY, APRIL 2

Kundalini Spring Renewal Series – 11am12:15pm. Sat, Apr 2-16. Exercises and meditations to alleviate physical and mental stress. As taught by Yogi Bhajan, these exercises and meditations aim to improve physical health and vitality as well as mental focus. Come the 1st 3 Saturdays in April and revel in the experience! $15 per class. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile, AL. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

MONDAY, APRIL 4

Alabama Healing Arts Massage Therapy Program Begins – 5:45-8:15pm. Start of evening 650-hour curriculum.Includes various hands-on techniques, fundamental sciences, student massage clinic and outreach practicum. Qualified, experienced, compassionate educators are ready to assist every step of the way. For more info/application: 251-753-1937. AlabamaHealingArts@ gmail.com. AlabamaHealingArts.com.

TUESDAY, APRIL 5

Chakra Self-Study With Rebecca Washburn, LPC, RYT – 6-8pm. Apr 5-May17. This transformational journey is a series of 7 sessions, each focusing on a different chakra as it relates to aspects of self. Each session consists of discussion, asana, meditation and journaling exercise, followed by group processing. $150. Soul Shine Yoga, 456 Morphy Ave, Fairhope, AL. Namaste@ TheSoulShineLife.com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

THURSDAY, APRIL 7

Book Club: When Breath Becomes Air – 7pm.

Everyone is welcome to our free monthly book club meeting at Soul Shine Yoga. April's selection is When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Discuss this "unforgettable, life-affirming reflection" with others in your community. Free. Soul Shine Yoga, 103B N Bancroft St, Fairhope, AL. Namaste@ TheSoulShineLife.com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 9

Alabama Healing Arts 200-/500-Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Apr 9-10. Immersive hatha training includes fundamental sciences, specific teaching methodologies, breath/meditation practices and in-depth yogic philosophy. Special options for self-development-only students. More info/application: 251-753-1937. AlabamaHealingArts@gmail. com. AlabamaHealingArts.com.

Quantum-Touch Level I with Julie E Brent – 9:30am-5:30pm. Apr 9-10. QT is a method of natural healing that works with the Life Force Energy of the body to promote optimal wellness. QT teaches us how to focus, amplify and direct Life Force energy, for a wide range of benefits and often extraordinary results. 13 MT CEs. $400 at the door/prepaid three weeks in advance $350. Reiki Center of Fairhope, Fairhope, AL. ReikiCenterOfFairhope@gmail.com.

ReikiCenterOfFairhope.com/events.

2nd Annual Destash Event – 10am-2:30pm. This is a community wide yard sale featuring cloth diapers and babywearing carriers. Out with the old. In with the new! Free. Luna Babies, 1820 Pass Rd Gulfport, MS. 228-357-5574. LunaBabies.com.

TUESDAY, APRIL 12

markyourcalendar Green Drinks Earth Day Celebration Celebrate Earth Day with live music by Light Travelers and a farmers market featuring local produce, meat, seafood, eggs and honey. The family friendly evening will also have food from Sunflower Café.

Free to attend except cost of your drinks.

April 12 • 5-7pm

Fairhope Brewing Company 914 Nichols Avenue, Fairhope, AL. 251-279-7517 • MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com Facebook.com/MobileBayGreenDrinks

PLANS CHANGE!

Please call ahead to confirm dates and times.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13

Foundation + Flow Vinyasa Yoga Beginner’s Series – 5:30pm. Apr 13-27. In this 3-wk series, learn and explore the principles of alignment for the poses in vinyasa yoga classes as well as breathing and basic meditation. 75 minutes. Unheated. Led

by Rebecca Washburn, RYT-200. $39. Soul Shine Yoga, 456 Morphy Ave, Fairhope, AL. Namaste@ TheSoulShineLife.com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

SATURDAY APRIL 16

Spring/Summer Market on the Square Opening Day – 7:30am-12pm. Local produce, baked goods, honey, flowers, soaps, live music and more. Cathedral Square, downtown Mobile. 251-208-1550.

SpecialEventsMobile.org.

Usui Reiki Level I & II Certification Weekend w/ Julie – 9:30am-5:30pm. Apr 16-17. Nurses receive 13 hours of continuing education credit for this Reiki Level I & II workshop, awarded by Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES). Level I gives you tools for self-healing, Level II increases connection with Reiki Energy and to work on others. $333 workshop fee/$288 prepaid 7 days in advance. Reiki Center of Fairhope, Fairhope, AL. Questions?: AskJulieEBrent@ gmail.com. ReikiCenterOfFairhope.com/events.

