Earth Odyssey April 2009

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

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Columns

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Vol. 1, No. 8 April 2009

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Movies that won’t make you dumber

MovieReviews

by Jason Allen

By Christine Bollier

NASA studies fl aring gamma-ray star

Natural brides say ‘I do’ to Mother Earth

Grow Native! Plant Sale set for April 25

Wind energy grows by record 8.4 gigawatts in 2008

4

8

9

11

Cover Story: Artist mixes natural elements into her paints

ON THE COVER: Artist Emelina M. Figueroa Symonds uses acrylic and water-based art materials, along with organic elements

such as coff ee, sand, grains, wood, marble powder, seeds, fi bers and other natural and recycled items. Page 16. Photo by Pia Wyer

News and Features

16

Columns and Entertainment

11 Vibrational Realignment by Mike Davis

18 Nutrition News by Charlyn Fargo

21 Sustainable Living by Shawn Dell Joyce

22 Puzzle Pages

24 Calendar of Events

28 Antiques or Junque by Anne McCollam

28 Green Minute by Jim Parks

30 What in the World is Happening? by John Hall

31 Yes! You Can Recycle That by Patricia Melchi

32 Eco Living by Christopher J. Peacock

12

13

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20

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program

Green funerals: Live green, die green—become

one with Mother Earth

Rising sea levels a concern for us all

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For Earth Day: A story about Mother Earth

Goddess

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Aerosol research key to

improving climate predictions

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day workshop

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30


Our MissionTh e mission of Earth Odyssey is to encour-

age individuals to develop sustainable life-

styles and healthier well-being by providing

educational information needed to make

wiser choices. We envision an extended

community of individuals who care pas-

sionately about their environment and their

own spiritual well-being and recognize the

symbiotic relationship between the two.

Magazine StaffPublisher/Editor Ann Haver-Allen

Photographer, Photo Editor,Web Master and PR Director

Pia Wyer

Advertising Art DirectorDistribution Manager Jason Allen

Advertising RepresentativesBill Allen

Kelly Shattuck

Pia Wyer

ContributorsMaya Joy Angeles

Christine Bollier

Leilah Breitler

Mike Davis

Cherlyn Fargo

John Hall

Shawn Dell Joyce

Mike Marino

Anne McCollam

Sarah McLean

Patricia Melchi

Jim Parks

Christopher J. Peacock

Dominique Shilling

Pia Wyer

An educational guide to sustainability and spiritual well-being

Earth Odyssey is published monthly

by Pinon Pine Press LLC and is available

online at earthodysseyonline.com.

Send comments and suggestions to:

[email protected]

OR via U.S. mail to:

Editor

1042 Willow Creek Road

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Phone: (928) 778-1782

Th e opinions expressed in this publication

are not necessarily those of the publisher

or advertisers. Copyright © 2008. Pinon

Pine Press LLC. All rights reserved.

Reproduction, in whole or in part, is

prohibited without written permission.

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Earth Odyssey is printed on recycled paper using soy inks.

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).


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


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.


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.


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.


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

Grow Native! Plant Sale and Educational Festival.

Prescott College’s Crossroads Café is host-

ing an International Foods Festival for the

month of April. For three weeks, the Café

menu will focus on sustainable, indigenous

“peasant” foods from China, Bolivia and Na-

pal. Each week will kick off with a Monday

evening slide show and storytelling from the

area featured.

Presenters include Environmental Studies

faculty member, Ed Grumbine, who has just

returned from a trip to China. He is work-

ing on a book about the food of the country

titled “The Dragon Meets the Angry River:

Conservation in China,” which is due out

next fall from Island Press.

The story telling and slide show during Bo-

livia week will be presented by students from

the Food Systems of the Bolivian Andes block

class, taught by Stephen Taranto (lapazonfoot.

com). Students will be sharing stories and

lessons and foods from the Andes experienced

during the class in which they explored the

food systems of this Andean nation.

Faculty member Pramod Parajuli and his

son Amalesh, who is a student at Prescott

College, will share recipes, music and stories

of sustainable living in Nepal. For informa-

tion, check the Café Web site at prescott.

edu/café or contact Chef Molly Beverly,

[email protected].

Schedule• China Week March 30 to April 6 Monday, April 6—Slide show and story

telling by Environmental Studies faculty

member Ed Grumbine. 6:30 p.m. to 8 pm.

• Bolivia Week April 20 to 24 Monday, April 20—Slide show and story

telling by students in Food Systems of the

Bolivian Andes class. 6:30 p.m. to 8 pm.

• Nepal Week April 27 to May 1, 2009 Monday, April 27—Slide show and story

telling 6:30 p.m. to 8 pm.

The Crossroads Café provides students with

fresh, healthy, affordable food prepared simply

and sensitively. “The goal of the café is to not

only serve great food, but to help educate

the College community about the roles that

food plays in environmental, social justice,

and nutritional issues,” said Chef Beverly. The

menu changes daily and uses local, seasonal,

sustainable, organically grown foods prepared

with traditional and innovative methods.

International Sustainable Foods Festival to be held in April


The planets move in an or-

derly and predictable man-

ner. Astrologers look at their

movement though the zodiac

to understand what is going in

our lives and to forecast possibilities. Most of

us want to know if things will get better or

worse. The answer is both, better and worse.

Some things will improve, and others will

get worse before getting better. The best

answer to any question about how the future

will be is, that it depends on how you look at

it. What you focus on is important. There is

positive and negative in all things. This is the

duality of the physical dimension.

Pluto was in Capricorn for only about five

months last year. It spent more than half of

2008 in Sagittarius due to retrograde motion.

Now, this year, 2009, Pluto is in Capricorn

for the long haul. It will take approximately

15 years to go through the constellation of

the “Sea Goat.”

Pluto represents the urge to transform.

Its process is to purge, destroy, renew and

regenerate. This can be a very good thing.

Pluto goes through the same process no mat-

ter what sign it is traveling in. It is the sign

that it is going through that determines what

types of things will undergo renovation.

Capricorn represents structure, order,

limitation, traditions, regulations, banks,

corporations, institutions, the elderly and

karma, as well as our ECONOMY and the

ENVIRONMENT.

This is truly the time to go GREEN and

Pluto is forcing the issue. This small but

most powerful planet is known as the trans-

former. It tears down that which is no longer

working. Then it’s out with the old and in

with the renewal.

Remember that Capricorn is about

structure, order and limitation. Just because

democrats took over the White House does

not mean that conservative politics are out.

Capricorn’s nature is conservative. Things

could seem to get worse before they get

better. Meanwhile, good or bad, happy or

sad, what we focus on expands. Focus on the

positive and count what IS working.

This month’s Retrograde Planets: Pluto

goes into retrograde motion at 3 degrees of

Capricorn on the 4th at 6:35 a.m. It will

seem to backtrack until Sept. 10. When it

starts to move forward again it will be at 0

degrees Capricorn.

Saturn started into retrograde motion on

Dec. 31 in Virgo and will continue retro-

grade motion until May 16. Its April trip

will go from 16 down to 15 degrees of Virgo.

Venus continues its retrograde motion at 4

degrees of Aries and it will be in 29 degrees

Pisces when it goes direct on the 17th of this

month.

April 3, Venus Aries square Pluto Capri-

corn is not good for situations concerning

love. This will improve by next Monday.

On Wednesday the 4th, we have a lot going

on. Pluto starts its backwards motion at 3

degrees of Capricorn. Mercury Aries sextile

Jupiter Aquarius is good for communication

and making decisions. And then with Mars

in Pisces opposite Saturn Virgo we may find

that people in public seem to be less patient

with each other.

On Tuesday the 7th, Mercury Aries sextile

Neptune Aquarius enhances imagination and

creativity. You may notice that it seems easier

to put your thoughts into words. Perhaps

there is something you want to say to a loved

one or friend?

Mercury enters the constellation of Taurus

the Bull on Thursday the 9th. The full moon

is exact at 7:55 a.m. MST. The light shining

on a Libra moon is beneficial for relation-

ships, especially good for lovers, and can also

enhance our ability to work together with

others.

Couples marrying on this day will have the

blessings of the sun in Taurus for faithful-

ness and the moon in Libra for partnership.

Friday’s Sun Aries sextile Jupiter Aquarius

is great for making plans and being able to

carry them out.

We also have Mercury Taurus trine Pluto

Capricorn. This pairing strengthens mental

ability. It is good for deep discussions, as

well as analysis. Venus moves into Taurus on

Saturday the 11th.

