We love our local co-op. Every month they publish an amazing newsletter that is full of fresh articles and ideas that inspire us to “live green”. When I read their December cover list called “Celebrate the Eco Way”, I knew I had to share it with Mable’s readers. Enjoy and have a wonderful green holiday season!

“During the holiday season we tend, as a whole, to consume more. And, in doing so we create more… waste, that is. The following is a short list of ideas to help you reduce, reuse and recycle this season.

• Purchase living gifts such as house plants, garden seeds or potted trees that can be transplanted in the spring.
• Reduce waste by offering homemade food items or personal services as gifts. Baking cookies or preparing a meal a week for someone who would appreciate the help are two examples.
• Reuse holiday wrapping: use old maps or pages from newspaper comics for wrapping gifts.
• Reuse good quality, nearly new items as gifts or as donations to less fortunate individuals and families. Local charities can help distribute these items.
• If your celebration calls for a Christmas tree, compensate for the harvest of your tree; arrange to plant a new tree in your yard or neighborhood next spring.
• Give gifts that promote eco friendly life style changes. For example: cloth napkins and tablecloths, cloth or string shopping bags, a compost bin, gift certificates to resale shops, lunch boxes, reusable or biodegradable picnic plates, cups and utensils, recycling bins, or any gift made from recycled materials.

To preserve the spirit of giving, don’t try to give too much. Less “stuff” means less waste and a healthier environment for everyone.”

Article courtesy of San Diego’s organic and vegetarian Ocean Beach People’s Co-op.

Sorry we’ve been away for a while, but we got sick and had to wait it out with lots of movies and sleep. It’s the time of year again when a lot of people get sick, so we thought we could help others and remind ourselves on how to prevent a surprise illness as well as treat some common issues with homeopathic remedies.

Native Remedies has some excellent tips on strengthening your immune system. Along with their very popular ImmunityPlus herbal remedy they also note that sufficient exercise, a healthy and balanced diet, quality sleep, good hygiene, are essential to a strong immune system. Native Remedies sets themselves apart from other online stores like theirs by providing lots of very useful info related to the product/illness. It’s almost like reading a Wiki on the ailments that tells you why it’s happening, how you can prevent it next time, and what to do about it now. They are also full of glowing reviews from real customers, and it appears a lot of them are repeat customers. Native remedies also has an ongoing great value on pretty much any product they carry of buy 2 get 1 free.

Already sick? Here are some remedies for some of the most popular ailments.
Throat and Tonsil Dr.: for the natural treatment of throat infections, including Tonsillitis.
ComfiCoff: a complex remedy containing both herbal and homeopathic ingredients combined in therapeutic dosages to provide rapid and effective relief of congestion and phlegm.
KiddieVom Sprinkles: combines 100% safe and natural herbal and homeopathic ingredients that support the digestive process and relieves nausea and vomiting in children.

For proven, effective and safe natural remedies to anything from bed wetting to joint relief remember to visit and bookmark Native Remedies.

So now that you have all this info, you can see that preventing illness is a key component to being a super hero. Have you ever seen Superman sick or Wonder Woman too ill to fly her invisible plane? OK then, step one complete.

With 2008 just days away, many people are pondering New Year’s resolutions. There’s definitely something about a fresh calendar year that jump starts our desire to make positive changes. Being surrounded by friends, family, and co-workers who are also brainstorming ways to improve makes this an especially ideal time for such endeavors. Bonus!

Over the next week we will be exploring some of the most popular New Years resolutions in a new series of blog posts. Please be sure to come back again and let us know which of the featured resolutions that you will be committing to, or to suggest tips for sticking to new resolutions.

The most popular New Years resolution is always Get In Shape. There are countless ways to do this, and here are a few of my favorite tips and products.

For the Yoga Newbie: The Yoga for Beginner’s Kit from renowned yoga expect Rodney Yee contains everything you’ll need to get started with yoga. My favorite part is the marked yoga mat that shows you just where to place your feet and hands. And, if you do it regularly, “this 20-minute complete practice yields more benefits than a 90 minute yoga class once a week.” Yoga For Inflexible People is another good introductory DVD that is a user favorite. $30 & $10.99

When Space is Limited: You’ll be hard pressed to find a piece of exercise equipment that is smaller than the Mini Stepper with Resistance Cords. Taking up less than 2 square feet, it provides a no-impact, high-intensity, full body, strength and cardio workout. The built-in computer tracks time and steps, and since it’s so portable you can bring it to work and exercise while sitting at your desk. $69

Sexy Fit: Varying your routine is key in sticking to your exercise plan. If things get boring, try a DVD or class that will spice things up. I didn’t think I would enjoy the Aerobic Striptease DVD series, but I was pleasantly surprised when it actually turned out to be fun. The first 2 DVDs (“Aerobic Striptease” and “Fit To Strip”) make excellent additions to your overall workout plan, or would make great beginning points for those who are just beginning to exercise. Either way, you’re likely help you to feel more confident “in your skin”. For more sexy exercise options, check out the wildly popular Pole Dancing Kit! $34.99 & $99

I can’t say enough good things about instructional fitness videos: they are way more appealing to me than the gym. Plus, this winter weather doesn’t exactly compel most people to go outside. My fellow indoor fitness lovers will appreciate this final collection of exercise DVDs.

World Dance Inspired: This is a category near to my heart. There are movement styles from other countries that are so beautiful, exotic, unique, and sometimes quite sexy. Even better: If you feel you “can’t dance”, you may feel differently after trying one of these new styles. These titles are customer favorites, best sellers on Amazon, and are all on my To Buy/Rent DVD list.
L to R: Dance the Chakras, Bellydance Basics and Beyond, Bollyrobics Dance Workout, African Healing Dance and Hoopnotic Hoopdance Level 1 (PS- I’ve recently fallen in love with hula hooping for fun and fitness. Highly recommended.)

Photo by Cheryl Empey

Most people aren’t aware of how germ infested everyday household usually items are, even in well looked after homes. Kitchen sponges, door handles, toothbrushes… they all fall into the category of things people don’t clean very often. I think some people misunderstand disinfecting, and wrongfully assume that rinsing long enough will rid their toothbrush of any germs. Your mouth, no matter how much you brush, is bacterium’s playground. In order to truly have a clean mouth, and a cootie-free toothbrush, you need a sanitizer. Brookstone offers a great solution: their germicidal UV light toothbrush sanitizer which kills %99.9 of bacteria, viruses and anything else mucking up your toothbrush. It holds up to 4 of your family’s brushes, even the electric ones. It works with just a touch of a button, has an automatic shut-off feature, and performs it’s job in just 10 minutes! There’s also a travel version for keeping clean on the go.

$29.95 & $50.00