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Your LIFE BODY, MIND, SPIRIT MARCH 2011 | Tallahassee, South Georgia, Gulf Coast | www.natallahassee.com natural awakenings
March 2011
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contact us Publisher Donna L. Konuch Editor Donna L. Konuch Design & Production Susan McCann jaxgraphicdesign.net Advertising Sales For Advertising questions or a Media Kit please send an e-mail to: NATallahassee@yahoo.com Natural Awakenings Tallahassee 3767 Greyfield Dr Tallahassee, Fl 32311 Phone: 850-590-7024 Fax: 850-270-67NA (6762) natallahassee@yahoo.com www.NATallahassee.com www.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com © 2011 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved. Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained in writing. Natural Awakenings is a free publication distributed locally and is supported by our advertisers. It is available in selected stores, health and education centers, healing centers, public libraries and wherever free publications are generally seen. Please call for a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business. We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised. We welcome your ideas, articles and feedback. SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available for $18 (for 12 issues). Please call 850-590-7024 with credit card information or mail a check, payable to Natural Awakenings–Tallahassee, to the above address.
Natural Awakenings is printed on recycled newsprint with soy-based ink.
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contents 14
8 healthbriefs
10 healthykids
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.
10 ECO-CAMPS FOR KIDS
13 inspiration
by Gail Condrick
14 globalbriefs
17 SUSTAINABLE FOODS &
16
16 ecotip
17 wisewords 24 healingways 25 fitbody
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26 naturalpet
28 greenliving
30 consciouseating
18
SOCIAL PHILANTHROPY A Conversation
with Nell Newman by Ellen Mahoney
18 AMERICA’S GROWING FOOD REVOLUTION by Lisa Marshall
24 DIET DETOX by Ann Louise Gittleman
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25 EXERCISE DETOX by Annie B. Bond
26 LASER POWER 32
21st Century Pet Therapy Options by Dr. Matthew Heller
28 THE HERBAL KITCHEN
25
Eight Easy Picks for Container Gardening by Barbara Pleasant
30 BACKYARD CHICKENS The People’s Choice for Fresh Healthy Eggs by Lisa Marshall
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letterfromthepublisher
H
ow cute is that big, blue chicken on the cover? She represents fun and whimsy to me, and putting this magazine together this month was a great deal of fun to do! We have not one, but two articles on chickens in this issue. We even have some fantastic pictures of local Tallahassee chickens and the creative coops they live in. Did you know that a City of Tallahassee ordinance was passed in 2010 allowing an unlimited number of hens and one rooster per family? Nuisance animal rules still apply, but how great are the people of the Animal Control Division and other local government agencies who understand the desire of so many local Tallahassee residents to live as sustainable a lifestyle as possible? Raising chickens is a growing trend in this country and one that is active right here in our own region. Can you tell that I love chickens? The first article on raising chickens can be found on page 30. For the local chicken article and the pictures of these well loved birds check out page 32. Speaking of sustainable lifestyles, this month’s theme is all about Natural Foods. Who better to educate all of us on the local Food Movement efforts then Tallahassee’s own Nathan Ballentine, or as some know him by his other name – the Man in Overalls? Community gardens are cropping up everywhere (pun intended). The most recent one that is just in its early stages is the new community garden that is being established in the Southwood neighborhood, in the southeast area of Tallahassee. Nathan’s article on page 22, discusses other gardens in Havana and Tallahassee that are also working to bring people together, besides the obvious growing of food. Finally, on page 10 we have an article on Eco-summer camps with a sidebar that gives tips on finding the best eco-camps for children based on region. Natural Awakenings magazine thought we would help those who are looking for fun, adventurous, outdoor activity camps. In our newsbrief section of the magazine, we decided to showcase four local camps which are announcing their availability and activities for the summer. Maybe some of these places you are familiar with, and maybe there are ones you haven’t heard about. The point is, if it’s green and ecologically minded, if it’s healthy for our kids and supports a happy productive summer, we want to share that information with our community. This was a fun issue to put together, and we hope it is one you thoroughly enjoy. Eat well, buy organic, and help others when you can.
Blessings,
Donna K.
Don’t forget the deadline for the writing contest is March 5th! 4
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advertising & Submissions How to Advertise
To advertise with Natural Awakenings or request a media kit, please contact us at natallahassee@yahoo.com. Deadline for ad space reservation for the March issue is Saturday, February 12.
News Briefs and article submissions
Email articles, news items and ideas to: natallahassee@yahoo.com. Deadline for editorial for the March issue is Saturday, February 5.
calendar submissions
Email calendar events to: natallahassee@ yahoo.com or fax to 850-270-6762. Please see page 31 for details Calendar deadline for March issue is Thursday, February 10.
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 1-239-449-8309. For franchising opportunities call 1-239-5301377 or visit NaturalAwakeningsMag.com.
COMING IN APRIL
GREEN HOMES & GARDENS
Registration is Now Open for The Magnolia School’s Summer Camps!
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his summer the Magnolia School has a great line-up of camps, including their most popular camps: “Water, Water Everywhere!” “All the World’s a Stage” and “Exploring the Great Outdoors.” An exciting bonus this summer is the addition of the threeweek “Magnolia Touring Theater Troupe” which will provide campers the opportunity to perform at local community venues. In addition to long-time camp favorites, this summer The Magnolia School is also offering some new camps, including “Incredible Investigations,” “Forces of Nature,” and “Eco-Fashion Design,” which is an offshoot of the most loved aspects of last summer’s GREENart Camp. A copy of their camp’s informational brochure and application is available from the camp page of their website: http://www.themagnoliaschool.net/Camps. html You can also call the school office at (850) 385-3834 for further information.
Take part in the Outdoor World at The Painted Pony
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he Painted Pony has always emphasized many aspects of Nature, which include, animal life, weather, farming and how everyone is affected by the environment they live and play in. Camping at The Painted Pony celebrates the positive aspects of being out in the spectacular outdoors of north Florida. For ages 5 to 10, week long Farmyard Day Camps provide opportunities for boys and girls to experience ‘hands on’ life on the farm with daily pony rides, a bit of education through our farmyard friends, creative crafts, and lots of water play plus daily pony rides. Snacks and lunch provided. Please check out their website for weeks available in June, July and August. The Painted Pony camp experience also includes a week of fabulous FUN at their Overnight Horseback Riding Camp! Several weeks offered for girls, one short week for cowboys. Activities include a trail ride each morning, afternoons filled with activities like swimming, woodworking crafts and games plus bareback fun and ‘dress up day’ and with wonderful Southern meals all week. Ages 9 and older in small groups. Please see their website for session dates, details, and descriptions. Make lasting memories and lifelong friends! For more details: www.paintedpony.us or call or e-mail “Bob”. 850-9975590 or bob@paintedpony.us
Three Unique Choices for Summer Fun in Tallahassee
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he Space at Feather Oaks announces three different and unique summer camp choices for kids of all ages. Each camp provides exceptional learning experiences while providing fun and enjoyment for local Tallahassee children. The Red Dirt Discoveries is a summer nature camp of hiking, planting, playing games, making nature-based crafts and learning about the unique North Florida environment. Red Dirt Discoveries will be led by Meghan Mick, of Red Dirt Discoveries Family Nature Club and From the Ground Up. Dates for this camp will be June 6th-10th, 9am – 2pm. Exploratory Summer Art Camp was created to broaden and explore the elements of art and creativity in a handson, fun and engaging natural environment. Exploratory Summer Art Camp will be led by Debi Barrett Hayes who brings over twenty years of experience and knowledge in the field of art. Dates for this camp are July 11th-15th and July 18th-22nd, 9am – 1pm.
Manners and Mixing Bowls is a camp for girls to learn the southern grace of setting a table, proper etiquette at home and on the go, wellness tips and the art of writing a thank you note, and how to stay organized. Led by Randi Shivers, camp attendees will get to create healthy and delicious kid-friendly recipes, and learn the basics of cooking in the kitchen. Dates for this camp are June 13th- June 17th, 9am - 12pm or stay until 2pm. For more details on these and other upcoming events visit: www.thespaceatfeatheroaks.com.
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Summer is Summer at Grassroots School
“L
et summer be summer” - that’s what they say at the parent owned Grassroots School. Their summer program lets kids choose their activities in a low-key, non-pressured supportive environment. Many of us remember summer as a time to do what we enjoyed for hours on end. That kind of freedom can be elusive for children now, even when they are on summer vacation. The Grassroots School’s summer camp lets children do what they want as long as they aren’t hurting or bothering others. That’s the hallmark of the school year program as well. This innovative approach has been available in Tallahassee for almost forty years, the last thirty at their east side campus off Old St. Augustine Road. There are four acres of woods and fields to explore with graduated supervision depending on age. They have musical instruments, loads of arts and craft supplies, a library of books, boxes of costumes, a stage and more to engage a child’s imagination and creativity. Adults are readily available to help with materials, tools and ideas. Assistance with academic projects is also an option. The Grassroots School serves children from age five to eleven (and older if they have been in the program previously). The camp day is from 9:30 to 3:00 with extended care starting at 7:30 and ending at 5:30. Cost, registration and program details are posted at the school’s website (www.grassrootsschool.org). Alternatively, call the school (850-656-3629) or email (grassrootsschool@gmail. com) to be sent a summer program brochure.
Tallahassee Eco-Painter Offering Spring Specials
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s your home or business ready for Spring Cleaning? Phoenix Painting & Design, LLC is happy to announce their two new specials for the months of March and April. Spring is a time to refresh and renew. Let Phoenix Painting & Design help you to refresh and showcase the beauty of your home. They are offering to their customers four hours of free pressure washing when they repaint the exterior of their building or home! There is a minimum amount of $1000 painting required. This would be a savings for the average homeowner of $200-$300. If interior painting is on your to-do list, Phoenix Painting & Design will upgrade your paint to low-VOC paint for free! The importance of the use of low-VOC paint significantly helps to reduce toxins that can cause allergy and chemical sensitivities. It also reduces contaminant concentrations in landfill, groundwater and the ozone, and produces lower odor. To schedule your appointment, please contact Janna Cox at (850) 212-6225 or janna@tallahasseepainter.net. To view some samples of their work, please visit their website at www.TallahasseePainter.net.
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Don’t Miss the Early Bird Registration for Yoga Teacher Training
Y
oga On Pine is pleased to announce the 2011 Yoga Lifestyle and Teacher Training Intensive coming this June! Take this two-week intensive to deepen your practice, enhance your lifestyle, or become a certified yoga teacher. Transcending Yoga’s Lifestyle & Teacher Training Program (TYLTT), a nationally recognized YogaAlliance® Registered 200-Hour Program (RYS200), focuses on the instruction and practice of essential hatha yoga techniques including asana, pranayama and deep relaxation. To build a better understanding of the principles of the yoga tradition, the course explores the history and philosophy of yoga, basic anatomy and physiology, and teaching methodology. Students get to apply their practical skills with the guidance and feedback of an experienced teacher and the support of a group. Yoga on Pine (YOP) is southern Georgia’s only donation based studio located at 508 Pine Ave, Albany GA 31701, www.yogaonpine.com. The two-week intensive will take place in Albany, Georgia’s beautiful downtown YOP studio from June 20 thru July 3, 2011. Students meet daily from 8am6pm with breaks. The Director, Valerie Baltzer, ERYT500, will be giving a Free Information Session and Sample Class on Saturday, April 30th. EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION: Students who enroll and pay tuition in full by March 31st save an additional $200! For more information go to www.transcendingyoga.com or call (229) 343-7268.
Action Alert Take a Stand Against Biotech Bullies
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arly this year, the Obama administration approved three genetically modified organism (GMO) crops— Monsanto’s Roundup Ready alfalfa and sugar beets and Syngenta’s amylase corn to produce ethanol. Food Democracy Now, a grassroots community for a sustainable food system, is circulating an online petition objecting to these decisions that support biotech. Dozens of large food manufacturers and farm, food and agricultural organizations, both conventional and organic, are on board in opposing these lab-engineered food products for a variety of reasons such as unknown health and environmental consequences, including genetic contamination. Instead, the Obama administration should be forging progress in making agriculture more sustainable and encouraging farmers to convert to organic farming practices. Join with 50 million organic consumers who daily take a stand for their right to know what is in their food and how it’s produced. Tell President Obama to instruct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ban planting of these GMOs. Sign the petition at Action.FoodDemocracyNow.org/ go/347?akid=298.238135.FB4IuF&t=7.
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healthbriefs
Sweet Medicine
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efore digging into that next stack of French toast or waffles, pour on some real, pure maple syrup. New research attests to its surprising medicinal value. Scientists at The University of Rhode Island have identified more than 20 compounds in Canadian maple syrup that can be linked to human health—eight of which have been found in the maple family for the first time. It turns out that the syrup contains not only many naturally occurring vitamins and minerals such as zinc, thiamine and calcium, but also substances reported to have anti-bacterial, anti-cancer and antidiabetic properties. Maple syrup is made from the sap located just inside the bark of the sugar maple tree, which is constantly exposed to the sun. Scientists speculate that when the sugar maple is tapped to extract the sap, it secretes phenolics—a beneficial class of antioxidants also found in berries—as a defense mechanism; these wind up in the sap and ultimately concentrate in the syrup, giving this sugary treat its stamp of health.
