April 2015 Natural Awakenings Gulf Coast AL/MS

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NATURE’S WISDOM Its Lessons Inspire, Heal and Sustain Us

DETOX YOUR

HOUSE

Simple Steps for Now

LESSONS OF TREES

Strong Winds Create Strong Roots

Backyard Organic

Gardening

10 Time-Saving Tips

April 2015 | Mobile/Baldwin Edition | www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

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New tools to diagnose and treat gynecological cancers.

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It’s one more way MCI is working to stay a step ahead. With an entire team behind you, our commitment to patientcentered care is unrivaled.

Because this is one race we intend to win.

Minds Conquering Cancer www.usamci.com | 1-800-330-8538 1660 Springhill Ave. | Mobile, AL 36604 – 251-665-8000 – 188 Hospital Dr., Ste. 400 | Fairhope, AL 36532 – 251-990-1850 –

C e le brate

Ea rt h Day w it h u s!

Mobile Bay on April 18 Come see us at Earth Day e samples of suppleat Fairhope Pier Park for fre t products & snacks. ments, cleaning products, pe

20% off all Nordic Naturals, New

APRIL STORE SPECIALS: Chapter and Renew Life Products!

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

www.VA-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

VIRGINIA’S HAS MOVED! BIGGER, BETTER STORE!

Offering full organic lunch & Sunday brunch menus.

Featuring free-range meats, farm-fresh produce, organic wines and 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: 251-479-3952

Mon-Sat 10:30am-4pm; Sunday Brunch 10:30am-2pm

contents

D h t r ay a E

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.

18 NATURE’S WISDOM

Its Lessons Inspire, Heal and Sustain Us

18

by Christine MacDonald

21 STRONG WINDS

STRONG ROOTS What Trees Teach Us About Life

by Dennis Merritt Jones

22 SPRING GREENING

Mo 5 1 0 bile Bay 2 The Gulf Coast’s largest and most fun Earth Day Celebration!

Saturday, April 18th 10AM-6PM

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.)

Easy Ways to Detox a House

by Lane Vail

24 HOME-GROWN

ORGANIC MADE EASY 10 Time-Saving Tips for a Healthy Garden

by Barbara Pleasant

26 THE FOOD ARTISANS NEXT DOOR

Homemade Delicacies, Direct from Our Neighbors

by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko

28 EARTH IN PERIL Children Confront Climate Change

by Avery Mack

32 DOGS WITH

LIBRARY CARDS

www.EarthDayMobileBay.org

34 HEALING JOURNEYS

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

32

Paul Stutzman Finds Universal Truths on His Treks

by Randy Kambic

Event sponsored by Earth Day Mobile Bay Volunteers, City of Fairhope and Alabama Sierra Club Foundation 4

28

Kids Love Reading to Animals

by Sandra Murphy

FREE ADMISSION

22

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

10 7 newsbriefs 1 0 healthbriefs 1 2 globalbriefs 1 5 ecotip 1 6 earthdayevents 12 2 1 inspiration 8 22 healingways

24 greenliving 26 consciouseating 28 healthykids 30 fitbody 32 naturalpet 15 34 wisewords 36 calendar 40 classifieds 4 1 naturaldirectory

You’re eating organic, You’re wearing organic,

Why not

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B-Butterfly SALON

Organic Hair Color & Products

advertising & submissions HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at 251-990-9552 or email Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

Deadline for ads: the 10th of the month prior to the month of publication.

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Experience the healing properties of therapeutic-grade oils for emotional and physical well being, non-toxic cleaning power around the home, and natural skin & hair care.

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EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Email articles, news items and ideas to: Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com. Deadline for editorial: the 5th of the month prior to the month of publication.

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Deadline for calendar: the 10th of the month prior to the month of publication.

REGIONAL MARKETS Advertise your products or services in multiple markets!

Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. is a growing franchised family of locally owned magazines serving communities since 1994. To place your ad in other markets call 239-449-8309. For franchising opportunities call 239530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.

Call today for a free consultation.

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Love the organic life?

How would you like to work with us?

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com natural awakenings

April 2015

5

letterfrompublisher This morning, I spent more than an hour playing butterfly doctor to a swallowtail that was struggling to emerge from its chrysalis. We found him as a caterpillar on the last of our parsley back in September. He overwintered in a container in our carport and we noticed the butterfly coming out of the chrysalis last night before bed.

I was surprised that he had made little progress overnight and decided after some quick online research that I might be able to help.

Using tweezers, I gently removed the remaining chrysalis from his body. He seemed full of energy and determined to recover despite his wings remaining tightly rolled up against his body. I gave him some sugar water, but by the afternoon there was still no sign of his wings straightening out. Had he been healthy, his life as a butterfly would not have lasted much more than two weeks. But he didn’t seem insignificant to me and I couldn’t help but feel disappointment when the little guy didn’t make it. I also felt a greater sense of amazement for the metamorphic process that many butterflies seem to go through so effortlessly.

Our whole family appreciates the natural world, but our 1-year-old Thatch is the most vocal about it. Fresh air calms him and exploring our yard or the park gives him a sense of freedom. If I make him come inside before he’s ready, it’s not unusual for him to drop to the floor in tears at the sight of the door closing. His raw, emotional reaction illustrates the instinctual attraction that so many of us feel towards Mother nature.

Natural Awakenings celebrates Earth Day this month, and in our feature, “Nature’s Wisdom,” Christine MacDonald examines how nature inspires, heals and sustains us. From doctor-prescribed hikes to worm-inspired glue, she opens our eyes to just how important nature is to our health, human innovation and overall quality of life, even if you’re not naturally a fan of the great outdoors.

This issue also offers planet-friendly tips for keeping a healthy home. “Spring Greening” guides us through ways to detox our house, “Home-Grown Organic Made Easy” offers time-saving gardening tips and kids share climate change stats and action items in “Earth in Peril.”

The spring flowers, warmer weather and longer daylight hours are calling us to enjoy the outdoors. Our family is getting packed up for an Easter weekend camping trip in Arkansas, where we will abandon our to-do lists, unplug our electronics and be delighted by natural wonders. Whether you’re rescuing a butterfly or just admiring the azaleas from your kitchen window, I encourage you to join us in taking some extra time to connect with nature this month.

With Gratitude,

contact us Publisher/Editor Meredith Montgomery Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com Assistant Editor Martin Miron Contributors Josh Montgomery, Anne Wilson Michael Wilson Design and Production Meredith Montgomery Natural Awakenings Mobile/Baldwin P.O. Box 725, Fairhope, AL 36533 Phone: 251-990-9552 Fax: 251-281-2375

HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscribe to the free digital magazine at HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com. Mailed subscriptions are available by sending $30 (for 12 issues) to the above address. © 2015 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved. Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing.

Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers.

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

Natural Awakenings is printed on recyclable newsprint with soybased ink.

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ad_2-16_fengshui831_ad 2/15/15 2:29 PM Page 1

newsbriefs The Health Hut is Now Offering Organic Wine in Mobile The Health Hut has introduced a variety of organic wines, in both red and white, to its wide range of organic products. "Organic wines differ from nonorganic wines as they are produced without pesticides or genetically engineered grapes, and organic wines do not contain added sulfites,” says Jeff Sheldon, owner of the Health Hut. Sulfites are added to wines made in the U.S. as a flavor preservative and can result in headaches.

The organic wines are currently available only at the Mobile location. The Health Hut, locally owned for more than 35 years, specializes in vitamins, herbs, supplements and more, with locations in Mobile and Daphne.

Locations: Mobile, 680 Schillinger Rd. S., across from Home Depot (251-6330485); Daphne, 6845 U.S. Hwy. 90, across from Fresh Market (251-621-1865).

See ad, page 23.

Natural Awakenings Earns Top Franchise Business Award Natural Awakenings has been ranked in the best 50 in its size class among 200 companies named in the Franchise Business Review’s 2015 Top Franchises Report. The healthy living magazine was one of five franchise companies cited as best-in-class in the advertising and sales category. To select the top franchises across industries and performance categories, the organization surveyed more than 28,500 franchisees.

“We feel privileged that it was our franchisees’ expression of high satisfaction that earned us this award,” says Sharon Bruckman, CEO of Natural Awakenings Publishing Corp. “Gaining this recognition proves that our process of providing franchisees with editorial, promotional and operational support, partnered with their enthusiastic dedication in individual markets, serves communities well. Together, we are nourishing and growing a healthy living consciousness in America.” The network now encompasses nearly 100 franchisees nationwide and in Puerto Rico.

Franchise Business Review, headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is a national franchise market research firm that performs independent surveys of franchisee satisfaction and franchise buyer experiences. 2015 marked its 10th annual Top Franchises Report.

For more information, call Anna Romano at 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com and FranchiseBusinessReview.com. See ad, page 39.

NEWS TO SHARE?

Send submissions to Publisher@HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com or call 251-9909552. For submission guidelines, visit www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

fengshui 831 Feng Shui made Simple Meryl Hyderally 251-463-1862 fengshui831.com meryl@merylhyderally.com Energize Your Home, Energize Your Life Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast

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ddle Earth i M Healing & Learning Center Upcoming Workshops April 17-19: Medicinal Aromatherapy Certification This life changing weekend connects ancient teachings and modern cutting edge information and techniques on how to apply medicinal aromatherapy to your life, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Registration required.

CEUs available for Massage Therapists

20205 Middle Earth Rd., Citronelle, AL 251-866-7204 MidEarthHealing@yahoo.com www.MiddleEarthHealing.com natural awakenings

April 2015

7

newsbriefs Middle Earth Permaculture Homestead For Sale Owners Craig and Lisa Kalloch are offering their permaculture homestead Middle Earth, in Citronelle, for sale as they transition into a new adventure. The 42-acre property is mostly wooded and features a passive solar home heated and cooled with a geothermal system and wood stove; grid-tied photovoltaics; a Generac propane generator; rainwater catchment; chemical-free garden areas, ponds, greenhouses, a barn and a yurt.

There's room for a community of home sites and the property is already set up for cottage industries. The interconnection of technology and permaculture principles allows the homestead to function as a resilient and sustainable, whole system. "We created Middle Earth Healing and Learning Center in 2000 as the result of a vision to demonstrate the interconnection of the health of the planet and the health of people. Now it’s time for us to enter into a simpler life of less doing and more Be-ing,” say the Kallochs. Classes and tours will continue to be offered until it is sold.

For details on the home and property, visit PermacultureHomesteadForSale.com. See ad, page 7.

Mobile Farm Markets Serve Two Locations Bay area residents don’t have to go far this time of year to find fresh, locally produced foods and goods. The city of Mobile’s Market on the Square is open from 7:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays from April 25 to July 25 downtown in Cathedral Square. The Market on the Hill also has handcrafted items by local artists and operates from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursdays from May 28 to July 30 at Lavretta Park.

Both 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 251-208-1550, visit SpecialEventsMobile.org or find Market On The Square on Facebook. See ad, back cover.

Stay Connected!

Keep up with all things healthy and green. Like "Natural Awakenings" on Facebook and follow @NaturallyAwake on Twitter and Instagram.

8

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

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Time to Register for Fall Volunteer Program The Baldwin County Extension Office Master Environmental Education (MEE) program is accepting volunteer applications for the 2015-2016 classes until May 1.

The goals of the MEE program are to educate the residents of Baldwin County to gain an appreciation of the environment, become good environmental stewards, protect the coastal environment and provide opportunities for youth and adults to enjoy the outdoors.

Volunteers from throughout Baldwin County participate in an intensive, two-day MEE training in August each year. The master environmental educators give back at least 20 hours a year to the community by teaching lessons in the classroom and setting up exhibits at festivals like the Baldwin County Fair and Earth Day.

Volunteers do not need to be trained educators or environmental experts. The only prerequisites are the ability to communicate in front of groups, relate to children and adults and a willingness to learn new information. Training and materials are provided to volunteers at no cost.

For more information, call 251-9377176, email Jim0008@auburn.edu or visit aces.edu/counties/Baldwin.

Soul Shine Yoga Expands in Fairhope Soul Shine Yoga has opened a second location, Soul Shine South, at 456 Morphy Avenue, in Fairhope, offering traditional hatha and vinyasa yoga classes, as well as foundations, restorative, therapeutic, yin and core yoga. All classes at Soul Shine South are unheated. Soul Shine Yoga, at 103-B North Bancroft Street, will continue to focus on hot power classes.

Founded in 2014, Soul Shine Yoga is about creating community on and off the mat. The transformative practice of yoga holds physical and mental benefits for all, and the addition of almost 20 classes means that everyone can find a class suitable to their needs. In addition to group classes, Soul Shine also offers individual and group private yoga sessions and workshops to deepen and explore each practice.

