Posts from — April 2007

Sail forth! Steer for the deep waters only.
Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee and thou with me
for we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go
and we shall risk the ship, ourselves and all. O my brave Soul
O farther, farther sail!
O daring joy, but safe! Are they not all the seas of God?
O farther, farther, farther sail!

– from A Passage to India by Walt Whitman.

Unlike the image I’m sure you’ve conjured up by way of the title of this piece, Bikini Boot Camp is all about massages and is one of the many offerings at Amansala, the solar-power resort in Tulum, Mexico.

Amansala, (which translates to mean: “tranquil waters”), focuses on mayan clay treatments, power exercise classes that come complete with meditation, stretching and yoga.

The best thing about Amansala…the variety. You can opt to attend every single class, or pick and choose if and when the mood strikes you… Need more to inspire you: Amansala offers body sculpting, sea kayaking, bike rides, and my favorite — tribal dancing. Guests stay in huts that are built of native wood with stone floors and thatched palapa roofs; each complete with its own bathroom.

You’ll leave feeling pampered, relaxed and rejuvenated!

The lovely EcoSmart fireplace is an adaptable open fire. Great for those of us living in smaller spaces. Fuelled by denatured ethanol, it’s a clean burning fire with no utility connection. Easy to maintain and a joy to be near!

Get ready to make some smores!

EcoSmart

If, like the 53% responding to a Crain online poll, you’re supporting Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan for congestion pricing, targeting cars and trucks entering the city below 86 Street during business hours (as are most of the other traffic congested cities in the industrial word), you may be ready for what’s coming next month? I’m not talking aboat the $3 gallon of oil @ the pump (soon 2b near you).

No I’m referring to the annual tradition of a great but not so green city… The 16th Annual Bike Month NYC, presented by Transportation Alternatives and the New York City Department of Transportation and Department of Health.

FAB.

Bike Month NYC is for and by people like you.

Learn more

Although the weather outside may be disillusioning…it’s SPRING! Time for us to all get off our humps and do some Spring Cleaning.

Among the many Green tips we found out there, the below are a few of our team’s favorites:

• Clean & polish wood with a mix of vegetable oil, essential oil of lemon, , mint, eucalyptus or your fave, and beeswax.
• Toilet: Scrub with baking soda; follow by wiping seat with white vinegar
• Kitchen sinks: try making your own sink scrub using one part vinegar, four parts baking soda and several drops of your favorite essential oil (or oils). Scrub the paste on with a sponge, let sit for a few minutes then rinse.
• Windows: Vinegar again, this time in a spray bottle, will do the trick. A lot of people recommend wiping vinegar-sprayed glass with crumpled newspaper, but a lint-free washrag works well too. Don’t clean windows when they’re in direct sunlight, because they’ll dry too fast and look “streaky.”
• Carpets: Before vacuuming, shake baking soda over the carpeting; it will help to absorb odors. For spot cleaning, try that natural wonder, vinegar. Spray it on, scrub out the spot with a washrag and don’t worry about the vinegar smell; it dissipates quickly.
• Upholstery: Sprinkle stale cushions and chairs with…you guessed it, our old friend baking soda, then vacuum after letting it sit for a while.
• General odors: Make your own scented sprays by mixing distilled water, isopropyl alcohol (keep this away from heat and flames, as well as from children and pets) and a few drops of your favorite essential oil in a spray bottle, then spray wherever needed. For especially stubborn smells, some people swear by zeolite, a natural mineral with tiny, tiny pores and an ability to soak in the worst of odors.

What could be cooler than a pair of handmade, painstakingly crafted, real wood (we’re talking sustainably harvested wood) sunglasses? Using the highest quality, eco-sustainable, exotic wood veneer, each pair is individually crafted with the most modern techniques combined with old world craftsmanship to insure all products adhere to the highest standards.

Check them out!

If we don’t change,the direction we’re going, we’re likely to end up where we are headed.

ASUS’s new Ecobook laptop looks like a pretty nifty way to lower your environmental costs as you surf the net.

The case for the Ecobook is covered in bamboo, but the real fun is found inside…all of the plastic in it is labeled and recyclable; it’s lined with cardboard; there are no paints, sprays or electroplating used on its components. It looks like it is designed to be easily taken apart for self-service and easy component upgrades. Anyone out there have one?

With its breezy reviews and insightful advice, 100 Places Every Woman Should Go encourages women of any age to see the world  in a group, with a friend, or solo  and inspires them to create their own list of dreams. Based on her own explorations of many countries, award-winning author Stephanie Elizondo Griest highlights 100 special destinations and challenging activities  from diving for pearls in Bahrain to racing a camel, yak, or pony across Mongolia; to dancing with voodoo priestesses in Benin and urban cowboys in Texas; to taking a mud bath in a volcano off the coast of
Colombia. Divided into such sections as Places Where Women Made History, Places of Indulgence, and Places of Adventure, this guidebook includes timely contact information, resources, and recommended reading.

Ten Tips For Wandering Women features safety precautions plus pointers on haggling, packing, and staying parasite-free. Vivid portraits of free spirits like Frida Kahlo (A tequila-slamming, dirty joke-telling smoker, this famous artist was bisexual and beautiful) help travelers expand their experience. (via Amazon)

Eco Options, a new Home Depot line of products is expected to reach 12 percent of the chain’s total by 2009, making it the largest “green” labeling program in America. The Atlanta-based home improvement retailer has begun to classify environmentally friendly products in its U.S. stores.

Home Depot will determine what products to add to the Eco Options line of products. So far the company has identified more than 2,500 Eco Options products, including front-load washing machines, programmable thermostats, cellulose insulation, natural insect repellents, vegetables in biodegradable pots, organic plant food and compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. (More than 50 million CFL bulbs were sold by Home Depot in 2006).

Following Wal-Mart in trying to educate shoppers about issues, like climate change, the world’s largest buyer of building materials, has the power to persuade thousands of suppliers, home builders and consumers to follow its lead.
As part of its Eco Options launch, the company will give away 1 million CFL bulbs at its stores on Earth Day, Sunday, April 22.

FAB