An Interview with Eco Yogini

Today I want to introduce you to one of my favorite bloggers, Lisa at Eco Yogini.

Unless you know me well, you may not know that in one of my spells of career ADD, I considered becoming a yoga instructor. In college, I was a yoga fanatic, practicing every day. Sadly nowadays I only get around to it once every couple weeks (and that's only thanks to the kindness of a friend who provides a free yoga class at my church). But I still love the yoga lifestyle and philosophy and think it ties in so well to living green.

Eco Yogini is a fantastic mix of information about practicing yoga and living an eco-friendly life. Since I started following her blog, I've learned both how to solve my slipping problem in downward dog and how to not be afraid of a menstrual cup! She's so honest and open, I'm sure you'll enjoy learning more about her:



Q: Can you give me a little background info about yourself, how long you've been practicing yoga, and why you decided to go green?

A: As a rural Canadian gal, I grew up in a pretty traditional (and loving!) lobster fishing family and I'm currently a Paediatric Speech-Language Pathologist. I've been practicing Yoga for about 5 years now and began my practice while completing my Masters at McGill in Montréal.

I think the eco-kicker was Al Gore's an Inconvenient Truth, as cliché'd as that sounds. Although I now realize he was a bit off in his claims, I do give him props for effectively mobilizing a new generation and causing a stir.

Q: I love how your blog blends yoga, feminism, and living an eco-friendly lifestyle. How do you think those topics are related?

A: Thank you :) Yoga essentially means 'to unite' and my yoga practice inherently strives to increase my connection with what I see as the Divine, myself and the world around me. There are many aspects of yoga, asana (or postures) being only one small part. Ahimsa, meaning 'non-violence' is one of the 8 limbs of Yoga. I just couldn't justify practicing Yoga, moving through that spiritual Journey on a mat made from PVC, surrounded by chemicals and contributing to what our scientific climatologist community is stating as the irreparable damage to our Planet's fragile Eco-System. Our Yoga practice should continue off our mat and I truly cannot separate the practice of connection from being 'green'. I am not yet at a place where I can accept that a person could truly call themselves a 'Yogi-ni' and not be a firm environmentalist. In Yoga everything is connected and we are all part of the Divine. As for feminism, I guess that's just a part of who I am and my spirituality (The Divine Goddess)...

Q: I have to admit that the first time I found your blog, I was doing a search about menstrual cups, trying to figure out how to use the darn things. (You were very helpful!) Why do you choose to "overshare" that type of information on your blog?

That first 'Overshare' almost made me pee my pants, I was so nervous. I guess the real reason why I wrote that post was because I wished someone had told me those things were normal with the DivaCup. I didn't have a lot of friends who were using it, and the instructions weren't very encouraging (call their 1800 line?? lol).

I am a firm believer that women in my generation (20 somethings- which is all I can speak to) retain this antiquated culture of 'menstruation=dirty'. We don't talk about it, we don't share or connect with each other. It's one of the tenants of Feminism- take away a sense of community and connection, isolate women from each other, and you take away their sense of worth, of power.

If 50% of the entire planet's population between the ages of 11 and 55 are menstruating... then I see no reason why we should be shocked to read about it.

Q: At the Conscious Shopper, I divide a lot of my going green tips into Baby Steps (easy), Jogging Stride steps (medium), and Marathon Runner steps (hardest). What are your favorite easy, medium, and hard tips for practicing yoga, and easy, medium, and hard tips for going green?

A: Yoga:

• Baby Steps- Borrow a DVD for beginners. I like Seane Corn's vinyasa flow DVD. She's practical, gives fantastic instructions and you can try it at home without anyone watching!
• Jogging Strides: Yoga with friends while following along a DVD. This way you're practicing around other people, but they're your friends... so they *shouldn't* judge.
• Marathon Runner: Once you're ready, a real class with an instructor is best. When it comes to type of Yoga, each person will prefer a style that is best for them at that time in their lives (it can change!). No one type of Yoga is better, they are just different. Except Hot Yoga, I would strongly caution new yogis to perhaps try other styles first. ALWAYS listen to what your body tells you. Pain does not equal progress in Yoga. Also, you are never 'more advanced' at yoga if you can achieve ridiculous gumby postures. Yoga isn't about 'advancing' but connecting with yourself. Finally, you do not have to be flexible or strong to practice yoga. It took me two whole years to touch my toes :)
  

Going Green:

• Baby Steps- I started with switching over all my household cleaning products. Eco-alternatives are so easy to find now, and are affordable! (The switch to vinegar and water took much longer!)
• Jogging Strides: Try walking to more places, take steps to reduce your water usage, compost and recycle.
• Marathon Runner: Cut out plastic from your life (storage, bags, new products), try shopping local and organic for food, search for ways to get your electricity as renewable as possible (solar panels etc), and speak out! I think activism really plays an important part in being a part of Change.
  

