Here are some LOHAS trends to consider that we feel will be impactful for the next year in the area of health and wellness. Ive done some research and here are my list of top wellness trends to consider significant in the LOHAS market.

From Wellbeing Escapes Top Wellness Trends of 2011

From Anti-Ageing to Healthy-Ageing –there will be a resurgence by destination resorts and fitness outlets to develop comprehensive programs to help us age healthily.  The focus isn’t about reducing wrinkles but about disease prevention and health enhancement.   Personal medical evaluations, usually taken through blood tests, are followed by personalized health plans that include treatments, education and actions that will help achieve optimum health and boost energy.  Furthermore, there will be more of an emphasis on wellness facilties to provide services to relieve aches and pains that are inherent with physical activity rather than relax and de-stress. This again underlines a change in attitude towards a healthy and active aging process rather than anti-ageing.

Wellness Through Nature - This can take the form of fitness, holistic actions, meditation, and treatments.  Rather than putting people indoors to carry out their wellness program, many hotels spas and wellness resorts will be further focusing on being paid guests to engage with the natural resources and exclusivity of their locations.  Currently there are groups that provide hiking in mountains, yoga in the gardens, fitness programs that encompass kayaking, sea-swimming, Jungle gyms, outdoor rock climbing walls, challenging mountain biking.  This is predicted to become more creative and expand with meditation walks along beautiful beaches and landscapes, tree-top spas, treatment locations where you can hear the sound of the ocean and birdsong – no more air-conditioned window-less treatment rooms playing CDs with nature music on repeat cycle.

Bringing out the Monk in You - The global recession has not helped the work life balance debate.  It is now about survival of the fittest with people subdue worried about losing jobs in this cost cutting environment.  Physical fitness is now firmly established and accepted as stress busting and increasing energy, but mental fitness is increasingly being recognized as equally vital. Meditation is no longer viewed as a spiritual pastime for monks or lentil-eating, sandal- wearing hippies but being used as a daily tool to help with stress and efficiency.  Major hotels, spas and wellness resorts are counting meditation instruction as part of stress reduction programs and activity schedules to help people learn this valuable tool. Again, it is all about quality, quality, quality – it takes years of instruction to be able to teach this technique effectively, so make sure you learn from an authentic and experienced teacher.

Value and Return on Investment - Although the deals are still out there they are gradually decreasing as the economy slowly turns around and hotels and airlines start to focus on increasing yields again. The keywords are "Value" and "Return on Investment". As the spa going population becomes more sophisticated and experienced they will focus more on value rather than the cheapest price, demanding more from their experience. The cheapest spa will not necessarily bring them their return on investment in terms of measurable health benefits and long lasting results on their return.

From The American Council on Exercise (ACE) Top Fitness Trends of 2011

Stress Reduction Through Fitness - With the increased knowledge of how stress negatively affects the body, gyms and clubs will start offering wellness programs so their members develop effective strategies for managing their stress levels. Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates, and basic stretching classes are expected to draw more people looking for ways to de-stress. But working up any type of sweat will work. The same fitness instructors who want you to feel the burn now want to help your body—and mind—heal. Look for therapeutic workouts, like New York based Equinox’s “IntenSati,” which uses personal affirmations, and “Thread,” where core work and body-awareness techniques “unlock muscular inhibition.” Also on the horizon: a fascination with supportive aerial yoga and fitness-meets-life-coaching workshops.

Technology Becomes a Support Resource - The release of interactive fitness video games will see more people get off their couches and try new ways to be active in the home. The Sony Wii and Microsoft Kinect are scratching the surface of ways to engage a person’s whole body into a video game with jumps and swings or running in place. The sophistication of these games makes the experience both entertaining and physically challenging.

Corporate Wellness -  Whether it is through the hiring of in-house personal trainers or discounts and incentives offered to employees that join a health club, corporate wellness programs will emerge country-wide to help encourage healthy lifestyles among workers, especially time-crunched consumers.

Youth-Based Fitness -  Expect to see more youth-focused classes and clients popping up in gyms thanks to the national attention and focus on childhood obesity.  Schools and fitness centers will also incorporate more exercise curriculum for the youth population and, as such, take advantage of ACE’s Operation FitKids curriculum, which has recently been revamped and expanded with a new program targeting students in grades 6-8.

From SpaFinder Top Spa trends of 2011

The Science of Wellness - Is there scientific proof that massage reduces stress? Are mud-packs and mineral-baths medically proven to alleviate pain? Is ear candling proven to remove ear wax? The answers: yes, yes and no.  Get ready for a new era where more questions about the effectiveness of wellness therapies and products will be asked, and where these questions will get answered more transparently, as the emphasis on evidence-based medicine and the “science behind spa” heats up. For example the recent New York Times article, “A Good Massage Brings Biological Changes Too,” reporting on a Cedars-Sinai study that revealed a 45-minute massage resulted in a significant decrease in stress hormones, while boosting immunity. As so many more hospitals not only co-opt the “look of spa,” but also directly incorporate spa/wellness therapies on site, consumers will have powerful visual evidence of “medicine” validating “spa.”

As these initiatives and forces accelerate, the benefits of wellness will be increasingly not only heard, but also believed by more LOHAS consumers (often desperately) seeking health alternatives — by doctors who prescribe, by public officials who legislate and by insurers who reimburse. These nascent evidence-based initiatives should ultimately prove the bedrock for future, perhaps unimagined, industry growth.

Have you ever felt guilty about watching your favorite sporting event or drama instead of the documentary that you should be watching?

CNBC has created two environmentally relevant docu-reports covering the worldwide water shortage and trash/landfill problems that are so good you won't mind missing the other stuff. Liquid Assets: The Big Business of Water and Trash Inc: The Secret Life of Garbage are in-depth original shows developed in-house at CNBC that will reward you with insights, interviews and data. Both shows move quickly and will leave you wanting more.

The water piece is downright scary, articulating what we all know deep inside: the Western U.S. is so beholden to the Colorado River that if anything goes wrong with it, and/or, we don't as a nation learn how to truly conserve water, a crisis will be upon us and before we know it. Did you know it takes 3 gallons of water to make one piece of paper? Or that 118.8 gallons of water are used to process one six-pack of beer? How about 12.69 cups of water to produce one plastic water bottle?

A little-known but relevant case history is Chile. Reporter Michelle Caruso-Carbrera takes us there to see the driest place on earth, where not surprisingly, an old small town is dying by the day. Contrasted with, a truly free market for water which Chile claims is a big success for landowners, holders of water rights, business and consumers. CNBC raises the idea that markets not governments should control the flow of water, a provocative idea indeed.

   
    Photo By: Tomas Munita as seen in the New York Times

The trash expose isn't just trash talk, either. We see the largest trash removal operation in America, Manhattan, and how it disposes of 12,000 tons of trash per day. A lot of which is actually taken to landfills in other states by truck or train. Apparently Manhattan does a good job with its $1.3 billion annual budget, there just isn't any place else to put the waste...

   
    Pelham Bay Landfill, New York

A genuinely disturbing investigation of trash accumulating unabated and unregulated in and around Beijing, China shows us one of the unfortunate byproducts of hypergrowth in a booming new economy. In general, a lack of adequate landfills and the difficulty in preventing seepage of trash and methane gas into the water table is explained clearly and succinctly by CNBC reporter Carl Quintanilla, who traveled to Beijing for the story. It makes you wonder how they managed to get this report past the Chinese government, which usually does not concern itself with "first amendment" rights when the publicity is negative?

There is hope, as evidenced by some of the scientists, students and entrepreneurs who are hard at work developing solutions for these problem areas. A surprise is former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, who served the Clinton administration, when he says we have plenty of water to sustain us indefinitely. I was aghast at this, although he does redeem himself somewhat by saying that farmers in particular need to be much more efficient in how they irrigate, as they are wasting almost 50 percent of the water used at present. Babbitt also favors free market pricing of water, which he thinks will eliminate water waste in a big hurry. Another surprise is the favorable treatment given to trash removal behemoth Waste Management, Inc. that is portrayed as a company spending major research dollars to make landfills better. Also featured is BMW's Spartanburg, S.C. plant that devised an ingenious way to provide power from methane gas, which runs through a 10-mile-long pipeline, from beneath a landfill all the way to the plant's generator.

