Hope For The Planet Yet

Frost and Los Angeles. Two words I don't normally put in the same sentence. Dew and Los Angeles? Yes. Cool temperatures and Los Angeles? Yes. But frost? My parents lost a tree that blooms with fiery red blossoms this year, not to mention, the acres and acres of citrus trees that fell to the fate of abnormal weather completely running California's economy askew.

My thoughts have been pirouetting on global warming lately--watching taxi cabs grumble through the streets of Manhattan twenty-four hours a day wafting toxic fumes into our Earth's lungs, seeing an office refrigerator chock-full of water bottles right next to a sink. And, believe it or not, New York City has some high quality tap water, according to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Residents can even have their tap water tested at no cost by The Free Residential Testing Program, a program required by the state that stands as one of the largest of its kind in the country!

So, what are we doing? What can we do? Well, NPR had a good idea yesterday. Instead of buying a $2 bottle of make-you-feel-good Ethos Water at Starbucks (which donates 75 cents to in-need communities, but also aids in harming our planet), take that $2 and send it over to UNICEF's new Tap Project.

The April issue of Outside Magazine--dedicated to all things Green--had some noteworthy suggestions that may even take the pressure off your wallet and improve your health. Join a car-share network now available in 65 cities or get some use out of that lonesome ten-speed bike in the garage and start or join a bike-share program. If you must use a car (which many of us must), keep your tires pumped for better fuel economy. Traveling? Rent a hybrid. Aid in saving 62 million trees by opting out of receiving junk mail. Want more daily tips? Outside recommends Ideal Bite for advice on greener living via e-mail.

And just in case you haven't sprung into an earthier lifestyle yet, read this. As noted by Outside Magazine, "Science [magazine] estimates that by 2048 there will be no commercially harvestable seafood left."

Hope you don't like salmon all that much.

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Whole Foods Steps It Up

Just when you thought you were doing yourself good by shopping at Whole Foods Market, you can now do other people good as well! By selecting products with the just-released Whole Trade label, you'll be aiding workers all over the planet--and specifically the ones who helped put that can of organic tomatoes in your hands.

Brand new to the store this month, look for the Whole Trades Guarantee label on items such as tea, bananas, mangoes, rice, sugar, and vanilla. Three of Whole Food's Allegro coffee--Organic French Roast, Organic Guatemalan, and Organic El Salvador--have also been stamped. Purchasing these items promises more money to producers, allowing them the ability to always produce their high-quality product without falter, and provides an outlet for low-income producers who can then, in-turn, create better work environments for their workers.

It's not all about the labor, though. The Guarantee is also promoting sound environmental practices (like integrated pest management systems and soil and water conservation techniques).

One percent of retail sales will go to the Whole Planet Foundation--a non-profit that devotes its funds to the poor in the countries that are filling Whole Food's shelves with products.

Worrying about where the money is going can be left to the Rainforest Alliance and TransFair USA--the certifiers who are making sure it gets to where it needs to be. Look for the do-gooders label in the grocery and produce departments for starters, but keep an eye out because it should be popping up all over as Whole Foods brings in more food items from developing countries.

So...eat up!

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An Unlikely Pair (or should I say pear)

I can't explain it. There's something about the scratchy texture of a pear's flesh that's been diced into a cup of creamy yogurt and then mixed with wholesome grains like barley, oat and wheat. It's like a big glass of ice water--so refreshing! Okay, so maybe I'm sounding like your grandmother--"Put wheat germ on everything!"--but Liberté's Six Grains Yogurt is simply delectable.

I first discovered it after a day of snowboarding in the East Coast ski town of Lincoln, New Hampshire. Half Baked & Fully Brewed (187 Main Street; 603/745-8811), a cozy coffee shop and purveyor of all-natural, take-home meals like oven-ready Curried Lamb and handmade Artichoke & Portabello Mushroom Ravioli, can be considered the culprit of my addiction.

Sweetened with only fruit juice and blended with grains like rye, oat, buckwheat, rice, wheat, and barley, Six Grains is incredibly healthy and organic but does not fall short of feeling like a treat. Pear is my favorite (and, you'll find, most-often sold out) but Six Grains can also be found in strawberry, raspberry, and peach!

Quebec-based Liberté is an eco-friendly dairy company focused on sustainable business practices and delivering organic goods to its customers. Six Grains (and other Liberté products) can be found in Whole Food's stores, Fairway Markets, Stop & Shop Natural Department and other specialty stores in the Northeast.


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A Yogic Escape

As a native Southern Californian living in New York City, I often struggle with finding peace of mind in this whirling, insane environment. Taxis honk constantly, trucks rattle at eardrum-bursting decibels, and I now understand that zig-zagging between fellow pedestrians is a learned art form (which New Yorkers have mastered, might I add!). Okay, okay. So, I don't live in Manhattan (I live in the much-calmer borough of Brooklyn ), but I still face the daily debacle of the subway commute and even Brooklyn Heights is no Malibu.