Black Rice – Exotic and Healthy
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lack rice—long a staple food for onethird of the world’s population—is gaining popularity in the United States because of its exotic look and nutty flavor. Now, research chemists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service report that the black variety of this grain may help soothe the inflammation involved in allergies, asthma and other diseases. These health benefits are attributed to its outer bran layer which, unlike with white rice, is not polished off during processing. Collaborating researchers tested the effects of black rice bran extract on skin inflammation in laboratory mice and found that it reduced the inflammation by 32 percent compared to control animals; the rice bran also decreased production of certain substances known to promote inflammation in the body. Brown rice bran extract did not have these effects. When the scientists fed the mice a diet containing 10 percent black rice bran, swelling associated with allergic contact dermatitis, a common type of skin irritation, decreased. These results show a potential value of black rice bran as an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic food ingredient. It may also hold promise as a therapeutic agent for the treatment and prevention of diseases associated with chronic inflammation. 8
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The Sticky Side of Non-Stick Cookware Compounds in non-stick cookware may be associated with elevated levels of cholesterol in children and teens, according to West Virginia University School of Medicine research published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. An earlier national survey had found a near universal presence of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFOA) in Americans’ blood serum; these chemicals are used in the manufacture of fluoropolymers, which facilitate non-stick heat resistance for cookware and breathable, waterproof properties for clothing fabrics, carpet and upholstery. In the university study, which examined 12,476 Ohio River Valley youth exposed to PFOA-contaminated drinking water, one in five not only had significantly higher PFOA levels than the national average, but relatively higher total cholesterol levels, including LDL (low-density lipoprotein), or “bad” cholesterol, as well. More research is needed. Source: JAMA and Archives Journals
Why Sugar Isn’t So Sweet
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e can likely cut the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by cutting down on the added sugars used in many processed and prepared meals, suggests a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. The food industry often defines such added sugars as sweeteners—foods that provide energy, but have few micronutrients or phytochemicals—which is why aware consumers read labels. In recent decades, total sugar consumption in the United States has increased substantially, resulting in higher risk for cardiovascular disease due to associated lower levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein), or “good” cholesterol, and higher levels of triglycerides. Today, the average U.S. daily consumption of added sugars averages 3.2 ounces, or about 18 teaspoons, which represents 15.8 percent of total adult caloric intake. This is a substantial increase from the late 1970s, when added sugars contributed only 10.6 percent of the calories consumed by adults. This study is the first to examine the direct link between sugar consumption and its impact on cholesterol and heart disease.
Brain-Boosting Beet Juice
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hen it comes to brain-boosting nutrition, blueberries now have some serious competition. For the first time, researchers have shown that drinking beet juice can increase blood flow to the brain in older adults—a finding that could hold potential for combating the progression of dementia. “There have been several very high-profile studies showing that drinking beet juice can lower blood pressure, but we wanted to show that drinking beet juice also increases perfusion, or blood flow, to the brain,” says Daniel Kim-Shapiro, director of Wake Forest University’s Translational Science Center’s initiatives for fostering independence in aging. “There are areas in the brain that become poorly perfused as you age,” he notes, “and that’s believed to be associated with dementia and poor cognition.” Beet juice, the researchers explain, contains high concentrations of nitrates. When we eat nitrate-rich foods such as beets, celery, cabbage and spinach, good bacteria in the mouth turn nitrates to nitrites, which help open up blood vessels in the body, increasing blood flow and oxygen to the brain.
Olive Oil Protects the Liver
Extra virgin olive oil can help protect the liver from oxidative stress and resultant organ damage, according to research from the University of Monastir, Tunisia, and King Saud University, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When lab rats were exposed to a toxic herbicide known to deplete antioxidants in the body and cause oxidative stress, those that were fed a diet rich in olive oil were partially protected from liver damage. The organ plays a crucial role in ridding the body of toxic substances. Source: BioMed Central
Herbs Alleviate Anxiety
For the first time, scientists have conducted a systematic review of research into the use of nutritional supplements in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Findings by a metastudy team at the nonprofit Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation show strong evidence that the use of extracts of passionflower or kava or a combination of L-lysine and L-arginine can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety. The next step is to measure effective dosages. Source: BioMed Central natural awakenings
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healthykids
ECO-CAMPS FOR KIDS by Gail Condrick has always proved a perfect time to unplug from Just the mention of summer camp evokes dailyCamp routines and connect with the extraordinary. As Peg parents’ memories of communal living, Smith, CEO of the American Camp Association, observes: “Camps have been introducing children to the wonder and new challenges and outdoor fun in close beauty of the natural world for 150 years.” Fortunately, the trend continues, in spades. encounters with nature’s wonders. Today’s What’s in Store new generation of eco-friendly camps Eco-friendly camps can prove to be both an educational for our kids offer all of these experiences and experiential immersion in the living of green values for a child, establishing a pattern for life. Many camps mirror the sustainable practices families follow at home, like using and more.
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s the Sierra Club notes: “Camping today includes the traditional fun of being outdoors in a group and [at the same time] can also be an experience in ecofriendly living and practices.” Families looking for the perfect green summer camp will find programs for every child, from the nature neophyte to a budding biologist or environmental activist. Campers can choose to dig into organic farming, naturalist explorations, conscious living classes, green building programs or even sustainable living projects in exotic places. 10
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energy-saving devices, composting and encouraging healthy eating and organic gardening. For example, campers entering kindergarten through sixth grade like experiencing farm life at the Gwynn Valley Camp, in North Carolina (GwynnValley.com). Youngsters pick vegetables from the organic garden, milk the cows and gather eggs. This camp grows 70 percent of its food and has implemented many energy-saving practices. In Maryland, at Camp Calleva’s sustainable farm (Calleva.org), attendees learn about environmentally friendly design through hands-on alternative energy projects that
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“Today’s camps are adaptive and responsive to the needs of today’s families, mentoring tomorrow’s leaders—our children— in navigating the future.” ~ Peg Smith, CEO, American Camp Association change each year. Their Build Green and Grow Green weeks, for instance, have engaged campers in building a rainwater collection system for crops and farm animals, a biofuel project and this summer, a windmill alternative energy design. Likewise, the Green River Preserve, in North Carolina (GreenRiverPreserve.org), offers environmental programs for the academically gifted, creative and curious. Kids take daily hikes with naturalist mentors, learning the science behind their experiences, and help harvest, eat and compost vegetables grown onsite. Of course, traditional camp activities add to the fun. The camp partners with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, which encourages caring stewardship of Planet Earth. Teens from 13 to 17 years old enjoy programs offered at the Omega Teen Camp, in Holmes, New York (search Teen Camp at eomega.org). On top of outdoor adventures, the camp offers 50 class selections, from dance, yoga and Tai chi to meditation and “Face Your Fears” consciousness classes. When it’s time for dinner, they enjoy vegetarian and organic food selections, with most meals made from scratch. Know a mature teen, ready for travel and community service? BoldEarth Adventures’ (BoldEarth.com) summer camps include between six and 40 hours of service. Participants might plant and harvest organic vegetables in rural Ecuador, rehabilitate wild animals at an Amazon conservation project, or help restore hiking trails in Colorado.
Make your community a little GREENER … Support our advertisers For every $100 spent in locally owned business, $68 returns to the community source: the350project.net
Find the Best Green Camp
Start an informed search for eco-style kids camps by region, activities, special needs and age groups at AmericanCamp Association.com and ChoiceCamps.com. Individual camp websites typically state their mission and philosophy, camper/staff ratio, counselor qualifications, facility accreditation and camp building and operating practices that promote green living. natural awakenings
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For families who prefer to explore close to home, the Sierra Club gives tips to turn any backyard into a year-round environmental adventure camp. One suggestion involves putting up a tent, unfolding sleeping bags and grabbing flashlights for an outdoor evening looking up at the stars (search Backyard Camping at SierraClub.org). Summer is far from the only season for Earth-oriented experiences. Young people can make the most of environmental programs sponsored by local parks and recreation departments, Scout troops, schools and churches, any time they’re offered.
Benefits of the Natural World Camp allows kids to take a break from electronics and breathe in a renewed sense of nature’s daily miracles. Connecting to nature fights the “nature deficit syndrome,” spotlighted in Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, in which he comments on the state of too many of our youth today: “A kid today can likely tell you about the Amazon rain forest— but not about the last time he or she explored the woods in solitude, or lay in a field listening to the wind and watching the clouds move.” Louv is founder of the Children and Nature Network (ChildrenAndNature.org). Whether our perfect eco-camp is educational or sustainable, in the mountains or under a backyard tent, the experience of just being in nature can be life-changing for a child and for the whole family. Connect with Gail Condrick, writer and workshop leader, at GaelaVisions.com.
More Youth Wilderness Adventures 4-H Summer Camps 4-H.org Big City Mountaineers Wilderness Program BigCityMountaineers.org Boy Scout Camps Scouting.org Earth School Wilderness Skills LoveTheEarth.com Girl Scout Camps GirlScouts.org Quiet Heart Wilderness School QuietHeart.org Two Coyotes Wilderness School TwoCoyotes.org YMCA Summer Camps YMCA-Summer-Camps.com Other Youth Adventure Camps Search MySummerCamps.com 12
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Outward Bound Eco-Adventures Instill Confidence and Character by Karen Adams
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hen Jon Howard was a shy 16-year-old, he took a four-day canoe trip on Florida’s Peace River with Outward Bound that changed his life. “I came away with a belief inside me that no matter what happened in my life, I could deal with it,” he says. Today, he directs the organization’s national at-risk program from his office in Tallahassee, helping kids from around the country similarly gain inner strength. “Many people think of Outward Bound as a physical experience,” Howard says. “It is, but it’s also mental and emotional. When you align all three, that’s when it’s most powerful.” When Katie Pastuszek was 14, she spent 10 days backpacking and rock climbing in the West Virginia wilderness. Her Outward Bound-designed trip instilled a deep love of nature and taught her that she could take on unimagined challenges. “Those characteristics stay with a person for life,” she says. Today, Pastuszek serves as executive director of Outward Bound’s Philadelphia center. The pioneer in adventure-based education programs, Outward Bound has been building confidence, character, leadership and a sense of service in young people around the world for 70 years. Today, the organization is active in 34 countries, with more than a million alumni in the United States alone. All Outward Bound programs challenge participants to go beyond their own self-perceptions. Some trips venture into the wilderness; others explore urban environments and new neighborhoods, where kids often provide community services. They all learn life skills. “Their experiences help these kids overcome challenges when they go back to their daily lives, whether they face gangs or bullies or other pressures,” says Jeff Baierlein, executive director of the Baltimore/Chesapeake Bay center. They see their lives differently, he says, and they learn to make good choices, which often include new activities, peers and goals. By the end of an Outward Bound trip, all the kids share a sense of respect and belonging. “No matter who they are,” concludes Howard, “they definitely become aware that they’re part of a bigger picture.” For more information, visit OutwardBound.org. Karen Adams is a Natural Awakenings editor and freelance writer.
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inspiration
In this enhanced sense of the present, you can listen more deeply to the calling of your soul.
Consciousness Cleanse
Week Three: The Future. In this
Three Weeks to a Better Future
n Choose a sacred value that can serve as the foundation for your future, such as abundance, compassion, grace or integrity, and surround yourself with images, prayers, songs and scents that invoke it for you. Identify and act on choices that allow you to express that value.
by Debbie Ford
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his month is a powerful time to assess where we’ve been, acknowledge where we are right now and dream our most beautiful life into being. Starting now, we can move from the outdated modes of our limited thinking mind to tune into our eternal divine mind. Acting on these three recommended cleansing phases—one a week for the next three weeks—will work to lift us out of resignation and mediocrity into hope and excitement, and connect us with a future filled with surprises, possibility and deep purpose.
Week One: The Past. The first seven days of what I call The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse are dedicated to creating a powerful magnet of desire and cleaning out the turbulent emotions, outdated beliefs, unresolved incidents and restricting thoughts that have taken root in our minds and hearts. n Write a list of the grudges and resentments you have been carrying around that you are ready to let go. Release them by tearing up the paper into tiny little pieces.
final phase, you have the opportunity to look into the future and see who you want to be from this day forward.
n Spend time each morning, afternoon and evening checking in with your natural divine GPS. See if you made wrong turns and find out where that still, small voice wants you to go next. n Understanding that your outer world is a reflection of your inner world, release 100 pieces of clutter from your past that now occupy your home, office and surroundings.
Reconnecting with your highest self, you will experience more love, contentment and compassion as you step into the brilliance of your soul’s purpose. Why not seize this extraordinary opportunity to till the soil of your consciousness and plant the seeds of a whole new future?
