April 2022 Natural Awakenings Magazine - Jacksonville St. Augustine Edition by Jacksonville St. Augustine Natural Awakenings Magazine

E R F

HEALTHY

LIVING

HEALTHY

PLANET

WHY WE NEED WILD PLACES

HOW TO INVITE MORE WILDERNESS INTO OUR LIVES

EARTH DAY 2022 FOCUSES ON COLLECTIVE

RESPONSIBILITY

BUZZ-FREE DRINKS BEST NATURE APPS FOR WILDLIFE EXPLORATION

April 2022 | Jacksonville / St. Augustine | NAJax.com

Contents

Natural Awakenings is a family of 50+ healthy living magazines celebrating 27 years of providing the communities we serve with the tools and resources we all need to lead healthier lives on a healthy planet.

7 EARTH DAY 2022

Focuses on Collective Responsibility

11 WHAT IT MEANS TO BE 'FINANCIALLY FIT'

12 WHY WE NEED WILD PLACES

How to Invite Nature Back into Our Lives and Landscapes

16 TECHNOLOGY MEETS NATURE

Apps Bring Us Closer to Flora and Fauna

18 NATURE SPEAKS Storytelling Connects Kids to the Natural World

20 BUZZ-FREE DRINKING The Healthy Rise of NonAlcoholic Beverages

22 EATING FOR THE PLANET

Diet for a Climate Crisis

ADVERTISING & SUBMISSIONS HOW TO ADVERTISE To advertise in Natural Awakenings, please call 386-736-3838 or email Ads@NAJax.com. CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS Email calendar events to: Editor@NAJax.com. REGIONAL MARKETS Advertise your products or services in multiple markets. Natural Awakenings Publishing Corporation is a growing franchised family of locally owned magazines serving communities since 1994. To place your ad in other markets, call 239-449-8309. For franchising opportunities, call 239-530-1377 or visit NaturalAwakenings.com. NAJAX.COM 2

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25 SPIRITED STRIDES Power Walk to Better Fitness

DEPARTMENTS 4 news briefs 8 health briefs 10 global briefs 11 financial wellness 16 green living 18 healthy kids 20 healing ways 22 conscious eating 25 fit body 26 calendar 28 resource guide

letter from publisher

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY PLANET

The sounds and smells of spring surround us. Many

Floridians claim spring as their favorite season of the year. Spring brings with it a bit of every season, sometimes all within a day. Whether you like chilly mornings, warm and breezy afternoons, or spring showers, you’ll find them all during April. Falling leaves seem out of place in spring, yet it’s the first calling card of the season as new buds push old leaves to the ground. Enjoy the outdoors during April, as spring is our shortest season of the year. Your April edition is focused on outdoor spaces and wild places. Discover how to invite nature into your landscape and life in our main feature. Your landscape will thrive with biodiversity when you create and manage wild spaces. Nature guide applications are available for download to help you identify plants, trees, mushrooms, insects, birds, berries, and other flora and fauna. These smart apps allow you to point your smartphone at a plant or animal to get instant information. Learn more about these apps in ‘green living’. Nature and children are a perfect match. Imaginations are shaped during outdoor play. From puddles to pinecones, children open themselves to all things natural. Outdoor play encourages creativity, resourcefulness, and curiosity. Learn how storytelling in nature helps kids make powerful connections to the natural world in ‘healthy kids’. Spring is the perfect season for brisk outdoor walks. If you’re a step counter, this is the time to put on your tracker and hit the beach or nature trail. Power walking involves covering a mile in under 15 minutes and increases cardiovascular benefits. If you’re already adept at power walking, racewalking may be your next adventure. Read about it in ‘fit body’. Quenching your thirst with non-alcoholic beverages is trending. Cocktail bar owners and bartenders offer recipes for alcohol-free pina’ coladas, mock-a-ritas, noquila sunrise and more in our ‘healing ways’ feature. Mix up a pitcher of your favorite mock-tail for the entire family.

JACKSONVILLE / ST. AUGUSTINE EDITION Publisher Rebecca Young Publisher@NAJax.com Writer Erin Floresca Editor Sara Gurgen Calendar Editor Sara Peterson Design & Production Melanie Rankin Graphic Design Josh Halay

CONTACT US Natural Awakenings Jacksonville / St. Augustine Office: 386-736-3838 Publisher@NAJax.com P.O. Box 731466 Ormond Beach, FL 32173 Facebook.com/naturaljax

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Sharon Bruckman Joe Dunne Gabrielle W-Perillo Yolanda Shebert Heather Gibbs Rachael Oppy Lisa Doyle-Mitchell Kristy Mayer

We hope you enjoy your April edition, and explore the event calendar’s many offerings. To your health,

Rebecca Young, Publisher

Happiness blooms from within.

Natural Awakenings Publishing Corporation 4851 Tamiami Trail N., Ste. 200 Naples, FL 34103 NaturalAwakenings.com

© 2022 by Natural Awakenings. All rights reserved. Although so me par ts of this public ation 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. Please call to find a location near you or if you would like copies placed at your business. We do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in the articles and advertisements, nor are we responsible for the products and services advertised. Check with a healthcare professional regarding the appropriate use of any treatment.

Natural Awakenings Magazine is ranked 5th Nationally in CISION’S® 2016 Top 10 Health & Fitness Magazines

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

April 2022

event briefs

Groundwork Jacksonville to Host Event Honoring Earth Day

roundwork Jacksonville will join thousands of organizations around the world in honoring our planet on Saturday, April 23. The Second Annual Earth Day: A Celebration of Stewardship is a free community event that will take place along the S-Line Biodiversity Corridor of the Emerald Trail, between North Davis Street and Boulevard, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be music, prizes and a variety of activities for young and old to enjoy. The goal of the event is to increase environmental awareness and help children and adults be mindful of their impact on the environment. “We hope to inform children (and adults) what they can do to make their homes and landscape more ecofriendly while providing an opportunity for people from all areas of town to connect outdoors,” says Groundwork Jacksonville Program Manager Shanell Davis-Bryant. “Last year’s inaugural event attracted hundreds of participants, and with your help, we hope to bring together even more people to enjoy a day of fun, fellowship and celebration,” adds DavisBryant. Groundwork Jacksonville is the city’s nonprofit partner specifically created to clean and redevelop Hogans and McCoys creeks and convert contaminated land into parks, playgrounds, trails and other public spaces. Groundwork intends to build the “emerald necklace” of trails, parks, creeks and greenspace encircling the urban core that was envisioned by famed architect Henry Klutho in the early 20th century. Groundwork Jacksonville is one of 21 such trusts across the country, the only Groundwork trust in Florida and the first in the Southeastern United States. Location: 2429 N. Davis St. For more information, contact DavisBryant at 904-513-8615 or Shanell@GroundworkJacksonville.org. Also visit GroundworkJacksonville.org.

Jacksonville Health and Wellness to Serve Up Variety of Classes

his April, Jacksonville Health and Wellness Center (JHWC) will host three different healthy food classes as well as an informative class on how to create everyday miracles. Three of the classes are free and offered in person and online; one is prepaid and only offered in person. Seating is limited for all these events. The line-up is as follows: n How to Cook Tofu Without Losing Your Tempeh Dinner on April 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. Restorative Health Instructor Amanda Johns will demonstrate easy cooking techniques and recipes on how to use tofu and tempeh. This prepaid class, which is available only in person, will include a booklet and a delicious four-course menu: Chocolate Chip Cashew Cookies, Lemon Cookies, Tofu Crumble Salad with Curry Quinoa and Thai Coconut Lemongrass Soup. n Simple Swaps; Creating Healthy Choices on April 14, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Attendees will learn simple snack and meal swaps to move from a nutrient-poor to nutrient-dense diet. Certified Holistic Nutritionist Jennifer Costa will give guidance and brand suggestions along with free food samples. n Creating Everyday Miracles on April 21, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Those in attendance will learn The Miracle Method and create everyday miracles in their life. Functional Medicine and Holistic Practitioner Dr. Jon Repole will be weaving together the principles of A Course in Miracles along with neuroscience and psychology. n Eating Healthy by the Seasons on April 28, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., rounds out the center’s April classes. Restorative Health Instructor Amanda Johns will be sharing the gifts and insights of Mother Nature and will show attendees how to align the elements of seasonal changes with their overall health and well-being.

Cost: April 9 class is $55. Location: All but the April 9 class are available online or in person at JHWC, located at 9957 Moorings Dr., Ste. 403. For more information about the April 9 class, including location and to prepay, call 904-994-4802 or email AmandaJhwc@ yahoo.com. For more information about the other classes, call 904-268-6568. Also visit DrRepole.com. See ad, page 14.

EMPOWER. EDUCATE. CONNECT.

To submit content or to learn more, email Rebecca at

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Come Celebrate the Resurrection at UCCL

nity Church for Creative Living (UCCL), in St. Johns, invites the community to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday, April 17, at 10:30 a.m. “We invite you this Easter to celebrate with us as we come together in love and shine the resurrecting, renewing and restoring power Rev. Yvonne McAndrew of Christ consciousness into the world,” says Rev. Yvonne McAndrew, senior minister at UCCL. “How does Jesus’ resurrection relate to you?” asks McAndrew. “Think of the resurrection this way: It is the raising up of the wholeness of your being—spirit, soul and body—into the Christ consciousness of life. Jesus modeled this for us, and he said, we can do all that he did and more. So, today and every day, may we remember who we are as beloveds of God; and go within and rise to the realization of the eternal, indwelling life of Christ consciousness. Opening our heart and mind to the sacredness within, we are reminded that the Father and I are one.” McAndrew goes on to say: “In Unity, we define Christ as that spark of the divine that resides in each one of us. Jesus found that spark—that Christ essence within—and fanned it into a flame and then lived from that Christ consciousness. Jesus said, ‘I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’ John 10:10. He also said, ‘These things I do, you can do and greater still, if you believe.’ John 14:11. Jesus demonstrated for all humankind a rising in Christ consciousness that goes beyond our limited human abilities and understanding. He demonstrated a level of Christ consciousness that was so completely immersed in God, that not even death could overcome it.”

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About the Event

Community, Education, Food, Music & More!!

