NASA studies flaring gamma-ray star 4 Natural brides say ‘I do’ to Mother Earth 8 An Educational Guide to Sustainability and Spiritual Well-being Vol. 1, No. 8 April 2009 INSIDE: Wind energy grows by record 8.4 gigawatts 11 Live green , die green—become one with Mother Earth 13 Artist mixes natural elements into her paints Page 16
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NASA studies fl aring gamma-ray star 4
Natural brides say ‘I do’ to Mother Earth 8
An Educational Guide to Sustainability and Spiritual Well-being
Vol. 1, No. 8 April 2009
INSIDE:
Wind energy grows by record 8.4 gigawatts 11
Live green , die green—become one with Mother Earth 13
Artist mixes natural elements into her paints Page 16
Page 2 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com April 2009
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Astronomers using NASA’s Swift
satellite and Fermi Gamma-ray
Space Telescope are seeing fre-
quent blasts from a stellar rem-
nant 30,000 light-years away.
The high-energy fireworks arise from a rare
type of neutron star known as a soft-gamma-
ray repeater. Such objects unpredictably send
out a series of X-ray and gamma-ray flares.
“At times, this remarkable object has
erupted with more than a hundred flares in
as little as 20 minutes,” said Loredana Vetere,
who is coordinating the Swift observations
at Pennsylvania State University. “The most
intense flares emitted more total energy than
the sun does in 20 years.”
The object, which has long been known as
an X-ray source, lies in the southern constel-
lation Norma. During the past two years,
astronomers have identified pulsing radio
and X-ray signals from it. The object began a
series of modest eruptions on Oct. 3, 2008,
then settled down. It roared back to life Jan.
22, with an intense episode.
Because of the recent outbursts, astrono-
mers will classify the object as a soft-gamma-
ray repeater—only the sixth known. In 2004
a giant flare from another soft-gamma-ray
repeater was so intense it measurably affected
Earth’s upper atmosphere from 50,000 light-
years away.
Scientists think the source is a spinning
neutron star, which is the superdense, city-
sized remains of an exploded star. Although
only about 12 miles across, a neutron star
contains more mass than the sun. The object
has been cataloged as SGR J1550-5418.
While neutron stars typically possess
intense magnetic fields, a subgroup displays
fields 1,000 times stronger. These so-called
magnetars have the strongest magnetic fields
of any known object in the universe.
SGR J1550-5418, which rotates once
every 2.07 seconds, holds the record for
the fastest-spinning magnetar. Astronomers
think magnetars power their flares by tap-
ping into the tremendous energy of their
magnetic fields.
“The ability of Fermi’s gamma-ray burst
monitor to resolve the fine structure within
these events will help us better understand
how magnetars unleash their energy,” said
Chryssa Kouveliotou, an astrophysicist at
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Ala.
The object has triggered the instrument
more than 95 times since Jan. 22.
Using data from Swift’s X-ray telescope,
Jules Halpern at Columbia University cap-
tured the first “light echoes” ever seen from a
soft-gamma-ray repeater.
Images acquired when the latest flar-
ing episode began show what appear to be
expanding halos around the source.
Multiple rings form as X-rays interact with
dust clouds at different distances, with closer
clouds producing larger rings. Both the rings
and their apparent expansion are an illusion
caused by the finite speed of light and the
longer path the scattered light must travel.
“X-rays from the brightest bursts scatter
off dust clouds between us and the star,”
Halpern said. “As a result, we don’t really
know the distance to this object as well as we
would like. These images will help us make a
more precise measurement and also deter-
mine the distance to the dust clouds.”
NASA’s Wind satellite, the joint NASA-Ja-
pan Suzaku mission, and the European Space
Agency’s INTEGRAL satellite also have
detected flares from SGR J1550-5418.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Md., manages the Swift satellite.
It is being operated in collaboration with
partners in the United States, the United
Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Japan.
NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Tele-
scope is an astrophysics and particle physics
observatory developed in collaboration with
the U.S. Department of Energy and with im-
portant contributions from academic institu-
tions and partners in France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, Sweden and the United States.
Photos courtesy NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab
Gamma-rays fl ares from SGR J1550-5418 may arise when the magnetar’s surface suddenly cracks, releasing energy stored within its powerful magnetic fi eld.
NASA studies fl aring gamma-ray star
Astronomers think soft gamma-ray repeaters are
magnetars—neutron stars with a super-strong
magnetic fi eld (blue arcs in this artist’s concept).
April 2009 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com Page 5
While out riding with a
friend one day, our horses
were suddenly startled by a
flock of geese lifting off the
reed-filled pond beside us. They made a tre-
mendous hue and cry as they flew upwards
toward their formation. It was as though
time stood still briefly and even the horses
and dogs seemed spellbound as they stood
motionless. The golden afternoon sun shone
on the underbellies and wings of the geese
rendering them molten gold against a deep
blue sky. These are the moments for which
I live, the awareness of many worlds and
realities interconnecting, these moments in
which the divine is palpable.
We live in a culture of noise, distraction
and avarice, with a drive to run far from
intimacy toward the acquisition of material
wealth and often superficial relationships.
The prevailing culture tries desperately to
outrun its own shadow with predictable
results. We can become so defended against
the silent longing to be reconnected with the
universe we often no longer recognize the
invitation.
Many turn to addictions, some even feel
suicidal in their sense of alienation. We feel
we have no voice, no home; that we are
somehow separated from life caught up in
the race to achieve—or merely to survive—
that there is no space for us to be authentic,
to step out of our defenses, our masks.
I write this following a couple of weeks of
over-extension where I became submerged
by the clamor of work responsibilities, bills,
everyday obligations and disappointments.
What a gift it is to write this column, to have
the deadline bring me back to sanity and
focus. It is no mean feat to remain centered
and open these days, without lapsing into a
tailspin of externally driven activity.
In this moment, I remember that perhaps
the single most important aspect of life we
can nurture is the ability to pay attention,
to be present to our surroundings and allow
our surroundings to be present to us. We do
not live in a world of collected objects, but
of intricate and intensely mysterious subjects
who are as much a part of our reality as
our bodies and spirits. They do not live in
“our world,” we interact with one another’s
world constantly in an ebb and flow like the
tides. The size of our family is not limited to
the humans to whom we are related, but is
boundless, including the land in which we
live, the animals, plants, streams, the sun,
moon and stars.
Our difficulties often arise not from forces
beyond our control but from erroneous
perceptions we have been taught or have
developed while maturing in a culture with
little depth perception.
There is so much that transpires on subtle
levels that cannot be measured by the intel-
lect or on a physical plane. Our energies
intermingle with the energies of the trees,
geese, each other—the evolution of life. We
rob ourselves of love and opportunity by our
reductionist thinking and unconscious con-
sumption. We are rarely even present to one
another without some kind of entertainment,
noise, distraction. We are afraid to be seen, to
be vulnerable—even to ourselves—and yet it
is this very vulnerability that holds the seeds
of deep love and growth.
It is not enough to be in the woods. What
if we learn to become the woods and allow
the woods to become us? To understand that
our sense of separation is a function of our
perception and not an empirical fact?
Once we begin to see this, our lives are
boundless, we can fly with Raven over the
canyon, pollinate flowers with Bee, return
into the Earth in dissolution and grace. We
can look into the sky and see our own begin-
nings, our true ancestors and the expansion
of our universe.
What does the color of spring leaves mean
to you? Do you see the ant crossing your
path in time to stop and allow him to pass
unharmed? Do you feel the patterns of the
wind, the phases of the moon, the mysterious
shifts of presence at dawn and dusk? Do you
notice the first flowers of spring? Do you ex-
perience the flight of a red tailed hawk above
as a gift of grace? Do you see the hawk?
Equally, once we forgo our sense of separa-
tion, we suffer the cold night streets with the
homeless, dark nights of loss, sickness and
fear of financial ruin that many face on a
daily basis. It is not enough to embrace only
the light. In order to be fully present and live
a compassionate life of true community, we
need also embrace darkness and suffering
(in ourselves and others) to see the hidden
kernels of hope and redemption.
Do we look away when we encounter
those in need? If we are financially wealthy,
do we hoard our wealth or share a little with
someone to whom our gift might mean they
still have a place to live, or can afford medical
care? If we are spiritually wealthy, do we share
our wisdom with others, offering them hope
and support?
It is an illusion that blinding ourselves to
the needs of others protects us and keeps us
safe. We all have the potential to be healers,
artists, wisdom keepers, friends.
The terrible beauty of life can overwhelm
us at times but, ultimately, it is far more dif-
ficult to hide than it is to embrace it all as I
can attest, having spent my fair share of time
trying to hide from the awesome responsibil-
ity of being fully awake in the world. But I
have come too far to trade my birthright for
a cup of soup. Too far to be satisfied with
half a life, of accepting the cage when I can
reach the keys to freedom. I suspect you have
too.
Originally from England, Pia lives in Payson, Arizona, and has been a part of Earth Odyssey since the beginning. She has a master’s degree in Culture and Spirituality, and most recently graduated from the Sacred Art of Living’s Anamcara Project. She can be contacted through Earth Odyssey and her free-lance photography business, Animist Arts ([email protected]).
Exploring aspects of presence and perception
Maya, Leela and Deepak
Chopra’s advice is, “Live
in the present for it is
the only moment you
have. Keep your atten-
tion on what is here and now. Accept what
comes to you totally, learn from it, and then
let it go. This moment is as it is because the
universe is as it is. Don’t struggle against
this moment because you will be struggling
against the whole universe.”
In the book “Power, Freedom, and Grace,”
Deepak Chopra reminds us to practice life-
centered present moment awareness. Accept
this moment as it is.
You can want the future to be different,
but even the act of setting an intention is in
this moment. You cannot take action in the
past or in the future, so if you dwell in the
past or in the future, you feel powerless.
Take action in the present, detach from
worry in this moment. Let the universe
handle the details.
“With the past, I have nothing to do;
nor with the future. I live now,” said Ralph
Waldo Emerson, an American essayist, phi-
losopher, poet and leader of the transcenden-
talist movement in the mid-1800s.
Are you so busy getting to the future that
the present is simply forgotten or reduced to
a means of getting there? There are simple
things you can do to bring your attention
to the here and now—where your life really
happens.
In almost any moment, you can anchor to
the present moment using breath awareness.
Your body and breath are never in the past or
the future.
They are always experiencing the now.
Become aware of your breathing. Feel the
air flowing in and out of your body. All that
you ever have to deal with, cope with, in
real life—as opposed to your mind’s projec-
tions—is this moment.
If you are worried, ask yourself what
“problem” you have right now, not next year,
tomorrow or five minutes from now. What is
wrong in this moment?
Eckhart Tolle, author of the “Power of
Now,” suggests that we give up waiting as a
state of mind.
“Waiting creates a sense that the moment
we are in isn’t good enough,” he said. “When
you catch yourself simply waiting—waiting
for another time, or something else to hap-
pen—snap out of it. Come into the present
moment.”
You can use your breath. Just enjoy being.
If you are present, there is never any need for
you to wait for anything. So, next time some-
body says, “Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
You might reply: “That’s all right, I wasn’t
waiting. I was simply standing here enjoying
myself.”
Another way to is to take any routine
activity that normally is only a means to an
end and give it your fullest attention. Here
are three examples.
1. Every time you walk up and down the
stairs in your house or place of work,
pay close attention to every step, every
movement, even your breathing. Be totally
present.
2. When you wash your hands, pay attention
to all the sensory perceptions associated
with the activity: the sound and feel of the
water, the movement of your hands, the
scent of the soap and so on.
3. When you get into your car, after you
close the door, pause for a few seconds and
observe the flow of your breath. Become
aware of a silent but powerful sense of
presence.
Sarah McLean is the director of Sedona Meditation Training & Retreats and is certified and recommended by Dr. Deepak Chopra. She can be reached via e-mail at [email protected], phone at (928) 204-0067 or fax at (866) 654-1705. You can also visit online at www.SedonaMeditation.com.
A key to happiness: Present moment awareness
Th e brain reaches its maximum weight at age 20 - about 3 pounds. Over the next 60
years, as billions of nerve cells die within the brain, it loses about 3 ounces. Th e brain
begins to lose cells at a rate of 50,000 per day by the age of 30.