Q: What blogs and resources do you think would be helpful for all the eco-yoginis out there?

A: I read a lot of eco-blogs; like your lovely blog, Fake Plastic Fish, No Impact Man... inspiring people that make a difference. I also really love A Green Spell, Elephant Journal. My favourite resources include: Ecoholic by Adria Vasil, A Sacred Balance by David Suzuki (anything David Suzuki is awesome), The World Without Us by Alan Weisman and The Earth Path by Starhawk.

My fav products:

• Eco-Yoga mat- Jade rubber mats... for durability and eco-ness
• Recycleyourmat.com: send in your old yoga mat and they'll recycle or donate them!
• Clothing: Roots, Tonic Wear, Karma and Skyler (Canadian)
• Mat bag: Yogoco, DIY :)

I hope you all enjoyed getting to know Eco Yogini. She is currently challenging herself to practice yoga every day in May to raise funds for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. You can support her by visiting her sponsor page.

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You have hereby been challenged to go green in a year without going broke! Check out the last challenge, or view the whole list of Challengicious Mondays. Sign up for my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, and join my "Go Green without Going Broke" group on Facebook!

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An Interview with Condo Blues

We're talking energy efficiency for the next couple months here at The Conscious Shopper. This is one of my favorite topics because it can save so much money without requiring huge investments or new technology. If you check the archives, you'll find lots of articles on energy efficiency - I got addicted last year.

Unfortunately, though, I'm still renting so I haven't been able to improve my own home's energy efficiency as much as I'd like. Luckily, there are other bloggers out there that have made more strides in this category than I have, and today I want to introduce you to the one I think is a DIY maven and energy queen: Lisa from Condo Blues.

I think I do all right keeping my energy use low, but holy cow, Lisa blew me away with her numbers! Keep reading below to find out how Lisa reduced here energy use by 32%.



Q: Can you give me some background info about why you decided to improve your home's energy efficiency?

A: It all started with the February natural gas bill. I felt that it was extremely high. My husband said that the winter bill is always high. I thought it should be lower since one of the reasons we chose to by our home is that had a new furnace and should be more energy efficient and compared to our old rental with the ancient furnace.

I started researching how to make our new home more energy efficient. A slew of Greenzillas insisted that the only way I could lower my home's energy bills was to toss all of my new but one notch under Energy Star rated appliances and HVAC system and install expensive alternative energy systems. I'm not against those items but I couldn't afford to just chuck them all - I just bought a house! I also thought that getting rid of new and working items was wasteful. For example, if I replaced my then new and current refrigerator with an Energy Star rated equivalent I would only reduce my electricity use by $1.00 for the year. I could easily save a dollar's worth of energy with that refrigerator if I keep it full, made sure the seals where tight, lower the temperature a degree, and vacuumed the coils on the back.

I was determined to prove the zealots wrong and learn how to use what I had wisely and efficiently. I did it as a year long project and tried to reduce my use as inexpensively as I could. I did it with inexpensive home improvements, new habits, and a whole lotta CLF light bulbs.

Q: You say in your bio that you reduced your "home's electricity use by 32% in 2007 by changing habits, using my current appliances wisely, and with less than $200 worth of home improvements." If you're willing, I'd love to see some exact numbers. (For example, our average daily electricity use is 27 kWh for our 1200 square foot home.)

A: I have a 1500 square foot free standing condominium. Basically it looks like a regular free standing house but acts like a condo - the Home Owners Association mows my lawn and takes care of street and green space maintenance in our neighborhood. My daily average electricity use is 15 KWh. I have an all electric kitchen. The only Energy Star rated appliances I have are my HE washing machine, which I bought half way into the 20% Energy Reduction Project because my old one died beyond repair and the dishwasher that came with the condo. My daily average natural gas use is 1.5 CCF. I use natural gas for the hot water heater, furnace, and fire place. I don't use the natural gas fireplace often. The last time we used it was during a power outage for heat and light.

Q: You seem big into DIY projects. What tools would you recommend every gal have in her toolbelt?

A: I'm picky. I love custom items but I want to pay for them on my terms. More often than not, that means making or revamping something old into something new. My husband and I love the retro mixed with modern look. We hate sending things to the landfill.

I'm very lucky that my father never chased me away when he was working on a project. He always answered my little kid questions and let me "help" by handing him things or carry a broken whatis to the store so we could match it to the replacement part. My first DIY project was helping my Dad make a step stool out of scrap wood so I could reach the bathroom sink in order to brush my teeth as a toddler. My mom still has that step stool it's come in handy over the years!

