Who Cares WIns is a leading CSR Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark April 16^th, 2013 9am – 6pm GMT

I am often asked to share my knowledge and insight regarding the cutting edge of sustainable lifestyle and business practices in the Nordic Countries with my USA LOHAS peers. Particularly Copenhagen is heralded for and mentioned as a case-study for sustainable living worldwide.  I therefore wanted to share with you the opportunity to participate free of charge through a live-stream link, when WHO CARES WINS again opens it’s doors for a full day of keynote speakers, debates, panels and workshops on April 16^th in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“The most significant CSR event in Copenhagen” says CSR Magazine.

The sold out CSR conference Who Cares Wins in Copenhagen wishes to emphasize, once and for all, that CSR and sustainability can lead the direct way to a more solid bottom line.  To debate this controversial subject, Mohan Munashinge, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 with former Vice President of the United States Al Gore, the CSR-guru Wayne Visser, Josephine Fairley (founder of one of the world’s first Fairtrade brands and Derek Abell (professor at Harvard Business School) among other interesting guests will be key note speakers at the conference.

FREE LIVE STREAM of the entire conference here. The broadcast will be free for everyone interested, and the event will be streamed in English: http://stream.whocareswins.dk

Timezone Converter here.

Sandja Brügmann is managing partner of Refresh Agency, a leading specialist PR and communications agency focusing on the sustainable lifestyle market [LOHAS – lifestyles of health and sustainability] in the USA and Europe.  She has served leading brands at the cutting edge of the LOHAS phenomenon such as GoodBelly, Crocs, Sterling Rice Group, Ticket to Heaven, Addis Creson, Clementine Art, Vickerey, ITO EN, TEAS' TEA, Neve Designs and Chocolove.  Sandja was born and raised in the fashion-centric and sustainability-minded Denmark. She grew up on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea in a household run mostly on solar power by an entrepreneurial mother and an eco-conscientious father. 

Connect with Sandja Brügmann sandja@refreshagency.com www.refreshagency.com  

Twitter @sandja www.Facebook.com/RefreshAgency  www.Pinterest.com/Sandja  Instagram @sandjabrugmann 

For more than 500 years, Japanese culture has embraced the drinking of tea as a rich element of social, medicinal and spiritual practice. With strong links to Zen Buddhism

The Japanese Tea Ceremony captures all the elements of Japanese philosophy and artistic beauty, and interweaves four principles - harmony (with people and nature), respect (for others), purity (of heart and mind), and tranquility. It grew from the custom of Zen Buddhist monks drinking tea from a single bronze bowl in front of a statue of their founder, Bodhidharma, during their act of worship. Over the centuries, rituals gradually developed around the religious significance and the use and appreciation of the utensils needed for preparing and serving tea.(Jane Pettigrew).

The Japanese concept of wabi-sabi is defined by the three realities that nothing lasts, nothing is finished and nothing is perfect. Wabi-sabi recalls the freshness that accompanies rustic simplicity, quietness and ‘flawed beauty” (Taro Gold, Living Wabi-Sabi). Seen, for example, in the Japanese tea ceremony, the pottery items used are often rustic and simple-looking. On a more spiritual level, wabi-sabi indicates an attitude of quiet refinement “characterized by humility, restraint, simplicity, naturalism, profundity, imperfection, and asymmetry” (Chanoyu: The Art of Tea).

A cup of tea enjoyed can be considered a gift. Now more than ever, I am painfully aware of how lucky I am to drink tea in a place of safe and calm. As my heart breaks for the victims in Japan, I am somewhat heartened to discover many tea companies who are working to provide much needed disaster relief for victims.

I’d like to share them with you (thanks to Tea Happiness, and Tea Pages blog for resources).

Ito En Tea Company
Will donate more than 1,000,000 bottles of water and tea as well as 1.2 million dollars to earthquake relief.

Pearl Teas
Will donate 40% to the Red Cross and searchdogfoundation.org.

East Pacific Tea
Will donate 25% of sales to the Red Cross.

Yogic Chai
Will donate 30% of sales through end of March.

The Tea Spot (boulder)
Will donate 25% of Japanese tea sales to Doctors Without Borders.

Hancha Tea
Will donate 20% of all online sales.