Wednesday the 15th has Mars conjunct

Uranus in Pisces. Mars is energetic and

when paired with Uranus’ penchant for the

unusual could make this a great day to break

routine and do something out of the ordi-

nary. We also have Sun Aries sextile Neptune

Aquarius.

This combination can enhance awareness

of higher states of consciousness, intuition

and the mystical. On Friday the 17th, Venus

goes out of retrograde and starts moving

in direct motion at 29 degrees of Pisces.

Mercury Taurus trine Saturn Virgo makes

this a great time to take care of details. It will

be easier now to sort things out and solve any

problems.

Sunday the 19th the Sun joins Mercury in

the sign of Taurus. Tuesday’s Venus and Mars

together in Pisces is the perfect combination

for romance! Pisces is loving and compas-

sionate. This is great for couples. Individuals

can enjoy it as well. Do something romantic

like buying yourself a gift or doing some-

thing to nurture yourself! Let your loved ones

know how much you care.

On the 22nd, Mars moves into Aries. Mer-

cury is in Taurus square to Jupiter Aquarius.

It would be best to leave mind intensive tasks

for another day. We may notice people being

critical, or overdoing things.

Sun Taurus trine Pluto Capricorn on

the same day can enhance ability to see the

obvious that is easily overlooked. Friday the

24th, Venus enters into Aries. We have the

new moon in Taurus at 8:24 p.m. What do

you want to attract into your life? The new

moon is the best time for planting the seeds

for future harvesting.

Also on this day Mercury Taurus sextile

Uranus Pisces can quicken the mind, and

help us to adapt to new ideas. On Saturday,

Mercury Taurus squares Neptune in Aquar-

ius. When these two planets are working

against each other, it is like putting intelli-

gence vs. intuition.

You may want to take your time and pay

close attention to details. On Sunday the

26th, Mars in Aries is square Pluto Cap-

ricorn. Slow down, take your time and be

patient with yourself and others.

Read your Sun, Ascending, and Moon sign. An astrologer can help you find all of the planets places on the day that you were born.

a Aries—March 21–April 19Sun in your sign can bring luck, opportunity

and attention to you. The areas of work and

health are highlighted by Saturn to help you

to improve in these areas. By persevering, you

are very likely to get what you need. You can

be a strong influence on people around you.

b Taurus—April 20–May 20Mental ability could seem to be enhanced

now. Speak up, assert yourself. Situations

about relationships could bring lessons for

you. You may notice a friend or friends

changing. Memories of past experiences oc-

cupy your thoughts more now. Take action

about something important to you.

c Gemini—May 22–June 21Changes around your home allow you to see

where improvement is needed. Ignore prob-

lems and you will learn the hard way. You may

notice that you have more friends lately. Now

is a perfect time for new beginnings. Learn or

try something new. Expect the unexpected.

d Cancer—June 22–July 23Career could be all or nothing right now.

Focus on your responsibilities to yourself

first. Think twice about what you say and

how you say it. Opportunity allows you to

resolve past situations. Acknowledge your

gifts and talents. Take a chance for a new

beginning.

e Leo—July 24–August 23Education, travel and spirituality are the

focus now. Anything that seems interesting

to you should be pursued. If it makes you

happy, do it—classes, crafts, sports or other

interests and pastimes. Goodness can come

in all things, open to the gift. Put plan into

action to make a dream come true.

f Virgo—August 24–September 23Focus is on your career or purpose now. If

you do not know what that is, then start the

search. Identify your skills and talents. Pay

attention to your desires. Take time to do

something you have been wanting to do. Let

go, relax. Something shiny attracts you, seek

it slowly.

g Libra—September 24–October 23Now is a very good time for improving

your health and your work. Mars helps

with energy and Venus rewards your effort.

An acquaintance expresses their apprecia-

tion of you. Secret or hidden information is

revealed. Past lesson helps you to keep things

flowing in a positive way.

h Scorpio—October 24–November 22 Work and health are highlighted this month.

See if there is anything that can be improved

and work on it. Be clear with yourself about

what is possible and what is not. Your mind

could be on important relationship(s). A love

relationship could be very intense and out of

the ordinary.

i Sagittarius—November 23 –December 22Romance and creativity are highlighted this

month. Situations come up that could help

you to improve your career or purpose. You

get a chance to understand what others see as

valuable about you. Do something to make

your home environment more harmonious.

Release any doubts.

j Capricorn—December 23–January 20Trust your feelings about income. You may

even be able to put some money away. You

may find it much easier now to come up

with ideas. Learning something new or

taking a class now could be very rewarding

in the future. Home and security could be a

major focus now.

k Aquarius—January 21–February 19This is a good time to speak up or ask for

something. Changes around money and

value are possible this month. The changes

could end up to be very positive in the long

run, if not now. Communication is impor-

tant. Think about what you wanted to have

or to do as a child.

l Pisces—February 20–March 20Opportunities now help you to know your

value. Look at your tangible and intangible

assets. You have a chance to make some

changes that could improve your life in the

near future. Think about what you value

most. Your lessons are about close relation-

ships and significant others this month.

Monthly horoscope from Dominique

Dominique takes an in-depth look at the stars


Larry Dossey, M.D., has noted,

“Future generations, look-

ing back, will regard conven-

tional medicine during the 20th

century as being as limited as

five-finger arithmetic. A new medicine is

arising—one which embraces spirituality and

consciousness as emphatically as convention-

al medicine has dismissed them.”

Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiologist and

Oprah’s current favorite doctor, states

emphatically that, “Energy medicine is the

future of medicine.” Indeed, Dr. Oz has

energy medicine practitioners join him in

the operating room! But just what is “energy

medicine,” and why should anyone care?

Here is my personal definition of energy

medicine: “Energy medicine is the conscious

use of information (frequency) to manipulate

the subtle energies of the body to allow for

self-healing, be it physical or emotional, be it

ego-level or subconscious.”

What? Let’s go one step at a time. First,

it is a conscious or intentional practice;

it doesn’t just happen. While critics have

argued that the placebo effect or spontaneous

remission provide the explanation for the in-

credible results of energy medicine, research

has confirmed the effects on plants, animals

and even bacteria. It is difficult to argue the

power of suggestion on your cat!

Second, it operates at the level of frequen-

cy, that is, the level of energy that the latest

discoveries in quantum physics tell us is the

ultimate reality. Einstein created a revolu-

tion when he equated energy with mass. But

the new paradigm suggested by Dr. William

Tiller, for instance, suggests energy=mass=in

formation=consciousness. And frequency in

an energy universe IS information.

Quantum physicist Ervin Lazlo captures

this nicely when he says, “In the emerging

concept of the new sciences there is no cat-

egorical divide between the physical world,

the living world and the world of mind and

consciousness. Matter is vanishing as a fun-

damental feature of reality, retreating before

energy; and continuous fields are replacing

discrete particles as the basic elements of an

energy-bathed universe.”

Dr. Gary Schwartz at the University of

Arizona has noted that, “What we experience

with our limited senses as matter is actually

organized fields of energy. Therefore, what is

‘real’ is not matter but fields. As Einstein put

it, ‘The field is the only reality.’”

The third piece of the puzzle is manipula-

tion of the subtle energies of the body. What

we have confirmed is that there are energy

pathways in and around the body that have a

profound influence on our health and well-

being. Chakras, meridians, prana, Qi, etc.,

have all been measured and documented.

Dr. Valerie Hunt, an early pioneer in this

field, writes, “My research shows that hu-

man energy fields display a continuum. The

extremely low frequencies (ELF) are directly

involved with life’s biological processes. The

extremely high frequency (EHF) patterns ally

with the mind-field and awareness. The general

pattern of ELF is similar for all people, while

the EHF reveals a personal signature of emo-

tional patterning for each person.” It is within

these “fields” that energy medicine operates.

Next, the effects of energy medicine

need to be understood as operating on the

self-healing mechanism innate within us all.

When your finger is cut, you do not need to

consciously initiate bleeding and scarring;

these are spontaneous.

Thus, energy medicine isn’t something that

is “done” to you, but is instead a tool that

seeks to remove the blocks and impediments

to your own healing. This explains both the

miraculous possibilities as well as the absence

of harm.

Finally, the beauty of energy medicine

operates at both the physical and emotional

plane. Chronic pain and illness may be just

as susceptible to relief as emotional trauma

and illness. This is explained by the incred-

ible influence that your own mind or con-

sciousness has on your health.