So what can you do to help remedy these critical environmental problem areas? The answers come clear in both shows: conserve water, and recycle every bit of waste material possible. Recycling of plastic water bottles in particular is absolutely critical as only five percent of bottles consumed are currently recycled. There are a number of new companies that have made a business out of transforming used water bottles into tiny plastic chips that ultimately become fabric and other materials -- plastic water bottles, for instance. And don't forget home composting, which is not mentioned but is also critical in our waste reduction efforts.

CNBC typically airs these special shows a number of times so check your local cable company and/or the CNBC website for broadcast times. And again, kudos to CNBC for putting material like this on the air when unfortunately, middle America seems to prefer "Housewives of Orange County" and "Celebrity Rehab" to this type of programming.

LOHAS (acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) provided three days of insightful panels and networking opportunities attended by thought leaders across industries, government, non-profit organizations, research organizations and academic institutions including Faith Popcorn, Joel Makower, Dr. Alan Greene, Philippe Cousteau, U.S. EPA’s Stephanie Owens, Coca-Cola’s Tom LaForge, eBay’s Elisabeth Charles, Edelman’s Henk Campher, Alex Bogusky, Dr. Larry Dossey, 1% for the Planet’s Terry Kellogg, Mother Jones’ Madeleine Buckingham, Malika Chopra, Ode Magazine’s Jurriaan Kamp, among others.

 

Key insights from the LOHAS 2010 Forum include:

“Learning from the Past to Shape the Future”
• “We are in the midst of an evolution of our Cultural mindset from a ‘me’ mentality to a ‘we’ point of view.  This transition is a response to a society where economics, ethics and environment are collapsing simultaneously,” said Faith Popcorn, founder of BrainReserve and best-selling author of EVEolution, Clicking, The Popcorn Report, and most recently Dictionary of the Future.

“LOHAS and LOHOE: How Health & Sustainability are Complemented by Hedonics or Economics”
• The mainstream is more often motivated to act upon hedonic reasoning (i.e. seeking pleasure and avoiding pain) and their choices are constrained by economic realities. 42 percent of the population considers buying eco-friendly or ‘green’ versions of big-ticket items if the price is about the same as conventional versions.
• “Frankly, there is a little HOE [hedonics or economics] in everyone.  It is natural human instinct to gravitate toward those things that bring us both temporal pleasure and long-term satisfaction.  We are all able to act upon our desires within the constraints of our personal economic situations,” said Wendy Cobdra, president of Earthsense.

“The Situation in the Gulf”
• “We spend 1,000 times more money every year in our federal budget for space exploration than we do to understand our oceans,” said Philippe Cousteau, environmentalist and founder of EarthEcho International.  “Knowing whether there was ever water on Mars – not critical to surviving on this planet.  The oceans are.”
• “There’s a lot of talk about boycotting BP while a lot of [BP] gas stations are owned by small business owners…it hurts those people.  What we need to be boycotting is our dependence on oil, single use plastic bags, plastic bottles, coal; shutting off the power; and living in more reasonable houses,” said Philippe Cousteau.
• “The type of dispersant that was chosen, Corexit, was only proved 56 percent effective in a lab.  There were 12 other EPA-approved dispersants, and two were 100 percent effective and they were not chosen.  That was an inside oil industry thing because Corexit is produced as a by-product from the refining process,” said Charles Hambleton, producer of Oscar-winning documentary The Cove.

“Where are the Green Jobs?”
• The Obama administration has made it a priority to connect low-income communities to green jobs based on the billions of dollars placed into the Stimulus Bill.  For example, the U.S. Department of Labor put out $148 million of green job training grants through its Pathways Out of Poverty grants. 
• “The economic business case for sustainability is being made every day by companies as diverse as Patagonia and Walmart. Their effort to green their supply chains is driving the economy and creating new business opportunities, innovations and jobs in support of sustainable business practices,” said Andre Pettigrew, executive director of Denver’s Office of Economic Development.

“Phood and Kids”
• The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has stated that children born in the year 2000 in the U.S. will be the first generation in our country’s history to have a lower life expectancy than their parents due to a projected 33 percent of Caucasians and 66 percent of African Americans and Hispanics contracting diabetes in their lifetime as a result of poor diet.  “We are actually killing our kids with food and this must stop,” said Ann Cooper, author of Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children, chef and educator.
• One in three American children now have autism, allergies, ADHD or asthma.  “As we work together, to inform and inspire each other about ways in which we can protect our children from toxins like growth hormones, pesticides, synthetic dyes and genetically altered ingredients in food, we realize that there is so much that we can do together to create the change that we want to see in our food supply,” said Robyn O’Brien -- author of The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It and founder of Allergy Kids.

“Understanding the Carbon Economy”
• The US represents five percent of the population yet emits 25 percent of the world’s carbon.  “We need to reduce our energy use now and promote renewable energy to offset the remaining energy we consume.  If we all do our part today, we can create a bountiful, healthy future together,” said Margi Gardner, CEO of Bonneville Environmental Foundation.

“Spirituality and Health: What the Fuss Is All About?”
• In 1993, three of the 125 medical schools in the U.S. taught courses in spirituality and health and now 90 schools have such courses.
• In 1997, the Joint Commission on Accreditation strongly recommended that every healthcare institution have a vehicle in place to assess the spiritual history of incoming patients, which is now a requirement.

“Global LOHAS”
• Mobium Group data shows that the Australian consumer market for LOHAS products and services has grown from $12 billion in 2007 to $19 billion in 2009 with 2011 projected at $27 billion.  (Source: Mobium Group)
• “LOHAS in Asia is a brand rather than a movement and, as such, offers a great opportunity for LOHAS companies trying to enter the markets.  By using LOHAS on their marketing material, they are appealing immediately to their target audiences in Asia,” said Adam Horler, founder of LOHAS Asia.

“Convincing Mainstream Consumers to Go Green: What really motivates them to make sustainable choices?”
• Conversations matter – when kids talk to their parents about green issues, it results in behavior change 68 percent of the time.  Those conversations with neighbors and co-workers result in behavior change 56 percent of the time. (Source: Shelton Group)

 

“New Paradigms in Health & Sustainability: What's Working and What's Not”
• Mainstream consumers comprise the majority of users for many LOHAS products such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), organic food, natural personal care and natural household cleaning products. There has been an increase in usage of many LOHAS products despite the recession, such as organic foods.  (Source: Natural Marketing Institute)

“The Social Currency of Social Media”
• If Facebook were a nation, it would be the third largest in the world with 50 percent of users logging in daily and over 70 percent of users outside the U.S.  “Measuring ROI with social media marketing is tricky, but the consensus is that more engagement correlates to achieving more marketing objectives.  So your goal should be to cultivate customer communities,” said Joey Shepp, founder of Earthsite.

“The Storytelling Value of Location-based Services”
• “Location-based social media is rapidly increasing in value, popularity and relevance.  LOHAS businesses will benefit from experimenting with tools like Foursquare, Gowalla and Twitter Places to get a feel for how these applications can help engage consumers and grow business,” said Nathan Rice, interactive director for Haberman Group.

Promoting lifestyles of health and sustainability, the annual LOHAS Forum brings together entrepreneurs, government heads, Fortune 1000 executives, investors, research institutions, academics and media for a program designed to inspire innovation and further expand the LOHAS market share.  The 2010 Forum was held from June 23rd to 25th at the St. Julien Hotel in Boulder, Colorado. 

For all of you out there who’ve asked us how to recycle or compost assorted items over the years, here’s our list to post on your refrigerator door and copy to share with friends. If you have other resources and information please feel free to share. Enjoy!

1. Appliances: Goodwill accepts working appliances, www.goodwill.org, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them: 800/YES-1-CAN, www.recycle-steel.org.

2. Batteries: Rechargeables and single-use: Battery Solutions, 734/467-9110,
www.batteryrecycling.com.

3. Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprofits and women’s shelters to see if they can use them. Or, offer them up at your local Freecycle.org listserv or on Craigslist.org. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more boxes each month, UsedCardboardBoxes.com m accepts them for resale.

4. CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo video game disks to AuralTech for refinishing, and they’ll work like new: 888/454-3223, www.auraltech.com. For recycling, see “Technotrash.”

5. Clothes: Wearable clothes can go to your local Goodwill outlet or women’s shelter. Donate wearable women’s business clothing to Dress for Success, which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs, 212/532-1922, www.dressfor success.org. Offer unwearable clothes and towels to local animal boarding and shelter facilities, which often use them as pet bedding.

