Green Your Workout

For those of us who choose to workout, here are some ways to "green" your workout. Yes, there is such thing as making your workout environmentally-friendly. For those of us who don't workout and choose to stay at home and read my blog, well maybe you will be motivated by this post to try some green workout tips or to research and get acquainted with the many green gym projects that are currently being tested and developed (and then read my blog some more).

The following is an excerpt from Philippe Bourseiller's coffee table book titled "365 Ways to Save the Earth":

"A chain of gyms in Hong Kong is experimenting with treadmills that capture the energy generated by joggers, sending it to a battery that helps to power the gym. But until such practices are widespread, the average fitness center excels at wasting energy. First, there's the electricity needed to power all of the machines, lights, and personal TVs. Then there's the air-conditioning needed to keep a poorly ventilated room full of sweating people at a reasonable temperature. In the United Kingdom, the British Trust of Conservation Volunteers has created a Green Gym program where participants burn calories while doing environmental conservation activities like tree-planting or creating and maintaining community gardens.

Instead of joining a gym consider walking, jogging, or biking outside. If you cannot get off the treadmill, be aware of how you use resources at your local gym. Invest in a reusable water bottle and encourage your gym to replace bottled water machines with fountains or coolers. Bring your own towels to cut down on the amount of laundry the gym does (chances are they are not using biodegradable soap). Look for PVC-free workout gear--yoga mats, for example, come in a variety of natural materials."

source: "365 Ways to Save the Earth" by Philippe Bourseiller

3 Simple Reasons To Give Up Soda

The following facts pertain to both regular soda AND diet soda.

1. One liter of soda carries a huge carbon footprint. To make one liter of soda, 250 liters of water are used. All of this water is needed to process the actual soda itself and its packaging. By not drinking soda, you will be saving water.

2. You will improve your health. Yada, yada. So we've all heard the many effects soda has on our health but just in case, here are some of the most prominent ones: weight gain, bloating, tooth decay, bone weakening, and caffeine dependence. If you were to cut out all that sugar from drinking soda, you will look and feel much better guaranteed.

3. You will save money. According to Sham Gad in the Yahoo Finance section, soft drinks are a sneaky money waster.

"Not only does ordering beverages along with a restaurant meal boost your total expenses, but soft drinks also have one of the highest markups of any restaurant item, and thus provide lower value for your money. Consider a typical family of four that eats out twice a week at fast casual restaurants (typical for a middle class family even today). Assuming an average price of $1.50 for a fountain soft drink, that totals $12 a week, $48 a month, $624 a year. Just cutting out this one item from your meal could mean significant savings that could go into something much more productive, such as a retirement savings plan. If you invest $624 at the market average of 9% a year every year, you would have almost $32,000 at the end of 20 years. So dine out, but opt for water!"


sources:


"365 Ways to Save the Earth" by Philippe Bourseiller


http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/108573/top-6-mindless-money-wasters?mod=bb-budgeting

TOMS Shoes

Many of you have probably already heard about the TOMS Shoes company and its One for One movement of donating shoes to children in need all around the world.

One for One is a simple yet revolutionizing idea developed by TOMS Shoes: Every time a person buys a pair of shoes from the website, www.tomsshoes.com, they give a pair of shoes away to a child in need.

But why shoes? Why are they so important to those in developing countries? The answer may not be so obvious to the many of us who take shoes for granted. Walking is the primary means of traveling in these developing countries and shoes allow people to travel long distances as well as avoid potential diseases contracted from contaminated soil entering the body through cuts and scrapes on the feet. Shoes are also a required part of many children's school uniform and without shoes, they miss out on an education.

TOMS Shoes are very stylish and comfortable. They make perfect gifts and they have sizes for all ages! The price is more on the expensive side (about $44- $79) but the price is also used to fund the One for One movement; a movement well-worth your investment.

Looking to make a custom pair? Order your size in a blank or natural canvas color and decorate it yourself! Or check out the sole parties you can host through TOMS Shoes: Order blank canvas TOMS in bulk and have a decorating party. Orders of over any 25 pair receive 10% off as well.

TOMS Shoes offers many opportunities for you to help their efforts of donating shoes to children in need. Whether you buy a single pair of stylish shoes, host a sole party, become a campus representative at your school, or intern at their headquarters in Santa Monica, CA, you will be contributing to the TOMS Shoes mission. The possibilities are endless!

For more information on how to get involved, visit

http://www.tomsshoes.com/Get-Involved

For more information on the mission of TOMS Shoes, visit

http://www.tomsshoes.com/content.asp?tid=227

source:

www.tomsshoes.com