Dr. Candace Pert, one of the original

pioneers in this work at the National Institutes

of Health, notes, “We can no longer think of

the emotions as having less validity or material

substance, but instead must see them as cel-

lular signals that are involved in the process of

translating information into physical reality,

literally transforming mind into matter.”

To summarize, you are not a physical be-

ing, but an energetic one. That energetic be-

ing is directly affected by your thoughts and

emotions. Those thoughts and emotions take

up residence in your body, masquerading as

physical and emotional ailments.

Indeed, Dr. Pert postulates that your body

is actually your subconscious mind! This fur-

ther explaining how energy medicine is able

to act on both the conscious and subcon-

scious level. When the movie “The Secret”

says “you are what you think,” there is quite a

bit of science to back that up.

You really do create your own reality, but

not necessarily consciously. Since your sub-

conscious is perhaps as much as 97 percent

of your mind, much is happening outside

of your awareness. This is where the energy

medicine practitioner enters the scene,

bringing a new vibration, a new “mind” to

the equation, and remedying the energetic

disturbances that have led to the dis-ease.

And the incredible power of energy medi-

cine to help, when nothing else does, and to

do so without harm, is the reason why you

should care.

What is energy medicine—and why should you care?

By Mike DavisBy Mike Davis

The U.S. wind energy industry

shattered all previous records

in 2008 by installing 8.4

gigawatts of new generating ca-

pacity—enough to serve more

than 2 million homes. The United States

has now officially overtaken Germany as the

world’s top wind energy generator.

Europe and North America ran neck-to-

neck in expanding wind electricity generating

capacity, each adding about 9 gigawatts of

wind power in 2008, with Asia closely fol-

lowing with 8.6 gigawatts.

New wind projects completed in 2008 ac-

count for about 42 percent of the entire new

power-producing capacity added nationally

last year, according to initial estimates, and

will avoid nearly 44 million tons of carbon

emissions, the equivalent of taking more than

7 million cars off of the road.

The amount that the industry brought

online in the fourth quarter alone—4,112

MW—exceeds annual additions for ev-

ery year except 2007. In all, wind energy

generating capacity in the United States now

stands at 25,170 MW, producing enough

electricity to power the equivalent of close to

7 million households and strengthening our

national energy supply with a clean, inex-

haustible, homegrown source of energy.

Looking to the future, at least one organi-

zation remains bullish on global wind power

growth. The Energy Watch Group, which

bills itself as an international network of

scientists and parliamentarians, notes that

global wind power capacity has experienced

exponential growth since the early 1990s,

and the group expects the trend to continue.

As wind power becomes more competitive

with competing sources of electricity, the

group sees rapid growth fueled by access to

new wind energy resources, greater access to

power grids, and an emerging world market

for wind turbines and components.

The group recently released a study that

explores four different scenarios for global

power consumption and wind power genera-

tion, and each scenario projects that wind

power will eventually capture half of the

market share for new power plant installa-

tions, with the date of that accomplishment

ranging from 2017-2033. By 2025, the four

scenarios result in renewable energy provid-

ing 23 percent to 65 percent of the world’s

electricity needs. For more information,

download the report from the Earth Odyssey Web site at www.earthodysseyonline.com.

Wind energy grows by record 8.4 gigawatts in 2008

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

Tex

as

Iow

a

Cali

forn

ia

Min

nes

ota

Wash

ingto

n

MW

Top wind energy producing states

Source: American Wind Energy Association

MW 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Source: Global Wind Energy Council

Global annual installed wind energy 1996-2008

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000


April is the month when spring-

cleaning fever hits and we feel

the need to clean and organize

our homes.

We take down curtains, take

up rugs, take out furniture, scrub, wash and

clean, then put everything back. The things

we no longer need usually end up in yard

sales.

When spring cleaning is all done, our

home should smell fresh, sparkle with clean-

liness and satisfy our desire for a healthful,

pleasant environment. Unfortunately, this is

not always true.

All those cleaning products offered in super-

markets to make home-keeping duties easier

and better actually make it more complicated

and hazardous. Read the labels of these “help-

ful” products. Many give poison center phone

numbers, toxic waste disposal information and

disclaimers for allergic reactions.

They smell bad, may burn your skin and

eyes, or can cause headaches, irritability and

shortness of breath. Is there a better way?

Of course there is! Here are some easy,

economical and ecological solutions:

Spray CleanerThis is the spray cleaner we use at The Herb

Stop to clean and disinfect surfaces. The es-

sential oils have strong antibacterial, antifun-

gal and antiviral properties, as well as being

tough degreasers. Their refreshing scent

permeates our entire working environment.

Everyone who enters can sense the calming

and healing effect.

6 oz distilled water

2 oz denatured alcohol

¼ tsp lemon, lime or grapefruit essential oil

10 drops tea tree oil

Toilet Bowl Spray CleanerVinegar dissolves mineral buildup, while

the oils loosen grime and give a fresh, clean

scent.

2 tbsp white vinegar

½ tsp orange essential oil

½ tsp grapefruit essential oil

1 cup distilled water

Wood Furniture PolishTo clean and condition your wood furniture,

warm this mixture slightly and apply to wood

in small amounts, then rub with a soft cloth.

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

3 drops lemon essential oil

1½ cups water

Fabric SoftenerAdd to the final rinse cycle of your wash for

fresh and clean-smelling laundry. The scent

of lavender essential oil has the power to

calm your nerves and ease the mind.

½ cups white vinegar

20 drops lavender essential oil

Window CleanerTo clean your windows to a sparkle and to

discourage flies and other critters invading

your home, spray this mix onto your win-

dows. Buff with a clean towel and then scrub

and shine them with sheets of newspaper

(black and white only).

½ cup vinegar

6 cups warm water

½ tsp peppermint essential oil

½ tsp lemon essential oil

Hard Floor CleanerBefore using this mix on your floors, please

check manufacturer’s instructions to see if

you can use pure essential oils. If not, make

this formula without the essential oils.

1 cup white vinegar

1 gallon warm water

10 drops (or more) of any of your favorite

citrus essential oils

Carpet DeodorizerTo deodorize your carpets mix the following

ingredients, sprinkle on your carpets, leave

for 10 minutes and vacuum up. (Check for

color fastness. Do not use on wet carpet).

1 cup baking soda

20 drops of your favorite non-resinous es-

sential oil

Distiller and Tea Pot CleanerThis is how we clean our counter top distiller

and remove all the mineral buildup: Fill your

distiller or teapot with hot water. Add 1 cup

(for every gallon of water) white vinegar and

bring to a boil for about 20 minutes. Cool

and rinse.

When the ants come marching inDiscourage ants from coming into your

home with pennyroyal essential oil. A few

drops on a cotton ball, placed wherever ants

have been seen will discourage them from

invading your home.

Clogged DrainsWhen a drain is clogged, pour a cup of salt, a

cup of baking soda and ¼ oz lemon essential

oil into the drain, followed by a kettle of

boiling water. This usually opens the drain

immediately.

There are some good books on this

subject, such as “Herbal Homekeeping” by

Sandy Maine, “The Complete Book of Es-

sential Oils & Aromatherapy” by Valerie Ann

Worwood and “Natural & Herbal Family

Remedies” by Cynthia Black.

Scent For AprilHave you overworked your muscles clean-

ing your home? This may be the time to call

your massage therapist or chiropractor for a

well-deserved and necessary treatment. If this

is not possible, take a hot bath, to which you

have added the following bath blend, and

soak for as long as you like.

3 drops marjoram

2 drops lemon

1 cup Epsom salt

Marjoram is soothing and calming, with

analgesic and antispasmodic properties. It

also regulates blood pressure and has antiviral

and immune boosting qualities. Lemon is

useful for circulation, cellulite, acne and

lymphatic congestion with anti-oxidant

properties. Lemon has an uplifting and

refreshing effect on the psyche, promoting

mental clarity.

April 20–May 20 Birthday PeopleIf your birthday falls between April 20 and

May 21 your astrological sign is Taurus. Tau-

rus people have a tendency to have problems

with the neck and throat, the metabolic and

glandular system. Some herbs and foods for

Taurus are: alfalfa, apricot, cherry, cocoa,

coltsfoot, elder, feverfew, hibiscus, lady’s

mantle, lemon balm, passionflower, peach,

pear, raspberry, rose, spikenard, strawberries,

sugarcane, thyme, valerian and yarrow.

Focus Enhancement Essence©

When you need to ground yourself and focus

on a particular task, this essence can help

you get the job done. For example, Focus

Enhancement© Essence would be ideal to

take before doing a task that requires organi-

zational skills and focus. It puts things into

perspective; you see the step-by-step course

of action. To a certain degree this essence

suppresses the emotional body, which means,

it is good for people who are emotionally

hyperactive and have difficulties maintaining

grounding in the physical world.

