Marie Oser is a best-selling author, columnist, and host/producer of VEG TV. A vegan lifestyle expert, and environmental advocate with a focus on nutrition and its role in disease prevention, Oser specializes in creating original gourmet recipes with a solid nutritional bottom line.
Many prominent medical and nutrition professionals endorse her work, including Dr. Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University and principal researcher of the groundbreaking CHINA STUDY, and Neal Barnard, M.D. founder and president of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, DC.
Marie is president of VEGTV, Inc., a video production company producing content for TV and new media. VEGTV streams hundreds of lifestyle videos to more than 1,000 sites globally. In her role as Director of Product Development at Smart Planet Kitchen, she has created, Marie Oser’s Lean & Green, a new line of vegan and Fair Trade Certified products. Marie has appeared on CNN, ABC, National Public Radio, QVC, WUSA, WNBC, KCAL, KOVR, Home & Garden Television (HGTV), FINE LIVING, TECH TV, and Discovery Channel.
Vegetarian since 1971; vegan since 1990, Marie left a career in TV advertising to pursue her interest in food, health, and nutrition. Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, she studied psychology at St. Joseph’s University. Marie is a gourmet cook and organic gardener living in California, writing her 5th book and hiking every day with Travis, her Yellow Lab companion.
Cherl Petso is the Associate Editor at Disaboom.com, an online magazine for people with disabilities. Her writing expertise includes articles about the environment and sustainable living, and vegan/vegetarian issues. A vegetarian for 16 years and a recent vegan, Cherl is passionate about animal rights and issues. She enjoys writing about simple ways to lessen the impact on the Earth.
Cherl recently moved to Denver, Colorado from Bellingham, Washington. She enjoys hiking and hanging out with her puppy.
Alexis Steinkamp grew up at Helderledge Farm, a perennial plant nursery in an apple orchard near Albany, New York. As a teenager, she hybridized daylilies, raised chickens, grew tomatoes, chopped wood, picked apples, baked pies and feared mosquitoes. She left the farm to attend Northwestern University and study art and design.
After graduating in 1991, she stayed in Chicago to work in theater, film and special event design. She didn’t make much money, but lived simply and saved for a rainy day or a place to live—whichever came first. As it turned out, the condo came first. Her friends were shocked that she, a starving artist, could afford a condo in the city. How did she do it? She should write a book about it! So, she did. She wrote a personal finance workbook to help young women budget, save and dream called Thrifty Girl KICKS YOUR FINANCIAL BUTT; Get a grip on your finances without dying of boredom. And, she developed a personal finance class that she teaches at Truman College in Chicago.
Today, Alexis still lives simply. She works part-time, writes and lives in a tiny condo with a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline. Visit her online at Thrifty Girl
Latham is the founder of a boutique holistic lifestyle practice called- Tender Shoots Wellness. Specializing in maternal and child wellness, Latham served as Program coordinator for the Healthy Moms-Healthy Babies project for the B-Healthy organization. She has been featured on Fox 5 news as an expert on organic foods and kid’s health. She is the co-founder of Panela Productions, a company that educates parents and children about food, through cooking classes, and events.
Latham teaches plant-based culinary classes at Whole Foods Market and Natural Kitchen Cooking School, where she is a part of the guest faculty, and for a host of private clients. She gives lectures on plant based nutrition at Laughing Lotus Yoga Center, North American Vegetarian Society's Summer Fest, and Excellence Charter School, to name a few.
She currently teaches prenatal yoga classes at Om Factory, Golden Bridge Yoga, and Yoga Sutra.
Latham contributes to Working Mother Magazine, Naturally Savvy, and Yoga Mom Magazine.
Andrea is founder and director of Moss Wellness, an integrative health enterprise devoted to inspiring men and women to discover holistic health and vibrant living.
Andrea is a certified holistic health and nutrition counselor who works with her clients to help them reach their ideal weight, reduce stress, and feel confident about what to eat. Andrea presents workshops on various health and wellness topics throughout New York state, counsels individual clients both in person and over the phone, and leads group weight loss programs.
Christie Nash is currently a Projects Coordinator at the Trent Centre for Community-Based Education whose mandate is to bring local organizations and academic resources together to create community- inspired research projects. She has recently completed her M.Ed in Education and Community Development and Comparative International Development Education at OISE/UT. Her professional experience has taken her around the world, including Thailand, India, Nunavut, and other parts of Canada.
She currently resides in Omemee, Ontario (where Neil Young spent his formative years!) in an 1861 log cabin with her boyfriend, Mark, and cat, Fergus.