TUESDAY, APRIL 19

Non-Drug Treatment for Depression & Dementia – 5:30pm. New non-drug treatments may dramatically improve depression, dementia, ADHD, autism and others. Come learn why Dr. Brown's treatments are so effective at elevating quality of life, and why they can augment other treatments. Free. Fairhope Public Library, 501 N Fairhope Ave, Fairhope, AL. Don: 251-597-8089. MindPerformanceCenter.com.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20

Mommy-to-Mommy Support Group – 11am. Moms and babies meet monthly with other women to offer mother-to-mother guidance, support and companionship. These groups provide a forum for new mothers to get together to compare notes, vent frustrations and form friendships. Free. Luna Babies, 1820 Pass Rd, Gulfport, MS. 228-357-5574. LunaBabies.com.

markyourcalendar Green Drinks Mobile Join us for an informal yet engaging happy hour with like-minded folks every third Wednesday and a monthly speaker. Free to attend except the cost of your drinks.

April 20 • 5-7pm

Alchemy Tavern 7 South Joachim Street, Mobile, AL MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com Facebook.com/MobileBayGreenDrinks

THURSDAY, APRIL 21

Postpartum Support – 11am. This is all about mom-to-mom support. Have questions? Need other moms to talk to? We are here for you. Group leader- Tera Smith, Certified Professional Midwife.

Free. Luna Babies, 1820 Pass Rd, Gulfport, MS. 228-357-5574. LunaBabies.com.

natural awakenings April 2016

35

SATURDAY, APRIL 23

South Mississippi Herb Festival – 9am-2:30pm.

Vendors, speakers, activities, plants and herbs, essential oils, oxygen therapy, light therapy, vegetarian feast and more. Epley Depot Garden Center, 3920 Hwy 589, Sumrall, MS. 601-913-0033.

Josborne0033@gmail.com. Facebook: South Mississippi Herb Festival.

ongoingevents Please call ahead to confirm dates and times. All calendar events must be received by the 10th of the month and adhere to our guidelines. Go to TinyURL.com/NACalendar to submit entries.

Earth Day Mobile Bay – 10am. Alabama’s largest Earth Day celebration. Free. Fairhope Pier Park, Fairhope. EarthDayMobileBay.org.

Gulf Coast Natural Parenting Expo & The Great Cloth Diaper Change – 10am-2:30pm. Food, games, giveaways and participation in the worldwide event, The Great Cloth Diaper Change, at 11am. Details on Facebook. Free. Edgewater Mall, 2600 Beach Blvd, Biloxi, MS. GulfCoastNaturalParentingExpo@gmail.com.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28

Natural Skin Care – 6:30pm Meet and Greet, 7-8:30pm Presentation. Learn about the century old beauty secrets of essential oils and experience the chemical-free, all natural ingredients in Young Living skin care line presented by Cheryl Kleffer, Beauty Consultant. $5 at the door supports the Prodisee Food Pantry. Prodisee Food Pantry, 9315 Spanish Fort Blvd, Spanish Fort, AL. 314-607-5128, CrazySexySkin.com.

SATURDAY, MAY 14

Usui Reiki Level I & II Certification Weekend w/ Julie – 9:30am-5:30pm. May 14-15. Nurses receive 13 hours of continuing education credit for this Reiki Level I & II workshop, awarded by Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES). Level I gives you tools for self-healing, Level II increases connection with Reiki Energy and to work on others. $333 workshop fee/$288 prepaid 7 days in advance. Reiki Center of Fairhope, Fairhope, AL. Questions?: AskJulieEBrent@ gmail.com. ReikiCenterOfFairhope.com/events.

THURSDAY, MAY 26

Spring/Summer Market on the Hill Opening Day – 3-6pm. Thur, May 26-Jul 28. Local produce, baked goods, honey, flowers, soaps, live music and more. Lavretta Park, Mobile. 251-208-1550.

SpecialEventsMobile.org.

World Tai Chi & Qigong Day is April 30

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sunday Discounts on Supplements – Every Sunday get 15% off supplements at Fairhope Health Foods (251-928-0644) and Virginia's Health Foods (251479-3952). 280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center, Fairhope, AL and 3055-A Dauphin St, Mobile, AL. VA-FairhopeHealthFoods.com.

Center for Spiritual Living Service – 10am.

Make every step, every choice, every word, a conscious one. Center for Spiritual Living, 1230 Montlimar, Mobile, AL. 251-343-0777.

CenterForSpiritualLiving-Mobile.org.

Open Table Worship Service (United Church of Christ) – 10:30am. Weekly progressive Christian worship. Gathering in the chapel at All Saints Episcopal Church, 151 S Ann St, Mobile, AL. 251-545-1011. Ellen.OpenTable@gmail.com.

OpenTableUCC.org.

Sunday Service – 10:30am. Explore a spiritual pathway with Mobile Unitarian Universalists, 6345 Old Shell Rd, Mobile, AL. UUFM.org.

Unity Christ Church Sunday Service – 11am.