Fun Fact
Page 6 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com April 2009
By Kimberley Paterson
Earth Odyssey Contributor
A small nation at the bottom
of the world is increasingly
looking like it may have the
answers when it comes to
moving beyond the current
downward recessionary cycle the world is
experiencing.
With its small, educated, mobile popula-
tion in a country blessed with an abundance
of natural resources, New Zealand is looking
like a good bet for the unpredictable years
ahead.
Several immediate pointers indicate that
the deeper values of this tiny Pacific na-
tion—population just breeching 4 million
in a country the size of Great Britain—is a
place ready made for the kind of simplicity,
sustainability and new thinking that will be
required in times to come.
Despite suffering the financial woes being
experienced elsewhere—in the real estate,
building, retail and investment sectors—the
New Zealand banking system has been
described as “vanilla” in its solid propensity
to avoid high risk financial stakes that have
plagued other systems worldwide.
This gives a platform of stability that
augurs well for recovery and allows “Kiwis”
to get on with taking their best ideas for the
years ahead out to the rest of the world.
There is the inbuilt optimism inherent
in the Kiwis: a “do-it-yourself ” philosophy
that rules across all sectors of society, a place
where innovation comes naturally, where
people care about an equitable society, while
New Zealanders are passionate travellers and
are used to gathering and adopting ideas
from myriad sources.
Genetic engineering, however, is one idea
the country has elected not to adopt.
While prolonged powerful lobbies have
recently seen some small field trials allowed,
the public has turned out in the tens of thou-
sands to march against genetic engineering
of foodstuffs. When some genetic engineered
contaminated corn was found to have been
imported into the country in recent years,
it caused a national furore with the Prime
Minister called into public account.
The kind of new thinking that can lead the
world to a more secure future, financial and
otherwise, is epitomized by operations such
as the Wellpark College of Natural Therapies
in Auckland.
The College is the brain child of Phillip
Cottingham, a tall, thin highly ethical man
who draws his inspiration from the Tibetan
hills, but helps make real life change happen
across New Zealand and across the globe
with his reach into training people in the
natural health world.
Cottingham was an early adopter of the
now mainstream wellbeing industry and fled
an initial career as a computer operator to
train in the nascent field in the late 1970s.
He taught his first natural health class in the
early 1980s: five students in a converted shed
at the bottom of his garden.
Soon the pressure of student demand led
to an increasingly expanding series of rented
commercial properties, until he took a big
punt to buy the former inner city church that
now forms the basis of the College (www.
wellpark.co.nz).
Today the College turns over millions
of dollars annually, involves 300 students,
four faculty heads and 40 academic tutors,
including medical doctors. The international
campus of students and staff is drawn from
America, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, Ja-
pan, China, Korea, Norway, Iraq, Thailand,
Greece and Australia. Expansion has seen the
College just purchase a block of verdant 7.6
hectare bushland across the city to build a
second campus.
Lisa Bourne epitomises the kind of student
that is upping sticks from her old life to
move across the world and become an ardent
fan, not just of natural healing, but also
what’s going on in this land at the bottom of
the world.
Three years ago, Bourne was at the top
of the corporate game in London. She was
marketing manager of a business division of
media giant Newsquest, heading 80 staff,
overseeing a multimillion dollar budget and
entertaining clients with trips to Morocco or
taking staff to lunch in Paris or Barcelona.
Suddenly developing crippling rheumatoid
arthritis in her early 40s led to a serious life
revision. The waterfront apartment at Brigh-
ton was sold and, after visiting to investigate
the quality of natural health colleges and
teaching in Britain, the United States and
Australia, Lisa moved lock, stock and barrel
to New Zealand.
She now lives in the remote wild west coast
beach settlement of Muriwai and drives 35
minutes a day into central Auckland to study
and work part time.
“People here think I’m mad doing a 35
minute drive to work ... but it’s nothing
compared to the four-hour round commute
by train I used to do each day,” said the
reformed workaholic.
It wasn’t just the quality of the holistic
teaching that drew her to New Zealand,
Bourne said, but a deeper resonance with the
values coming out of the country. It’s some-
thing echoed by students throughout the
College who have swapped life in Shanghai
or Berlin or Los Angeles for the smoother
beat of Auckland, with its jewel-like harbour
and laid back atmosphere.
There’s a green healthiness to the country
that draws both eco and adventure tourists
alike. Kiwis are keen to see that protected
and have an official vision for the country
to be totally organic in 11 years with the
Organic 2020 campaign.
Global concerns about food safety and pol-
lution see New Zealand well placed as a sup-
plier of top organic produce. Organic exports
New Zealand may have answer to recession
Photo by Miguel A. Monjas
View of Aoraki/Mount Cook from the valley of the River Hooker
Courtesy photo
Th e kiwi bird, a fl ightless bird endemic to New Zealand, is the nation’s national symbol.
April 2009 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com Page 7
were worth $130 million in 2006, double the
revenue of just five years previously: 73 per-
cent the country’s organic exports are made
up of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Also on offer are meat, dairy, honey, jams
and wine. Export markets are Europe (46
percent), North America (27 percent), Japan,
Korea and elsewhere in Asia and Australia.
There was a 36 percent increase in land
devoted to organic production from 2002 to
2007 and the domestic organic market was
worth $259 million in 2006. Farmers mar-
kets have become de rigueur in towns and
cities across the country every weekend.
Another winner is that all New Zealand’s
beef and sheep are pasture fed, predominately
on high hill country. Studies have shown that
grass fed beef is naturally leaner and better
for human health than grain fed animals,
with a higher ratio in Omega 3 and other
natural minerals and vitamins, including
linoleic acid, which reduces the risk of cancer
and other illnesses.
And then there’s New Zealand’s dedica-
tion to preserving its most beautiful places
for generations to come. Vast tracks of land
have been designated World Heritage Sites
by UNESCO.
Tongariro National Park, the immense
volcanic mountain park in the north island
heart land near Taupo, was the first to be
awarded World Heritage status in 1993:
it was also the country’s first national park
gifted by the indigenous Maori population to
all New Zealand people in 1887.
Other Heritage Sites include Te Wahi-
pounamu in the southwest—think glaciers,
stunning coastline, 800-year-old forests and
the only alpine parrot in the world—and the
New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands in the
southern, splendidly rich in biodiversity with
five bird breeds found nowhere else in the
world.
Even more uniquely, in 2009 New Zealand
is making a major bid in the “astro tourism”
business with the designation of the world’s
first World Heritage Starlight Reserve—a
national park in the sky.
It’s a pioneering application to UNESCO
for an area above the South Island’s Lake
Tekapo and Aoraki Mount Cook with its
clear and vast skies, one of the few places
left on earth where it’s still possible to see an
entire starlit night sky not drowned in light
pollution, smoke or jet streams.
The McKenzie District Council within
which Tekapo and Mt. Cook lie already has
special ordinances controlling the use of
lighting to restrict light pollution. A recent
survey in Japan showed 72 percent people
listed star gazing as the main reason they
wanted to visit New Zealand.
The timing of the application coincides
perfectly with the national resurgence of
interest in Matariki, the Maori new year.
Matariki (the word means “tiny eyes” or “eyes
of God”) comes in the winter months of June
and was a traditional time for Maori to pre-
pare the land for planting, spend time with
family (whanau) and reflect on the past year.
The star cluster Matariki is known elsewhere
as Pleiades or the Seven Sisters.
Inherent within Kiwis both Pakeha (of
European extraction) and Maori is a deep
relationship with the physical landscape. For
a vastly more affordable price than in most of
the rest of the world, New Zealanders have
ready access to beaches, parks, bushes and big
time nature.
There’s an egalitarian humanitarianism
that runs through the country; Kiwis like to
see people getting “a fair go.” The country
welcomes migrants and has a diverse cultural
mix. The Maori influence is seen widely
Photo by James Shook
Th e Mahuia River in the Tongariro National Park in New Zealand.
Photo by Sue Gardner
New Zealand’s Tongariro Crossing, the Emerald Lakes.
across the culture and globally the Maori are
seen as leaders in indigenous rights.
The smallness and sophistication of New
Zealand also sees it used as a test pot for new
ideas and products. Last year, the state owned
electricity company Meridian announced a
small scale trial of electric cars with the hope
they could eventually become a large part of
the New Zealand car fleet.
Meridian chief executive Keith Turner
wants to encourage the auto industry to look
more closely at opportunities for electric cars
in New Zealand, a country with plentiful
wind and water electricity.
The small nation is seen as one of the most
environmentally friendly on the planet—
with plans to halve its transport emissions
by 2040 using bio fuels, hybrids and electric
vehicles. There are also plans to have 90
percent of New Zealand electricity produced
by renewable means by 2025.
Across the land, Kiwis are talking positive-
ly about the current economic turmoil that
is frightening much of the world; many New
Zealanders believe the time for their new
type of thinking is ripe and that from this
small country new ideas for the whole planet
can be born.
Courtesy photo
New Zealand’s coastline is rugged and beautiful.
Page 8 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com April 2009
By Jill Russell
Earth Odyssey Correspondent
Weddings are full of lace,
love and a lifetime
of happiness. From
the rings to the vows,
every piece of the day
is a symbol and commitment toward longev-
ity. Forever for love is beautiful, but leaving a
permanent impact on the environment is not.
In the spirit of going green, many couples
are jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon
by starting with every wedding’s focal point:
the bridal dress.
Atlanta-based designer and founder of
Natural Brides, Morgan Boszilkov, infused
style with sustainability in her one-of-a kind
wedding gowns.
“As awareness and concern about envi-
ronmental and social issues increase, a bride’s
desire to be greener on her wedding day has
also grown,” Boszilkov said. “Women are
looking to extend their eco-friendly lifestyle
into their wedding, because the event reflects
the personality and is a great opportunity to
share green values with friends and family.”
While most average gowns are made from
synthetic fabrics like polyester and commer-
cial silk, the pieces from the Natural Brides
Collection feature sustainable blends such
as hemp, silk, bamboo, peace silk blends,
organic cotton, organic linen and organic
silk. Also, 5 percent of the profits from the
Natural Brides Collection are donated to
Conservational International, an organiza-
tion that promotes environmental causes
around the globe.
Often times, designing “green” gowns
means spending more green to produce
them. Boszilkov explained that the fabric she
uses in her designs is much more expensive
and the fact that she uses the skills of a local
tailor make it much more expensive com-
pared to producing abroad in a factory.
Regardless of the high production coasts,
Boszilkov believes sustainable fabrics are not
limiting, but have endless potential for creat-
ing fabulous designs.
“I have boundless creative energy and en-
thusiasm for bringing an eco-friendly option
to the modern bride,” Boszilkov explained.
“I want to make these gowns available for the
average bride and am almost always able to
work within a bride’s budget.”
The rebirth of the “green” movement has
been reflected in everything from toothpaste
to automobiles. The boom in popularity
for greener options has spurred the federal
government to make organic certifications
easier to obtain for businesses, like Natural
Brides, and clearer for consumers who want
the eco-friendly products.
The USDA’s National Organic Program
(NOP) Regulations create strict guidelines
for organic certification for all products,
including textiles, used by manufacturers.
The United States Department of Agri-
culture (USDA) regulates the term “organic”
as it applies to agricultural products through
NOP regulation. Labeling of textiles, such
as raw natural fibers, such as cotton, wool or
flax is covered under the NOP crop/livestock
production standards.
Off-farm treatment, however, of raw
organic fibers is not covered under those
production standards.
When textiles exceed the NOP production
and processing standards, they are eligible to
be labeled “100 percent organic” or “organic”
and can have a round USDA Organic seal
applied on the final product, in marketing
materials and in retail displays. All opera-
tions producing, handling, processing and
manufacturing the final product must be
certified by the USDA. Textiles must have a
minimum of 95 percent organic fiber con-
tent and 5 percent nonorganic substances to
be considered for certification.
Boszilkov said she has not looked into
becoming certified, but that she does receive
her materials from accredited local organic
co-ops.
Becoming a fashion designer has been Bo-
szilkov’s lifelong dream. Inspired by some of
her favorite designers like Christian Lacroix,
Carolina Herrera and Jean Paul Gaultier, Bo-
szilkov taught herself how to sketch, drape,
sew and knit.
“This art is my meditation,” she said. “I
get lost in my work and am completely at
peace when designing and creating.”