Liberated from the confusion, fear, guilt and self-doubt of the past, you will naturally open up to new realms of awareness, emotional freedom and spiritual liberation.
Debbie Ford is a New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including The Shadow Effect, co-authored with Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson, and The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse. Visit DebbieFord.com.
Week Two: The Present. Having released everything that has depleted your vitality and held you back, stand firmly in the present moment. Take an honest look at where and who you are today, observing what is and is not working in your life. n Begin an ongoing present-moment awareness practice today. Set an hourly alarm; then, each time it reminds you, become present for five minutes to nature, to your body and breath or to the present moment itself. n Surprise yourself by challenging preconceptions of yourself; take measured risks and do something differently today. natural awakenings
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globalbriefs News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.
Meatless Mondays World’s Largest Grassroots Diet Education Blitz Hits March 20
The annual global Meatout WE MEATLESS MONDAYS observance has grown explosively since its inception in 1985, with people in 30 countries and all 50 U.S. states participating last March. The latest U.S. twist in the 2011 Meatout edition will be events aiming to serve vegan food to 10,000 veg-curious passersby and newcomers to veganism as a way to introduce them to the idea of Meatless Mondays. In the United States, national sponsor Farm Animal Reform Movement (FARM) reports that 30 million Americans have at least explored a meat-free diet, and one in five teens thinks that vegetarianism is “cool.” Major manufacturers and retailers have come to support the concept by adding meat- and dairy-free meals. Several national fast food chains now offer veggie burgers and some major baseball venues even have veggie ballpark dogs. Meanwhile, national beef and veal consumption are declining, according to the Meatout 2009 International Report. “Going meatless once a week can reduce your risk of chronic, preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity,” reports the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future. “It can also help limit your carbon footprint and save resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.” The average American currently eats eight ounces of meat a day, 45 percent more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommended amount. For more information, visit Meatout.org.
Dietary Shift
Home Preparation of Fresh Veggies on the Decline A new U.S. Department of Agriculture study reports that households headed by older generations spend more money per person on fresh vegetables prepared at home than their younger counterparts. After accounting for income and other demand factors, its Economic Research Service found that households headed by a person born in 1960 spent 66 cents per week less than those with a household head born in 1930. Younger generations continue to spend different amounts in each subsequent age point, with the youngest spending the least. Because of younger people’s continued reliance on convenience foods, the researchers project that, as they age, they will spend more on fresh grocery veggies than they do now, but when they reach their parent’s current age, they will still spend less on such foods than their parents do now. Several mainstream health advocacy organizations now promote consumption of plant-based foods, aiming to turn this trend around; they include the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins University and American Heart Association. 14
Tallahassee, S. Georgia, Gulf Coast
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Double-Duty Label Fair Trade Goes Domestic
Many people today are familiar with International Fair Trade, as it applies to the importing of items such as coffee, tea and cocoa. However, as the movement has grown, it has become apparent that many of the challenges facing producers in developing countries are also shared by North America’s family farmers. Big agribusiness continues to thrive, while small farmers have gone out of business. Consumers pay more, while farmers receive less. Meanwhile, farm workers are often denied fair wages and basic rights. So, a group of Canadian farmers, convinced that organics had been co-opted by large corporatestyle interests and that cheap organic grain imports were undercutting their homegrown organic production, have given birth to Domestic Fair Trade certification. To aid organic food shoppers, they have developed the fairDeal food label. It will most likely show up in the organic bins of local food co-ops. Initial products include flax, wheat, barley, oats, beans, peas, lentils, hemp seeds and mustard. Domestic Fair Trade Association (DFTA) members include farm workers and their organizations; farmers and farmer groups; retailers; non-governmental organizations; marketers; and processors and manufacturers. Qualifying standards commit members to the principles of Domestic Fair Trade and continual improvement of their day-to-day practices. For more information, visit thedfta.org.
Canned Chemicals
New Packaging Moves Away from BPA The chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), used for years in clear plastic bottles and food can liners, has been restricted in Canada and some U.S. states and municipalities because this synthetic estrogen is a suspected endocrine disruptor— a chemical that can interfere with the body’s gland and hormone functions. The Food and Drug Administration will soon decide what it considers is a safe level of exposure, based on a mounting body of independent research. Now, Consumer Reports has released results of its tests of 19 common canned foods; almost all of them contained BPA—even those labeled BPA-free and organic. The highest levels were found in canned soups and green beans. According to the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 93 percent of Americans have detectable levels of BPA in their bodies. Among Japan’s population, after BPA was voluntarily removed from the linings of food and beverage cans in 1997, a 2003 study showed that levels of BPA were down 50 percent. In the U.S., major food suppliers are starting to respond with non-BPA packaging for select products ranging from juice to tuna and pasta sauce.
The Buzz
Trouble for Wild Bumblebee Populations Bumblebees, those ace field hands that pollinate apple orchards, berry crops, tomato fields, wildflowers and flowering yard plants, are facing hard times in the United States. Nearly 10 percent of wild bumblebee species have suffered serious declines in numbers and geographic range, according to the first attempt at gauging the health of such populations nationwide. Research surveying 78,000 specimens across eight species—and correlating reductions in numbers with potential causes—found that four of the species are in decline. Each had significantly lower genetic diversity than the four more robust species. This factor may make them more vulnerable to environmental stresses, including fragmented habitat and the intracellular parasite, Nosema bombi, sometimes present in high numbers in the troubled species. The bees’ ranges have dropped by as much as 87 percent below their historically greatest extent, much of the decline occurring within the past 20 years. At the same time, the relative abundance of bees as compared with estimates of their known numerical peaks has plunged by as much as 96 percent. Sydney Cameron, Ph.D., an entomologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, characterizes bumblebees as “incredibly resilient.” Yet, he remarks, “There’s a threshold, and above that threshold? Bang, that’s it. We just don’t know what the thresholds are for these species.” The study is considered an environmental warning and wake-up call. Source: The Christian Science Monitor natural awakenings
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ecotip
n Potpourri – Dry all types of citrus rinds, apple peels, pomegranate skins and other fruit trimmings on a rack or in a food dehydrator to make homemade potpourri. Sprinkle on a little essential oil for more aroma, if desired.
A-Peeling Reuse
Practical Recycling Tips for Fruit and Veggie Scraps “A rind is a terrible thing to waste,” says Jeff Yeager, who refers to himself as the ultimate cheapskate. Yeager has discovered multiple uses for produce rinds and ways to extract extended benefits before they land in the compost pile. Here are a few of his favorites, shared with us during a recent interview: n Jam – Incorporate the skins from a wide variety of fruits— oranges, lemons, grapefruit, limes, tangerines and even kumquats—in easy-to-make marmalades. n Cornhusks – Wrap fish and other seafood in fresh, dampened, sweet corn husks to grill and serve in the husks. n Olive oil infusions – Add citrus peels to olive oil for flavor and to reinvigorate oil that’s getting old. n Savory chicken – Stuff all kinds of fruit and veggie peels inside a free-range chicken before roasting to give it extra flavor. Trimmings from onions, celery, citrus, apples, garlic, etc., can be stuffed in the chicken cavity or sprinkled around the roasting pan. Once baked, the trimmings break down faster in the compost pile. n Easter egg dye – Boil organic Easter eggs with onionskins to naturally create wild yellow and orange eggshells.
n Air freshener – Boil lemon rinds in water on the stovetop, microwave them for a minute, or just throw them in the garbage disposal, in order to freshen the air in the kitchen. Also place a couple in the humidifier to make the whole house smell lemony-fresh. n Shoeshine – Put a “split-shine” on leather shoes by polishing them with the slippery side of a banana peel. n Metal polish – Lemon, lime and other citrus rinds and pulp/juice are high in citric acid, which makes them great for polishing brass, copper and other non-ferrous metals. Sprinkle on a little baking soda to hasten polishing (ketchup works, too). n Seedling pots – Scooped-out avocado shells make perfect biodegradable pots to start garden seedlings. n Pest control – Sprinkle ground-up nutshells around tender garden plants to keep slugs and other pests away; they can’t stand crawling across the rough texture (crushed eggshells also work). n Houseplant help – Use banana peels to shine the leaves on houseplants to make them sparkle; this also serves as a natural pesticide and fertilizer.
n Foot rub – Rub papaya skins and pulp on the bottoms of the feet to help soften and soothe skin, particularly on the heels. They’re rich in vitamin A and papain, which breaks down inactive proteins and removes dead skin cells.
Note: Always thoroughly wash the rinds of produce that will be eaten or come into contact with food, even if it is organically grown.
n Hair dye – Boil potato peels in water for about a halfhour, strain and let cool. Rinsing hair with this water after shampooing will gradually darken grey hair without any synthetic chemicals.
Jeff Yeager is the author of The Cheapskate Next Door and The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches. Connect at UltimateCheapskate.com.
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wisewords
My big goal in life is to support the growth of organic agriculture, because the impact is profound. Our company uses as many organic ingredients in our products as we possibly can. Today, I also love to farm organically in my backyard. I have nine chickens, a peach tree, a couple of citrus trees and four raised beds for fruits and vegetables.
Sustainable Foods & Social Philanthropy A Conversation with Nell Newman
What role did social responsibility play in your family life?
by Ellen Mahoney wasn’t easy. I started to look closely at the business model Dad was working on at the time to produce and sell high-quality products, with profits going to various charities. I thought it was a great idea that could be done a little differently, and decided to create an organic line of food products. My hope was to have the line support organic agriculture and better the environment, while providing funds to worthy nonprofits.
F
ollowing in her famous parents’ footsteps, Nell Newman, daughter of actors and environmental activists Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, launched Newman’s Own Organics in 1993 with business partner Peter Meehan. She is also the author of The Newman’s Own Organics Guide to a Good Life: Simple Measures that Benefit You and the Place You Live. Since 1982, the Newman’s Own Foundation, which originated with her father’s company, Newman’s Own, has donated more than $300 million to educational and charitable organizations worldwide.
Why did you decide to create Newman’s Own Organics? In 1989 I worked as the development director for the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, trying to raise money for this small nonprofit. I was very motivated to do this work because I was dumbfounded by how the peregrine falcon and the bald eagle populations were being decimated due to the use of the synthetic pesticide DDT. But raising money for this organization
Did your parents always support your definition of truly healthy food? I grew up in an old Colonial farmhouse in Westport, Connecticut, and my parents were always interested in healthy food and cooking. Mom had been a health foodie since the late ’60s, and she taught me how to cook at an early age. Dad taught me how to fish and how to pick ripe produce from the local farm stand. But I realized that Dad associated all health food with nut loaf topped with yeast gravy and “atomic” muffins, made with heavy whole wheat. He had some stubborn ideas about what he thought organic food really was. So, one year, I secretly prepared a totally organic Thanksgiving dinner for the family. When Dad finished his plate I asked, “So, how did you like your organic dinner?” He was surprised and knew he’d been had, but also realized that organic food didn’t have to taste funny. Our first product for Newman’s Own Organics, an organic pretzel, became Dad’s favorite snack.
How do you advocate for the principles of sustainable agriculture?
I knew my parents were politically active, but “socially responsible” wasn’t even a term when I was growing up. They never lectured or made a big deal about their philanthropy; I only learned about it through their example. Dad’s company began because people loved his homemade salad dressing; he was always putting it in big wine bottles and giving it away. Although he thought it was a harebrained idea and was told that celebrity products usually fail, he eventually decided to sell it. In the first year he made $890,000; at that time he was at the peak of his acting career and instead of pocketing the money, he donated it to selected charities.
Why did you decide to develop a line of organic pet foods? When I was a kid, we had five dogs, six cats and a pet skunk. I was also a budding ornithologist, and as a teenager I practiced the art of falconry, because the peregrine was my favorite bird. I’ve always loved animals, so organic pet food seemed like a natural product line extension to me. It was a challenge to convince Dad, but we finally launched the pet line in 2005 and it’s been highly successful. Because the type of food an animal eats affects its quality of life, it’s vital to make sure pets receive the highest quality of foods that are closest to what they would eat in the wild. Plus, the happier our animals are, the happier we are. For more information, visit Newmans OwnOrganics.com/index.php. Ellen Mahoney is a writer and radio producer. Email evm@infionline.net.
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America’s Growing Food Revolution An Insider’s Guide to Sustainable Choices by Lisa Marshall
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e’ve heard the buzz. America is in the midst of a food revolution. Sales of natural and organic foods are up by double digits. The once-obscure Locavore (eat local) movement has become a national phenomenon. Community supported agriculture (CSA) initiatives and farmers’ markets are proliferating. Even the federal government and some of the country’s largest grocery retailers have jumped on board, with First Lady Michelle Obama helping to plant the first garden on White House grounds since World War II, and Walmart vowing in January to double the percentage of locally grown produce it sells to 9 percent. The statistics are motivating indeed: According to University of Wisconsin researchers, produce travels an average of 1,500 miles from farmland to plate today, up 22 percent from 1981. Half of our land and 80 percent of our water is used for agriculture, reports The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and pesticide use has increased 33-fold since the 1940s. Meanwhile, health problems associated with agricultural chemicals are on the rise. 18
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“We have been through 100 years of industrialization of our food supply, and consumers have begun to wake up and realize they have no idea how their food is made,” says historian and food policy writer James McWilliams, an associate professor at Texas State University. “Historians will look back on this time as momentous.”