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


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.


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


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.


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


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


By Ann Haver-Allen


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


By Ann Haver-Allen


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.


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.


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


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

Find 24 words relating to Earth Day

NewspapersOzone LayerPhotosynthesisPlantsPlasticPollution

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.


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?


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

www.kalumba.org, send e-mail to [email protected]

or call (520) 245-4547.

Monday nights, 7 p.m.—Self Search/Channeled Read-

ings, The Way To The Light Within, Phoenix. This class

has been going on for over 12 years now. In the first

part of the class, Dominique uses her psychic ability and

StarWheel™ tiles to give each participant a mini reading.

Bring your questions about anything you want to know,

because in the second part of the class Dominique con-

nects to her own as well as your guides, to get answers

and guidance for you. Dominique is also a medium and

can connect with and give you information from de-

parted loved ones or friends. $20, Call (602) 279-2941

to reserve your place.

Mondays—Heart-Centered Transpersonal Healing with

Marsha Rand, MS, CCT, at Mountain Spirit Co-Op,

107 N. Cortez St., Suite 100, Prescott. For more info,

call (928) 308-6400 or (928) 277-1230.

Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.—Spiritual, Intuitive and Em-

pathic Readings with the Rev. Lana V. Ante at Mountain

Spirit Co-Op, 107 N. Cortez St., Suite 100, Prescott.

For more info, call (928) 717-4499.

Tuesdays through April 7, 6:15-7:45 p.m.—Hands-

on Astronomy—Topics include naked-eye observing;

selecting, using and maintaining telescopes; using digital

cameras for astrophotography; observing the sun safely;

and using other astronomical tools, such as star charts,

software, binoculars, filters, and tracking devices. For

those 13 and older. Cost: $14. Environmental Educa-

tion Center, northeast corner of Chandler Heights Road

and Lindsay Road. For more info, call (480) 782-2890

or visit www.chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis.

Second Tuesday night through May, 5 p.m.-7:45

p.m.—Free nature-based activities for all ages. Activities

change each month and may include crafts, hikes, mov-

ies, stories, music and science labs. Registration is not re-

quired; just stop on by and join the fun! Environmental

Education Center, northeast corner of Chandler Heights

Road and Lindsay Road. For more info, call (480) 782-

2890 or visit www.chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis.

Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.—Intuitive Readings with

Dona Elia at Mountain Spirit Co-Op, 107 N. Cortez St.,

Suite 100, Prescott. For more info, call (928) 445-8545.

Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.—East African

Kalimba Class Beginning Level Akogo. For students

with no or minimal experience with Akogo or Kalimba.

Students will get instruction on proper playing tech-

niques and basic rhythmical concepts. $65, four weeks.

Drop-in-fee is $20. Akogos are available for class use and

purchase. For more info, see www.kalumba.org, send

e-mail to [email protected] or call (520) 245-4547.

Wednesdays in March, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.—Soap

Making Class, Rimrock (near Camp Verde). Learn how

to make all natural handmade soaps from vegetable

oils. Also, natural body balms, bath fizzies and spritzers.

All materials provided and participants will each take

home products valued at $50 retail. Taught by Vyktoria

Keating, owner of Pie Town Soap Co. $100, four classes.

Refreshments provided. For more info and to sign up,

call or e-mail (928) 204-0537 or [email protected].

Thursdays—Vibrational Realignment, a unique form

of spiritual healing, with Mike Davis at Mountain Spirit

Co-Op, 107 N. Cortez St., Suite 100, Prescott. For

more info or an appointment, call (928) 862-0594.

Thursdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.—Spiritual, Intuitive and

Empathic Readings with the Rev. Lana V. Ante at

Mountain Spirit Co-Op, 107 N. Cortez St., Suite 100,

Prescott. For more info, call (928) 717-4499.

Thursdays through April 9, 6:15 p.m.-7:45 p.m.—As-

tronomy Lecture Series. Astronomer Howard Israel cov-

ers fascinating topics in the exciting field of astronomy,

from the origins of astronomy to current and future

research. Cost: $8 per class. Environmental Education

Center, northeast corner of Chandler Heights Road and

Lindsay Road. For more info, call (480) 782-2890 or

visit www.chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis.

Fridays—Intuitive Readings and Bodywork with Joseph

Drew at Mountain Spirit Co-Op, 107 N. Cortez St.,

Suite 100, Prescott. For more info, call (928) 830-4030.

Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.—Spiritual, Intuitive and Em-

pathic Readings with the Rev. Lana V. Ante at Mountain

Spirit Co-Op, 107 N. Cortez St., Suite 100, Prescott.


Saturdays, 2 p.m.-6 p.m.—Astrology with Linda Myers

at Mountain Spirit Co-Op, 107 N. Cortez St., Suite

100, Prescott. For more info, call (928) 445-8545.

Sundays through May, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.—Go Green

Farmer’s Market, intersection of Craftsman Court and

Fifth Avenue, Scottsdale. Local produce and products

related to health, wellness and sustainable living. Also,

artist demonstrations, guided meditations, yoga, music

and story time in the adjacent Kiva Courtyard. For more

info, call (623) 848-1234 or see http://arizonafarmers-

markets.com/pageScottsdaleGoGreen/ScottsdaleDTGo-

GreenSun.htm__.

Sundays—Tea Leaf Readings with Sheryl Tilley at

Mountain Spirit Co-Op, 107 N. Cortez St., Suite 100,

Prescott. For more info, call (928) 899-5064.

Nonrecurring EventsApril 1, 6 p.m.-8 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.

April 1, 6:30-8:15 p.m.—Moonwalk. Explore Veterans

Oasis Park at night and observe the moon through a

telescope with the park’s assistant naturalist. Subject to

weather conditions. Space is limited, and pre-registra-

tion is required. All children must be accompanied by

an adult. Cost: $5. Environmental Education Center,

northeast corner of Chandler Heights Road and Lindsay

Road. For more info, call (480) 782-2890 or visit www.

chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis.

April 2, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.—Source Water Protection

Workshop, sponsored and presented by the Arizona

Department of Environmental Quality, Rural Com-

munity Assistance Corporation (RCAC) and the Rural

Water Association of Arizona. A special focus will be

the threats to drinking water sources. Resources will be

provided, including technical and financial resources

available for SWP planning, policy background, lessons

learned, tools and discussion on implementing SWP

plans in Arizona communities. Location: Arizona Dept.

of Transportation, 1901 S. Milton Road, Flagstaff. Free,

but registration required. For a brochure and on-line

registration, see www.rcac.org/events.aspx?269. For more

info, contact Linda Martinez, RCAC, at lmartinez@

rcac.org or (505) 298-4511, or Jay Mashburn, RCAC, at

[email protected] or (970) 243-7087.

April 2-5—Medicine Wheel Journey of the North,

Group 8, Merritt Center and Lodge, Payson. The

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.


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,

e-mail [email protected] or call (602) 410-5213.

$20 donation suggested.

April 3, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.—Second Anniversary Celebra-

tion of the opening of Down the Street Art Gallery; an

artist owned gallery in Payson. Featuring various media

interpretations of the artists in the coop by each other.

Join the celebration, meet the artists and guess who’s

who. 703 W. Main St. Payson. For more info, call (928)

468-6129.

April 3, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.—Highlands Center for

Natural History, Free Community Program: Lifecycle

of the Butterfly Have you ever wondered about these

beautiful winged creatures? Learn about the amazing life

cycle they go through and some identification tips on

specific butterflies. From almost invisible egg, through

mysterious chrysalis, to delicate colorful creatures that

engage us so immediately. Gardener and butterfly enthu-

siast Adriane Grimaldi will give an evening presentation,

and pass around a variety of different species for a close-

up look. Registration requested. Call (928) 776-9550.

April 3, 7:30 p.m.—Sacred Drumming Healing

Ceremony, at The Ranch, 742 N. Edith Blvd, Tucson.

Indigenous cultures around the world recognize the use

of the drum as a powerful spiritual tool that can be used

to heal our spiritual, mental and physical bodies. When

we place our intentions of healing within a ceremonial

context we create a bridge between the physical and the

spirit worlds. We invite you to participate in a unique

opportunity to learn and experience a genuine healing

drum ceremony. Come join us in this inner dance with

one’s own secret being. Learn to use the drum as the

heartbeat of Mother Earth and a doorway to the stars.

