PLASTIC - so prevalent in everything we buy. Millions of plastic bottles are produced every year. Plastic bottles are everywhere. The trendy looking designs and shapes lure people to them, while aggressive marketing practices make people want to buy them. Many of us purchase these plastic bottles with very little consideration at all.

Now step back to the 1970's, or earlier...

Years ago, soft drinks and beer were distributed to consumers in glass bottles. These glass bottles were purchased by the case and empties could be returned for credit. That was a widespread, nationwide practice. Tin and steel cans were also widely produced. These metal cans were typically collected by the consumer and sold to metal buyers for cash on the spot.

How things have really changed!

With the exception of beer bottles, we've nearly done away with glass bottles and metal cans for bottled beverages. Beverage producers have moved to the cheaper plastic bottle. Just consider this:

The bottled water business is a billion dollar industry – the reigning king of all bottled drinks sold in the United States. We don't have to go too far to see these bottles thrown along our roads and discarded in parks and forests. Certainly, littering is a major problem. The bigger dilemma is what might become of plastic over time.

The answer: not much

Plastics do not biodegrade easily. The common Polyethylene Terephthalate (a.k.a. PET) plastic that makes up drinking bottles will take thousands upon thousands of years to break down into organic matter! In fact, no human has ever witnessed the organic breakdown of Polyethylene Terephthalate plastic!

In fact, every plastic container you ever come across will remain, in one form or another, plastic for thousands of years. That is, if not burned, emitting harmful toxins into the atmosphere.

For those of us who recycle regularly, the legacy of plastic is a frightening realization. Plastics negatively affect every single part of the Earth's ecosystem in one way or another.

What should we do?

Recycling plastics is a start and many incentives are currently available. Today, many towns are implementing full recycling programs in either curbside pickup, or recycling stations. With the exception of a few states, reimbursement initiatives for returning empty glass and plastic bottles for credit remain, at best, minimal.

Beyond recycling, we must take a far more proactive approach to solving the plastics problem.

Here are some simple things you can do -

1st. Stop buying plastic! Sounds tough, right? Not as tough as you think. Shopping sites such as Amazon have reusable glass water bottles available. You'll save money by refilling yourself and avoiding those plastic bottles. These glass water bottles often resemble plastic bottles – slim and easy to grip. If you have concerns about dropping them, or, you cannot find glass bottles available, go with a metal water bottle. The metal bottles can be found at most major kitchen, or sports stores. These glass and steel bottles are totally safe, far better than the concern of leaching posed by plastic bottles.

2nd. Find natural spring wells in your area. You'll realize in an instant how great spring water tastes, putting behind that so called "purified” bottled water.

3rd. If a spring well is not an option where you live, go with a simple water purification kit for home i.e. Brita. These water purification kits are plastic, but at least you'll be cutting down on your annual plastic consumption with a one-time pitcher and occasional filter.

These things are within reach for all of us. Say goodbye to the needless over consumption of plastic bottles!

Indeed, jokes come with organic clothing. Maybe it comes with the territory. Someone might say, "Organic Shirt? How does it taste???" All joking aside, what's great about organic clothing is that skeptics canfeel the difference immediately. Give that cynical friend of yours an organic tee shirt as a gift. Have them wear it a few times. They will immediately feel the soft, breathable, long lasting comfort of 100% organic cotton. When compared to conventional cotton clothing, organic clothing can fade slightly faster than conventional cotton clothing. That's not a bad thing when you consider that the dyes in organic clothing are derived primarily from natural plant sources.

The hidden truths behind the dyes in conventional cotton clothing are overwhelming. The synthetic chemicals that make up these dyes are designed to keep colors true, but our bodies can absorb many of these chemicals. The big question is one that concerns the health risks that can be attributed to these synthetic chemicals.

Conventional cotton clothing also brings up a host of other concerns too.

We know Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's) play a big part in conventional cotton farming, yet will still don't know if GMO's have an effect on our health. Beyond this, harmful pesticides are abundant in conventional cotton processing. These are some of the same pesticides believed to have been used as nerve agents during World War II. As for the manufacturing of conventional cotton, a host of chemicals like flame retardants and other ingredients with words we can't even pronounce are abound. Read labels, or contact manufactures to learn about what goes into their products.

Keep in mind the old adage –

If your grandmother doesn't know what it is, she would never cook with it!

This goes for anything – from grandma's apple pie to your favorite tie. Relax with the peace of mind that organic clothing can offer.