Apr 16 2022 th

1:00 PM – 5:00 PM World Golf Hall of Fame 1 World Golf Place St. Augustine • FL

Join St. Augustine Vegfest for the 2nd St. Augustine VegFest on April 16th at the World Golf Hall of Fame! St. Augustine Vegfest is a diverse and inclusive event, that is committed to educating our community about plant-based lifestyles and how they contribute to a healthier, more sustainable, socially just, compassionate, and cruelty-free world.

@staugustinevegfest

Location: 2777 Race Track Rd. For more information about UCCL, call 904-287-1505 or visit UnityInJax.com. See ad, page 6.

Second Annual St. Augustine VegFest

he second annual St. Augustine VegFest will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at the World Golf Hall of Fame at World Golf Village, in St. Augustine. A celebration of the vegan lifestyle, the vegfest will feature vendors, music, educational programs and materials, and food. Admission is free, and free onsite parking is available. St. Augustine VegFest is a diverse and inclusive event that is committed to educating the community about plant-based lifestyles and how they contribute to a healthier, more sustainable, socially just, compassionate and cruelty-free world.

Location: 1 World Golf Pl. For more information or to reserve a free ticket (ticket is for reminder purposes only), visit JacksonvilleBusinessConnections.com/events/2nd-annual-st-augustine-vegfest. See ad, this page.

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news briefs

Caring Palms Healing Arts to Relocate

aring Palms Healing Arts (CPHA), currently located at 476 Osceola Avenue, in Jacksonville Beach, will be closing on April 30 and will reopen at a new location. Once a new location is known, it will be announced in Natural Awakenings of Jacksonville and on CPHA’s website. After April, oiled massages (Swedish, deep tissue, freeform, etc.) will no longer be offered. The primary focus will be energy work (reiki, white light, trance healing, etc.), mediumship, meditation, myofascial release and classes. For more information about CPHA, visit CaringPalms.com. See ad, page 17.

Easter Service

Sunday • April 17th 10:30 AM In-Person or Streamed on OR

Rev. Yvonne McAndrew

Join us as we travel the journey of spiritual unfoldment together.

Unity Church for Creative Living 2777 Race Track Road St. Johns • Florida 32259 (904) 287-1505 www.UnityInJax.com 6

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Owner Brian Dean

Yoga Den Celebrating 20th Anniversary

oga Den is thrilled to be celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. “We are humbled by all of the wonderful opportunities that have come our way, and full of gratitude for the amazing community that has and continues to support us. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey. We wouldn't be here without you,” says Yoga Den founder Alyson Foreacre. “Opening in 2002 in a tiny space in South Mandarin, I had no idea where things were headed,” shares Foreacre. “It was spontaneous, as the community space where I was teaching needed to be turned over for the summer campers. With a handful of students asking to continue on, I decided to rent a month-to-month space until I could get back to the community space. By the end of the second month, realizing the demand for yoga had arrived in South Jacksonville, the decision was made and Yoga Den was born.” There was no business plan, and at first Foreacre was Yoga Den's only teacher. “There was no online booking or purchasing of classes—everything was old school,” says Foreacre. “Fast forward to 20 years later, and even though we have grown beyond our wildest dreams, it is the same secret sauce: Teaching yoga with no judgement or expectations, offering lots of permission language and modifications, and being kind to everyone. It's really that simple.” Foreacre goes on to say: “There is nothing like yoga. No other exercise or sport, group or individual, can compare, because yoga takes into consideration every aspect of the human experience. This belief is what inspired the growth from that one little studio to where we are today.” Currently, Yoga Den has 10 locations throughout the greater Jacksonville area, St. Augustine and Yulee, with several locations in the works for the fall. The first studio to offer accredited teacher training in Jacksonville since 2004, Yoga Den now hosts eight training sessions annually at the 200-hour level in Jacksonville, Yulee and Tallahassee, and also has a 300-hour teacher training program that revolves annually for continuing education. For more information, visit Yoga-Den.com. See ad, page 31. NAJax.com

EARTH DAY 2022

YOUR NEW HEALTH STORY STARTS HERE

Focuses on Collective Responsibility

A holistic, heart-centered and evidence-based approach to care for people living with neurological conditions and symptoms.

by Ronica A. O’Hara

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Compassionate care to help you author a new health narrative and lead a happier, more fulfilling life.

Invest in Our Planet

As 1 billion people around the globe gather to mark Earth Day on April 22, they will be focusing on an increasingly critical goal: the need for everyone—governments, citizens and businesses—to do their part to combat climate change. “Everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable,” is the day’s emerging motto. While Earth Day themes over the past 52 years have often centered on specific issues, such as plastic pollution and deforestation, this year’s broader theme, “Invest In Our Planet,” reflects a growing consensus that, at such a critical point for the Earth’s future, governments will not solve the climate crisis by themselves. “Like the industrial, space and information revolutions, all sectors of society can and must play major roles—this time with the extraordinary responsibilities to get it right,” reads a statement from EarthDay.org. Activism involves not only lowering carbon emissions, but also making sure that the benefits of the coming Green Revolution are spread evenly throughout society, the statement says. “In 2022, we all must enter into one partnership for the planet,” says Earth Day President Kathleen Rogers. Events, such as rallies and social media campaigns, aim to encourage action and legislation, as well as educate on corporate and personal sustainability. Art shows allow attendees to visualize a better future while data collection for citizen-based science research and workshops find ways to build local green economies. All are appropriate ways to participate this Earth Day, as well as clean-up campaigns and tree plantings. To learn about personal actions, including step-by-step instructions on how to organize an event, visit EarthDay.org. Help the Jacksonville - St. Augustine area celebrate victories and support future progress by participating in local Earth Day 2022 events.

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April 2022

health briefs

Avoid Formaldehyde to Sidestep Cognitive Problems

A new type of immunotherapy that enables T-cells to fight cancer cells is proving hopeful for people with the deadly skin cancer melanoma, and a new study has found that a high-fiber diet improves the effectiveness of the therapy. Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported in Science that, by analyzing the gut microbiome in hundreds of patients, they found that higher dietary fiber intake was linked with disease nonprogression among patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade therapy compared to patients eating little fiber. The results were strongest in patients that ate the most dietary fiber, but did not take probiotics, a finding that was replicated with lab animals.

Consider Berberine and Probiotics to Improve Cholesterol

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When used together, the plant alkaloid berberine and the probiotic Bifidobacterium breve work synergistically to significantly improve total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, reports a new study in Gut Microbes from Shanghai Jiao Tung University, in China. Researchers tested 365 diabetes patients at 20 centers throughout the country, giving them either a placebo, one of the two substances or both. Comparing post-meal blood samples after 12 weeks, patients that had taken both the berberine and the probiotic had significantly better cholesterol readings and experienced positive changes in the gut microbiome, as well as better fatty acid metabolism. 8

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Workers exposed over years to formaldehyde may experience thinking and memory problems later in life, researchers at the University of Montpellier, in France, have concluded. Their study published in the journal Neurology surveyed and tested more than 75,000 people with an average age of 58. Of those, 8 percent were exposed to formaldehyde through their occupations as nurses; caregivers; medical technicians; workers in the textile, chemistry and metal industries; carpenters and cleaners. The risk of developing thinking and memory problems was an average of 17 percent higher in people that were exposed to formaldehyde on the job than those with no such exposure. People exposed to formaldehyde for 22 years or longer had a 21 percent higher risk of cognitive impairment.

Try Fenugreek to Boost Male Fertility and Health Fenugreek, an herb used in Indian curries and Middle Eastern cuisine, has been shown in studies to increase breast milk production in women, and a 12-week study of 100 men has found that it also boosts male testosterone and fertility. A research team at King George’s Medical University, in Lucknow, India, gave 500 milligrams a day of an extract made from fenugreek seeds to men that ranged in ages from 35 to 60. Sperm motility, or movement, significantly increased at eight and 12 weeks of treatment, while abnormal sperm morphology significantly decreased at 12 weeks. Testosterone levels, cholesterol markers and libido also improved. Higher levels of alertness were documented, along with lower blood pressure.

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Eat Lots of Fiber to Improve Melanoma Outcomes

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8622 Baymeadows Rd Jacksonville • FL

Practice Good Dental Care to Lower Heart and Cognitive Risks A whopping 47 percent of U.S. adults over 30 have periodontal disease, and the consequences can be severe for their physical and mental health, suggests a new study in the journal BMJ Open. Researchers from the UK University of Manchester followed 64,379 people diagnosed with periodontal disease, including gingivitis, marked by swollen and red gums, as well as periodontitis, in which gums pull away from the tooth and bone or teeth are lost. The subjects, with an average age of 44, were compared over an average of three years to 251,161 people without the disease. Those with periodontal disease had a 37 percent higher risk of mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety and serious mental illness; a 33 percent higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases like arthritis, Type 1 diabetes and psoriasis; an 18 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart failure, stroke and vascular dementia; and a 26 percent higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. “This research provides further, clear evidence why healthcare professionals need to be vigilant for early signs of gum disease and how it can have wide-reaching implications for a person’s health, reinforcing the importance of taking a holistic approach when treating people,” says Caroline Aylott, head of research delivery at the University of Birmingham Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research.

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Broken Promises

Inconvenient Convenience

Plastic On its Way Out at National Parks

Large Study Addresses Indigenous Biodiversity Decline

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A poll by Ipsos conducted for the ocean conservation group Oceana last November found that 82 percent of registered U.S. voters responding would like the National Park Service to stop selling and distributing single-use plastic items. The survey revealed broad appreciation for national parks, with around four in five respondents saying they had been to a park and 83 percent of previous park visitors looking forward to a return visit. Oceana Plastics Campaign Director Christy Leavitt says, “These polling results indicate that Americans, whether Republican or Democrat, want our parks to be unmarred by the pollution caused by single-use plastic.” The results show broad support for a campaign led by Oceana and more than 300 other environmental organizations which sent a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland asking the parks to end the sale and distribution of plastic beverage bottles, bags, foodware and cutlery, and plastic foam products. The proposed Reducing Waste in National Parks Act would see such a policy enacted if passed. “The National Park Service was created to preserve these natural and historic spaces, and in order to truly uphold that purpose, it needs to ban the sale and distribution of single-use plastic items, many of which will end up polluting our environment for centuries to come, despite being used for only a moment,” says Leavitt.