6. Compact fluorescent bulbs: Take them to your local IKEA store for recycling: www.ikea.com. Or, order a Sylvania RecyclePak for $15, which is a special lined box large enough for eight average CFLs. Your fee covers shipping to and recycling at Veolia Environmental Systems. To order, visit www.sylvania.com/Recycle/RecyclePak.

7. Compostable bio-plastics: You’ll need to take them to a municipal composter; find one at www.findacomposter.com.

8. Computers and electronics: Find responsible recyclers, local and national, at www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html.

9. Exercise videos: Swap them with others at www.videofitness.com. (See also “Technotrash.”)

10. Eyeglasses: Your local Lion’s Club or eye care chain may collect these. Lenses are reground and given to people in need.

11 . Foam packing peanuts: Your local pack-and-ship store will likely accept these for reuse. Or, call the Plastic Loose Fill Producers Council to find a drop-off site: 800/828-2214. For places to drop off foam blocks for recycling, contact the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, 410/451-8340, www.epspackaging.org/info.html.

12. Ink/toner cartridges: Recycleplace.com m pays $1/each.

13. Miscellaneous: Get your unwanted items into the hands of people who can use them. Offer them up on your local Freecycle.org or Craigslist.org listserv, or try giving them away at Throwplace.comm or giving or selling them at iReuse.comm. iReuse.com will also help you find a recycler, if possible, when your items have reached the end of their useful lifecycle.

14. Oil: Find Used Motor Oil Hotlines for each state: 202/682-8000, www.recycleoil.org.

15. Phones: Donate cell phones: Collective Good will refurbish your phone and sell it to people in developing countries: 770/856-9021, www.collectivegood.com. Call to Protect reprograms cell phones to dial 911 and gives them to domestic violence victims: www.donateaphone.com. Recycle single-line phones: Reclamere, 814/386-2927, www.reclamere.com.

16. Sports equipment: Resell or trade it at your local Play It Again Sports outlet, 800/476-9249, www.playitagainsports.com.

17. “Technotrash”: Easily recycle all of your CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio and video tapes, cell phones, pagers, rechargeable and single-use batteries, PDAs, and ink/toner cartridges with GreenDisk’s Technotrash program. For a small fee, GreenDisk will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to 70 pounds of any of the above. Your fee covers the box as well as shipping and recycling fees. 800/305-GREENDISK, www.greendisk.com.

18. Tennis shoes: Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring: www.nikereuseashoe.com. One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America, and Haiti: www.oneworldrunning.com.

19. Toothbrushes and razors: Buy a recycled plastic toothbrush or razor from Recycline , and the company will take it back to be recycled again into plastic lumber. Recycline toothbrushes and razors are made from used Stonyfield Farms’m yogurt cups. 888/354-7296, www.recycline.com

20. Tyvek envelopes: Quantities less than 25: Send to Shirley Cimburke, Tyvek Recycling Specialist, 5401 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Spot 197, Room 231, Richmond, VA 23234. Quantities larger than 25, call 866/33-TYVEK.

21. Stuff you just can’t recycle: When practical, send it back to the manufacturer (with a copy of our McDonough interviewon p. 26) and tell them they need to close the waste loop. This list was originally created by Green America. For more information from Green America click here.

Travelers Philanthropy

empower local communities by providing social services, jobs, skills, ownership, education, and environmental stewardship.

Case-in-point: After a trek in Nepal, Dr. Antonia Neubauer, founder of Myths and Mountains, a Nevada-based travel company, asked her Sherpa guide what he would do for his village. “Build a library,” he responded. That library project has since evolved into READ (Read Education and Development), which is today a network of 40 community-owned and operated libraries across Nepal.  Myths and Mountains donates $50 from every traveler to support READ. For about $46,000, READ builds a library; stocks it with 3,000-5,000 books; trains locals; and funds sustainable community projects. The program won the 2006 Access to Learning Award from the Gates Foundation. 
 

"Voluntourism"

Closely linked to Travelers Philanthropy is the movement for “Voluntourism,” active, hands-on, volunteer vacations that address global issues of environmental degradation and poverty alleviation, while fostering understanding between visitors and host communities. Its origins trace back to the days of healers, explorers, and sailors who traveled while offering services to those in need. With growing awareness of global citizenship and social responsibility, it is no surprise that “voluntourism” is booming. According to Peter Yesawich, CEO of America's leading hospitality marketing agency, 6% of all U.S. active travelers took a volunteer vacation last year.



Case-in-point: Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) is a not-for-profit organization that uses volunteer visitors to protects tropical marine environments. CCC’s Fiji Reef Conservation project is just one example of a two week trip that trains volunteers to collect scientific information, which is then used to provide recommendations for the sustainable management and conservation of coral reefs and tropical forests.

Carbon Offsets for Travel:

There are increasing concerns about global warming and the effects of carbon dioxide produced from flights, road trips, and other fossil-fuel based recreation. Air transportation alone is believed to produce between 4%-10% of greenhouse gases worldwide. A range of businesses are taking responsibility for reducing their “carbon footprint” by decreasing emissions and donating to tree planting, forest protection, and solar, wind and other renewable energy projects.

Cases in point:

-          Carbon Offset Companies:  Dozens of companies help travelers calculate the greenhouse gas emissions caused by their travel and then “offset” the impact. Vermont-based company, NativeEnergy, collects “carbon offset” donations to invest in Native American-owned farm projects such as wind turbines, solar arrays, and a manure digester project that powers a 160 kW generator to displace fossil fuel and methane emissions.

 

-          Travel Websites: Expedia and Travelocity have developed programs for travelers to buy carbon offsets when purchasing tickets online. Expedia has partnered with TerraPass to offer “Carbon Balanced Flyer” luggage tags. For about $5.99, travelers can offset approximately 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.

 

-          Airlines: NatureAir, based in Costa Rica, is the first airline to pledge to offset all its fights. The airline launched a program to financially support sustainable reforestation in Costa Rica, through a system outlined in the Kyoto Protocol, and is conducting research into alternative energy sources such as ethanol and pig waste.

 

-          Ski Resorts: With snow melting two to three weeks sooner than it used to in the 1950s, it is no surprise that 46 U.S. resorts are investing in renewable energy sources. Nineteen are offsetting 100% of their energy use through wind-power credits. Leading the industry is Aspen Skiing Company, with a purchase of 21,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable energy credits, the largest purchase in U.S. ski history, Aspen will keep nearly 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

Green Architecture:

Organic gardens, native landscaping, solar and wind power, waste water composting, rain water harvesting, gray water irrigation, and recycled building material are a few of the signs of the burgeoning field of ‘green’ architecture linked to tourism.  Small ecolodge owners and luxury chains are beginning to recognize the ecological and often economic benefits of green architecture. 

Case-in-point: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has a global reputation for environmental stewardship through its Green Partnership Guide, a 17-step process to sustainable best practices in the lodging industry. Each property has developed initiatives that support the corporate commitment to reduce the ecological footprints of its properties. For example, by simply changing 40 watt incandescent to 9 watt compact florescent bulbs, Fairmont San Francisco reduced 351,942 kilowatt-hours with an annual cost savings of $41,564.

 

Agroecotourism:

Many family-owned farms are tapping into travelers’ interest in rural heritage and lifestyle.  Through agroecotourism, farmers generate additional income by hosting visitors, educating the public, and promoting farm products. In Vermont alone, income from farm based tourism activities generated $19.5 million in 2002, representing approximately four percent of the total gross farm income.

Case-in-point: Shelburne Farms is a 1, 400-acre working farm, National Historic Landmark and a nonprofit environmental education center that hosts some 66,000 visitors per year.  Originally built in 1886 as a private country estate of William Webb, his descendants have turned the estate into model of agroecotourism. According to Director Alec Webb, Shelburne Farms is an educational center that uses a sustainably managed landscape as a classroom to foster an appreciation for the natural world and demonstrate stewardship in sustainable forestry, dairy-making, and cheese-making. Shelburne Farms received the 2006 National Conservation Achievement Award from The National Wildlife Federation for its environmental stewardship.


These are just a few trends that highlight ecotourism principles of environmental and social stewardship. To further promote responsible travel, The International Ecotourism Society is hosting a Global Ecotourism Conference in Oslo, Norway from May 14-16, 2007 and a North American Ecotourism Conference in Madison, Wisconsin from September 26-28, 2007.  