For more information and a full schedule, visit TheSoulShineLife.com. See ad, page 31.

Celebrate Earth Day with Savings Fairhope Health Foods, Virginia's Health Food Stores and the Sunflower Cafés are celebrating Earth Day with great in-store deals during the month of April. All Nordic Naturals, New Chapter, Renew Life, and Garden of Life products will be sold for 20 percent off the regular price.

David Manning, manager of Fairhope Health Foods, says, “Come visit both of our stores at the annual Earth Day Mobile Bay event at Fairhope Pier Park on April 18. We will have lots of free samples of supplements, cleaning products, pet products and snacks to give away to everyone visiting our booths.”

There will also be information packets at the event and sign-ups for product raffles (sign up in the stores, too). The Sunflower Café will be at the event with organic food and drinks.

kudos Architect Debbie Coleman, of Mobile, completed the Zebra Cottage as her final project of a recent 10week intensive Zero Net Energy Homes course. With a sun-inspired design that balances window positions and building geometry for a bright interior and energy-efficient shape at its foundation, the Zebra Cottage uses the free and natural energy of the sun.

Photovoltaic panels create electricity from the sun, and when the home is producing more energy than it needs, the excess goes into the electric grid.

When the home is consuming more energy than it is making, it uses electricity from the grid. On an annual basis, a Zero Net Energy Home creates more electricity than it uses.

For more information on Zero Net Energy and sun-inspired homes, visit SunPlans GulfCoast.com. See listing, page 42.

Ahhh...

Springtime, Meet Your True Love!

For more information, call the Mobile store at 251479-3952, the Fairhope store at 251-928-0644 or visit VA-FairhopeHealthFoods.com. See ad, page 3.

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April 2015

9

healthbriefs

Acupuncture Increases Quality of Life for Allergy Sufferers

R

esearch from Berlin’s Charité University Medical Center suggests that acupuncture is an effective treatment for patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. Published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, in 2013, the study analyzed data on the costs and quality of life of 364 allergy patients that had been randomly assigned to receive one of three treatments: rescue medication alone (taken when symptoms are greatest); acupuncture treatment plus rescue medication; or sham (nontherapeutic) acupuncture plus rescue medication. Patients receiving acupuncture incurred higher total treatment costs, but also gained significantly more quality of life compared with the rescue medication-only groups.

Strawberries Reduce Blood Pressure

A

study published in the World Journal of Diabetes concluded that the regular consumption of a flavonoidrich strawberry beverage reduces blood pressure in people with Type 2 diabetes. The study divided 36 subjects, all with moderately high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, into two groups—the first drank the equivalent of one serving of fresh strawberries per day made from freeze-dried berries, and the other group drank the same amount of an imitation strawberry-flavored drink over a six-week period. Blood pressure was tested at the beginning and end of the study for all participants.

At the end, the group drinking the real strawberry beverage registered significantly lower diastolic blood pressure than at the outset; it was also lower than the imitation strawberry group. The average diastolic blood pressure of the group drinking real strawberries went down by 6.5 percent and the systolic dropped by 12 percent. The strawberry-flavored group’s systolic blood pressure was also reduced, but only by 3.7 percent.

THE COLOR GREEN MAKES EXERCISE FEEL EASIER

R

esearch from the University of Essex, in England, suggests that viewing natural green images while exercising may be better than being exposed to other colors. The researchers tested 14 people doing moderate-intensity cycling while watching video footage of predominantly gray, red or green imagery. Each of the participants underwent three cycling tests—one with each of the videos— along with a battery of physiological and mood testing.

The researchers found that when the subjects watched the green-colored video, they had better moods, with a lower relative perception of exertion than when they exercised while watching the red and grey videos. They also found those that exercised while watching the red video experienced greater feelings of anger during their exercise.

10

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Memory Works Better Reading Real Books

R

esearchers from Norway’s Stavanger University and France’s AixMarseille Université found that readers remember a story better if it’s on paper.

The study tested 50 people that read the same 28-page short story. Half of the group read the paper version and the other half read the story on a Kindle e-reader. The researchers discovered that readers of the digital version could not remember details from the story or reconstruct the plot as well as the group that read the paper copy.

The researchers found that the feedback of a Kindle doesn’t provide the same support for mental reconstruction of a story as a print pocket book does. “When you read on paper, you can sense with your fingers a pile of pages on the left growing, and shrinking on the right,” explains Stavanger University’s Anne Mangen, Ph.D.

These findings confirm a study performed a year earlier, also led by Mangen. Seventy-two 10th-graders were given text to read either on paper or on a computer screen. The students that read the paper text versions scored significantly higher in reading comprehension testing than those reading digital versions.

Local Toxins Increase Risk of Autism

C

onfirming previous findings, a large study from the University of Chicago has found that autism is linked to toxic environmental exposure. The research examined data from nearly a third of the U.S. population, which showed that both autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities increased as exposure increased in region-by-region testing.

The research measured clusters of autism incidence together with exposure rates in different counties and states across the country. The areas with greater environmental toxin exposures had significantly increased autism rates.

The correlation was significant among both boys and girls, but stronger among girls. Proximity to urban areas also increased autism incidence. For every 1 percent increase in urbanization, there was about a 3 percent rise in autism and intellectual disabilities. Influential toxins include pesticides, plasticizers, lead and pharmaceuticals.

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Olive Oil Boosts Healthy Cholesterol

I

n an effort to understand what makes olive oil so good for heart health, a study from Europe’s Cardiovascular Risk and Nutrition Research Group and the U.S. National Institutes of Health has found that olive oil’s polyphenols significantly increase the size of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL) in the blood and enhance the HDL’s ability to inhibit formation of the abnormal fatty deposits, known as plaque, within the walls of arteries. Polyphenols are natural compounds from plants known to help prevent cancer and heart disease.

In the three-week study, researchers isolated the effect of polyphenols by dividing 47 healthy European men into two groups: one ate a diet containing polyphenol-poor olive oil and the other consumed polyphenol-rich olive oil. The enriched diet resulted in increased size, fluidity and stability (resistance to oxidation) of the HDL molecules by reducing their triglyceride core. The researchers note that the oxidation of cholesterol lipids such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is linked with arteriosclerosis.

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April 2015

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

Vanishing Wildlife

50 Percent Gone in Under 50 years The latest World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Living Planet Report shows that the Living Planet Index (LPI), which measures more than 10,000 representative populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, has declined by 52 percent since 1970. The report is widely considered the leading science-based analysis on the health of our planet and the impact of human activity (Tinyurl.com/WWF-Living-Planet-Report).

In fewer than two human generations, populations of vertebrate species—the life forms that constitute the fabric of life-sustaining ecosystems and serve as a barometer of how humans are impacting nature—have dropped by half. Nature conservation and sustainable development go hand-in-hand; it’s not only about preserving biodiversity and wild places, but about safeguarding the future of humanity.

Living Planet Report partners include the Zoological Society of London, Global Footprint Network and Water Footprint Network. Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International, states, “We need leadership for change. Sitting on the bench waiting for someone else to make the first move, doesn’t work.

Heads of state need to start thinking globally; businesses and consumers need to stop behaving as if we live in a limitless world.”

Thriving Eco-Towns

Malaysian Villages Model Sustainability

photo by MIGHT

Innovations being successfully pioneered in Malaysia offer ideas for improving the world, according to the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), including the construction of high-tech, self-sustaining ecological “smart” villages.

These villages are lifting incomes for scores of rural families while promoting environmental sustainability. Each 50acre community consists of about 100 affordable homes, advanced educational, training and recreational facilities and an integrated, sustainable farm system that provides villagers with food and employment that on average, triples their monthly income.

Low-cost, 1,000-square-foot homes are built in 10 days and the communal farming operations include a cascading series of fish tanks, or “aquafarms”.

Filtered fish tank wastewater irrigates trees, grain fields and high-value plants grown in “autopots”, a three-piece container with a valve that detects soil moisture levels and releases water as required, reducing the need for fertilizers and pesticides. Free-range chickens feed on the fast-reproducing worms that process the plant compost.

This system optimizes nutrient absorption, minimizes waste and enables crops to be grown on previously non-arable land. The village’s solar-generated power is complemented by biomass energy and mini-hydro electricity. A community hall, resource center, places of worship, playgrounds and educational facilities equipped with 4G Internet service support e-learning and e-health services.

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Mobile / Baldwin Edition

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Corporate Do-Gooders

U.S. Recognizes Companies for Earth-Sound Policies Each year, the U.S. Department of State presents Awards for Corporate Excellence recognizing U.S.-owned businesses that play vital roles worldwide as good corporate citizens. Parameters include supporting sustainable development, respect for human and labor rights, environmental protection, open markets, transparency and other democratic values.

The 2014 winners, announced last December, include the EcoPlanet Bamboo Group, in Nicaragua, for fostering sustainable development by regenerating degraded pasturelands.

The company dedicates 20 percent of its plantations as natural habitat that protects biodiversity by prohibiting illegal hunting. EcoPlanet also focuses on employing persons with disabilities and empowering women through recruitment to managerial positions.

Wagner Asia Equipment, LLC, in Mongolia, a heavy equipment dealership, is recognized for its commitment to public/private partnerships with Mongolia’s local and national governments designed to protect the environment. Initiatives include planting more than 900 trees, conducting workshops for students on environment and ecology, implementing a project to build a community garden and rehabilitating a toxic waste site.

Other finalists include the Coca-Cola Company, in the Philippines; Chevron Corporation, in Burma; ContourGlobal, in Togo; General Electric, in South Africa; General Electric International, in Tunisia; GlassPoint Solar, in Oman; and the Linden Centre, in China.

For more information on finalists, visit Tinyurl.com/ACE2014Finalists.

Soil Salvation

Organic Farming May Counteract Greenhouse Effect The nonprofit Rodale Institute, the United Nations and the Soil Association are reporting that modern, chemicalintensive industrial farming is stripping the soil’s natural ability to take carbon back out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store it in the soil. Rodale researchers say that by returning to small-scale organic farming, more than 40 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions could be captured in the soil, and if the entire world’s pasture and rangelands were managed using regenerative techniques, an additional 71 percent of those emissions could be sequestered.

Further, organic practices could counteract the world’s yearly carbon dioxide output while producing the same amount of food as conventional farming. Rodale claims that using regenerative organic agriculture—like low or no-tillage, cover crops and crop rotation—will keep photosynthesized carbon dioxide in the soil, instead of returning it to the atmosphere. The institute cites 75 studies from peerreviewed journals, including its own 33-year Farming Systems Trial, which directly compare organic farming with conventional farming.

Source: OrganicConsumers.org

Curbside Composting

No Food Scraps Need Go to Waste People in the United States waste more than a third of all of the food they produce, but more than 180 cities and towns are beginning to realize that wasted food can be valuable; they are asking residents to separate unwanted food from the rest of their trash and put it in a curbside compost bin. The idea is to stop sending food waste to the landfill, where it generates harmful methane gas pollution, and start turning it into something useful, like compost.

In 2011, Portland, Oregon, launched a curbside compost program in which residents are encouraged to put food scraps into the city’s green yard waste bin.

Since then, the amount of garbage sent to the landfill has decreased by 37 percent.

According to Bruce Walker, the city’s solid waste and recycling program manager, the program also reduces the environmental footprint of the trash heap.

Getting people to separate their food waste, however, can be difficult. To motivate its residents to put more food waste in the compost bin, the city of Seattle, Washington, has proposed both making curbside composting mandatory and fining residents a dollar every time they put a disproportionate volume of food waste in their trash.

Source: NetNebraska.org

Your Path to Self-Discovery & Personal Wellness

Buzzing Buddies

‘Flying Doctor’ Bees Prevent Cherry Disease University of Adelaide researchers are introducing a “flying doctor” method of employing bees as preventive medicine. Project leader and bee researcher Katja Hogendoorn, Ph.D., says, “All commercial cherry growers spray during flowering to control the later development of cherry brown rot.

Instead of spraying fungicide, we’re using bees to deliver a biological control agent right to the flowers, where it’s needed.” The innovative delivery works via entomovectoring.

This is a new technique for Australia, with potential application in many horticultural industries. The biological control agent contains spores of a parasitic fungus that prevents another fungus that causes the brown rot from colonizing the flower. Future applications of the small, winged medics are expected to become available for disease control in almonds, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, apples, pears and stone fruit.

Source: Adelaide.edu.au

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natural awakenings

April 2015

13

14

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ecotip Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

Sustainable Shopping Tips

Smart Choices Help Our Home Planet The buy local movement and popularity of local farmers’ markets continue to grow, but we can do even better when it comes to sustainable shopping.