Simon Fraser University (SFU), in British Columbia, is engaging with more than 150 Indigenous organizations, universities and other partners to highlight the complex problems of biodiversity loss and its implications for health and well-being in the Tackling Biodiversity Decline Across the Globe research initiative. The project is inclusive of intersectional, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary worldviews and methods for research, with activities in 70 different kinds of ecosystems that are spiritually, culturally and economically important to Indigenous peoples. One of the project’s six principal investigators, SFU assistant professor Maya Gislason, of the Faculty of Health Sciences, says, “Our work in health will focus on healing from the stresses and losses caused by colonial practices and on building healthier relationships to Airless Tires Increase Safety, Limit Waste nature. By 2027, when the Michelin’s new airless tires don’t puncture, so they should last longer, which means fewer project completes, healing tires will need to be produced, thus limiting waste. Their Unique Puncture Proof Tire Sysand well-being will have tem (UPTIS) is an important step on the road to sustainability. The company notes that been important considermillions of tires end up in landfills early because of puncture damage, along with all the ations within the developtires that are old and worn out. Disposed tires can become fire hazards, releasing gases, ment of holistic and actionheavy metals and oil into the environment. The U.S. alone produced more than 260 milable solutions intended to lion scrapped tires in 2019. The new tires can also be made from recycled plastic waste, improve stewardship and according to industry publication Interesting Engineering. care for people and the UPTIS, in development for more than a decade, combines an aluminum wheel with a planet.” special “tire” around it comprised of a plastic matrix laced with and reinforced by glass SFU professor John fibers. This outer tire is designed to be flexible, yet strong O’Neil, former dean of the enough to support the car. Michelin Technical and Scifaculty of health sciences, entific Communications Director Cyrille Roget says, “It says of the enterprise, “It was an exceptional experience for us, and our greatis unique from many other est satisfaction came at the end of the demonstration large projects in its embrace when our passengers ... said they felt no difference of governance models like compared with conventional tires.” Goodyear has anethical space, Indigenous nounced that the Jacksonville, Florida, Transportation Authority will be piloting the company’s own version of research methodologies and Indigenous knowledges.” an airless tire on its fleet of autonomous vehicles. photo courtesy of Goodyear

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global briefs

financial wellness

What it Means to Be 'Financially Fit' by Carol Ann Aldridge

hat comes to mind when you hear the word “fitness”? Is it physical activity, muscular strength or images of people running breathlessly on a treadmill? The state of being fit can mean more than just physical well-being; it can also relate to your finances. So, what does it mean to be “financially fit”? The general definition of financial fitness is to have the money you need when you need it and to feel confident about your financial situation. Your financial workout should include money habits to help decrease your debt, increase your financial stability, and give you financial freedom. So, where do you begin?

Your first exercise should be to examine your monthly spending. This includes reviewing all sources of income and knowing what financial obligations you have. This will help you identify your “wants” versus your “needs” and allow you to create a budget to prioritize your spending. Once your necessities, such as your mortgage/rent, utilities and groceries, are deducted, you will have a realistic view of what income you have left to distribute between your debt payments and savings. Your second exercise is to look at opportunities where you can save. Coupons, changing service providers and even removing services that you rarely use will allow you to stretch your budget even further. Once you identify your “needs”, you will have an accurate picture of your “wants”, which will allow you the opportunity to determine whether you would like to keep them or remove them from your budget. If you have one streaming service in your budget, you don’t necessarily need to remove it, unless you want to; however, if you have cable TV and a streaming service, you may want to downgrade or eliminate one. Your third exercise is to pay down debt. Ideally, you would want to pay all bills in full and on time, but sometimes life happens. Late payments lead to additional fees and can hurt your credit score, but speaking with your lender can help; and together you can find a payment solution that works for both of you. Setting realistic payment amounts and timeframes allows you to

continue to pay down your debt without dedicating the majority of your monthly income to debts and “needs”. Your last exercise should be to treat yourself. Remember, the goal is not reducing your quality of life, but improving it! By allocating a portion of your budget for fun, you will find that it’s much easier to stay on track with your goals. Just like a diet, allowing yourself a treat occasionally will keep you motivated and feeling that you aren’t depriving yourself. So, whether you are just beginning your financial fitness journey or already in the swing of things, know there is no right way to “exercise”. Your budget, your goals and your spending strategies should be molded to what works best for you. By making small changes in your monthly spending, you will see big results toward being “financially fit”. Carol Ann Aldridge is a certified lending counselor for Alive Credit Union. For more information about Alive Credit Union, call 904-296-1292 or visit Alivecu.coop. See ad, page 31.

April 2022

Why We Need

WILD PLACES How to Invite Nature Back into Our Lives and Landscapes by Sheryl DeVore

n a blustery day, Julian Hoffman stood outdoors and watched wild bison grazing in the restored grassland of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, fewer than 50 miles from downtown Chicago. For him, it was a wild place, affording a glimpse of what North America looked like hundreds of years ago when bison roamed the continent by the millions. “We’re witnessing, in a way that’s both terrible and tragic, just what the profound cost is of continuing to destroy the natural world,” he writes. Saving wild places is critical for human health and well-being, say both scientists and environmentalists. But defining what a wild place is or what the word wilderness means can be difficult, says Hoffman, author of Irreplaceable: The Fight to Save Our 12

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Wild Places. “If wilderness means a place untouched by humans, then none is left,” he says. Even the set-aside wildernesses where no one may have ever stepped have been altered through climate change, acid rain and other human interventions. Humans are also losing the wilderness that is defined as land set aside solely for plants and creatures other than humans. Prominent naturalist David Attenborough, whose most recent documentary is A Life on Our Planet, says that in 1937, when he was a boy, about 66 percent of the world’s wilderness areas remained. By 2020, it was down to 35 percent.

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A wild place can be as spectacular as Yellowstone, a 3,500square-mile national park in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, filled with hot springs, canyons, wolves, and elk. It can also be as simple as a sky filled with a murmuration, or gathering, of thousands of swooping starlings, which once caused two teens to stop taking selfies and photograph the natural scene above them instead, as Hoffman witnessed in Great Britain. Such regions that offer vast tracts of natural beauty and biodiversity are even found in and around major cities like Chicago, says Chicagoland nature blogger Andrew Morkes. “A wild place is also where you don’t see too many people, or any people, and you can explore,” he says. “You can walk up a hill and wonder what’s around the next bend.” “A wild place could be a 15-minute drive from home where we can walk among plants in a meadow, or a tree-lined street, or front and back yard, if landscaped with wild creatures in mind,” says Douglas Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts with Your Yard.

Sustaining Our Species

because people in the early 1900s fought to protect and preserve what they could already see was rapidly diminishing,” Hoffman says. “In the year 2022, we are the beneficiaries of those past actions. Yet less than 5 percent of those old-growth redwood groves are left, and we live in an age where we’re losing an extraordinary range of wild species; for example, 3 billion birds have disappeared from the skies of North America in just the past 50 years. That’s why people need to continue to fight for wild spaces.”

“We need these places to save ourselves,” says Tallamy, who heads the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. “Humans are totally dependent on the production of oxygen and clean water, and that happens with the continued existance of flowering plants, which are dependent on the continued existence of all the pollinators. When you lose the pollinators, you lose 90 percent of the flowering plants on the Earth. That is not an option if we want to stay alive and healthy.” Our mental and emotional health is also at stake. According to a recent overview in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, studies have shown that natural settings can lower blood pressure, reduce depression and anxiety, and help the immune system function better. People have saved wild places over time, of course. “The world’s ancient redwoods are still with us today

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Community Crusaders

In researching his book, Hoffman went looking for wild-space struggles. In Glasgow, Scotland, he met people that fought to save an urban meadow from being turned into a luxury home development. “I’d never experienced as much joy in any one place as when I spent time with the community fighting to preserve this tiny meadow,” he recalls. “They campaigned and lobbied politicians, and eventually, the government backed down. And now the whole community is able to enjoy this site where a lot of urban wildlife thrives.” Once-wild places may also need human help to again become wild refuges. The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, where Hoffman saw the buffalo, “was once an arsenal for the production of extraordinary quantities of ordnance for a number of wars,” he says. After hundreds of die-hard volunteers dug out invasive plants, scattered seed and documented wildlife on the 18,000-acre prairie, visitors can now walk among big bluestem and golden alexander, and listen for the sweet song of meadowlarks in the grasslands and chorus frogs in the wetlands. Conservation volunteers working to save wild places hail from every state. In fact, nearly 300,000 volunteers contribute more than 6.5 million hours of volunteer service a year to the U.S. National Park Service, from leading tours to studying wildlife and hosting campgrounds. April 2022

CREATING A WILD SPACE AT HOME In their book The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden, University of Delaware ecology professor Douglas Tallamy and landscape designer Rick Darke show how to create wild spaces in yards, including what and where to plant and how to manage the land. They advise homeowners to: Stop using pesticides and herbicides. Replace non-native plants with those native to the region. Reduce lawn space, converting it to native plants. Leave leaf litter, withering plants and dying trees alone to provide shelter and food for wildlife. n Create a small pond or another water feature. n n n n

“Mourning cloak butterflies overwinter as mature adults. If you say, ‘Hey, let’s just clean up all of that so-called leaf litter,’ you could be cleaning up the habitat of mourning cloaks and killing them,” says Darke, who has served as a horticultural consultant for botanic gardens and other public landscapes in Texas, Maryland, New York, Illinois and Delaware. “That’s not litter. It’s meaningful habitat. “A dead tree in your home landscape, called a snag, often contributes as much to the local ecology as a living tree,” he adds. “For example, woodpeckers build nests in holes or cavities in a snag, and countless insects find shelter and nourishment in the organic material of the snag.” One doesn’t have to be an environmental crusader to save wild places, Hoffman stresses. Exploring local wild places and sharing them with others can help save them, as well. “We can only protect those places that we love,” he says. “And we can only love those places that we know.” Sadly, roughly 100 million people, including 28 million children, do not have access to a quality park within 10 minutes of home, according to The Trust for Public Land. Projects, such as the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program, which enables urban communities to create outdoor spaces, can help. The U.S. Department of the Interior committed $150 million to the program in 2021. “Every child in America deserves to have a safe and nearby place to experience the great outdoors,” says Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

A Homegrown National Park

Tallamy says one of the most important ways to get people to appreciate and save wild places is to begin in their own yards. “We have wilderness designations. We have national

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forests. We have national parks. We have 12 percent of the U.S. protected from development,” he says. “Yet, we are in the sixth great extinction. Our parks and our preserves are not enough. My point is that we have got to focus on the areas outside of parks and preserves.” He urges what he calls a “homegrown national park,” in which homeowners, land managers and farmers create a habitat by replacing invasive plants with native species. Tallamy speaks from experience. He lives on a 10-acre former farm in Oxford, Pennsylvania. “It had been mowed for hay and when we moved in, very little life was here,” he says. “We have been rebuilding the eastern deciduous forest here, getting invasive plants under control and replanting with species that ought to be here.” He’s now counted more than 1,400 different species of moths on his property and documented 60 species of birds nesting within the landscape. “We have foxes who raise their kits in the front yard,” he says. Lots of acreage is not required, he says. In Kirkwood, Missouri, homeowners created a wild place on six-tenths of an acre on which they’ve documented 149 species of birds. “If one person does it, it’s not going to work,” he stresses. “The point is to get those acres connected. When everybody adopts this as a general landscape culture, it’s going to help tremendously. By rewilding your yard, you are filling in spaces between the true wild places and natural areas. The reason our wild spaces are not working in terms of conservation is because they are too small and too isolated. Even the biggest national parks are too small or too isolated.”