Is it better to buy “organic,” “natural” or “local”? But with every revolution come tough questions—and fiery debate—on how best to participate. Is it better to buy “organic,” “natural” or “local”? Is shopping at a farmers’ market inherently more green? Are there other ways, such as planting a garden or eschewing meat, that can make an even bigger impact? In reality, there are no easy answers, but, “Consumers need to be prepared to take on a bit more complexity in how we think about food, and not www.natallahassee.com
fall so easily for simple mantras (like Eat Local and Buy Organic),” advises McWilliams.
The Case for Organic
Ask Rodale Inc. CEO Maria Rodale what consumers can do to improve their health and environment, and her answer is unequivocal. “If you do just one thing—make one conscious choice—that can change the world, go organic,” she writes in her new book, Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe. Rodale’s grandfather founded Organic Farming and Gardening magazine (today’s Organic Gardening) in the 1940s, jump-starting an organic movement that by the 1960s was nearly synonymous with environmentalism. But today, Rodale concedes, the organic industry faces a public relations challenge, as consumers trade from USDA Organiccertified foods to “locally grown” or cheaper “natural” options. One 2009 survey by The Shelton Group found that out of 1,000 shoppers, 31 percent looked for the “natural”
label, while 11 percent looked for “organic.” “There is a giant misperception among consumers that somehow natural is the word that is regulated and organic is not. In fact, it is actually the other way around,” says CEO Suzanne Shelton. Law mandates that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) products labeled organic be free of pesticides, hormones and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and that animals be given access to the outdoors. By contrast, the Food and Drug Administration vaguely describes natural as, “Nothing artificial or synthetic has been included in, or has been added to a food that would not normally be expected to be in the food.” With the exception of meat, it is up to the manufacturer to define what natural means. (In 2009, the USDA defined “naturally raised” meat as, “… raised entirely without growth promoters, antibiotics, and never been fed animal byproducts.” It says nothing about GMOs or humane animal treatment.) Organic advocates point out that a genetically modified animal could be fed genetically modified feed and confined to a narrow pen and still be billed as natural. A loaf of natural bread could be made with grains repeatedly sprayed with pesticides and man-made fertilizer. “Natural refers to the end product,” explains the Organic Trade Association. “It does not provide any information about how the product was produced.” What about buying local? Rodale argues that, while focusing on local is great for reducing farm-to-plate miles, if it isn’t organic, it isn’t necessarily addressing the larger issue of pesticide and antibiotic use. Noting that more than 4 billion pounds of pesticides are used annually in the United States, she points to studies from the National Institutes of Health and the Mount Sinai Medical Center Children’s Environmental Health Center that suggest links between agricultural antibiotic use and the rise in drug-resistant staph infections in humans, and between oganophosphate pesticides and cancer and diabetes. “It is fine to buy local, but if there are chemicals in it, then the farmer is contaminating your own community,” Rodale says. “That’s even worse.”
The Locavore Way
In early 2005, Jennifer Maiser and a handful of friends in San Francisco decided to limit what they ate for a month to what was produced within 100 miles of home base. By August, 1,000 people had signed on at Maiser’s EatLocal Challenge.com. By 2007, “locavore” was the Word of the Year of the New Oxford American Dictionary. “It just snowballed,” recalls Maiser. “I think it had a lot to do with changes in the organic movement. In the 1990s, if you were eating organic, you pretty much were eating food from a local farmer. But when the big companies came in and you could get organic produce grown in Mexico, it wasn’t the same anymore. We still wanted to know where our food was coming from.” Professional dancer-turned-ethnobotanist Leda Meredith started a 250mile challenge in 2007, in part to see if a time-crunched professional in wintery Brooklyn could achieve what Locavores in warmer climes had. At first, adjusting to the realities was rough. Local cooking oil was hard to find (she saved the rendered fat from her locally raised duck and used it to pop locally grown popcorn) and her one-bedroom apartment was not ideal for stockpiling canned produce (she keeps canned local tomatoes and dried wild mushrooms under her bed). “But, by year’s end, it had become my new normal,” says Meredith, author of The Locavore’s Handbook: The Busy Person’s Guide to Eating Local on a Budget. She chooses organic and local whenever possible, and if the food is on the Environmental Working Group’s dirty-dozen list of most pesticidedrenched food, she might even buy organic from afar. Yet, she is a Locavore at heart. “It has an impact, on local economies and small farmers, and from a cook’s point of view the food is just fresher,” she says. McWilliams, a vegan and author of Just Food: Where Locavores Get it Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly, agrees. But he takes issue with the notion that, because it necessitates fewer transportation miles, eating local is a better choice for the environment.
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Tips to Eat Sustainably, Healthy and Smart n Buy certified organic and local when possible. n Always choose certified organic when shopping for the publicized dirty dozen: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes. n When buying local, but not organic, ask the farmer: “Why not organic?” He or she may be doing something close. n When joining a CSA, ask the farmer if he or she ever adds non-local food to the basket. If so, ask where it comes from and how it is produced. n At a farmers’ market, ask the management how they choose their vendors. Must they be local, or certified organic? How are they screened? n If buying “natural,” learn how the producer defines it (the government definition is vague). n Eat less meat. It uses fewer resources to produce. n Plant something. Try a container garden on a balcony or in a window box. n Learn about good sources of healthy foods in various seasons. n Take a cooking class.
natural awakenings
March 2011
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He notes that the shipping of food constitutes just 9 to 11 percent of its “life-cycle assessment” (the toll it takes on the environment), while things like water use, fertilizer application and harvesting techniques suck up far more. Is it really greener to buy local hothouse tomatoes if, according to McWilliams, they can require up to 10 times the energy? Is it really more sustainable to buy local rice from an arid state if aquifers were drained to grow it? Another issue concerns economies of scale. For instance, a shipper sending a truck with 2,000 apples across 2,000 miles would consume the same amount of fuel per apple as a local farmer who takes a pickup 50 miles to sell 50 apples. “Local is not necessarily greener,” accounts McWilliams. So, what is? Eating less meat, he contends. And mounting studies back up his point. Most recently, a 2009 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a carnivorous diet requires 2.9 times more water, 2.5 times more energy, 3 times more fertilizer and 1.4 times more pesticides than a vegetarian diet. “If I eat less meat or eat a vegan diet, I am automatically shrinking the carbon footprint of my diet, no matter where it comes from,” says McWilliams. www.natallahassee.com
Growing Our Own
Greg Peterson says that there is another perspective often left out of the puzzle when people postulate how they can change the world by what they eat: “Food grows for free. You just have to buy a little seed and put a little water on it. People should grow their own food, share it and give it away.” From his 80-by-60-foot yard in the heart of Phoenix, Peterson grows 50 to 100 individual crops, from citrus trees to snow peas and greens. His neighbors pop in for a bowl of peaches or a few fresh eggs. He further spreads the word by hosting gardening classes for everyone from wealthy retirees with big yards to thrifty condo dwellers wanting to grow herbs on their porches. “For me, it’s about building local food systems and making neighborhoods more resilient,” he says. “There is also something inherently spiritual about being able to go out in my front yard and pick carrots, beets and greens to make dinner.” Erin Barnett is the director of Minnesota-based LocalHarvest, which connects consumers with family farms, co-ops (collectively owned nonprofit grocery stores or buying clubs that give members discounted prices on healthconscious products in exchange for a fee and work crew hours) and CSAs (in which members buy a share and
Key Food Websites EatLocalChallenge.com encourages us to eat what is produced within 100 to 250 miles from home. FoodCoopInitiative.coop helps communities start their own nonprofit co-op. LocalHarvest.org connects consumers to CSAs, co-ops and farmers’ markets in their area. ota.com offers info about what organic is and is not. TrueFoodNow.org operates a grassroots action network by The Center for Food Safety. UrbanFarm.org gives advice on how to start an urban farm.
receive a box of local farm produce each week). She says that these can be excellent ways to benefit our health, environment and local economies. But there can be downsides. For example, a co-op can take years to form and is typically volunteer run, which involves a significant learning curve; it also often requires members to put up several hundred dollars long before the doors open. Belonging to a CSA includes collective risk, so if it’s a bad crop year, member shares are affected. At a farmers’ market, occasionally a vendor will pass off conventional produce shipped in from afar as local or organic. As someone who buys eggs from a farmers’ market, grass-fed meat from a local farm, dry goods from a co-op, nuts from a natural food buying club, and has a garden that dwarfs her own house, Barnett puts it this way: Ask questions first. Then make a plan. “Everyone is going to concoct their own way of meeting their needs by balancing their relationships with local people and their beliefs about organic,” she says. “It is very complex. But at least people are talking about it.”
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March 2011
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Tallahassee’s Food Movement
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magine a town where folks lend sunny plots to neighbors for growing their own food in the event that they are short on space (or sunlight). Consider a locale where there are five subscription community gardens (where you can rent a plot to grow food) with another five on the way plus four demonstration gardens and over 25 school gardens. In this same place, suppose community activists host discussions about the connection between childhood obesity and the lack of quality food options available in economically depressed areas. Picture a local network of students from three different colleges and universities that support school gardens and exchange ideas about urban farming. Envision a metro area in which there are farmers’ markets every day of the
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week (aside from Sunday), and the count of small, local growers and available CSA memberships are on the rise. Look about you. You’re there. The Food Movement has taken root locally and is bearing more fruit than any one person can track. The stories are plentiful.
Community Gardens of Havana
Take the Community Gardens of Havana for example. The story is that Havana resident Bob Bruggner went to visit his son in California. Within walking distance, there were two separate community gardens. Bruggner was so enamored with the idea that, upon his return, he wrote a column in the Havana Herald
encouraging anyone interested in helping to start a community garden to give him a call. In short order, Havana assembled their community garden team: folks connected to the food pantry, Havana City Hall, churches and schools. By the time of Havana’s first workday, 36 of 38 plots had been “leased.” By the end of the first workday, all the plots were accounted for, and they had started a waiting list.
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“God’s Giving Garden”
Another great story concerns Faith Presbyterian Church’s children’s garden. With seeds in their hands, Brittany Harrold, church educator and garden coordinator asked the kids what they wanted to do with the produce as they planted for the first time in the spring of 2009. “Give it away to hungry people,” they responded. In accordance with the children’s will, the veggies are distributed to folks with insufficient food through Manna on Meridian, a food pantry managed in partnership by four churches on N Meridian Rd. The value of the garden’s produce is not so much the quantity but, instead, the message to congregants that it is insufficient to offer only (calorie dense) dry and canned goods; fresh fruits and vegetables are also essential. The message has not been missed: whether raised by folks with “big-ole” gardens or purchased from distributors, the partner churches have ensured that “Manna” has had a steady supply of fresh produce to give away.
Such “big” tales are exciting.
Many—perhaps most—stories of the food movement, however, are far less coordinated and organized, far more individual in nature than the above examples— though no less critical. Such stories look like folks enjoying their grandmother’s collards greens; they look like homemakers maintaining small kitchen gardens and neighbors talking about seed saving; they look like college students watching YouTube videos about urban farming and families rediscovering the wonder of canning fresh-picked blueberry jam. All these stories fit within the food movement mosaic because, at it’s most basic level, the food movement is a hodge-podge combination of efforts making sure that Tallahassee can feed itself. The vision is this: resilient community-based food systems. In less complicated words that means everyone in the area ought to end their day well fed without worry about their ability to eat in the days and weeks to come—no matter the economic scene. We’re on our way. For additional information on the Food Movement, visit: maninoveralls.blogspot.com/p/resources.html Nathan Ballentine, aka the Man in Overalls is Gardener, Educator, Organizer, Owner of Tallahassee Food Gardens, a social enterprise that encourages and assists folks to grow their own food and share it.
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healingways
Diet Detox
A Good Spring Cleaning Flushes Out Fats and Toxins by Ann Louise Gittleman
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pring—when the natural world reawakens and bursts with renewed energy—is an ideal season to clean up our act. A cleansing diet to eliminate toxins from our body is as much a rite of spring as sweeping debris from our home. In my nutrition practice, I have often seen how after a sedentary winter of consuming heavier foods, our bodies may be carrying around as much as five to 10 pounds of toxic wastes. While a properly functioning human body has its own built-in detoxification system, it can be easily overwhelmed by today’s proliferation of environmental toxins. The newest environmental assault on the body’s detox system is electro-pollution, according to research highlighted in the 2007 BioIniative Report, a metastudy of 2,000 peer-reviewed studies compiled by an international group of researchers, scientists and health policy officials. Compounding the problem, Paula Baillie-Hamilton, a British medical doctor specializing in human metabolism, reported in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine that environmental toxins also play havoc with our body’s built-in weight regulation system. In short, the more toxic our body becomes, the harder it is to lose weight.
