2 | TRANSIT TROUBLES December 4, 2017 | VOL. 53, No. 49
YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS
BY PHIL HALL phall@westfairinc.com
“I
ago,” said Tonkin, who is also founder and CEO of Salt Chamber, a supplier of dry salt therapy equipment in Boca Raton, Florida. “Now there are about 350,” including standalones like the three Fairfield County operations and others operating as add-on amenities at hotel chains like the Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton and Marriott. “There’s more and more awareness of what salt therapy can do,” Tonkin said. “One of the top issues that Americans, if not the world, face is having to deal with respiratory conditions, whether it’s due to poor air quality, pollen or conditions like asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).” Halotherapy can help relieve those conditions, he said. Tonkin noted that the U.S. has trailed
n 2010, Connecticut passed a nondiscrimination law on gender identity that went into effect in 2011,” said Anthony Crisci, executive director of Triangle Community Center in Norwalk, the oldest nonprofit in Fairfield County focused on LGBTQ issues. “Most people I’ve talked to aren’t even aware that law exists and they are usually not aware of how to apply the law.” To raise that awareness, Crisci is out of his office once or twice a week hosting cultural competency training seminars for businesses, public and social service agencies, medical centers and schools seeking information on creating an affirmative and inclusive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees and clients. Crisci said his organization has become the go-to source for advice and guidance on the subject without making an aggressive effort to gain that position. “Since we started our program about two years ago, we’ve had very little marketing or outreach for it,” he said. “It has been almost all word of mouth.” The companies and organizations seeking Triangle’s input are sincere in their efforts to train their staffs, Crisci said. “A lot of folks heard the phrase and acronym ‘LGBTQ’ and are sort of familiar with it,” he said. “But when you dig a little bit deeper and explore whether they have the appropriate knowledge, education and language when working with an LGBTQ client, a lot of folks feel that they are not really in the know and not comfortable in those situations.” The training sessions include an overview of the LGBTQ experience in relation to popular perceptions that heterosexuality is the only norm, as well as shifting views of
» SALT THERAPY, page 6
» LGBTQ , page 6
See story on page 11
Educator Wendy Leahy Mitchell aims to spark kids’ imaginations free of electronics at her Arts & Nature School of Ridgefield. Photo by Phil Hall.
Salt cave trend hits Fairfield County A BREATH OF HEALTHY AIR? kzimmerman@westfairinc.com
T
oo much salt may be bad for you, but a pair of new spas in Fairfield County are betting that just the right amount can be beneficial to both the body and the mind. Newtown Salt Spa, which opened in June, and The Salt Cave of Darien, which began operations in October, offer halo-
therapy, a form of alternative medicine that disperses highly concentrated saline aerosol in a room whose walls and floors are covered with salt. Along with Saltana Cave in Ridgefield, which opened in 2013, the county’s three salt spas reflect a nationwide trend, according to Leo Tonkin, founder of the Salt Therapy Association trade group. “There were about a dozen in the country when I got into the business six years
westfaironline.com
Training in the workplace for a rainbow culture
Tech-free learning zone
BY KEVIN ZIMMERMAN
3 | FAMILY GEM