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Tallamy says people can create wild spaces in their yards by reducing the amount of lawn they have or even getting rid of it. They can grow native plants and discontinue the use of pesticides and herbicides, which are disrupting ecological function of wild places the world over, as research shows. Hoffman agrees, “We’ve cultivated a culture of tidiness. It’s actually very easy to welcome wildlife into your home places, often by doing fewer things, by not bringing the leaf blower out and by leaving some dead wood where it fell, which creates important shelters for insects, for example. “Such wild yard spaces encourage wonder. Suddenly, the kids are out there and they can be absolutely fascinated by a small glittering beetle. For me, to experience the wild is to go to the shore of a lake, to be present in the mystery, to be among the lake’s reed beds, to see a marsh harrier sleek out of those reeds and to know you’re part of something much larger,” he says. “There’s so much joy and beauty and complexity in being in the presence of other lives besides human.” That in itself is reason enough to save wild places. Sheryl DeVore has written six books on science, health and nature, as well as health and environmental stories for national and regional publications. Read more at SherylDeVore.wordpress.com.

LEARN MORE The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative, by Florence Williams Irreplaceable: The Fight to Save Our Wild Places, by Julian Hoffman

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A Life on Our Planet, Netflix documentary by David Attenborough Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts with Your Yard, by Douglas Tallamy The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden, by Rick Darke and Douglas Tallamy

April 2022

TECHNOLOGY MEETS NATURE APPS BRING US CLOSER TO FLORA AND FAUNA by Sheryl DeVore

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hile exploring Seattle, Jackie Lentz Bowman noticed some bushes filled with pink and orange berries. She discovered she could safely eat them by using the smartphone nature app called iNaturalist (iNaturalist.org). “I learned they were salmonberries and edible,” says the Chicago area photographer and birder. “I just had to try them. They were very similar to raspberries.” Bowman is among a growing number of people using their smartphones to enhance their nature experiences. Phone apps are available for free or a modest price to identify

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mushrooms, bugs, birds, dragonflies, reptiles, beetles, wildflowers and other flora and fauna. “Whether it is to help identify a plant I’ve taken a photo of or to familiarize myself with what a bird looks like and sounds like, these are tools I’m always glad to have in my back pocket,” she explains. At least 6,300 nature apps were available in 2015, according to Paul Jepson and Richard Ladle, Oxford environmental scholars and co-authors of “Nature Apps: Waiting for the Revolution,” a research paper published in the Swedish environmental journal Ambio. Such programs are only beginning to scratch the surface of what is possible. They write, “As most people own a mobile phone today, the app—though a small device—is a major way conservationists could be reaching a huge audience with transformative possibilities.” Right now, some apps allow the user to point a smartphone to a plant or animal to get instant feedback on its common or scientific name. Others ask the user questions about what they are seeing and suggest an identity based on the answers. Some allow the user to interact with scientists, share their knowledge, record their observations and contribute to science. Perhaps the most popular nature app is iNaturalist, which has all those features and more. “Our mission has been to connect people to nature through technology,” says Scott Loarie, co-director of iNaturalist, a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society. “By 2030, we want to connect 100 million people to nature to facilitate science and conservation.” The app began as a master’s degree proj-

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green living

photo by Jackie Lentz Bowman

ect at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2008, and today 2 million people have recorded about 100 million observations, covering one in six species on the planet. “iNaturalist has grown to the point where it’s helping take the pulse of biodiversity,” he adds. Newcomers are often mentored and helped with identifications by volunteers that are experts in different fields. One example is a worldwide competition called the City Nature Challenge in which beginning and advanced naturalists document urban flora and fauna for several days. During the event, people share their photos of plants and animals on iNaturalist. During Chicago’s Challenge, Eric Gyllenhaal, who blogs about nature on the city’s west side, found an uncommon species. “A Canadian expert helped confirm the identification as a bronze ground beetle native to Europe,” says Cassi Saari, project manager of natural areas for the Chicago Park District. “It’s an introduced species in Illinois and could have implications for wildlife in the region down the line.” Two other nature apps that Loarie likes are eBird (eBird.org) and Merlin (Merlin. AllAboutBirds.org), both administered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, in Ithaca, New York. With eBird, users can report on their phones a list of birds they’re seeing in the wild, including when and where, and the sightings are added to a database for scientific research. Merlin is a field guide app to help folks identify the birds they are seeing. “Merlin has taken on authoring content with great descriptions of birds, something iNaturalist doesn’t do,” Loarie points out. “Merlin also just released sound recognition in the app, so people can identify birds by sound. It’s huge for birders.” Award-winning nature photographer Adriana Greisman, of Phoenix, says she uses both Merlin and iBird (iBird.com), another field guide app, to identify birds in the wild and when processing photos. “These are great resources to identify unknown species and to learn about their behavior.” The favorite app of Joyce Gibbons, a volunteer at the Natural Land Institute, in Rockford, Illinois, is Odonata Central (OdonataCentral.org), which focuses on

her passion—dragonflies and damselflies, collectively called odonates. “I’ve loved solitary walks in the woods, prairies and other natural areas since I was a child,” she says. “I’ve always taken photos and tried to ID the many species I’ve observed. Now, with these apps on my phone, I feel like I am actually contributing to the scientific body of knowledge and connecting with other enthusiasts and not just keeping all this joy of discovery to myself.” Sheryl DeVore is an award-winning author of six books on science, health and nature. Connect at SherylDevoreWriter@gmail.com.

NATURE APPS TO LEARN BY AUDUBON GUIDE: Search a field guide to 800 species of birds found in North America with tips on places to find them (Audubon.org/app). PICTURE INSECT: Identify thousands of different insects and learn about them using this entomologist in a pocket (PictureInsect.com). PICTURE MUSHROOM: Identify thousands of different mushrooms using a smartphone (PictureMushroom.com). PLANTNET: Identify wild plants by posting photos. Images are compared to thousands of images from throughout the world in a database (PlantNet.org). SEEK BY iNATURALIST: Seek uses data submitted to iNaturalist to show suggestions for species nearby, but unlike iNaturalist, findings made with Seek will not be shared publicly, making it safe for children to use. Users can earn badges as they discover wildlife (iNaturalist.org/pages/seek_app). TRAILLINK: Search a database of more than 40,000 miles of trails in the U.S. and download trail maps on a smartphone (TrailLink.com).

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healthy kids

Nature Speaks STORYTELLING CONNECTS KIDS TO THE NATURAL WORLD

hildren are natural storytellers with imaginations that shape their play and learning. In outdoor settings, everything from puddles to pine cones can engage children and draw them closer to the natural world, opening up a lifelong appreciation of natural environments. Connecting with nature also improves creativity, academic performance and attentiveness, while reducing stress and aggressive behavior, a body of research shows. Organizations, like the Wilderness Awareness School, a Duvall, Washington-based nonprofit, work to help children and adults cultivate healthy relationships with nature, 18

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community and self. “We find that children who feel at home in the outdoors are often more resourceful, creative and allow for curiosity to naturally unfold,” says Leah Carlson, director of marketing and communications at Wilderness Awareness School. “Allowing them to play freely and explore in nature is a wonderful way to build resilience and resourcefulness. When children can be intrigued through a story, it also allows them to understand their own outdoor experiences. They become more

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by Carrie Jackson

“We find that children who feel at home in the outdoors are often more resourceful, creative and allow for curiosity to naturally unfold.” –Leah Carlson

Connect with writer Carrie Jackson at CarrieJacksonWrites.com.

LEARN MORE Rootstock Puppet Co.: rootstockpuppet.com Wilderness Awareness School: wildernessawareness.org Megan Zeni: meganzeni.com

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adept at finding new solutions to problems using the tools they have access to and creative thinking.” Weaving storytelling into their programs helps children understand their outdoor experiences. “Regular time spent with experienced nature mentors, playing games, exploring unique plants and animals and getting excited about the possibilities of nature is how a connection begins. When children are outside, the characters of these stories are the plants, animals, rocks and landforms around them. The suburban tree that was always an obstacle on the sidewalk can be seen through new eyes as a dragon, monkey bars or a red alder,” Carlson explains. Megan Zeni, a public school teacher in Steveston, British Columbia, says there is a global body of research that shows every measure of wellness is improved through time spent outside. She teaches solely outdoors, ensuring that her students have exposure to nature regardless of which neighborhood they live in. “In our modern world, higher-income families generally have better access to green spaces. Incorporating outdoor activities into the school day gives children equitable exposure to nature and outdoor learning,” she explains. Zeni uses both non-fiction and fiction storytelling approaches to teaching. “To learn about water cycles, I’ll have kids jump in puddles, observe where the water goes and track where it is in the community. They’ll then relay a fact-based story based on their observations and experiences. For a lesson on squirrels, I’ll ask the students to imagine where their habitat is, who their family is and what they eat. We use loose parts, which are open-ended items, such as pine cones and sticks, to creatively illustrate the story. “By using storytelling as a measure of knowledge, it is more equitable for students who don’t perform as well using traditional test and essay methods,” she says. Listening to a child’s story can also reveal misconceptions that can be clarified through further exploration and instruction. Storytelling can take on many forms and be enhanced with the use of props. As the artistic director of Rootstock Puppet Co., based in Chicago, Mark Blashford performs puppet theater rooted in stories that promote mutual kindness and ecological awareness. “Puppets are remarkable storytelling agents because, not only can they play characters and support narrative through movement, they can also tell a story from the very material they inhabit,” he says. “Puppets invite kids to exercise empathy by compelling them to accept and invest in the thoughts, feelings and life of another entity.”