We're often asked about the ways in which our great organic Zafu and Zabuton floor cushions can be used. Most often the two can be used as shown in this picture –

Here we have the crescent shaped "Smile" Zafu cushion with the standard Zabuton cushion. These two together provide the best balance and optimal buffer for ankles, feet and legs. The Smile Zafu cushion itself provides the most pleasant experience for traditional zazen "sitting" meditation. The Smile Zafu cushion also can make a great arm, neck and head rest too! The Zafu cushion comes in two basic styles familiar to meditation practitioners.

The "Smile" Zafu cushion –

and the more common traditional style Zafu cushion –

Both style Zafus work very well on top of the Zabuton cushion. Here we have the more traditional style Zafu cushion on top of the Zabuton cushion -

Zabutons are also the basis for many other applications. For example,

Zabutons can be used together to create a convenient Futon-style experience.

Zabutons may also be used for gentle back stretching exercises too.

Explore the possibilities! The pictures come courtesy of our friends at Carolina Morning Designs. Check out their great line of organic seating options -

http://www.zafu.net/

As in organic food production, organic clothing is made without the aid of chemical pesticides and herbicides in the growing and manufacturing of the natural fibers. Also, organic agriculture avoids the practice of using genetically modified seeds in the growing process.

100% organic products do not have any toxic chemicals or synthetic ingredients such as: flame retardants, heavy metal compounds, formaldehyde, perfluorochemicals (aka PFC’s).

Producing clothing in this manner is far less harmful to the environment and our ecosystem. Consider this:

What you put in your body is just as important as what goes on it.

The “Meat” of the Matter

That being said, a move to organic clothing simply can’t happen overnight. Little things done daily can have the same positive impact on the environment and your health. Try these:

• An occasional vegetarian lunch or dinner. Even if you’re not a vegetarian, that’s okay. Reducing that amount of meat in your diet can have an impact. A salad, fresh fruit, or beans and rice can keep you energized for the workday. Ever have that mid-afternoon crash at work? See what happens after a low-carb, high energy veggie lunch. You’ll be saying “Wow”!
• A reduction in meat will also help the environment. It takes a lot energy and natural resources to process beef, far more than produce does. Consider for a moment what goes into all of the steps that go into beef production: feeding, housing, production and transport via refrigerated trucks. Once to your local market, additional freezing/refrigeration is often required. All this goes without saying the suffering that animals endure in factory farms, many of us never consider this for a moment.

Going Beyond Recycling

Recycling bottles, cans, cell phones, the list goes on and on. Today, recycling is just about everywhere and most towns have recycling centers. Most everything today can be recycled in one way or another. Try reusing too. Save those accumulated plastic spoons and forks, wash thoroughly and reuse. Also, try lowering your consumption overall. Avoided throwaway products and replace with reusables.
While we so often hear of the need to save the planet, many of us just go about things as usual.  It takes just a little extra time in our day to make big changes for our planet! So what are you going to do today?

1st – By choosing certified organic products, you make a choice to support farmers and manufacturers who embrace organic practices. These practices will avoid many negative consequences such as:

Toxic runoff of chemicals into our soil, oceans, rivers, lakes, sewers and septic systems

Agricultural runoff may include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers which can potentially get into our water supplies.

Overburdened and toxic land fills

Synthetics like latex, nylon, spandex and many other synthetic "chemically treated" textiles inevitably end up in landfills. In truth, they do not break down easily and sometimes not at all! Moreover, the chemicals from these synthetics end up leaching into our soil and watershed!

Increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere

While carbon dioxide is a necessary component to the earth's atmosphere, conventional agricultural practices have contributed to additional levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. This and other increased levels of "greenhouse gases" have contributed to a rising in the Earth's temperature. We recognize this as the "greenhouse gas effect". Other greenhouse gasses produced from non-organic practices include: methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases.  

2nd – Organic clothing is comfortable.

Organic fabrics are softer, more comfortable and simply breathe better than conventional "chemical treated" fabrics.

3rd - By using organic products, you help to maintain good health.

Consider the bleaches, chemical dyes, flame retardants and everything else that goes into the non-organic clothing. Our skin can potentially absorb many of these toxic compounds. However, organic fabric is easy on the skin. For those with particular sensitivities towards chemicals and synthetic dyes, organic fabric can be the smart alternative.

5th – Organic clothing last longer.

Chemicals can take a beating on non-organic clothing. Your basic non-organic t-shirt may get 10-20 washes then begin to fade and break down. Organic clothing can last much longer without showing any signs of wear!  Sure, organic clothes are a little more expensive, but the durability outweighs the cost by far.