Ecotourism:
The International Ecotourism Society
www.ecotourism.org

Global Ecotourism Conference 
www.ecotourismglobalconference.org

North American Ecotourism
www.ecotourismconference.org

Philanthropy:
Travelers' Philanthropy
www.travelersphilanthropy.org

READ Global
www.readnepal.org

Voluntourism:
Coral Cay Corporation
www.coralcay.org

Green Architecture:
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
www.fairmont.com

Agroecotourism:
Shelburne Farms
www.shelburnefarms.org

8 PRINCIPLES FOR EFFECTIVE MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Every day, thousands of businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies encounter the challenges and the benefits of working in an increasingly multicultural society. From reaching out to potential customers, clients, donors, and taxpayers to providing critical products and services, every organization in today’s society must make effective communication in a multicultural context a key priority. It is an absolute necessity for organizational success and for building healthy communities.

Taking a multicultural approach to communication increases the relevance and impact by recognizing, respecting, and engaging the cultural backgrounds of all stakeholders and framing communication in ways that invite real participation and dialogue. Effective multicultural communication unlocks new resources and brings additional perspectives and talents to the table to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to our most challenging social, environmental, and economic issues.

An analysis of the raw data highlights the significance and growth of our nation’s increasingly multicultural population. Take ethnicity statistics alone: ethnic and racial groups account for 30 percent of the U.S. population, or more than 90 million people. By 2050, communities of color will make up 49 percent of the U.S. population, or more than 209 million people.

Through our work with leading businesses, nonprofits, and public agencies, we have distilled eight principles for effective multicultural communication. You will see that many of the principles make great sense for communication to all audiences and are built upon well-established communication and social marketing theory.

1) Check Your Assumptions at the Door: Begin With Yourself
Before beginning to work with any group that is culturally, ethnically, or racially different from your own, it is critical to step back and identify any assumptions, preconceived beliefs, or stereotypes that you might hold about that population. Your best intentions may be undermined by old assumptions or isolated experiences that can impact your ability to develop a sound strategy that effectively achieves the behavioral, attitudinal, or systematic change you seek. It is also essential that you not assume a particular group holds the same set of values or beliefs as your own.

2) Understand the Cultural Context(s) of Your Audience: Do Your Homework
The goal of any communication is creating shared understanding. As communicators, when we relay a message (language, symbols, images), it is with the expectation that the receiver can interpret as the sender intended and has the ability to take action accordingly. This is not always the case. Various cultural groups have unique ways of perceiving, organizing, and relating to information. They may have different needs, values, motivators, and behaviors. The norm for one group may not necessarily be relevant or appropriate for another group. The message must fit the cultural context (the norms, ideas, beliefs, and totality of meaning shared by a cultural group) of the audiences you want to reach.

3) Invest Before You Request: Create Community-Centered Partnerships
Historically, there has been a tendency to reach out to organizations serving special populations at the point when businesses, issue advocates, or other organizations need help accessing a community or seek to expand service or products to a community. Too often the first introduction is a request for assistance in conducting outreach, sharing information, facilitating market research, or referring participants to programs. In many cases, communication has been one way and self-centered—what can this person or organization do for us? By investing in the community—learning about organizational needs, attending events and community forums, and participating in community-based efforts—you can build trust and the foundation for long-term engagement. By taking this step first, before you have a specific programmatic request, you invest in building connections that lead to long-term partnerships.

4) Develop Authentic Relationships: Maintain a Long-Term Perspective
Authentic relationships are those that engage community members in idea generation, feedback, and decision making. Such a relationship is patiently developed because there is no need to rush to get to know and understand each other. The relationship is based on a true sense of shared values and shared mission and is focused on ongoing collaboration rather than a specific project. Communication, contribution, and commitment are all two-way.

5) Build Shared Ownership: Engage, Don’t Just Involve
As you seek to engage the community in your work, look for opportunities for the community to become vested in the mission that drives your work and its outcomes. Identify opportunities for leadership roles for members of the community and engage them as decision makers and owners of strategy. Actively seek their guidance and input in evaluating and refining strategies and messages. When there is more than one cultural group that you wish to engage, identify the needs, values, and motivators that the groups have in common and use these to develop messages and strategies that help unify the groups. This approach helps build community, ensure that groups do not feel they are in competition for attention or resources, and also helps to identify and elevate shared community needs and values that help shape ongoing community dialogue.

6) Walk Your Talk: Lead By Example
All of us have had experiences in which the message conveyed by an organization is inconsistent with its actions and behaviors. The classic example is a retail business with a huge welcome sign in the window and a staff that ignores you. This is just a manifestation of the challenges audiences experience when the message doesn’t match the experience. If you say that your programs are flexible, open to all members of the community, and based on community needs, then that must be what your audience experiences. If you commit to collaboration, then you must behave collaboratively. If you are committed to providing services to “everyone” in the community, your organization’s staff, governance, and partnerships need to reflect the community, and your resources need to benefit that community.

7) Relate, Don’t Translate: Place Communication Into Cultural Context
Successful multicultural communication requires more than just translating English-language content. It requires embracing the social nuances of diverse cultural groups and markets and actively engaging them in the creation of relevant communication strategies, tools, and messages that have the best opportunity to achieve the desired action. When existing strategies are deemed effective, the process of adaptation for new audiences is much broader than the words on a page. In fact, more important than deciding which language to use in your materials is ensuring that the content resonates with the culture and identity of your audience.

Effective multicultural communication entails appropriate interpersonal communication dynamics, the right context, and appropriate usage of culturally relevant imagery, vocabulary, vernacular, metaphors, or slang. Translation makes things readable, not necessarily relevant. A better approach is to make a conscious choice between translating existing concepts that work, relating existing concepts into new images and words that convey ideas more effectively, or developing completely new creative (message frame, copy, imagery).

8) Anticipate Change: Be Prepared to Succeed
Bringing new people and new perspectives into your organization, especially those from a cultural group that has not been previously engaged—be they staff, volunteers, clients, customers, members, investors, donors or community partners—will naturally change the dynamics of your organization. It may change how the organization is structured, governed, and staffed. It may impact how consensus is built, how meetings are managed, and how decisions are made. It may impact how a product is reformulated or how a marketing campaign is planned and executed. When conducting multicultural communication, answer the questions: “Are we prepared to succeed?” “Are we ready for change?”

Cases Study Examples:

The YMCA offers many examples of community-centered partnerships.

Issue: The YMCA of the Columbia-Willamette in Portland, Oregon, was interested in connecting with the fast-growing Latino population in the area. It wanted to increase Latino participation in programs and encourage that community to volunteer and become potential donors to the organization.

Strategy: The YMCA’s president was new to the area, recently relocated from Los Angeles, where he had worked extensively with Latino youth and families. He reached out to a local Latino-led community organization that served children and youth through a variety of programs. He offered transportation, access to facilities, and staff to lead nutrition and fitness classes free of charge.

Results and Impact: The pilot program sparked multiple on-site programs and joint fundraising efforts over several years. The Latino organization gained access to quality facilities, expert staff, and curriculum about health, fitness, and nutrition to supplement its educational and workforce development programs. Hundreds of children and teens benefited from year-round health and fitness programming. Over time, this relationship led to new Latino board members, an increase in Latino volunteers, and an increase in the number of Latino youths and families attending YMCA programs and services (the original goal).

New Seasons Market is a good example of investing before requesting.

Issue: New Seasons Market is a chain of Oregon grocery stores committed to building strong communities and supporting a healthy regional food economy and environment. Unlike many stores that carry a wide array of natural and organic foods, New Seasons has opened several stores in underserved neighborhoods that include the established African-American community, a growing Latino population, and many new Southeast Asian and Eastern European immigrants. These stores are in locations that were abandoned by traditional grocers decades ago. New Seasons needed to establish community support to build the stores and a strong customer base in neighborhoods other grocers had considered unprofitable.

Strategy: New Seasons’ CEO and other leaders began attending neighborhood meetings prior to siting new stores. They learned from community members that a major need and priority was bringing a grocery store with healthy food into the neighborhood. They garnered community feedback on store location, product mix, and service needs. They began hiring and recruiting from the neighborhood for jobs in their other stores while new stores were in development. They participated in priority neighborhood projects, from street tree plantings to sponsoring a youth entrepreneurship program at one store. They advocated as an ally of the community for improved transit and other needs.