Tune in, turn on, tap into the loving presence of the Divine at Unity Christ Church. If you desire a nonjudgmental, open, supportive and loving spiritual community, Unity Christ Church of Mobile is here to inspire, uplift and celebrate the Divine. 5859 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile, AL. 251-285-3440. Facebook. com/unityofmobile.

AHA Sunday Yoga – 11:30am. Apr 10 & 24. Start the week off calm and centered. Energize, align, strengthen, center and de-stress through movement, body-mind awareness and breath. Beginner-friendly.

Props provided. Call/text 251-753-1937 to register. $10 drop-in or 12-class pass for $100. Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile, AL. 251-377-8940. AlabamaHealingArts@gmail. com. AlabamaHealingArts.com.

monday Soul Shine Hot Power Yoga – 8am. Mon-Fri. A faster paced power vinyasa flow builds strength, increases flexibility, strengthens your core and transforms your body and mind. Find your groove, shine your light and practice at your own level. Heated. $15 single class. Packages available. Soul Shine Yoga, 103B N Bancroft Ave, Fairhope, AL. Namaste@ TheSoulShineLife.com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

Chakra Yoga with Manja – 12pm. Join 200 Hr RYT Manja Podratz for a practice that opens, balances, cleanses and activates the chakras through postures, breathing, guided meditation, & visualization. Variations are offered to suit diverse bodies

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

PLANS CHANGE!

Please call ahead to confirm dates and times. & abilities. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile, AL. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Men’s Pilates Class – 4pm. Classes utilize reformers, Pilates chairs and barrels. There are 2-4 people in a class to insure each client receives the instruction they require. Individual and group sessions are 60 minutes. Call for more time options. Advanced registration required. 2-4 people/class: $30/person.

Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile, AL. 251-344-0590. PeakConditionPilates.com.

Doggie Happy Hour – 5-7pm. 1st Mon. A rescue networking event hosted by My Happy Dog 123.

Bring your dog for drinks and live music while raising money for a local rescue foundation. Q&A with local vets. Free grain-free dog treats. Raffle prizes. Puppy photo booth. Free. OK Bicycle Shop, 661 Dauphin St, Mobile, AL. Viviane Hentschel: MyHappyDog123@gmail.com. Facebook.com/ myhappydog123.

Yoga Dance Fusion – 5:30-6:30pm. Connect with your inner rhythm and flow through Rebecca’s unique blend of yoga and dance. A fusion of dance styles mixed with yoga and breath will be an exploration of your own creativity and energetic flow. Absolutely no experience necessary. $15 drop in, packages available. Soul Shine Yoga, 456 Morphy Ave, Fairhope, AL. 251-929-4634. Rebecca.SoulFlow@gmail.com.

TheSoulShineLife.com.

Bridging the Great Divide – 6-8pm. The Family Center is offering this class for parents of teens.

It helps prepare and equip parents for having the important conversations needed with their teens.

Helps parents see things from the teen perspective.

Free. 601 Bel Air Blvd, Suite 100, Mobile. Lydia Pettijohn: 251-479-5700. FamilyCenterMobile.org.

Together We Can – 6-8pm. A Family Center class to help parents build a better future for their children by working together as co-parents. Open to couples regardless of their relationship. Become a team that supports your family's success. Free. 27365 Pollard Rd, Daphne, AL. Christie Brannon: 251-626-1610.BaldwinFamilies@gmail.com. FamilyCenterMobile.org.

tuesday Farmers Market – 9am-2pm. Tues & Sat. Farmers market offering direct farm sales to the public. Fresh seasonal produce, beef, pork, lamb, chicken, eggs, honey, jellies, baked goods, handcrafted soaps and local artistry. Open year round. Know your farmer. Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermans Market, 20733 Miflin

Rd. Foley, AL. 251-597-5557. MktMgrFoley@gmail. com. CoastalAlabamaMarket.com.

La Leche League Mobile Bay Area – 10:30am. La Leche League meetings are open to all women with an interest in learning about and supporting breastfeeding. Meetings are always free and babies/children are welcome. 251-689-2085. For location information or breastfeeding help contact AmandaLLLMobile@ yahoo.com or MeghanLLL@yahoo.com.

Pilates Classes – 12pm & 2pm. Also 12pm, Thursdays. Classes utilize reformers, Pilates chairs and barrels. There are 2-4 people in a class to insure each client receives the instruction they require. Individual and group sessions are 60 minutes. Call for more time options. Advanced registration required.

2-4 people/class: $30/person. Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile, AL. 251-344-0590.

PeakConditionPilates.com.

Grief Recovery Meeting – 1-2:30pm. This is a Christian-based grief recovery program for all losses. Experienced, professional and compassionate staff members support you through the grief process with the goal of transitioning into a renewed life of purpose and fulfillment. Ascension Funerals & Cremations, 1016 Hillcrest Rd, Mobile, AL. 251634-8055. AscensionFuneralGroup.com.