A recent Greendex.com survey on environmental impacts of consumer behaviors in 18 countries reports that more Americans are eating local and organic foods and say they’re going to consume less meat and bottled water. Nevertheless, we continue to eat the most processed and packaged foods and the fewest fruits and vegetables of all the countries surveyed. Evidently, we need to literally put our money where our mouths are.

The Greendex survey cites several basic ways to make our diets more sustainable. These include eating more vegetables and less beef and lamb (recognizing the greater environmental impact of raising animals); participating and supporting community supported agriculture and fishery initiatives; economizing meal planning; and storing food properly in the refrigerator to maximize space and freshness periods.

When grocery shopping, peruse the perimeter aisles first, where whole foods are stocked, instead of the interior shelves, which typically comprise processed foods according to MotherEarthLiving.com.

More cooperation between the public and private sectors and individual involvement can also increase sustainability in communities around the world. Rachael Durrant, Ph.D., a research fellow with the UK-based Sustainable Lifestyles Research Group, cites in a recent paper the need for improved understanding of the key roles that civil society organizations play within processes of large-scale social change and warned that many communities are vulnerable to grave environmental and social risks.

Durrant lauds “greener, fairer and healthier practices, such as community gardening or cookery classes,” plus “those that change the rules of the game through campaigns or lobbying to coordinate and facilitate activities of other groups.” Supporting food and farming management that’s independent, cooperative and welcomes volunteers, for example, is highly beneficial.

Eco Artists|Interactive Art

~Francis of Assisi

EARTH

without art is just eh.

GREENDRINKS

earthdaycelebration

Tuesday, April 14th Children’s Activities from 5-7PM Live Music|Beer Specials at Fairhope Brewing Company Food from Sunflower Cafe Free and open to the public MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com Facebook.com/MobileBayGreenDrinks natural awakenings

April 2015

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earthdayevents

EARTH

CWRC will feature an informative booth, volunteer opportunity sign-up, milkweed plant sale (to attract butterflies), tours of the center and fun art projects for children. Graham Creek will host the Earth Day Scramble, a scavenger hunt race, and CWRC will be a stop along the route.

DAY 2015

For more information, call 251-752-9453 or email cwrc.sa@gmail.com.

Hope for Our Future

Earth Day Mobile Bay 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., April 18 Fairhope Pier Park, Fairhope

by Julianne Hale

This is Alabama’s largest Earth Day celebration, honoring the Earth and the beautiful Mobile Bay. The 45th 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.

W

hen we learn about the condition of our most valuable resource—this spinning planet we call home—we may feel a sense of urgency, desperation or even defeat.

Global climate change is a powerful foe, and current efforts may seem like a losing race against time.

Yet, mounting evidence suggests that the global community is making progress, giving rise to the possibility that climate change may not be the insurmountable obstacle we once thought. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) article, “We Can Do This: 10 Reasons there’s Hope for our Climate,” by Dan Upham, summarizes a speech given by EDF President Fred Krupp at the 2014 Aspen Ideas Festival (Tinyurl.com/HopeForTheClimate).

Here are some encouraging highlights.

The price of solar energy panels has dropped by 75 percent in the U.S. since 2008, and affordable wind energy is increasingly available. According to a study published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, carbon dioxide emissions from energy in this country dropped by 10 percent between 2005 and 2012. In addition, China, the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases, is actively seeking ways to reduce emissions.

Proof of progress is also found in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan to cut billions of tons of pollution, a goal supported by twothirds of Americans, according to a survey conducted by Harstad Strategic Research.

Aligned with this, the government is requiring that manufacturers double automobile fuel mileage by 2025.

Perhaps the best argument for

16

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

hope reflects the priorities of America’s younger generations. A recent bipartisan poll of young voters conducted by Benenson Strategy Group and GS Strategy Group suggests that 80 percent of voters under the age of 35 support the president taking action to address climate change, making it an issue that both major political parties must take seriously.

It’s time to realize that mankind is making decided progress, that the majority of us do care, that what local communities accomplish has a positive effect and that the global community can take the steps needed to avert catastrophic climate change.

Become a part of the solution by attending one or more of the community events listed here.

Green Drinks Earth Day Celebration 5 to 7 p.m., April 14 Fairhope Brewing Company, Fairhope The April Green Drinks event will celebrate Earth Day with eco-artist displays, an interactive art project, children’s activities, beer specials, food and live music in a relaxed atmosphere. Free (except drinks).

For more information, call 251-2797517, email MobileBayGreenDrinks@ gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/ MobileBayGreenDrinks. See ad, page 15.

Coastal Wildlife Rescue Center (CWRC) Earth Day Celebration April 18 Graham Creek Nature Preserve, Foley In support of Earth Day and Baldwin County’s first and only wildlife center,

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For more information, call 702-496-5050 or visit EarthDayMobileBay.org. See ad, page 4.

Bald Eagle Bash 4 to 7 p.m., April 18 Tonsmeire Resource Center, Fairhope This party for preservation is Weeks Bay Foundation’s annual fundraiser. The family-friendly event will feature shrimp dishes prepared by 14 of the area’s best seafood restaurants, drinks and live music by the Modern Eldorados. Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 the day of the event. Kids 10 and under are free.

For more information, call 251-990-5004 or visit BaldEagleBash.com.

Springhill Hospital Earth Day and Farmers’ Market 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., April 22 Springhill Medical Center (Breezeway Drive), Mobile 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

April 2015

17

Nature’s Wisdom Its Lessons Inspire, Heal and Sustain Us

by Christine MacDonald

The environment is not separate from ourselves; we are inside it and it is inside us; we make it and it makes us. ~ Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, Amazon shaman

W

hile the idea that we humans stand apart from—or even above—nature is a prevailing theme in much of modern civilization, naturalists and other clever souls throughout the ages have observed that the opposite is true: We are part of, depend on and evolve with nature—and we ignore this vital connection at our peril.

“If one way is better than another, that you may be sure is nature’s way,” admonished the Greek philosopher Aristotle, in the third century B.C.E.

“Time destroys the speculation of men, but it confirms the judgment of nature,” Roman politician and philosopher Cicero ruminated two centuries later.

Nobel Prize-winning physicist and philosopher Albert Einstein remarked, “Look deep into nature, and then you will 18

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

understand everything better.”

Today, more of us are looking to nature for ways to improve physical, mental and emotional health, develop intelligence, innovate, overhaul how we build homes and neighborhoods, and raise our children.

Healthful Nature

As Henry David Thoreau wrote in his classic 1854 book Walden, “We need the tonic of wildness.”

While we know firsthand how walking in the woods can elevate mood, scientists have documented that a regular dose of nature has other far-reaching benefits.

It can lower stress hormone levels, blood pressure and undesirable cholesterol; help heal neurological problems; hasten fuller recovery from surgery and heart

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attacks; increase cancer-fighting white blood cells; and generally aid overall health (Health Promotion International research report; also Nippon Medical School study, Tokyo).

Regular playtime outdoors helps children cope with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders, according to research published in Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care.

Exposure to nature can help adults escape from today’s wired lives; reinvigorate, be fitter and less likely to suffer from obesity, diabetes and heart disease, as reported in studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and a University of Washington research summary. It can also unlock understanding of the spiritual essence of life.

Hours regularly spent by youth outdoors stimulate imagination and creativity and enhance cognitive development, helping them learn.

Nature also helps youngsters develop social awareness, helping them better navigate human relations (Tinyurl.com/OutdoorHealthBenefits Research).

“It’s strange and kind of sad that we are so removed from nature that we actually have to ask why nature is good for us,” says Dr. Eva Selhub, a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, author of the new book Your Health Destiny, and co-author of Your Brain on Nature. “The fact is our brains and bodies are wired in concert with nature.”

Recognition of nature’s positive effects has grown so much in recent years that physicians increasingly write their patients “prescriptions” to go hiking in the woods, counting on the healthy exercise and exposure to sunlight, nature and soothing views to address health problems stemming from poor diets and sedentary lifestyles. Healthcare clinics and hospitals in Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Indianapolis, Albuquerque, New Mexico, California’s Bay Area and elsewhere have launched Prescription Trails programs aimed at objectives from preventing obesity in

children to healthful activities for retirees (Tinyurl.com/AmericanHealthTrails).

Bestselling author Richard Louv calls the positive nature effect “vitamin N” in The Nature Principle. He contends: “Many of us, without having a name for it, are using the nature tonic. We are, in essence, self-medicating with an inexpensive and unusually convenient drug substitute.”

Such ideas are commonly accepted in many cultures. The Japanese believe in the restorative power of shinrin-yoku, which could be translated as “forest medicine” or “forest bathing”. Indigenous peoples like the Brazilian tribe led

by Shaman Davi Kopenawa Yanomami, fighting to preserve their land and way of life in the Amazon, profess to be at one with the innate riches of sustainable rainforests (SurvivalInternational.org/parks).

Innovative Nature

Scientists, inventors and other innovators are increasingly inspired by nature. Biomimicry, part social movement and part burgeoning industry, looks to how Earth’s natural systems work and solve problems.

University of Utah researchers, inspired

Scientific studies show that a regular dose of nature has far-reaching health benefits. More doctors now write “nature” prescriptions for their patients. by the durable homes built by sandcastle worms, are creating a synthetic glue that one day could help repair fractured bones.

Architectural components manufacturer Panelite makes energy-efficient insulated glass by mimicking the hexagonal structure that bees use in honeycombs.

(Find other precedents at Tinyurl.com/ BiomimicryCaseExamples).

The inspiration for biomimicry comes from many places, says Dayna Baumeister, Ph.D. co-founder of Biomimicry 3.8, a Missoula, Montana, company working with other companies and universities to propel biomimicry into the mainstream.

“People are recognizing that they’ve

been disconnected to the natural world,” she says. “We also realize that [as a species] we are in trouble. We don’t have all the answers, but we can look to other species for inspiration” for clearing pollutants from our bodies and environments.

Plants and fungi are now commonly used to clean up old industrial sites that resemble nature’s way of removing pollutants from water and soil. A University of California, Berkeley, meta-study confirms that farmers currently using organic farming methods and solar power achieve roughly the same crop yields as conventional techniques with far less dependence on fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gases and petrochemical pesticide and fertilizer pollution.

Cyclical Nature

These breakthrough technologies emulate the way nature uses the building blocks of life in an endless cycle of birth, reproduction, decay and rebirth. It’s part of a broad rethinking of the principles behind sustainability—building, manufacturing and living in greater harmony with natural systems, perhaps eventually

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Man is everywhere a disturbing agent. Wherever he plants his foot, the harmonies of nature are turned to discord. The proportions and accommodations that ensured the stability of existing arrangements are overthrown. Of all organic beings, man alone is to be regarded as essentially a destructive power. ~George Perkins Marsh, Man and Nature (1864) eliminating landfills, air and water pollution, and toxic site cleanups.

“A toxin is a material in the wrong place,” says architect William McDonough, of Charlottesville, Virginia. The only individual recipient of the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, he is co-author of Cradle-to-Cradle, a groundbreaking book that calls for reenvisioning even the nastiest waste, and The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability— Designing for Abundance. McDonough imagines a world where waste becomes raw material for new buildings, furniture and other goods—akin to how a forest reuses every deceased tree and animal to nourish the ecosystem and spawn new life.

With 80 percent of U.S. residents currently living in urban areas, architects, builders and municipal planners are likewise pivoting toward nature, prompted by the scientific evidence of the many ways that human health and general well-being rely upon it. While this contact is preferably the kind of “stopping by woods” that inspired New England poet Robert Frost, even a walk in a city park will work.

“Urban nature, when provided as parks and walkways and incorporated into building design, provides calming and inspiring environments and encourages learning, inquisitiveness and alertness,” reports the University of Washington’s College of the Environment, in Green Cities: Good Health.

The American Planning Association stresses the importance of integrating green space into urban neighborhoods. Not only does so-called “metro nature” improve air and water quality and reduce urban heat island effects, urban wilds such as Pittsburgh’s Nine Mile Run and Charlotte, North Carolina’s Little Sugar Creek Greenway also restore natural connections in densely populated city centers.

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Natural Intelligence

A growing number of scientists say that research about our place in nature has sparked fresh thinking about our role and devastated quaint notions about our species’ superiority. “Single-celled slime molds solve mazes. Brainless plants make correct decisions and bees with brains the size of pinheads handle abstract concepts,” points out Anthropologist Jeremy Narby, author of the groundbreaking book Intelligence in Nature.