For more info, see www.kalumba.org, send e-mail to

[email protected] or call (520) 245-4547.

April 3-5, noon Friday through noon Sunday—Be-

coming An Outdoors Woman (BOW) Workshop,

Friendly Pines Camp near Prescott. BOW introduces

women to outdoors skills in an enjoyable, nonthreaten-

ing environment. Expert instructors teach women skills

such as canoeing, camping, using a compass, fly fishing,

Dutch oven cooking, archery, and many more. Classes

are held during the day, and evenings are filled with fun

and entertainment like night hikes, musicians and story-

tellers. Open to all women 18 and older. For more info,

a schedule of classes and a registration form, see www.

azwildlife.org or call the Arizona Wildlife Federation

office at (480) 644-0077.

April 4, 9 a.m.-Noon—Highlands Center for Natural

History, Insights to the Outdoor Class: Fluttering

Toward Flowers. How can you help your garden come

alive with butterflies? Join us at the Highlands Center

and learn which plants attract butterflies to your garden.

Adriane Grimaldi will talk about how to build a but-

terfly garden, and the nectar and caterpillar host plants

needed. Handouts will be available to help start your

butterfly garden this spring. A short butterfly walk will

follow. Adriane has attracted 25 different species of but-

terflies to her backyard. Her own garden in south Scott-

sdale is listed as a National Wildlife Habitat through

National Wildlife Federation. She has also built butterfly

gardens for schools and gives talks to garden clubs and

civic organizations on the amazing wonder of butterflies.

She has written articles on butterfly gardening and leads

butterfly walks at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Regis-

tration required. Call (928) 776-9550.

April 4, 10 a.m.-Noon—Natural Territory Educational

Event, LEED Platinum home—case study and home

tour. This is an excellent tour and presentation for those

looking to remodel with LEED in mind. Natural Ter-

ritory showroom followed by a tour of Shairon Beale’s

LEED platinum residence. Free seminar. For more info,

or to RSVP, call (480) 998-2700.

April 4-5, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.—Two-day Bale Raising Work-

shop presented by Straw Bale Homes LLC. Professional

straw bale home builder/designer/consultant Fred Gre-

ger (StrawGuy.com) will teach a hands-on, information

packed, 20-hour workshop on the proper and efficient

methods of installing straw bales in a real straw bale

house. Learn correct setting, trimming, leveling, pinning

techniques and more. $200. For more info, see www.

StrawGuy.com or call (928) 636-4456.

April 5—Hike the Verde: Part 5 Sycamore Creek to

Mormon Pocket - “B” (12 miles, 600 feet elevation

change). Bushwhack up the Verde River 6 miles through

a wild spectacular part of the river. There is no trail: Be

prepared to push through the brush, wade the river and

view outstanding scenery including a walk through the

home of osprey and Bald Eagles. Bring your camera.

Learn about the conservation issues threatening the

Verde River including groundwater pumping that will

transform the Upper Verde into a dry wash and destroy

the riparian habitat of six threatened and endangered

species. Reservation required. Contact Gary Beverly at

(928) 636-2638 or [email protected].

April 7-14, 10 a.m.-noon—Medical Chi Gung & Tai

chi for Vitality. For better balance, more energy, less

pain, improved well-being. Yavapai College, Prescott.

For more info, call Susan Kansky (928) 925-3426.

April 8, 7 p.m.—Steve Elliott presents his involve-

ment and adventures with the prize winning, human

pedal-powered “Gossamer Albatross” in a free, public,

American Aviation Historical Society program at Em-

bry-Riddle Aeronautical University DLC Auditorium.


April 9, 6:30 p.m.– 9:30 p.m.—Practices for Healing

the Pain Body: Have you ever noticed that you occasion-

ally overreact to situations and then later feel regret,

shame or guilt? This happens when the past imposes

itself on the present or projects itself into the future. As

we heal the pain body we free ourselves of this burden

and become fearless creators. This is the fifth of a six-

part series titled The Principles and Practices of Peace,

Insight and Understanding. Each course stands alone,

but in total they make up an entire curriculum. Central

Phoenix. For additional info, e-mail bob33scott@yahoo.

com or call (602) 410-5213. $20 donation suggested.

April 11, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.—NatureFest. Touch a nonven-

omous snake, go eye-to-eye with a live bird of prey and

other wildlife. Crafts for kids and hourly nature walks.

Hassyamapa River Preserve, 49614 Hwy 60, Wicken-

burg. For more info, call (928) 684-2772. www.nature.

org/arizona/preserves.

April 11, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.—Longevity Breathing

& Tai Chi Circling Hands for Vitality Class. Learn Tai

Chi health exercises used effectively in China for chronic

fatigue, burnout, immune deficiency, degenerative

diseases, arthritis, better balance, more energy, less pain,

and high performance. Backway’s, 250 S. McCormick

St., Prescott. For more info, call Susan Kansky (928)

925-3426.

April 11, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.—Primordial Sound

Meditation: This meditation technique has been redis-

covered and revitalized from the ancient wisdom tradi-

tions by mind/body healing expert Deepak Chopra who

recommends meditation to all his patients. You’ll learn a

how to meditate silently using your personal primordial

sound, or mantra, chosen for you based on the location

and time of your birth. Mantras are used in meditation

as a vehicle to experience deeper states of awareness.

April 11, 10 a.m.–noon—Citizens Water Advocacy

Group Meeting. Everything You Wanted to Know

About Water but Were Afraid to Ask. Get answers to all

you water questions when a panel of experts field ques-

tions from the audience. Location: Granite Creek UU

Congregation Building, 882 Sunset St., Prescott.

April 11, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.—Group Healing Session. Rap-

idly clear root causes underlying physical and emotional

issues. Backway’s, 250 S. McCormick St., Prescott. For

more info, call Susan Kansky (928) 925-3426.

April 12, 7 p.m.-8 p.m.—The Shamans Drum: Medita-

tion and Relaxation with Live Music! Mediation is an

ancient practice that we can utilize to create positive

change in our lives and relaxation provides our body

the opportunity to revitalize itself. I have combined

these to provide you the opportunity to travel deep into

your body and expand and melt with the oneness of the

universe. All music is played by processional musicians

on authentic indigenous instruments made from natural

materials. $15. For more info, see www.kalumba.org,

send e-mail to [email protected] or call (520) 245-

4547.

April 14, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.—Welcome to Arizona! (The

Sonoran Desert for Newcomers). If you’re a newcomer

to Arizona’s Sonoran Desert (and even if you’re not), you

may sometimes feel like you’re on another planet. The

goal of this program is to help you feel more “at home”

in our desert environment. Join us for a discussion of

the plants, animals, climate and scenery of this strange

but wonderful land. For those 16 and older. Cost: $6.

Environmental Education Center, northeast corner of

Chandler Heights Road and Lindsay Road. For more

info, call (480) 782-2890 or visit www.chandleraz.

gov/veterans-oasis.

April 14, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m.—Astrology Class: The

Moon. Taught by Vyktoria Keating in Rimrock, Ariz.

The moon in your chart symbolizes how you FEEL...

how you give and receive nurturing, your moods, in-

stincts, your innermost needs and how they are met. To

sign up for this class, contact Vyktoria with your birth

data so she can prepare your chart for the evening....

and for directions to class. [email protected]. (928)

204-0537. $15.

April 15, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.—FREE Green Lecture

“Preparing for the Net Zero Energy Future.” Is it time to

update your home up to meet the energy conscious de-

mands of the future? Learn how you can create a carbon


neutral home through energy efficiency and renewable

energy. Presented by the Scottsdale Green Building Pro-

gram. Registration recommended. Location: Palomino

Library Multiuse Room, Campus of Desert Mountain

High School, 12575 E. Via Linda, Suite 102. For more

info or to register, call (480) 312-7942.

April 16, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.—Animal Rights, a roundtable

discussion hosted by The Ripple Project of Prescott Col-

lege. Room 206, Crossroads Center, behind the College’s

main buildings at 220 Grove Ave. For more info, contact

Lianne Rydell, Service-Learning Coordinator, at (928)

350-1002, or [email protected].

April 16, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.—Cost Efficient Steps

for Home Energy Conservation. Free workshop. One-

Solar, a Green Energy Systems Consultancy, presents

a step-by-step plan for making your home energy

independent. Learn how to reduce your energy use and

environmental impact without changing your lifestyle

or utilities budget. Environmental Education Center,

northeast corner of Chandler Heights Road and Lindsay

Road. For more info, call (480) 782-2890 or visit www.

chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis.