By making puppets out of wood and using them to weave environmental awareness into his shows, Blashford helps to put the natural world in perspective. “My show TIMBER! is about an entire forest and a single tree which is home to a family of spotted owls. I want children to see the role of both the forest and the tree in the lives of an owl family. When they fall in love with little wooden puppet owls, they are able to convert the giant concept of deforestation into a manageable scale,” he says. He encourages parents to regularly engage their children with their natural habitat. “Go to your local forest or park, find a tree, name it and check on it as often as you can. Prompt children to ask questions about who they think lives in that tree, why the branches stretch out how they do and what happens at night. As children learn to see the outdoor world as part of their own characters and setting, the stories will develop naturally,” he advises.

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healing ways

Buzz-Free Drinking THE HEALTHY RISE OF NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES by Ronica O’Hara

photo courtesy of Kerry Benson and Diana Licalzi

SOUR MOCK-A-RITA 1 cup and 2 Tbsp lime juice ¼ cup and 2 Tbsp orange juice 3 Tbsp agave nectar, plus more to taste 2½ cups and 2 Tbsp coconut water Few dashes of salt Lime wheels for garnish Lime wedges and sea salt to rim the glasses To salt the rims of four to six lowball or margarita glasses, pour a thin layer of salt onto a plate or a shallow bowl. 20

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Slide a lime wedge around the rim of the glass to wet it, or use a finger to apply the juice to the rim, then dip and twist the glass in the salt. Combine all of the drink ingredients in a pitcher. Stir. Fill the rimmed glasses with ice. Divide the margarita mix among the glasses. Garnish with lime wheels. From Mocktail Party: 75 Plant-Based, NonAlcoholic Mocktail Recipes for Every Occasion, by Kerry Benson and Diana Licalzi.

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s a former bartender, Katie Cheney enjoys mixing drinks for friends, and one night recently, in her San Francisco apartment, she tried out something new: an alcohol-free “Noquila Sunrise” made with a distilled, plant-based spirit. “I was actually pleasantly surprised. Even though we were drinking nonalcoholic drinks, we still had just as much fun as usual!” recalls Cheney, who blogs at DrinksSaloon.com. In New York City, Marcos Martinez has begun drinking virgin piña coladas when out on the town with friends. “The feeling is surprisingly great since I don’t wake up with hangovers. More importantly, I’ve realized that I don’t have to use alcohol as a crutch for my social anxiety,” says Martinez, who owns the black gay lifestyle blog TheMenWhoBrunch.com. At Chicago’s Kumiko Japanese cocktail bar, owner Julia Momosé offers a menu of what she calls “Spiritfrees,” crafted without alcohol and with ingredients like yarrow, ume—a Japanese fruit—and cardamom. “Folks comment on how they appreciate that it is ‘more than just juice,’ or how surprised they are at their depth, texture and complexity,” she says. The “sober-curious”—people experimenting with alcohol-free beverages as a way of prioritizing their health and fitness over a short-lived buzz—are changing America’s drinking culture. For the first time in 20 years, fewer Americans are regularly drinking, reports Gallup, and tipplers are drinking measurably less than they did 10 years ago. No longer stuck with a seltzer while dodging questions from inquisitive imbibers, today the sober-inclined can sip from a vast array of sophisticated choices—from

photo courtesy of Vanessa Young/ ThirstyRadish.com

“You have your wits about you, you can drive if necessary, you are less likely to say or do something you might regret and you won’t have a hangover the next morning.” –Kerry Benson faux vodka in exotic, crafted drinks to prize-winning sparkling wines to low- and no-alcohol craft beer. No-booze options can be easily ordered at restaurants, picked up at supermarkets or delivered at home with a few online clicks. “The best part about having a fun, non-alcoholic beverage in hand is that you get the taste and experience of a cocktail or beer, just without the alcohol and potential negative side effects,” says dietitian Kerry Benson, co-author of Mocktail Party: 75 PlantBased, Non-Alcoholic Mocktail Recipes for Every Occasion. “You have your wits about you, you can drive if necessary, you are less likely to say or do something you might regret and you won’t have a hangover the next morning. And alcohol-free drinks are usually less expensive than their alcoholic counterparts.” Sober-curious strategies range widely. Some people start tentatively, but increasingly turn to non-alcoholic drinks because they prefer the taste, price and lower calorie count, as well as the diminished risk of heart and liver disease. Others may go cold turkey for a month or two to break a pandemic-induced habit, alternate alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks at a game or bar to avoid getting tipsy, or drink a Bloody Mary for a weekend brunch and virgin versions during the week to enhance work productivity. The sales of non-alcoholic beverages shot up 33 percent to $331 million in 2021, reports Nielsen, and online sales of non- and low-alcoholic beverages skyrocketed 315 percent. To compete for the Millennials-heavy market, distillers like Seedlip, Suntory and Lyre’s have created beverages evoking tequila, Campari and vodka; breweries like Guinness, Budweiser and Carlsberg and small crafters are offering robust-tasting near- and no-alcohol beers; and wineries are using distillation and reverse osmosis to produce fine, low-alcohol Cabernets, Chardonnays and other varieties. Niche products are growing: for example, Los Angeles-based Optimist Botanicals bills its gin-, vodka- and tequila-like botanical blends as being vegan, gluten-free and paleo- and keto-friendly. On the home front, people are making their own concoctions, often with natural and herbal ingredients, such as pears, tomatoes, cilantro and spices. “Garden-grown produce, windowsill herbs and farmers market finds are the ideal foundation for recipes, from tea sangrias to shaken mocktails,” says New Jersey cooking instructor and recipe developer Vanessa Young, creator of ThirstyRadish.com. As an example, she says, “A slice of brûléed fruit gives a non-alcoholic drink a touch of smoky sweetness, plus it is so appealing in the glass.” Substance abuse counselors caution that beverages that mimic alcohol may not be a good route for recovery from serious alcohol abuse because they can reawaken destructive patterns. And con-

sumers are advised to look carefully at labels. “Alcohol-free” beer contains 0.0 percent alcohol. “Non-alcoholic” beer can contain up to 0.5 percent alcohol, but some have been found to contain up to 2 percent—not desirable if pregnant or in recovery. Still, says Karolina Rzadkowolska, author of Euphoric: Ditch Alcohol and Gain a Happier, More Confident You, “The popularity of alcohol-free drinks is changing a culture. We are going from a culture that glamorizes drinking at every social situation, with little valid excuse to decline, to a culture that gives people healthier options.” Health writer Ronica O’Hara can be contacted at OHaraRonica@ gmail.com.

MAPLE PEAR SPARKLER ½ cup pure maple syrup ¼ cup filtered water 1 rounded tsp fresh pomegranate arils (about 12 arils, or seeds) 1 tsp fresh lemon juice ½ oz maple simple syrup 2¼ oz pear juice 2 oz sparkling mineral water Bartlett pear slices for garnish For the syrup, whisk to combine ½ cup maple syrup with ¼ cup filtered water in a small saucepan, and heat until small bubbles begin to form around the edge. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. In the meantime, to prepare the jewel-like pomegranate arils, score a fresh pomegranate cross-wise. Twist to separate into halves. Loosen the membrane around the edges and tap firmly with a wooden spoon over a bowl to collect the pomegranate arils. Continue to loosen the membrane and tap to release all the arils. For each drink, gently mash the pomegranate arils with lemon juice in a muddler, then add the mixture into a cocktail shaker, along with the syrup, pear juice and ice. Shake to chill, and strain into a glass to serve. Top with sparkling mineral water. Add a slice of ripe Bartlett or brûléed pear. Courtesy of Vanessa Young of ThirstyRadish.com. April 2022

conscious eating

Eating for the Planet DIET FOR A CLIMATE CRISIS

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by Sheila Julson

hat we choose to put on our plates influences not only our physical health, but also the health of the environment. While much of the climate conversation focuses on the burning of fossil fuels, commercial food production—particularly livestock—uses large amounts of land, water and energy. Wasted food contributes to approximately 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Leigh Prezkop, food loss and waste specialist for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), says agriculture accounts for 22

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about 70 percent of the world’s fresh water use, while pasture and crop land accounts for about 50 percent of the Earth’s habitable land. “The environmental impacts begin with the soil,” Prezkop explains. “Soil that’s depleted of nutrients loses its ability to capture carbon and produce nutrientrich foods. The long chain continues with the processing and packaging of that food, and then transporting it to grocery store shelves and, eventually, to the consumer’s home.”

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Eat Less Meat

Animal agriculture is the leading cause of climate change, argues author, screenwriter and playwright Glen Merzer in his latest book, Food Is Climate: A Response to Al Gore, Bill Gates, Paul Hawken & the Conventional Narrative on Climate Change. “When we have 93 million cattle farmed in the U.S. and 31 billion animals farmed globally each year, they create mountains of waste,” says Merzer, a dedicated vegan of 30 years. “That waste infiltrates water supplies and causes contamination, such

“When food is wasted, we’re not just throwing away food, but everything it took to produce that food is also wasted— the water, the fertilizer and the land.” –Leigh Prezkop as E. coli outbreaks, in foods like lettuce and tomatoes that are grown downstream.” He adds that cows belch methane, a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and that grass-fed cows belch even more of it than grain-fed, feedlot cows. In addition, nitrogen fertilizers used to grow animal feed run into waterways. Overfishing and ocean warming threaten populations of phytoplankton, which sequester carbon dioxide and seed clouds. Deforestation to create grazing land may be the single greatest future threat to our climate because forests also sequester carbon and provide a home for diverse flora and fauna.