At a national conference of Bioneers, an organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and San Francisco that gathers nature-minded social and scientific innovators, Narby said: “We are nearly identical to many animals. Many behaviors once thought to be exclusively human are shared by other species. The zone of the specifically human, as determined by science, has been shrinking.”

We haven’t lost the ability to tap that primal animal inside, even if most of us are more likely to “venture into the forest” by watching a movie or playing video games. We may feel cut off from our instincts, but studies show time in the woods can do wonders to restore the keenness of our senses to connect with the subtle changes in natural habitat, the movements of other species and the changing seasons.

The rise of human civilizations may have taken “survival of the fittest” in new directions, often decidedly tamer ones, but experts ranging from scientific researchers to lifestyle analysts say humankind is still hardwired by our more primitive past.

Despite the ingenious ways we’ve devised to exploit other life forms, capitalize on Earth’s resources and protect ourselves from nature’s sometimes terrifying power, our fate remains linked to natural laws and limits, from nurturing our body’s immune

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system to resolving planet-sized problems like climate change.

“‘Nature’ is our natural environment,” according to Selhub. We don’t have to move to the country to reconnect, she says. “Even spending 20 minutes a day outside has an effect.” Houseplants, nature photos and aromatherapy Earth scents can also help indoor environments better reflect our own nature.

The wealth of research and common sense wisdom is aptly summed up by celebrated author Wendell Berry in The Long-Legged House. “We have lived our lives by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world.

We have been wrong. We must change our lives so that it’ll be possible to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it.”

Christine MacDonald is a freelance journalist in Washington, D.C., whose specialties include health and science.

Visit ChristineMacDonald.info.

True-Life ‘Aha!’ Reads 10 Lessons from Nature to Inspire Our Everyday Lives

by David Miller, Tinyurl.com/10InspiringLessons FromNature 9 Amazing Lessons from Nature to Inspire Your Everyday Life

by Annie Hauser, Tinyurl.com/9InspiringLessons FromNature Intelligence in Nature

by Jeremy Narby Life Lessons from Nature

by Elvis Newman Cathedrals of the Spirit

by T. C. McLuhan Your Brain on Nature

by Eva Selhub

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Strong Winds Strong Roots What Trees Teach Us About Life

by Dennis Merritt Jones

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great experiment in the desert called the biodome created a living environment for human, plant and animal life. A huge glass dome was constructed to house an artificial, controlled environment with purified air and water, healthy soil and filtered light. The intent was to afford perfect growing conditions for trees, fruits and vegetables, as well as humans.

People lived in the biodome, for many months at a time, and everything seemed to do well with one exception.

When the trees grew to a certain height, they would topple over. It baffled scientists until they realized they forgot to include the natural element of wind.

Trees need wind to blow against them because it causes their root systems to grow deeper, which supports the tree as it grows taller.

Who among us doesn’t long for a perfect growing environment for ourselves, with no disruptions from outside influences? We strive to avoid the times of contrast and tension, when

life’s daily challenges push against us.

When they do, the normal tendency is to curse them. If trees could talk, would we hear them curse the wind each time they encountered a storm?

We can learn a great deal from nature’s wisdom at work if we are open to the lesson. Watch how a tree bends and sways gracefully when the wind blows against it. It does not stand rigid, resisting the flow of energy. It does not push back. The tree accepts the strong wind as a blessing that helps it grow.

Such experiences develop our character and deepen our spiritual roots. When we grow deep, we too, stand tall.

Dennis Merritt Jones, D.D., is the author of Your Re-Defining Moments, The Art of Uncertainty and The Art of Being, the source of this essay. He has contributed to the human potential movement and field of spirituality as a minister, teacher, coach and lecturer for 30 years. Learn more at DennisMerrittJones.com.

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healingways

Spring Greening Easy Ways to Detox a House

by Lane Vail

F

or most individuals, odorous chemicals are simply unpleasant. For those that are sensitive and susceptible, however, even common chemical exposures may evoke a toxicant-induced loss of tolerance (TILT) marked by multiplesystem symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, autoimmune disease, asthma, depression and food intolerance. Since the post-World War II expansion of petrochemicals, the incidence of TILT has increased dramatically, says Claudia Miller, a medical doctor, researcher and professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and co-author of Chemical Exposures: Low Levels and High Stakes.

“Fortunately, public awareness has also grown significantly in the last few years,” says Rick Smith, Ph.D., a Canadian environmentalist who co-authored Toxin Toxout. “Now companies and governments worldwide are moving toward making safer products.”

We can support progress by leveraging some practical tips in greening our home.

Start somewhere. Many volatile 22

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

organic compounds (VOC) that include formaldehyde and benzene are concealed in household items such as couches, chairs, particleboard furniture, mattresses, box springs, carpeting, rugs, synthetic flooring, wallpaper and paint.

Green TV host and Fresh Living author Sara Snow implores us not to become overwhelmed, disheartened or fearful.

“Creating a healthy home is a gradual process that doesn’t require throwing all the furniture out,” she advises. Start by scrutinizing labels and choosing not to bring new toxins in.

For example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is widely found to be associated with reproductive toxicity and is found in many waterproofed and flexible plastics.

Select PVC-free toys, shower curtain liners and mattress covers.

In the kitchen, avoid potentially carcinogenic perfluorinated chemicals (PFC) found in nonstick coatings of pots and pans. Toss the Teflon when it scratches, says Snow, and upgrade to stainless steel or cast iron. Weed out bisphenols, the DNA-disrupting chemicals found in plastics and epoxy resin can liners. Even

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“BPA-free” products likely contain alternative and equally harmful substances, according to a recent study published in Chemosphere. Choose clear glass instead of plastic containers.

When remodeling, look for zeroVOC items, Miller says, plus materials free of stain-resistant sprays and flame retardants whose efficacy is questionable. Consider natural fiber rugs like jute or wool. Forest Stewardship Council-certified hardwoods or alternative flooring like cork or glass tile are safer investments in long-term well-being.

Clean green. Conventional cleaners are among the worst offenders, and even some “eco-cleaners” can be deceptively unsafe, says Smith. He recommends avoiding antibacterial products containing triclosan, which proliferates antibiotic-resistant bacteria that prolong and exacerbate illnesses, as well as phthalates, a chemical oil that carries artificial aromas and has been repeatedly linked to cancer and abnormal fetal development.

“Even so-called natural fragrances are often complex petrochemicals that outgas and contaminate the air,” notes Miller.

Snow advises formulating products at home using staple pantry ingredients, including distilled white vinegar for disinfecting, baking soda for scouring, liquid castile soap for sudsing, lemon juice for degreasing and olive oil for polishing.

Freshen with fresh air. Americans spend about 90 percent of their time amid indoor air pollutants that are significantly more concentrated than outdoor pollutants, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports. “Most energy-efficient homes are well sealed with ventilation systems that recirculate indoor air, so opening the windows helps dilute accumulated airborne toxins,” says Miller. Snow further recommends bringing air-purifying plants into the home such as Gerbera daisies, bamboo palms and English ivy.

Vacuum and dust. Vacuuming with a high-efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) filter and dusting with a moist cloth eliminates allergens such as pet dander, mites, pollen and mold, and helps remove phthalates, flame retardants, lead and pesticides that “latch onto house dust and accumulate in dust bunnies,” says Smith.

Even small changes can measurably reduce your family’s daily exposure to healthdamaging chemicals. ~Rick Smith

Weed out lawn chemicals. “Organophosphate pesticides are profoundly neurotoxic,” says Miller, especially to the developing brains of children. Instead try integrated pest management, which involves controlling pests’ food sources and applying non-toxic deterrents.

Eliminating potentially carcinogenic herbicides might mean managing more weeds, says Snow, but it’s worth it.

Eat green. “Buying produce as close to its source as possible, from a farmer or farmers’ market, provides threefold benefits,” says Snow—less wasteful packaging, reduced exposure to chemical plastics and greater concentration of health-promoting nutrients. Buy in bulk and favor glass containers or rectangular cardboard cartons.

Take tests. Radon, an invisible, odorless gas that can emanate from the ground and accumulate in homes, annually causes 21,000 U.S. lung cancer deaths, according to the U.S. EPA. Lead, a neurotoxin that may occasionally leach from home water pipes, can also hide in pre-1978 paint. Testing for both and implementing reduction or precautionary measures is simple, advises Smith. Most hardware stores stock test kits.

Take action. Join with other concerned citizens by launching a pertinent petition at Change.org; campaigning with organizations like the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) or Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families (SaferChemicals.org); and supporting cleaner, greener companies with family purchases.

Lane Vail is a freelance writer and blogger at DiscoveringHomemaking.com.

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greenliving

Home-Grown Organic Made Easy 10 Time-Saving Tips for a Healthy Garden

by Barbara Pleasant

Organic gardening experts share strategies for growing a great garden and having a life, too.

T

he arrival of planting season has a stunning effect on veggie gardeners. We talk to our seedlings as if they were children, and don’t mind working until dark if that’s what it takes to get the fingerling potatoes in the ground. Then, complications like crabgrass and cabbageworms appear, and keeping up with all the details feels impossible. We can lighten looming chores by using these time-saving tips, which will reduce later workloads when storms and the hot summer sun threaten to squelch the magic.

Mulch to reduce watering and prevent weeds. “You can cut your watering time in half by mulching crops with a three-to-four-inch layer of straw or shredded leaves,” says Niki 24

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Jabbour, award-winning author of The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener and Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans That Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden. “Crops like tomatoes, potatoes, kale, broccoli, cucumbers and squash all benefit from a deep mulch, which reduces the need to water and also prevents weeds, saving even more time.”

Grow herbs in convenient containers. Family cooks will harvest kitchen herbs every day, in all kinds of weather, so don’t waste footsteps. Grow some parsley, basil and other herbs in large containers near the kitchen door.

Try promising perennials. Plant them once, and vegetables like asparagus and rhubarb come back year after

year in cold winter climates like the Midwest and Northeast. Where winters are mild, artichokes or chayote (pear squash) are long-lived and productive.

Many resilient herbs will return each spring, too, including sage, mints, thyme and oregano. Tarragon and marjoram make trusty perennial herbs in the Sun Belt.

Stock up on organic seeds. “As a year-round vegetable gardener, I try to come up with a list of all the seeds I’ll need for every season when I place annual seed orders,” Jabbour says. “That way, I will place fewer orders and have everything on hand at the proper planting time, saving both time and money.”

Organic seeds in consumer seed catalogs and retail racks won’t be genetically modified or treated with pesticides.

Be generous with organic compost.

With each planting, mix in organic compost along with a balanced organic fertilizer. Food crops grown in organically enriched soil are better able to resist challenges from pests and diseases, which simplifies summer tasks.

Grow flowers to attract beneficial insects. Reducing or eliminating pesticides and increasing plantings of flowers can radically improve the balance between helpful and harmful insects in a garden. Horticulturist Jessica Walliser, co-host of Pittsburgh’s The Organic Gardeners KDKA radio show and author of Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden, recommends starting with sweet alyssum, an easy-to-grow annual that can be tucked into the edges of beds or added to mixed containers.

“The tiny blossoms of sweet alyssum are adept at supporting several species of the non-stinging parasitic wasps that help keep aphids and other common pests in check,” Walliser says.

In warm climates where they are widely grown, crape myrtles have been found to serve as nurseries for lady beetles, lacewings and other beneficial insects.

Protect plants with fabric barriers.

Pest insects seeking host plants won’t find cabbage or kale if they’re hidden beneath hoops covered with fine-mesh fabric like wedding net (tulle) or garden fabric row cover. “Cover the plants the day they are transplanted into the garden,” advises Walliser. As long as the edges are securely tucked in, row covers

will also protect plants from wind, hail, rabbits and deer.

Hoe briefly each day. Commit 10 minutes a day to hoeing. While slicing down young weeds, hill up soil over potatoes or clean up beds ready to be replanted. Look out for small problems to correct before they become big ones.

No more misplaced tools. Time is often wasted searching for lost weeders, pruning shears and other hand tools, which are easier to keep track of when painted in bright colors or marked with colored tape. Jabbour uses a tool stash basket placed at the garden entrance.

Stop to smell the flowers. Use moments saved to sit quietly, relax and soak up the sights, sounds and smells of the garden. Pausing to listen to the birds or watch a honeybee work a flower is part of the earned reward of any healthy garden that can’t be measured by the pound.

Barbara Pleasant, the author of numerous green thumb books, including Starter Vegetable Gardens: 24 No-Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardens, grows vegetables, herbs and fruits in Floyd, Virginia. Connect at BarbaraPleasant.com.

God is the one Living Spirit which dwells within us all. We invite you to join us as we learn to live life with grace, wisdom, gratitude, and love.

