- Gita Saraydarian
We cannot change the world for the better if we limit ourselves only to the tangible things that people do and do not do. Our emotions, thoughts, and choices that we make have a huge impact on the environment as a whole.
All of life is one. Our environment can be the biggest we [...]
I must admit, I came to a bit of a mental dead-end when I started to think about what to say on the topic of garbage. It didn’t seem like the most interesting subject to dwell on. But. . . maybe, that’s the whole point. After all, garbage has become so commonplace in our lives that its very rarely given a second thought anymore.
Why is this?
Is it because we as a society have eliminated wastefulness from our lifestyles?
Nope.
Maybe it has to do with how well our culture has informed itself on the seriousness of over-consumption and that every one of us are now making great changes to reduce our carbon footprint on the planet?
Ha!
Sheesh, why don’t we take the time to notice this sort of thing anymore?
I have a feeling it has to do with something that touches us on a deeper level. Acting wasteful is not really the issue, it’s only the byproduct of our current state of consciousness. So no matter how well we figure out new ways of dealing with the trash, whether it be by burning it, burying it, or shooting it into outer space, the real culprit remains at large: ourselves.
In order to truly clean up our world, we’re going to have to start by cleaning up what’s inside of us first. And from what I’ve experienced and seen, it’s going to be a big clean-up job. All we have to do is look around us, and open our eyes to the reality of what our society’s goals are. For example, what comes to mind when we think of a “successful” or “happy” life? In all likelihood, there’s a central theme involved, and it’s called “more”. In other words, we only see ourselves as successful or happy once we’ve managed to acquire more - ie. more money, which in turn means more cars, more job status, more houses, more clothes, more food, and the list goes on.
Obviously, somewhere along the way, we managed to stray from TRUE INHERENT peace, joy, and happiness by seeking these states of Being outside of ourselves - namely by “getting more things”. Naturally, gross wastefulness has followed us like a dark shadow.
I can’t say that I’m a garbage-less saint or anything, but I do hope that by continuing to ask these bigger more sensitive questions that I’ll be able to steadily improve my friendship with the earth - and why not? We have so much in common.
Thanks for going Within,
Kyle Hoobin
Co-Publisher & Co-Editor
- Bill Knell
Growing up in the suburbs of New York City in the 1960s was a pleasurable experience. Venturing into New York City, especially Manhattan, was not. The smell of car, truck and bus exhaust combined with a number of other foul vapors to produce a pollution mix that almost seemed toxic. If you were [...]
-Susun S Weed
In your herbal pharmacy you transform fresh and dried plants into herbal medicines. Learning to identify and use the common plants around you is easy and exciting, beneficial and safe. Making your own medicines saves you money if you follow the Wise Woman Tradition of using local herbs, free for the taking.
Even one [...]
- Mischa Popoff, B.A. (HON)
Are you a consumer who assumes organic food is tested at some stage during its production? Silly consumer! Organic food isn’t tested. So how do you know it’s not fraudulent?
No one will die or get sick if they eat fraudulently organic food; they’ll just get unwittingly ripped off. Inspections of organic [...]
- Christina Vlahopoulos, ND
It’s that time of the year again – cold and flu season. As we leave the Yang season of summer and move into the Yin season of winter it is important to take care of our health and immunity. Here are a couple of simple things that can be done to encourage [...]
-Nina C. May
With autumn’s harvest complete, I settle in to admire the colours of this glorious season. The rainbow horizon seems to glow with natures perfect gift. Shades of scarlet, amber and gold dot the terrain like the crown jewels of Mother Earth, for all of us to enjoy.
This time of year is a perfect [...]
Colouring our World
Maureen Walton
Artist, Maureen Walton Murals
www.maureenwalton.com
“Hey! you’re not allowed to paint on the wall!” - a concerned student tells Maureen as he passes in the school hallway. After an hour he’s painting alongside her and feeling like a graffiti artist of sorts.
Principals have been spreading the word about Maureen’s murals in various school districts [...]
- Oliver Guttorm
Aries:
It is time dear Aries to tune into what may be leaving you feeling drained and then come to terms with it. From where I’m sitting and from the energies that I sense that are surrounding you, once the white flag has been waved you’ll have peace of mind and the feeling of [...]
-Michael Bloch
Sometimes heating your home with wood can be more economical and environmentally friendly than the alternatives; particularly if you have easy access to wood supplies.
While wood fires do generate carbon dioxide and particulate matter, other fossil fuels can generate more greenhouse gases when issues such as extraction and transportation are taken into account. Wood [...]
Worth Watching:
The Story of Stuff
A 20-minute animation of the consumerist society, narrated by Anne Leonard. Exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues. View online or downlaod for free.
http://www.thestoryofstuff.com
Garbage Warrior
The epic story of a radical Earthship eco architect Michale Reynolds, and his fight to build off the grid self-sufficient communities using [...]
-Billings Farnsworth
Many people are looking at ways to save money and gas mileage and one of the first things that comes to mind is to purchase a smaller vehicle.
A hybrid car is typically designed to be smaller and better on gas mileage because of its size. But a true hybrid is actually a car that [...]
- Andree Beauchamp (Dharani)
Over the last few years, I have had the wonderful opportunity to be nourished from the inside out with “herbal infusions”. Taken to drinking herbal infusions daily they provide sustenance, an inner and outer strength, clarity and most importantly perhaps- self knowledge, teaching the body to listen for what it needs best [...]
-Debra Lynn Dadd
You probably are aware that giving your immune system a helping hand can ward off colds and the flu. But did you know that common exposures to toxic chemicals in your everyday life can actually increase your chances of becoming sick?
Catching a cold or flu requires exposure to bacteria and viruses and a [...]
-Bonita Summers
Holidays are a time to hide out from the cold and enjoy the warmth of home and hearth (if you’re lucky enough to have a hearth or at least a plug-in fireplace). Maybe there’s a bit of hibernation instinct in all of us, as we tend to fatten ourselves up during the festive season [...]
I’m not sure if it is simply due to pregnancy being more prominent during this time of year, or simply that I have begun to notice it a lot more that inspired this issue’s cover. It is my intention to allow this issue to serve as a dedication to the many mothers, sisters, teachers, wives, [...]
The Birth Control Pill (BCP) was introduced to the North American marketplace over 40 years ago as the key to liberating women by enabling sexual expression. In Canada, approximately one in five women of childbearing age take synthetic hormones to suppress menstruation, prevent pregnancy, and control pre-menstrual symptoms.