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Make Simple Swaps

Prezkop emphasizes that despite these problems with the industrial food chain, changing the way we produce food is also the solution. The WWF works with suppliers to educate and promote regenerative production practices. On the consumer side, changing the way food is produced can be achieved by changing people’s dietary demands. “We don’t prescribe people to eat a certain way. We do believe different people and cultures have different dietary needs,” she says. “The global north eats a lot of meat, so we do recommend a plant-forward diet while still incorporating animal proteins, depending on individual dietary needs.” Merzer argues that we have little control over fossil fuel burning, but we can control our diets. He promotes plant-based eating as a primary solution to climate change. Changing mindsets about “normal” traditions, such as having hamburgers on the Fourth of July or turkey on Thanksgiving, can be difficult, but achievable with the planet at stake, he says. Sophie Egan, founder of FullTableSolutions.com and author of How to Be a Conscious Eater: Making Food Choices That Are Good For You, Others, and the Planet, advises to start small by looking at the foods eaten most frequently and identifying ways to make simple swaps. “If you have toast with butter every morning, that could be changed to a nut butter. A sandwich with cold cuts every day for lunch, that can be replaced with a roasted vegetables and hummus sandwich or an avocado sandwich. You can still eat something in a familiar form, but replace ingredients with loweremissions options,” she says. If someone is intimidated by switching to an all plant-based diet, a flexitarian option emphasizing foods from the plant kingdom while enjoying meat only occasionally may be more sustainable throughout a person’s lifetime. Her book contains a “protein scorecard” from the World Resources Institute that lists animal

SCRAP VEGETABLE STOCK Those potatoes that start to sprout, the straggler stalks of celery wilting in the back of the crisper drawer or that pompon of green carrot tops can all be used to make vegetable stock. This is a very general recipe with plenty of creative license to get more mileage from leftover vegetables that normally would have been discarded. Start by collecting vegetable scraps that typically aren’t used— thick asparagus ends, carrot tops and broccoli stems. Even wilted kale or limp carrots that are no longer good to eat fresh, but are still free from mold or mush, can be added. Coarsely chop scrap veggies and put them into a freezer bag. Store them in the freezer until four to five pounds of vegetable scrap have been accumulated. yield: about 3 quarts 4 to 5 lb vegetable scraps (can include the freezer bag of vegetable scraps, green tops from a fresh bunch of carrots, slightly wilted kale, turnips that are starting to turn soft or any combination) 2 bay leaves 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 2 medium onions, cut into quarters 6 quarts water Salt to taste Coarsely chop all vegetables and add to a large stockpot. (If the vegetables are still frozen, dump them into the stockpot; they’ll begin to thaw during the cooking process.) Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently. Cook for about two hours or until the liquid is reduced by about half and the color begins to fade from the vegetables. Let the mixture cool. Strain the stock into a large bowl. Compost the vegetables, as they are now flavorless; all of the flavors have been cooked into the broth. Strain broth a second time through a cheesecloth or sieve for an even clearer broth. Salt to taste and portion into Mason jars. Store in the refrigerator for one to two weeks, or freeze if saving for later use. Courtesy of Sheila Julson.

April 2022

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MUNG BEAN CURRY

3 cups water 1 cup dried mung beans 2 dry bay leaves ½ medium onion, chopped 3 cloves raw garlic, minced 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced ½ tsp turmeric powder ½ tsp yellow curry 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro or sweet basil 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice Black pepper to taste

Scoop away the white foam that forms on the surface of the water and discard. Simmer covered for about 40 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric and curry, and continue simmering for an additional 20 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro or basil, lemon juice and black pepper. Serve over rice or another grain.

almaje/AdobeStock.com

Courtesy of Joanna Samorow-Merzer, reprinted with permission from Own Your Health, by Glen Merzer.

Jacksonville / St. Augustine

Prezkop says approximately 40 percent of the food produced globally is lost while still on the farm or further up the supply chain. “When food is wasted, we’re not just throwing away food, but everything it took to produce that food is also wasted—the water, the fertilizer and the land.” A recent WWF report entitled Driven To Waste cites new data indicating that food waste contributes to approximately 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions—nearly twice the emissions produced annually by all the cars in the U.S. and Europe. Egan suggests using a shopping list; impulse buys can be forgotten and are prone to spoiling. Keeping food visible by putting fruits and vegetables front and center ensures they won’t be forgotten. Leftovers can be kept from languishing by designating a section of the refrigerator for food to eat first or a day of the week to eat leftovers for dinner. “You can freeze just about anything,” Egan says, from leftover bread to cheese, which can be shredded before frozen. Even scrambled eggs can be poured into a freezer container to use later. (For more ideas, check out SaveTheFood.com and Dana Gunders’ Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook.) Nonprofits throughout the country are creating solutions to divert food waste from the landfills. Keep Austin Fed, a nonprofit comprised of mostly volunteers, helps neighbors experiencing food insecurity by redistributing wholesome, nutritious, surplus food from any food-permitted business. Volunteers pick up leftover food from urban gardens, rural farms, grocery stores and caterers serving area tech firms. All prepared food accepted and redistributed is handled by licensed food handlers. Executive Director Lisa Barden says that Keep Austin Fed redistributed 982,428 pounds of food, or the equivalent of 818,695 meals, in 2021, thus keeping it out of the waste stream. Similarly missioned organizations exist nationwide. FoodRescue.us, with 40 locations in 20 states, provides assistance and even a dropoff/pickup app for people starting local groups. Since its founding in 2011, it has provided 85 million meals and kept 109 million pounds of excess food out of landfills. Its website offers a potent plea: “Fight Hunger. Help the Planet. Be the Rescue.” Sheila Julson is a Milwaukee-based freelance writer and contributor to Natural Awakenings magazine.

NAJax.com

elenabsl/AdobeStock.com

Cut Food Waste

Rinse the mung beans, then soak overnight in water. The next day, discard the water, rinse the beans again and add 3 cups of water and bay leaves. Bring the beans to near boil and reduce heat to simmer.

and plant sources in terms of greenhouse gas emissions per gram of protein from the worst offenders to the least, with beef (along with goat and lamb) being at the top. Prezkop recommends eating a wide variety of foods. “Currently, 75 percent of food produced is from 12 plant species and five animal species, despite that there are thousands of varieties. This means there’s less diversity happening in the field. Diversity helps with regeneration and healthy soils. Producing the same crops over and over means there’s no crop rotation and no diversity happening, leading to degraded soils and deforestation to produce more of the same crop.” Egan adds that diets that are over-reliant on just a few food sources like corn, wheat, rice and soy threaten the Earth and can lead to food insecurity. “Think of it as risk management with a financial portfolio: We have a diversified portfolio of foods available to feed a growing population, but as the climate warms, extreme weather events threaten yields because lack of fresh water and unhealthy soil threaten the planet and, ultimately, food production.” Eating food that is as close as to its original state as possible is better for the planet. “The more food is processed, the more resources it took to get it to market,” Prezkop notes.

fit body

week increasing the time to 20 to 25 minutes, eventually working up to 30 minutes. To complement power walking, he recommends resistance training to increase muscle strength and tone, protect joints from injury, and improve flexibility and balance. Dave McGovern, walking coach and author of The Complete Guide to Competitive Walking: Racewalking, Power Walking, Nordic Walking and More!, points out, “The impact forces of walking, even high-level racewalking, can be one-third of what runners experience, so it’s a lot easier on the joints. Power walking doesn’t have many rules.” A 30-year veteran of the U.S. National Racewalk Team, McGovern underscores the importance of starting out with a regular, easy walk before progressing to a more vigorous pace. To avoid and reduce injury, he advocates mindfulness of correct posture and taking shorter, faster steps rather than long, stomping strides. He trains on a variety of surfaces, including everyday roads, tartan (rubber) running tracks, treadmills, dirt trails, grass, and even the occasional concrete sidewalk. “Changing up surfaces uses your muscles in different ways, which can help prevent overuse injuries that crop up from too much training on the same surfaces day in, day out,” he says.

POWER WALK TO BETTER FITNESS by Marlaina Donato

e all know that the more steps we take in a day the better. The Mayo Clinic advocates walking regularly to keep bad cholesterol in check, maintain a heart-healthy weight and keep blood pressure within a normal range. Power walking—going a mile in under 15 minutes—amps up cardiovascular benefits and takes metabolic conditioning to a new level. Power walking involves taking longer strides, moving at 4.5 to 5.5 miles per hour and using the arms to propel motion, with or without light weights. “With this more intensive exercise, in comparison to everyday walking, one should note that their breathing is harder and their heart rate is faster with power walking. Compared to someone who walks at a casual pace, a power walker can expect lower blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar and cholesterol numbers,” says Jason C. Robin, M.D., director of cardio oncology at North Shore University Health System, in Glenview, Illinois.

Walking as a Workout

In cases of severe coronary artery disease, certain heart muscle disorders, known as cardiomyopathy or valvular diseases, Robin recommends seeing a doctor before taking up fitness walking, but emphasizes, “Obvious injuries or illnesses aside, power walking is great for all ages, genders, sizes and fitness levels and is, in general, very safe with very few contraindications.” He suggests aiming for 15 minutes or less on a first endeavor, and after one

maridav/AdobeStock.com

Spirited Strides

Practical Essentials

For optimal results on any surface, proper footwear is vital. “We would typically recommend a running shoe for any fitness-based walking,” says Josh Saint Cyr, store manager at New Balance, in Highland Park, Illinois. He notes that the right shoes are designed to help align gait and avoid pronation or supination that prompts the ankle to roll inward or outward with movement. “For a more customized experience, someone with medium or lower arches would want a shoe from the stability running section, and someone with higher arches would want a shoe from the cushioned running section.” In cases of tight calf muscles, Saint Cyr recommends stretching as a daily practice, even on non-exercise days. “Rollers or massage guns can be useful for immediate relief, but ultimately, stretching will help by reducing or eliminating tightness.”