Results and Impact: New Seasons opened two large stores in neighborhoods without a grocery store and hired staff at all levels that reflected the local community. The diverse customer base from the neighborhoods has made both stores very successful. New Seasons has forged strong community partnerships and relationships, providing it with allies on priority issues of food policy. In turn, New Seasons has been engaged as an ally for community development and economic equity priorities. Further, local communities have pointed to New Seasons as an example of the expectation they have for other companies that benefit from doing business in their neighborhood.

The Lee y serás campaign (an initiative of the National Council of La Raza, Scholastic Inc., and Verizon) is a good example of “relate, don’t translate.”

Issue: Currently, 86 percent of Latino fourth-graders and 91 percent of Latino eighth-graders in the U.S. read at or below basic skill levels. Fewer than 25 percent of Latino 17-year-olds can read at the skill level necessary for success in college and the increasingly high-tech workplace. This achievement gap actually begins before children enter kindergarten. A major goal of this national bilingual early-literacy initiative is to empower parents and childcare providers to play a first teacher role.

Strategy: As the education system has increasingly encouraged learning English, non-English speaking parents do not receive encouragement for and may even be discouraged from reading to their children. Also, the traditional message of “Read to your children so they will be better prepared for school” does not resonate as well in the Latino community due to a belief by some segments of the community that learning begins in school, not at home. Clearly, traditional literacy frames would not work with this audience. New materials and a unique creative approach were needed in Spanish and best developed within a cultural context that the various Latino subpopulations could relate to.

The campaign’s focus group research guided the development of a message framework that centered on succeeding in life, rather than the dominant literacy message frame, “Read to your child so they can succeed in school.” Latino cultural strengths such as storytelling, rhymes, and singing were emphasized. Further, based upon an understanding of the work-life demands (another cultural context factor) of the primary audience, the message frame highlighted how talking, telling stories, and singing to children could be incorporated into parents’ daily activities. 

By recognizing that many parents have multiple jobs and cannot meet the demands of traditional messages that call for a set amount of time spent reading each day, the campaign created a culturally relevant frame that was effective with parents and primary caregivers. Six pilot campaign markets were selected to reflect cultural needs of specific subpopulations such as Chicanos and Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles, Cubans and South Americans in Miami, and Puerto Ricans and Dominicans in New York.

Results and Impact: Initial impact assessments in the six markets show very promising success. Parents involved in the program clearly and enthusiastically articulate and act on their first teacher role and articulate the core messages of the campaign in their own words when describing what is important for their children to succeed. Cultural aspects of the program such as rhymes, stories, and songs have been particularly well received.

Conclusion
Effective multicultural communication is a critical factor in engaging and garnering support from the full spectrum of voters, donors, customers, constituents, and stakeholders that make up the American mosaic. By applying the eight principles, your organization can better advance your goals and help create a stronger and more equitable society. While there are many nuances, approaches, and perspectives to learn and apply, ultimately it all comes down to what we like to call the 3Rs: Relevance, Relationships, and Results.

Metropolitan Group is a full-service social change agency that crafts and integrates strategic communication, resource development, and creative services that empower social-purpose organizations to build a just and sustainable world. More information is available at www.metgroup.com.

More often then not I get emails and calls asking if there are any positions available at LOHAS. I also get many emails and meetings over coffee to discuss options with collegues who are between things which is the PC way of saying they too are out of work. The fact that there are more people looking for fewer poistions makes it a competitive arena and intimidating. Plus many don't want to sacrifice their LOHAS values for the sake of food on the table. To aid those in search of a future LOHAS employer we have comprised a list of links that you may find useful to your desired field of work.

GREEN INDUSTRY
Great Green Careers
Great Green Careers lists jobs in renewable energy, the environment and sustainable building.

Idealist.org
A place to find dream job in the nonprofit sector, or find resources to continue growing in career.

Ethical Jobs
Jobs and resumes in ethical fields - Charities, Corporate Social Responsibility, Family & Children and other categories.

Care2.com Job Listing
Care2 is the largest online network for people who want to make a difference.

Greenjobs
"One-stop" site where recruiters and job seekers can interact.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy - Career Network
Employment opportunities in company gift, charity and fund raising programs.

SpiritList.com (Southern California)
SpiritList is designed for all involved in the fields of holistic health and well-being.

Clean Edge
Your source for Clean Tech jobs.

ENVIRONMENTAL/ ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Green Career Central
Green Career Central is a membership website that provides expert career coaching and advice. There is  a green job board that is open to everyone as source of green job and career openings.

Green Dream Jobs at Sustainablebusiness.com
Offer opportunities that fulfill society's needs while contributing to the well-being of all earth's inhabitants.

Environmental Career Opportunities
500+ Environmental Jobs in conservation, education, policy, science & engineering and more!

EnvironmentalCAREER.com
Assists individuals and employers in matching potential employees with employers.

EcoEmploy.com
Find environmental jobs in government, companies and non-profits. Includes science, natural and green opportunities.

Green Biz Job Listing
Provides a listing of opportunities in various environmentally oriented businesses.

Envirolink
A grassroots online community that unites hundreds of organizations and volunteers.

The UK Green Directory 
Information about the environmental sector in the UK for consumer, professional and business users.

GeographyJobs
GeographyJobs is a job search and job by e-mail service that is focused on bringing together geographers and employers in need of their talents.

WELLNESS/FITNESS
Wellness Jobs
Post Wellness job employment resume or find a Wellness job listing

WellnessCoachCareers.com
Search for Personal Trainer Jobs, Fitness Jobs, and Careers in Corporate Fitness and Wellness.

American Herbal Products Association Job Bank
The AHPA Job Board powered by CPGjobs provides natural health product companies with a specialized tool to assist in the recruitment and hiring of quality candidates.

Yoga Finder
Find yoga jobs and opportunities.

Health and Yoga Community
As the Yoga community grows around the world, Health and Yoga Placements & Recruitments allows Yoga Job Seekers and Yoga Recruiters to find each other.

FitnessJobs.com
FitnessJobs.com is an internet recruitment site/job board that specializes in the health, fitness, recreation and leisure industries.

HEALING ARTS
Healing Schools Job Listing
This listing can help you transition from student to practitioner with a salary. You can also find internships as well.

DIVERSITY/MINORITY
Jobs4.0
The leading source of job opportunities for candidates 40 and over.

Diversity Jobs
Diversity job board and workplace diversity blog with the latest news, articles, opinions and information.

MinorityJobs.net
Free Resume posting & Job listing site, with Career guide, civil rights, legal & government news archive, plus scholarship links.

DiversityWorking.com
The largest diversity job board online, career opportunity and news source resource and job search engine for the cultural diversity marketplace.

Women on Hire Job Listing
National career fair and diversity recruitment information as well as career advice for women including: job interview questions, resume example and cover letter.

Women’s Job List
Over 2000 companies and organizations link to this site, providing employers with exclusive access to highly qualified candidates.

OUTDOORS
Outdoor Adventure Professional Network Job Listing
Free job search and posting site for outdoor adventure professionals.

OceanCareers.com
Explore over fifty ocean-related careers.

Wilderdom Job Listing
Current outdoor education jobs and employment opportunities - links to adventure education positions around the world.

NON-LOHAS SITES (but information on LOHAS jobs available)
Juju
Speed up your job search and find better jobs! Juju searches millions of jobs from thousands of sites.

Simply Hired
Search over 5 million job listings and thousands of jobs sites to find a job you love.

Craigslist
craigslist provides local classifieds and forums for jobs, housing, for sale, personals, services, local community, and events.

CareerBuilder.com
Search 1.6 million Jobs on CareerBuilder.com. Find new employment or work. Fresh job listings posted daily.

Indeed
Search millions of jobs from thousands of job boards, newspapers, classifieds and company websites.

If there are any others you wish to add please let me know. There are a ton out there and Id like to know which ones are good and bad. Good luck in your search! 

I assume that many of you are looking at your personal finances due to a new year and the tax man that will soon be knocking. Many may be asking themselves - "How can I do well while doing good in today's economy?" Well this is what I certainly am doing for my own personal reasons. Not only am I an advocate of sustainability management when it comes to business but also when it applies to personal finance. It certainly seems strange to think about investing as the unemployment rate hangs at 10%, foreclosures continue and penny pinching seems to be all the rage. And I find it so peculiar how we all relate to money. Money is supposed to be a unit of exchange for objects and services. It is not something to be a slave to. But why are we such slaves to it? Where does all the emotional baggage come from that surrounds it? What if we look at it money with different perspective? Would that give us some better ideas, attitudes and insight? This is what I have done and here are some great books I have recently read that I would recommend to anyone to read who is considering a new direction to take for their financial future and outlook on what to value.

