Eco-Vlog

“Many paths lead from the foot of the mountain, but at the peak we all gaze at the single bright moon.” ~Ikkyu I was the kid who didn’t like to sleep. In nursery school, I would pretend to be asleep at nap time, while the other kids were sleeping. I’ve always thought life was full of exciting things to explore and learn, and I didn’t want to sleep through it. So, it shouldn’t surprise you that traditional meditation didn’t sit well with me (pun intended). I remember my Buddhist grandmother chanting and meditating twice a day. Yet I never had any interest in mantra meditation until I was in my forties. I thought it was boring, and I didn’t have the patience to sit still. Meditation helps to lower stress, improve concentration, and increase emotional intelligence. It helps to connect you with your subconscious—also referred to as higher self, intuition, or inner self. There are two concepts to understand before you embark (or disembark) on your journey: 1. There are many ways to med...

A recent passion project with a dedication to earth-friendly practices resulted in the conversion of a historical landscape into the Delas Frères Winery in the Rhone Valley, France. Farming in the area is almost as old as the land itself. In fact, the terraced hills above Tain l’Hermitage have been cultivated since Roman times. However, the modern setting is more urban than rustic, making it an unlikely choice for a winery. But architect Carl Fredrik Svenstedt rose above the challenges, melding the old with new. The result is a renovated manor house and surrounding walled garden. The main house, now called the guest house, offers overnight visitors bedrooms, a restaurant and a tasting room. A new wine cellar and shop were thoughtfully constructed to frame the existing building. Ramps connect areas of the winery, allowing visitors to enjoy expansive views from the upper level or observe the wine-making process. Using solid structural stone leaves a lower carbon footprint compared ...

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are easing hunting rules on some of Alaska’s national preserves and at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Conservation groups have criticized the new rules as cruel and extreme. Many Alaskan leaders,  hunters and tribal members enthusiastically support the changes. This move rolls back hunting and trapping prohibitions in national preserves adopted in 2015 under the Obama administration. The new rules will let hunters use artificial lights to lure black  bears , including cubs and mothers, out of their dens. Hunters will also be able to kill wolves and coyotes, both adults and pups, during denning season. These rules will make swimming caribou fair game, and allow them to be hunted from motorboats. Related: Trump administration wants to allow “extreme and cruel” hunting methods in Alaska “These harvest practices would be allowed in national preserves where authorized by the state of Alaska,” Peter Christian, a ...

The southwest German town of Wertheim is known for its medieval town center, proximity to the Tauber River, and the 12th century Wertheim Castle. Now, it is the location for something much more modern, a group of 21  prefabricated  micro-apartments built out of recycled freight shipping containers. Thanks to Containerwerk, a local building firm that specializes in upgrading used shipping containers with a new and unique insulation process, the My Home housing project offers a sustainable alternative to traditional building techniques. The  container  apartments are targeted towards business travelers and tourists looking for flexible living spaces more akin to actual homes than standard hotel rooms. Additionally, as Wertheim companies include ten global market leaders, the property provides more comfortable accommodation options for business employees and consultants traveling for work. Related: German company converts old shipping containers into gorgeous living ...

Here’s a fact: You might have heard a lot about the importance of delegating work. But if you’re a new leader or manager, it won’t be all fun and games. Like everything in life, delegation isn’t a piece of cake unless done the right way. You’re highly likely to face a lot of unexpected obstacles. And sadly, there’s no way around them. No circumstances in life are going to go easy on you just because you’re inexperienced. Luckily, you can tackle these hindrances very easily if you’re smart enough to learn. Learn from your mistakes, your surroundings, and this post! Today, you’ll find an answer to one of the most frequently asked questions by new delegators: What to delegate and what not to? Believe it or not, this is one crucial step in the process of delegating work. So, read through this article to clarify all your confusion in this regard! Tasks That You Should Always Delegate When you’re just getting into delegation, it is quite common to feel like you’re delegating too much work....

If a glimpse into history is on your bucket list, a stay at the soon-to-open Nobu hotel in Poland can help put a check in that column. Decimated by World War II, the city of Warsaw originated in the 1300s and has been under meticulous reconstruction for decades. Blending the old with the new, historical architecture is balanced with nearby neighborhoods that are alive with trendy wine bars, art galleries and cafes. Joining the creative hub is the newest addition to the Nobu family of hotels being built by Nobu Hospitality, a globally established lifestyle brand owned by actor Robert De Niro, chef Nobu Matsuhisa and film producer Meir Teper. The heart of this capital city will be the site of the V-shaped hotel. Nobu Hotel Warsaw will feature 117 sleek and spacious rooms along with meeting and event spaces, an expansive fitness center and the signature Nobu Restaurant and café. “Nobu Hotel Warsaw is a really exciting project for us,” said Trevor Horwell, Chief Executive Officer of...

