Practice yoga with a “Conserving Conscience”: Tips from Waylon Lewis | 3BL Media

It’s that time of year again. The time where we all set intentions to do “more” or “less” of something in the new year. One of my new year’s intention is to do more yoga for 2010. Yoga has been a great thing for me. It quiets my mind, exercises both my body and my mind and helps me build inner strength. With any and all activities I look for ways to think about conserving and re-using per that activity and yoga is no exception. Greenopolis TV and I revisit my talk with Waylon Lewis, Yogi and Founder of Elephant journal on ways to think about conserving resources and reusing when it comes to practicing yoga. Some great tips from Waylon are:

Walk to your yoga studio or practice at home! Waylon really wants everyone to know that a “fancy” studio that you have to drive to is no more beneficial than a quiet practice by yourself or a walk to your “local” joint. He suggest walking more and driving less. (I’m not sure if Waylon drives at all, he rode is bike to meet me from North Hollywood to Venice Beach, taking the 405 Freeway!) Walking and riding your bike also encourages community engagement as well as the obvious, cuts down on emissions and air pollution.

Choose your mat wisely – Waylon suggests that the mat can be eco-conscious and in fact you don’t really even need a mat at all. Yes, I had a nice no PVC mat because I had just learned that Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated as PVC, is the third most widely used thermoplastic polymer in the world. It is commonly made softer with the addition of plasticizers, the most widely-used being phthalates. In this form, PVC is used in thousands of different products, from yoga mats, to clothing and upholstery, to children’s toys. Unfortunately, there are numerous health risks associated with the use of PVC, most of which we have had to find out the hard way. It is commonly believed that harmful toxins, known as dioxins, are a byproduct of the manufacturing of many PVC products. Dioxins are a global health threat because they persist in the environment and can travel long distances. Even at very low levels, near those to which the general population is exposed, dioxins have been linked to immune system suppression, reproductive disorders, a variety of cancers, and endometriosis. Or Waylon suggest no mat! – how about a towel that you already have, or a nice thick blanket. I found these “yoga paws” on-line – a great alternative to the yoga mat …check them out.

Yoga Lifestyle – Waylon suggest that yoga and a yogi life style is one of awareness. He believes that practicing yoga will help with growing your awareness and it is important to think about some lifestyle choices now that you are a “yogi”. Clothing for yoga can just be a loose comfy item you already have in your closet, no need for the “sporty” brand new outfit. But if you do purchase look for “organically grown cotton” outfits. Carry a re-usable tote to and from yoga and think about your diet as one from organically grown foods. Be sure to recycle and again walk to your class, grocery stores and errands in your town so you can begin to engage in your community, focusing on local.

These tips from Waylon are a holistic approach to a “conserving conscience” when applied to yoga – or any activity – thanks Waylon!

For more information on Waylon please check out his website

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

GREENOP3975

Burning Fat to Turn on the Lights: Go to the Gym to Generate Some Juice! | 3BL Media

Yes, we know Gorgeous, all heads turn to admire your sexy body as you saunter from the locker room to the latest piece of fitness equipment to begin your daily workout. But I mean literally light up the room—generating enough surplus power from your cycling, rowing, lifting, running, stair-stepping and other gym activities to power the lights, TV, music, or charge your iPod?

Look, most of the energy we put into exercising on machines turns into friction- heat. Now this little guy below is getting a good workout, but he’s not going anywhere! Why not generate some juice while you get your aerobics in, and conserve some CO2 while you increase your O2 uptake??

Well, green gym rats – er, sorry, fitness buffs-in Hong Kong, Seattle, Portland and other cities can do just that. California Fitness has launched a system where the exercise you do is converted to energy to power the lights and other electronics.

The claim is that one person, exercising moderately, can generate 50 watt/hours of electricity. This is energy that is being wasted, not captured currently.  Over a year’s time, exercising one hour a day, that’s over 18 kilowatt hours of electricity generated and a bunch of CO2 saved. The Green Microgym in Portland, OR  figures that 240 hours a day on the equipment at their gym will meet all of their energy needs, and even offer cash incentives to work out and create electricity as you burn calories. They’ve even run a “Powerthon”, generating a kilowatt hour with 10 machines in 3 hours, entertaining the exercisers with 3 bands to boot!