I drink my tea with gratitude and hope you’ll help by making a donation here:

Japan Society Earthquake Relief Fund
Red Cross

By Dr. Holly Lucille, ND

On July 17th 2011, Dr. Dennis Godby, accompanied by his energetic sons Isaiah and Jeremiah and nephew, Jonas Ely, will set off on an historic, 4-month journey from San Francisco, CA to Bridgeport, CT on foot. Yes, on foot! Why on earth would a doctor, with an established practice, set off to run more than 3,250 miles across the country? Because of you! Dr. Dennis Godby cares about you, and your access to safe, natural health care.
Dr. Godby is a licensed doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. Naturopathic Medicine is a system of medicine based on the belief that the human body has an innate healing ability. Naturopathic doctors (NDs) teach their patients to use diet, exercise, lifestyle changes and cutting edge natural therapies to enhance their bodies’ ability to ward off and combat disease. Since many Americans are not even aware of the many systems of medicine that are available to them, The RUN is a public awareness campaign to educate Americans about natural medicine, and help empower personal choice.

The six principles of naturopathic medicine that make it unique from all other systems of medicine are:

·      Do No Harm Naturopathic medicine uses therapies that are safe and effective as we understand there are many options available before drugs and surgery.

·      The Healing Power of Nature 
The human body possesses the inherent ability to restore health. The physician's role is to facilitate this process with the aid of natural, nontoxic therapies.

·      Discover and Treat the Cause, Not Just the Effect 
Physicians seek and treat the underlying cause of a disease. Symptoms are viewed as expressions of the body's natural attempt to heal. The origin of disease is removed or treated so the patient can recover.

·      Treat the Whole Person 
The multiple factors in health and disease are considered while treating the whole person. Physicians provide flexible treatment programs to meet individual health care needs.

·      The Physician is a Teacher 
The physician's major role is to educate, empower, and motivate patients to take responsibility for their own health. Creating a healthy cooperative relationship with the patient has a strong therapeutic value.

·      Prevention is the best "cure" 
Naturopathic physicians are preventive medicine specialists. Physicians assess patient risk factors and heredity susceptibility and intervene appropriately to reduce risk and prevent illness. Prevention of disease is best accomplished through education and a lifestyle that supports health.

Naturopathic doctors (NDs) are primary care physicians clinically trained in natural therapeutics and whose philosophy is derived in part from a Hippocratic teaching more than 2000 years old: Vis mediatrix naturae---nature is the healer of all diseases. Their practice is based on the same basic bio-medical science foundation that traditional medical practice is; however, their philosophies and approaches differ considerably from their conventional counterparts. Naturopathic physicians diagnose disease and treat patients by using natural modalities. They choose treatment based on the individual patient, not based on the generality of symptoms. This approach has proven successful in treating both chronic and acute conditions

Information and awareness is power!  Join the Run’s movement and feel your own strength!

Dr. Holly Lucille, aka "Dr. Holly" is a nationally recognized licensed Naturopathic Physician, author and educator. She graduated from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine where she received the prestigious “Daphne Blayden Award” for her “Commitment to Naturopathic Medicine, academic excellence, compassion, perseverance, a loving sense of humor and a positive, supportive outlook”.

The Run: Moving Natural Medicine Forward is an extraordinary 3,250-Mile run across America! Naturopathic Physician Dr. Dennis Godby and a fantastic team are setting out to increase awareness, educate and empower people about natural health care options, preventing disease, finding and treating the cause of illness, and revitalizing the nation’s health. The RUN is the primary project of the Institute for Natural Medicine, a public advocacy non-profit organization. http://www.therun.org

By Dr. Holly Lucille


 

1. Choose a Holiday Helper when visiting family. Pick one friend who you know very well and who knows you that you can slip into another room and make quick, but meaningful contact with for support in turbulent family times. It is like a “holiday family sponsor” : )
2. Pick and Choose Wisely to stay in balance.... You don’t have to say YES to every invitation you get for a holiday gathering, and you don’t have to lie either to get out of it. When striving for balance making a commitment to you and staying home, or taking a yoga class is enough to decline a party in the hectic holiday times.  If it feels better, you can send a bottle of wine or champagne along with your regret. Look at your calendar in advance and plan wisely! Fail to plan = plan to fail!
3. Elevate the Conversation. Chit chat and gossip can be energy draining and unhealthy in the holiday season parties.  Go to the event prepared with a cause important to you and take initiative to turn any meaningless or mean chatter in a positive direction. This can change the energy in the room and also create community long after the busy season is over.
4. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!  Water is by far our best friend in these times. It can help curb the overindulgence of both alcohol and food during the holiday season.  Have a glass with you at all times, and before you take that second drink and/or helping, take in at least 10 ounces of water, you will be amazed at the difference.
5. Use Your Beverage as Your Medicine.  Herbal tea’s like peppermint and milk thistle can help the detoxification and digestive process after being “over served.”