Nature always

wears the colors of the spirit. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hoping Praise Duality Judging Worship Victimization Fearful Thoughts Unconsciousness Sundays: 9:30am Meditation and 10:00am Service 1230 Montlimar Drive (off Airport) Mobile, Al 36609 251-343-0777 Email: cslmobile09@gmail.com www.centerforspiritualliving-mobile.org facebook.com/centerforspirituallivingmobile

Knowing Gratitude Oneness Acceptance Celebration Personal Responsibility Affirmative Prayer Awakening

Center for Spiritual Living-Mobile It’s like night and day.

natural awakenings

April 2015

25

The Food Artisans Next Door

Homemade Delicacies, Direct from Our Neighbors

by Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko kitchen. Besides gluten-free cookies, cakes

Neighbors in most states can now legally buy fresh breads, cookies and breads, she’s always “perfecting” her Paleo cookies, brownies and pancake mix. and preserves from local food artisans.

T

he locavore movement of eating locally produced foods continues to expand, thanks to 42 states passing cottage food laws that permit community members to make certain foods at home to sell to neighbors. Some enterprises use a contract packer to deliver on a scale not possible domestically, or even operate from a commercially licensed production facility.

From sauerkraut and distinctive jams and organic jellies to gluten- or peanutfree cakes and regional artisanal breads, some of the most flavorful products are being produced with no chemical preservatives, artificial colors or other laboratory ingredients. Nearly all are made in small batches, and usually by the owner. Many source local ingredients or serve special dietary needs largely underserved or ignored by larger food businesses.

“In a sharing economy, individuals 26

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

look less to big chain stores for their food needs and more to each other, making fresher, tastier and often healthier foods more accessible,” explains Janelle Orsi, co-founder of the Oakland, California, Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC), citing its Policies for Shareable Cities report partnered with the nonprofit Shareable.

The Specialty Food Association reports that sales of specialty foods—primarily at grocery retailers, but also cottage operators via farmers’ markets and direct orders when allowed by their state—grew 22 percent from 2010 to 2012, topping $85 billion.

Healthy as it Comes

“All of our products are made by hand and in small batches daily,” says Ruth Wardein, co-owner, with Andrew Amick, of Epiphany Gluten Free Bakery, in Naples, Florida, which she launched from her home

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Paleo recipes contain no grains, dairy, yeast or refined sugars, explains Wardein.

“They require nut and seed flours, coconut oil and natural sugars like honey or maple syrup. So they are naturally higher in protein and fiber and lower in carbs than the average gluten-free recipe.”

“We’re experimenting with the community supported agriculture model with local fruit,” says Erin Schneider. She and her husband, Rob McClure, operate Hilltop Community Farm, in LaValle, Wisconsin, which produces value-added products with organically grown crops.

“We have salsas, pickles and jams. Our black currant and honey jam is sold before it’s made. Rob’s garlic dills have their own following.” Wisconsin’s cottage food law restricts sales to only high-acid foods.

Quality over Quantity

In Royal Oaks, California, Garden Variety Cheese owner, cheesemaker and shepherd

photo courtesy of Epiphany Gluten Free Bakery, Naples, FL

consciouseating

Rebecca King feeds her 100 milking ewes organically raised, irrigated pasture grass and brewer’s grain to yield award-winning farmstead easier-to-digest sheep cheeses from her Monkeyflower Ranch. “Many first-time customers like my story as a small producer and want to buy direct from the farm. They keep buying because of the taste,” says King.

“My marinara and pizza sauces are made in small batches by hand in a home kitchen, enabling us to hot pack them to retain the ingredients’ natural favors,” says Liz James, owner of The Happy Tomato, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her sauces are also low in sodium and contain no sugar, saturated fat or gluten. James’ production is facilitated by Virginia’s home food processor license, which lets her work from home and sell wholesale. Whole Foods Market is among her major retail accounts.

When home-based cottage food businesses are spurred into expansion to keep up with demand, a situation sometimes complicated by state limits on sales volume, many opt for renting space in the growing number of incubator, or community, kitchens nationwide.

“We did farmers’ markets for three years and went from seven customers to thousands,” says Wardein, who now rents a commercial kitchen space. “Returning customers are the momentum that has pushed us forward.”

“By growing food in and around our own neighborhoods and cities, we decrease our dependence on an oftentimes unjust and ecologically destructive global food system and build stronger, more connected and resilient communities,” affirms Yassi Eskandari-Qajar, director of SELC’s City Policies program.

“We think it’s important to produce what grows well on our soil and then sell it, so that ecology drives economics, rather than vice versa,” says Schneider. “Random things prosper in our area, like paprika peppers, elderberries, hardy kiwi, garlic, pears and currants. It’s our job as ecologicallyminded farmers to show how delicious these foods can be.”

Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko are co-authors of the new book Homemade for Sale, a guide for launching a food business from a home kitchen, plus ECOpreneuring, Farmstead Chef and Rural Renaissance.

Learn more at HomemadeForSale.com.

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 Mobile/Baldwin businesses!

FARMERS' MARKETS CHASING FRESH MARKET

85 North Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-517-5800 • ChasingFresh.com 8am-5pm, Mon-Sat; 11am-2pm, Sun Now located in Windmill Market. The only produce market in South Alabama where everything is grown, raised and made in Alabama. Produce, honey, dairy, grains, seafood and meat. Organic and hydroponic options. Delivery available.

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GROCERY STORES FAIRHOPE HEALTH FOODS

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Comprehensive health food store featuring local products: organic produce, meat, eggs, honey and soap. See ad, page 3.

RESTAURANTS & BAKERIES SUNFLOWER CAFE I

320 Eastern Shore Shopping Center, Fairhope 251-929-0055 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com Organic cafe serving lunch Mon-Sat, dinner ThursFri and Sunday brunch. Local produce, herbs and meats used. Menu online. See ad, page 3.

SUNFLOWER CAFE II

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U-PICK FARMS WEEKS BAY PLANTATION

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ADVERTISE YOUR LOCAVORE BUSINESS ON THIS PAGE FOR $20 PER MONTH. CALL FOR DETAILS: 251-990-9552 This logo identifies businesses that accept Natural Awakenings Network (NAN) discount cards. To learn more, visit www.TinyURL. com/NANCard.

healthykids mobile bay

GREEN DRINKS

EARTH IN PERIL Children Confront Climate Change

by Avery Mack

A monthly happy hour for environmentallythoughtful folks.

NOW GATHERING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BAY.

Join us for happy hour! fairhope

2nd Tuesdays 5-7PM Fairhope Brewing Company

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In the Atmosphere

“We need to know the truth, because adults clearly aren’t doing enough to stop this.” ~Zoe, age 12

3rd Wednesdays 5-7PM Alchemy Tavern

Food sponsored by Sunflower Cafe.

For more info: Facebook.com/MobileBayGreenDrinks MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com 28

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

T

his month, Home Box John Grego.

We only have statistician Office (HBO), in col“The globe is warmer laboration with New one home. If we than it has been in the last York City’s American Mu100 years,” says climate seum of Natural History, will mess this one up, scientist Jennifer Francis, air the new documentary, where do we Ph.D., of Rutgers University, Saving My Tomorrow. Scienin New Jersey. “Any wisps of go next? tists representing the museum doubt that human activities discuss how temperature ~Hippocrates, age 8 are at fault are now gone change affects life on Planet with the wind.”

Earth, but the majority of voices are those of children. Their words At Sea cry out for universal action to prevent them “We do more damage to the planet than from inheriting what they believe is a dying we think.” planet in desperate need of healing. ~Peri, age 9

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA recently announced that last year was the hottest in 135 years of recordkeeping, with rising ocean temperatures driving the global heat index.

Nine of the 10 hottest years have occurred since 2000. The odds of this taking place randomly are about 650 million to 1, especially without an El Nino influence, according to University of South Carolina

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

In the same 100 years, sea levels have risen seven inches, mostly due to expansion as the water warms. “We have over 2 million preserved fish in our collection.

We study them to see the effect of temperature change,” says Melanie Stiassny, Ph.D., curator of ichthyology at the museum. “The mummichog fish is less than an inch long. It’s a bottom feeder and that’s where pollution like mercury lies.

When the water is warm, fish eat more and mercury is stored in their bodies.” The contaminants move up the food chain, bringing the effects of pollution to our dinner table.

A 2006 study by Nicola Beaumont, Ph.D., with the Plymouth Marine Labora-

tory UK, found that 29 percent You might be bird species that have gone of the oceans’ edible fish and extinct range from the ivorythe one to billed woodpecker (Campepseafood species have declined by 90 percent in the past 100 change the hilus principalis) to the onceyears. The international team abundant passenger pigeon world.

(Ectopistes migratorius) and of ecologists and economists Carolina parakeet (Conuropsis led by Boris Worm, Ph.D., of ~Max, age 9 carolinensis).

Dalhousie University, in HaliIn Colorado, 70 percent of fax, Nova Scotia, predict total saltwater fish extinction by 2048 due to the lodgepole pines have been lost, with overfishing, pollution, habitat loss and pines in other states also in trouble. Pine climate change. Rising ocean acidity due beetles feed on the pines. Historically, to absorption of increasing carbon dioxide winter brings death to both the beetles and other emissions from burning fossil fu- and weakened trees, which fall to feed els impacts creatures large and small, like a renewed forest. Due to warmer temdissolving the shell of the tiny sea butterfly, peratures, the beetles are living longer and migrating to higher altitudes to kill a vital link in the ocean’s food chain.

Americans currently consume 4.5 more trees. Forest fires follow the dry timber line. billion pounds of seafood each year.

On Land

“Each species was put here for a reason.

We are the caretakers.” ~a youth at a climate rally Scientists look back to look ahead.

Henry David Thoreau fell in love with the wilderness around Concord, Massachusetts, 160 years ago. From his renowned journals, scientists know when flowers like the pink lady slipper (Cypripedium acaule), bird’s-foot violets (Viola pedata) or golden ragworts (Packera aurea) used to bloom. Today, with temperatures six degrees Fahrenheit warmer than in Thoreau’s time, these species now bloom two weeks earlier. The Canada lily (Lilium canadense), plentiful before, is now rare, unable to adapt to the new reality.

Paul Sweet, collections manager of the museum’s ornithology department, studies “skins” (stuffed birds). He says, “The skins show us how birds lived years ago.” In just the past 100 years,

All Are Needed

“I don’t have time to grow up before becoming an activist.” ~Ta’Kaiya, age 12 “Get your parents involved.” ~Teakahla, age 11 Children are more informed now than ever before. Schools offer classes on ecology, the environment, global warming and climate change. Disasters are instant news, constantly streaming through digital media. Kids are aware that they need adults to work with them to keep Earth habitable.

HBO will air all four parts of Saving My Tomorrow starting Apr. 22. Check local listings—and watch as a family. See Tinyurl.com/SavingMyTomorrow.

Connect with freelance writer Avery Mack at AveryMack@mindspring.com.

Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature. ~Gerard de Nerval

Forward Good Change Today 4 Reuse more, buy less. Less trash equals less pollution.

4 Bike or walk, instead of driving. Don’t use the car at least one day a week. Less use of fossil fuels equals less drilling, fracking and oil spills.

4 Substitute a planet-healing activity for the usual after school program. Replace lawns with native plants, which need less water and no mowing. Email manufacturers to urge them to use less packaging and plastic, auto makers to produce more fuel-efficient cars, grocery stores to carry more locally sourced foods and ban plastic bags, and government agencies to improve pollution control measures.

4 When eating meat, make sure the animals were humanely and locally raised, not factory farmed.

4 For fish, factory farmed is preferred when farmers are vetted by watchdog agencies for being devoid of disease, pollution and heavy metals; clean fish are especially rare among international providers. Learn more at Tinyurl. com/SustainableFishFarming.

4 Support wildlife. Help hatchling sea turtles make their way to the sea. Predators and man are the biggest threats—only one in 1,000 hatchlings reach adulthood. Plant milkweed to feed monarch butterflies. Use natural insect repellants like basil or marigolds instead of killer sprays.

4 Speak out and speak up.

Search c2es.org/science-impacts/ basics/kids for event ideas and resources.

natural awakenings

April 2015

29

fitbody

Redefining Local.

The only produce market in South Alabama where everything is grown, raised and made in Alabama.

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85 N Bancroft St, Fairhope Delivery available to Mobile & Baldwin Counties.

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Green Living Starts at Home.

The Martial Arts Hold Deep Inner Lessons

by Eric Stevens

live green. build green.

