March Is Health & Wellness Month

10% Of All “Stillness Yoga Tee” sales in the month of March will be donated to the Laughing Spirit Yoga Scholarship Fund

What is Laughing Spirit Yoga?

Laughing Spirit Yoga of Keene, NH has a mission to promote health and wellness through yoga. The Laughing Spirit Yoga Scholarship Fund was created to provide an opportunity for yoga students with limited means.

Why is Yoga important for health & wellness?

Yoga helps people develop a deeper connection to their bodies while simultaneously creating wellness, health, and peace in the community. Those who practice yoga have more energy, stronger muscles, decreased stress and increased flexibility. Yoga practice also builds bone density and increases circulation.

What Can You Do To Promote Health & Wellness?

-Be active & breathe
-Support your local Yoga & Wellness Studio
-Participate in Yoga Day USA (www.yogadayusa.org)
-The Global Mala Project (www.globalmala.org)
-Organize & Participate in Yoga-By-Donation events

February Is Loving Kindness Month

10% Of All “Love Is A Verb Tee” Sales in the month of February will be donated to th e Community Kitchen of Keene, NH.

What Is The Community Kitchen?
Th e Community Kitchen started out as a soup kitchen in 1983 with a few dozen volunteers. Twenty six years later, the Community Kitchen has become a helpful hand to more than 12,000 hungry people in the Monadnock Region. Of the 952,700 meals provided last year, over 60% went to children under the age of 19. “We anticipate serving 1.2 million meals this year.” the Community Kitchen is simply about people helping people.

“We, as human beings, are all on this journey together and we must look out for each other, lend a hand when someone needs one and work collectively toward common goals that bind us together as one.”

What Can You Do To Help?

Buy a Love Is A Verb tee so Zehn Naturals can donate 10%!

Volunteer at your local food bank.

Donate non-perishable and household items to your local food bank or community kitchen.

Spread the word - educate people on how important it is to support this cause!

Support organizations that help the cause. Here are a few links we love:
www.thecommunitykitchen.org
www.feedingamerica.org
www.breadoflifeinc.org

The Community Kitchen is a United Way Agency.

Cotton is the world's most popular fabric.

Here is some great information about Cotton we found through Earth Easy!

Soft and comfortable, it's used for almost every type of clothing. Socks, shirts, sweaters, dresses, jackets, sleepwear, sportswear and more - all begin in lush green fields of cotton. Traditional cotton farming, however, is hard on the environment.

Popular demand for cotton textiles, and competition among producers, has seen a big change in the last two generations - the increased use of pesticide. Cotton is the most pesticide-dependent crop in the world, accounting for 25% of all pesticide use.

These chemicals are taking a toll on our environment and human health as a whole. Every T-shirt made of conventional cotton requires 1/4 pound of harmful chemicals.

According to the USDA, in one year alone over 50 million pounds of pesticides were used on U.S. cotton fields. Pesticide and fertilizer use on cotton has been linked to ground and surface water contamination, and the pollution of drinking water. In California, cotton ranks third in the state for total number of pesticide-related illness. Fish and wildlife and also impacted, with pesticides causing migration die-offs and diminished reproductive capacity.

Organically raised cotton is gradually winning over new ground both on the farm and in the marketplace. No toxins or synthetic fertilizers are used. Organic cotton is produced without the use of harsh chemical bleaches or dyes, and is allergy free. Natural fertilizers, compost and soil amendments are used, and advances in natural pest control, such as ladybugs which destroy harmful insects, have helped make raising organic cotton a viable enterprise. Organic cotton clothing, unheard of a few years ago, is now available in many stores and online businesses.

A wide variety of products made from organically grown cotton is now available: shirts and pants, socks, underwear, skirts and blouses, sheets and pillowcases, towels and bathrobes. The range of styles can be somewhat limited, but new styles are being developed to keep pace with the growing demand for organic cotton clothing.

Recycled Cotton is another more earth-friendly choice in cotton clothing. Recycled cotton is cotton fabric which has been made from recovered cotton that would otherwise be cast off during the spinning, weaving or cutting process. A trade name for recycled cotton is Eco Fibre; there are no harsh chemicals used in the processing of this fabric.

The clothing business is big business, and there is big resistance to change from chemically-dependent processes to organic processes of clothing manufacture. The bottom line is demand. Manufacturers will do what the consumer dictates, and so the change to environmentally responsible, organic cotton clothing begins with you the consumer.


(information gathered from www.eartheasy.com)

10 Ways To A Greener Community

Check out these ten easy ways to be part of a greener community!