One of the most transformational times
in her life was traveling to Japan for a year
to teach English after college in 2004. She
took the time to absorb the sights, sounds
and culture. As a budding designer, she
loved Japan’s clothing stores and the cut-
ting-edge styles she saw on the street. She
often felt like she was walking into her
“dream closet.”
“There is an attention to detail, a girlish,
whimsical, romantic feel to the clothing
there,” Boszilkov explained. “The workman-
ship is beautiful, and I think their daily
casual wear is more experimental and fun
than a lot of clothing that is available in the
malls in the United States.”
Her eye for international fashion was also
shaped in college by a semester abroad in
Madrid, where she soaked in a ton of fashion
ideas while visiting the museums and the
paintings of royalty and their gowns.
After moving back to the United States,
Boszilkov noticed a lack of options for brides
in search of designer label “green” gowns.
That’s when she remembered stumbling
upon a bridal shop, owned by a young de-
signer in Japan.
“What inspired me most was the possibil-
ity of my own dream becoming a reality,”
Boszilkov said. “She was a girl my age, who
had her own shop and designed wedding
dresses. I realized it wasn’t so unreachable
after all and have never looked back.”
To find out more about the Natural Brides
Collection, visit: www.naturalbridals.com.
Natural brides say ‘I do’ to Mother EarthEco-friendly wedding gowns fi t for any bride
Photos by Kyle Egan
Atlanta-based designer and
founder of Natural Brides,
Morgan Boszilkov, infuses
style with sustainability
in her one-of-a kind
wedding gowns that feature
sustainable blends such as
hemp, silk, bamboo, peace
silk blends, organic cotton,
organic linen and organic
silk.
April 2009 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com Page 9
The Highlands Center for
Natural History’s Grow Native!
Plant Sale and Educational
Festival will take place Satur-
day, April 25, with a members
only presale party on Friday, April 24.
The presale party features wine, hors
d’oeuvres, good company and shopping for
plants from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and is $15 for
individuals and $25 for couples.
The plant sale and educational fest opens
Saturday at 7:30 a.m. for members and 9
a.m. for the general public. Entrance fee is
$5, which includes attendance to any and all
workshops.
The workshop schedule:
9 a.m.—Rehabitation by Design–Barn-
abas Kane and Steve Morgan, Landscape
Architects. Create productive habitat by
including and exploiting the connections
between us, our built environment and the
natural world.
10 a.m.—Heirloom and Open-Pollinated
Plants: Saving our Vegetable Heritage,
Cindy and Steve Scott, Underwood
Gardens, Terroir Seeds LLC. Heirloom,
open-pollinated, endangered seeds—their
importance, and how to save your own to
preserve genetic heritage.
11 a.m.—Rainwater Harvesting and Your
Landscape, MacRae Nicoll, High Desert
Rain Catchment. Sustainable water man-
agement on your own property.
Noon—Gardening for Butterflies, Bees,
Birds, and You–Faith Roelofs, M.S. bota-
ny. Bring color, sound and beauty to your
yard with these winged visitors. Garden
design, plant selection, larval food sources,
water features and places to rest!
1 p.m.—Design with Native Grasses–Cheryl
Casey, botanist. Sizes, shapes, move-
ment and seeds of these wonderful, often
confusing plants, bring interest and native
creatures back to your garden.
The Grow Native! Plant Sale and Educa-
tion Festival takes place at the Highlands
Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker
Road, Prescott. For more info, see www.high-
landscenter.org or call (928) 776-9550.
This is a fundraiser. Proceeds benefit the
education programs of the Highlands Center,
which helps children and adults discover the
wonders of nature and become wise caretak-
ers of the land.
Introduction to Tracking, offered by Yavapai
Community College, is a new compact
course with two components: A two-hour
orientation in the classroom and a three-
day, two-night camping-based field trip at a
Yavapai County location.
The course will cover basic tracking as
it relates to the wild areas and wildlife of
Yavapai County. Through the use of field
experiences, students will be introduced to all
the wildlife zones of Yavapai County and its
related observation opportunities.
Orientation is 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thurs-
day, April 9, in Room 138. The camping
trip is Thursday, April 16, through Satur-
day, April 18.
This fun and unique one-credit course is
only $52 and is a great opportunity to experi-
ence and see the outdoors in a new way.
Instructor Bob Matthews has worked
internationally in the art/skill of tracking.
Growing up in England, he was influenced
by the Romany gypsies. Since then, he has
experience tracking with the Hugaret Bedou-
ine and the Nomadic Touaregs in the Middle
East. Matthews also has worked locally with
the Girl Scouts and Big Brothers and Big
Sisters of Yavapai County.
To sign up for Introduction to Tracking
(REC 102), go online to register at www.
yc.edu, visit a Yavapai College campus, or
call (928) 776-2199.
Prescott College is hosting Sagrado Sound
Healing Community Event from 7:30 to
10 p.m. on Friday, April 17, at the Prescott
College Granite Performing Arts Center, 218
N. Granite St.
A musical group that shares powerful
world fusion music deeply rooted in ancestral
traditions, Sagrado’s music uplifts, heals and
transforms the human spirit. Much of what
they offer is participatory, mesmerizing audi-
ences in joyous song and dance. The rhythms
of music and movement that Sagrado create
are universal and meant to bring bodies
and hearts together in rejoicing, bringing a
“blessed opportunity” for the community to
come together and celebrate.
John Dumas is an artist, musician,
shamanic astrologer, inspirational teacher
and explorer of sound healing. John seeks to
raise collective consciousness with inspir-
ing, soul-flowing, primordial dance music
(johndumas.com). Porangui has more than
12 years of international work experience
as an artist, educator, filmmaker, consultant
and therapist, using the healing properties
of sound and movement to foster individual
and collective well being (porangui.com).
Eric Zang, multi-instrumentalist, has
spent much of his life immersing himself in
a wide variety of musical experiences, with
a focus on music of the Middle East and
Greece, and hand percussion found in vari-
ous traditions. Whether on percussion, oud
lute, nay flute or voice, listeners and fellow
musicians share with him in his delight and
love for music and the spontaneous interac-
tion that results.
For information or to purchase tickets,
contact Batya, (831) 521-6496, or bellinoy@
prescott.edu.
Prescott College presents Sagrado Sound Healing community event
Learn the basics of wildlife tracking in new compact college course
Grow Native! Plant Sale set for Saturday, April 25
Photo by Ann Haver-Allen
A variety of agave plants will be available for purchase at the Highlands Center for Natural History’s
The products discussed in this article can be purchased at The Herb Stop, 4004 N. Highway 87 in Pine. If you have questions, call (928) 476-4144 or e-mail [email protected].
The FDA has not approved these statements. The information given is not meant to act as a prescription, medical advice or therapeutic ad-vice. Consult your healthcare professional prior to using botanicals discussed in this column.
Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be toxic
Television producer Jeff Cooper
blends his experience in video
production with his passion for
renewable energy by producing
“The Future Fuels Series” on
DVD. This informative program showcases
real consumer’s stories on alternative ener-
gies, including solar, wind, biodiesel, ethanol,
hybrid and electric cars.
Cooper, a resident of Mayer, learned a lot
of new information about these future fuels
during the production of the program.
“My eyes were opened to all of the easy
things that regular, everyday people like me
can do now to start moving away from using
foreign oil and start supporting our economy
here in the United States,” Cooper said.
The DVD also highlights the ease and im-
portance of maximizing your home’s energy
efficiency and conservation.
The incoming presidential administration
has high hopes that the alternative energy
industry will create jobs and spur on the
economy. To do that consumers will have
to give these new, and not-so-new forms of
energy a try.
“Going Green” and using alternative en-
ergy is not only becoming the “cool” thing to
do now, but also it can offer surprising cost
savings and have benefits to our environment
and national security.
For example, Kevin Edwards of Scottsdale,
uses the sun to power his home.
“Our utility bills are extremely modest,” Ed-
wards said. “I probably spend a total of $500 a
year for our 3,000-square-foot home.”
What’s more, half of his solar system was
paid for by government tax credits and utility
rebate programs that are currently available
to everyone. Now, Edwards sells his excess
power back to the power company.
Sales of hybrid cars are booming. John
Wayland owns one.
“They don’t get the kind of mileage they
say they get,” Wayland tells people. “They
actually get more.” He routinely averages 70
miles per gallon.
Biofuels like biodiesel and ethanol are
environmental and patriotic options.
“There is a biofuel for every car on the
road in the United States today,” according
to Tomas Endicott of SeQuential Biofuels.
Newer flexible-fuel vehicles use 85 percent
ethanol, which is made right here in the
United States.
“If you have a diesel car, you want to put
biodiesel in it,” said mechanic Jay Dykeman.
“It’s a better fuel.”
And from replacing incandescent light
bulbs, unplugging transformers and replacing
old appliances and windows with new energy
efficient models, Cooper’s DVD shows easy
and effective ways to save the most money at
home. It all adds up to a substantial savings.
The Future Fuels Series presents new
information about the pros and cons of these
alternative energies to the average consumer.
It is available by visiting www.FutureFuels.
TV or calling (888) 488-8665.
Mayer resident produces green energy TV programDVD shows average consumers
how to save money on energy,
reduce their use of foreign oil
and support the environment
April 2009 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com Page 13
By Mike Marino
Earth Odyssey Correspondent
Dust in the wind is more than
just lyrics to a song from a
1970’s stadium band. Instead,
it aptly describes the sum total
end result of the day-to-day, dust-to-dust,
cyclical yin and yang of life and death of
animate beings.
We don’t live forever in blissful galactic or-
bit. We do, like all stars in the galaxy, fade and
die..finis! No one gets out of here alive!
To live the green life, is to live the good life,
but, is it possible that when the end comes
a knockin’ at the door, that we go out in a
simple shroud with a shred of dignity?
Youbetcha!
Green burial is not a new concept, but like
many practices of old, it has given way to new
religious and scientific ideas. Druids practiced
green burial; Jesus did it and let’s face it, it’s
downright kosher! Natural burial appeals to
many different people and faiths.
Jewish burial requires that the body be bur-
ied within 48 hours of death, without any em-
balming fluids in a simple pine box. Orthodox
Christianity mandates burial in a simple box
with no metal. It was because of religion, after
all, that funerals took on a ceremonial nature
as a prelude to the gateway to whatever great
beyond the believers believed in.
Traditional toxinsLooking at the institutionalized burial
process, and taking it apart one piece of the
deceased puzzle at a time, it’s easy to strip
away the charade of the funery facade.
The open casket is showcased on raised
platform and the dearly departed is merely
reposed and posed in his or her Sunday best
as the main feature attraction…the viewing.
Embalming, mainly used to catch the life-
like likeness of the deceased as he or she lies
in state in their coffin, is accepted as part and
parcel of the bereavement package.
How much formaldehyde to the gallon
does a body take to keep up its decaying
appearances? How much glue in that coffin?
Polish? Metal for handles? What type of
wood was used in its construction? A rain
forest tree from Malay you say? How biode-
gradable is all this, or isn’t all this?
Don’t forget to add in the ongoing cost
of cemetery maintenance, pesticides and
fertilizer and thousands of gallons of water to
keep the grasses as green—and as useless—as
a golf course in Monterey.
Embalming encourages the retardation of
human decomposition and, therefore, is in
direct conflict with the objectives of green
burial practices. The fact of the death matter
is this.
There is not one law on the books, fed-
eral or state, that requires a body to be em-
balmed. The most commonly used embalm-
ing fluid is formaldehyde. It is somewhat
biodegradable, but it does oxidize at one
point into formic acid, the very same toxin
found in those pesky bee stings, as well as fire
ants, and thus introduces a toxic pollutant
into the soil as the decaying body begins its
traverse from dust to dust.
The basic components of a casket consist
of chipboard covered in a thin veneer with
handles made of brass and plastic to resemble
brass. All that chipboard requires glue to
hold it together, and some glues use formal-
dehyde, our old nemesis, although to be fair,
not all glues use formaldehyde in produced
wood products.
The woods used in caskets come from
exotic—and in some cases—endangered
wood species and designed, believe it or not,
to prevent the inevitable decomposition.
If you are a fan of statistics, try these on
for size from the Casket and Funeral Supply
Association of America, the Cremation Asso-
ciation of North America and the Rainforest
Action Network.