I'd recommend a basic toolkit that has a Phillips screw driver (it's the one with the head that looks like a cross), a flat head screw driver, a hammer, a pair of needle nose pliers, an adjustable wrench, a tape measure, level (great for hanging shelves, curtain rods, pictures, etc.), and an electric drill if you want to get fancy.

Q: I'm completely terrified of power tools. Any tips for a girl who generally lets her husband do the sawing and drilling?

A: Put on your safety glasses, tie any long hair back and dive in! Your first project may not be 100%, but just like anything, your skills will improve the more you use them. If you have a husband or person in your life who's skillful but tries to micromanage your project without your consent, try to do it when they aren't around or are busy with something else. If you're worried about cutting yourself with a table or circular saw, you can pay to have the home improvement store make those cuts in the wood you buy from them for you. Having a good home improvement book or Web site with lots of step by step instructions and photos helps too.

Fortunately very few of my energy saving home improvements involved power tools and heavy duty DIYs. Most of them involved spray foam or caulk. I did use a rotary tool to cut a metal door sweep to fit my door which you could do with a small hand saw. I used that project to try out the new toy my in laws gave me for Christmas. :)

Q: At the Conscious Shopper, I divide a lot of my going green tips into Baby Steps (easy), Jogging Stride steps (medium), and Marathon Runner steps (hardest). Can you give us your favorite Baby Step, Jogging Stride, and Marathon Runner tips for improving a home's energy efficiency?

A: I'd pay someone or do my own DIY home energy audit as a energy saving Baby Step. You need to know how much energy you are using and where your home's and weaknesses are before you can reduce your use.

As a Jogging Stride step I would seal air leaks in your home with caulk (there are removable caulk options for renters), weather stripping, spray foam, or door sweeps. Even newly built homes like mine have little gaps around doors and windows that draw heated or cooled interior air out of your home.

For a Marathon Runner I would either replace an energy inefficient appliance with a more energy efficient model or add more insulation to your home.

Q: What resources have you found that might be helpful to someone interested in improving their home's energy efficiency?

A: The Energy Star website has an online home energy audit tool that lets you do a free home energy audit. I used it to do the home energy audit that gave me the idea to do the 20% Energy Reduction Challenge. It has a lot of great information about how to make your home more energy efficient. DIY Network has a slew of shows and advice when you're trying to decide if a project is a DIY job or if it's better to call in a pro. Of course I think Condo Blues has some great real world examples on how to go green and save money doing it too.


I hope you all enjoyed learning more about Condo Blues. Her blog is really a wealth of information. Check it out!

____________________

You have hereby been challenged to go green in a year without going broke! Check out the last challenge, or view the whole list of Challengicious Mondays. Sign up for my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, and join my "Go Green without Going Broke" group on Facebook!

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An Interview with Fake Plastic Fish

Since we've been talking about reducing our trash for the past couple months, I wanted to introduce you to one of my eco-heroes, Beth from Fake Plastic Fish, who has been writing about reducing her plastic use since 2007.

Plastic is ubiquitous in our modern lives. Is it actually possible to live a life without plastic? Probably not - but we can definitely reduce how much plastic enters our lives and how much gets thrown away. After two and a half years of reducing, collecting, and examining her plastic use, Beth produced only 3.7 pounds of plastic waste in all of 2009 (roughly 4% of the U.S. per capita average).

Some of Beth's attempts to live life with less plastic may seem extreme. For example, she buys meat from the butcher to make her own cat food. I say, "Impressive!" Some may say, "Too extreme for me!" But even Beth doesn't expect everyone to go as far as she does. By attempting to weed out as much plastic as possible from her own life, Beth simply hopes to bring attention to the issue and show people what could be possible. Maybe you'll never make your own cat food, but after reading about Beth, you'll decide to do something that's possible for you - like using a reusable glass, mug, or bottle instead of buying bottled water.

Beth kindly agreed to answer some questions and provide some tips to help us use less plastic (and reduce our trash production). Enjoy!



Q: Can you give me some background info about why you're trying to limit the amount of plastic in your life?

A: The impetus happened two and a half years ago when I first saw a photo of a dead albatross chick on Midway Island, thousands of miles from civilization, whose carcass was completely full of plastic pieces. Plastic that I used in my daily life. From that moment on, I knew I had to change. I had no choice. Then, after learning more and more about plastic -- that most of plastic recycling is actually downcycling, that all plastics contain chemical additives that can leach and that manufacturers are not required to reveal those chemicals to us, that plastic is made from a non-renewable resource, etc. -- it became even more important to limit my exposure to plastics. Mostly I focus on single use plastics. But I also avoid buying new durable plastic items, opting for second hand whenever possible or finding a way to do without.


Q: I get a lot of funny (and sometimes antagonistic) reactions from people about my green lifestyle, and I'm nowhere near as far along as you. How do your friends and family react to your plastic-free lifestyle?