Dr. Holly Lucille, ND, RN, is a nationally recognized Naturopathic physician, author, educator, consumer advocate and natural products consultant. She is on the Worldwide Scientific Advisory Board of VivaPrime, A lifestyle company offering Holistic Nutritional Solutions for specific conditions.

You can read Dr. Lucille’s full bio here.

We are globe trotting with a mission!Traveling to the fashion capitals of the world, FASHIONmeGREEN uses local eco-fashion designers to give style influencers from their city an eco-fashion
makeover.

We kicked off this sustainable fashion awareness project and style site with an eco-fashion makeover in Los Angeles, known as The LA Project.Pulling pieces from five eco-designers’
collections; Popomomo, Curatorial, The Battalion, Brigid Catiis and Calleen Cordero, FASHIONmeGREEN chose Lucrecia Chan as the source of LA’s style inspiration for the eco-fashion makeover.

Chan, author of the LA-based fashion blog Fashion Is Poison, fits the bill of a style influencer in every way. With an avid online following and fierce style that is coveted and replicated, Lucrecia had a strong sense of fashion that came through during the FASHIONmeGREEN eco-makeover and photo shoot.

“Versatility, comfort, and the right fit all go hand in hand; wearing clothes that feel like a second skin is very important to me,” states Chan.

So, what happens when you bring a style savvy influencer and the hottest ecodesignerlabels together for a shoot?...Let’s just say that this Fashion Is Poison blogger’s eco-makeover was deadly! Be sure to check out FASHIONmeGREEN’s Shop the Shoot section to scoop up the eco-fabulous pieces worn by Chan in her eco-fashion makeover, and fashion yourself green!

And don’t miss FASHIONmeGREEN’s daily feed called the FMG Daily where of-the-moment celebrity and runway trends are featured with their eco-alternatives.

FASHIONmeGREEN is re-defining eco-fashion, providing a style resource with a conscience!

“For anyones who has ever felt the dilemma of choosing to be eco or chic- FASHIONmeGREEN is their resource for ecofashionwith style standards just as high as the eco ones.” -Greta Eagan, Founder
FASHIONmeGREEN

Who knew that a laptop bag could be practical, eco-friendly and offer cutting-edge style? Thanks to English Retreads, who recently debuted the Bentley Luxe Laptop Bag, sustainability meets functionality, as well as fashion. English Retreads turns recycling into a bold fashion statement with eco-chic vegan handbags and accessories handcrafted in Boulder, Colorado. The Bentley Luxe is made from repurposed rubber and recycled PET, and expands a growing line of English Retreads vegan totes, clutches, and accessories which combine to make a high-impact fashion statement with low impact on the environment.

The Bentley Luxe accommodates 17” MacBook or 15” PC laptops in a padded and secured compartment; additional features include specialized inside and outside zippered pockets, a mesh bottle holder and adjustable padded shoulder strap. Reclaimed tire inner-tubes are given new life as the external material for the eco-bag and five internal color options of Scarlet Red, Quarry Blue, Jet Black, Apple Green, and Pumpkin are available using a 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottle PET material. 

When asked about the Bentley Luxe, Heather English, Founder and President of English Retreads, said “We recognize the emerging opportunity to integrate fashion and environmental consciousness on behalf of the green consumer's need for a stylish and sophisticated laptop carrier. With the addition of the Bentley Luxe, we are excited to lead the market in innovative repurposed raw material use, while simultaneously delivering on functionality with a unique style all our own – our Company could not be more excited to be able to go to market with our new eco-bag on this very special 40^th anniversary of Earth Day.”

Thanks to English Retreads, every day is a day to honor the earth. Let the new Bentley Luxe Laptop Bag, as well as other English Retreads products, act as reminders of your contribution to reducing, reusing and recycling, all while looking good!

For more on English Retreads go to www.englishretreads.com

Clementine Art Honored for Innovation
By Diana Mercer

Boulder based Clementine Art was awarded the Sherbrooke Capital award for Excellence in Innovation at Natural Products Expo West this year. This award is a particularly rewarding one for the Clementine team, as the idea of innovation is at the heart of Clementine’s creative mission: for our products, for children, and for the planet.