The Cure For Money Madness - Spencer Sherman
spence spoke at the 2009 LOHAS Forum about his new process for curing what he termed 'Money Madness'. He had sufferred from it and noticed it in his clients, too: those irrational feelings about money that make otherwise rational adults behave foolishly—buying high, selling low, overspending, lying to their spouses, equating their self-worth with their net worth. Money madness stresses us out, poisons our relationships, and keeps us from making as much money as we can. So Spencer invented the cure. Now, in The Cure for Money Madness, he gives us the tools that have helped thousands of people find greater peace of mind—and make more money.

accorind to Spencer, money madness comes from unproductive messages that we received long ago such as, “It takes money to make money.” or “Paying rent is just throwing money down the drain.” “Don’t talk about money.” When you challenge the messages, you can transform all aspects of your money life: earning, spending, saving, investing, giving, borrowing. More money will flow to you. Your relationships will improve. You’ll enjoy your money more. And you’ll be more generous, too.

In The Cure for Money Madness, you’ll discover:

How much your money madness has been costing you
How wealthy you truly are, by using the revolutionary Actual Net WorthTM statement
How “small and boring” can help you outperform the top investors—without watching the market
How to communicate about money in ways that create deeper connections with your spouse, parents, children, friends, and colleagues
How to know what is truly enough

Money madness keeps us from living as richly as we might and enjoying the wealth we have. In these tough economic times, The Cure for Money Madness transforms fear and stress into prosperity and peace.

I like this book because I can relate to it through the emotions that I have experienced that are attached to money and there are very simple steps to follow that Spencer has put together to get to not only the root of the emotions for reprogramming but also a roadmap to financial freedom.


Slow Money - Woody Tasch

Another presenter at LOHAS, the ultimate green conference. Woody has seen a lot regarding asset management. This book talks about large picture and  presents the path for bringing money back down to earth- philosophically, strategically, and pragmatically- and with an entrepreneurial spirit that is informed by decades of work by the thousands of CEOs, investors, grantmakers, food producers, and consumers who are seeding the restorative economy.

This is the path toward a financial system that serves people and place as much at it serves industry sectors and markets. To discover this path and to begin to walk down it: That is the mission of Slow Money. This mission emerges from Woody Tasch’s decades of work as a venture capitalist, foundation treasurer, and entrepreneur, whose explorations shed new light on a truer, more beautiful, more prudent kind of fiduciary responsibility—a fiduciary responsibility that is not stuck in the industrial concepts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but which reflects the economic, social, and environmental realities of the twenty-first century.

These explorations take us from the jokes of his father to the insights of his son, from the boardrooms of foundations and start-up companies to the farm fields of Vermont, from gopher holes in New Mexico to the possibilities of an alternative stock exchange, from Carlo Petrini to Muhammad Yunus, from Thoreau to Soros.

    * Could there ever be an alternative stock exchange dedicated to slow, small, and local?
    * Could a million American families get their food from CSAs?
    * What if you had to invest 50 percent of your assets within 50 miles of where you live?

Such questions—at the heart of Slow Money—are the first step on our path to a new economy and a new culture. Inquiries into Slow Money is a call to action for designing capital markets built around—not extraction and consumption but—preservation and restoration. Is it a movement or is it an investment strategy? The answer is yes.

I enjoyed this book because it provides clarity and reason behind alternatives that can happen if we look at our current broken financial systems that chase quarterly earnings instead of measuring full wealth beyond dollars. It put me in a very calm and peaceful state of mind and made me appreciate the simple things more. It has started a movement that I am all behind and am hopeful it will lead the path to sustainable green business.




Your Money or Your Life - Joe Dominguez, Vicki Robin, Monique Tilford

This is a book I read a while back that really gave me the best roadmap to savings that I had ever had at a time when I really need it. I was in a large debt hole and after reading I was able to have a blueprint of a savings plan and goals that I was able to accomplish. Thier program is a simple yet powerful one that I did successfully. And if I can do it anyone can.

Do you spend more than you earn? Does making a living feel more like making a dying? Do you dislike your job but can't afford to leave it? Is money fragmenting your time, your relationship with family and friends? If so, Your Money or Your Life is for you.

If you are looking for a serious, no-bones-about-it approach to simplicity and financial independence, we recommend that you read and follow the nine-step program outlined in Your Money or Your Life, by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin with Monique Tilford.

There is simply no better, step-by-step program available than this. It has helped thousands of people simplify their lifestyle and dramatically change their relationship with money.

Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin took back their lives by gaining control of their money. They both gave up successful — and stressful — careers in order to live more deliberately and meaningfully. Now, in this inspiring and empowering book, they explain their nine-step program that shows you how to:

    * get out of debt and develop savings
    * reorder material priorities and live well for less
    * resolve inner conflicts between values and lifestyles
    * convert problems into opportunities to learn new skills
    * attain a wholeness of livelihood and lifestyle
    * save the planet while saving money
    * and much more

WHY READ THIS BOOK?

Ask yourself these questions:

    * Do you have enough money?
    * Are you spending enough time with your family and friends?
    * Do you come home from your job full of life?
    * Do you have time to participate in things you believe are worthwhile?
    * If you were laid off from your job, would you see it as an opportunity?
    * Are you satisfied with the contribution you have made to the world?
    * Are you at peace with money?
    * Does your job reflect your values?
    * Do you have enough savings to see you through six months of normal living expenses?
    * Is your life whole? Do all the pieces — your job, your expenditures, your relationships, your values — fit together?

If you answered "no" to even one of these questions, this book is for you.





More Than Money; Questions Every MBA Needs to Answer - Mark Albion

I really like this one as it is a quick read with powerful insight for those new grads. Can MBAs, often cast as risk-averse conflicted achievers caught in the MBA trap of "I'll make money now and then...", find their true happiness and achieve their destiny in the midst of societal and peer pressures?

Absolutely--if you recognize that what you thought were your safest career choices actually may be your riskiest. How so? Your safest choices keep you on your destiny path; your riskiest ones take you away from it.

How do you know? More Than Money offers four questions and twelve principles to keep you on your path and tools to help you measure where you are and what you need to do to fulfill your destiny.

I highly recommend this book to MBA students or to those who know new MBA's and give it to them as a gift.

These are a mixed and diverse grouping of books and some may value some more than others. If you have any other books or experiences on personal finance or understanding our societal relationship with money I would love to know about them. Please share.
 

So I was wondering, why is it that commercial air travel is considered so non-green? It seems unjust that my efforts to live green all year are negated by a few flights to Sierra Club headquarters and a trip or two to visit my parents.

Most carbon calculators - but notably not ours at Sierra Club Green Home (www.sierraclubgreenhome.com) - penalize even the dark green citizen who is required to fly commercial for work. Let's say you're a sales manager, you diligently recycle, you watch the thermostats, you have low-water landscaping, you eat organic vegetables, you're doing everything right except your job requires you to fly from Denver to Cincinnati twice a month. According to most evaluations, you are a serious carbon emitter. I don't think this is right, it's not fair to call this person a polluter. In ecological thinking, his or her lifestyle and home are green, and should be respected as such.

Although a pitch to the boss for teleconferencing in lieu of so many business trips is the best antidote, the real modern day quest is to achieve eco-friendly air travel. And what about the concept of full vs. empty flights? Nobody will dispute that the least green way to travel (sorry celebrities, CEOs and pro athletes) is by private jet. The amount of carbon produced vs. the number of people moved is not a favorable equation. Consider a 727 stretch packed with 300 people. It would seem that this calculation would be a lot more efficient in terms of carbon produced vs. passenger miles traveled. Kind of like watching a mom drive thru a Starbucks with her 25 pound kid in the passenger seat of a giant SUV - can it get more non-green? Whereas, you can justify driving a stretch Chevy Suburban if it is packed with six or seven passengers and their baggage, this is highly efficient per passenger mile, even at 15 mpg. A better way to quantify your transport emissions would be number of people miles moved per gallon.

Speaking of automobiles, the gains made in emissions control over the past 40 years are mind-blowing. As in, it would take about 50 2009 Corvettes to match the bad exhaust gases produced by one 1969 Corvette big block in an hour of driving. The introduction of computer-controlled engine management and high tech catalytic converters makes this possible. This also explains why the cloud of smog that used to hang over Los Angeles has dissipated significantly over the past few decades. You now can actually see the skyline!

