green yoga
calendar of commitments
our planet
I have held strong concerns for the health of the planet and its inhabitants, ecosystems and resources for many years and have made small changes to the way I live as a response to this.
However, now the need for big changes by all of us; our governments, societies, communities and families, is necessary and needed NOW. The situation is urgent and I am going to do my best to personally rise to that challenge.
I see this as not only a way to 'green' my life but also importantly 'green' the yoga you sign up to. You will not notice any change in the way I teach but the supportive mechanisms to that teaching will be as green and sustainable as possible.
yoga
Yoga has strong roots in being peaceful and non-destructive, known as ahimsa in Sanskrit. So green and yoga fit together like a hand in a glove. How we use our hands is our choice - we can use them to help our home, planet earth, or not.
me
I am making a commitment to you all to put a spotlight on the 'green' sustainable changes I am making regarding my life and how that impacts on the yoga I offer.
In the past, I have found it useful to tell you what I intend to do - it inspires me to commit and achieve my sustainable goals.
One example - I announced to class my desire to buy an electric trike so I can cycle to my yoga classes instead of drive. It didn't happen straight away but I got there - a year and a bit later : )
Each year I will announce what my new plan is with the aim to achieve a new greener lifestyle/yoga
I am not perfect, but I am aiming to be 80% perfect : ) and more if possible.
As my best friend says;
'Progress, not Perfection'
transparency
I will be using Ethical Consumer - a charity that empowers people with information to use their spending power effectively to change the world for the better - as my resource to guide me.
I may mention various companies I use -
this is not an endorsement of those companies but to give some clarity and transparency.
Thank you for sharing the journey with me.
November 2021
Dinner anyone?
I recently read a quote by the respected
Professor Mark Mason in his book 'How to Save our Planet' :
"the current weight of all land mammals in the world is made up of 30% humans, 67% livestock and 3% of wild animals"
I find that shocking - I eat meat but I also love wildlife - I love David Attenborough programmes and the joy of being in wild landscapes.
Food production can have a huge impact on climate and biodiversity.
So I used a carbon calculator on the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/
Apparently my eating habits account for 20% of my total carbon emissions - yikes!
It represents a huge conflict for me which has now become too strong to ignore.
And so I am pledging to take action.
This is definitely a case of progress not perfection - I am not committing to being vegan 100% but I am committing to being vegan for 2 days of every week.
I have been doing this for the last 6 weeks - and it's been okay!
Even slightly liberating.
Food, like anything, can have many nuances
- for more information, this is an interesting article by Ethical Consumer:
https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/climate-impact-meat-vegetarian-vegan-diets
and this is an informative website:
www.carbonindependent.org/18.html
Both totally fascinating.
Happy eating : )
March 2021
to Zoom or not to Zoom?
That is the question!
If you are like me, the last year of COVID-19 has left me incredibly grateful that I can socialise and interact with the wider world digitally by video, especially being able to teach yoga classes online.
So it was with interest that I read Ethical consumers article on the ethics of Video Conferencing.
It turns out that none of the platforms are perfect, but of the 21 companies researched, Zoom is one of the only 4 'Recommended Buys'
They don't achieve a high score rating - 11.5 out of 20 points so definitely not perfect
but much better than many of the other well known video platforms.
And so the answer....
- for now I am going to keep on Zooming : )
January 2021
the Shredder - woman or machine?
Every year I need to shred sensitive paper work relating to my yoga classes and students. It is tedious but necessary.
And up to now I thought I had to use a shredder - a space demanding, clunky, heavy, black hulk that sits at the back of my cupboard brooding like Darth Vader, waiting for its chance once a year to cause havoc - overheating, jamming, sulking, growling - you can see I find it hard to love my shredder : )
My shredder finally decided to make the sulk permanent and refused to shred. I either had the choose to buy another lump of plastic, electrics and metal I really didn't want in my life and the planet can well do without, or I could find another way.....
And oh how easy it is - I take myself, a pair of scissors and 4-5 sheets of paper - create a short frill of cuts (spaced at 1/2 cm apart) into one end of the sheets and tear them from one end to the others. Its therapeutic, quiet, calming, does the job and best of all, better for the planet.
Sometimes less is more
Happy Days : )
2020
Betty - the Electric Trike
This year I have bought a second hand electric BatriBike trike - all my yoga equipment fits in the rear basket and that means I have been able to use it to cycle to the majority of my yoga classes (only driving to one when not feeling on top form).
Of course lockdown has meant that most of my classes have been taught via Zoom and therefore there was no need to cycle as I taught from my home.
However, Betty and I have had fun on jaunts to the supermarket, the recycling depot, deliveries of food to family members and more.
It took me a while to get the bike after pledging to do so over a year ago, but I got there : )
So not perfect, I do still have a car, but definitely progress : )
Pre 2020
Electricity
On moving to my home a number of years ago, I wanted to sign up for electricity that is produced solely by renewable sources and in a company that is investing in creating new renewable sources.
I wanted to do this for me personally but also to use the electricity to fuel my yoga administration carried out from home, and now recharge my electric trike battery, plus run my computer and mobile phone for yoga Zoom classes.
I chose a company called Ecotricity - rated by Ethical Consumer with a score of 12.5/15.
So not perfect, I don't yet generate my own electricity, but definitely progress : )