April 16, 7 p.m.-8

p.m.—Read Green. A new

book club for anyone who

likes to read about nature,

the environment and the

outdoors. For April, please

come prepared to discuss

“The Long Emergency” by

James Howard Kunstler.

For those 13 and older.

Environmental Education




April 16-19—The Inward Bound Retreat for Inner

Peace and Strength. Discover new ways to nourish

yourself and eliminate old patterns that keep you

stuck. You’ll be instructed in the practice of an ancient

universal meditation technique that will help you to

access a deep silence within, reduce the stress that you’ve

been dealing with and reconnect you with your spirit.

Call Red Mountain Spa at (800) 407-3002 or e-mail

[email protected] for an all-inclusive spa package.

April 17, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.—Green Ideas, LEED-NC

Exam Prep Seminar. Prepare to pass your LEED exam

the first time! You must register to take this exam with

www.GBCI.org by March 31 in order to attend this

class. Location: Hilton Phoenix Airport, 2435 S. 47th

St., Phoenix. E-mail: [email protected].

April 17, 7 p.m.—River Week Opening Celebration

with Soul Creek (Tom Agostino and friends) Tony Nor-

ris and The Springfed Band concert. Location: Granite

Peak UU Building, 882 Sunset St. Cosponsored by the

Center for Biological Diversity and the Folk Sessions.

Contact Edie Dillon [email protected].

April 17-18—Third Annual Energy Medicine Con-

ference. The theme is “Healing the Cell: The New

Frontier.” The Conference, held at the Crowne Plaza

Phoenix, is divided into two separate days, so you can

go to one or both. The first day is called “Doctors Who

Dare Think Out of the Box” and we have an exciting

array of speakers. The second day is “Holistic Health

Pioneers Blaze the Trail” and Mike Davis will present a

workshop called “Legal Guidelines for the Alternative

Practitioner.” This is designed for the energy medicine

practitioner who is unlicensed, like a massage therapist

that does Reiki. See EnergyMedicineFoundation.org for

more info, or call Davis at (928) 254-0775.

April 17-19, Friday noon through 4 p.m. Sunday—

Advanced Energetic Tools with John English. In this

workshop you will learn and experience the advanced

energetic tools and continue to build on what you have

learned from the Energetic Tools workshop. For more

info, call (480) 473-8957 or e-mail medicine@dtpubli-

cations.com.

April 17-25—April River Days. A week of celebra-

tion and action for the Verde. River Running Trips on

the Verde River are offered at cost by Sedona Outdoor

Adventures. Contact them for details on this special

opportunity at (877) 673-3661 or www.sedonaadven-

turetours.com.

April 18, 8 a.m.–11 a.m.—Wet/dry river mapping

training at Arcosanti for community member who want

to help map the upper Agua Fria River on June 20. The

same protocol, developed by the Nature Conservancy

and the Bureau of Land Management, used to map

the San Pedro will be used. Two sessions: this one and

another session on April 30. For more info, email info@

aguafriafriends.org, or call Peggy at (602) 249-4460.

April 18, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.—Community Earth Day Cel-

ebration, Granite Creek Park. Granite Creek Cleanup, 8

to 10:30 a.m., followed by music, fun and information.

For more info, contact Prescott Creeks at (928) 445-

5669 or Open Space Alliance at (928) 717-1116.

April 18, 8 a.m.-11 a.m.—Scottsdale’s Earth Day

Event. Location: Pinnacle Peak Park, 26802 N. 102nd

Way. For more info, call (480) 312-0990.

April 18, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.—Kalumba Shamanic

Workshop: Music, The Drum and Healing: Integrating

Ancient Spiritual Wisdom in the Modern World. In this

course we explore and experience music as a vehicle for

healing. Using dialogue, discussion and hands on experi-

ence, participants learn how to integrate ancient spiritual

knowledge and wisdom into daily life. No prior musical

experience needed. Specific rhythms will be taught for

specific intentions and various types of healing ceremo-

nies. We use West African and Native American drums,

rattles, bells and shakers and Kalimba from Uganda.

Bring your own drum, shaker or rattle or use one that

is provided. For more info, see www.kalumba.org, send

e-mail to [email protected] or call (520) 245-4547.

April 18, 7:30 p.m.—Sacred Drumming Healing

Ceremony, at The Ranch, 742 N. Edith Blvd, Tucson.

Indigenous cultures around the world recognize the use

of the drum as a powerful spiritual tool that can be used

to heal our spiritual, mental and physical bodies. When

we place our intentions of healing within a ceremonial

context we create a bridge between the physical and the

spirit worlds. We invite you to participate in a unique

opportunity to learn and experience a genuine healing

drum ceremony. Come join us in this inner dance with

one’s own secret being. Learn to use the drum as the

heartbeat of Mother Earth and a doorway to the stars.

For more info, see www.kalumba.org, send e-mail to

[email protected] or call (520) 245-4547.

April 18-28—The Return Of The Ancestors Gather-

ing. The Institute for Cultural Awareness presents a

historic International multicultural gathering and sacred

pilgrimage welcoming Indigenous elders and future

wisdom keepers representing the voice of Mother Earth

beginning Earth Day weekend throughout Northern

Arizona. The heart of the gathering will be the fourth re-

union of the Continental Council of Indigenous Elders

and Spiritual Guides of the Americas. The intention is

to unite and share the invited wisdom keeper’s visions

and prophesized ceremonies for peace and harmony for

Mother Earth and all humanity. For more info, see www.

instituteforculturalawarness.com.

April 19, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.—Yoga Workshop. Three sepa-

rate hour-long sessions to help you flow while you help

the flow of the Verde. Yoga leaders Barb Poe, Kelly Grey

with Jesse Pursley on digeridoo, and Bill Garrett. Loca-

tion: Prescott College Chapel, behind the College’s main

buildings at 220 Grove Ave. Benefit for the Center for

Biological Diversity. $10 suggested donation each session.

April 19, 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.—Verde Springs Hike

led by veteran naturalist, Joanne Oellers. Pre-registration

required. Contact [email protected], or

(928) 772-8204.

April 21, 6:30 p.m.– 9:30 p.m.—The Art and Practice

of Inquiry/Forgiveness: Aside from the practice of medi-

tation, this is the single most powerful practice you can

implement in your life to develop insight, understanding

and unconditional inner peace. Central Phoenix. For

additional info, e-mail [email protected] or call

(602) 410-5213. $20 donation suggested.

April 22, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. —Earth Day at Prescott

College. Information on green living, including a Center

for Biological Diversity booth focusing on the need

for mitigation of pumping impacts on the Verde River.

Location: Outdoors in the parking area directly across

from the Crossroads courtyard. Contact Tami Reed at

[email protected].

April 22, 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m.—Earth Day at the EEC.

Celebrate Earth Day EEC-style! Join us after school for

fun crafts, games, and other activities to learn how to

protect our environment and make every day Earth Day!

For ages 6 to 13. Cost: $8. Environmental Education




April 22, 6:30 p.m.—“Thirst” Film & Discussion—Is

water part of a shared “commons,” a human right for all

people? Or is it a commodity to be bought, sold, and

traded in a global marketplace? www.thirstthemovie.

org. Location: Prescott College Crossroads Center, 220

Grove St. (Main Room). Sponsored by the Peace and

Justice Center [email protected].

April 23, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.—Verde River Research Sym-

posium, Prescott College Chapel, located behind the

College’s main buildings at 220 Grove Ave, Prescott. The

Verde River Research Symposium is an open scientific

forum for Verde River scientists to share their ecological

research findings with other scientists and the public.

This year’s inaugural symposium will feature ecological

research project presentations by Prescott College stu-

dents. For more info, contact Angie Moline, 970-221-

4090, [email protected].

April 23, 6:30 p.m.– 9:30 p.m.—Revealing Purpose,

Passion and Mission: Knowing, fulfilling and expressing

your purpose, passion and mission in life yields great joy.

At this workshop, you’ll clearly identify your core values

and learn how to put them to work in your life. Be pre-

pared to be surprised. This is the first of a six-part series

titled The Principles and Practices of Peace, Insight and

Understanding. Each course stands alone, but in total

they make up an entire curriculum. Central Phoenix.

For additional info, e-mail [email protected] or

call (602) 410-5213. $20 donation suggested.

April 23-26—“Verde Birdy”—The Verde Valley Birding

and Nature Festival at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in

Cottonwood. For more info, see www.birdyverde.org.