In 2007—the most recent statistics avail-
able—about 1.7 million traditional caskets
were sold and about half of those were steel
gasketed models.
Each year in the 22,500 traditional cem-
eteries in the United States about 30 million
board feet of hardwood, 90,272 tons of steel
and 2,700 tons of copper and bronze are
buried as components in caskets.
Additionally, 14,000 tons of steel and
1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete used
in vaults are buried.
And formaldehyde? Try this fig-
See Green Funerals, page 14
Green pastures Live green, die green—become one with Mother Earth
Courtesy photo
Creative Coffi ns creates individually designed cartonboard coffi ns that provide for a more eco-friendly funeral. Creative Coffi ns was formed to off er an environ-
mentally friendly alternative to traditional wooden coffi ns.
Courtesy photo
Just north of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, nestled in Marin County, is the Fernwood
Cemetery. No tombstones, no caskets. Bodies are buried in a manner to foster natural decomposition, and
visitors can locate loved ones beneath the ground using a high tech GPS locator.
Page 14 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com April 2009
ure...827,060 gallons of embalming fluid,
most of which use formaldehyde. That’s a lot
of trash for Mother Earth to swallow.
Old ways revivedIn “green death,” the body is sans chemical
preservatives, and instead is buried in a bio-
degradable coffin (cardboard or simple pine
box) or without a casket at all, and laid to
rest dressed only in a simple shroud. Eventu-
ally, in this manner, nature, in due time, will
reclaim her own.
Another missing element in green grave-
yards is the use of pesticides and herbicides,
which furthers the practice of a soils micro-
bial genocide.
Modern-day eco-burial, green burial or
whatever you want to call it, got its start in
the United Kingdom at Carlisle Cemetery in
1993.
Originally called a “woodland burial,” it set
the standard for eco-cemeteries worldwide.
Simply put, the eco-burial is designed for the
dead to decompose and become one with its
own environment without adding pollutants
and non-biodegradable materials to Mother
Nature’s Earth-body.
Today, in the United Kingdom, more than
200 natural burial sites exist.
The Druid influence of nature quickly
crossed the Atlantic and by 1998, South
Carolina became, in its true pioneer spirit,
the site of the first eco-cemetery, (American-
ized to “green cemetery”) in North America.
Called Ramsey Creek Preserve, it stands
fast to its beliefs of banning the embalming
procedure, just saying “no” to heavy metals,
and no, to the use of sky-high headstones
that seem tall enough to pierce the strato-
sphere.
Kimberly Caldwell of Ramsey Creek ex-
plains the philosophy of the preserve.
“Natural burial is thousands of years old,
and most of the world today still does not
embalm the deceased,” she said. “In the
United Kingdom, it was a matter of small
plots and based on home burials. It used to
be in the United States that you buried your
family members on your own land in private
cemeteries, or in the cemeteries next to the
churches, but the new churches don’t build
cemeteries anymore.
“In our system at the preserve, we’re re-
ally all about natural burial as a means to
save land and conservation, stewardship,”
Caldwell continued. “The demand for this
type of burial is growing with new awareness
everyday. We currently have 150 buried here,
with another 500 who have pre-purchased
plots. We have 36 acres and will be adding
another 38 with an option on an additional
20 acres. In total we should be able to handle
up to 1,500 burials.”
On the other side of the continental
United States, the Pacific Northwest is fertile
green grounds for eco-burials, and the White
Eagle Memorial Preserve, located near Gol-
dendale in the bosom of the Horse Heaven
Hills, is not far from the spiritual waters of
the Columbia River Gorge in eastern Wash-
ington.
White Eagle is in the vanguard of the
green burial movement in the west. Daniel
Dancer, general manager of the preserve said
they adhere to strict guidelines to preserve
the purity of natural burial.
“We don’t accept bodies that have been
embalmed,” he said. “That is priority. As
for caskets, if one is desired, they have to
be biodegradable. No question about that,
Courtesy photos
Simple, yet decorative wicker caskets, made from hand woven grasses are an eco-friendly option to the
traditional concrete and steel caskets. Cynthia Beal, owner of the Natural Burial Co. in Eugene, Ore.,
has a veritable verifi able green showroom of caskets and baskets.
Green Funeralscontinued from page 13
April 2009 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com Page 15
and they can be made from cardboard or if
from wood, we prefer that it be constructed
from locally harvested wood. We also do not
allow concrete vaults or grave liners either. If
a person prefers a shroud, that too should be
biodegradable.”
Just north of San Francisco, across the
Golden Gate Bridge, nestled in Marin
County, is the Fernwood Cemetery. No
tombstones, no caskets. Bodies are buried in
a manner to foster natural decomposition,
and visitors can locate loved ones beneath
the ground using a high tech GPS locator. In
addition to green burial, cremation is also an
option.
Many are opting for this practice, and
nationally, 40 percent of Americans request
to be cremated at death. In Marin County,
according to Mortuary Management Maga-zine, that figure is 80 percent.
Natural Burial Co.You can use environmentally friendly coffins
made from cardboard, pine, or wicker, but
the simple shroud is the most natural and
most cost effective way to go when travel-
ing six feet under on your way to the great
beyond.
I’ve seen some simple, yet decorative wick-
er caskets, made from hand woven grasses in
the $400 range.
Cynthia Beal, owner of the Natural Burial
Co. in Eugene, Ore., has a veritable verifi-
able green showroom of caskets and baskets,
including, the Ecopod.
“The Ecopod is the most earth friendly,”
she said. “It’s made by hand from recycled
newspaper that is pulped in a WWII era
mechanical dough mixer. Then it’s covered in
handmade paper of recycled silk and sustain-
ably harvested mulberry bark. It is expensive,
though, as it is a sculpture and is shipped
from England.
“Then there is Our Casket™ and it is way
cool, too,” Beal continued. “It’s made by
machine, but from secondary wood product
plywood that rapidly bio-degrades. It ships
flat, has no metal, slides together in less than
five minutes and it’s transportation footprint
is one-fifth to one-eighth of a regular coffin,
and is designed for cremation and for natural
burial. It’s inexpensive and sensible.”
They also have caskets made from willow.
“Woven willow is amazing,” Beal said. “It’s
a renewable perennial that can be harvested
annually for 50 years, and cultivated on
marginal agricultural land while providing
hedgerow habitat for farmers’ fields. Willow
also breaks down in months, rather than the
years it takes for a wood coffin. Of course,
the weaving arts are important to keep alive,
as we will need these skills when we stop
making bags and baskets out of plastics.”
White Eagle The traditional headstone is an eco-no-no in
green burial. Green grave markings are de-
signed to blend in with the natural surround-
ings, rather than compete with it.
Markers can be simple shrubs, grasses, herbs,
plants or trees or a simple flat indigenous
engraved stone. If you think one tree looks like
another tree, which would make locating a
loved one’s grave hard to do, fear not.
At White Eagle Memorial Preserve they
have a specialized grid system for locating a
loved one’s burial site that does not interfere
with the naturalness of the preserves setting.
“If someone chooses to use a marker, it
must be an indigenous stone and in geo-
logic harmony with the site,” Dancer said.
“Although stones can be brought in from the
outside, they must first be approved by the
White Eagle staff before placement, and in
all cases they prefer that you use flat stones
and no bigger than any stone within 50 feet
of the burial site. The planting of trees and
shrubs for a marker also establishes a living
memorial and creates wildlife habitat at the
same time. Life and death, arm in arm, the
beat goes on.
Green veteransWhat about green burial for veterans in
government run vet cemeteries? You can, in
essence, get close to having a green burial,
but as with all things military, it is more of a
camo or khaki-green burial. Veteran’s benefits
allow for a free burial plot in VA adminis-
tered cemeteries, but according to Richard
Cesler from the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs, VA cemetery regulations are the key.
“A person can be interred in what we call,
an air-tray, which is a cardboard tray that
rapidly deteriorates in-ground, even when
using a concrete vault,” Cesler said. “It does
have a plywood base that allows us to remove
the body if needed.”
But can a deceased vet be buried in a
shroud?
“A simple shroud can’t be used, due to the
lowering to a double vault depth and the
body not having sufficient support for lower-
ing the body. All full body placements have
to be in a concrete vault,” Cesler said.
Although green burials are growing in
popularity, services are still from private
funeral homes and cemeteries and is a new
concern and request for veteran’s burials that
the VA is trying to address.
“We can accommodate and do try to make
sure that our families’ requests are consid-
ered, but, we must absolutely abide by the
Feds rules,” Cesler said. “The second concern
for us is re-internment. For us to use green
standards, and there is a request for removal,
it becomes impossible for that recovery with-
out some substantial support for the body. It
is like removing a gelatinous mass.”
The VA does make some concessions to
green wishes.
“We do allow for homemade caskets,”
Cesler said. “We have a set of plans we can
send out, and we do have several important
criteria that have to be met before we allow
acceptance of homemade caskets.”
If you are a vet and are interested in a
green burial, see the VA Web site at: www.
va.gov.
Green petsAnd pets? Some preserves have sections for
the green burial of cats, dogs, birds, and
probably fish, too, if that is the family favor-
ite. The concept of nature at its natural pets
best, however, is at the White Eagle Preserve.
They do have special pet plots, but they also
encourage the placement of pets who have
died of natural causes to be placed on the
edge of Rock Creek Canyon in the preserve
to allow the circle of life to complete itself
naturally.
CostsBreaking it down, roughly, at Ramsey Creek,
you can get a basic green burial, which
includes a site, for around $1,950. Addi-
tional charges include a $250-$500 opening
and closing fee for the grave, a grave marker
costing $25 and engraving running any-
where from $125 to $300. At the low end,
you would pay $2,350 at Ramsey Creek to
$2,770 on the high end.
White Eagle Preserve charges $2,200 for
the gravesite, along with a 10 percent sur-
charge for the Endowment Fund ($220). The
fee for opening and closing the grave is $600,
for a total of $3,020. The above costs do not
include any mortuary costs or transportation.
As a comparison, a nongreen basic burial
at a local traditional cemetery in Washing-
ton’s Wine Country, you can get a grave site
for $650 with open and closing fees of $600
and an additional $550 for the liner. A basic
headstone will run $645, along with a setting
fee of $250. This is a nongreen basic burial
and it totals out, minus mortuary charges, to
about $2,695.
You know what they say about death and
taxes. To sum it up from a cost standpoint,
green or nongreen, a burial on the cheap will
cost roughly between $1,800 to $3,000 not
counting the mortuary charges, the cost of
casket or shroud.
More infoThe Green Burial Council, a nonprofit,
encourages sustainability in the death-care
industry and to use the burial process as a
means of facilitating ecological restoration.
They recently published the nation’s first
certifiable green standards for cemeteries,
funeral providers and cremation facilities.
Conventional funeral providers—now in
eight states—will be offering Green Burial
Council approved packages, providing a way
for consumers to identify death-care profes-
sionals willing to assist them with environ-
mentally conscious end-of-life rituals.
If you’re looking to dig up more informa-
tion on green burial cemeteries, procedures,
caskets, shrouds and contacts, visit the Green
Burial Council on line at www.greenburial-
council.org, the Ramsey Creek Preserve at
www.ramseycreekpreserve.com or the White
Eagle Preserve at www.naturalburialground.
com.
Live green, die green. It’s the smart choice
to make as you take that final step to the
great beyond, that even in death, you’re do-
Courtesy photo
Ramsey Creek Preserve in South Carolina became the site of the fi rst eco-cemetery in North America.
Ramsey Creek Preserve bans the embalming procedure, says “no” to heavy metals and no to the use of
sky-high headstones.
Page 16 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com April 2009
By Ann Haver-Allen
Earth Odyssey Editor
Creativity has flowed through
Emelina’s veins for as long as
she can remember. Born Eme-
lina M. Figueroa Symonds in
Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico,
she recalled being hospitalized when she was
6-years-old.
“When I was in the hospital and they
removed my tonsils, I asked my dad for a
pad and my drawing pencils—not a TV,”
she said. “I was born to be an artist; to be
creative. Art was not a decision for me, but a
calling.”
Emelina’s artistic style is “urbanic (short
for urban-organic) mixed-media.” She creates
contemporary and abstract paintings.
