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How Big Are Your Feet?

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By Teri Harbour Creator of the Arjuna Card Game ( www.ArjunaCardGame.com ) I wear size 11 shoes but I am continually trying to reduce the size of my carbon footprint. One thing I’ve contemplated doing is to live a less traditional lifestyle. It is the traditional Western lifestyle focused on satisfying our material pleasures that results in waste and diminished natural resources.  If we practice NOT giving in to so many of our desires, perhaps we could reduce our environmental impact: not eating so high on the food chain, eating organic, not drinking out of plastic, reducing the packaging we buy, (in fact, reducing our buying,) not feeling like we need to own every beautiful thing we see, not using excessive toiletries such as make-up, using less paper goods and less electricity/fuel. We can’t take our bodies with us when we pass on to the next realm, so why put so much energy into making these bodies excessively beautiful and lavishly comfortable right now?  Of course, we wan

What is the Tiny House Movement

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Tiny homes have recently taken the housing market by storm, appearing all over rural and urban America as an affordable and eco-conscious solution to an increasingly tight housing supply, plus the desire for a life of adventure, more time and freedom are all listed as inspirations for going small. Simply put, it is a social movement where people are choosing to downsize the space they live in. The typical American home is around 2,600 square feet, whereas the typical small or tiny house is between 100 and 400 square feet. Tiny houses come in all shapes, sizes, and forms, but they enable simpler living in a smaller, more efficient space. What’s cool about tiny homes is that the entire space is sort of a broadcast of some sort of value that you hold in relation to homes, sustainability, and how you’re living your life. For most Americans 1/3 to 1/2 of their income is dedicated to the roof over their heads; this translates to 15 years of working over your lifetime jus

Home is Where You Park It

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What began as an attempt at a simpler life quickly became a life-style brand. By Rachel Monroe NEW YORKER Magazine, April 24, 2017 #Vanlife, the Bohemian Social-Media Movement . . . before we reached the forest, we stopped at another surf break, north of Ventura. A middle-aged man in a shiny Volvo station wagon pulled into the parking lot behind us. He’d seen us on the freeway and followed us, he said. He wanted to talk about vans, and self-sufficiency, and freedom.  Just a few days into vanlife, I had become accustomed to this kind of encounter: the hunger in the eyes of middle-aged men at the sight of old Volkswagens, and how not entirely bad it felt to be a symbol that other people projected their fantasies onto.  Smith smiled politely as the man kept talking. “You’re survivors,” the man said emphatically, thumping his steering wheel. “You’re living in reality.” Read entire article HERE >>

Kentucky coal company announces plans to build the state’s largest solar farm

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A dump truck moves dirt and rock from a mountaintop removal coal mine in Kentucky. CREDIT: AP Photo/Roger Alford Berkeley Energy Group, the coal company behind the project, billed it as the first large-scale solar farm in the Appalachian region, which has been hit hard by the decades-long decline in the U.S. coal industry. The company, in partnership with EDF Renewable Energy, is currently conducting feasibility studies for the project on two reclaimed strip mines, both located in the eastern part of the state. Berkeley Energy Group estimates that the solar farm could produce as much as 50 or 100 megawatts of electricity, which would be five to ten times the size of Kentucky’s largest solar farm . As a candidate, President Trump seized on the high unemployment among coal miners in Appalachia, promising that he would bring coal mining back if elected president. In office, he has signed a handful of orders and laws that he argues will help bolster the declining industry — thou

Traveling by car six times more expensive for society than by bicycle, study finds

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Stefan Gössling and Andy S. Choi conducted the study to determine whether the Copenhagen Municipality needs a new cycling infrastructure system. After looking at the vehicular cost on society with regards to congestion, health, road damage, noise, pollution, travel route, and climate change, the researchers found that cars have a much higher economic impact on society than bikes. If the costs to society and the costs to private individuals are added together, the impact of the car is EUR 0.50 per kilometre and the impact of the bicycle is EUR 0.08 per kilometre. The study by Stefan Gössling and his colleague also shows that if we only look at costs/benefits for society, one kilometre by car costs EUR 0.15, whereas society earns EUR 0.16 on every kilometre cycled.  “The cost-benefit analysis in Copenhagen shows that investments in cycling infrastructure and bike-friendly policies are economically sustainable and give high returns”, says Stefan Gössling. OK, so it's Cope

Dates Are One of The Healthiest Fruit on the Planet

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Dates are undoubtedly one of the healthiest fruits on the planet and they offer numerous health benefits, including: Dates improve digestion Dates are rich in fibers and thus help digestion, but they are also high in numerous other nutrients, and treat various ailments. They treat heart issues, prevent strokes, regulate cholesterol levels, and prevent cancer. Also, they suppress appetite, n the sugar they contain can be a substitute for white sugar. Dates are rich in iron They are a rich source of iron and thus treat anemia. 100 g dates provide 0.90 g iron or 11% of the recommended daily intake. Iron also improves the oxygen flow to the brain. Prevent strokes The high potassium content protects the nervous system, and in sufficient levels, it lowers the stroke risk by 40%. Brain food Dates are rich in phosphorus which supports the function of the brain. Treat diarrhea Dates are high in calcium, which refreshes the gut flora, creates gut bacteria in the gut, and treats diarrhea. Tr

Cycling in Minnesota creates thousands of jobs and cuts health-care spending

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By Josephine Marcotty Star Tribune MARCH 28, 2017 Despite its cold winters, Minnesota — and the Twin Cities in particular — has long been recognized as one of the country’s biking-est places. Minneapolis leads the nation in the concentration of bike lanes and paths (5.8 per square mile), the number of regular commuters (4 percent, according to the U.S. census), and has the second-lowest biking fatality rate among the top 50 largest cities. Additionally, a new report released that the state’s bike industry also produces $780 million in annual economic activity, 5,519 jobs and millions of dollars in health care savings because of reduced obesity, diabetes and heart disease. And 13.6 percent of Twin Cities residents commute by bike. Biking to work three times a week was associated with a 32 percent lower likelihood of obesity and 28 percent lower risk of high blood pressure — which produce substantial health savings and result in fewer premature deaths. READ complete article here

What disease affects EVERY other American and one in four kids?