6th- Organic products are good for our planet. Certified organic products that result from purely organic agricultural and manufacturing practices have a low environmental impact – period!

Hooray! Spring is almost here! There’s no better way to get into the spring season than with organic clothing for work and play. Organic cotton clothing is soft to the touch, plus, has none of the harsh dyes, or chemicals found in conventional cotton clothing. Also, organic cotton clothing is long lasting and breathable. You will feel the difference immediately. Sure, organic cotton may be a bit more expensive, but the cost is well worth it.  Your skin is vital - the largest organ that your body has. It only makes sense to treat it to the safest and most natural fabric available. 100% organic cotton clothes look great and have far less of an environmental impact too!

Though it’s not difficult to find great organic apparel, there are certain things to take into consideration when shopping around. In truth, there can be some rather deceptive practices that some manufacturers can use to lure customers to buy so-called “organic” items. With organic clothing, be on the lookout for tags that say things like “made from organic cotton”. If the product does not explicitly state the amount of organic cotton - i.e. 100% Organic Cotton, or 80%, 75% etc, you might not be getting the organic clothing you expect.

It’s like those popular food labels that state “made with whole wheat flour”. What does that mean exactly? Some manufacturers will mix a small portion of whole wheat flour (perhaps 10% or less), with lots of enriched white flour. That means tons of refined carbohydrates, which your body does not need. Many popular breakfast cereal brands claim to be good sources of certain vitamins and minerals, yet are packed with lots and lots of refined sugar, corn syrup, and or artificial colors and sweeteners. Ugh! How healthy is that???

Many major label food brands want to stand by the idea that theirs has been the “family staple” for generations. Some of these so-called staples haven’t changed much in the last fifty years! Today, we are more informed of the negative aspects of products with high amounts of sugar, salt, carbohydrates, etc. In short, we know that it is the time for drastic changes in food marketing and development.

The simple truth is that some manufacturers still simply “dress up” products, rather than improve anything at all. Call it the “natural foods bandwagon” if you will. Yes, it seems every manufacturer wants to be a part of that, but some do at the least expense possible.  The most obvious way food producers do this is by simply changing the packaging to resemble some healthy alternative. While the product might look like a good, healthy option at a glance, flip over the box and carefully read the ingredient/nutritional information. That’s often a whole other story!  The same might apply with organic clothing too. Besides inaccurate tags, there could be some hidden truths behind the product – deplorable labor conditions where human rights might be at stake. Find out where the clothing was assembled, plus, where the fabrics originated. If the tag shows the manufacturer name, do a little research into the company.

While the informed shopper knows better, it takes practice to get into the habit of reading product labels. Those who do read the labels can have peace of mind.

Until next time….

In addition to our ever-growing selection of organic fashions, we offer the best in organic floor seating choices. While we offer the Organic Back Jack Floor Chair, we are also an authorized dealer for Organic Kapok Zafu and Zabuton Cushions by Carolina Morning. What truly sets this American company apart is their dedication to innovated yet simple designs – all manufactured in their small North Carolina facility. See their great site at: http://www.zafu.net/. Our line of purely organic cushions by Carolina Morning are filled with a resilient and soft, hypoallergenic kapok material which is environmentally better than conventional cotton filling. So what’s the difference between a zafu and zabuton cushion anyway?

The zafu “seat” is actually an ancient Asian design from centuries ago. Its shape is characteristically “round” - very similar to a buckeye. This shape makes the zafu great for meditation, yoga, and even a bolster for stretching the back. Its kapok filling holds its shape over time. It’s firm, balanced, yet so soft to the touch.

Included in the zafu seat category is the Organic Kapok Smile Cushion. This seat acts in the same manner as a zafu with one exception. It’s a crescent shaped zafu that essentially provides greater surface area for your seat. Plus, its shape helps keep legs from falling asleep. Also, some find its shape more comfortable during longer meditation sessions. The smile cushion can also act as a great bolster, or pillow on a couch or futon.

The zabuton “sitting mat” is generally placed under a zafu cushion. What the zabuton will do is provide cushioning for ankles and feet. The zabuton can also work as a simple futon-style resting mat when two are positioned side by side. The zafu and zabuton traditionally work together, but it’s not necessary. Some find it best when each is used independently, or with other style cushions.

Check out all of our great deals on organic floor cushions:

http://www.organicsbeyond.com/catalog/catalog.asp?CID=194&CI=4213

How do I sit on a zafu and zabuton?