“The two styles are like two sides of me,”
Emelina said. “The structured paintings
are more like an inside force…I am bring-
ing them out of me. The abstracts are like
an outside force…I am submerged in the
textures and colors.”
In both styles, Emelina uses acrylic and
water-based art materials, along with organic
elements such as coffee, sand, grains, wood,
marble powder, seeds, fibers and other natu-
ral and recycled items.
“I am into self-development, psychology
and suggestion,” she said. “I like working
with the urbanic technique and process
because I am able—through my art—to talk
about my spiritual and emotional develop-
ment. It becomes a symbol, a representation
that you can hang on your wall and remind
you of the goal you are seeking.”
For example, her painting “Jazz It Up” fea-
tures three instruments—a guitar, saxophone
and piano.
“These three instruments work in har-
mony and are really representational of our
mind, body and soul,” Emelina said. “The
instruments represent us working in har-
mony and balance with ourselves.”
Urbanic mixed media
Emelina said that when she begins a
contemporary painting, her goal is to
capture emotions and moments.
“I feel influenced by a lot of the healing
techniques that come from ancient wisdom,”
Emelina said. “I think that the root of all
this is the feeling of that ancient knowledge
that we carry within ourselves and that is
being passed on. It’s about respecting and
celebrating our elders because they carry that
information. We learn from the old to create
something new.”
Emelina mentally categorizes her con-
temporary paintings into subject areas. She
equates her “woven” works to frequencies.
“They represent the frequencies that hap-
pen in the air,” she said. “So much move-
ment and so much is happening that we
cannot see. The frequencies are circular.”
In this subject area, she has “The Frequen-
cy of Sunset,” “The Frequency of a Hug,”
“The Frequency of Restoration,” and “The
Frequency of Glory,” among others.
“You see the aesthetic, visual geometric
patterns in my work,” Emelina said. “Just
like engineers or scientists, who take things
apart and rebuild them with the intention to
make it better, I have to figure out how to do
that with my art and myself.”
Emelina said learning to work with organic
textures is really a science because the fin-
ished artwork has to be archival.
“When it comes to a piece of fine art, you
have to make sure it’s going to stay and not
deteriorate,” she said. “It’s like a combination
of technology and nature at the same time.”
Abstracts
While her contemporary paint-
ings tend to incorporate circular
motion, Emelina’s abstracts are
linear. She begins an abstract painting with a
feeling.
“I want to create something, say, to remind
me of courage,” she said. “I want the courage
to come out of that painting. I let my soul
and subconscious work on it.”
Emelina said she lets the colors and the
textures speak to her.
“I use water and let the paint and the
media (sand, tissue, marble powder, etc.)
react with each other,” she said. “They end
up creating new things. It becomes layers and
Artist mixes natural elements into her paintsTextures created with sand, tissue seeds, coffee, glass, crushed marble and lava
Top, Emelina M. Figueroa Symonds talks about her artistic style “urbanic (short for urban-organic)
mixed-media.” She creates contemporary and abstract paintings using acrylic and water-based art ma-
terials, along with organic elements such as coff ee, sand, grains, wood, marble powder, seeds, fi bers and
other natural and recycled items.
Bottom, “Blue Star Sunfl ower,” Urban-Organic Acrylic Mixed-Media Painting, is 24” x 24” on Wood
Panel/Textured Brown Wood Frame. In this painting Emelina used coff ee, seeds and sand to give texture
to the fl ower.
Photos by Pia Wyer
April 2009 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com Page 17
layers and is almost like a conversation. I tell
it to do something and the painting responds
and the materials react. And then I go back
and it talks to me again and this continues
until we are both comfortable with what we
have going on.”
Many of her abstract paintings are waves.
She has the “Wave of Breaking Through,”
“The Wave of Courage,” and the “Wave of
Wisdom.”
“They capture that wave division that goes
through us,” she said.
One abstract, “Stopping Time,” is about
freezing time. The droplets that penetrate the
painting end with glass beads at the bottom
of the teardrop.
“This is water that is falling and is freez-
ing,” Emelina said. “The glass beads make
the water look frozen. It represents the idea
that we need to stop time and contemplate
where we are. We need to slow time down.”
Influences
Emelina said she is very in tune with
her emotions and her artwork is all
about trying to find a way to harmo-
nize the two sides of herself—the analytical
thinking side and the emotional receptive
side.
“It’s about my quest to harmonize,” she
said. “It’s not about balance. Balance doesn’t
move. It’s about harmony. Recognizing both
sides and making them work together…hav-
ing a wonderful relationship with both
sides.”
Emelina grew up in Mexico surrounded
by the vibrant colors and traditions of her
culture. She drew and painted ever since she
can remember and has always been interested
in experimenting with textures in her work.
She recalled using sand and tissue in her
art projects back in middle school.
“It is something that I was attracted to
do,” she said, adding that no one taught or
influenced her to incorporate natural materi-
als into her paintings.
When she began her formal education as
an artist, she studied traditional European oil
techniques.
“I was really limited,” she said. “I felt
trapped.”
So, she resumed her exploring and experi-
menting.
“I remember mixing oil paints with flax
seeds and all kinds of different textures,” she
said. “I painted on top of plaster and created
three-dimensional pieces.”
Her art instructors encouraged her.
“I have really been blessed in that most
of my teachers have been supportive and
encouraging,” she said.
Emelina made the switch from oils to
acrylics when she learned, while in college,
about the toxicity of oils when not used with
proper ventilation.
“I have always been very health conscious,
so switching to acrylics was something that
was very easy for me to adopt. These values
are just so a part of me.”
As a bonus, she discovered that acrylic
paints created many new textures and materi-
als with which she could work.
Emelina said her paintings bring her peace,
serenity, happiness, celebration, strength and
courage.
“When it is hanging in someone’s house,
I know that it’s going to be a feeling that
we want to last forever,” she said. “It’s like a
reminder. Creativity begins with art and it
extends to our everyday life. Experience it.
It’s about choosing to create our lives.”
At left, an abstract painting comes to life as Emelina “converses” with the canvas and materials.
Below, “Roots & Time” is a 35” x 35” Urban-Organic Acrylic Mixed-Me-dia Painting inspired by the Mayan Calendar. Th is piece is permanently mounted on a wooden black shadow box frame.
Below, left, “Th e Wave of Breaking Th rough,” a 24” x 36” Urban-Or-ganic Acrylic Mixed-Media Painting is from Emelina’s abstract collection.
Photos by Pia Wyer
Artistcontinued from page 13
Page 18 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com April 2009
By Ann Haver-Allen
Earth Odyssey Editor
If you live in Arizona, you may not
be very concerned about rising sea
levels—unless you dream of owning
ocean-front property without having
to move.
There’s no question that coastal communi-
ties will bear the brunt of the impact from
rising sea levels, but the fact is that we all will
be affected, regardless of where we live.
Sea level is rising, and there is evidence
that the rate is accelerating, according to a
recently released report from the U.S. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency.
“Climate change is likely to further ac-
celerate the rate of sea-level rise during the
next century,” the report states. “Rising seas
can inundate low-lying areas, increase storm-
surge flooding, erode shorelines, convert wet-
lands to open water and increase the salinity
of estuaries and aquifers.”
Titled “Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level
Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region,”
the report examines multiple opportunities
for governments and coastal communities to
plan for and adapt to rising sea levels.
Highlights of the report are:
• Rising water levels are already an impor-
tant factor in submerging low-lying lands,
eroding beaches, converting wetlands to
open water and exacerbating coastal flood-
ing. All of these effects will be increased if
the rate of sea-level rise accelerates in the
future.
• Most coastal wetlands in the mid-Atlantic
would be lost if sea level rises one meter in
the next century. Even a 50-cm rise would
threaten most wetlands along the Eastern
Shore of Chesapeake Bay.
• Possible responses to sea level rise include
seawalls, bulkheads and other shoreline
armoring; elevating buildings and land
surfaces (including beaches and wetlands);
and allowing shorelines to change and
moving structures out of harm’s way.
Those three approaches have very different
environmental and social impacts.
Preparing now can reduce the eventual
environmental and economic impacts of sea
level rise.
Some governmental and nongovernmental
organizations are already starting to prepare
for sea level rise.
The report asserts that key opportunities
to prepare for sea-level rise include making
provisions for:
• Preserving public access along the shore;
• Land-use planning to ensure that wetlands,
beaches and associated coastal ecosystem
services are preserved;
• Siting and design decisions such as retrofit-
ting (e.g., elevating buildings and homes);
• Examining whether and how changing risk
due to sea-level rise is reflected in flood
insurance rates.
The primary causes of global sea-level
rise are the expansion of ocean water due to
warming and the melting of glaciers and ice
sheets. Reducing carbon emissions will slow
the process. Some technologies that can help
reduce the threat of sea-level rise include:
• Using solar energy—photovoltaics
• Switching to biofuels
• Incorporating coal technologies with car-
bon sequestration
• Increasing use of fuel cells and hydrogen
• Developing smarter modes of transporta-
tion, including hypercars and smart public
transit systems
• Building green houses and retrofitting older
houses to be more efficient
• Requiring sustainablilty of industry and
economic development
• Incorporating sustainable agriculture
practices
To view the report, see www.epa.gov/cli-
matechange/effects/coastal/sap4-1.html.
For more information on the U.S. Climate
Change Science Program (CCSP), see www.
climatescience.gov/.
Photo courtesy NOAA
Storm surge on a Louisiana highway shows the eff ects of rising sea levels.
Rising sea levels a concern for us all
Fast-food restaurants are under
fire in some locations, including
Los Angeles, where lawmakers
banned fast-food chains from
opening new outlets in South
L.A. That area has the city’s highest con-
centration of fast-food restaurants and a 30
percent higher rate of obesity than the rest
of the county.
The goal of the one-year ban is to reduce
obesity, as well as encourage more healthy
food choices in existing fast-food restau-
rants. The ban has created plenty of contro-
versy. Some say that because L.A. already
has so many fast-food restaurants, banning
new ones really won’t have much effect.
Others disagree saying this is a first step
in an environmental approach to eating
well. The ban gives fast-food restaurants an
incentive to offer healthy options and for
calorie labeling on menus.
And it may lead the way for other com-
munities to follow.
The ban may very well be a sign of things
to come in this time when everyone seems
to be focused on change.
And perhaps cities will follow with incen-
tives for farmers’ markets and supermarkets
to provide more affordable and more avail-
able fresh produce.
One contributing problem in Los Angeles
is a lack of grocery stores in the area. I’m
not convinced that fast food is the reason
obesity is a problem in America. We all are
responsible for our own weight and weight
gain.
I remind myself always that it’s the daily
choices I make concerning what I eat and
how much I work out. Even when fast-food
restaurants offer healthy options, it’s up to
me to decide to order those when I hurry
through the drive-thru.
Any time is a great time to focus on
healthy changes in our life, whether city
fathers put a ban on fast-food outlets or not.
Here’s to a great new start!
WebIf you’re looking for a better way to count
calories, try Eating Well magazine’s Inter-
active Menu Planner at www.eatingwell.
com/menuplanner.
It provides calories for favorite recipes and
foods. You can drag and drop choices in a
weekly menu, and the planner tallies calories
for you.
ResearchWalnuts are a powerhouse—from glucose
control to strong bones and heart health.
Now, a study finds walnuts may also help
diminish the growth of breast cancer.
In a study at Marshall University School of
Medicine in West Virginia, researchers sub-
stituted 18.5 percent of the diet of one group
of mice with walnuts (equivalent to a human
eating two ounces a day); the other group
was fed an equal calorie, walnut-free diet.
After 34 days, the growth rate of tumors
in the walnut eaters was half that of the mice
eating no walnuts. —Eating Well magazine.
Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian in Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at [email protected].
Cities ban new fast-food restaurants in battle on obesity
April 2009 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com Page 19
By Ann Haver-Allen
Earth Odyssey Editor
Everybody who’s driven I-10
south between Phoenix and
Tucson has seen the Rooster
Cogburn Ostrich Ranch. The
signs lure drivers-by to stop and
feed deer, ostriches and lorikeets.
Maybe, like us, travelers think about stop-
ping, but decide against it time and time
again. The reasons for not stopping vary
from no time to it seems like a cheesy tourist
gimmick.
Well, recently we decided to stop and
check it out. What a great decision that
turned out to be.
