Spring 2016 Almanac

Welcome to the Spring Issue of the Almanac Newsletter!

Sometimes, I refer to choices in my life as being old school because there are aspects of how everyone lived decades ago (sixty years at least) that make sense to me from the food that used to be all organically grown and that everything was reused or repurposed. I like to revisit what worked best in the sustainable lifestyles of the past and adapt those practices in my own life. One of those more recent developments is the reintroduction of the humble napkin ring into my household– still a work in progress. I wrote about it and my improvised napkin rings.

On an exciting note, I’m doing a soft launch of my Home Sustainable Living Consulting. Offering my personal consulting services is a natural next step as my work is about inspiring and enabling you with healthy choices and trusted resources.

I had no idea there were so many mountain lions in the Los Angeles area! An event I went to about the proposed Liberty Canyon Wildlife Overpass, explained the plight of cougars and other wildlife in all urban environments and what we can do to help them.

Reduce. Recycle. Reuse. The mantra that became ubiquitous over the last decade, alongside buzz words like “green living” and “sustainability.” But for eco-pioneer Priscilla Woolworth, founder and CEO of PriscillaWoolworth.com, these terms were nothing new—Thank you Brandettes for featuring me on your fabulous site!

Every few weeks, I write a newsletter for the LOLA blog, which is an extension of my book LOLA Lots of Love Always. The blog features healthy tips or interviews of inspiring women like outspoken healthcare advocate Fran Drescher or profiles of inspiring entrepreneurs like Komal Ahmad, who has fed over 575,000 homeless people in San Francisco with excess food from corporate events. If you wish to receive the newsletter, please subscribe here.

The gorgeous Mandala on the cover of this issue is just one of the beautiful mandalas in a 2016 calendar available right here.

One of the categories of this almanac I really enjoy curating is Eco Art, because apart from loving art, I love nature and love when artists are inspired by it, or use natural or recycled materials in their work. However, this is not the only art I appreciate. Here I shared art from a broad group of 25 artists.

And talking about artists…did you read the story about the artist who melted 1,527 guns and turned them into shovels for planting Trees? So wonderful! Some of the shovels have even made their way to the Vancouver Art Gallery, the San Francisco Art Institute, Maison Rouge in Paris and other locations around the world.

March 13th, don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour.

I love this zero-waste food chain in Versailles, France where customers bring their own containers, weighing and filling them with as little or as much as they need, which helps them to substantially reduce their food waste. Read more here.

San Diego rocks! They are giving tax breaks to convert blighted property into veggie gardens and Long Beach rocks too because they have built a wall of mulch to combat noise pollution. As the mulch naturally decomposes, it will add beneficial nutrients to the soil, which helps the trees planted nearby. Everyone benefits!

March 21st is the International Day of Forests. Check out the amazing work that Conservation International is doing to save what is our natural air filters, our water factories, our medicine cabinets, our places of peace: our forests.

April 3rd is the birthday of a glorious and inspiring human being: Dr. Jane Goodall. Send her a birthday wish by supporting the incredible work that she does! Visit janegoodall.org.

April 22nd is Earth Day and EarthDay.org is working to stop the loss of 15 billion trees each year by planting trees that help communities—especially the world’s impoverished communities—sustain themselves and their local economies. For every dollar spent on tree planting, 2.5 dollars is generated in local income and benefits. Help us restore tree cover and rebuild local economies. Every tree counts!

Great news about the Monarch Butterflies: According to the World Wildlife Fund, they are showing greater numbers when wintering in Mexico. Planting lots of milkweed, milder weather and a decrease in logging have made a difference but also in the USA, they have stopped using a pesticide that kills milkweed. Read more here.

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The focus in 2016 will be on sustaining people and their livelihoods. Biodiversity is the foundation for life and for the essential services provided by ecosystems. It therefore underpins peoples’ livelihoods and sustainable development in all areas of activity, including economic sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism, among others. By halting biodiversity loss, we are investing in people, their lives and their well-being.

Congratulations to Earth University in Costa Rica! They have the honor of being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Earth University is an agricultural college with a focus on investigating sustainable agriculture in tropical environments.

And as always, if you love keeping in touch via twitter you can find me there, or if you prefer Facebook, I’m there too. I also post images regularly on Instagram!

Wishing you a splendid spring!

All the best,

Priscilla