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By Mark Hyman , MD Type 2 diabetes in America has tripled since the 1980s, and  researchers estimate one in three Americans will have diabetes by mid-century. More than one-third of American adults are obese1. And one in three Medicare dollars is spent on diabetes making it the biggest driver of our federal debt. Sadly, these numbers continue to increase. Overall, it’s not a pretty picture, and experts predict things will only become worse. I use the term “diabesity” to describe the continuum of health problems ranging from mild insulin resistance and overweight to obesity and diabetes. Diabesity is the underlying cause of most heart disease, cancer, and premature death in the world. Tragically, these conditions are also 100% preventable and reversible. Most people believe diabetes is not reversible. That’s unfortunate,considering its numerous complications including kidney failure, amputation, stroke, and dementia. I’ve also heard experts claim obesity is difficult to treat an

The Best Alternatives to Plastic Water Bottles

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The Problem of Plastic Water Bottles… What seems like a harmless plastic water bottle contains hormone disrupting chemicals like BPA and Phthalates. BPA has been shown to cause hormone imbalance in the body and has even been linked to various types of cancers, obesity, miscarriage, infertility and neurological disorders.  Phthalates have been banned in many parts of the world and are especially concerning for men and boys as they have been linked to lower testosterone and male infertility. The Price of Convenience As harmful as plastics are to us individually, we are all facing unwanted exposure from worldwide plastic pollution. Sure, plastic water bottles are inexpensive, disposable and convenient, but they are also terrible for our ecosystem. In fact, many of the negative health effects attributed to the harmful components in plastic may come from our planet’s growing plastic burden. Many tons of plastic waste are dumped into the ocean each year . The combinati

The U.S. Government Is Making It Legal To Shoot Hibernating Bear Families In Their Dens

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"What the Senate did should outrage the conscience of every animal lover in America." Sarah V. Schweig March 22, 2017   The U.S. Senate just voted 52-47 to allow barbaric hunting tactics such as killing hibernating bear families in their dens — and now the lives of countless animals on 76 million acres of federal wildlife refuges in Alaska are in President Donald Trump's hands. Now the government is set to overturn previous U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) regulations that were put in place to protect our wildlife, allowing hunters to lure grizzly bears with food to shoot them at point-blank range. They will be able to legally enter bear and wolf dens to kill mothers and their young cubs and pups. Hunters will also be allowed to shoot bears from airplanes. Steel-jawed leghold traps and wire snares will be allowed on these national lands. READ entire story here. Post your comments. Sow (female bear) and cubs back in the den after being tagged.

Cycling Was the Force that Kept Me Alive

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I had never been so fit. Never smoked. Drank socially. Cycled a lot for the past 13 years. And the lump I had found in my left breast while taking shower didn’t even look like a tumor, according to my doctor. Plus, I was young, just 39 years old. But it was cancer. Do you know anyone who takes the common advice of “live each day like it’s your last” seriously? If you do, you’ve probably been inspired by the many ways that they live life to the fullest. Because cycling is a big part of our format, we hear stories and receive articles about how cycling changed their life, or saved it. "Cycling was the Force that Kept Me Alive" is one of those articles. It's about Erika Sallum a São Paulo, Brazil based journalist, who was given the news, "yes, it's cancer." Cycling didn't prevent her from getting cancer, but, as she said, it was what kept her alive. It's a great inspirational article, especially if your battling cancer, or someone you

The Lie We Live . . . Everybody Should Watch this Video

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipe6CMvW0Dg from Educate - Inspire - Change --- "If we all look at our inner most desire, we will see our dreams are not so different. We share a common goal – Happiness. We tear apart the world looking for joy, without ever looking within ourselves”   This is a short documentary film made by Spencer Cathcart questioning our freedom, the education system, corporations, money, the American capitalist system, the US government, world collapse, the environment, climate change, genetically modified food, and our treatment of animals. I urge you to listen to it the whole way through. If everyone in the world would hear every word in this video and then act upon their feelings the world would change overnight… At this moment you can be anywhere, doing anything. Instead we sit alone before a screen.  So what is stopping us from doing what we want, being where we wanna be? Each day we wake up in the same room, following the same path to live the same day

By 2050, there could be more plastic in the water than fish

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What Will It Take To Keep Plastic Out Of The Oceans? A three-pronged overhaul of our global packaging and recycling systems could potentially raise our plastic recycling rate from 14% to 70%. Ben Schiller 03.03.17 Something like 9 million tons of plastic enter the world's oceans every year, and, at current rates, the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. As developing countries expand, they tend to consume more packaged goods while failing to implement adequate collection systems. By 2050, there could be more plastic in the water than fish, according to one estimate. Forty years after the first recycling symbol appeared, only about 14% of plastic is currently recycled. But by redesigning packaging along circular economy principles, reusing more plastic bags, and by investing in recycling infrastructure, it should be possible to get that number nearer 70%, a new report estimates. "Businesses and governments are now, for the first time, recognising the need t