For an admission price of $5 per per-
son, we each received cups of feed for the
deer and ostrich, and cups of nectar for the
lorikeets. We had the place practically to
ourselves and spent all the time we wanted
enjoying the animals.
Roster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch is family
owned and operated on 600 acres between
Phoenix and Tucson. It is the largest ostrich
ranch in the world outside Outshone, South
Africa.
“This is a family business,” said Danna
Cogburn-Barrett. “It’s me, my husband and
my parents (D.C. and Lucille). We have two
boys and it will be theirs one day.”
The ranch relocated from Guthrie, Okla.,
in 1993. The Arizona desert climate is better
for raising ostrich, which is the primary busi-
ness focus.
“Our long-term goal is raising ostrich for
eggs, meat and hide for domestic use and
export,” Cogburn-Barrett said. “Right now,
we are known for our breeding genetics. We
export for foundation breeding. We do not
sell domestically.”
All was going really well for the trail-blaz-
ing ranchers—until 2002. That’s the year
two hot air balloons chose the field adjacent
to the ranch as a launch site.
“The balloon launches caused 1,600
ostriches to stampede,” Cogburn-Barrett
said. “Many were killed and many other had
internal injuries and had to be put down. A
documentary movie was made about that
incident.”
The movie, “The Ostrich Testimonies,”
was directed by Jonathan VanBallenberghe
of Tucson. It premiered in the South by
Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas,
last year.
“The narrative of D.C. Cogburn’s dev-
astating loss is combined with a history of
the ostrich industry, home movies of the
Cogburn family starting the ranch, and ac-
counts of expert witnesses who participated
in the $7 million dollar lawsuit that followed
the accident,” the movie’s synopsis states.
“Together, these ‘testimonies’ reveal the
operations of an eccentric industry and the
emotions of a family that risked everything
to fulfill its dream.”
Recovery has been a challenge for the
ranch, which had more than 1,100 hens lay-
ing prior to the balloon incident. Now, they
have about 600 breeders.
They have expanded their “tourist” com-
ponents of the ranch, and are now offering
outback truck tours.
“We take visitors out through the ranch to
see ostrich nests and chicks,” Cogburn-Bar-
rett said. “You learn about ostrich farming.
Then we go up the mountain (Picacho Peak)
a bit and talk about the desert, the saguaros
and other cacti.”
The Web site (www.rostercogburn.com)
says you will:
• Hear about ostrich products
Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch a fun family stop
• History of ostrich farming
• Learn about ostrich feed requirements
• See breeding camps
• Upclose view of an ostrich egg nest
• Feel and learn about ostrich eggs
• See chick rearing barns
• Enjoy breathtaking views while you learn
about the Saguaro cactus and Sonoran
Desert
• Find out about Picacho Peak and its history
Cogburn-Barrett said they don’t really keep
track of how many visitors tour the ranch
each year, but they have visitors from all over
the world, including England, China, India,
Spain, Africa and Germany.
“We truly see ostrich as a way to feed the
world one day,” Cogburn-Barrett said. “But,
for now, we operate the farm as a family ac-
tivity. It’s fun—wholesome fun for the entire
family.”
Photos by Ann Haver-Allen
Visitors to the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch, located off Interstate 10 south between Phoenix and
Tucson, can feed deer, ostriches and lorikeets. Th e 600-acre ranch is family owned and operated.
Page 20 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com April 2009
By Dominique Shilling
Earth Odyssey Contributor
Chelsea did not
know about the
Spirit of the
Earth. At least not
as a faith or belief. She might
agree that there was an energy
about the Earth and nature.
Chelsea was a very practi-
cal woman. She loved flowers
and trees because they were
pleasing to look at. She had a
vegetable garden because she
felt it was best to eat natural
food. She felt that genetic
engineering and nonorganic
food certainly could not pro-
mote good health and a long
life for humans.
Every night in the moon-
light she could be seen taking
out her fruit and vegetable
discards. She had a place
beside the garden where she
emptied the bag. It was the
only practical thing to do.
M.E.G. (short for Mother Earth Goddess),
was busy night and day. One night while
making her rounds of caring for her animals,
insects, and vegetation, she saw beautiful
energy coming from Chelsea’s yard.
Now, Chelsea knew nothing of M.E.G.,
and her fairies, sprites and other elementals.
It is unlikely that Chelsea would believe that
they existed. She knew that there were very
good and accurate scientific descriptions for
all that was earthly and not created by man.
Because of explanations and proofs that
she found in her studies of science, she was
not a religious person. She would say that
religions and their beliefs about God were
silly and illogical. She knew Earth was nature
and coexisted with humans.
M.E.G., seeing the beautiful energy
around Chelsea’s place knew that something
was different about its caretaker. Humans
who loved and cared for nature were few and
far between, especially in the city.
The next day M.E.G. went to Chelsea’s
yard. The plants and trees and the garden
were beautiful, but it was the compost pile
that glowed. This is where most of the
beautiful energy was coming from. The spot
that Chelsea visited and fed each night was
glowing with love.
That night when Chelsea went out to
deposit her unusable vegetable matter, she
noticed an empty space where all the other
compost had been.
The next day when Chelsea was leaving for
work, she heard noises in her backyard. She
went to see what all the commotion was and
saw hundreds of birds flying about a large
beautiful tree. This tree was not there last
night, and it was right where the compost
pile used to be!
When Chelsea got home that afternoon,
she went to check her backyard. It was not
a dream, the tree was still there, and there
was fruit or SOMETHING on the tree!?
She pulled a piece off and tasted it. It was
wonderful! Soon she was sharing this tasty
fruit with her friends. The fruit kept coming
back. There was no logical explana-
tion for this.
As word got out about the won-
derful fruit, more and people came
to ask for some. Fearing that there
would not be enough, they offered
money and gifts for the fruit. Chel-
sea had no logical explanation for
this phenomenon.
One night when she went out
to add to her new compost pile, a
beautiful kitten came to her, stopped,
looked up and stared into Chelsea’s
eyes. Then Chelsea heard a voice
from above her over near the tree.
“This tree was created by your
love and devotion.”
Chelsea took deep slow breaths
and kept staring at the kitten and
said, “Who are you?”
“I am Mother Earth Goddess,
I am the energy and the being of
the Earth and all that she offers to
mankind,” M.E.G. said.
A sound came from Chelsea
“Mm Mother uh Earth?”
“Yes, but you can call me Meg. This gift I
give you will nourish you and all who come
to pay you for its fruit. I want you to be
free of the need to spend your life working.
You are an example to others. All whom you
touch through your possession of this tree
and its fruit will learn from you and become
more like you from their desire for, and their
tasting of the fruit.”
“Meg” Chelsea called out.
But M.E.G. was silent. Her work here was
done.
The kitten was named Lil Meg and stayed
with Chelsea and her tree as a reminder that
anything is possible with love.
Work with the Earth—not against her!
Scientists need a more detailed
understanding of how human-pro-
duced atmospheric particles, called
aerosols, affect climate in order
to produce better predictions of
Earth’s future climate, according to a NASA-
led report issued by the U.S. Climate Change
Science Program recently.
“Atmospheric Aerosol Properties and
Climate Impacts,” is the latest in a series of
Climate Change Science Program reports
that addresses various aspects of the country’s
highest priority climate research, observa-
tion and decision-support needs. The study’s
authors include scientists from NASA, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration and the Department of Energy.
“The influence of aerosols on climate is
not yet adequately taken into account in our
computer predictions of climate,” said Mian
Chin, report coordinating lead author from
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Md. “An improved representation
of aerosols in climate models is essential to
more accurately predict the climate changes.”
Aerosols are suspended solid or liquid
particles in the air that often are visible as
dust, smoke and haze. Aerosols come from a
variety of natural and human processes. On
a global basis, the bulk of aerosols originate
from natural sources, mainly sea salt, dust
and wildfires.
Human-produced aerosols arise primar-
ily from a variety of combustion sources.
They can be the dominant form of aerosol
in and downwind of highly populated and
industrialized regions, and in areas of intense
agricultural burning.
Although Earth’s atmosphere consists
primarily of gases, aerosols and clouds play
significant roles in shaping conditions at
the surface and in the lower atmosphere.
Aerosols typically range in diameter from a
few nanometers to a few tens of micrometers.
They exhibit a wide range of compositions
and shapes, but aerosols between 0.05 and 10
micrometers in diameter dominate aerosols’
direct interaction with sunlight. Aerosols also
can produce changes in cloud properties and
precipitation, which, in turn, affect climate.
Current predictions of how much Earth’s
average surface temperature will increase in
the future fall in a wide range. If the amount
of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases
double from the levels in the atmosphere in
1990, the increase in temperature is expected
to be from 2.2 to 7.9 degrees Fahrenheit, ac-
cording to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change.
The role of greenhouse gases in global
warming is fairly well established, but the
degree to which the cooling effect of human-
produced aerosols offsets the warming is still
inadequately understood. The report states
that scientists should strive to improve their
understanding of aerosols’ climate influences
with the goal of cutting that range of uncer-
tainty by nearly two-thirds.
The report states that to achieve the goal
of reducing uncertainties in aerosol impacts
on climate, an advanced, multi-disciplinary
approach that integrates surface, aircraft, and
space-based measurements with models will
have to be developed. Scientists have made
gains in modeling aerosol effects, but this
capability has not yet been fully incorporated
into climate simulations, according to the
report.
The report advocates the development of
new space-based, field, and laboratory instru-
ments and the incorporation of more realistic
simulations of aerosol, cloud, and atmo-
spheric processes into climate models. The
United States faces the challenge of main-
taining and enhancing its existing aerosol
monitoring capability from space.
Satellites have been providing global aero-
sol observations since the late 1970s, with
major improvements in accuracy since the
late 1990s. But some of these missions, such
as NASA’s suite of Earth Observing System
satellites, are reaching or exceeding their
design lives, the report notes.
The complete report is available at:
www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap2-
3/default.php.
Aerosol research key to improving climate predictions
For Earth Day
A story about Mother Earth Goddess
Courtesy photo
Earth Day is a good time to remember we should work with the Earth—not against it.
April 2009 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com Page 21
Ocean fish are the last wild
creatures that people hunt
on a large scale. We used to
think of the ocean’s bounty
as endless. Recently, we
have discovered its limits. Between 1950 and
1994, ocean fishermen increased their catch
by 400 percent by doubling the number of
boats they used and using more effective
fishing gear, according to Monterey Bay
Aquarium’s Seafood Watch.
In 1989, the world’s catch leveled off at
about 82 million metric tons of fish per year.
We have reached “peak fish,” and no number
of boats would help us catch more. Today,
only 10 percent of all large fish—both open-
ocean species (tuna, swordfish, marlin, etc.)
and the large ground fish, such as cod, hali-
but, skates and flounder—are left in the sea,
according to research published in National Geographic.
“From giant blue marlin to mighty bluefin
tuna, and from tropical groupers to Antarctic
cod, industrial fishing has scoured the global
ocean. There is no blue frontier left,” lead au-
thor Ransom Myers told National Geograph-ic. “Since 1950, with the onset of industrial-
ized fisheries, we have rapidly reduced the
resource base to less than 10 percent—not
just in some areas, not just for some stocks,
but for entire communities of these large fish
species from the tropics to the poles.”
“The impact we have had on ocean
ecosystems has been vastly underestimated,”
said co-author Boris Worm. “These are the
megafauna, the big predators of the sea, and
the species we most value. Their depletion
not only threatens the future of these fish
and the fishers that depend on them, it could
also bring about a complete re-organization
of ocean ecosystems, with unknown global
consequences.”
Marine biologist Sylvia Earle said: “I
don’t blame the fishermen for this. We, the
consumers, have done this because we have a
taste for fish and ‘delicacies’ such as shark-fin
soup.
Our demand for seafood appears to be
insatiable…driven by high-end appetites. I’ve
always believed that even when there is only
one bluefin tuna left in the sea someone will
pay a million dollars to be able to eat it.”
Earle, who is also an author and sustain-
ability advocate, pointed out: “Most people
also don’t know how bad it is for us to be
eating so much fish, not only because of the
destruction of an ecosystem vital to survival
but also because the big predatory fish are
full of the toxins and other pollutants that we
cast into the oceans. It’s not as healthy to eat
fish as most people believe.”