Detox Equals Weight Loss Clinical research from the University of Quebec as far back as 2002 suggests 24
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that toxins slow metabolism. It is widely held that because many toxins are fatsoluble and stored in body fat, as the fat melts away, the toxins are released into the bloodstream; this inhibits the production of thyroid hormone, with a resulting metabolic meltdown. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is the season to support the prime organs of detoxification—the liver and gallbladder. The liver alone impacts some 400 bodily functions, so it deserves support. The following symptoms recommend giving these organs some special care: n Chronic tension in neck and shoulders n Sensitivity beneath the rib cage (particularly the right side) n Feeling tired and sleepy after eating n Nausea, especially after eating fatty foods n Hormonal imbalances with hot flashes due to perimenopause or menopause n Premenstrual irritability and bloating n Light-colored stools n Waking between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.
Detox Diet Basics Start off each morning for two weeks (or up to a maximum of two months), with hot lemon water, perhaps spiced with cinnamon and ginger, for an added metabolic boost. The antioxidant D-limonine in lemon thins bile and is helpful in breaking down fat-trapping www.natallahassee.com
toxins. Use the juice of one small lemon to eight ounces of warm water. Then, sip a total of 64 ounces of cran-water between meals throughout the day. Mix one ounce of unsweetened cranberry juice per seven ounces of pure water. Cranberry helps to balance pH, suppress hunger and combat cellulite and water retention, while drawing out fatty wastes by targeting lymph (a secondary circulatory system beneath the skin that works to rid the body of toxic wastes, bacteria, heavy metals, dead cells, trapped proteins and fat). Sipped daily, this antioxidant- and phenol-rich elixir works to help reduce bloating and melt fat from hips, waist and thighs. Nutrient-rich spring greens like arugula, collard or dandelion greens, lettuce, parsley, spinach, Swiss chard and watercress are classic foods used in a spring detox. Other good choices are antioxidant foods that supply the body with glutathione, the liver’s premier antioxidant, also known as, “the toxic waste neutralizer,” which is vital to organ detoxification. Broccoli sprouts are one of the best sources of glutathione; so is asparagus. Eating lightly steamed kale, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage can also support the liver’s ability to detoxify the body. Finally, eating adequate protein is essential to ensure that the liver can produce the enzymes it needs to break down toxins into water-soluble substances for excretion. Protein plays a crucial role in tissue growth and healing, strengthening the immune system and burning fat. Eat at least 4 to 6 ounces of wild salmon, free-range organic poultry or hemp protein each day during detox. Choosing a daily dose of high-quality glutathione-boosting whey protein powder or a brown rice/yellow pea protein powder is another way to pump up the detox process. Such spring cleaning can help purge our body of toxins and give our whole system the cleansing boost it needs, simultaneously preparing it for even more healthy weight loss in coming months. Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D. and certified nutrition specialist, is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author and media expert. Fat Flush for Life is the latest in her book series on body detoxification and weight loss.
fitbody
EXERCISE
DETOX Six Ways to Burn Calories and Clean Out Your System by Annie B. Bond
T
here are as many different types of exercise as there are ways to move. Although all types of exercise will help to detoxify your body, some are clearly more beneficial than others. Try one of these today and feel better immediately.
Walk This Way
Generally speaking, aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, cycling and swimming are the most detoxifying. Of the wide array of choices, walking is hands-down the most popular. It is something almost everyone can do to get a daily dose of healthy detoxification.
Jump for Joy
Bouncing on a trampoline, such as a mini-tramp or rebounder, is one of the least appreciated exercises for cleansing and strengthening every cell of the body. Experts point out that it is also one of the best workouts for activating the lymphatic system.
Let Your Body Flow
For centuries, yoga has been prescribed as moving medicine for the immune system. Yoga has been reported to lower stress hormones that compromise immunity, while stimulating the lymphatic system to purge toxins and bring fresh, nutrient-oxygenated blood to each organ to help ensure optimum functioning.
Pick Up the Pace
There’s a longstanding myth among participants that exercising at a lower intensity for a longer duration maximizes the burning of fat and releases toxins. Not true. To really rev up metabolism, burn more calories and keep the fatburning switch turned on longer after an exercise session, try picking up the pace for one or more shorter periods.
Make Some Muscle
Strength training is known to boost natural muscle-making chemicals such as human growth hormone and preserve the muscle we have, while also replacing the muscle tissue we’ve lost. Lifting weights also helps us shed fat by simply burning calories. As a bonus, a calorie-burning metabolism can stay elevated for up to 48 hours after we’ve finished lifting.
Take It Outside
When possible, infuse an exercise routine with fresh air by doing it outdoors. When exercising outside, it’s important that we not add to our toxic burden by walking or jogging along busy roads or highways, because breathing in chemical-laced exhaust nullifies the benefits. Annie B. Bond is an internationally renowned expert on personal detoxification and past executive editor of Care2. com/greenliving, which sourced all health claims in The Purification Plan, by the editors of Rodale Health Books. natural awakenings
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COMING APRIL COMING IN IN APRIL
naturalpet
LASER
POWER 21ST CENTURY PET THERAPY OPTIONS by Dr. Matthew Heller
GREEN HOMES & GARDENS Make your personal living spaces more eco-friendly. Natural Awakenings shows you how.
For more information about how you can participate in our April edition please call
850-270-6762 26
Tallahassee, S. Georgia, Gulf Coast
P
et owners around the country are discovering a new wrinkle in an existing technology to deliver both pain relief and healing for their furry, feathery or scaly companions. Laser technology has been used in the veterinary field for many years for surgery. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Class IV laser therapy to deliver non-invasive relief for pain and inflammation, as well. Treatments benefit pets suffering from arthritis, back injuries, acute sprains or spasms and dermatological hot spots and wounds, plus enhance post-operative rehabilitation.
How It Works The science is fairly straightforward. In a Class IV laser therapy session, a concentrated beam of light emanates from a wand that is slowly moved over the animal’s body, and several processes occur that accelerate healing and pain relief. Effects include an increase in circulation and metabolism, stimulation of nerve cells and a boost in collagen production, all of which facilitate wound healing. The associated production of oxygen encourages cells to regrow, while a release of endorphins stimulates cells to heal more rapidly, reducing pain. Unlike pharmaceutical, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) that provide relief from pain and inflammation, laser therapy does not pose serious side effects for the liver or kidneys, www.natallahassee.com
nor is it painful or typically require sedation. Because it promotes cellular activity and increases blood flow, laser therapy should not be used on tumors or pre-surgical sites where it could be detrimental.
Frequency, Duration and Intensity The duration and frequency of a therapeutic laser session depends on the type of injury or illness being treated. A certified operator will select a preprogrammed protocol, established to regulate the power of the laser (typically from six to 12 watts). The desired wattage is often determined by the size of the area to be treated, along with the nature of the injury and the pet’s coat type and body weight. As with most medical therapies, one size does not fit all. Initially, a laser therapy session will begin with a thorough physical examination and radiographs, if indicated, to ascertain the
extent of the injury or condition, and develop an individualized plan to return a pet to a heightened state of wellness. For instance, a pet suffering from degenerative arthritis that is experiencing great discomfort in walking may initially be treated for five to 10 minutes every two or three days for a few weeks. As the pet’s situation improves, the frequency of the sessions may decrease to once weekly, and then every two weeks, until the pet receives a laser treatment on a monthly basis. For chronic conditions, laser therapy may not cure the pet, but it will help alleviate its discomfort. For more acute situations, such as a hot spot or a sprain, the animal may be treated for three to five minutes every three days over a 10-day period. A pet that has recently undergone invasive surgery, such as an ACL (anterior
cruciate ligament, or connective knee tissue) repair or tumor removal, may be treated just minutes after the sutures are closed, to promote circulation, stimulate nerve cells and boost collagen production, reducing healing time. Over the next seven to 10 days, the pet may receive a laser treatment every few days until the skin around the incision is less inflamed. Results of laser therapy treatments are cumulative, but most pet owners report significant improvement after two to four sessions. An article in the Newark Post, in Delaware, quoted pet owner Cricket Barazotto as saying, “I was desperate to get [my dog] Clare out of pain. It was hard for her to walk through our neighborhood. But after the first week of laser therapy, she started jumping back up on our bed.”
Pet owners who previously relied upon more traditional means of relieving inflammation or pain, such as drugs, prescription diets for skin allergies and other types of palliative care, are often surprised by the affordability and availability of laser therapy. Treatment costs vary by location, generally ranging from $50 to $75 a session. To find an area veterinarian that uses non-surgical laser therapy, visit the websites of the two main manufacturers: K-LaserUSA.com/locator/ locator/index.php and Companion TherapyLaser.com/Pages/pet-owners. This federally approved safe and effective technology delivers results, increasing mobility, accelerating wound healing and decreasing pain. To see if a family pet could benefit from laser therapy, contact a veterinarian to discuss the best application of this innovative approach. Dr. Matthew J. Heller is a holistic veterinarian and owner of All About PetCare, in Middletown, OH. For more information, call 513-424-1626 or 866-YOURVET, or visit AllAboutPetCare.com.
LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE THERAPY
www.tallahasseeacupuncture.net
natural awakenings
March 2011
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greenliving
Christopher’s Girl by Stacey Neumiller Stacey Neumiller readily admits that she is smitten with farm life. She grew up on a small, non-working farm and spent hours drawing the animals she adored. After studying art at the University of California, Davis, she enjoyed a successful career as a graphic designer and illustrator for several years. Still, Neumiller yearned to create fine art in a style uniquely her own. Today, the Coupeville, Washingtonbased artist “breaks the rules” by combining illustrative realism with naïve simplicity, focusing on animals, birds and plants found in agricultural settings. She uses rich, bright oil or acrylic pigments and strong, simple compositions to make her subjects seem larger than life. “I lift my subject above the ordinary and transform it into art through color and design,” Neumiller says, “painting my vision of what rural farm life embodies: animals, birds, crops, fresh air, fragrant grasses and of course, red barns. All of these things ground me and make me whole. My goal through my art is to share my connection to this pure, simple lifestyle.” Visit the artist’s portfolio at Stacey Neumiller.com. Also visit StudioNeu Design.com, call 360-678-1752 or email sneumiller@hughes.net. 28
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The Herbal Kitchen Eight Easy Picks for Container Gardening Keep culinary herbs handy by growing them in a large pot just outside the kitchen door. by Barbara Pleasant
H
umans have had good reasons to grow basil, rosemary and other culinary herbs for thousands of years. Edible herbal accents and aromas enhance the beauty and flavor of every dish they touch, be they sprigs of fresh parsley tossed into hot couscous or marjoram and thyme sparking a savory risotto. A big garden isn’t needed to grow most kitchen herbs; in fact, it’s often better to grow these culinary gems in pots. In any household, the sweet spot for cultivating herbs is a puddle of sunshine near the kitchen door. Time and again, the cook will dash out to gather a handful of this or that while two or three dishes simmer on the stove. Dinner is less likely to boil over when herbs can be snagged in a matter of seconds.
Individual Pots vs. Container Bouquets Because small pots heat up and dry out faster than larger ones, herbs usually grow best in larger containers. Fourteeninch-wide plastic or fiberglass pots are lightweight, easy to handle and provide ample room for four or more plants. www.natallahassee.com
Half-barrel wooden planters are great and fixed oblong planters also work well. Cooks and gardeners will have the most fun combining upright herbs that reach for the sky with others that tend toward low, mounding growth. When shopping for seedlings, look for interesting ways to combine leaf textures and foliage colors, too. For example, anchor an herbal container bouquet with red-leafed basil and surround it with marjoram and thyme. Then, create a second container by combining silvery sage with green chives and curly parsley. This two-pot herb garden will produce a season’s worth of fresh flavors.
Eight Easy Herbs for Pots Basil’s spicy-sweet flavor with strong floral notes puts it on everyone’s planting list. This fast-growing annual loves warm weather. Basil planted in the early part of the growing season will produce numerous flowering spikes within a couple of months, which should be snipped off. The more basil is pinched back, the bushier it becomes. Chives taste like very mild scallions, and plants will produce new leaves
throughout the growing season, if trimmed regularly. These cold-hardy plants become dormant off-season and return the following year, featuring an early show of edible pink flowers. The slender, upright leaves combine well with other herbs.
