When in London...

When in London, go greentomato cars. They are a private car hire service that uses the Toyota Prius in efforts to be more environmentally friendly. The Prius runs on petrol and an electric motor in tandem. It emits less than helf the amount of CO2 the black cabbies do - bless 'em. In the busy traffic of cities, switching to electric is a great environmental solution and makes less noise too.

Check out grentomatocars.com. They have some energy saving tips there as well that are quite entertaining. Cheers!

Vegetarians Annoy You?

You don't have to be vegetarian but have you thought about eating less meat? Consider this, humans are not carnivores. Carnivores have short intestines, a lot of stomach acid and do not chew. They sweat through the nose, have sharp teeth, acid saliva and can handle a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol.

You don't need meat to get protein. Soy and milk are complete protein. Alternatively, you can form a complete protien by combining beans with rice, wheat, corns, nuts or sesame seeds, or by combining peanuts with rice, wheat, corn or oats, or rice with any other grain or sesame.

To supply one person with a meat habit for a year requires three and a quarter acres of land (that would otherwise be forest). To supply one lacto-ovo vegetarian with food for a year requires a one half acre. If Americans were to reduce their meat consumption by only 10 percent, it would free over 12 million tons of grain anually for human consumption. That, all by itself, would be enough to adequately feed everyone of the 60 million human beings who will starve to death on the planet this year (Tom Robbins, Diet for a New America

Are You Still Shopping with Plastic Bags?

Over 1 million plastic bags are used per minute. Wait! 58...59...60...there goes another million of the buggers. The average family uses up to 60 bags in 4 grocery shopping trips.

War and Patience

We all know people who so not like watching the news because of all the violence, war and bad news. Especially a few months ago when the war in Lebanon erupted. "The BBC and CNN anchors must have the worst jobs in the world" someone sighs resigningly.

The war in Lebanon could be entirely laughable from a totally different perspective. Step aside the forum of the victims for a moment and consider only the rules of engagement, or how war is conducted in this day and age.

Consider all tens of thousands who died in the Greek wars. Consider the brutality of the vikings, saxons and barbarians. Then consider Hitler and WW1 and WW2. We are far off from where we would rather be, but don't you think the human race is a more considerate and humane race these days?

Ceasefires are called so civilians can leave the danger zone before bombing resumes. In the future, wars will be resolved by pitting the warring nations' wrestling champions with each other. No one has to die (And yes kids, wrestiling IS fake).

The Dalai Lama says that even with all the warshappening there are still more people now than ever because people have become more compassionate. War and crimes are news because they are more rare than news about compassion and people helping each other.

Buddhists believe that it is a great gift and priveledge to be born as a human being, a very rare opportunity. You must have fulfiled very specific causes and conditions to be able to merit a human birth.

THE TASK : INCREASE THE PEACE

The task now is to increase the peace. Here are our suggestions :

1. No toy guns at home or in school.

We firmly believe, and the psychological community will agree that violence begets violence. Children who are exposed to violence in any form will naturally think this behaviour is normal and adopt violent behaviours in their repertoire.

2. Keep children away from violent video games, cartoons and shows, the same way you keep them away from drugs.

The American Psychological Association has already stated in study that violent video games increases aggression. Just because it is a cartoon doesn't mean it is for kids. Responsible parenting means providing your child with materials that are age appropriate.

3. Increase the peace by increasing patience.

Notice the little things that get you irritated. Stop. Step back and take a deep breath. Getting angry or irritated serves no purpose whatsoever. It solves nothing whatsoever. Much of your energy is lost and logic and rationality are dimished when you are in an irritable state. You cannot think straight, eventhough you believe you are.

You have most clarity when you are relaxed and at peace. Make meditation a part of your daily routine. Start by taking 10-15 minutes a day. Sit comfortably,think of nothing. Relax yourself. Relax yor mind. As thoughts come in let them go, do not follow them. Another thought will come, let it go. Build up your concentration this way.

4. Increase the peace by increasing the love.

When you become proficient in step 3, you will be more able to notice your own thoughts. Notice the little ways you may criticize another person in your head. Maybe that person is to slow, said the wrong thing according to your opinion, or was just not dressed right. Catch yourself and think about their positive traits and good qualities instead. It may seem contrived at first, but it will be more honest and sincere with more practice. Your heart will open.

You look good today.

Music

The next time you plan to add some CDs to your music collection, think about where your money goes. Or consider the artist, his or her lifestyle, what the artist stands for. By buying a music CD, you are not merely buying music. Every little action has thousands of little arms. You are also supporting that artist's lifestyle, and all the people involved in making that CD.

SOLAR POWERED STUDIO





One recording studio in London is thinking of music and its carbon footprint. Premises Recording Studio and Cafe in London boasts a solar powered studio. Studio A is a first in Europe and probably the world. Two recent artists who have used the all solar-powered studio are Lily Allen and Bloc Party. Bloc Party also actively supports MakePovertyHistory.Org


PUTUMAYO : WORLD CULTURE

Consider buying Putumayo World Music, it is a lifestyle brand that promotes music of world cultures. They provide a world wide range compassing African, Asian, Blues, Brazil, Carribean, Groove, Lounge, Latin, Louissiana, latin and Middle East. Lend your listening ears to the differenct cultures and foster a culture of tolerance and love and peace. Celebrate it with music.

Putumayo also has non-profit initiatives, supporting organizations like Aid to Artisans, Amnesty International, Artists for a New South Africa, Coffee Kids, Fund for Folk Culture, Global Exchange, GROOTS, Karnaval Kid, L'Institut National des Arts (Bamako), Make a Wish and others. By helping Putomayo, you help support these organizations as well.