A: I don't know if I'm further along in all things green. I'm definitely further along in plastic reduction. But there are so many issues to consider. I could do much better in energy and water conservation. One thing that helps is that I live in a walkable, bikeable area with great public transit. We also have awesome sources of bulk foods where you can bring your own containers and bags. We all have different challenges and must do the best we can starting where we are.

My family and friends are actually very supportive. Some of my friends have made great green changes in their live. One of my friends bought a reusable water bottle and carries it everywhere. And she switched to reusable cloth maxi pads. Now, she's starting writing letters to companies about their waste! On the other hand, my co-workers think I'm weird and have no desire to change. Whatever. Sometimes I get frustrated, but mostly I just work on changing myself and being an example and letting people make their own decisions.


Q: Along the same lines, several people commented on my blog recently that sometimes sales clerks are not very nice when they try to use cloth bags. You go far beyond cloth bags to bringing your own straws, napkins, and to-go containers. What kinds of reactions do you get to that, and what advice would you give to people who are nervous about rocking the boat?

A: I get nervous about rocking the boat too! But I try to just feel the nervousness and do it anyway. And I remind myself that getting a weird look is not going to kill me. Recently, I wrote a post on that very subject.

Some store clerks are supportive. The staff at Berkeley Whole Foods, for example, don't bat an eye when we come in with our containers and bags. They will weigh the containers at the customer service desk so the cashier can deduct the weight as we check out. We even bring a big pot to the butcher counter to buy ground turkey for our homemade cat food.

Other shops don't allow customers to bring their own, citing questionable health regulations. I just void places like those. Luckily here in the Bay Area, there are plenty of places to choose from. If one shop won't do it, there's another one that will. My favorite Chinese restaurant has no problem putting take out food in our stainless steel tiffins. The trouble is, we always have to remind them not to put the tiffin in a plastic bag!


Q: At the Conscious Shopper, I divide a lot of my going green tips into Baby Steps (easy), Jogging Stride steps (medium), and Marathon Runner steps (hardest). Can you give us your favorite Baby Step, Jogging Stride, and Marathon Runner tips for reducing plastic?

A: First of all, what's easy for me might be hard for someone else and vice versa, so this list is based on my personal experience. Everyone's mileage may vary.

Baby Steps: Bring your own reusable grocery bags and reusable water bottle or travel mug wherever you go. I carry several ChicoBags in my purse and backpack at all times so I am never without a reusable bag in a pinch. The hardest part is remembering to empty them and put them back each time I get home. I try to do it immediately.

Jogging Strides:

• Carry your own utensils, glass or stainless steel straw, stainless steel container like LunchBots or To-Go Ware. There is a new campaign called Take Out Without started by my friend Lisa Borden to encourage people to bring their own reusables for take out and leftovers and to encourage restaurants to get involved promoting the program.

• Request no plastic packaging when placing orders online.

• Wash your hair with a shampoo bar (like Burt's Bees rosemary mint shampoo bar or J.R. Liggett)

• Switch from liquid soap to bar soap

• Buy from bulk bins as much as possible bringing your own bags and containers

Marathon Runner:

• Wash your hair with baking soda/vinegar
  

• Stop eating convenience foods: energy bars, frozen foods, snack foods. They all come wrapped in plastic unless you can buy them from a bulk bin.

• Buy all durable plastic items -- like electronics, appliances, etc. -- second hand instead of buying new plastic. It can be challenging to find these things.

• Try as hard as possible to get stuff repaired when it breaks rather than discarding and buying new.

• Send back unwanted plastic packaging to companies with a letter explaining why

• Start a campaign like Take Back the Filter to get a company to take responsibility for its non-recyclable waste

• Start a blog to encourage others to take these steps too!

I have a whole long list of suggestions on my website, Fake Plastic Fish.


Q: What books, movies, and websites would you recommend to someone who wants to learn more about reducing their plastic waste?

A: Web Sites:

• Fake Plastic Fish of course!
• TakeOutWithout (campaign for bringing our own reusables to restaurants)
• Plastic Pollution Coalition (organization dedicated to stemming the tide of plastic pollution)
• Life Without Plastic (source of a lot of great plastic-free products)
• The list of plastic-free bloggers on my website. Too many to list here.

Movies:

• Blue Vinyl
• Addicted to Plastic
• Tapped
• Synthetic Sea

I hope you all enjoyed learning more about Fake Plastic Fish. Isn't she inspiring?

____________________

You have hereby been challenged to go green in a year without going broke! Check out the last challenge, or view the whole list of Challengicious Mondays. Sign up for my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, and join my "Go Green without Going Broke" group on Facebook!

• This post was shared at All Things Eco.
  

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