April 23-26, Thursday 10 a.m. through noon Sun-

day—Medicine Wheel Journey of the East, Group 7,

Merritt Center and Lodge, Payson. The East direction


is the path of the Eagle/Condor. The journey East is

the hardest journey the shaman makes. It is the path of

vision and enlightenment. The Eagle and Condor teach

you about vision and how to fly wing to wing with the

Great Spirit. The East is the direction of destiny; the

direction where you step into a place of dreaming the

world into being, for yourself and future generations.

You become one of the mythmakers. For more info, call

(480) 473-8957 or e-mail medicine@dtpublications.

com.

April 24, 7 p.m.—Movie night: “The American South-

west: Are We Running Dry?” Sponsored by Citizens

Water Advocacy Group at Granite Peak UU Building,

882 Sunset St., Prescott. Free popcorn! Contact Art

Manburg at [email protected].

April 24-June 5—S.A. Schimmel Gold Solo Exhibition,

Translations Gallery, Denver. Extraordinary eco-friendly

fine art mosaic portraits created from junk mail. All

materials used are reused or recycled or upcycled when

possible, water-based, acid-free and nontoxic. For more

info, see www.schimmelart.com/index.htm.

April 25, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.—Verde Springs Hike

led by veteran naturalist, Joanne Oellers. Pre-registration

required. Contact [email protected], or

(928) 772-8204.

April 25, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.—Grow Native! Spring Plant

Sale and Educational Festival at the Highlands Center

for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, Prescott. Sale

of native low water plants and presentations on water-

wise landscaping and water harvesting. Contact (928)

776-9550, [email protected]. $5 admission.

April 25, 10 a.m.-Noon—Natural Territory Educa-

tional Event, Understanding and improving your indoor

air quality. Guest Speaker for this free seminar is Stacey

Champion, CIE. Did you know that your indoor air

is often far more polluted than the outdoor air you

breathe? Do you know why? This session will give a

broad overview on contaminate sources that contrib-

ute to poor indoor air quality issues using real world

examples. Many of these things have probably been right

under your nose all along—literally! We will then give

you tools and tricks for improving your indoor air qual-

ity to take with you and apply to your own situation.

Location: Natural Territory showroom. For more info,

or to RSVP, call (480) 998-2700 .

April 25, Noon-2 p.m.—Water: How to Find it in the

Outdoors. Water is one of the most vital needs when

enjoying the outdoors in Arizona. In this class, students

will learn methods for procuring water in Arizona’s dry

environment. The emphasis will be on finding and using

water safely but with a minimal amount of effort.

For those 10 and older. Cost: $9. Environmental Educa-

tion Center, northeast corner of Chandler Heights Road

and Lindsay Road. For more info, call (480) 782-2890

or visit www.chandleraz.gov/veterans-oasis.

April 28, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m.—Soap Making 102 Class.

Taught by Vyktoria Keating in Rimrock, Ariz. Delving

deeper into the soap-making process...we will learn

about re-batching, glycerin soap, layering, imbeds,

swirls, colors, decorative molds, packaging, curing and

more. $25 RSVP to sign up early and for directions.

[email protected] 928-204-0537.

May 1, 7 p.m.—Join Eileen Meyer, the “Singing Ora-

cle,” for an evening of communion and dialogue with

the Angelics—a community of beings that reside as all

natural, conscious beings do—in the present moment.

Meyer speaks and sings from inspired states that activate

and heal. To be held on the northeast side of Tucson

near Bear Canyon. Suggested donation, $20. Contact

Kirsten at [email protected] for reservations and

directions. Call (310) 460-9480 if you have additional

questions. In addition, May 2 and 3, Meyer will be

available for private sessions, a 50- to 60-minute private

session will be a minimum donation of $125. For more

info, see eileenmeyer.com.

May 1-2, 8 p.m.—Prescott College’s Spring Choreogra-

phy and Performance course, Granite Performing Arts

Center, 218 N. Granite St. Admission is $5. Fourteen

Prescott College students will present an eclectic mix of

styles from hip hop to ballet, spoken word and butoh.

For info, call Delisa Myles at 713-5367 or dmyles@

prescott.edu.

May 1-3, 10 a.m.– 5p.m.—Payson Art League Annual

’Neath the Rim Studio Tour—13 individual studios

throughout the Payson—featuring the work of 26 artists

in a variety of media— will take part. Media includes

oil, acrylic, fiber art, bronze sculpture, batik, hand-

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.


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

whalers. He’s a former Greenpeace member

who broke off to start the Sea Shepherd Con-

servation Society. Lately, his organization’s

boat, the Steve Irwin, has been chasing the

Japanese whaling fleet in Antarctic waters—

some would say “harassing” the whalers—be-

cause they haven’t been sticking to the 1986

global whaling moratorium.

Tokyo calls these expeditions “scientific

research,” but sources say that typically 900

whales are harvested in a season, and much of

the meat ends up on Japanese dinner plates.

Harassing whalers can be a dangerous busi-

ness. With 50-knot winds, dense fog, icy seas

and a great deal of mutual hostility, confron-

tations get nasty. Last season, members of Sea

Shepherd were taken and held on a whaling

ship after an encounter. This season, the

whalers have prepared a type of net to keep

the protesters at bay.

Get that net ready, fellas. Watson speaks

of the society showing their disdain by using

“rotten butter bombs.”

Questions can be sent to Jim Parks at [email protected].


Movies that won’t make you dumber

MovieReviews

by Jason Allen

Ithought that a movie about tax fraud

committed upon all of us would be a

good movie topic for April, so I chose

“America Freedom to Fascism,” an

Aaron Russo film. He’s pretty famous,

but this movie isn’t really easy to find. I had

it on order for more than eight months at

a store where I get a lot of my controversial

films.

I was eventually told it was discontinued.

I won’t say that’s for a good reason, but it is

an understandable reason. You can, however,

find “America Freedom to Fascism” on Netf-

lix—at least for now.

This tale begins in 1913, when the Unit-

ed States Senate passed the 16th Amend-

ment, which was never ratified by the states.

The 16th Amendment is what the I.R.S.

uses to say that it is justified under the Con-

stitution. The Supreme Court, however, has

repeatedly ruled that the 16th Amendment

gave no new power to tax. But it passes in

the lower courts, who technically have to be

in agreement with the Supreme Court, but

go figure.

Shortly thereafter, the Federal Reserve was

passed during a secret Christmas meeting

when most Senators were at home with their

families. Palms were greased.

Not many people know, but like Federal

Express, the Federal Reserve is not a federal

institution. It is just a collection of private

banks—the members kept secret so that the

“experts” don’t even know.

So, 1913 was a dark year for freedom,

for it was basically eliminated. The bankers

then had a few rocky years of pesky Supreme

Court rulings, but they got over that and the

I.R.S. was on its way to enslave the American

public through illegal taxation and illegal

seizures.

This film includes interviews with I.R.S.

and F.B.I. agents. The former—who have

been searching the books—cannot find a law

requiring U.S. citizens to pay tax on their

labor.

Since this realization, many have refused

to file, and yes the I.R.S. does try to throw

them in jail, but cannot succeed in court. It

also has interviews with tax experts, who are

very educated and forthcoming, and a former

I.R.S. commissioner, who is evasive and

authoritarian.

They cover how the I.R.S. repeatedly re-

sponds to calm, reasonable questioning with

tyrannical military force and threats. They

also instruct their agents to fabricate evidence

and to “stick it” to the taxpayers.

Most of us are aware that if you don’t pay

your taxes, you might as well be making

nuclear bombs in your basement, in regards

to the response from the enforcement agency.

One funny thing is that in 2005 a federal

judge ruled that “The government doesn’t

have to answer the people’s questions,

even though it is guaranteed under the 1st

Amendment.”

Apparently, federal income tax, according

to the tax code, is “voluntary compliance.”

Also, income is defined as gains or profit

from corporate activities—not pay for labor,

which the Supreme Court ruled is private

property, and that pay for labor is an even

exchange. Give labor, get money.

This is also great: 100 percent of collected

taxes are absorbed by the national deficit

before any money goes to providing services

for the public, which are funded by different

taxes.

For those who don’t know, the national

deficit is the interest on the money that the

Federal Reserve prints and sells to the gov-

ernment, which has the right to print money

itself, and before 1913 did.

It also includes a great interview with Ron

Paul. Usually, I don’t care too much for Re-

publicans, but that’s really only because the

Republican party has been hijacked by some

self righteous extremists.

But Ron Paul is a Republican the way they

should be. One thing he reveals is that the

Federal Reserve now controls all of our gold,

which is never audited, because Congress ig-

nores their responsibility to do any oversight.