To think that a loaded, green paintbrush in the mouth of a toddler started it all. As the owner of Clementine Studio, a local art space for children, I sighed a lot, washed little fingers (and faces) a lot, and wondered why the art product choices for children weren’t better. A lot.

The more I wondered, the more I researched. The more I researched, the more unsettling information was revealed (or sometimes concealed), which, in turn, pushed me to experiment. Armed with a teacher’s recipe for dough, organic flour, and a box full of natural color and scent samples, I started making natural paint and play dough in my kitchen in 2008.  The more I experimented, the softer and brighter our natural play dough became. The more natural colorants I tested, the more I learned about p.H and other stability factors. The experience was hardly free from difficulties;  an overturned quart of natural cranberry extract on my car floor is a lingering disaster I re-experience daily. Mixing purple play dough to send off to an important buyer, only to notice that it faded to grey overnight was perplexing to my inexperienced mind, and one particular stinky batch of bad paint would have made your head spin.

Our mantra became, If making natural art supplies were easy, someone would have done it a long time ago. As we pushed up against the limits of our incomplete scientific expertise, the Clementine Art team worked with a bevy of natural food scientists, natural ink researchers, biochemists, and other industry experts to refine and perfect our formulas. In August 2009, Clementine introduced the first all natural children’s tempera paint, markers, crayons, crayon rocks, glue and modeling dough.

Innovation can be defined as the creation of something new. For Clementine Art to be recognized for innovation by bringing unique and better products to market is an honor. Even better, is our learning that we have set a high standard for the company we aspire to be. It is our greatest hope that our products will inspire the same innovation and engagement in the creative process for our children.

Clementine is proud to help children develop their creative voices. We believe those voices are the future of innovation; one step closer to solving all the complex problems our world can dish out.
 

An Engineer’s Journey of Rediscovery of Exploration, Creativity & Meaning.



A desire to re-connect with his inner creativity and a deeper meaning in life were the driving forces that gave birth to Jim Campbell’s OmLight Photography.

The mixture of Jim’s previous passion with photography, his newly found meaning with life through yoga and his personal practice on the mat led him to want to “be of service” and offer his camera to CorePower Yoga to get a number of overdue teacher bio photos taken.

All the teachers gathered one afternoon, and as often happens when you put yogis together in a room, a spontaneous mix of play and exploration occured. Sterile headshot photo work turned into an impromptu group yoga asana exploration…and OmLight Photography was born as an emerging yoga oriented business.

When we get on the mat, our life is reflected in the mat as our mirror. We have to face ourselves, and it gives us an opportunity to work through the layers of stuff such as ego, sadness, anger, jealousy, frustrations, confusion etc. Yoga brings us into our bodies – our physical being, and out of our head. Surfing through our bodies, riding on the breath, we practice letting go and becoming our authentic and true selves. We practice self- and other love. We practice compassion and acceptance.

“Through my photography, I feel I become part of, a witness of, the person’s inner shining, true self expressions. It is a beautiful process. People almost forget that I am there with my camera capturing them in various yoga postures, as they loose themselves in their inner practice.I am full-filled from an intellectual perspective through my work as an engineer, however, in recent years, I have moved into more of a management role, and I felt less creatively fulfilled as I wasn’t creating and exploring at work any longer – life essence photography through yoga has brought that back into my life.”

As I look at my calendar of obligations for the day of Wednesday November 11th, it is slightly overwhelming from the moment I awake. One of those days. Rushing from meeting to meeting. Mostly wonderful meetings, no less. A social media meeting with one of my absolute favorite lifestyle e-boutiques Vickerey at the Dushanbee Teahouse. Attending trapeze class with Frequent Flyers at the Dairy Center for Performing Arts – and then rush to OmLight Photography to meet with Jim Campbell and his lovely assistant Justina. Deep breath. Deeeeep breath.

I wasn’t entirely centered as I arrive at Jim’s studio in North Boulder. As Jim’s voice talks me through a selection of Surya Namaskar A+B posture series and encourages deep relaxation and breathing, coming into my own yoga practice, I feel myself quickly melt into my yoga space. It’s almost as if he isn’t there, except for when Justina aids hair away from my eye or Jim is queuing me to optimize alignment and camera angle. I am surprised to find myself actually getting deeply into postures and my ujaii (oo-JAI-ay) breath.