Carl Boyd graduated from UIC’s Industrial Design program and has worked professionally in exhibit and product design. He interned at Prairie Fish, one of the nation’s first retail design firms committed to green design. As an initial member of the Foresight Design Initiative, he launched Chicago Green Drinks, organized Chicago’s first Eco-Transportation Show, and designed exhibits for the Chicago Department of Environment.
He’s served as a judge of green design for the 2008 International Housewares Show, and Chicago’s Greenworks Awards.
Carl Boyd co-pilots an ongoing project called Normal - started in 2003 - designing modern, practical products that are locally-made using sustainably-preferable materials and processes. Normal products are sold across North America, have been featured in Wallpaper, TIME, New City, Chicago Tribune, Time Out and in several TV spots. They have been selected for Museum exhibits nationwide and abroad.
Carl currently teaches product design, focusing on sustainability issues, at Columbia College, as well as at the Art Institute this coming Spring.
Loretta White is a writer, educator and scholar who gained huge diversity of experience within varied industries; energy, government, high tech and more. The last fifteen years she brokered deals with the top multinational companies globally, her Rainmaker skills are unsurpassed and she remains an authority on BD, BI, sustainability and the Global Marketplace.
Frugality was the voice of her elders who endured wars, rationing and Depression, raised to respect, love and to co-exist with nature through sustainability, self reliance, need and RRR practices. Loretta’s juxtaposition of ideas, deep love for the planet and her Yankee sensibilities are the foundation of a lifestyle that is in partnership with nature. Loretta indulges her passions for renewable energy, organics and being green on her 17.5 acre farm in central Massachusetts.
Recently Ms. White has lead an Assoc. of Caregivers providing support to those caring for parents, disabled, and others.
Loretta is invested in the community of our species and our planet and her diverse background in technology and green living gives her a unique perspective on how to live with nature and with our own gifts of technology.
Ms. White’s work has been published by Corporations, magazines, readers digest and many others.
Victoria Scanlan Stefanakos is a wife and mother, a homesteader, a writer. When she’s not gardening or cooking or picking up wooden toys, she writes stories for national magazines and Web sites about living simply, naturally and well. You can read several of late in Martha Stewart Living and Real Simple.
So Victoria and her family to live lightly and pitch in: growing, making, putting by, selling and sustaining themselves with whatever they can on seven rugged acres. You can follow her chronicle of their adventure at Project Homestead
Lauren Mangion is a writer, engaged citizen, and an eco-coach from Calgary, Canada. Lauren’s personal life and work are intimately intertwined, both being experiments in more sustainable, lower-footprint urban living.
Through Conscious Home, an eco-coaching service, Lauren educates and inspires her fellow Calgarians with tools and resources toward reducing the individual ecological footprint.
Boston born novelist, short-story writer and who has published thousands of technical papers now works in the horror-fiction world. Occasionally, his characters and stories transcend genres and travel from fantasy to realism.
White contributes to L. A, Weekly occasionally and other magazines and online forums, he also blogs regularly for several news and industry sites.
Current projects include; “Underwater City Salvage,” “Real Vampires”, “The Black Coach”, “The In-Between Time.” His novels are richly textured with excellent grasp on popular culture, and explores feelings of angst, deep-rooted in ancient themes.
A freelance writer specializing in environmental and health topics, Linda recently was part of a core team of writers who developed content for GreenYour, a website devoted to greener living.
She wrote an environmental column for five years for Good Housekeeping magazine called Green Watch. You can find her articles in Plenty Magazine’s online newsletter, Fit Pregnancy, Good Housekeeping, Arthritis Today, Profiles (Continental Airline’s in-flight magazine), and Microsoft’s Encarta.
She served on her town’s environmental commission for 15 years and remains an active volunteer. Her personal essay column for the local newspaper offers her take on the natural world and on environmental topics in her neck of the woods.
Michelle resides in New York, her work has appeared in Country Living, Real Simple, The Washington Post, People, Teen People, InStyle, and Time Out NY Kids. She is also the author of the Quiz Zone book series. Visit her online at www.michellehainer.com
Lynn Fantom’s commitment to eco-travel is in direct proportion to her passion for Acadia National Park in Maine, where she hikes, climbs, bikes, and kayaks with her daughter Luisa. Lynn is publisher of OUR ACADIA. a Web site devoted to exploring, eating, and relaxing on Mount Desert Island.
Lynn posts on www.mdislander.com range from where to find great lobster rolls to what to do with kids on rainy days.
When not in Maine, Lynn lives in New York City, where she is an executive in the media industry. In 2008 her company was named one of the Best Places to Work in New York City in Crain’s New York Business.