Coastal wetlands are fertile habitats for
fish and shellfish but also popular places for
people. More than half the world’s people
live near seacoasts, placing most of our large
cities next to oceans.
Bay waters are polluted by sewage, oil,
chemicals and agricultural fertilizer. Paved
surfaces near wetlands and tidal areas increase
stormwater runoff.
Trawling and dragging are fishing meth-
ods that destroy habitats by dredging up the
seafloor. Some trawlers put rock-hopper gear,
including old tires, along the bases of their
nets to roll over rocky reefs, giving sea life no
place to hide.
Dredges drag nets with chain-mesh bases
through soft sand or mud to catch scallops
and sea urchins, crushing other life on the
seafloor and damaging places where fish feed
and breed. Some scientists believe that fish-
ing with rock hoppers and dredges harms the
ocean more than any other human activity.
According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, one in
four animals caught in fishing gear dies as
bycatch, i.e., unwanted or unintentionally
caught. Tons of fish are tossed out because
they’re not what fishing boats are after, they
have no market value, or they’re too small to
sell.
Bycatch often kills young fish that could
have rebuilt depleted populations if they had
been allowed to grow up and breed. It is esti-
mated that for each pound of shrimp caught
in a trawl net, between two and 10 pounds
of other marine life is caught and discarded
as bycatch.
Some seafood can be farmed sustainably.
Clams are raised in special beds on sandy
shores, where their harvest does little to
disturb the ecosystem. Oysters and mus-
sels often are raised in bags or cages that are
suspended off the seafloor, so little damage is
done when they’re harvested.
Many farmed fish, such as salmon, are
grown in net pens like cattle in feedlots. This
is as environmentally damaging in the ocean
as cattle feedlots are on land. Additionally,
mangrove forests have been cut down and re-
placed with temporary shrimp farms, which
supply shrimp to Europe, Japan and America
until the water becomes polluted.
The following are the best choices for
your dinner plate, according to the Seafood
Choices Alliance: anchovies, arctic char,
bluefish, catfish (farmed), clams, crabs (blue,
Dungeness, king), crawfish, dogfish, hake,
halibut (Pacific), herring (Atlantic), mackerel
(Atlantic, Spanish), mussels (black, green-
lipped), octopus (Pacific), oysters (farmed),
Pacific black cod (sablefish), Pacific cod
(pot- or jig-caught), pollock (Alaskan),
prawns (trap-caught, Pacific), rock lobster
(Australian), salmon (wild Alaskan), sardines
(Pacific), scallops (bay-farmed), shrimp
(U.S.-farmed), squid (Pacific), striped bass
(hybrid), sturgeon (farmed), tilapia (farmed),
tuna (Pacific albacore) and sea urchin.
Shawn Dell Joyce is an award-winning sustainable activist and director of the Wallkill River School in Orange County, N.Y. You can contact her at [email protected].
Courtesy photo
Overfi shing has reduced oceanic fi sh populations by 90 percent since 1950, according to a recent study.
Sustainable seafood can be a reality
By Shawn Dell Joyce
Page 22 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com April 2009
Sudoku!Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains numbers
1 through 9. Th e puzzle has only one solution. Th e solution is on page 28.
Word Power
ConservationConsumeDeforestationEfficiencyElectricityEndangered Species
EnergyEnvironmentFluorescentGreen House EffectLandfillLitter
Rain ForestRecycleRefillRefuseVentilationWind Power
Anomaly (noun) Pronunciation: [ê-’nah-
mê-li] Definition: A deviation from the rule
or normality; an irregularity that cannot be
classified. Usage: The adjective for this word
is “anomalous” and the adverb, “anoma-
lously.” Remember an [a] comes after the [o]
in spelling this word. In its most literal sense,
anomaly refers to a physical irregularity. In
cardiology, for instance, “Ebstein’s anomaly”
is a congenital downward misalignment of
the valve between the heart’s upper and lower
chambers on the right side that causes leakage
from one chamber to the other. Suggested Usage: Metaphorically, anomaly may refer to
any wild deviation from the norm, “Having
Preston at his desk at 9 a.m. is something of
an anomaly, isn’t it?” Putting an object back
where it was originally found might be con-
sidered anomalous behavior for a male child
under the age of, say, 35.
Earth OdysseyEarth OdysseyCalendar listings in
$10are
Send info to: [email protected]. Provide a telephone number or other contact information. Put “calendar submission” in the subject line. The deadline is the 15th of the month for publication the following
month (April 15 for May publication). Payment can be made online via PayPal, or mail a check to: Editor, 1042 Willow Creek Road, Ste A101-PMB 486, Prescott, AZ 86301.
for five or fewer lines.
April 2009 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com Page 23
Solution on page 28
Nicole, Amanda, Joseph, Morgan, Joshua
and Brianna each have a car. Each car has a
different fuel economy (48 MPG, 28 MPG,
32 MPG, 20 MPG, 26 MPG and 38 MPG).
The price of regular gasoline is $1.40 per
gallon and the price of ultra gas is $1.60 per
gallon. Figure out the fuel economy and the
owner of each car.
1. Nicole’s car fuel economy is 19 percent
more efficient than Brianna’s car.
2. Joshua estimates that he will drive 15,000
miles next year and have an annual fuel
cost of $500.80. Joshua uses ultra gas.
3. Brianna estimates that she will drive
12,000 miles next year and have an annual
fuel cost of $600. Brianna uses ultra gas.
4. The fuel cost for Amanda to drive round
trip between Atlanta and Philadelphia was
$85.76. Amanda fills up her car with ultra
gas. It is 750 miles between Atlanta and
Philadelphia.
5. The fuel cost for Morgan to drive round
trip between Atlanta and Boston was
$154. Morgan fills up her car with regular
gas. It is 1,100 miles between Atlanta and
Boston.
6. Joseph and Brianna both drove their cars
from Chicago to New York. New York is
800 miles from Chicago. Joseph needed
5.8 more gallons of gas than Brianna.
Solutions on page 28
Riddle Me ThisThe beginning of eternity
The end of time and space
The beginning of every end
And the end of every place
What am I?
Page 24 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com April 2009
Calendar listings in Earth Odyssey are $10 for five or
fewer lines; $20 for longer listings. Payment can be made
online via PayPal or by check to: Earth Odyssey, 1042
Willow Creek Road, Ste A101-PMB 486, Prescott, AZ
86301. The service is free to advertisers.
Recurring EventsCeliac (gluten free) Support Group now in Payson! We
will provide important resources and information for
people on gluten-free diets. Snacks will be provided
from Gluten Free creations bakery in Phoenix! Contact
Christine for more info, (928) 595-2379.
Throughout April—Exhibit: Wonderful photography
and information on the upper Verde and the life that
depends on it, Prescott College Library.
Mondays, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.—West African Drum-
ming Class Beginning Level Djembe. For students with
no or minimal experience with Djembe, Dununs or
West African rhythmical concepts. Students will get
instruction on proper playing techniques and basic
rhythmical concepts. $65, four weeks. Drop-in-fee is
$20. Drums available for class use. For more info, see
North direction is the path of the hummingbird and
the ancestors of our shamanic lineage. The North is the
direction of magic. You begin to step into your power
in present time, learning the practices of Invisibility,
Mastery of Time and the Ability to Keep a Secret from
Yourself. The hummingbird teaches you that you can
drink directly from the nectar of life. You are now ready
Earth OdysseyEarth OdysseyCalendar listings in
$10are
Send info to: [email protected]. Provide a telephone number or other contact information. Put “calendar submission” in the subject line. The deadline is the 15th of the month for publication the following
month (April 15 for May publication). Payment can be made online via PayPal, or mail a check to: Editor, 1042 Willow Creek Road, Ste A101-PMB 486, Prescott, AZ 86301.
for five or fewer lines.
April 2009 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com Page 25
to take your place at the table with the ancestors, a place
that was prepared for you at the beginning of time. For
more info, call (480) 473-8957 or e-mail medicine@
dtpublications.com.
April 2-5—Heart Awakening Retreat With Enchanting
Songstress Kathy Zavada, Sedona. Imagine four days of
uplifting music and chanting, deep silent meditations,
gentle yoga practices and immersion into the natural
world surrounded by the awesome red rocks of Sedona.
We’ll follow the song into silence and deep meditation
with meditation mentor, Sarah McLean. For more info,
call Paula at (530) 515-1416.
April 2, 6:30 p.m.– 9:30 p.m.—Developing Heart
Centered Awareness and Intuition: Contrary to popular
belief, you have several centers of intelligence within the
body that you can intuitively connect with in order to
gain insight, understanding and relevant information.
The heart, for example, is one of them. The key is to
learn to quiet the mind so you can connect with these
more subtle energies. During this workshop, you’ll learn
several practices that will assist you to develop these
latent abilities. Central Phoenix. For additional info,
crafted jewelry, weavings, stained-glass and mixed media
works. Tickets and brochures (including a map of the
studios) can be obtained at the individual art studios,
the Rim Country Chamber of Commerce and the Pay-
son Library. For more info, contact event co-coordinator
Diana Garrity at (928) 474-5102.
May 2, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.—Your Relationships: A Path-
way to Personal Power, a one-day experiential workshop
with John English at the New Vision Spiritual Growth
Center in Scottsdale. For more info, or to register, see
www.mydreamtimellc.com.
May 2—Agua Fria Open Space Alliance’s third annual
conference at Arcosanti opens with Audubon Society-led
Bird Walk, explores the Best of the Basin with morning
and afternoon speakers, and closes with an Agua Fria
River Hike. For more info about this free, public event,
call (928) 925-7191.
May 8, 7 p.m.—DreamTime Adventures to South
America. Join Jairo E. Gonzalez for a FREE presentation
at Borders-Paradise Valley, 4555 E. Cactus, Phoenix.
During his presentation, Jairo will share information on
upcoming journeys to Peru - Cusco, the Sacred Valley,
Lake Titicaca, the jungle, and the Peruvian mountains.
For more info, see www.mydreamtimellc.com/.
May 9, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.—Scottsdale’s Electronics Re-
cycling Day. Scottsdale residents can recycle unwanted
electronics at the city’s Corporation Yard, 9191 E. San
Salvador. Items accepted include computer, office and
entertainment equipment. For a complete list of accept-
able items, see www.ScottsdaleAZ.gov/recycle or call
(480) 312-5600.
May 9, 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.—Meditation 101 in Scotts-
dale. Learn a lifelong meditation practice in only 2 1/2
hours! We’ll review a variety of meditation techniques
and you’ll learn to use an ancient, universal, silent medi-
tation technique as a vehicle to release stress and truly
experience inner peace.
May 10, 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.—Meditation 101 in Sedona.
Learn a lifelong meditation practice in only 2 1/2 hours!
We’ll review a variety of meditation techniques and
you’ll learn to use an ancient,
May 16, 9:30 a.m.-12:30
p.m.—Longevity Breathing
and Tai Chi Circling Hands
Class. Learn Tai Chi health
exercises used effectively in
China for chronic fatigue,
burnout, stress, tension, ar-
thritis, heart disease, pain, and
high performance. Backway’s,
250 S. McCormick St.,
Prescott. For more info, call
Susan Kansky (928) 925-3426.
May 16, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.—Energetic Resolution Tech-
nique Group Healing Session. Rapidly clear root causes
underlying physical and emotional issues. Backway’s,
250 S. McCormick St., Prescott. For more info, call
Susan Kansky (928) 925-3426.
On the Prescott Courthouse Square, downtown.
Page 28 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com April 2009
Logic puzzle answer: Joshua’s car averages 48 MPG; Amanda’s car averages 28 MPG; Brianna’s
car averages 32 MPG; Morgan’s car averages 20 MPG; Joseph’s car averages 26 MPG; Nicole’s
car averages 38 MPG
Riddle answer: The letter “e.”
Puzzle Solutions
by Anne McCollamCreators Syndicate
Cookie jar isn’t a ‘Smiley’Q: A short time ago, you featured a “Win-nie” cookie jar. In your answer, you ex-plained there was a companion cookie jar named “Smiley.” I have sent this photo of my cookie jar that I received 54 years ago as a shower gift. Standing 11 inches tall, he is wearing a blue and red collar and has a bright red nose and cheeks. There isn’t a manufacturer’s marking, but he is in very good condition.