My 10 year old daughter, Amilija, had come along to check it out. As we are playing around, we decide to do some partner yoga shots of her and I. Feeling her resting on my back, trusting in me fully, as I am in downwardfacing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), I am surprised to realize that her sacrum against mine is an intimate and softening experience. How often do we connect as human beings, mothers & daughters this way? My heart has gone thru extreme openings and awakenings the past months; this unexpectedly close loving and warming experience bringing me so close to my daughter in a way I had never thought about, breaks open my heart another inch or two. It makes me realize, how many beautiful and fulfilling ways exist in sharing ourselves and our hearts with loved ones and the world at large. Now, I certainly had not expected a spiritual experience this evening through capturing my yoga asanas on camera. This is an experience I can highly recommend for anyone; lovers, mothers & daughters, sisters and brothers and just for your own individual experience (also perfect as a holiday gift to someone very special). So here I am, talking about the process and experience – obviously, you will walk away with a lifelong visual capture of your own shining asana heart!

 

You do not need to be a Shiva Rea or Seane Corn to get your yoga portraiture taken – this is for anyone, who has any level of experience with yoga.

Details

* $199 for a one hour session for a single person, $249 for two or more people.

Included with your shoot is one 13×19 print, which can be 1, 2 or 4 images.

Various photos options for purchase is available after the shoot.

Leigh Goldberg – an experienced partner yoga teacher , will guide you and your partner through postures, while Jim Campbell captures the essence of beauty, play and expressions. Call for price.

Contact omlightphoto@gmail.com for further questions, or to schedule your session. OmLight Photography.

 

Healthy Living Tips for Children.
By Diana Mercer, founder Clementine Art.

During a tot’s art class at my children’s art studio in Boulder CO, a parent discovered that her toddler had placed a spring green paintbrush in her mouth, much like a lollipop. We both flinched as the paint smeared around her little girl’s lips, fully coating the inside of her mouth.

Springing to action, we rinsed and wiped her daughter clean. This mother turned to me with a worried look and asked, “Is this really ok?”

“Our paint is non-toxic.” I replied with assurance.  For more than 20 years as a teacher, I have understood that non-toxic is as good as it gets for children’s art supplies. The label ‘non-toxic’ means that a product is not related to any toxin or poison. I am confident that this means it will not kill anyone. For many years, The American National Standards Institute (ASTM) has been certifying that art supplies meet non-toxicity standard ASTM D-4236 and that any toxins will be clearly listed on the label.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has this to say:

Parents and others buying art materials, school supplies and toys such as crayons, paint sets, or modeling clay should be alert and purchase only those products which are accompanied by the statement "Conforms to ASTM D-4236."

Like many people, I have lately become concerned about the environment and more aware of health issues as they relate to my food, cosmetics, and other consumer choices, I buy organics when I can, bring grocery bags to the store with me, and ride my bike instead of getting in the car so often.

After the paint-in-the-mouth incident, I felt besieged by unanswered questions about what children’s paint is made of. I wondered why the ingredients aren’t available to me on the label? The colors, odor, and seemingly infinite shelf life of children’s paint made me wonder what kind of chemicals, synthetic dyes, and preservatives were contained in my non-toxic bottle of paint.

As a consumer, I have been concerned by news that widely distributed toys from China were discovered to contain excess levels of lead paint; that a ubiquitous children’s dough is reportedly made using a petroleum base; and that art materials contain synthetic dyes that have been linked to a wide variety of health issues in children including allergies, ADHD, and a variety of cancers.

I love art, and children. As an art teacher, I want to provide children with safer choices. On my short list, I’d like a product that is made with natural ingredients that I can pronounce. I’d like to purchase them from a company that is honest enough to list their ingredients right on the package. I want art materials that are safe for children, and the environment. 

Clementine Art was founded on the principle that we can do better for children. Clementine is committed to providing all natural, and non-toxic art supplies for children made from simple, and wholesome ingredients. 

Clementine Art creates pure, natural and healthy art supplies for families.  Clementine is art you can feel good about. The high quality art supplies are made with all natural ingredients, certified non-toxic, and environmentally friendly.  Clementine packaging is made of 100% post consumer recycled and reusable materials. Clementine Art founder Diana Mercer has more than 20 years experience in the early childhood and art education classroom, Diana Mercer has developed a deep respect for children, and for the role of creative exploration in healthy child development. Learn more www.clementineart.com