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Increase Focus & Concentration Heal Health Issues • Alleviate Pain Reduce Stress • Recharge & Relax the Body Call for info on upcoming classes, healing sessions and meditation: 251-454-0959

30

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

F

ew words are as oddly coupled as martial and arts. The first means “relating to war and soldiers,” while the second means “something that is created with imagination and skill, and is beautiful or expresses important ideas or feelings.” All martial arts represent a paradox of push and pull, yin and yang, external and internal.

Their practice represents the blending of our physical lives in harmony with our emotional makeup, allowing our external activity to mirror our internal being. Seldom is the fusion of body, mind and spirit easily achieved with one activity, but martial arts are an exception, because they focus equally on internal and external well-being.

Here are five key life lessons that martial arts can teach us.

Learn how to breathe. True connection with our breath permeates an artist’s realm. A vocalist must reach deep within the diaphragm to sing proficiently and a dancer must learn to time their breath while performing. A martial artist learns to control breath with stillness and speed, like juxtaposing yoga with intense contact sports. Breathing properly makes

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

the practitioner a better martial artist and a healthier one. According to a study published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, hypertensive qigong program participants were able to both lower their blood pressure after 10 weeks and increase their oxygen uptake by 20 percent.

Avoid conflict by developing character. While it may seem counterintuitive that learning how to fight could avoid conflict, it’s an essential part of martial arts. The philosopher Lao Tzu said the best fighter is never angry. The martial arts are primarily about discipline, heightened awareness and honing an ability to face our own internal conflicts. Several studies corroborate that practicing martial arts produces positive behavioral changes. For instance, according to a study published in the Journal of Adolescence, participating students in the martial arts were characterized as being less impulsive and less aggressive.

Connect the external (body movement) with the internal (energy movement). The energetic force that catalyzes expressive kicks, punches, blocks and other outward forms is as essential as

Masters of Yoga Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured. ~B.K.S. Iyengar the movements themselves. In Chinese martial arts, that force is referred to as qi, the life energy that intrinsically unites body, mind and spirit.

Be both an artist and athlete. Artistry and athleticism need not be divergent forces. The martial artist combines the grace of a creator and skill of a warrior, and watching a martial arts competition can be as riveting as watching a ballet or sports event. Most of us may not be talented artists or natural athletes, yet all students can learn how to integrate both worlds by blending physicality with stillness and expression through action.

Let go of ego, find mental clarity and access the present moment. Jirōkichi Yamada, a master of Japanese kenjutsu, said, “The way of the sword and the way of Zen are identical, for they have the same purpose; that of killing the ego.” The focus of all true martial arts is the process, not the outcome. Whatever the style of execution, preparatory practice and meditative application, they all require the discipline of being purely present. Gaining such clarity requires grappling more with ego than with opponents; the real battle of a martial artist is waged within.

Bruce Lee, the film star who revolutionized Western awareness of martial arts and founded jeet kune do, realized that martial arts’ transcendent philosophy gives us many lessons to draw upon. He suggested, “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.”

Eric Stevens has been a fitness professional and martial arts coach for 15 years. He writes about related topics from Denver, Colorado. Connect at EricChristopherStevens@gmail.com.

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natural awakenings

April 2015

31

Dogs with Library Cards Kids Love Reading to Animals

by Sandra Murphy

The goal of Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ), launched in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1999 as part of Intermountain Therapy Animals, is to improve children’s literacy skills with the mentoring help of certified therapy teams. Its reach has spread through library programs across the U.S. and Canada and internationally, with other therapy groups following suit.

D

“

octors told the parents of an 11-year-old autistic son that he would never read… so quit trying to teach him,” says Suzanne Vening, an organic farmer in Jackson, Mississippi.

“The doctor didn’t count on Adam, my Australian shepherd.” Abused and abandoned before being adopted by Vening, she had trained him for therapy work.

Vening knew nothing about autistic or learning-disabled children, but she knew Adam could work miracles. The boy made eye contact with Adam during his library visit and read a few words. His parents were overjoyed as his reading continued to improve. “It’s hard to include children with special needs in many family activities,” Vening says. “A library is a place the

32

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

whole family can enjoy.”

She advises, “Designate a safe corner where a child can escape if feeling overwhelmed. After entering the room, handlers should sit on the floor with the dog lying beside them. A standing dog can cause too much excitement.

It’s important to trust that your therapy dog will know how to approach a child that’s afraid, has tremors or can’t sit up or sit still.”

“An animal’s heartbeat seems to

photo courtesy of Jean Maclean

naturalpet

call to kids,” observes Rachael Barrera, a children’s librarian at Brook Hollow Public Library, in San Antonio, Texas.

“Dogs have come here once a week for more than a year. Now older kids that are comfortable with the reading program are showing younger ones how to choose a book.”

At California’s Benicia Public Library, kids read to Honey, a friendly brown dog, on Wednesday afternoons.

Sheila Jordan, managing editor and owner of Booklandia, founded in Bend, Oregon, says her 8-year-old, Chase, found it difficult to concentrate because of ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). “The Tales and Tails program was a big help. All summer, we went every week and chose books he said the dog would love.” Jordan’s reward was a more focused child; Chase’s reward was a dog of his own last fall.

North Carolina’s Charlotte Mecklenburg Library offers 14,000 free programs a year throughout its 20 locations, including Paws to Read. Librarian Cathy Cartledge, reading program coordinator for the Morrison Regional branch, shares this story from Jaylee’s mom, Jill.

“Jaylee was tutored in reading for a year. After she also began reading to Zoey, a great Pyrenees, or Hunter, a golden retriever, I saw improvement in fluency, confidence and enjoyment.

It worked miracles compared with the hours and money spent for tutoring,” her mom remarks.

The Mount Prospect Library, near Chicago, has an age requirement for its Tales to Tails program. “Rachael, 8, will hardly put a book down now,” says her mom, Nicole Sasanuma, a senior associate with Business Communications & Advocacy, in Northbrook, Illinois. “Her sister, Emi, 6, is anxious for her next birthday so she ‘can read to doggies,’ too.”

Reading programs aren’t limited to libraries or schools. Jean Maclean, of Lompoc, California, trains her two dogs in agility and rally skills. For a change of pace, they visit the Chumash Learning

National Library Week, April 12 to 18, celebrates the program Unlimited Possiblities @ Your Library

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Center, in Santa Ynez, once a month. The Chumash people value education from both its elders and teachers outside the tribe. Maclean relates that Donny, age 11, was afraid of dogs until he met hers, after which his teachers saw his reading improve three levels in one semester.

Animals help kids relax and become

teachers to the dogs. Researchers at the University of California, Davis have found that reading skills for kids that read to dogs during a 10-week literacy program improved by 12 percent. Children in the same program that didn’t do the same showed no improvement.

Dogs and other pets prove that read-

ing out loud doesn’t have to be scary.

All it takes is a good book and a good listener.

Connect with freelance writer Sandra Murphy at StLouisFreelanceWriter@ mindspring.com.

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natural awakenings

April 2015

33

wisewords

Healing Journeys

Paul Stutzman Finds Universal Truths on His Treks

by Randy Kambic

P

aul Stutzman was a successful executive with a family restaurant chain and a happy father and husband married for more than 30 years when his wife, Mary, passed away from breast cancer in 2006. Questioning his faith as to why this happened, Stutzman quit his job to hike the 2,168-mile Appalachian Trail (AT), advising everyone he encountered, “Don’t take spouses and families for granted.” His book, Hiking Through, recounts this extreme adventure and relates his subsequent thoughts about grief, healing and life.

Stutzman chronicled his second journey, a 5,000-mile-plus cross-country trek, in Biking Across America. This time, he perceived a “noble, yet humble America that still exists and inspires.”

More recently, the author has turned to fiction with The Wanderers and Wandering Home, both enriched with reflections upon the values of his Amish Mennonite upbringing and marriage.

What kept you going?

Early on, I realized how soothing nature was to my grieving soul. Still, there were 34

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

times it would have been easy to abandon my journeys and head for the safety of home. The desire to discover if my life held any meaning after such a great loss kept me moving forward. I kept telling myself on both journeys, “If my wife can fight cancer for four years, I can overcome any obstacle I encounter.”

I was determined to write about what I was being taught by nature. I also believed books written by and about someone seeking solace via an incomplete pilgrimage would be cheating the reader.

What do such journeys teach about nature and our response to experiencing it?

I find comfort in nature. I believe the beautiful streams and waterfalls, the grand views from mountaintops and the wildlife were all created for our enjoyment. When we absorb this beauty and wonderment, the stresses in life slowly melt away. Granted, not everyone will be able to do what I did; however, a stroll through a local park, along a beach or in a flower garden can have similar effects.

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Did these extended physical endeavors make mental demands that catalyzed unexpected self-growth?

Treks like these into the unknown are physically demanding. With time and effort, one’s body gets into shape for extended hiking and biking. The mental hurdle must be crossed next. You’ll miss home and loved ones. Loneliness will set in. This is where you discover who the real you is. Are you tenacious enough to push through the desire to abandon the pilgrimage or will you succumb to the allure of comfort and safety?

On my journeys, I had to make difficult choices. There is a saying that applies to folks planning to hike the AT end-to-end through 14 states: “If hiking the entire Appalachian Trail isn’t the most important thing in your life, you won’t accomplish it.”

My daughter gave birth to my grandson while I was hiking. Although she asked that I come home for the event, I declined. I kept on hiking because I knew I wouldn’t return to the trail if I went home. I’d spent my lifetime trying to do the right things for my three children, but now had to do what was right for me.

What did you learn about Americans along the way?

I discovered that most Americans are kind, law-abiding citizens. Most are still willing to help a stranger in need. Unfortunately, I feel we focus too much time and energy on the minority of malcontents.

How have these experiences informed your creative process?

America is a great country. The beauty I’ve witnessed from a bicycle seat and on two feet hiking the mountains is a continual source of inspiration. Many folks are unable to do what I do. My ongoing desire is to describe the images imprinted in my mind in such a way that others can feel as if they are there walking with me.

Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , PaulStutzman.com.

visit

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

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

FRIDAY, APRIL 24

17 Turtle Outfitter’s Canoe Journey – Apr 24-26.

Weather permitting. For info visit 17TurtlesOutfitters. org. 251-928-8623. Info@17TurtlesOutfitters.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25 SATURDAY, APRIL 11

Kundalini Yoga Spring Renewal Series – 11am12:15pm. Saturdays, Apr 11-18. The second part of our Spring series. 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, rejuvenate and revel in the experience! $15 per class. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. Synergyoga.net.

MONDAY, APRIL 13

Introduction to Young Living Essential Oils – 7-9pm. You are invited to this fun and educational Young Living Introductory Meeting to look into the history, products and benefits of the World Leader in Essential Oils®. 10% off purchases! Please be my guest, Laurie Azzarella. $10 register at Eventbrite.

Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel, 64 S Water St, Mobile. Eventbrite.com/e/introductionto-young-living-mobile-al-tickets-15914319157.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14

Intro to Meditation 8 Week Series – Meditation is about going within and accessing inner wisdom and guidance. Learn techniques to relax your body and mind. Understand why taking a deep breath is vital to your mood. Learn to use meditation as a way to manage the journey of your life. See website for times. $120/$100 with a friend. Soul Shine South, 456 Morphy Ave, Fairhope. TheSoulShineLife@ gmail.com. TheSoulShineLife.com.

markyourcalendar Green Drinks Earth Day Celebration

Without art, Earth is just eh. Celebrate Earth Day with eco-artists, interactive art projects, children’s activities, live music, beer specials and food. Free to attend except the cost of your drinks. Food sponsored by Sunflower Cafe.

April 14 • 5-7pm

Fairhope Brewing Company, 914 Nichols Avenue 251-279-7517 • MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com Facebook.com/MobileBayGreenDrinks 5th Dimensional Mastery Series – 7-8:30pm. We are masters already at changing the universe we live in by incarnating into the physical to pretend to be human. We are longing for a roadmap and terminology to assist in talking about what we experience.

This 5D Class intends to provide these tools. Free.

Reiki Center of Fairhope, Fairhope. Julie: 251504-5328. ReikiCenterOfFairhope@gmail.com.

ReikiCenterOfFairhope.com/events.

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Mobile / Baldwin Edition

For more Earth Day events, see page 16.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15

markyourcalendar Green Drinks Mobile

Join us for an informal yet engaging happy hour with like-minded folks every third Wednesday. With a local drink in one hand and environmental concerns in the other, connect with other progressive people in our area. Open to the public. Free to attend except the cost of your drinks.

April 15 • 5-7pm

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

FRIDAY, APRIL 17

Life Balance Workshop with Lynette Mattina – Apr 17-19. This Life Balance workshop is a 3-day workshop that involves an introduction to mindfulness, meditation, gentle mindful movement and a group discussion. Create your optimal vision for your health and life, identifying what matters most to you. $115. Soul Shine South, 456 Morphy Ave, Fairhope. TheSoulShineLife@gmail.com.