Taking it Up a Notch

Racewalking, the competitive and highly technical variety of power walking, takes place at track meets. “After you’ve built a base of miles, you can start sprinkling in some longer and faster workouts, and maybe even think about competition,” says McGovern. “There is a bit more technique involved in competitive racewalking, but once you get the hang of it, it will allow you to go much faster.” In the end, having a goal can be the best motivator. “For the athletes I coach, many of them in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond, racewalking and power walking gives a purpose to their workouts,” says McGovern. “One of my athletes has said that she hates to work out, but loves to train. Having the goal of a race over the horizon gives a lot of athletes a reason to get out the door every day.” Marlaina Donato is an author and composer. Connect at WildflowerLady.com. April 2022

calendar of events To submit calendar listings, or for more information about submission requirements, please email Publisher@NAJax.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 2 Online Class – 3-5pm “What to expect physically, mentally, and emotionally as you develop your Psychic/Mediumship skills”. $36. International Foundation for Spiritual Knowledge, www.ifsk. org. 407-247-7823.

SUNDAY, APRIL 3 Pranayama and Meditation – 10-11am. Through guided breathing, increase the oxygen to your brain and all your internal organs, which facilitates physical healing. Held outside if weather permits. Bring your own mat and accessories. $15. 4236 St. Johns Ave, Jacksonville. 904-381-8686 or SeventhWonder.com/events/. Yoga Nidra – 11:15am-12:15pm. Guided meditation to achieve intense concentration, enlightenment or bliss. Bring mat and accessories. $15. Seventh Wonder Holistic Spa, 4236 St Johns Ave, Jacksonville. 904-381-8686. Seventh-Wonder.com/events/.

MONDAY, APRIL 4 Transcendental Meditation Introductory Talk – 5:30pm. All the information you need to make an informed decision about learning this highly effective technique for reducing stress and improving health. Free. Regency Square Library, 9900 Regency Square Blvd, Community Rm A, Jacksonville. Register: 904-375-9517 or Jacksonville@TM.org.

TUESDAY, APRIL 5 Twin Hearts Meditation – 6-7pm. The phases of meditation are physical exercise, invoking divine blessings, relaxation/cleansing and energizing, selfintrospection, and inner reflection, activating heart chakra and crown chakra, achieving illumination, releasing excess energy and expression of gratitude. Free. 4236 St. Johns Ave, Jacksonville. 904-3818686 or Seventh-Wonder.com/events/.

SATURDAY, APRIL 9 How to Cook Tofu without Losing Your Tempeh Dinner – 5-7pm. Restorative Health Instructor, Amanda Johns, will demonstrate easy cooking techniques and recipes on how to use tofu and tempeh. Includes a booklet and a delicious four-course menu: Chocolate Chip Cashew Cookies, Lemon Cookies, Tofu Crumble Salad with Curry Quinoa, and Thai Coconut Lemongrass Soup. $55/prepaid. Jacksonville Health and Wellness Center, 9957 Moorings Dr, Ste 403. Preregister: 904-268-6568. Info/location: 904 994-4802 or AmandaJHWC@yahoo.com.

THURSDAY, APRIL 14 Transcendental Meditation Introductory Talk by Videoconference – Noon. All the information you need to make an informed decision about learning this highly effective technique for reducing stress and improving health. Free. Register/info: 904-3759517 or Jacksonville@TM.org.

Jacksonville / St. Augustine

Simple Swaps: Creating Healthy Choices – 6:30-8pm. Learn simple snack and meal swaps to move from nutrient poor to nutrient dense and health-promoting diet. Certified Holistic Nutritionist Jennifer Costa will give guidance and brand suggestions, plus free food samples. Free. In person or online. Jacksonville Health and Wellness Center, 9957 Mooring Dr, Ste 403. 904-994-4802.

Creating Everyday Miracles – 6:30-8pm. Learn The Miracle Method and create everyday miracles in your life. Functional Medicine and Holistic Practitioner, Dr Jon Repole, will weave together the principles of A Course in Miracles with neuroscience and psychology. Free. In person or online. Jacksonville Health and Wellness Center, 9957 Mooring Dr, Ste 403. 904-268-6568.

SATURDAY, APRIL 16

SUNDAY, APRIL 24

Transcendental Meditation Introductory Talk – 1pm. All the information you need to make an informed decision about learning this highly effective technique for reducing stress and improving health. Free. Postell Market, Casino Bldg, 530 Beachview Dr (by Neptune Park), Rm 112, St. Simons Island, GA. Register: 904-375-9517 or Jacksonville@ TM.org.

Heart 4 Souls Sunday Spiritual Guidance – 9am. Guests receive an overall group message followed by a live channeling session. Free. Online at Heart4Soul-SpiritualServices on Facebook. Info: 386-503-4930.

Meet Your Angels – 1:30pm. Join this magical exploration into another world that is all around us. Rev. Judi Weaver is a spiritual trace channel, certified medium and healer. Guests will each receive an angelic message. $30. 1112 Stevens St, Cassadaga. SpiritualServices.online.

SUNDAY, APRIL 17 Stay The Course – 10:30 am. Join Rev. Yvonne McAndrew to celebrate Happy Resurrection Day! All are invited in-person, or streamed on Facebook Live or our YouTube Channel. No matter who you are or where you are on your spiritual journey, all are welcome. Value received offering. Unity Church for Creative Living, 2777 Race Track Rd, St. Johns. 904-287-1505. UnityInJax.com.

TUESDAY, APRIL 19 Twin Hearts Meditation – 6-7pm. The phases of meditation are physical exercise, invoking divine blessings, relaxation/cleansing and energizing, selfintrospection, and inner reflection, activating heart chakra and crown chakra, achieving illumination, releasing excess energy, and expression of gratitude. Free. 4236 St. Johns Ave, Jacksonville. 904-3818686 or Seventh-Wonder.com/events/.

THURSDAY, APRIL 21 Transcendental Meditation Introductory Talk – 5:30pm. All the information you need to make an informed decision about learning this highly effective technique for reducing stress and improving health, Free. Pablo Creek Library, 13295 Beach Blvd, Conference Rm, Jacksonville. Register: 904375-9517 or Jacksonville@TM.org. Transcendental Meditation Introductory Talk by Videoconference – 6:30pm. All the information you need to make an informed decision about learning this highly effective technique for reducing stress and improving health. Free. Register: 904-375-9517 or Jacksonville@TM.org.

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Vegan Cooking Class – 4-6pm. Join spa owner Falli Shah and her husband Sunny Shah for a vegan Indian cooking class. This delicious event includes a meal that is freshly prepared in front of you. Held on a lovely outdoor deck overlooking a garden. $45. 4236 St. Johns Ave, Jacksonville. 904-381-8686 or Seventh-Wonder.com/events/.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28 In Person Class – 1-3pm ‘Practical uses of Psychometry’ - $35. 476 Osceola Ave in Jacksonville Beach. International Foundation for Spiritual Knowledge. 407-247-7823. Eating Healthy By The Seasons – 6:30-8pm. Restorative Health Instructor, Amanda Johns, will share the gifts and insights of Mother Nature and how to align the elements of seasonal changes with your overall health and well-being. Free. In person or online, Jacksonville Health and Wellness Center, 9957 Mooring Dr, Ste 403, Jacksonville. 904-268-6568. In Person Class – 7-9:30pm ‘Practical uses of Psychometry’ - $35. Held at The Noble School, 419 5th Ave. Jacksonville Beach. International Foundation for Spiritual Knowledge. 407-247-7823.

SATURDAY, APRIL 30 Online Class – 10:30am-1pm “What to expect physically, mentally, and emotionally as you develop your Psychic/Mediumship skills” $36. International Foundation for Spiritual Knowledge, www.ifsk.org. 407-247-7823.

plan ahead SATURDAY, MAY 7 Talking Stick Circle – 5pm. Native American gathering to share ancient teachings as channeled from elders. Traditional cleansing and drumming. Bring your instruments. Andrew Jackson Davis Bldg, 1112 Stevens St, Cassadaga. Info: Rev.JudiWeaver@gmail.com.

ongoing events

ECKANKAR The Path of Spiritual Freedom

Go beyond the ordinary — Find the truth that lies within you and discover how you are creating your own reality every moment.

View our upcoming online events at

www.eck-florida.org

Jacksonville ECK Information: 904-725-7760

sunday Unity Church for Creative Living Sunday Service – 10:30am. Join in-person, on Facebook Live or YouTube Channel to travel the journey of spiritual unfoldment together. Unity Church for Creative Living, 2777 Race Track Rd, St. Johns. 904-287-1505. UnityInJax.com.

monday Monday Mantras – Megan Weigel, DNP, ARNPc, is lighthearted and approachable guide to a year of mindfulness intentions and actions in the form of simple practices to help improve your physical, emotional and mental health. Use it to learn the value of your experiences, voice, heart, and story. 904-543-3510. MondayMantrasWithMegan.com. FirstCoastIntegrativeMedicine.com.

wednesday Wednesday Pier Farmers Market – 8am-12:30pm. Oceanfront shopping at the St. Johns County Ocean Pier Park. Approximately 60-80 vendors can be found at the market selling locally grown produce, baked goods, prepared foods, arts, crafts and more. Free. 350 A1A Beach Blvd, St. Augustine Bch. 904-315-0952. Spiritual Enrichment Classes – 7pm. Visit the website for class information. Unity Church for Creative Living, 2777 Race Track Rd, St Johns. 904-287-1505. UnityInJax.com. Music by the Sea – Thru Sept 1. 7-8:50pm. This annual summer music and food celebration features local bands and performers paired with local food trucks to entertain visitors. A different band will be featured each week, along with a food truck to offer fresh, tasty, food. Guests are welcome to bring coolers and picnic baskets. Chairs and bug spray are encouraged. Free. St. Augustine Beach Pier, 350 A1A Beach Blvd, St. Augustine Bch. 904-347-8007.