FLOORING CENTER
Dill is a fast-growing annual that prefers cool growing conditions. Its leaves, flowers and seeds carry a savory tang that enhances the flavor of pickles, marinated vegetables and breads. Placed in the center of a large pot, a single dill plant will grow more than two feet tall and may require staking. Marjoram deserves wider use, because the little plants combine a light oregano flavor with subtle notes of mint and lemon, and marjoram tastes good raw or cooked. Its lanky stems look lovely spilling over the sides of mixed containers. Parsley needs a bit more moisture than other herbs, so place it closer to the center than the edge in mixed containers. Both mild-flavored curly and more assertive flat-leafed Italian parsley do well in roomy containers. Rosemary tolerates strong sun and heat, so it’s a wise choice in hot months. Northerners grow rosemary as an annual, but in milder climates, these woody perennials can continue as a perennial for years. Rosemary’s piney flavor and aroma takes center stage in rice dishes and casseroles, and the woody stems make delightful skewers. Sage charms everyone with its luminous leaves, which may be gray-green or variegated with pink and cream, depending on variety. Smoky sage is the definitive herb to pair with poultry, and it’s great with potatoes, too. Thyme is the flavorful herb that brings depth to many French and Cajun dishes. The fresh version is incomparable for lending savory flavor notes to fresh vegetables. Both English thyme and low-growing lemon thyme make appealing edge plants in mixed containers. Barbara Pleasant is the author of numerous gardening books, including Starter Vegetable Gardens: 24 No-Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardens. For more information visit BarbaraPleasant.com.
Michelle Roberts (850) 599-2546 1516-B Capital Circle SE
(850) 877-6600
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consciouseating
BACKYARD
CHICKENS The People’s Choice for Fresh Healthy Eggs by Lisa Marshall
A
s I work in my home office near Boulder, Colorado, I hear a soft, “Cluck-cluck-cluck,” from outside the window. Soon, it will crescendo into a piercing, “Baaaaaaawk,” as the largest of our seven hens—a plump Rhode Island red named Rojo—drops a warm, beige egg into her hay-filled nesting box. When my daughters, ages 8 and 10, return from school, they’ll tromp through the snow to our A-frame coop, fill their basket with a colorful assortment of bluish-green, brown and lavender eggs (some still warm) and skip off to a neighbor’s house to trade them for piggy bank cash. Such is the life of a backyard chicken farmer.
National Phenomenon Once viewed as the realm of rural poultry farmers and commercial egg factories, raising chickens has become a growing trend, with everyone from urban foodies to thrifty suburban housewives erecting makeshift coops, logging on to how-to websites and mail-ordering fuzzy, day-old chicks. Some are lured by the firm, buttery, nutrient-rich yolks and enhanced nutritional quality (a study by Mother Earth News found eggs from pasture-raised hens to contain twice the omega-3 fatty acids, three times the vitamin E, and one-third the cholesterol of conventional eggs). Some simply want to know where their food comes from. Others long for a bucolic touchstone in their frenzied city lives. “I see chickens as a critical piece of my landscape,” says Greg Peterson, co-author of Fowl Play: Your Guide to Keeping Chickens in the City. “They eat all my food scraps. 30
Tallahassee, S. Georgia, Gulf Coast
They eat the bugs and the weeds. They produce nitrogen-rich fertilizer for the garden. Then they give me eggs.” Peterson keeps 15 chickens in his 80-by-160-foot yard in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona. His monthly local how-toraise-chickens courses currently pack in 50 to 60 people, from tattooed and pierced 20-somethings to retirees. Meanwhile, Rob Ludlow’s BackyardChickens.com, which started in 1999 as a coop-design clearinghouse, now boasts more than 50,000 members, who submit 7,000 posts a day. “We have doubled our production from five years ago, and it just keeps getting better and better,” says spokesman Jeff Smith, of Lebanon, Missouri-based Cackle Hatchery. The 70-year-old chicken hatchery used to cater mostly to farmers wanting large orders of baby chicks for meat or egg operations, and the occasional 4-H club. Now, it ships 140,000 freshly hatched chicks each week to unlikely farmers in urban centers like Seattle, Phoenix, Jersey City and Reno. “There is a little bit of fear out there about the economy, and people are looking at being more self-sufficient,” says Smith. “People are also interested in making sure the birds are being fed right, and not kept in a cage all of their lives.”
Bantamweight Contests Not all are fans of the urban poultry-farming boom. Disgruntled neighbors have called upon government leaders to either uphold or implement ordinances that view chickens as farm animals and ban them in urban areas. Some have complained of smelly coops and rodents (all avoidable via regular coop cleaning, proponents say). Others have squawked about noise. But in dozens of recent cases, the hens and their owners have won. In September 2008, for example, the city of Fort Collins, Colorado, passed an ordinance that allows city residents to keep up to six hens, as long as they buy a $30 permit, provide their birds with a ventilated, predatorresistant coop with two square feet of room per chicken, and keep the birds at least 15 feet from the neighbors. No roosters are allowed. Within the first year, 36 people had gained permits, including Connie Meyer, now the proud owner of four feathered friends. She likes that they follow her around as she works in the yard, eat out of her hands and provide her with eggs to trade for her neighbor’s fresh produce. “People assume it is going to be so much work, but they are incredibly easy to take care of,” she comments. “More than that, they are fun. It’s easy to get attached to them.”
www.natallahassee.com
Lisa Marshall is a regular contributor to Natural Awakenings. Connect at LisaMarshall08@gmail.com.
GETTING STARTED
THE SCOOP ON A COOP BE SURE IT’S LEGAL. For a database of laws in 700 U.S. cities, log on to BackyardChickens.com/laws. Otherwise, check with the local zoning department. BUILD A BROODER. Baby chicks must be kept in a draft-free place for 60 days. Create an indoor pen, using a galvanized steel tub, a large dog crate or a cardboard box. Cover the bottom with pine shavings or torn paper towels (do not use newspaper, as the ink can harm chicks). Hang a heat lamp out of reach and keep it set at between 90 and 100° F, decreasing it by five degrees weekly. Make sure the brooder is large enough that chicks can move away from the heat if they wish.
Creative marketing • Strategic networking Public Relations outreach Project management Special events planning Product and service representation DEANNA MIMS
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BUY HEALTHY CHICKS. Baby chicks can be bought from farm and ranch stores, or ordered online and shipped from commercial hatcheries like CackleHatchery.com. START SMALL AND SKIP THE ROOSTER. Start with 5 to 10 chicks (never buy just one, because they are very social). Choose a hardy breed known to lay regularly, such as Rhode Island reds or Barred Rock hens. Araucanas lay blue-green eggs and silver laced Wyandottes are among the prettiest chickens. Hens do not need a rooster in order to lay eggs. BUILD AN OUTDOOR COOP. Some people use a recycled storage shed; others build their own, using plans available online. Be sure to have two square feet of coop for each chicken, plus an enclosed outdoor run with four square feet per chicken. Note: In high wildlife areas, a lid on the run is essential. ENJOY THE EGGS. Chickens start laying after about six months. One hen will produce from 250 to 330 eggs a year, depending on the breed, before slowing down at about 3 years old and ultimately ceasing to lay.
natural awakenings
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Tallahassee Chickens Rule the Roost by Donna Konuch
R
aising chickens is a growing trend in this country and many people of the Tallahassee area have jumped into this delightful and food-producing hobby as well. Once a common idea at many homes during and after the Great Depression, raising chickens fell out of favor with the growing urban and suburban environments and the increasing popularity of larger grocery stores and their easy availability of food products. In the last few decades as people have become more and more aware of climate changes, an increasingly toxic environment, animal cruelty in massfarm operations, economic uncertainty and the benefits of healthy, local and organic food products, the “old” chicken raising habit has once again come back in style. Tallahassee, Florida and her surrounding communities are no exception. People are finding that chickens are inexpensive to purchase, are easy to feed and are very adaptable with their living environments.
Neighbors Working Together
Two people who decided to raise
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chickens as a cooperative effort between neighbors are Geralyn Russell and Fran Sullivan-Fahs of the Buck Lake area of Tallahassee. The large coop and run exists on Ms. SullivanFahs property but Ms. Russell works with the chickens half the week. Since the two women have 16 chickens between them this helps to keep the responsibilities involved with a flock that size as very manageable. The arrangement has worked out www.natallahassee.com
well for them. According to Ms. Russell, “we know how to think and work together. As a group we talked about it, and the “what ifs” and the “what feels fair.” It has turned out to be a great setup for success.” As part of that group, Fran Fahs daughter, Joy Xiao Zhen Fahs, has found it to be successful as well. A teenager now, Miss Fahs has lived and worked with the chickens for years. She has sold the extra eggs at church from time to time and is presently working on an idea involving the chickens in a potential business operation through one of her classes at Tallahassee Community College.
Educational Opportunities
Not everyone has a large flock or neighbors who want to work together in a chicken raising operation. Most people have a handful of hens to produce just enough eggs for their family. This is the case for Julie from Northeast Tallahassee. Julie and her husband created a small chicken coop for their three hens out of a discarded bathroom vanity cabinet. Painted a bright green selected by her seven-year old daughter, it is a whimsical addition to their backyard. Julie feels strongly that raising the chickens is a good experience for her children. “I want them to understand where food comes from. To realize eggs come from
a chicken and not from a package in the grocery store.”
Supportive City Ordinances
Is it legal to raise chickens within the city limits of Tallahassee? It certainly is, thanks to people like Lt. Doyle and other members of the Animal Control Division of Tallahassee. According to Gene Floyd, a resident of south Tallahassee, in 2010 the ordinance was up
for consideration with the possibility of a limit of 6 hens and no roosters to go on the books. Mr. Floyd spoke on behalf of himself and other residents who were interested in raising chickens as a means to be as sustainable as possible. Mr. Floyd’s interest in chickens is to raise them for meat, understanding that most local families raise chickens simply for eggs. He explained that, “having only 6 chickens and no roosters does not create a sustainable flock. You need the rooster to make more chickens.” The Animal Control board took his concerns under advisement and decided that Tallahassee residents could have an unlimited number of hens and 1 rooster. Nuisance animal laws still apply to these chickens (and a possible noisy rooster), but it allows for each case to be considered on an individual basis. The majority of families do not raise large flocks but instead raise 2-4 hens for the enjoyment of interacting with these birds who eat bugs and weeds out of their yards, generate fertilizer for the garden and produce local healthy eggs for their caretakers. This trend is popular all over the
country, in urban, suburban and rural neighborhoods. Tallahassee is one more community that has joined this food movement allowing its residents enjoyment of this sustainable hobby. Donna Konuch is the publisher of Natural Awakenings magazine-Tallahassee. Her family enjoys two pet chickens who live in a chicken tractor made from a dog house. Websites that she recommends for doing research on raising chickens, are: urbanchickens.org, thecitychicken.com, backyardchickens. com and mypetchicken.com. Photography by Ansley Simmons of Ansley Studio. More examples of her work can be seen at AnsleyStudio.com.
Build Your Own
Portable Chicken Coop!
buy the plans
$19.95
www.ChickenChariot.com natural awakenings
March 2011
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Advertisers – up to 5 free listings. Non-advertisers – $10 each for Calendar of Events listings and $8 each for On-Going Calendar listings. Listings must be emailed to natallahassee@yahoo.com. Classified listings are $1 per word.
Tuesday, March 1 25th Season Exhibition at Thomasville Center for the Arts, (All Month). Monday - Friday, 10 AM - 6 PM, and Saturday, 1 PM - 5 PM, ~ Featuring the art of Steve Penley, Rebecca Cabassa, and the late Elmo C. Gideon. 600 E. Washington St., 229226-0588, www.thomasvillearts.org. Reiki- 10:30 am – Noon Reiki is a way of working with the Universal Life Energy to enhance our own natural healing ability. Join Susie Howell, Usui Reiki Master and Practitioner of 21 years, and her friends. Tallahassee Senior Center Health Suite, 1400 N. Monroe St., 850-891-4000.
Wednesday, March 2 Jung and Nietzsche…A Philosophic Alliance. 7:45-9:00 pm. FREE! If you read both Jung and Nietzsche, you will soon discover that Jung appears to have borrowed numerous aspects of Nietzsche’s philosophies and developed them into psychological ideas. It is well worth looking into some of the perspectives shared by these two philosophic giants to give us new ideas of how to approach our life in more creative ways. New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www.newleafmarket.coop.
Thursday, March 3 Make Your Own Kimchee. 7:45-9:00 pm. FREE! Kimchee, a pro-biotic pickled vegetable condiment from Korea, can be easily made at home. Kimchee promotes healthy digestion and is delicious with rice and many other foods. Learn how to make your own with Whole Foods Educator Jill Welch. Each participant will take home a free jar of kimchee. This is a hands-on workshop, so bring your apron! New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www.newleafmarket.coop. Linda Eder at Thomasville Center for the Arts, Thursday, 8:00 pm. (Rescheduled from January 27th, 2011) Popular recording artist, Linda Eder, in her new show “All of Me”. 600 E. Washington St., 229-226-7404, www.tefconcerts.com.
Friday, March 4 Downtown Nights in Downtown Thomasville, The first Friday of every month, Downtown Thomasville shops, boutiques & restaurants open late with specials, entertainment and more! www. downtownthomasville.com, 229-227-7020.