If you are a retailer or wish to be one link here to sell Putumayo in your store. http://www.putumayo.com/distributors.html

THiNK GLOBAL : POSITIVE MUSIC

A new label on scene is Think Global. They have two CDs out, Think Global : Bellydance and Think Global : West Africa Unwired. Both come in covers that is 100% recycled paper. Think Global brings the message of poverty reduction, human rights and the environment. They are in partner with Oxfam and Amnesty International.


WHERE TO SHOP

A good place to shop for CDs is are the Hungersite, Breast Cancer Site , Literacy Site Store, Child Health Site, Rainforest Site, Animal Rescue Site stores.

The Breast Cancer Site and sponsors will fund 1.0 % of a mammogram for each CD purchased from their online store The Child Health Site store and sponsors will fund health services to save or improve the lives of 4.5 children with each CD.
The Rainforest Site will preserve 1145.0 sq. ft. of land for each CD purchased.
The Literacy Site will fund 0.5 children's book(s) for each Jewish Odyssey CD purchased.
With each CD purchased, The Animal Rescue Site will fund 14.0 bowls of food for animals living in sanctuaries and shelters.

Starbucks Update

Sorry to report that 4 out 5 times I've last been in Starbucks, they did not offer FairTrade coffee as their coffee of the day. You can however buy fair trade whole beans there which are almost always available. I had to order my regular skinny latte hoping some of the funds would still be used for its sustainable projects and community building projects.

However, I asked one barista what fair trade was and he was very knowledgeable. I asked him how many people have asked for or about fair trade coffee and he said I was the 3rd. He has been working in starbucks for a year.

Coffee Drinking

The average person drinks 2-3 cups of coffee a day. The world consumes roughly 6 kilograms of coffe per person a year. That's around $164.71 per person, and in America alone it is an 18 billion dollar industry (granted, it is the biggest consumer of coffee with a population reaching 500 million).

Three cups of coffee a day...or maybe even just a cup, how can we turn this simple mundane activity into a conscious effort to make a small difference?

First of all, forget your run of the mill instant coffee. Yes, this is one instance where turning gourmet isn't just a stab at posh but an actual save-the-world activity. Give yourself a break and indulge in coffee named after far flung sexy exotic places - Peruvian, Guatemalan and java to name a few. Most gourmet coffees are fairly traded. This means the importers pay the farmers a minimum price per bag ($1.26 per pound).

Since the big gourmet coffee boom, the price of coffee plummeted down to $0.50 cents per pound pushing small farmers further into poverty. Be sure the coffee you buy is fairly traded, whether brewed in a cafe or bought off the shelves. Look for the logo



Secondly, opt for organic and "shade grown" beans. What this means is that there were no fertilizers used that can harm the soil, birds and other wildlife. Shade grown coffee as the name suggests, grow in farms that support trees. Acres of land were not shaved bald of trees or it has been (or in the process) of being reforested.

Thirdly, Starbucks has taken a lot of flack from activists in the recent years of the gourmet coffee boom. Nevermind the negativity, the good news is Starbucks now offers brewed fair traded coffee as their coffee of the week at least once a week. Let's face it, it's quick and convenient. There are at least five (5) Starbucks within a one mile radius of the city center (yes, i know what you are thinking, strategic planning is not known in these here parts). Convenience is a premium for harried people in harried cities who do not have time to travel two extra blocks to the nearest all organic, shade-grown, fairly traded mom and pop coffee shop (although, if you walk those extra blocks, think of all the fat burning and muscle toning happening, petrol saving and not to mention helping out mom and pop - hopefully they're a lovely charming couple!). So, Starbucks - order the fair trade brew of the day.

As earlier mentioned, Starbucks does give the option of fair traded coffee but not ALL of its coffee is fairly traded. If you would like to see Starbucks offer more fairly traded coffee, why not drop them a line. A wonderful site, globalexchange.com will send a fax for you for free.

Before you start throwing molotov bombs at the nearest Starbucks, check out http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/csr.asp to learn about what the company is doing to support farmers, communities and the environment. Go ahead, feel good the next time you sip that latte.

Lastly and one cannot stress this enough - Read the labels! It only takes a minute, it is so useful. Make it your new habit whether it be coffee labels, food labels, clothing etc. Just being aware and consciencious of where your purchases are coming from is very powerful. Here's what you are looking for once again, FAIR TRADED, SHADE GROWN, ORGANIC

Who We Are

Free spirits, tree hugging activists, peace, love, the 70s are some of the words that come to mind when we hear the word ‘hippie’.

It was a revolutionary movenet in the 60s and 70s believed in rebelling against the norm, shaking things up and changing the world.

A lot of them have moved on to come to live in the shadows of the society they once refused to accept. Others put down their protest cards and resigned to their armchairs as old men and women, complaining away. Then there are the ones who remained peaceful and loving despite all the battle they’ve lost and but mainly lost.

Then there are the stereotypical hippies of comedy shows and cartoons, funny clothes, long hair, smoking a spliff, ending each sentence with "man" or "dude" still free and fun-loving living in their own nirvana. They might be great sages in their own minds but their enlightenment remains their own personal reality.

Then there are the flower children, sons and daughters seeking harmony and awareness in the world. You are one of them.

From the hippies of old here’s what we’ve learned summed up in the adopted credo of the AA and NA

“May we have the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the strength to change what we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

We aren’t here to rebel or complain but to find ways to help ourselves and each other. It’s all about the little things we CAN change, everyday choices we make. Real things we can do about our attitudes, lifestyles, our mind and our world. One day at a time.