Think of your cover letter for a job application as an in-person introduction. Your resume outlines the facts—where you worked and for how long, along with your major accomplishments. But your cover letter also shows off your personality. Your cover letter should outline the case for why you deserve the job without being “salesy.” How do you do that? Follow these 12 important guidelines. 1. There Is No Cookie-Cutter Cover Letter for a Job Targeting your resume to a particular job may mean changing up your “Objective” section a bit or adding to your “Executive Summary” section. Cover letters, though, really need to focus on the particular person you’re writing to, the particular job, and the particular company. It needs to prove, with an economy of words, that your job experience fits the requirements of the position for which you’re applying. Your letter should show that you have amassed the skills you need to succeed in that workplace. And, your cover letter should clinch your prospe...

No family is perfect! It's far from it. All families experience some level of dysfunction. Most, however, manage pretty well despite it. There are gradients of dysfunction. The family's psychological and physical health sometimes determines where it registers on the dysfunctional seismograph. Families like the Bradys on The Brady Bunch (1969 - 1974), a TV series about a blended family with six children who get along beautifully despite rough patches here and there, are pretty much non-existent. In real life, a blended family like that would likely experience serious challenges and, more often than not, insurmountable ones. It's common for families like that to end in divorce. Examining Family Dynamics To determine a family's level of dysfunction, it's important to examine its dynamics. Is there crippling internal conflict , such as severe sibling rivalry, parental and/or child conflict? Is there domestic violence, mental illness, or sexual abuse? Perhaps the confli...

“It’s not a bad idea to occasionally spend a little time thinking about things you take for granted. Plain everyday things.” ~Evan Davis Let me go back in time. Not too long, but only six months ago when the virus outbreak hadn’t occurred yet. I was cursing the traffic, complaining the beer in a bar was not chilled enough, and hating that the supermarket next to my house did not have my favorite deodorant. Soon after, due to the global pandemic, my country was under lockdown like many others. When I was indoors, I realized how beautiful and blessed I was to have the life which I otherwise assumed was regular and usual. Little did I know that I was taking things for granted and complaining about the most trivial problems. When I look back now, I notice many special areas of life whose importance I failed to understand earlier. 1. Freedom I had the choice to go wherever I wished and do whatever I wanted. As long as I did not do anything illegal or break any rules, of course. I had...

Small enough to fit comfortably in a backpack with a filter strong enough to remove 99.99% of pathogens (including viruses), the GoSun Flow portable solar sink and shower couldn’t have come at a better time. Outdoor activities such as camping and hiking are expected to continue rising amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the GoSun Flow introduces a convenient and sustainable way to access clean water almost anywhere and anytime. GoSun, the Cincinnati-based company responsible for Flow, has already set the bar high for innovative, solar-powered outdoor products including solar ovens, solar coolers, solar chargers and more. The GoSun Flow comes equipped with a compact, all-in-one case including a faucet, pump, filter, powerbank and solar capabilities. In addition to running on solar energy , the battery is also USB-compatible so you can plug the pump into a phone charger. Related: We tested the GoSun Go solar oven — here’s what we thought Customers can purchase an additional package wit...

Even the remotest islands have no lack of used toothbrushes. Researchers studying  Cocos Keeling Islands  — 6 square miles of uninhabited land 1,300 miles off  Australia’s  northwest coast — found 373,000 toothbrushes among the mountains of plastic debris. Reading studies like this makes almost any thinking person wonder why we can’t recycle toothbrushes. Toothbrushes pose a problem, as no matter how much we care about the planet, most of us aren’t going to sacrifice our dental hygiene. So why is it so hard to recycle toothbrushes? Dental professionals and the American Dental Association recommend getting a new toothbrush every three to four months, or when the bristles fray. This means the average American — or at least one that follows dental advice — goes through three to four toothbrushes per year. Even if each American used only two toothbrushes annually, that’s roughly 660 million toothbrushes headed for the  landfill . Why? “Regular toothbrushes are...

By now, almost everybody has heard about record low CO2 emissions brought on by  coronavirus  lockdowns. But new data shows not only that the U.K.’s emissions are the lowest they’ve been since the 1920s, but there’s reason to hope they might not shoot back up to pre-pandemic rates as soon as life returns to quasi-normal. A recent paper published in the scientific journal  Nature Climate Change examined six sectors known for their climate change contributions: electricity  and heat; surface transport; industry; home use; aviation; and public buildings and commerce. They found that surface transport was notably down, partially accounting for why the U.K. cut emissions by 31% during lockdown, compared to a global average of 17%.  “A lot of emissions in the UK come from surface transport – around 30% on average of the country’s total  emissions ,” said Professor Corinne Le Quéré, the paper’s lead author. “It makes up a bigger contribution to total emissions...

Antarctica’s peculiar green snow is spreading, according to researchers who have created the first large-scale map of microscopic algae growing on the chilly, southernmost continent. As the climate warms, snow algae is becoming a more and more important terrestrial carbon sink. “This is a significant advance in our understanding of land-based life on Antarctica, and how it might change in the coming years as the climate warms,” study leader Matt Davey, faculty member of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences, said. “Snow algae are a key component of the continent’s ability to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.” Related: Antarctica reaches record high temperature The study’s researchers, from University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey, explained the lay of the Antarctic land. “In the limited terrestrial ecosystems of Antarctica , all photosynthetic organisms will make a significant contribution to the ecology of the...