Rotisserie Chickens at Native Sun – 9am-6pm. The first round of rotisserie chickens will be ready around 9am. The last run of birds come out around 6pm. Limit two per household. $5/each. 1585 3rd St. N, Jacksonville Bch.

thursday Farmers Market – 5-8pm. Vendors offer locally grown produce as well as homemade and handmade products. Yamo Italian and Captain Scallywag's food truck are onsite offering local cuisine as well as two other food trucks, which rotate each week. Local musicians provide entertainment throughout the evening. Free. The Artisan Market Coconut Barrel, 3175 US 1 South, St. Augustine. Concerts in the Plaza – 7-9pm. Bring a chair or blanket to relax on the plaza lawn and enjoy summer evenings filled with music in the heart of historic St. Augustine. Picnic dinners are allowed, but alcoholic beverages are prohibited in the Plaza. Gazebo of St. Augustine's historic Plaza de la Constitución (between Cathedral and King Streets) Downtown St. Augustine. 904- 825-1004.

friday First Friday Garden Walk – 10am. Join a Ranger the first Friday of every month for a garden walk. No registration required. Walk included with park entry fee of $5 per vehicle. Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. Info: WashingtonOaks.org.

coming in the may issue

Women's Wellness

saturday The St. Augustine Ampitheatre Farmers Market – 8:30am-12:30pm. Shop more than 100 tents loaded with local produce, flowers, baked goods, handmade arts and crafts and more. Admission into the market is free. 1340 A1A South, St. Augustine. 904-315-9252.

April 2022

community resource guide FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

ACUPUNCTURE

JACKSONVILLE HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER

A WAY OF LIFE ACUPUNCTURE

4337 Pablo Oaks Ct, Bldg 200, Jacksonville • 904-373-8415 AWayOfLifeAcupuncture.com Dr Christine Yastrzemski, NCCAOM, AP AP2255 Dr Sarah Thomas, DACM, AP AP4183

Dr Jon Repole, DC, CFMP 9957 Moorings Dr, Ste 403 Jacksonville (Mandarin) 904-268-6568 • DrRepole.com

NCCAOM Board Certified Acupuncture Physician specializing in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. We offer the highest quality of care while customizing treatments that best suit your needs.

CBD HYDROPONIC UNIQUE GOODS

8622 Baymeadows Rd, Jacksonville 904-829-4847 • JaxHugs.com Hemp is all relaxation without intoxication, research shows numerous health benefits. Garden and hydroponic supplies: Leading brands of soil, nutrients, grow tents and LED lights. See ad, page 9.

ENERGY HEALING

Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner. Find the cause of your health challenge. Our office will create a doctor supervised custom-tailored health program that will include the following: meal planning, supplemental prescriptions, detoxification guidance, food/lifestyle coaching, exercise prescriptions, accountability, on-line patient portal, and more. We utilize the most advanced diagnostics testing available to aid both our diagnoses and treatment. See ad, page 14.

GROCERY NATIVE SUN

1585 3rd St North, Jacksonville Beach 904-853-5497 NativeSunJax.com J a x B e a c h ’s community organic grocer, local food and essential items. Order online for curbside p/u.

HEALING ENERGY BY TED

Ted Kostek 7500 Plantation Club Dr, Jacksonville 904-613-7608 • Healingenergybyted.com Certified in Reconnective Healing, The Emotion Code, The Body Code, Reiki Master. Powerful healings, with great compassion and care. Clean chakras, aura, entity removal, in-person and remote sessions for humans and animals.

Make your community a little GREENER … Support our advertisers

Healing Waters Clinic & Herb Shop 26 Clark St, St. Augustine 904-826-1965 • HealingWatersClinic.com MA0010746 MM005595

A holistic center specializing in pain relief and chronic health issues. Certified in neuromuscular and deep tissue bodywork, myofascial therapy, craniosacral balancing, east-west herbalism. Offering attunement energy healing since 1978. See ad, page 17.

SEVENTH WONDER HOLISTIC SPA

source: the350project.net

Jacksonville / St. Augustine

LAURENCE LAYNE, LMT, HERBALIST

HOLISTIC WELLNESS SPA

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

HERBS

4236 St John’s Ave, Jacksonville 904-381-8686 • Seventh-Wonder.com

A true sanctuary away from the stresses of the world since 2002. Offering: Ayurveda consultation and services, natural alternatives to facelift, massages, facials, eyebrow threading/tinting, reiki, pranic healing, ear coning, sauna, and a Himalayan salt room.

NAJax.com

INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE FIRST COAST INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

Megan Weigel, DNP 14215 Spartina Ct, Jacksonville 904-543-3510 FirstCoastIntegrativeMedicine.com A holistic, heart-centered and evidence-based approach to care for people living with neurological conditions and symptoms. Dr Weigel has nearly 20 years experience in neurology and neurological care. See ad, page 7.

MASSAGE CARING PALMS HEALING ARTS

Brian Dean, LMT MA36835 MM41272 476 Osceola Ave, Jacksonville Beach 904-246-2206 • CaringPalms.com Professional massage and energy work. Many styles of massage, Reiki, meditation, mediumship, massage & Reiki classes. Continuing education for Florida LMTs. See ad, page 10.

MEDITATION TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION© CENTERS Karen & Herb Bandy, Allan Byxbe, Certified Teachers Jacksonville@TM.org • 904-375-9517 Regine de Toledo, Certified Teacher StAugustine@TM.org • 904-826-3838

The TM technique is an effortless, non-religious, evidence-based practice for eliminating stress, increasing well-being and expanding consciousness. Certified Teachers give individual instruction and ongoing support. See ad, page 9.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD CERTIFIED MEDICAL MARIJUANA DOCTORS

10695 Beach Blvd • 904-299-5300 920 Blanding Blvd, Ste 4 • 904-420-0044 2085 A1A S, St Augustine • 904-299-7373 CMMDR.com Get your medical marijuana card and pre-certify by phone. Medical marijuana treats more than 250 medical conditions such as: chronic pain, PTSD, cancer, seizures, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, MS, HIV/AIDS, Crohn’s, IBS, glaucoma, fibromyalgia, lupus and more. See ad, page 9.

PSYCHIC CHANNEL

AKASHIC RECORD

REV JUDI WEAVER

Heart 4 Souls Inc, Ormond Beach Rev.Judi.Weaver@gmail.com 386-503-4930 • Heart4Souls.com Channeled spirit messages, crystal light healer, divine personal guidance, shamanic practitioner, spiritual counseling, guided meditations, home/property blessings, vision quest journeys. For individuals or groups—in person, virtual/on-line, phone or energy distance.

CO N S U LTATI O N S

By Stephany Levine

ARCI Trained Certified Consultant/Teacher Over 15 years of experience

Create Better Relationships

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Access the Record of Your Soul’s Journey

For Appointments Contact Me At: stephanylevine@ymail.com www.stevielevine.com 904.545.2447

SPIRITUAL CENTERS UNITY CHURCH FOR CREATIVE LIVING IN ST JOHNS 2777 Race Track Rd, St Johns 904-287-1505 • UnityInJax.com

Unity offers positive, practical teachings that support spiritual evolution and abundant living. They take an extremely positive approach to life, emphasizing our Oneness in God and the goodness in people and all life. Join to travel the journey of spiritual unfoldment together. See ad, page 6.

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Nature’s Virus Killer Copper can stop a virus before it starts

By Doug Cornell

cientists have discovered a with a tip to fit in the bottom of the natural way to kill germs fast. nostril, where viruses collect. Now thousands of people When he felt a tickle in his nose are using it against viruses and bacteria like a cold about to start, he rubbed the that cause illness. copper gently in Colds and his nose for 60 many other seconds. illnesses start “It worked!” when viruses get he exclaimed. in your nose and “The cold never start multiplying. got going. That If you don’t stop was 2012. I have them early, they had zero colds spread and take since then.” over. “We don’t Copper kills viruses almost In hundreds of make product instantly studies, EPA and health claims,” university researchers confirm copper he said, “so I can’t say cause and effect. kills microbes almost instantly just by But we know copper is antimicrobial.” touch. He asked relatives and friends to try That’s why ancient Greeks and it. They reported the same thing, so he Egyptians used copper to purify patented CopperZap® and put it on the water and heal wounds. They didn’t market. know about microbes like viruses and Soon hundreds of people had tried it. bacteria, but now we do. Feedback was 99% positive if they used “The antimicrobial activity of copper copper within 1-3 hours of the first sign is well established.” National Institutes of bad germs, like a tickle in the nose or of Health. a scratchy throat. Scientists say the high conductance Users say: of copper disrupts the electrical balance “It works! I love it!” in a microbe cell by touch and destroys “I can’t believe how good my nose it in seconds. feels.” Some hospitals tried copper “Is it supposed to work that fast?” for touch surfaces like faucets and “One of the best presents ever.” doorknobs. This cut the spread of “Sixteen flights, not a sniffle!” MRSA and other illnesses by over half, “Cold sores gone!” which saved lives. “It saved me last holidays. The kids The strong scientific evidence had crud going round and round, gave inventor Doug Cornell an idea. but not me.” He made a smooth copper probe “I am shocked! My sinus cleared, no ADVERTORIAL Jacksonville / St. Augustine NAJax.com 30

more headache, no more congestion.” “Best sleep I’ve had in years!” The handle is curved and textured to increase contact. Copper can kill germs picked up on fingers and hands after you touch things other people have touched. The EPA says copper works just as well when tarnished. Dr. Bill Keevil led one of the science teams. He placed millions of viruses on a copper surface. “They started to die literally as soon as they touched it.”

Customers report using copper against: Colds Flu Covid Sinus trouble Cold sores Fever blisters Canker sores Strep Night stuffiness Morning congestion Skin infections Infected sores Infection in cuts or wounds Thrush Warts Styes Ringworm Threats to compromised immunity CopperZap® is made in the USA of pure copper. It has a 90-day full money back guarantee. Price $79.95. Get $10 off each CopperZap with code NATA28. Go to www.CopperZap.com or call tollfree 1-888-411-6114. Buy once, use forever. Statements are not intended as product health claims and have not been evaluated by the FDA. Not claimed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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April 2022

Holistic Health Fair Sat. April 23rd

10-2pm

Health by Design 2002 Southside Blvd.

10 am Dr. Kristy's Keynote: How to Listen to Your Body 01

THERMOGRAPHY

NUTRITION RESPONSE TESTING

CHIROPRACTIC

LIVE BLOOD CELL ANALYSIS

PLEASE RSVP

https://tinyurl.com/healthfairHBD

April 2022 Natural Awakenings Magazine - Jacksonville St. Augustine Edition

Articles inside

SPIRITED STRIDES

BUZZ-FREE DRINKING

NATURE SPEAKS

TECHNOLOGY MEETS NATURE

EATING FOR THE PLANET

WHY WE NEED WILD PLACES

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE 'FINANCIALLY FIT'