1. Set a goal – turn that goal into a vision for the future that your community wants to achieve. Start at home first and set and example.

2. Recycle – You do it at home, so why shouldn’t it be just as easy when you’re out and about? Truly green communities help make it easier to recycle in public places such as parks, schools, and businesses. Ask your township, school board, and managers of other public areas to provide recycle bins for glass, plastic, aluminum, and paper next to existing trash receptacles.

3. Pass it on – You just finished a great book that you bought last week. Now what? Create a neighborhood exchange group and swap clothes, books, and toys with others…what’s better than getting a new outfit or toy for your child and helping to save the environment at the same time?!

4. Landscape Green – A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. By planting native trees, hearty bushes, and perennial flowers in your community, you not only provide great benefits for the environment, but give a natural habitat for wildlife and help beautify public spaces.

5. Park the car – One pound of carbon dioxide is produced with every mile driven, try walking, car pooling, or riding your bike one day a week!

6. Be a role model – Speak at your child’s school, and help teach kids at a young age how to become responsible stewards of the earth.

7. Pick up the trash – Did you know that Styrofoam can’t be recycled and is dangerous to animals if they eat it? So why let it litter our communities? Organize a “get out and clean” day. Any day can be Earth Day…it will bring together people of all ages and help make your neighborhood cleaner and safer for all its inhabitants.

8. Knock the lights out (well, not literally) – Change all your light bulbs to long lasting energy efficient ones, and turn them off when you leave the room.

9. Get the word out – Use reusable bags everywhere you go not just the grocery store. You will be surprised the positive effect it will have.

10. Give a gift – Donate a Green-kit to non-profit organizations like a local homeless shelter or community center (and you may be able to take a tax deduction while helping others create a green environment).


(Borrowed from our friends at Discover Earth)

Bat Conservation Month

We are so excited to announce our 12 Month Giving Campaign! We are kicking the year off with Bat Conservation Month!

10% of all “Adopt A Bat Tee” sales in the month of January will be donated to the Organization For Bat Conservation

Why Are Bats Important?
As the primary predators of nocturnal insects, bats play a vital role in maintaining the balance of nature. And, as consumers of vast numbers of pests, they rank among humanity’s most valuable allies. A single little brown bat can catch hundreds of mosquito-sized insects an hour, and a typical colony of big brown bats can protect local farmers from the costly attacks of 18 million root-worms each summer.

What Can You Do To Help?
Click here to learn more!

Have An Eco-Friendly Holiday Season

Here are a few tips on how to have an Eco-Friendly Holiday Season!

Support local business with local products

Serve local & organic snacks from your local farm or co-op.

LED Christmas Lights - These will save 90% electricity & last for 50,000 hours. Check out this website to shop for some lights! The lights they sell are energy star approved and have a life time guarantee!

Buy canvas, hemp, or cotton bags to put presents in - your loved ones can use them as shopping bags after the holidays.

Use recycled gift bags from the previous year or simple brown paper bags that can be decorated. Don't be afraid to ask your family members for their holiday left overs!

Get creative in your gift wrapping- try using fabric, scarfs, recycled tissue paper, or newspaper (We highly recommend the comic section)

Make your gift tags! You can use old Christmas cards, scrap paper to make your own using hemp, or cotton string to tie on. We also recommend these super cool seed paper tags by Cast Paper Art.

Use a live potted tree for your Christmas tree or buy a tree from a local tree farm. 32 Million christmas trees are purchased each year in America. Check out this cool company we found online!

Update On Our Family In India

Zehn Naturals has been supporting a family in India through Speed Trust since early 2008. Through out the year, we get periodic updates on how the family is doing and how our donations are helping. Here are some of the updates.

Lakshmi is a mother of two, and wife to her husband, Nor Kanagaraj, who works in a tea shop. Lakshmi was working as a helper in SPEED Trust but she left the job to properly take care of her family. Her current activity is to make baskets at home for SPEED TRUST.

Tamilarasan, the oldest child, is 6 years old. He had been admitted in U.K.G in Eve Matriculation and received 34th rank in his Quarterly exams, which is average in his studies. He is coming daily to SPEED Trust center. SPEED Trust has paid school for Tamilarasan.

Tamilselvan is the youngest child and is 1 1/2 years old. He is a healthy baby but often affected by a common fever.

The family currently rents the home they live in, but was able to put a downpayment on a house.

Speed Trust is a wonderful organization, and we are honored to work with them. Find out how you can help!