One thing that is clear is that this attack

on our freedom is known and supported by

a wide network of politicians, including the

president.

During this last election, Ron Paul ran,

but was said to have never been a serious can-

didate. I believe the reason that was said was

because his main issue was the dissolution of

the I.R.S. and the Federal Reserve, for they

are illegal.

I remember him getting outbursts of sup-

port during the debates when he mentioned

it, but somehow he lost.

This film also includes instructions of

what to do if the hammer comes down on

you. The end of the film gets more into the

dismal future we have, covering the wide-

spread use of RFID chips, and a list of the

provisions in the Patriot Act, a list of Bush’s

executive orders and some other pretty scary

stuff.

I suggest everyone sees this film before

April 15, and make your own decision,

because there is no law.

“I sincerely believe the banking institutions

having the issuing power of money, are more

dangerous to liberty than standing armies.”

—Thomas Jefferson

Documentary presents timely story of taxes

Electricity production is the leading cause of industrial air pollution in the United States,

and is responsible for 40 percent of the nation’s carbon emissions that contribute to

global climate change.

The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute. Turning off the

tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime can save up to eight gallons

of water per day, which equals 240 gallons a month.

Let’s save some resources


OK, this is getting seri-

ous. Environmental issues

should be at the forefront of

our global concerns. They

may not be as immediate a

concern as the economy, but they are much

more important. If we don’t come up with

some effective fixes to certain environmental

problems quickly, the consequences for our

children may be catastrophic.

The foremost issue of concern is global

warming. If you are still thinking this is not

a valid concern and that the Earth is going

through some cycle that will be simply cor-

rected in due course, then you may not be

very well informed.

Scientists are in such agreement about the

critical nature of this issue that the authentic-

ity of global warming is no longer a matter of

debate. Those who have some understanding

of the nuances of the long-term climate pro-

cesses are also in agreement that it has been

caused by human activity.

So, what should we encourage our politi-

cians and scientists do to solve the problems?

Large-scale geo-engineering ideas range

from the absurd to those that are surpris-

ingly feasible in concept. For example, some

scientists suggested the possibility of lofting

hundreds of huge mirrors (60 miles square)

into orbit around the Earth to reduce the

amount of sunlight reaching the surface.

The idea here is to offset the heat caused by

carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Another idea, and perhaps the most well-

known geo-engineering idea (from the 1980s),

is to dump tons of iron into the waters of the

Antarctic to stimulate plankton growth, which

would then absorb the buildup of CO2 and

slow “greenhouse” warming.

A more recent idea, from Russian scientists,

to combat CO2 emissions is to inject massive

amounts of sulfur dioxide into the strato-

sphere by equipping all of the high-flying

commercial flights with the necessary facilities

to accomplish the task at a sufficient rate.

Of course, these and other large-scale geo-

engineering solutions are meant to serve as a

last resort whenever we determine that our

desperation warrants such measures. However,

many scientists subscribe to a belief that we

do not know enough of the Earth’s needs to

successfully implement such drastic solutions.

I would make the analogy of modern day doc-

tors prescribing life-threatening drugs to mask

the symptoms of one of their patient’s disease,

when they should be trying to find the cause

of the disease and encourage the patient to

alter their diet or lifestyle accordingly. In the

case of our Mother Earth, we should not try

to change her. It is we who must change.

Charles Darwin said that the species that

will survive all other species is not necessar-

ily the biggest and most intelligent, but the

most adaptive. We must change our ways as a

species. We must stop pussy-footing around

with legislation to improve our environment.

We know what needs to be done.

We must make the difficult political deci-

sions for renewable energy and sustainable

redevelopment of our living environments.

This is what we must direct our politicians to

accomplish.

We, as individuals, can also do what we

can to help change the attitudes of our

species. The great storyteller known as Dr.

Seuss wrote, “Unless someone like you cares

a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get

better. It’s not.”

I think we, as a people, generally do care.

The key is for each of us to do something

positive toward the healing of our planet.

First, heal yourself. Get enthusiastic and en-

ergetic, and then go out and make something

positive happen for others. Do what you can

for the Earth, and this will eventually assist

with the overall education of the populace,

including our impressionable politicians.

Here’s a start:

D Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Buy products

that feature these three “R’s”. Also

recycle all of your home’s waste newspa-

pers, cardboard, glass and metal. Stop

buying overly packaged items. Boycott

companies that are known to be envi-

ronmentally irresponsible.

D Switch to fuel-smart transportation.

This starts with your choice of personal

vehicle (electric? hybrid? bicycle?) and

may include supporting the use of pub-

lic transportation.

D Improve the efficiency of your home.

Educate yourself on these matters or hire

an energy efficiency expert to analyze

your home. There may be many changes

you can make to save energy costs. Con-

sider solar and wind powered facilities to

reduce your dependence on your local

power supply company.

D Encourage your co-workers and your

company executives/owners to join EPA

programs relating to energy-wise build-

ings, recycling efforts, and energy con-

scious purchases of machinery/appliances.

D Plant trees. Start with your own proper-

ty and also get involved in your com-

munity’s efforts to create an atmosphere

of trees, trees, trees. If your community

has no such landscaping efforts in place,

organize a tree-planting drive.

D Educate yourself and others about en-

ergy saving ideas. This starts with your

own family and can grow into commu-

nity activism, and political involvement.

John Hall is a co-owner of the Crystal Lotus Gallery and Spiritual Life Center, located on Highway 87 in Pine, Ariz. Telephone (928) 476-3410.

Start making a positive difference yourself

Prescott’s Manzanita Village is

holding a two-day workshop the

weekend of April 25 in celebra-

tion of Earth Day.

The workshop will explore

passive rain harvesting and the building of

basins and berms to direct runoff into a plaza

of native gardens and enable the water to

infiltrate the forest below.

Andrew Millison, former ECOSA and

Prescott College instructor and expert on

permaculture and current lecturer at Oregon

State University, will discuss berms, basins

and water retention. The informal atmo-

sphere will enable sharing ideas about tech-

niques for sustainability and permaculture

and their feasibility. Millison and a profes-

sional arborist will participate in the activities

and be available for questions.

Attendees will receive a copy of Brad

Lancaster’s internationally recognized book,

“Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and

Beyond (Vol. 2): Water Harvesting Earth-

works.” Water conservation kits from the

local water department will be on sale.

Cost of the two-day workshop, which in-

cludes continental breakfasts and lunches and

the Lancaster book, is $50. The student rate

is $35, and the hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Registration is limited. For further informa-

tion, call Kris Holt at (928) 227-1895 or go

to [email protected].

Manzanita Village is an eight-acre co-

housing community whose overall mission

is to bring people together in ways that

enhance interdependence and environmen-

tal harmony. Homes are clustered to allow

maintenance of a large forest area of alligator

juniper, Utah juniper, pinion pine, scrub oak

and cliff roses.

Manzanita Village site of two-day workshop

Courtesy photo

Manzanita Village in Prescott is holding a two-day workshop during the weekend of April 25 in celebra-

tion of Earth Day.


Days are

getting

warmer,

chirp-

ing can

be heard from the trees

as the leaves are return-

ing; it’s time to celebrate

spring! There is no better

way to celebrate than this

cool and creamy Coco-

nut Almond Tart loaded

with fresh berries. It is

the perfect ending to any spring celebra-

tion, and best of all, it is suitable for many

restrictive diets.

I was so excited last spring when I stum-

bled across this recipe. I am always looking

By Christine Bollier

for cheesecake-

type desserts

that I can eat

(no dairy for

me!) and the rest

of the family will

enjoy. Not only

is this recipe

dairy free, but it

is also wheat/

gluten free and

can be made

Kosher.

This tart features a coconut macaroon like

crust with a creamy almond filling topped

with the freshest berries available. Even if you

don’t have a food allergies, this tart is sure to

be a hit.

Coconut Almond TartServes 8

For the Crustvegetable oil cooking spray

2 C. unsweetened shredded Coconut

½ C. Rapunzel Rapadura Organic Whole Cane Sugar

2 large egg whites (reserve yolks for filling)

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp sea salt

For the Filling1/2 vanilla bean, halved length-wise

1/2 C. vanilla soy milk*

4 Tbs. Rapunzel Rapadura Organic Whole Cane Sugar divided

2 large egg yolks

2 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch

2 Tbs. almond paste

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


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].

Eco-clarity is understanding your impact on world

Documents

Earth Odyssey April 2009