Sunday, March 6 Peace Love and Mardi Gras Concert and Singa-long. 6pm-8pm. Costumes encouraged! Where: Unity Eastside 8551 Buck Lake Road. For more information: 850-656-1678 or admin@unity-eastside. org for more info.
classified Monday, March 7
PROPERTIES / RETREATS
Mindfulness- Based Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program. Facilitator: Morgan Patterson Orientation begins- March 7. Classes will begin in April. From April 5-May 24 6-9pm. Saturday May 14, 9am-4pm. Registration Fee: $45.00. Location: Unity Eastside 8551 Buck Lake Road Tall. FL. 32317. Contact: 656-1678 or Morgan at 509-8607.
Tuesday, March 8 Law of Attraction & Relationships. 7:45 pm–9 pm. FREE! Throughout 2011 the monthly Law of Attraction classes will focus on using law of attraction skills to create the quality of relationships you want. This will include your internal relationship with spirit and your own unique internal relationships with your sub-personalities, and how these internal relationships within your self show up in your external relationships. New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www.newleafmarket.coop.
Thursday, March 10 Eat Healthy, Live Longer. 7:45-9:00 pm. FREE! Eating healthy is not the same as eating foods you don’t like. Whole foods chef Sadiqa Williams will show you just how true that is—all you have to do is come to class. Raised on pork and pork-flavored vegetables, Sadiqa knows exactly how challenging it is to cook healthy foods with the delicious flavors you crave. Determined to prepare healthy meals, Sadiqa learned to cook family favorite foods without the unhealthy fats, sugars and salt. New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www. newleafmarket.coop.
Friday March 11 Inside Out Nation Free Concert, Friday, Concert 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM, Thomasville Municipal Auditorium, 144 E. Jackson St., Saturday, Remington Park Field, Concert 9 AM – 10 AM & 3:30 PM – 9:30 PM, Admission free with online registration.
Saturday, March 12 What and When Do I Plant? 9:00-10:45 am. FREE! Enjoy Farmer Pam’s organic gardening workshop for beginners. Normally there is a charge for this class at Backyard Farm, but it is FREE to you at New Leaf Market this one Saturday of this year. Bring your gardening or plant related questions. At the end of the question and answer period, Farmer Pam will reveal the Wild Edible of the Month, followed by a drawing for a free home consultation or private session at the farm. New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www.newleafmarket.coop.
Monday, March 14 Qigong. 7:45-9:00 pm. FREE! Diane Gold is a certified Qigong instructor of Supreme Science Qigong. Qigong, pronounced ‘chee-gung’ is an ancient Chinese health care system of exercise that integrates physical postures, breathing techniques and focused attention. Those who maintain a consistent practice of qigong find that it: reduces stress,
Need a place for retreat/conferences? Full service facility Georgia Mountains. www. Enota.com 706-896-9966, 800-990-8869.
PRODUCTS / SERVICES Tallylife-Tallahassee’s 1st Local Town Guide featuring the people, places and events of our Capital City. FREE iPhone app - Droid coming soon! Visit www.tallylife.com. Himalayan salt inhalers for sinus and breathing relief. Helps lower inflammation resulting in a healthier you! Call Sherry Simpson PT @ 877-7310.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Currently Publishing NATURAL AWAKENINGS magazines - For sale in Birmingham, AL; Lexington, KY; Manhattan, NY; Pensacola, FL; Tulsa, OK and Southwest, VA. Call for details 239-530-1377. helps with pain, builds stamina and increases vitality, enhances immune system, helps with balance. New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www.newleafmarket.coop.
Tuesday, March 15 Reiki- 10:30 am – Noon Reiki is a way of working with the Universal Life Energy to enhance our own natural healing ability. Join Susie Howell, Usui Reiki Master and Practitioner of 21 years, and her friends. Tallahassee Senior Center Health Suite, 1400 N. Monroe St., 850-891-4000. Gourd Percussion. 7:45-9:00 pm. FREE! Percussionist Eric Hopkins, winner of the Bryce Buchanan Arts Scholarship, will demonstrate how various gourds can be crafted into percussion instruments. They include rainsticks, guiros, and various types of shakers. New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www. newleafmarket.coop.
Wednesday, March 16 Basic Tools for Home Use. 7:45-9:00 pm. FREE! A good basic tool kit comes in handy around the house. Jenny Druda, owner of Straighten Up, will bring her tools and explain their uses, while emphasizing which ones are most essential for a basic tool kit. Jenny has 35 years of experience in using tools for construction, deconstruction, plumbing, electrical and mechanical purposes. New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www.newleafmarket.coop.
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Personal Nutritional Counseling. 12:30 – 1:30 pm - All of your questions about weight loss, eating for a healthy lifestyle, and diabetes will be addressed in a small group venue by a professional dietician. Ongoing monthly program. Offered by Leah Gilbert-Henderson, PhD, LD. Tallahassee Senior Center Health Suite. Donations appreciated. Pre-registration encouraged. Call 891-4042 to schedule. Tallahassee Senior Center Health Suite, 1400 N. Monroe St.
Thursday, March 17 Music from Down-Under. 11:00 am – Noon. Bradley White and friends perform mesmerizing Aboriginal music on Didgeridoo and percussion instruments in conjunction with our St. Patty’s day lunchtime party. Join us on this thrilling rhythmic journey. Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St. 891-4000.
Friday, March 18 Ballet Magnificat at Thomasville Municipal Auditorium, Friday, 7 PM ~ Ballet Magnificat, America’s Premier Christian Ballet Company performing the story of Ruth. 144 E. Jackson St., 229-227-1515.
Saturday, March 19 Reflexology training for massage therapists. 9AM6PM (both Saturday & Sunday). 18 CEs. Learn to give a full foot session for the purpose of relaxation. $295. Core Institute. Instructor: Karen Ball. 5534067 or academyofancientreflexology.com. Pavo Car & Truck Show, Saturday, 9 AM – 4 PM, Peacock Recreation Center, 2061 W. McDonald St. (Old Schoolhouse). Contact Ruby Campbell, 478231-3480, rgcampbell@alumapanel.com.
Sunday, March 20 Planting Seeds – Spring Collage Retreat. 1-4pm. $49. Now is the time to plant your intentions! Collage retreat conducted by intuitive artist, Licia Berry. For more information call 850-661-9370 or go to www.LiciaBerry.com.
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Monday, March 21 A Conversation about Health Care. 10:00 – 11:00 am. Facilitated by an Exercise Science Intern, this chat group is a forum in which to discuss concerns and current issues in health care. Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St. 891-4000.
Tuesday, March 22 Herbal Hormone Replacement for Women. 7:459:00 pm. FREE! Join Wendy Creel, Master Herbalist and Naturopathic Doctor, as she discusses what herbs are used to replace declining hormones in the body. Find out how to combine herbs and what other body systems need support during this critical time in a women’s life. Learn how to get more energy, look more youthful and stop those menopausal blues! New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-9422557, www.newleafmarket.coop.
Wednesday, March 23 The Kitchen Goddess Presents: The Green Smoothie. 7:45-9:00 pm. FREE! This delicious green smoothie provides six-to-eight servings of fresh fruits and vegetables in one meal. You will feel better and be more energetic without any latemorning energy crash. People who drink green smoothies report losing weight, balancing blood sugar, reducing kidney stones, and much more. Jill Welch, L.M., owner of The Kitchen Goddess, is a natural foods chef and educator. For more information, visit www.thekitchengoddess.org. New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www.newleafmarket.coop.
Thursday, March 24 Wheatgrass and Other Micro-Greens. 7:458:45 pm. FREE! Cynthia Connolly, PhD., owner of Ladybird Organics™, will explain the history, nutritional value and health benefits of wheatgrass and other micro-greens. Cynthia will juice a delicious wheatgrass juice cocktail for your sampling pleasure. Recipes will be available. New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www. newleafmarket.coop.
www.natallahassee.com
Basic Mediation for Relaxation & Stress Reduction. 10:30 – 11:30 am. Learn some of the secrets of the timeless art of meditation. It will help you feel calmer, more focused and balanced. Mats or chair option. Taught by Leslie Hanks, director and founder of Yoga Unlimited. Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St. 891-4000.
Tuesday, March 29 Reiki- 10:30 am – Noon Reiki is a way of working with the Universal Life Energy to enhance our own natural healing ability. Join Susie Howell, Usui Reiki Master and Practitioner of 21 years, and her friends. Tallahassee Senior Center Health Suite, 1400 N. Monroe St., 850-891-4000. Make Your Own Sushi. 7:45-8:45 pm. $5 owners, $7 non-owners. Join self-taught sushi expert Barry Courtney, as he shares his enthusiasm for the avocado roll. Students will learn how to make sushi rice and practice rolling sushi. Yes, students can and will sample their creations! New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www. newleafmarket.coop.
Wednesday, March 30 12 Steps of Spiritual Transformation. 7-9 pm. $60.00 - pre-registration required! At Dorothy B Oven Park. For more information please contact admin@unity-eastside.org or 656-1678.
Thursday, March 31 Healthy Living Mini Expo: Safety First & CPR. 10:00 am – Noon. You have been asking for another CPR class, so here it is! The presentation,“Saving Lives with CPR,” is offered by Sally Davis from, Leon County EMS. Tallahassee Fire Department will be on-hand with information on home and fire safety. Come for all or part of the event. Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St. 891-4000. Solitude in the Mountains (3/31 – 4/3). Join Life & Business Coach Elizabeth Barbour and Yoga & Meditation Instructor Geralyn in Dahlonega , GA for 3 days and nights of yoga, meditation, journaling, collaging and a labyrinth walk at the spectacular Dahlonega Spa & Resort! Women from around the country are claiming their space to be and breathe! Won’t you join us? Call Elizabeth 850-893-5211 or www.solituderetreats.com.
ongoing calendar SUNDAY Unity Eastside Services – 9:30am Meditation Service, 11am Celebration Service and Youth Ministry. 8551 Buck Lake Rd. 850-656-1678, www. transformingourworld.org. Unity of Tallahassee Services – 9:30 & 11am Rev. Bill Williams. Dial-a-Thought 850-562-3766. 2850 Unity Lane, 850-562-5744, www.UnityofTallahassee.org. Pagan Picnic and Red Hills Pagan Council Meeting – 11 am on the second Sunday of each month. Our new location is the Divine Union Spiritual Co-op, 641-B McDonnel Drive in Railroad Square. Come meet local Pagans, Wiccans, Witches, Druids and other Earth worshippers. Bring a potluck dish to share, plates and utensils. Come for the picnic and stay for the RHPC monthly meeting at noon. Tallahassee Buddhist Book Discussion/Meditation Group. 1 to 2pm. Meets every 2nd and 4th Sunday in the Barnes N Noble Cafe in the Tallahassee Mall. Please contact Stacey Turknett for more information stayc1977@yahoo.com or 850-656-7066.
MONDAY Yoga to Feel Good. 5:30-7:00pm. This class combines postures with inward focus, conscious breathing and meditative awareness to support us in moving from the periphery of our being to the center. As the process unfolds, tension is released, the body relaxes, the mind calms and the Light within begins to burn a little brighter! $80 for 8 weeks, drop-ins welcome. At the Episcopal Church of the Advent 815 Piedmont Drive. For info: www. lakulishyogatallahassee.com or 222-0291 or email JoAnna joannadevi@earthlink.net. Brain-Body-Memory Balance. 1:30-2:30pm. Low impact, seated exercise. Bring water bottle and wear comfortable clothing. Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St. 891-4000. Spiritual Growth/Study Group based on the Edgar Cayce readings. 7pm . Joinus or let us help you start your own group. Genevieve Blazek - (850) 893-3269. Chan/Zen Group meets at 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. There are two 20-minute periods of seated meditation punctuated by short periods of either walking meditation or mindful Yoga. Each meeting concludes with a short session of question and answers. If you have no meditation experience, please arrive 20 minutes before the meeting for basic meditation instructions. For more information see us at www. tallahasseebuddhistcommunity.org/mondayevening.shtml. Located at the Tallahassee Buddhist Community in Railroad Square -- 647 McDonnell Drive.
TUESDAY Healing Arts Alliance Meeting – 7-8:30pm 2nd Tues each month. Educational meeting open to all interested in healing arts. Email SusieHowell333@ comcast.net to get meeting announcements. www. healingartsalliance.org.
Men in Unity, Meets at 11:45 am on the second Tuesday of each month at Honey-Baked Ham, on Capital Circle near Mahan Drive. Join the Light Family for a weekly Light Circle – 7:00pm. And, plant a Light Tree to bless your home and the Beloved Mother Earth! Call 850/443-3428 for further information. Life Exercise - 9:30–10:30am (also Thurs). Aerobics, light weights, stretching. Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St, 850-891-4000. Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St. 891-4000. Intermediate Yoga. 5:30-7:30. $90 for 8 weeks. Using a book entitled “Dialogue with Death” which tells the story of the Katha Upanishad in a contemporary style easily understood by the modern yogi for inspiration. The first 30 minutes of class is a discussion to understand holistically the path of yoga. Please call or email if interested. Drop-ins are not permitted. At the Sanctuary 2824 Par Lane off Blairstone South. www.lakulishyogatallahassee. com, 222-0291 or email joannadevi@earthlink. net. Seated NIA Yoga (Neuromuscular Intergrative Action). 11:00 am-Noon. Taught by Lori Roberts, certified NIA yoga instructor. Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St. 891-4000. Blood Pressure Screenings - 10am-12 Noon (also Wed & Thurs). Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St, 850-891-4000. Tallahassee Senior Center. 1400 N. Monroe St. 891-4000.