Green Drinks Fairhope – 5-7pm. Every 2nd Tues. Join us for an informal yet engaging happy hour with likeminded folks. Connect with other progressive people in our area. Brief speaker at 6pm. Open to the public.

Free to attend except the cost of your drinks. Fairhope Brewing Company, 914 Nichols Ave, Fairhope, AL. 251-279-7517. MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com.

Facebook.com/MobileBayGreenDrinks.

AHA Evening Yoga – 5:45pm. Give your spirit the gift of a calming and centering tune-up by improving posture, muscle-tone, strength and flexibility, establishing core strength, refreshing the mind and restoring healthy balance. Beginner-friendly. Props provided. Call/text to register. $10 drop-in or 12-class pass for $100. Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile, AL. 251-377-8940. AlabamaHealingArts@gmail.com.

AlabamaHealingArts.com.

Outstretched Christ-Centered Yoga Class – 5:45pm. Also at 8:15am on Wed. Each week Pneuma offers two donation-only yoga classes open to the public. Classes are appropriate for all levels and include a Christ-centered devotion. Donation only.

1901 Main St, Daphne, AL. See website for more info: Pneuma-Yoga-Movement.com.

Yoga with Valerie – 5:45pm. Join 200-hr RYT Valerie Mitchell for a glorious yoga experience as she challenges with a strong emphasis on alignment and focus

while still calming the mind. Relieve stress and rejuvenate, energize and recharge the body. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile, AL. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Sierra Club Meeting – 6-8pm. 1st Tues. Open to the public. 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, Spanish Fort, AL.

Pranic Healing and Meditation – 6:30pm. Headaches, stress, physical or emotional ailments bothering you? Experience healing for your mind, body and soul, with Pranic Healing and/or Meditation on Twin Hearts. We all have the ability to heal ourselves and others. Classes also available. Donation. Center for Spiritual Living, Mobile, AL. 251-454-0959.

wednesday Pilates Classes – 6am Yogalates. 8am Chair Pilates.

6pm Reformer. There are 2-4 people in a class to insure each client receives the instruction they require. Individual and group sessions are 60 minutes.

Call for more time options. Advanced registration required. 2-4 people/class: $30/person. Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile, AL. 251344-0590. PeakConditionPilates.com.

Pilates for Older Adults – 9am. Wed & Fri. Includes work on the reformer and mat focusing on balance, core strength and flexibility. Slow to moderate pace.

Advanced registration required. 2-4 people/class: $30/ person. Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile, AL. 251-344-0590. PeakConditionPilates.com.

$5 Yoga & Chair Yoga – 9:15am, Flow. 10:30am, Chair Yoga (seated or holding onto chair to practice balance). Beginners welcome. Bring your own mat.

Enjoy exercise at every level. Improve balance, strength and flexibility. $5. Fairhope UMC CLC, AL. 251-379-4493. ThriveFairhope.com.

Yoga – 9am. Wed & Fri. Experience yoga with emphasis on breathing, alignment and slow flow. Use of props to support your practice. All fitness levels welcome. Class size limited, call/text to register 251-583-0049. $10. Richard Fitness Systems, 1880 Airport Blvd, Ste D, Mobile, AL. 251-583-0049.

Positive Parenting – 9:30-11:30am. The Family Center offers a 9-week course using the Nurturing Parenting curriculum which focuses on positive discipline and communication with children. Open enrollment is available; certificates upon completion.

Free. 601 Bel Air Blvd, Suite 100, Mobile. Lydia Pettijohn: 251-479-5700. FamilyCenterMobile.org.

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Free Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis – 10:30am. This chair yoga class is free to participants with MS and funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Build strength and flexibility while improving balance and circulation. Fairhope, AL. Thrive@ThriveFairhope. com. 251-379-4493.

Hot Power Holy Yoga – 12pm. Hot power yoga with Jesus as the "drishti" or focal point. Contemporary Christian music is played throughout the class while scriptures are woven in-between postures. All classes conclude with prayer. Heated. All levels. $15 drop in, packages available. Soul Shine Yoga, 103-B N Bancroft St, Fairhope, AL. Namaste@TheSoulShineLife. com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

Restorative Yoga with Emily – 4pm. Been a long few days? No stresses and no worries! Allow 200-hr RYT Emily Duhé to lead you down a relaxing path with some restorative yoga. Be supported by all the right props as the poses plus gravity gently melt away the week's anxieties... oh yeah! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile, AL. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Kids Yoga – 4-5pm. Children will cultivate inner peace and focus while exploring their creative energy. This class promotes acceptance, mindfulness and creativity in a supportive environment. Taught by Rebecca Washburn. Parents: attend Hot Power class at the same time. $8, packages available. Soul Shine Yoga, 103 B N Bancroft St, Fairhope, AL. Namaste@ TheSoulShineLife.com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

AHA Yoga Flow – 4:15pm. Energize, align, stretch, strengthen, center, calm, renew and restore. Build stamina, flexibility and improve heart health through the coordination of breath and movement in this fun and funky vinyasa flow class. Beginner-friendly. Props provided. $10 per class, 12-classes for $100. Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile, AL. Call/text 251-222-3186 to register.Alabama HealingArts@gmail.com. AlabamaHealingArts.com.