Pearl is an eighty year-old Canadian woman with 6 grown children, 18 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Growing up during the Great Depression, she experienced the ultimate reasons for recycling, reusing, and repairing. She lived honoring the old slogans; ‘Waste not want not’, ‘A stitch in time saves nine’, ‘A penny saved is a penny earned’. In her lifetime, Pearl has witnessed our society go from frugal to frivolous. She can help.
Heather O'Neill is the founder of Eco to the People, a green living blog.
Before founding Eco to the People, Heather O’Neill wore so many hats in the field of journalism that even the Queen Mother would envy her collection. She has worked as the managing editor of a beauty trade magazine; as a copy editor for an online tech magazine; as the associate editor of a city magazine and as a newspaper reporter and columnist, and as the senior editor at the popular online newsletter ecofabulous.
Her work has appeared in many publications, including Parenting, Alternative Medicine, Natural Solutions, Marin Magazine, Greenwich Magazine and HOME.
Heather earned a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from California College of the Arts. She lives and works in San Francisco.
I have a little four-day vacation coming up and I’m planning a staycation. I’ve had a hectic first quarter. I don’t need the stress of traveling, the swelling of my carbon footprint or the added cost. I just need some time to stop, breathe, relax and rejuvenate. Right here at home seems like the perfect place. Here’s the plan:
Around the town
I’d like to spend part of my staycation doing things around town that don’t fit into my regular schedule. Maybe I’ll spend one day downtown taking in a museum or going to a movie. I could try lunch at a new restaurant. Or, if the weather is cooperating, I could wander a sculpture garden and find an outdoor café for my first iced latte of the season.
Spa day
I plan to sleep in—it’s so energizing. And, I want to spend at least one full day pampering myself. I’m thinking of a massage. Is there anything more relaxing? …read more of Staycation here
Auto bill paying
If you’re looking for a way to simplify, look no further than automatic bill paying with a credit card or direct transfer from your bank account.
It’s easy. First, some bills can be automatically charged to your credit card with no added fees. Movie rentals, Internet service and tax-deductible donations are just a few that fit the bill.
For everything else, try an automatic transfer from your checking or savings account. Your electric, gas and credit card bills can all be paid automatically. My electric company charges extra if I want to pay my bill with a credit card, but zero for a transfer from my account.
‘Tis the season for starting new things—exercise, eating right, balancing your checkbook. Why not make a commitment to save for the unexpected by starting an emergency savings fund. What is it? It’s a special account where you stash money for a rainy day. So, if you suddenly find yourself unemployed, needing a root canal or forced to replace your old clunker, you’ll have the funds to get you through the situation. Why is having an emergency fund so great? It removes “what if?” stress. So, if you’re asking yourself, “What if I lose my job?” the answer is “Don’t worry, you have enough money in your emergency savings fund to live for six months.”
How much do you need?
I recommend six months of expenses. If your rent/mortgage, utilities, car, insurance, food and phone cost you $2,000 a month, you’ll need to save six times that or $12,000. If it all adds up to $3,000 a month, yes, you need $18,000. Sure it seems like a lot of money now, but you’ll be really glad you have that much when you get the pink slip. So, get your pencil, write down all of your monthly expenses, add them all up and multiply by six. That figure is your emergency savings goal!
January is named for the Roman god Janus. He is believed to be the god with two faces—one looking backward and one looking forward. So wouldn’t it be appropriate to take some time this month to stop, take stock and plan your future?
A few Januaries ago, I was overworked and unhappy. I sat down one Sunday afternoon with a pad of paper and started to jot down some ideas designed to get me out of this nasty predicament. I made a list of how I could change the direction of my life and aim towards blissfully happy. I answered questions like “How many hours do I want to work?” and “How much money do I need to live?”
A week later, I decided the best course of action would be to reduce the number of hours I worked by quitting my full-time job and finding part-time employment. I made a plan and seven months later, I quit. I’ve never regretted my decision for a minute. Life is grand!
Stop
It’s easy to get caught up in your day-to-day routine. Weeks turn into months and then another year has past and you’re still in the same place. If you have a problem to solve or just want to make a life change, you will probably need at least two hours to actually think it through! …read more of Stop, Take Stock and Plan Your Future here
It’s the time of year when I take stock and think about taking on another around of life changes. Last year, I decided to simplify my life and make more time for myself. On reflection, I think that worked out fairly well. I started by purging ten boxes of crap from my tiny condo. And, I cut out unnecessary chores to make more time for reading and hot baths.
This year, I’ve decided that my general theme should be “Out with the bad, in with the good!” Feel free to join me. All you need to do is choose ONE thing to quit and ONE thing to start. I’m sure I could quit or start ten new things, but focusing on just one actually gives me a chance at success.
Go green with new ideas to simplify your life, ecomii inside stories on ways to live healthier, shop smarter, reduce spending, live toxic-free and use less with more.
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