In my search for some sort of quiet sanctuary, I stumbled upon my local Bikram yoga studio on boutique-filled Montague Street. I practiced Bikram sporadically in Los Angeles, always grumbling my way through the 90-minute, sweat-inducing class, but as much as I had to push myself, I always came out feeling on top of the world. So, I gave it a try.


The Bikram Yoga Brooklyn Heights studio (106 Montague St. between Henry St. and Hicks St., 718/797-2100) has become my weekly escape. On the second floor of a storefront apartment building, the space is more expansive and spa-like than most with two dressing rooms (one for the ladies and one for the men), tiled showers, and a boutique-like clothing rack in the front lined with spandex shorts and embroided tank tops for sale. When I'm feeling like this city is about to swallow me whole, I slip into this quiet sanctuary and lose myself in the 26 postures, and by the last savasana (pose of total relaxation), I've let my entire day go.

For a list of the top 25 yoga classes around the world, check out Travel + Leisure's latest report from Hannah Wallace: 25 Top Yoga Studios Around The World. This list is not limited to Bikram yoga and includes many branches of the yoga tree. To find out which style of yoga you'd like to get lost in, reference this list of definitions: Yoga Styles, Unwound.

No matter which class you decide on, you'll be honoring your body and your mind. Namaste.

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[Image 2 thanks to Farl according to this license.]

Run On, Runyon

Escape the confines of your car and head up to Los Angeles' Runyon Canyon for a little mid-city hiking right smack dab in the middle of the Hollywood Hills. With three trails--easy, medium and hard--dotted with some of the best vista points in Los Angeles (yes, better than the lookout by Outpost Drive), you can work up a sweat and snag nearly 360-degree views that include the Hollywood Sign, the high-rises of Downtown L.A. and Century City, and, if it's a clear day, all the way out to the ocean. Because there is not much shade on the majority of the mountain, sun-protective gear is definitely recommended (as is a large, but manageable bottle of water). The best part? Dogs allowed (and off the leash)!



The recreational park is accessible from both the top and bottom of the mountain; a dirt parking lot (free!) hugs Mulholland Drive at the peak and street parking is available in the neighborhood down below (North Fuller Ave. and Franklin Ave., Hollywood). So it's your choice if you want to make your way down first or use the downhill as a much-earned relief after your hefty hike.

From the bottom, enter the gate and head up to where the trail forks. Go straight for trail with the medium level of hardness or steer left to access the hard and easy trails. The medium trail will make a u-turn past an old tennis court and then wind up onto a dirt path with well-worn, wood-beamed stairs. You'll have reached the top of the medium trail when you come to an old wood bench with a seat that's at least four feet off the ground. If you continue, the trail meets back up with the easy trail.

For the easiest route, just keep plodding up the old, paved fire road burrowed between two hillsides. A little more than 3/4 of the way up, you'll meet up with the medium trail--a wide dirt path lined with shrubs that juts out to your right. For a little view indulgence, without any uphill hiking to get to it, make a right on the medium trail and walk out to the plateau's end. From here you can see the white, block letters of the Hollywood Sign to your left. Look a little more central to find the bulbous domes of the newly remodeled Griffith Observatory atop a distant hill. Almost directly in front of you stands Downtown Los Angeles, and then the sprawling grid of Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and pretty much every other city on the Westside (the "Westside" refers to anything oceanside of the hills that separate the San Fernando Valley, or "the valley," from what Angelenos call "the city").


If you're jonesing for an extra-good workout, because believe me, even the "easy" trail is nothing to feel lazy about, head up the dirt path that forks left up the hillside from the base of the easy trail for the ever-daunting, hard trail. Although it looks like it might be headed off in some random, wayward direction, it's not. Once over the small hump you'll see large homes nestled into the lush crevice of the hills. Keep an eye out for a turquoise pool that drops off into a waterfall, surrounded by teak-like wood and stout palm trees to your left and you'll get a peak into what Hollywood Hills living is all about.

Although there are several trails that drift off in the beginning of the hard trail, the one you want to be on should be obvious. Many of the smaller trails wander off only to return to the main trail anyway, so don't be worried about getting lost. Scramble up the the steep inclines, try not to slip on loose, dry dirt, and take breaks at each flat--if you don't, you'll miss the most spectacular views out there.

Once you've hit the highest peak of the hard trail, you'll come down, pass an abandoned mansion with a stuffed-animal dragon peeking out from behind broken panes of glass. Stay right after the house and follow the wide dirt road. You will see the paved fire road down to your right. You can take that up to the top parking lot or, for one last heart-inducing jaunt, take the high road to the left and head up the wooden stairs. At the top of those, stay right and it will lead you back to the top lot, or top of the easy trail.

A loop can be made out of any two of the three trails or descend the way you came, but plan on at least an hour for any of the three hikes. Unfortunately, there are no bathrooms in the entire park and not many hiding spots behind shrubs--the paths are almost always busy with hikers, not to mention all of Los Angeles is looking up at you from below. For more information check out: www.lamountains.com/parks.

Oh, and don't forget to pet as many slaphappy doggies as possible.