So why, then, haven't airplanes matched this remarkable improvement demonstrated by the car industry? Or have they? To find out, we called Boeing, the world's largest maker of commercial aircraft. We spoke with Billy Glover, Managing Director of Environmental Strategy for Boeing's Commercial Airplane division. In this role, Mr. Glover is primarily responsible for all environmental aspects of the next generation of commercial jets that Boeing will build.

"Fuel efficiency of commercial jets has improved since the 60s by 70 percent," Glover declared. "This must be balanced with the economic consideration that our customers face: their number one cash expense is fuel. They demand improvements each time they order new aircraft."

The efficient marketplace has greatly improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions accordingly. Not to mention, the noise, unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and other yucky stuff produced by commercial jets has been significantly reduced since the 90s. Indeed, take a look at the sky next time a big commercial flight passes overhead. Remember the deafening sound if the plane was below 5,000 feet? And how much visible smoke used to trail behind? That deafening noise has been replaced by near-silence, and those jet streams are for the most part no longer visible. What we are no longer seeing or hearing is technological improvement and reduced emissions. "This has been accomplished by a fundamental change in the architecture of the engine design. The high bypass engine moves higher volumes of air at lower speeds, thus noise is reduced and fuel is saved," explains Glover.

This is all great, but what's next for the sustainable airplane? Boeing and others, most  notably Richard Branson's Virgin Air are working on commercial jets that will fly on sustainable biofuels and clean technologies. An industry trade group, Sustainable Aviation Fuels Users Group, is working to establish a sustainable biofuel supply that all aircraft can run on without costly conversions of existing jet engines. One example of biofuel in action was a test in January 2009 -- Continental took a Boeing 737 up for a test flight burning a 50/50 mixture of conventional jet fuel and biofuels. In this particular scenario the biofuel came from algae. The results indicated that this mix could work and it would save the airlines a lot of fuel expense dollars.

Hopefully, advances in jet engine efficiency and emissions control will accelerate, so that at some point our poor sales manager from Denver won't be penalized by the green world for having customers in Cincinnati. A lofty (I can't resist an occasional bad pun) but seemingly achievable goal.

It was a room filled with about 300 networking engineers.  True geeks, that’s for sure.  I was there in the room to deliver a training to these high-level engineers about a subject they all loved – TCP/IP.

As the training went on, I discussed protocol, troubleshooting, hacking (oh excuse me, I meant to say “breaking down patterns to achieve entry into a network”) ARP, RARP, PING and a hundred other protocols.  We talked hexadecimal and binary numbering systems, packet loss and router tables.   Exciting stuff when you’re a geeky engineer.

But something was missing.

You could see it in their eyes.

While they were excited about the material, I could just tell that there were bigger things going on for these stoic (mostly) men and women.  They were in pain.  They were dealing with big things in life – divorce, stress, fear, worry and doubt about keeping their job, staying up on technology and running their businesses and departments.

So I read them a story.

Picking up a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, I quietly read a humorous and inspirational story with as much animation as I could muster.  The message hit them squarely in the heart – without hope, there is no life.   It was that small spark of hope in their eyes  from that tiny little story that my life changed that day.

Fast forward to today.

The Accidental Millionaire is currently experiencing a new surge of activity.  Why?  People want hope, purpose and passion in their lives.  We crave it.  But we don’t know how to get it.  It’s not taught in school, and I think that’s a shame.  That’s why I wrote the book.

You are here to learn and grow, to give your gifts to the world and become the authentic, beautiful you that you are. We all are.  I’m so glad to be on the journey with you.   (Sometimes it feels more like a roller coaster though, right?)

So tell me this:  as we head into the new year, what hopes and dreams do YOU have that you are ready to fulfill?  For me, it’s a much bigger platform and I’m ready to receive that.  What are YOU ready to receive?  Leave a comment below and let’s discuss..

Stephanie Frank
Founder and President of SuccessIQ University
Best Selling Author, The Accidental Millionaire

Book Stephanie to Speak or read what she has to say about achieving goals, leadership, peak performance, personal empowerment, persuasion and influence, productivity, creating systems, and time mastery on her blog web site: http://www.stephaniefrank.com

What is your Success IQ? Take our short quiz and find out. www.SuccessIQQuiz.com
 
Claim your free gift, The 13 Vital Traits of Super Effective People here: http://successiqu.com/gift/
 

What is a million dollar thinker, anyway?

Million dollar thinkers think about things like money and making decisions in a different way from the average person, using both the conscious and the subconscious mind.

As an example: suppose you were $10,000 in debt. The average person would focus on the debt, how to pay it, how to get out of it. They may take on a second job to pay the debt.  The focus, no matter what, would be on the debt.

A million dollar thinker, on the other hand, would take that same situation and look at it 180 degrees differently. The million dollar thinker would look at the $10,000 debt, and immediately come up with a plan to earn $20,000. Focusing on solving a problem and strategizing how to make more money is infinitely more interesting, thought provoking and ultimately more prosperous than focusing on the negativity of debt.

Right now, make a choice to understand how your mind and thoughts work. The exploration of the subconscious mind and belief systems that keep us from realizing our biggest dreams is a fascinating study – and one that is well worth the time and effort to anyone who wants to be successful.

First, take a look at your belief systems – you know, the ones that everybody talks about but never really digs into?  Do you have thoughts like…

“I’m not good enough”

“I could do better”

“Money doesn’t grow on trees”

“There’s not enough to go around.”

“Money is tight”

“I don’t have enough”

Or even “if I have more than my share, someone else will suffer.”

These are beliefs that infiltrate the conscious mind; ones that people hold onto very tightly, unaware of the damage that they do. Of course, none of those self defeating thoughts is true but they feel very real when you’re thinking them.

It’s important to learn more about the mind and how these beliefs work. – especially, how the mind can create exactly the circumstances or situations we are thinking about. Even the bad ones. This is powerful stuff.

The subconscious mind is a subset of our entire brain system.  There are really three types of processing controls in the brain.  First is the unconscious mind.  It controls things like breathing.  Next is the conscious mind.  It is the part of the brain you are using to process the words on this page, to think thoughts, meditate, create and sort information.  It is the part of your brain that gets very busy, congested and filled with information and random bits of thinking, songs and entire paragraphs of text.  It is that little monster or angel on your shoulder that tells you great things or hurtful things about yourself.

Last is the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is kind of like a factory, processing the thoughts that your conscious mind gives it. It has no control or discerning capabilities to determine whether a thought is productive and serves you well, or tears you down and makes you cry. Either way, it just goes about its business, carrying out the thoughts you send to it.

If you can, picture the subconscious mind like a bunch of little workers, running around to make sure your thoughts are carried out. When you say to yourself “This is hard work,” then the subconscious goes to work, making sure your thoughts are carried out and the result is “This is hard.”  The subconscious mind has no line between good and bad, it simply works to the logical conclusion, which is the ability to make your thoughts come to fruition.

The subconscious mind does not understand things like “can’t,” and it is unable to comprehend the difference between what you want and don’t want.  Like a picture in your mind, it only sees the end result, and goes about achieving that end result. The subconscious mind has a lot to do with what actually shows up in your life, based on the pictures, words and language you use to describe what you want.

For instance, consider what it takes to train a dog to sit. Many dog trainers use a praise method to show the dog when they did something agreeable. Using the mind, they are able to create a picture of a desired result – in this case getting a dog to sit. Most people, however, think very hard about what they don’t want. In the case of the dog, they may concentrate not on sitting, but on not having the dog run away. In the mind, the picture of the dog running away — which is the exact image of what you do not want — is clear. The subconscious goes to work to make sure the end result is achieved and presto! the dog runs away.

The idea is to break negative subconscious beliefs. There is a Process to enable you to do exactly that. Here it is –

First, think. What beliefs are holding you back? Do you feel not worthy of success? Not smart enough? Not lucky enough? What originally led you to believe the thought(s) that is/are holding you back? Take one, for a start –

Say you grew up in a family where money was tight. You remember hearing your parents say, “We’ll never get ahead. To get ahead I this life, you have to have breaks. We just don’t have that kind of luck.” You listened to that and internalized it, growing up to believe that the deck is stacked against you. That, no matter how hard you work, the Universe is predisposed to keeping you in a state of lack. And so your work habits keep you sabotaging yourself – a way for your subconscious mind to stop you from being successful, and therefore disloyal to your family, who never achieved any great measure of success.