WEDNESDAY Brain-Body- Memory Balance. 2:00-3:00 pm. Low-impact, seated exercise. Bring water bottle and wear comfortable clothing. Heritage Oaks. 891-4000. Blood Pressure Screenings. 10am-Noon (also Tues & Thurs). Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St, 850-891-4000. Blood Glucose Screenings. 10:00 am - Noon. Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St, 891-4000. Wednesdays at the Sanctuary, 6:00-7:00pm. $12 per class. Gentle stretches to open the body and deepen the breath followed up by a short guided relaxation/meditation. A perfect addition to the middle of the week to glide smoothly to the finish! Drop-ins welcome. At the Sanctuary 2824 Par Lane off Blairstone South. www lakulishyogatallahassee.com, 222-0291 or email joannadevi@ earthlink.net. Prayer and meditation with Dr. Patty Ball Thomas, L.U.T. Noon. Unity Eastside, 8551 Buck Lake Road, admin@unity-eastside.org 656-1678. Gentle Yoga with Geralyn Russell. 10:30-11:45 a.m. At Unity Eastside, 8551 Buck Lake Road. For information, please call Geralyn Russell at 8782843 or email her at yogawithgeralyn@yahoo.com Drop-ins are welcome.
Yoga. 5:30-7:00pm. $80 for 8 weeks, drop-ins welcome. In this class we combine postures with inward focus, conscious breathing and meditative awareness to support us in moving from the periphery of our being to the center. As the process unfolds, tension is released, the body relaxes, the mind calms and the Light within begins to burn a little brighter! At the Episcopal Church of the Advent 815 Piedmont Drive. www. lakulishyogatallahassee.com, 2220291 or joannadevi@earthlink.net. Tallahassee Pagan Meetup - Second Thursday of each month at 7 pm. Come meet local Pagans, Wiccans, Witches, Druids and other practitioners of New-Age spirituality and religion! Make friends, share stories and exchange knowledge. For more information check out http://pagan.meetup.com/1296/ or email KrazyPagan@aol.com. Crystal Connection, 1105 Apalachee Parkway.
FRIDAY Wine Tasting - 5:30-7:30pm. FREE. New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www.newleafmarket.coop. Chair Yoga: 11 a.m. – Noon, by Certified Yoga Instructors Bridget Kamke. A gentle yoga workout for increased mobility, bladder control, self-esteem, and mental focus. Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St. 891-4000. Devotional Chanting and Meditation- 7-9 PM on Second Friday of the month. Enrich your spiritual practice! Join Jeffji in singing easy-to-learn chants from eastern and western traditions. Donations will benefit the church. Unity Eastside, 8551 Buck Lake Road, 656-1678. Drumming Circle. 7-9 p.m. on Third Fridays in the Children’s House behind Unity Eastside’s main building. A willing heart, moving hands and a loving participation is all that’s needed. Some percussion instruments may be provided, but it if you have a drum, please bring it. Contact Mike Smith at msmithdrummerboy37@gmail.com for information. Unity Eastside, 8551 Buck Lake Road, www. unity-eastside.org 656-1678.
SATURDAY Yoga for Life. 9:00-10:15am. $60 for 6 weeks. Breathing, warm-ups and postures to begin the weekend anew, fresh, serene and revitalized. At the Santuary 2824 Par Lane off Blairstone South. http:// lakulishyogatallahassee.com, 222-0291 or email joannadevi@earthlink.net. Tallahassee Farmers Market at Market Square. 8am – 5pm. Year-round. rain or shine. Early Birds get the best selection! The oldest farmers market in Tallahassee. Growers and resellers. Organic and conventionally grown. 1415 Timberlane Rd Tallahassee. Beer Tasting – 4:30-6:30pm. FREE! New Leaf Market, 1235 Apalachee Pkwy, 850-942-2557, www.newleafmarket.coop.
THURSDAY Life Exercise. 9:30 –10:30am (also Tues). Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St, 891-4000. Blood Pressure Screenings. 10am-Noon (also Tues & Wed). Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St. 891-4000.
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CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY
healthy solutions, inc. To find out how to advertise in CRG,
email TallaAdvertising@naturalawakeningsmag.com
to request our media kit.
ART CLASSES
LEARN TO DRAW & PAINT LIKE THE MASTERS www.BruceBates.com Bruce@BruceBates.com 850-459-1539
Enhance your natural talents with professional guidance. Receive one-on-one evaluation and instruction in a relaxed group setting. Learn the fundamental techniques used by the masters. Set your own goals; choose your own subjects; advance at your own pace while having fun. First lesson free. Weekly lessons. Class sizes are limited. Call 850-459-1539 for more information.
ART Therapy
Licia Berry, Integrative Artist www.liciaberry.com licia@liciaberry.com (719) 850-1890
An artist and art educator with a passion for Jungian psychology, indigenous values, symbolism and writing (and over 25 years of professional experience), Licia blends visual image, written and spoken word, and healing and intuitive arts in original, unique art that reveal profound truths. Licia offers specialty commissioned collages for Rite of Passage, “Message from Spirit”, Birthday, Midlife, and Initiation into New Cycle (wonderful gifts!), playshops and customized Collage Retreats. With an international following on her Blog, FaceBook and Twitter, Licia’s genuine messages of self love and inner wisdom are gently affirming seekers all over the globe.
coaching
Elizabeth Barbour, M.Ed. The Inspired Entrepreneur Life & Business Coach www.elizabethbarbour.com www.inspiredentrepreneur.com 850-893-5211
Ready to shift FROM TIRED TO INSPIRED in your business and life? Elizabeth helps women entrepreneurs to increase the visibility, credibility and profitability of their businesses while practicing self care at the same time! She offers group coaching, individual coaching and leads retreats around the country.
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Tallahassee, S. Georgia, Gulf Coast
Rick Ferrall, lmt, 850-294-8069 521 E. College Ave., TLH 32301 www.healthy_solutions@comcast.net
CranioSacral Therapy addresses scoliosis, chronic fatigue and MS, infant disorders, learning disabilities, orthopedic problems, emotional difficulties, chronic neck/back pain, stress and tension related problems, TMJ, brain/spinal cord injuries, and cancer issues. MA24604 / MM11960
healing
Healing Path Alice McCall
Advanced Energy Healer & Counselor BS Psychology, MBA, Hypnotherapist www.healingpath.info: 850-585-5496
I offer phone sessions, specializing in healing serious health issues and unwanted patterns. My book ‘Wellness Wisdom’ has little known information on natural health and healing; inspired by my journey with cancer. Free 15 minutes phone consultation to learn how I can help you.
holistic health
NEW GENESIS CENTER Patrice Bullock, MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner-C www.NewGenesisCenter.com 229-228-9050
A healthcare center-Functional medicine, patient-centered approach, non-drug, science-based, results oriented. Getting to the source of your health problems rather than bandaiding. Simple to complex problems. Skin care, digestive problems to the more complex health problems such as Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Chemical Sensitivity. Extraordinary results & health transformation. Functional medicine approach consults, hormone testing, detoxification, weight loss, expert skincare consult & prof. treatments, colonics, far-infrared sauna, physical therapy, massage therapy,
HYPNOSIS
DARLENE TREESE, Ph.D.
State Board Licensed 850-201-0073
Diplomate in Sports Counseling, National Institute of Sports Professionals. Past President, American Psychotherapy and Medical Hypnosis Association. e-Therapy and TherapyChat/Office-Based Hypnosis and Life Coaching/Professional Seminar Training www. AskDrTreese.com
healthcare
Integrative Healthcare
N. Elizabeth Markovich, MSN, ARNP 850-878-4434 2016 Delta Blvd. Suite 100 Tallahasee 32308 www.IHCFL.com
We offer primary care, preventive care with a holistic approach. We use special testing with 11 outside laboratories to help find the cause of chronic illness and use a functional medicine approach (www. functionalmedicine.org). We also have hypnosis combined with acupuncture by IB Price MD, massage and cranio-sacral therapy by Angele LaGrave LMT and Nutritional Counseling by Leah Gilbert-Henderson PhD nutrition.Accept Medicare, Blue Cross, Universal, Aetna, others.
FLORIDA WELLNESS CENTER OF TALLAHASSEE 850.385.6664 2339 North Monroe Street (next to Boston Market) www.floridawellnessandrehab.com
At Florida Wellness & Rehabilitation Centers we are committed to keeping up with the latest technologies and treatments to provide our patients with the best rehabilitative experience possible. We believe in educating and encouraging our patients to take an active role in their own treatment.
integrative medicine
Archbold Integrative Medicine Center
John Mansberger, MD, Medical Director. 229-228-7008; 2705 E. Pinetree Blvd. #C, Thomasville, GA 31792.
A holistic team approach to a variety of medical problems. Offering acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, pain relief, natural hormone replacement, Cancer therapy, nutrition, weight control, herbal medicine, yoga and physical therapy. www.archbold.org.
iPhone App
Tallylife
Tallahassee’s 1st Local Mobile Town Guide.
The Tallylife website features all the people, places and events happening in Florida’s Capital City. All your event listings are free and can be easily uploaded via the website.Download the FREE iPhone app and soon to be released Droid app! www.tallylife. com
photography
Ansley Studio
Ansley Simmons artist . photographer . owner 229.224.6021 • www.AnsleyStudio.com
Specializing in portraits & weddings. MFA in Photography, Arts Administration Doctoral Student, Art Museum Education Certificate Florida State University
www.natallahassee.com
Physical Therapy.
Sherry Simpson, P.T.
354 Office Plaza Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32301 850-877-7310 SSimpsonpt@embarqmail.com
I have over 27 years of experience in physical therapy working with all ages and disabilities. Treatment modalities are primarily hands-on techniques and include myofacial release, craniosacral therapy, visceral techniques, muscle energy and more. Treatments also include gentle movement re-eduction. For any chronic condition as well as for general health, wellness and stress reduction.
professional SERVICES
Southeastern community blood ctr. 1-800-722-2218. Located in Tallahassee; Marianna, FL; Thomasville & Douglas, GA. scbcinfo.org
worship
LAKULISH YOGA
UNITY EASTSIDE
8551 Buck Lake Road, TLH, 850-656-1678 Rev. Jean Debarbieris Owen, Minister www.unity-eastside.org
Rev. Jean believes the love of God is unfolding in each person, place, Thing. Join us in Worship: Meditation Service 9:30 AM - Celebration Service 11AM; Youth Ministry 11AM, noon prayer Wed.
UNITY OF TALLAHASSEE 2850 Unity Lane, TLH, 850-562-5744, Rev. Bill Williams, Minister,
www.lakulishyogatallahassee.com 850-273-1861 joannadevi@earthlink.net
Yoga is so much more than the postures we are so familiar with --- yoga is the science of the soul --- our ultimate journey! Come and explore yoga with us. We offer hatha yoga classes, chanting with Om Sweet Om, a Bhagavad Gita study group, summer yoga camp for children and periodic workshops to delve deeper into the classical 8-step path to liberation. We are dedicated to upholding the integrity of the original teachings in a loving and sacred environment.
A ministry that seeks inspiration from the teachings of Jesus and finds common ground with spiritual masters from other traditions. We invite you to join us. Sunday Services 9:30 & 11 AM. Youth Education 11 AM. Wednesday Service at Noon.
Blood donors save lives. Is there any greater reward? Save Lives. Give Blood. M-F, 9am–6pm. (Sat. hours in Tallahassee: 9am–1pm)
REAL ESTATE TEAM - KW Debbie Leo - 273-9306 Jennifer Stowell - 567-3223
You can have a green home or find a green home for your family’s health and future. If you’re looking to buy or sell, call Debbie Leo and Jenn Stowell! Your Tallahassee Keller Williams agents.
Yoga
Hot Yoga Tallahassee www.HotYogaTallahassee.com
1238 Blountstown Highway (West Park Complex) You’re official Hot Yoga Studio in Tallahassee! Variations of Bikram/ Hatha yoga practiced in a heated room allowing for increased flexibility, strengthening of muscles, and full body detoxing. Class schedule and prices are available on our website. Beginners and Advanced students are encouraged to attend!
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How many e-mails did you delete today? Thousands of e-mails are deleted each day, however, 98% of cards are opened and read. Find out how you can benefit your business by an act of giving.
Contact Donna at 850-590-7024 or at http://sendoutcards.com/askDonnahow
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Tallahassee, S. Georgia, Gulf Coast
www.natallahassee.com