Green Drinks Mobile – 5-7pm. 3rd Wed. Join us for an informal yet engaging happy hour with like-minded folks. Connect with other progressive people in our area. Open to the public. Free to attend except the cost of your drinks. Alchemy Tavern, 7 S Joachim St, Mobile, AL. MobileBayGreenDrinks@ gmail.com. Facebook.com/MobileBayGreenDrinks.

Eastern Shore MS Support Group – 5:30pm. 2nd Wed. Eastern Shore MS Support Group meets each month at Ruby Tuesday in Fairhope, AL. Family, friends and caregivers are always welcome. Weezer: 251-928-7606.

Fitness Fusion with Chris G – 5:45pm. Join Chris Garrett and give yourself the best seat in the house with Core Barre—work your body to a fusion of

For every $100 spent in locally owned businesses, $68 returns to the community.

source: the350project.net

natural awakenings April 2016

37

ballet, Pilates, yoga and classic fitness exercises.

Focus and move to the music and really change your shape! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile, AL. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Rock n' Flow Yoga – 5:45pm. In this powerful, flow inspired class you can move, play and groove to 200 Hr RYT Bo Lackey's Spotify stylings that will motivate and challenge. Leave class grounded, refreshed and energized - no perfect people allowed! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile, AL. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Near Death (NDEs) and Related Experiences – 6pm. 2nd Wed. Mobile affiliate group of IANDS. All are welcome to share experiences and support.

Free. West Regional Branch, Mobile Public Library, Grelot Rd (near University Blvd), AL. 251-3408565. Lbrlumin@aol.com. IANDS.org.

Chill Skills – 7-9pm. The Family Center offers an inspiring four-week class designed to change your life outlook. Learn what fuels your anger and how to see it in a new light. Warning: classes may cause peace. $25/week. 601 Bel Air Blvd. Suite 100, Mobile, AL. Call 251-479-5700 to register for next class.

thursday Yoga with Manja – 8:15am. Enjoy Manja Podratz’s zest and refreshing energy as she puts you back in touch with your body, restores the mind and leaves you refreshed, energized and focused. Revel in the bliss and embrace the joy of your day! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile, AL. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Gentle Yoga with Emily – 12pm. A stressful morning? Synergy can fix that! Join 200-hr RYT Emily Duhé in the land of "ahhhhs" for a relaxing class to sooth the spirit, calm the mind and replenish the soul. Also on Tuesdays at noon. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile, AL. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Men’s Pilates Class – 5pm. Classes utilize reformers, Pilates chairs and barrels. 2-4 people in a class to insure each client receives the instruction they require. Individual and group sessions are 60 minutes.

Call for more time options. Registration required.

2-4 people/class: $30/person. Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile, AL. 251-344-0590.

PeakConditionPilates.com.

Movie Night – 6-8pm. Showing a different thoughtprovoking movie each week. Seating is limited; please reserve your seat by calling 228-831-1785.

Free. Coast Health & Nutrition, 12100 Hwy 49, Ste 628, Gulfport, MS. Personal Wellness and Self-Discovery Classes – 6:30pm. Every last Thurs. Monthly classes designed to empower oneself to heal, uplift and detoxify the body, mind and spirit. $5 donation for food pantry.

Prodisee Pantry, 9315 Spanish Fort Blvd, Spanish Fort, AL. 850-380-4943. LaurieAzzarella@gmail. com. Laurie.MarketingScents.com.

Dynamic Dads – 7-9pm. The Family Center is the site of the Mobile County Fatherhood Initiative.

Six Thursday night classes delve into the importance of fathers and how to meet the challenges of being the father your children need--A super hero for your super kid! Free. 601 Bel Air Blvd, Suite 100, Mobile, AL. Lydia Pettijohn: 251-479-5700.

FamilyCenterMobile.org.

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friday Pilates Classes – 8am & 10am. Classes utilize reformers, Pilates chairs and barrels. There are 2-4 people in a class to insure each client receives the instruction they require. Individual and group sessions are 60 minutes. Call for more time options. Advanced registration required. 2-4 people/class: $30/person.

Individual sessions: $60. 4500 Old Shell Rd, Mobile, AL. 251-344-0590. PeakConditionPilates.com.