Please tell me if he is “Smiley” and if he has any value, other than sentimental.
A: Your cookie jar is not “Smiley,” but he
has value. He was made by American Bisque
Pottery Co. in the 1950s, which was located
in West Virginia from 1919 to 1982. They
made vases, planters, lamps, novelties and,
of course, cookie jars. Although they didn’t
mark their pieces with a trademark, they
did often use an impressed “USA” mark or
a mold number. It hasn’t been confirmed,
but many believe they had paper labels. The
pottery also was licensed to produce Disney
figures.
Your cookie jar is worth $195 to $225.
That should make you smile!
Q: This mark is on all 24 pieces of a porcelain tea set that I received from my fa-ther. The set is Royal Doulton’s “Famous Sailing Ships D5957” series. Included in the set are six each of teacups, saucers and individual cake plates, two creamers, one sugar bowl, one
square cake plate and two serving plates. Some of the scenes are “The Bounty,” “The Victory,” “The Acorn,” “The Endeavor” and “Captain Cook.”
I have not been successful in obtain-ing any information from Royal Doulton. Could you please tell me the value of my
set?A: Royal Doulton has been located in
England since 1853. They made the famous
historical English sailing ships “D5957”
series from 1938 to 1958. Some of the scenes
were embellished with embossed designs.
The value of your 24-piece set would
probably be $600 to $800.
Q: I have a round, metal candy tin that is more than 50 years old. The lid is decorated with multicolored, hand-painted embossed flowers. On the bottom are the following words: “Riley’s Toffee—Made in England by Riley Brothers—Halifax Limited—Hali-fax—England.” It is in mint condition.
Could you tell me if it is a collector’s item and what it is worth?
A: Candy and biscuit tins that were made
in England are collectible. Fred Riley and
his brother founded their candy company in
England in 1907. The original family recipe
and instructions on how to make the toffee
candy are attributed to Ella Riley. There have
been several owners following the death of
J.H. Riley and then the sale of the firm in
1953.
Your candy tin would be worth $35 to
$45.
Q: While helping my mother clean her closets and cupboards, I found a hardcover book titled “One Special Summer,” which was written by Jacqueline and Lee Bou-vier (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill). It is a memoir of their journey to Europe in 1951 when they were young women. Lee told most of their adventures, while the drawings, poetry and their visits to Rome and Spain are attributed to Jacque-line. In 1974, it was published and present-ed as a special gift to their parents.
Published by Delacorte Press in New York, the book is a first printing with a blue marbleized cover and dust jacket. The book is in excellent condition, but the dust jacket is worn and a corner of the front is missing. The pages are clean and the color drawings are crisp and clear.
My mother received the book after she took a trip to Europe before she married my dad. Does it have any value?
A: “One Special Summer” is a lovely book
that adds charm to anyone’s library. Jac-
queline was 22 and Lee was 18 when they
traveled to Europe.
The value of your book would probably be
$50 to $75. If the dust jacket was in better
condition, it would be worth at least $125.
FYI: There are recent new publications of
your vintage book.
Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P.O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she cannot answer individual letters.
Courtesy photo
A cookie jar, created by American Bisque Pottery
Co., would probably be worth $195 to $225.
Greener plastic bagsWhile Americans are re-examining every-
thing they do with an eye toward reducing
their carbon footprint, the “paper or plastic”
battle has taken on a new wrinkle: biodegrad-
able plastic bags. Sounds like an oxymoron,
doesn’t it?
The New York Times is about to convert the
bags the company uses to deliver newspapers
around the country to an “oxo-biodegrad-
able poly bag.” GP Plastics manufactures the
product, calling it the PolyGreen Bag.
The plastics company includes an additive
to the plastic that causes it to break down
when exposed to oxygen—over a few months
in the open and over two or three years in a
landfill. And the bags can still be recycled.
The New York Times adds that, despite the
additional cost, it’s the first national news-
paper to commit to oxo-biodegradable bag
technology.
And for citizens of the Big Apple there’s re-
lated news: Mayor Bloomberg is pushing for
a 6 percent tax on grocery store bags. Where
will New Yorkers get their doggie doo-doo
pickup bags?
Hard-Liners against whalingPaul Watson has no affection for Japanese
1 C. Bob’s Red Mill almond flour (it has a smoother consistency than other brands and
that is very important for this recipe!)
1/2 C. Tofutti cream cheese*
Topping5 Tbs. apricot jam slightly melted
4 C. assorted berries
*Can be replace with cow’s milk and cream cheese
Directions1. Make the crust: Preheat Oven to 350°. Coat a nine inch fluted tart pan (a cheesecake
pan can also be used, just press crust about an inch up the side of pan) with cooking
spray. Combine remaining ingredients. Press into bottom and up side of pan.
2. Make the filling: Scrape vanilla seeds into a small sauce pan, and add pod. Stir in soy
milk and 2 Tbs. sugar, bring to a boil. Whisk egg yolks, arrowroot or cornstarch, and
remaining 2 Tbs. sugar in a bowl. Add hot soy milk in a slow, steady stream, whisking
until combined. Return to pan, and whisk over medium heat until thickened, about 2
minutes. Discard vanilla pod.
3. Beat milk mixture and almond paste with a mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes.
Beat in almond flour and cream cheese. Spread into tart crust. Bake for 15 minutes.
Cover edges with parchment paper, then foil. Bake until set, 15 to 25 minutes more.
Let cool completely in pan on a rack. Unmold. Spread jam evenly over the tart.
Arrange berries on top.
Coconut Almond Tart sure to be a hit with all
OK, here is a simple solution
Arizonians. Recycling can
be a challenge in a small
town, of which there are
many in Arizona. The good
news is that if you are seeking a place to
cash in on recycling, Phoenix is the solu-
tion.
You can find anything in Phoenix. That is
one of the reasons I love Arizona so much.
I just recently moved back to Arizona from
Washington state and found myself in a
new reality.
I realize that to recycle in smaller towns
is a challenge. For example, in Prescott Val-
ley you have to pay to recycle. EEK! Then
in Prescott, you have to pay or be more
resourceful by linking into sites like (www.
freecycle.org) or finding a local cause that
will take your left over aluminum, paper,
cardboard, glass, etc. It is not as easy as liv-
ing in a larger city where more resources are
readily available.
As I only passed through Prescott Valley,
I made my way to Strawberry, where the
nearest recycling center was a bin for news-
papers located outside and across the street
from the Pine Library—which is actually
three miles down the road from Strawberry
off Hwy. 87.
But then I found out that you can recycle
all your aluminum at the Payson Humane
Shelter, which is only 19 miles further down
the road and it helps to support their cause
to save animal lives.
This, to me, is one way to support the
cause. I walked in, dropped off some alumi-
num and left with a puppy. I couldn’t resist!
Not only did I recycle my aluminum, but
also I saved a life in the process.
Great, another mouth to feed, maybe it
will eat some of my recyclables and dump
another fuel source, which I can burn for
the winter months.
Phoenix is a hub for your recycle needs.
Even people in the smaller outlying towns
could put together a trip into the city once
a month.
All you really need are a few good neigh-
bors with trucks to help. Why not car pool
with a friend and make that trip to a place
where you can do good?
You can cash in with your saved goods.
Or simply pay it forward in a good cause.
Now, while thinking more about this need
in outlying cities, I remembered that when
I lived in the little town of Patagonia down
by the southern tip of Arizona, they had a
complete recycle containment bin behind
the local post office.
I called a friend down there and she got
me the name off that bin and low and be-
hold here is an incredible solution.
The Arizona Department of Environmen-
tal Quality (www.azdeq.gov) provides waste
programs for smaller communities, as well
as offering regional assistance and a recy-
cling program grant each year.
Unfortunately, the deadline was March
12. They also offer a grant writing class
so that you can send in a winning pro-
posal. Additionally, they offer high school
recycling scholarships. Now this to me is a
win-win situation.
You can contact the ADEQ at (602) 771-
2300 or (800) 234-5677, or, for hearing
impaired at (602) 771-4829.
Or, you can visit them at:
• Phoenix Main Office, 1110 W. Washing-
ton St., Phoenix, AZ 85007
• Northern Regional Office, 1081 W. Route
66, Suite 117, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
• Southern Regional Office, 400 W. Con-
gress, Suite 433, Tucson, AZ 85701.
Recycling in small-town Arizona can be challenging
“Th is we know: the Earth does not belong to man, man belongs
to the Earth. All things are connected like blood that unites us
all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it.
Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”
Chief Seattle
Food for Thought
Page 32 Earth Odyssey • www.earthodysseyonline.com April 2009
Eco LivingBy Christopher
J. Peacock
For days this article sat on my
mind like a weight of lead atop
a half-filled balloon floating in a
turbulent storm. I was at a com-
plete loss for words. The concept
of eco-living resonating in an empty chamber
with nothing to cling to.
Then it hit me, as if it had been there all
along, with a slight thud reminding me of my
purpose, this eco-living article came to life.
I was hit with clarity. Clarity for my life,
my loved ones, my community and this
world as a whole. What could bring about
such clarity? The reminder of purpose for
this article came in a moment of stillness;
remember that space I discussed last month?
That’s where this clarity came from. And
within this space it occurred to me that we
are all seeking clarity of one sort or another.
In this space, the place of eco-living, we are
seeking clarity on finding ways to live a more
eco-friendly life.
It should be obvious by now that my view
on eco-living encompasses a much broader
lifestyle than just reusing, recycling and
reducing. It includes all aspects of life, as ev-
erything is interrelated and interdependent.
Like a puzzle, all the pieces relate to one
another to make the picture whole, and this
life is similar in that manner.
Every aspect impacts every other aspect. So
with this article I hope to bring about a bit of
eco-clarity to the reader.
Reminded on a number of successive oc-
casions, we teach what it is we desire to learn
more of. We share what we are passionate
about, and in turn, learn more about our
passion. I am passionate about living a more
eco-friendly life, as many of you are. While
far from being on a pedestal and a long ways
from being crowned the “King of EcoLiving”
I strive for clarity daily on how to live more
harmoniously within our environment and
community, and thus I teach and share what
I learn.
We must continue to find eco-clarity not
only in our own lives but also in the products
and services we buy. Greenwashing, a term
used to denote the corporate misuse or spin-
ning of their environmental efforts, is more
prevalent now than ever before. We must
look behind the labels, the marketing efforts
and slogans to find the truth of a product or
services true eco-friendliness.
One way to increase our eco-clarity IQ is
to review the financial reports of the com-
panies that sell us products. Look for those
organizations that use triple-bottom-line
reporting.
I was introduced to this concept a number
of years ago while working with an environ-
mental engineering firm at a conference. This
type of reporting focuses on the profitability,
the human impact and the environmental
impact.
While there are a number of wonderful
examples, one that comes immediately to
mind of an organization that uses such a
standard is Patagonia, the clothing and gear
company. They are an organization that does
not use their reporting as a greenwashing
tool. Rather, they live their mission and in-
corporate their environmental clarity in their
operations. It is obvious from how they do
business that they seriously take into account
the sustainability impact of their organiza-
tional decision making.
Local suppliers and manufacturers, almost
always a good choice for many products,
are another great way to find the clarity you
are looking for. Not only supportive of the
local community, keeping money circulating
within your neighborhood, purchasing from
local suppliers and manufacturers allows you
to really see the impact they are having on
the environment. When they are local, your
ability to spot the green sheen on a company
rises significantly.
Eco-clarity is more than just making a
decision about living an eco-lifestyle. It is
understanding and appreciating how you
impact the world around you, and how the
companies you buy from impact the world.
It is about your taking charge of your deci-
sions—being informed and feeling good
about the choices you make.
Spend some time with your Self to gain
clarity. Then examine some of the products
you buy. Are you being hoodwinked by the
green marketing? Are those products a good
investment based on your eco-lifestyle goals?
Increasing your eco-clarity IQ will help you
make more informed decisions and feel more
comfortable with those decisions. And re-
member, if you find yourself lost in an empty
chamber without anything to cling to, take
a deep breath, close your eyes, and find that
space between thoughts to help guide you;
you might be surprised by what you learn.
Christopher is an executive coach focused on sustainable business and life practices. He also currently serves as the marketing and busi-ness director for a civil engineering firm in the Prescott area. He can be reached at [email protected].