So get it in gear—turn calories into kilowatts and lard into light! Both you and the planet will look a little better, and you can begin to “light up the room” in more ways than one.

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

GREENOP3968

CRRA’10: Just two weeks left to vote | 3BL Media

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) – January 13, 2010 – There are only two weeks left for CR stakeholders worldwide to evaluate entrants and vote in the third annual CR Reporting Awards (CRRA`10), the only independent global annual awards for corporate responsibility (CR) reporting.

Through Friday, 29th January 2010, registered users of CorporateRegister.com can vote online at http://www.corporateregister.com/crra. Other interested stakeholders are welcome to sign up free of charge at http://www.corporateregister.com in order to vote in the awards.

The CRRA’10 solicited reports published over the last year between October 2008 and October 2009. This year, 130 leading international reporting companies from over 40 sectors entered reports across nine categories: 

-Best Overall Report

-Best First Time Report

-Best SME Report

-Best Integrated Report

-Best Carbon Disclosure

-Creativity in Communications

-Relevance & Materiality

-Openness & Honesty

-Credibility through Assurance

Voters may select up to five choices in each award category, and if they have at least one top choice for each of the nine categories, they will be entered in the Voters’ Prize Draw. Ten lucky winners will receive £250 each.

The CRRA is managed by CorporateRegister.com, the CR resources website and provider of the world’s largest online directory of CR Reports. The CRRA identify and acknowledge the best CR reports and reward quality disclosure as a contribution to the raising of global reporting standards.

Contacts

For further information, please contact: Paul Scott, Corporate Register Ltd, tel. +44 (0)20 7014 33 66, email: info@corporateregister.com. 

CSR Minute: Eastman Kodak’s Eco “Natralock” Packaging; Leonardo Academy’s LEED Seminar

Corporate Social Responsibility News: Eastman Kodak’s Eco “Natralock” Packaging; Leonardo Academy’s LEED Seminar at Green Energy and Building Expo.

State of Illinois Treasurer’s Office in Springfield & Carbon Footprint | 3BL Media

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) January 13, 2010 – More and more leading organizations regard the mitigation of climate change as an important part of their role in society. Climate Change is becoming an ever-pressing matter and its mitigation more and more demanding from all members of society, including businesses and public organizations. A wide range of interested parties regard Climate Change as one of the most important issues of our times and expect government to actively prove that they are part of the solution and not part of the problem. 

The issue of environmental protection is a target of prime importance for governmental organizations. The office of the Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has taken a proactive stance towards its responsibilities to the planet and its atmosphere, and has moved to measure the baseline Carbon Footprint of its operations in Springfield. The study conducted by the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE), a global advisory firm with an office in Chicago and specializing in Sustainable Development Solutions and Climate Change, took place over two months in 2009. The scope of the project involved two main administrative buildings used by the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office, namely the Meyers Building and the Business Center.  The study took into account all three scopes of operations, as recognized by the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard.

To support the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office mitigate its impact on the atmosphere, the Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) developed a Carbon Footprint Strategy and Action Plan to guide the Treasurer’s Office. The steps included an awareness and educational campaign to make staff more aware of the issues of Global Warming, as well as some practical steps related to the reduction of energy by the office. In an effort to progress awareness in government about the link of greenhouse gas emissions in everyday office activities, the CSE offered its support on a pro bono basis.

To improve your organizations’ and/or institutions’ Sustainability and bring positive impact and added value for all stakeholders, enroll in CSE’s North American Workshop at www.cse-northamerica.org, contact Nick Andrews at 773-714-5065 or via e-mail at nick@cse-northamerica.org.

About Centre of Sustainability and Excellence

CSE is a leading advising organization & Think Tank with offices in Chicago, Athens, Brussels, specialized in providing sustainable development solutions to various corporations and institutions. It represents the outcome of the cooperation between experts and scientists, who deal with, apply and provide support in the most advanced practical methodologies towards sustainability, while adhering to social and environmental criteria. Through its network of international partners, CSE offers coaching in a vast array of advising services promoting Sustainability & Excellence to Organizations, Society and Governments. CSE is operating in more than 10 countries.  For more information please visit www.cse-northamerica.org.