Purification Meditation – 11am. Join Betsey Grady from Rosie Bluum in the hot room and purify your body and mind with a guided meditation and creative visualization. Let the heat of the room envelop you as you go deeper within to rest in the calm center within you. $10. Soul Shine Yoga, 103-B N Bancroft St, Fairhope, AL. Betsey: 251-517-5626.

AHA Supervised Student Massage Clinic – Apr 22. School-supervised internship gives opportunity for student practitioners to work with clients in a professional setting and clients to receive quality, full-length healing treatments at a great value. Call for appointments at 11:30am, 12:45pm or 2pm. $25 for 50-min full-body student massage session.

Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile, AL. 251-753-1937. AlabamaHealingArts@ gmail.com. AlabamaHealingArts.com.

saturday Saturday Morning Yoga with Augusta – 7:308:45am. All levels. The movements will challenge you to stay mindful and your mindfulness will allow you to honor your limits without judging yourself. $15 drop-in. $10 students and instructors. Creative Outlet, 66 1/2 S Section St, Fairhope, AL. 251-9285363. HeartStringsYoga.com.

Spring/Summer Market on the Square – 7:30am12pm. Sat, Apr 16-Jul 30. Local produce, baked goods, honey, flowers, soaps, live music and more.

Cathedral Square, downtown Mobile. 251-208-1550.

SpecialEventsMobile.org.

Farmers Market – 9am-2pm. Tues & Sat. Farmers market offering direct farm sales to the public. Fresh seasonal produce, beef, pork, lamb, chicken, eggs, honey, jellies, baked goods, handcrafted soaps and local artistry. Open year round. Know your farmer. Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermans Market, 20733 Miflin Rd. Foley, AL. 251-597-5557. MktMgrFoley@gmail. com. CoastalAlabamaMarket.com.

Soul Shine $5 Hot Power Hour – 9am. A faster paced power vinyasa flow builds strength, increases flexibility, strengthens your core and transforms your body and mind. Find your groove, shine your light and practice at your own level. Heated. $5. Soul Shine Yoga, 103-B N Bancroft St, Fairhope, AL. Namaste@ TheSoulShineLife.com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

Second Saturday Kite Flying – 10am-4pm. Kite flying exhibition and free kite flying lessons for single line, dual line and quad line sport kites. Bring

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

PLANS CHANGE!

Please call ahead to confirm dates and times. www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

one of yours or fly one of ours. Free. Long Beach Harbor area, Beach Blvd at Jeff Davis, Long Beach, MS. 228-206-0322. KewlKites.com.

AHA Qigong – 10:30am-12pm. Apr 16. Explore the healing art of Qigong, an ancient Chinese exercise system that combines repetitive slow movements, focused intention, breathing techniques and meditation to achieve balance and harmony. Call/text 251-209-3714 to register. $10 per class, 12-classes for $100. Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile, AL. Info@AlabamaHealingArts. com. AlabamaHealingArts.com.

AHA Supervised Student Reiki Clinic – See web calendar for dates. School-supervised internship gives opportunity for student practitioners to work with clients in a professional setting and clients to receive quality, full-length healing treatments at a great value. Call for appointment. $25 for 50-min full-body student Reiki session. Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile, AL. 251-753-1937. AlabamaHealingArts@ gmail.com. AlabamaHealingArts.com.

classifieds Fee for classified listings is $1 per word. Volunteer opportunities are listed for free as space is available.

OPPORTUNITIES BECOME A PUBLISHER – Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Natural Awakenings is for sale! Make a difference in our local community. Meaningful, home-based career opportunity with a proven business system.

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NATURAL AWAKENINGS SINGLES – Ready to meet the love of your life?

Dip into our pool of conscious, awake singles and meet someone that you would have never met without us! Free to join.

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PRODUCTS SALADMASTER COOKING SYSTEM — Service and sales for health conscious family cooks in AL, MS and TN. Facebook: Saladmaster by Healthsource.

Charlie Maples: 256-412-4896.

VOLUNTEER OPPS AZALEA CITY CAT COALITION – Volunteers needed in any capacity. Contact Susan Young: 251-648-7582. SusanYoung@ AzaleaCityCats.org.

DOG RIVER CLEARWATER REVIVAL STORM DRAIN MARKER PROJECT – Volunteers needed to educate the public about the storm drain system. Janet Miller: J46Miller@yahoo.com. 251-654-1827.

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naturaldirectory

CRYSTALS AND GEMS

Connecting you to the leaders in healthy and green living in our community. To be included in the Natural Directory, email Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

Did you miss our 2016 Healthy and Green Living Directory? Contact us to find out where you can pick up a copy of this expanded edition, or read it online at TinyURL.com/NAFeb16.