Now, close your eyes.  Take a few deep breaths and get very comfortable. Imagine being in a very beautiful place, a safe place – somewhere where you feel completely at ease and relaxed. Perhaps at the beach? The sand is white and perfect, with waves crashing up onto it at frequent and even intervals. The sky is a perfect and beautiful blue, and the sound of the surf is soothing and comforting. Sit down in the sand and relax.

Now, bring your parents into your mind’s eye picture, and have them sit down with you.  When you’ve done that, say these words. “Folks,” say to them in your mind, “I have an opportunity to be successful beyond my wildest dreams.  I’m holding myself back out of loyalty to you and I don’t want to do that anymore. I am choosing to be very successful in my personal, professional and financial life. I love you very much and respect everything that you are, and I want you to support me in this choice.”

In your mind’s eye, see your parents smiling, and speaking words of comfort and encouragement, such as —  “Darling, don’t you dare follow in our footsteps. You are a smart, wise woman and we want you to have anything you dream of. We love you too, and support you in your decisions.”

Now, don’t you suddenly feel lighter, freer? The monsters in your mind quieted? Open your eyes slowly. Know that you can use this new tool any time you feel concern for your well-being.

Beliefs such as “I’m not good enough” that can haunt your conscious mind, need close scrutiny.  Believing the “I’m not good enough” part can be easy, but where does it come from? Somebody gave you the belief!  But who?  When? If not your parents or other close family members, perhaps important people in your childhood? Perhaps a teacher once said to you, “You’re smart, but you don’t try hard enough. You could do better.” Your conscious mind will then repeat the teacher’s belief, telling you that you can do better.  Soon, the “I can do better” belief is firmly implanted in your brain, pervasive in your conscious thoughts.

Once you recognize that this was someone else’s belief and not your own (and not necessarily true!), you can begin to let go of it. Using the tool you were given above, have a meditation session with yourself to remove the mental file that holds the “I can do better” belief.  Replace it with a new file in your mind called, “I do things well the first time.” What a difference it can make in your thinking.

Then continue, taking a close look at many of the self defeating beliefs you’ve held, eliminating them one by one from your life, your vocabulary and your conscious thought. Once you bring your beliefs to the surface and determine the source, letting go of them is the next step to help you evolve as the successful person you want to be.

Can you identify your self defeating beliefs?

Manifesting has become a popular buzzword within the metaphysical community and with “The Secret” being so popular, it has made its way into more of the mainstream. What does it mean to you? Making your dream a reality? Yes, absolutely. But, how – that’s the question. Lots of people would like to find the answer.

We aren’t all born knowing exactly how to achieve results in our lives.  We do have the ability, however, to consider how we want our lives to look, the lifestyle we wish to live, the amount of money we bring into our lives and the exact outcomes we wish to accomplish.
 

What I’m going to tell you right now is a big secret of successful people.  Successful people know that if they make a very specific request of what some call the Universe, the Universe will respond with the “how to” information.  It will do this by placing the right people, circumstances or information into our view and it will be up to us to receive that information.
 

How do you make such a request? You can start by saying (out loud): “Today I am very powerful and deliberate in my requests for help in manifesting and bringing into reality whatever I want in my life. “ Then state what it is you want. Be specific.  Don’t forget to feel the passion you have for the thing you want, as you’re stating your desire. Why should the universe give you something you’re not really sure you want?
 

Then, end your communication with the universe by releasing your request. If you write a letter, put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and then never put it in the mailbox, it will never be received. What good is that? Releasing your desire, asking for “this or better, for the greater good of all” (or words to that effect),  and then leaving it up to the universe to take care of how your wish is delivered, is the key to this kind of manifestation.
 

Whatever you do, don’t dictate to the universe how you want your dream dispensed to you. That would be, after a fashion, tying the hands of Santa Claus. Let the universe worry about how something is provided to you. It knows best.
 

The truth is you and I have a very limited knowledge of “how” things are actually done.  If it was completely left up to us to figure it out, we would not be learning new methods, but instead having to draw upon our own limited experiences, which could make success take a very long time.
 

For this reason, I leave my ego at the door and make specific requests of the Universe often. Not all my requests are fulfilled, and I have come to understand, as I hope you will too, that when my requests are unanswered, it is always for a reason that has my best interests in mind.
 

So how does it work, in detail? There are basically six steps to manifesting what you want:
 

Step 1.  Make a decision to have what you want, when you want it.

This is deceptively simple.  It would seem that making the decision to have whatever you want would be easy, but most people are tentative when it comes to being specific.  People say things like “It would be nice if…” and “We’ll see what happens when….”  That won’t work.  First, you must state that “I am in the process of…” or “I will be” when making a decision.  Make sure you’re clear on when you will receive the results. You must be resolute, and allow no one (not even yourself) to undermine your confidence in your decision.
 

So, what do you want?  Start thinking and practicing now.  Here are a couple of practice sentences to get you started.
 

I am in the process of becoming a millionaire by the time I am 50.
 

I will be living a life of personal and financial freedom on or before my 45^th birthday.
 

I am going to have a weeklong Italian vacation next year.
 

Start small. “I’m having chicken for lunch today” is a very decisive statement. “I am going on vacation in Los Angeles for a week in June” is also decisive. Once you have practiced and mastered this decisive language and know exactly what you want, you are ready to move on to step 2.
 

2. Be clear about the outcome.

The next step is to be extremely clear about the details of the outcome. This is done in the context of what you DO want, not what you don’t want. Practice visualizing yourself in the situation you want to create. How do you do this? Once again, the simplest way is to start small.
 

Think about this: when ordering a salad in a restaurant, you choose the type of lettuce, vegetables, cheese and dressing. You visualize how the salad will look when it arrives at your table.  You are clear about what you want.  After all, when you’re thinking about the salad, you don’t have a visual picture of a chicken sandwich in your mind, do you? Of course not! You have a visual image of the salad you wish to eat.  It works the same with bigger items, like financial freedom. You must visualize the money, the bank statements, investments or just plain truckloads of money arriving into your life.
 

3.  Detach from the process.

One thing that holds many people back is not knowing “how” to do something.  Forget it.  The “how to do it” instructions will appear after you have clearly defined what you want.
 

Take the example of ordering the salad. After you order, you don’t have to worry about how the salad will take shape. Every restaurant prepares salad differently, but the outcome is the same – it arrives at your table ready to eat. It is the same with all other events in your life.
 

4.  Expect that it will happen.

Just as you expect the salad to arrive at your table ready to eat, you can do the same with other things in your life.
 

Once you are decisive and clear about what you want and not trying to control the process, set an expectation that what you want will in fact appear.  It may not appear in the way you thought or at the precise time. In fact, it may not appear at all! Possibilities you thought were a sure thing may disappear.  You may even experience frustration, anxiety or impatience trying to control the outcome.  Ask yourself “What lesson could I learn from this experience?” and turn it into a personal growth opportunity.
 

5. Be Open To Possibility

As I mentioned in the last step, the path to the outcome may (and probably will) show up in ways you never imagined before. It is your job to explore possibility. Suspend judgment of how things should be done based on your past experiences and ask yourself “Is the situation, person or resource that is in front of me supposed to help me on my journey?”   “If so, how?”  When you ask the question, you will be given the answers – one step at a time.
 

6.  Practice Gratitude.

Are you thankful for the things you have in your life right now? Do you look at your challenges as opportunities to grow or burdens that need to be eliminated? When you practice being thankful for specific events in your life, including the burdens, even when you don’t understand why they appear in your life, your ability to manifest accelerates almost to the speed of thought.
 

It isn’t always necessary or advisable to try to change every challenge in your life. Some are there as lessons for you. If all efforts to change something seem to be ineffective, try asking, “How does this situation benefit me?” It is not only a much more positive way to approach a challenge, but a much more insightful one as well.  Many times, the answer at the moment is just to trust. Say, “I don’t know, but the situation will serve a purpose in the future.” Chances are it will.
 

Practicing these steps means taking action, being consistent and being open to change. Getting what you want is not always easy.  Challenges occur. Emotions, other people’s negative views and comments set you back. But in the end, it all comes back down to your choice. Choose to get what you want, believe that your strong will can contribute to it manifesting and it will happen for you.

Did you discover any lessons for you in Manifesting in this article?