There are many sitting choices to choose from. Our friends at Carolina Morning have some suggestions. See their web page:
http://www.zafu.net/whichcush.html

Thank you and please give us your thoughts anytime.

As one of the leading online retailers for the Back Jack Floor Chair *see our original alternative- seating web shop: www.floorseating.com, we have had many, many inquiries over the years for an organic cotton version of this unique floor chair.

Now, we are very happy to announce the addition of an organic cotton version of the ever-popular Back Jack Floor Chair! For those who know, the patented Back Jack Floor Chair is quite unique – allowing the user to sit comfortably on the floor for long periods of time. Whether it is meditation, yoga, reading, dining, etc, the Organic Cotton Back Jack Chair is the comfortable alternative.

At this time, the organic cotton Back Jack is only available in Black and Natural original non-folding chair. We love the look and feel of both. Try both colors together – the black and natural complement each other very nicely. Also, did you know? We offer quantity discount of mix or match colors of ten or more chairs!

The fabric is slightly softer than Back Jacks' "tuff-duck" cotton. Our favorite is the natural color – reminiscent of that non-dyed look of a typical organic cotton grocery tote. We encourage you to give us your thoughts and musings on the great new Organic BackJack, or anything thing else.

Relax a little easier in an Organic Back Jack Chair!

In a time when environmental responsibility can seem like more of a marketing catchphrase than a substantive production ethic, Onno Textiles is an example of a company that is doing it right. Located in Boulder, Colorado, Onno produces "socially responsible t-shirts" for individual, wholesale and private label sales. These shirts are produced from sustainable fibers (organic cotton, bamboo and hemp) using socially responsible manufacturing, meaning Onno is invested in the product throughout the entire process from seed to store. They even buy carbon offsets to account for the environmental costs of shipping products.

Beyond investing in production, Onno makes an effort to inform their customers through their website, www.onnotextiles.com. The unique qualities and benefits of each material are showcased in an irreverent and refreshingly honest manner. Concerned about the effects of caustic soda used to process bamboo? So are they and they don't mind telling you so. They’re also strong advocates for legalizing industrial hemp farming in the United States. Their website is chock full of information about the raw materials they use, how they are turned into t-shirts and why you should care.

Perhaps most impressive is the fact that Onno didn't start out as an eco-oriented business. According to their website, they have transitioned to their current model, "in order to feel energized and passionate about our products." Onno Textiles clothes are economically, environmentally and socially conscious, adding up to a product that feels great to a customer’s skin, wallet and conscience.

Yoga should help you focus on your mind and body, not your clothes. However, to get the most out of your yoga routine, prior thought must be put into your attire. Any clothes that are comfortable and provide free range of movement will suffice, but clothes specifically intended for yoga are the best option. They are comfortably designed to fit loosely enough so as not to constrict movement with materials that further enhance the experience. Yoga apparel absorbs sweat and dries quickly, and also utilizes flat seams to prevent chafing.

A complete yoga wardrobe is comprised of five basic essentials: pants, shorts, top, cover up, socks, or shoes. Each article of clothing can be as stylish, or simple, as your individual taste desires. Yoga provides an occasion to free your mind; do not restrict yourself with something as superficial as clothing styles. Yoga pants should have a slight flair, so they’re not too tight around the legs, but should be short enough so that they do not impede movements if caught under the foot. For a warmer studio or doing yoga outside on a warm day, wear yoga shorts that provide the same comfortable fit without the added heat. Yoga tops come in countless styles. Choose from long or short sleeved, tank tops, or camisoles. Because comfort is vital in yoga, a cover up is something to have on hand. On cold days, or in an air-conditioned building, having a comfortable extra layer of warmth ensures nothing negatively affects your yoga practice.

Last but not least, essential yoga attire article is shoes or socks. Some people could not imagine doing yoga in anything except bare feet, but shoes or socks provide comfort and safety. They provide traction for certain poses, and ensure good hygiene if you do yoga in a public setting. The shoes are similar to athletic footwear, but are thinner and lighter with a breathable top. Yoga socks are made out of a breathable material and have non-slip grips on the bottom.

Because yoga is centered on finding harmony and balance in your life, many yoga enthusiasts apply these principles to their yoga attire with organic clothing. By opting for the organic solutions, you are helping to protect the health of the environment. The label of “organic” refers to the way the cotton is manufactured and grown, geared toward the earth, not mass production for the body. Innovative thinking and general concern for the well-being of the earth and its inhabitants replace harmful herbicides and pesticides. Even though organic materials often cost more than non-organic, its worth can carry no price tag!