BEAUTY

ACUPUNCTURE BISHOP PHYSICAL THERAPY

Patrick Miller, Licensed Acupuncturist 1203 Highway 98, Suite 1-C, Daphne, AL 251-626-7778 • BishopPhysicalTherapy.com Acupuncture treats neck and back pain, weight management, sciatica, arthritis, headaches, stress/ anxiety, digestive issues, fertility issues, menstrual and menopausal symptoms and more. Experience natural pain relief with acupuncture, chiropractic care and physical therapy. See ad, page 12.

AKASHIC READINGS BETSEY GRADY

Founder of Rosie Bluum 6A S Bancroft Street, Fairhope • 251-517-5626 BetseyGrady.com • RosieBluum.com

B-BUTTERFLY SALON

103A North Bancroft Street, Fairhope, AL 251-990-9934 BButterflySalon.com salon offering organic B-Butterfly Aproducts and services

SALON

including hair color, perms and shampoo.

Make a difference today in your hair, your life and the Earth. Visit us for a free hair exam today and go organic! Manicures, pedicures and eyebrow waxing also available. See ad, page 11.

COUNSELING REBECCA WASHBURN, LPC, RYT

Licensed Professional Counselor 400 Fairhope Avenue 2A • 251-929-4634 Counseling@RebeccaWashburn.com Experience inner peace and harmony of mind, body, emotion and spirit. Let go of patterns from the past and create a life that honors who you are. Children, teens and adults welcome.

Insurance accepted.

Referred to as the Book of Life, the Akashic Records are soul records, storing all information of an individual, place or thing. A consultation offers deep levels of guidance from the masters, teachers and guides, supporting you in living life from your authentic essence.

See ad, page 19.

BABYCARE LUNA BABIES

1820 Pass Road, Gulfport, MS 228-357-5574 • LunaBabies.com Facebook.com/lunababiescd A natural parenting store proudly offering a growing selection of cloth diapers and accessories, baby carriers, unique gifts and other green products for families. Classes and support groups offered regularly. See ad, page 18.

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY KRISTEN KELLY, LMT

Rosie Bluum 6A South Bancroft Street, Fairhope, AL 251-599-5943 • 251-517-5626 Offering Chinese Craniosacral Therapy, a subtle blend of Chinese meridian therapy and craniosacral energy work, that indirectly approaches physical and psychological imbalances.

This experience teaches your body to use its own bioelectric immune system. See ad, page 19.

Natural Awakenings Network (NAN) cardholders receive discounts at these businesses. Visit TinyURL.com/NANCard for details.

Pick up a copy of Natural Awakenings at these businesses.

40

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

THE BODHI TREE

Located at the Tanger Outlet 2601 South McKenzie Street, Foley, AL 251-600-9414 • BodhiTree.Rocks The Bodhi Tree (pronounced /BŌ DĒ/) is a cultural crystal shop fit for both enlightened masters and those who aren't sure what "metaphysical" means. We carry the largest selection of crystals in Alabama. You are loved!

See ad, page 34.

THE WILLOW TREE AT ROSIE BLUUM 6A South Bancroft Street, Fairhope, AL 251-517-5326 or 251-751-6945 TheWillowTreeAtRosieBluum.com

O ff e r i n g g i f t s a n d services that nurture your spirit. Books, card decks, essential oils, Bach Flower Remedies, crystals, salt lamps, incense and organic clothing. Local art, jewelry, honey, soaps and candles. See ad, page 19.

DENTISTRY DR. DAYTON HART, DMD

IAOMT Protocol 225 West Laurel Avenue, Foley, AL 251-943-2471 • DrDaytonHart.com Free book for new patients: Mercury Free Dentistry.

Offering ozone; laser (nosuture) gum surgery; testing for compatible materials and cavity-causing bacteria; examine for gum disease and bacteria; laser cavity diagnoses; saliva pH check; oral galvanic screening; no fluoride. See ad, page 21.

ESSENTIAL OILS LAURIE AZZARELLA YL #327923 Daphne, AL • 850-380-4943 LaurieAzzarella@gmail.com Laurie.MarketingScents.com

Experience the healing, uplifting and detoxifying benefits of authentic, genuine therapeutic grade essential oils and supplements. Contact us for personal Zyto Wellness readings and wholesale privileges. Wellness classes last Thursday of the month at Prodisee Pantry.See ad, page 13.

FENG SHUI FENGSHUI831

Meryl Hyderally, Feng Shui Design Consultant 251-463-1862 • Meryl@Hyderally.com fengshui831.com

THE HEALTH HUT

680 S. Schillinger, Mobile, AL: 251-633-0485 (Across from Home Depot) 6845 Hwy 90, Daphne, AL: 251-621-1865 (Across from Fresh Market) For 30 years The Health Hut has been the go-to place for high quality, whole-food vitamins, herbs and sport supplements at great prices. Service-oriented, knowledgeable staff. See ad, page 19.

fengshui 831

Utilizing feng shui principles, let us create an organized and productive space that reflects who you are while enhancing your life, personally and professionally. It's about more than aesthetics— holistically designed spaces are conducive to an effortless life. See ad, page 15.