TheSoulShineLife.com.

Wisdom of the Earth Level I Medicinal Aromatherapy Certification – Apr 17-19. CEUs available for LMTs. Middle Earth Healing and Learning Center, 20205 Middle Earth Rd, Citronelle. 251-866-7204. MidEarthHealing@yahoo. com. MiddleEarthHealing.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18

Usui Reiki Level I Certification Weekend w/Julie – 9:30am-5:30pm. Apr 18-19. In class you will get hands on experience, Level I for self-healing, Level II working with others. Beginners welcome!

Julie is an experienced teacher. Plenty of training in using Universal Life Force energy for healing, emotional, mental and physical. $300 prepaid/$350 at door. Reiki Center of Fairhope, Fairhope. Julie: 251-504-5328. ReikiCenterOfFairhope@gmail. com. ReikiCenterOfFairhope.com/events.

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

Spring/Summer Market on the Square Opening Day – 7:30am-12pm. The Spring/Summer market will be open Saturdays, Apr 25-Jul 25. Local produce, baked goods, honey, flowers, soaps, live music and more. Cathedral Square, downtown Mobile.

251-208-1550. SpecialEventsMobile.org.

Quantum-Touch Level I with Julie E Brent – 9:30am-5:30pm. Apr 25-26. Quantum-Touch works deep on a cellular level, raising your energy, creating an environment for the innate healing intelligence of the body to activate. Anyone can learn QT, no experience needed. QuantumTouch.com. Massage MT-NCTMBCEs 13 available. $400 at the door/prepaid 3 weeks in advance $350. Reiki Center of Fairhope, Fairhope.

Julie: 251-504-5328. ReikiCenterOfFairhope@gmail. com. ReikiCenterOfFairhope.com/events.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30

Essential Oil Uses 102 – 6:30-8:30pm. Learn how to use Young Living Essential Oils beyond the basics of aromatherapy. Laurie Azzarella, YL Diamond leader will share new ways of application for personal use that encourage optimal wellness. Bring your friends and make scents of it all! $5 donation to the food pantry. Prodisee Food Pantry, 9315 Spanish Fort Blvd, Spanish Ft. 850-380-4943. LaurieAzzarella@ gmail.com. Laurie.MarketingScents.com.

THURSDAY, MAY 28

Spring/Summer Market on the Hill Opening Day – 3-6pm. The Spring/Summer market will be open Thursdays, May 28-Jul 30. Local produce, baked goods, honey, flowers, soaps, live music and more.

Lavretta Park on Old Shell, Mobile. 251-208-1550.

SpecialEventsMobile.org.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2

Ocean Camp – 9am-12pm, 1-4pm. Tues-Fri, Jun 2-Jul 31. Ocean Camp for future scientists and ocean lovers. Half and full day options. Ages 5-12. New this year: fun with LEGO, team building and nature photography! $125 half day/$225 full day. Orange Beach. OceanCamp@gmail.com. Facebook.com/ oceancamp/info.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26

Wisdom of the Earth Level I Medicinal Aromatherapy Certification – Jun 26-28. CEUs available for LMTs. Middle Earth Healing and Learning Center, 20205 Middle Earth Rd, Citronelle.

251-866-7204. MidEarthHealing@yahoo.com.

MiddleEarthHealing.com.

PLANS CHANGE!

Please call ahead to confirm dates and times.

For Sale:

Mobile/Baldwin Co. Natural Awakenings Magazine

Don’t miss this opportunity to own a business that makes a difference in your community.

• The Nation’s Leading Healthy/ Green Lifestyle Magazine • 20 Years of Publishing Experience • Monthly National Readership of Over 3.8 Million • Exceptional Franchise Support & Training • Make a Difference in Your Community • Proven Business System • Home-Based Operation

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Natural Awakenings recently won the prestigious FBR50 Franchise Satisfaction Award from Franchise Business Review.

To learn more visit: franchisebusinessreview.com 37 natural awakenings April 2015

ongoingevents

public. Classes are appropriate for all levels and include a Christ-centered devotion. Donation only.

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

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.

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 and 3055-A Dauphin St, Mobile. VAFairhopeHealthFoods.com.

Center for Spiritual Living Service – 10am. Make every step, every choice, every word, a conscious one. Center for Spiritual Living, 1230 Montlimar, Mobile. Rev. Sherrie Quander: 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. 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. UUFM.org.

Sunday Worship – 11am. Celebrate Spirit in this special and sacred space. Between Hillcrest and Knollwood. Unity Mobile, 5859 Cottage Hill, Mobile. 251-661-1788.

AHA Afternoon Yoga – 1pm. Apr 12 & 26. Explore body-mind-spirit while promoting balance and wellness within. Eclectic yogic elements ensure variety and fun; traditional foundations ensure proper body alignment and safety. Beginner-friendly. Props provided.

Call/text to register. $10 per class, 12-classes for $100.

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

Foundations II at Soul Shine South – 4:30pm.

Bring about a balance in the functioning of the muscles, bones and nerves of the body. Eliminate any agitation, friction or discomfort by finding a suitable posture and allow the breath to move as

comfortably as possible. All levels. $15 single class.

Packages available. Soul Shine South, 456 Morphy Ave, Fairhope. TheSoulShineLife@gmail.com.

TheSoulShineLife.com.

monday Mindful Movement – 9:15am. Unwind your morning with a beginner friendly mindfully moving yoga practice ending in restorative yoga positions. Practice among Himalayan salt lamps and waterfalls. $10 donation. Rosie Bluum, Fairhope. 251-379-4493.

ThriveFairhope.com.

Group Reformer Class – 12pm. Mon and Wed. Catch the wave of classical fitness and join Adrienne during your day for a Pilates group reformer class. Stand taller, get toned and be both leaner and stronger. Also Wednesdays at noon. Please log onto the website to make reservations. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

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. Viviane Hentschel: MyHappyDog123@ gmail.com. MyHappyDog123.com. Facebook.com/ myhappydog123.

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

PLANS CHANGE!

Please call ahead to confirm dates and times.

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.

Yoga with Chris G – 5:45pm. Join Chris Garrett for an energizing blend of Iyengar and Vinyasa yoga.

Recharge the body, soothe the soul and refocus the mind after a long day. Breathe, work and find joy in the movement! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile.

251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Together We Can – 6-8pm. The Family Center offers this class to help parents build a better future for their children by working together as co-parents.

It is open to couples regardless of their relationship.

Become a team that supports your family's success.

Free. 27365 Pollard Rd, Daphne. Christie Brannon: 251-626-1610. BaldwinFamilies@gmail.com.

FamilyCenterMobile.org.

tuesday Vinyasa Yoga at Soul Shine South – 7am. Tues & Thurs. Vinyasa focuses on the basics of breath and postural alignment. Move and transition through poses creating fluidity of both body and mind. Vinyasa helps develop flexibility, core stability and strength and maintain a playful and meditative mindset. $15 single class. Packages available. Soul Shine South, 456 Morphy Ave, Fairhope. TheSoulShineLife@ gmail.com. TheSoulShineLife.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.

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

Make our community a little GREENER...

Support our advertisers.

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

source: the350project.net

38

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

of purpose and fulfillment. Ascension Funerals & Cremations, 1016 Hillcrest Rd, Mobile. 251-6348055. AscensionFuneralGroup.com.

Green Drinks Fairhope – 5-7pm. Every 2nd Tues.

Join us for an informal yet engaging happy hour with like-minded folks. Connect with other progressive people in our area. Brief speaker at 6pm.

Sponsorship, speaking and catering opportunities available. Open to the public. Free to attend except the cost of your drinks. Fairhope Brewing Company, 914 Nichols Ave, Fairhope. 251-279-7517.

MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com. Facebook. com/MobileBayGreenDrinks.

Yin Yoga with Cindy Johnson – 5:30pm. Experience yin yoga, a blissful and meditative evening of gentle stretching that focuses on your joints and muscle tissue. Yin yoga is gentle and nurturing, bringing balance to an active lifestyle. A perfect way to ease into yoga. All welcome. $10. Rosie Bluum, Fairhope. 251-517-5626. Info@RosieBluum.com.

RosieBluum.com.

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

Pranic Healing Clinic and Meditation – 6:30pm.

Headaches, stress, any physical or emotional ailments bothering you? Come experience healing for your mind, body and soul followed by the Meditation on Twin Hearts. We all have the ability to heal ourselves and others. Classes also available.

Donation. Mobile. 251-454-0959.

Guided Meditation – 7pm. Go within. Release thoughts, concerns and worries as you relax into the peaceful state that is your true nature. Let us guide you to tranquility and freedom of mind. Your only requirement is to listen, allow, be open and bring your

imagination. $5. Rosie Bluum, Fairhope. 251-5175626. Info@RosieBluum.com. RosieBluum.com.

Meditation on Twin Hearts – 7:30pm. In this universal meditation we become a conduit of divine blessings and world service to the planet and humanity by blessing with peace, love, joy and goodwill.

It's an advanced meditation for achieving illumination or universal consciousness. Donation. Mobile.

251-454-0959.

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

251-379-4493.

wednesday Yoga with Susan – 8am. Join Susan Kangal and start your day with her refreshing energy as she challenges you with a strong emphasis on alignment and focus while still calming the mind. Sink into the moment and experience the bliss - yes! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Green Drinks Mobile – 5-7pm. Every 3rd Wed. Join us for an informal yet engaging happy hour with like-minded folks. With a local drink in one hand and environmental concerns in the other, connect with other progressive people in our area. Sponsorship, speaking and catering opportunities available. Open to the public. Free to attend except the cost of your drinks. Alchemy Tavern, 7 S Joachim St, Mobile.

MobileBayGreenDrinks@gmail.com. Facebook. com/MobileBayGreenDrinks.

$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. 251-379-4493. ThriveFairhope.com.

Eastern Shore MS Support Group – 5:30pm.

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

AHA Integrative Yoga – 9:30am. Wed & Fri. Attain inner peace, relieve stress and build strength/ flexibility through body-mind awareness, breath and postures. Includes healing techniques like affirmations, mudras, chakra balancing and guided/ silent meditations. Beginner-friendly. Props provided. $10 per class, 12-classes for $100. Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile.

251-753-1937. Info@AlabamaHealingArts.com.

AlabamaHealingArts.com.

Publish a Natural Awakenings Magazine in Your Community Share Your Vision and Make a Difference • Meaningful New Career • Low Initial Investment • Proven Business System • Home Based Business • Exceptional Franchise Support & Training

Natural Awakenings recently won the prestigious FBR50 Franchise Satisfaction Award from Franchise Business Review. To learn more visit: franchisebusinessreview.com

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.

Fitness Fusion with Chris G – 5:45pm. Give yourself the best seat in the house with Fitness Fusion—work your body to a blend of ballet barre, Pilates, yoga and classic fitness exercises. Move to fun music and really change your shape! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

Natural Awakenings publishes in over 95 markets across the U.S. and Puerto Rico • • • • • • • • • • •

• •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Huntsville, AL Mobile/Baldwin, AL* Little Rock/Hot Spg., AR* Phoenix, AZ* Tucson, AZ East Bay Area, CA San Diego, CA Denver/Boulder, CO Fairfield County, CT Hartford, CT New Haven/ Middlesex, CT Washington, DC Daytona/Volusia/ Flagler, FL NW FL Emerald Coast Ft. Lauderdale, FL Jacksonville/St. Aug., FL Melbourne/Vero, FL Miami & Florida Keys* Naples/Ft. Myers, FL North Central FL* Orlando, FL* Palm Beach, FL Peace River, FL Sarasota, FL Tampa/St. Pete., FL FL’s Treasure Coast Atlanta, GA Hawaiian Islands Chicago, IL Chicago West. Suburbs Indianapolis, IN

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

•

Baton Rouge, LA Lafayette, LA New Orleans, LA Portland, ME Boston, MA Ann Arbor, MI East Michigan Wayne County, MI Western MI Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN Charlotte, NC Lake Norman, NC Triangle NC Central NJ Hudson County, NJ* Mercer County, NJ Monmouth/Ocean, NJ North NJ North Central NJ South NJ* Santa Fe/Abq., NM Las Vegas, NV Albany, NY Buffalo, NY Central NY Long Island, NY Manhattan, NY Queens, NY Rochester, NY Rockland/Orange, NY Westchester/ Putnam, NY Central OH

• Cincinnati, OH • Toledo, OH • Oklahoma City, OK • Portland, OR* • Bucks/Montgomery Counties, PA • Harrisburg/York, PA • Lancaster, PA • Lehigh Valley, PA • Pocono, PA/ Warren Co., NJ • Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre, PA • Rhode Island • Charleston, SC • Columbia, SC • Grand Strand, SC* • Greenville, SC • Chattanooga, TN • Knoxville, TN* • Memphis, TN • Austin, TX • Dallas Metroplex, TX • Dallas/FW Metro N • SE Texas • San Antonio, TX* • Richmond, VA • VA’s Blue Ridge • Seattle, WA • Madison, WI • Milwaukee, WI • Puerto Rico *Existing magazines for sale

For more information visit our website NaturalAwakeningsMag.com/mymagazine or call 239-530-1377

natural awakenings

April 2015

39

Power Flow Yoga with Angela – 5:45pm. Join associate Baptiste Power Vinyasa Teacher Angela Cain to revitalize the body, nurture the soul and energize the day. Enjoy the sweet sweat and moving meditation of Power Flow and leave class refreshed and recharged! Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile.