FOOD & NUTRITION COAST HEALTH & NUTRITION

12100 Highway 49, Suite 628, Gulfport, MS 228-831-1785 CoastHealthAndNutrition.com Local health food store and wellness center to support your healthy lifestyle: natural and organic options for food, supplements, cleaning supplies and skincare.

Chiropractic care, massage therapy and essential oil counseling also available. See ad, page 13.

FAIRHOPE HEALTH FOODS AND THE SUNFLOWER CAFÉ

280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center 251-928-0644 • Café: 251-929-0055 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com Comprehensive health food store and organic café serving the public for 40 years. Extensive supplement selection; organic groceries, produce and meats; bath and body products; bulk spices and herbs; pet supplies; baby products and more. Monthly product specials. See ad, page 3.

VIRGINIA’S HEALTH FOODS AND THE SUNFLOWER CAFÉ II 3055 A Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 251-479-3952 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

Comprehensive health food store and organic café serving the public for 40 years. Extensive supplement selection; organic groceries, produce and meats; bath and body products; bulk spices and herbs; pet supplies; baby products and more. Monthly product specials. See ad, page 3.

HEALING ARTS PRANIC HEALING IN MOBILE Deana Lannie 251-454-0959

Free healing nights and group meditations every Tuesday. Pranic Healing classes and the advanced technique of Superbrain Yoga. See ad, page 13.

COMING NEXT MONTH:

Women’s Wellness plus: Natural Ways to Boost Female Libido and Thyroid Health Contact us to participate in the upcoming issue: 251-990-9552 Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

HOLISTIC WELLNESS EMILY SOMMERVILLE, RYT

Certified Health Coach Emily@TheSoulShineLife.com • 205-478-4287 TheSoulShineLife.com Increase energy and manage stress by finding balance in a life that lets your soul shine.

Find true health and vibrancy by fueling your body with clean, nutritious foods. Free initial consultation.

MASSAGE THERAPY JEN ADAMS, LMT

22787 US 98, Building D, Suite 5, Montrose 251-616-4201 • JenAdamsLMT.info JenAdams.Massage@gmail.com Unique massage technique that is gentle enough for the severest sufferers of pain and deep enough for the most rigorous of athletes. 14 years experience in the bodywork and natural wellness field.

NATURAL PRODUCTS DAVID'S GALLERY

809 Gulf Shores Parkway Gulf Shores, Alabama 36542 251-948-7862 Offering cannabidiol (CBD), a natural remedy for anxiety, insomnia, pain, etc. CBD products in 11 different forms, plus essential oils and kratom available. Your one stop alternative shop.

Mention this ad for 10% discount. See ad, page 36.

M A Y natural awakenings April 2016

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MOBILE BAY GREEN DRINKS

ZEN TEA

An informal yet engaging happy hour with likemobile bay minded folks every second Tuesday in Fairhope and every third Wednesday in Mobile. Connect with other progressive people in our area. Sponsorship, speaker and catering opportunities available.

See ad, page 15.

A tea shop offering premium tea, herbs and tea accessories from around the world.

Uplift your energy and spirit and experience all the healthy benefits of tea. (Location: corner of Highways 64 and 181).

Fairhope & Mobile • 251-279-7517 MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com Facebook.com/MobileBayGreenDrinks

GREEN DRINKS

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT JULIE E BRENT, RMT, MA

Energy Healing Educator In Fairhope, AL by appt: 251-281-8811 AskJulieEBrent@gmail.com JulieEBrent.com • ReikiCenterOfFairhope.com Take the time for yourself with someone who values you. Julie is experienced in offering help with mind, body, spirit. Reiki, yoga, reflexology, Law of Attraction coach, conscious channel and teacher.

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WELLNESS CENTERS HEALING ACRES

22355 Price Grubbs Road Robertsdale, AL 251-300-9052 Experience wellness with massage, reflexology, body treatments, Reiki, colonics, essential oils, wellness classes and more. Walk our new labyrinth (open to the public during daylight hours)! See ad, page 13.

SPAS WELLNESS SPA OF OCEAN SPRINGS 21 Marks Road, Ocean Springs, MS 228-209-4090 WellnessSpaOS.com

A Wellness Spa specializing in oncology skincare. Also offering digital skin analysis, facials, waxing and microdermabrasion. Wellness coaching available. Everything you need to know to accomplish good health, skincare and wellness. See ad, page 11.

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10025 County Road 64, Ste. 1, Daphne, AL 251-391-0109 • ZenTeaFairhope@gmail.com LivingZenTea.com Facebook.com/zenteafairhope

Gulf Coast Alabama/Mississippi Edition

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You’re Living the Healthy Lifestyle Here is Your Business Opportunity to Share It with Others

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