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). 251-340-8565. 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. Call 251-479-5700 to register for next class.

Guided Meditation – 7pm. Guided meditation with Betsey Grady. Meditation is a wonderful way to quiet the mind, still the body and relax your being. $5. Rosie Bluum, Fairhope. 251-517-5626.

RosieBluum.com.

thursday Group Reformer Class – 8:30am. Catch the wave of classical fitness and join Dana in the morning for a Pilates group reformer class. Stand taller, get toned and be both leaner and stronger. Please log onto the website to make reservations. Synergy Yoga & Pilates, Mobile. 251-473-1104. Synergyoga.net.

AHA Lunch-Time Core Flow Yoga – 12:10pm. Energize, align, strengthen, center. Focus on flow and core strengthening. Includes eclectic yoga postures and/or Pilates with traditional foundations to ensure proper alignment, safety and fun. Beginner-friendly. Props provided. Call/text to register. $50 for 6-wk course.

Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile.251-753-1937. Info@AlabamaHealingArts. com. AlabamaHealingArts.com Spring/Summer Market on the Hill – 3-6pm.

May 28-Jul 30. The Spring/Summer market will be open Thursdays, May 28-Jul 30. Local produce, baked goods, honey, flowers, soaps, live music and more. Lavretta Park on Old Shell, Mobile. 251208-1550. SpecialEventsMobile.org.

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. Lydia Pettijohn: 251-479-5700.

FamilyCenterMobile.org.

silent meditations. Beginner-friendly. Props provided. $10 per class, 12-classes for $100. Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile.

251-753-1937. Info@AlabamaHealingArts.com.

AlabamaHealingArts.com.

AHA Bi-Monthly Supervised Student Massage & Reiki Clinic – Apr 10 & 24. 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. Appointment only. Appointments at 4:30, 5:45 & 7pm. $25 for 1-hr full-body student massage and/or Reiki session. Alabama Healing Arts, LLC, 6304 Cottage Hill Rd, Mobile.

251-753-1937. Info@AlabamaHealingArts.com.

AlabamaHealingArts.com.

Sunset Yoga for Charity – 2nd & 4th Fridays, MarOct. Yoga on the bluff ending at sunset. Start time varies with sunset time. Full schedule of details and charities online: ThriveFairhope.com. Bring your mat and a donation for the charity supported. Donation. Henry George Bluff, Fairhope. 251-379-4493.

ThriveFairhope.com.

saturday Spring/Summer Market on the Square – 7:30am12pm. Apr 25-Jul 25. The Spring/Summer market will be open Saturdays, Apr 25-Jul 25. Local produce, baked goods, honey, flowers, soaps, live music and more. Cathedral Square, downtown Mobile.

251-208-1550. SpecialEventsMobile.org.

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. 251-928-5363.

HeartStringsYoga.com.

Foundations I at Soul Shine South – 8:30am.

A gentle, supportive class for all beginning yoga students. Learn the foundation of yoga poses with safe and supportive instruction. You'll also learn relaxation techniques to enhance the quality of your breath. All levels. Unheated. $15 single class.

Packages available. Soul Shine South, 456 Morphy Ave, Fairhope. TheSoulShineLife@gmail.com.

TheSoulShineLife.com.

AHA Morning Yoga – 9:30am. Apr 11 & 25. Explore body-mind-spirit while promoting balance and wellness within. Eclectic yogic elements ensure variety and fun; traditional foundations ensure proper alignment and safety. Beginner-friendly. Props provided.

Call/text to register. $10 per class, 12-classes for $100.

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

friday AHA Integrative Yoga – 9:30am. Wed & Fri. Attain inner peace, relieve stress and build strength/ flexibility through body-mind awareness, breath and postures. Includes healing techniques like affirmations, mudras, chakra balancing and guided/

40

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

PLANS CHANGE!

Please call ahead to confirm dates and times.

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

classifieds Fee for classified listings is $1 per word. Email Publisher@Healthy LivingHealthyPlanet.com for details. Volunteer opportunities are listed for free as space is available.

OPPORTUNITIES BECOME A PUBLISHER – Natural Awakenings Mobile/Baldwin is for sale! Meaningful, home-based career opportunity with a proven business system. 239-530-1377. NaturalAwakeningsMag.com/mymagazine. See ad, page 22.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY - Add a Rejuvenation Studio to your EXISTING beauty, fitness, or health/wellness business. Bring in new customers, gain revenue from several sources, and your customers will love it! For more information, call: 864-569-8631.

LMTS, TEACHERS NEEDED – Mobile wellness center seeks compassionate, mindful, self-motivated massage therapists and yoga/movement/meditation/CE class/ workshop instructors. 251-753-1937. Email resume to Info@AlabamaHealingArts.com.

DISTRIBUTE MAGAZINES – Natural Awakenings is needs a reliable individual to distribute magazines on the Eastern Shore.

Must have transportation and computer access. Email letter of interest to Publisher@ HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND EVENT COORDINATOR NEEDED - Part-time position with local farm/event venue. Experience with eco-friendly practices preferred. Email resume to majoleeb40@gmail.com.

SERVICES INTUITIVE~PSYCHIC~MEDIUM - Marie Bates Curry offers intuitive guidance and spiritual connections. Individual and small group readings by appointment only. 251-300-7261.

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. Supplies and instructions provided. Work at your convenience.

Contact Janet Miller: J46Miller@yahoo.com.

251-654-1827.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS NEEDED - Volunteers for Baldwin County Master Environmental Educator program needed. Curriculum provided, No experience necessary. Contact Joyce: Jim0008@aces.edu.

naturaldirectory

ECO-FRIENDLY POOLS

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 2015 annual 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/February15.

BEAUTY B-BUTTERFLY SALON

103A North Bancroft Street, Fairhope 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 5.

CANCER CENTERS USA MITCHELL CANCER INSTITUTE 1660 Springhill Avenue, Mobile 188 Hospital Drive, Suite 400, Fairhope 251-665-8000 • usamci.com

At USA MCI, we combine leading-edge research with the most advanced diagnostic and treatment tools in order to provide the absolute best cancer care possible. See ad, page 2.

CHURCHES CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING 1230 Montlimar Drive, Mobile 251-343-0777 CenterForSpiritualLiving-Mobile.org

R e v. S h e r r i e Quander invites you to visit a loving, inclusive spiritual community where we aim to make every step we take, every choice we make, every word we speak a conscious one. Sundays at 10 a.m. See ad, page 25.

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY KRISTEN KELLY, LMT

Rosie Bluum 6A S Bancroft Street, Fairhope 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 23.

L.A. ECOSMARTE LLC

Susan Nice: 251-709-7023 Dan Nice: 251-586-8250 LAEcoSmarte@att.net; LAEcoSmarte.com Non-salt, non-chlorine, chemical-free pool water t e c h n o l o g y. T h e b e s t alternative to chlorine and salt water pools. Easier to use, safer and more effective than traditional methods.

See ad, page 19.

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.

DENTISTRY DR. DAYTON HART, DMD

IAOMT Protocol 225 West Laurel Avenue, Foley 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 11.

FENG SHUI FENGSHUI831

Meryl Hyderally, Feng Shui Design Consultant 251-463-1862 • Meryl@MerylHyderally.com fengshui831.com Utilizing feng shui principles, let us create an o rg a n i z e d a n d 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 7.

fengshui 831

ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS THE WILLOW TREE AT ROSIE BLUUM 6A South Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-517-5326 or 251-751-6945 RosieBluum.com

Offering gifts and 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 23.

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

Pick up a copy of Natural Awakenings here.

natural awakenings

April 2015

41

FOOD & NUTRITION

GREEN BUILDING

CHASING FRESH MARKET

85 North Bancroft Street, Fairhope 251-517-5800 • ChasingFresh.com 8am-5pm, Mon-Sat, 11am-2pm, Sun

BETSEY GRADY

Live green, build green.

Specializing in energy efficiency, reclaimed materials, low VOC paints and flooring.

Residential new construction and remodeling. See ad, page 30.

Certified MARI® practitioner, Reiki master, meditation teacher and natural intuitive.

Experience peace of mind, find clarity and reconnect with your own power by learning to go within. Group classes and one-on-one instruction available. See ad, page 23.

SUN-INSPIRED ARCHITECTURE

Debbie Coleman, Architect, AIA, LEED GA 251-341-0509 • Interest08@SunPlans.com SunPlansGulfCoast.com

FAIRHOPE HEALTH FOODS AND THE SUNFLOWER CAFÉ

280 Eastern Shore Shopping Center 251-928-0644 • Café: 251-929-0055 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

a week. See ad, page 3.

MIKE KERR CONSTRUCTION LLC Certified Green Builder 251-391-4848 MikeKerrConstructionLLC.com

Now located in Windmill Market. The only produce market in South Alabama where everything is grown, raised and made in Alabama.

Produce, honey, dair y, grains, seafood and meat.

Delivery available.

See ad, page 30.

Comprehensive health food store and organic café serving the public for 39 years. Store open 7 days

Naturally bright spaces!

Designing for delight, durability, comfort and lowenergy. Services range from simple consulting to detailed drawings – starting with your ideas or ours. New construction and renovations.

HEALING ARTS THE HEALTH HUT

680 S. Schillinger, Mobile: 251-633-0485 (Across from Home Depot) 6845 Hwy 90, Daphne: 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 23.

VIRGINIA’S HEALTH FOODS AND THE SUNFLOWER CAFÉ II 3055 A Dauphin Street, Mobile 251-479-3952 • Café: 479-3200 Va-FairhopeHealthFoods.com

a week. See ad, page 3.

Comprehensive health food store and organic café serving the public for 38 years. Store open 7 days

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 30.

SPIRIT ENLIGHTEN

Renee Adcock, B.Div. Reiki II, Essential Oils Therapy 251-279-0298 • SpiritEnlighten.com Authorized owner and operator, John of God Crystal Light Healing Bed: a modality to cleanse, balance and align your energies to promote healing. Call for more information or an appointment.

MASSAGE THERAPY JEN ADAMS, LMT

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

Pick up a copy of Natural Awakenings here.

42

Mobile / Baldwin Edition

MEDITATION

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.

www.HealthyLivingHealthyPlanet.com

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

SUSTAINABLE LIVING MIDDLE EARTH HEALING AND LEARNING CENTER

20205 Middle Earth Road, Citronelle 251-866-7204 • MiddleEarthHealing.com Middle Earth offers workshops on permaculture, r a i n w a t e r harvesting, graywater recycling, shiitake mushroom cultivation, composting, soil building, chemical-free gardening, aquaponics, real food, natural medicine making, reconnecting with Mother Earth and medicinal aromatherapy. See ad, page 7.

TEA ZEN TEA

10025 County Road 64, Suite 1, Daphne 251-391-0109 • ZenTeaFairhope@gmail.com LivingZenTea.com • Find us on Facebook 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)

WATER FILTER SYSTEMS L.A. ECOSMARTE LLC

Susan Nice: 251-709-7023 Dan Nice: 251-586-8250 LAEcoSmarte@att.net; LAEcoSmarte.com Premium water that is safe and sustainable for people and the planet. ECOsmarte treats all of your water, indoor and outdoor, with a chemical-free water purification system. See ad, page 19.

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local produce • baked goods • honey flowers • soaps • art • live music and more!

Cathedral Square in Downtown Mobile

April 25-July 25 Open Saturdays 7:30a.m. to noon

p 3 of o T n i d Ranke ated

br ma e l e C t s Mo s in Alaba st Market n Farmland Tru rica

by Ame

Lavretta Park

on Old Shell in Mobile

May 28-July 30 Open Thursdays 3 to 6p.m.

251-208-1550

SpecialEventsMobile.org