Conscious Eating, Spiritual Activation, and Saving the Planet

I recently read an article by Thich Nhat Hanh about the impact our diet can have on our environment. The article describes how producing livestock contributes to land degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, and water pollution. The message is clear: our eating habits are threatening our future.

My wife and I talked about the subject, and while we don't think we're heading toward strict vegetarianism, we both agreed that reducing our meat consumption is a good and positive action to take. We also agreed to replace more of the regular light bulbs in our house with energy-efficient ones.

I just purchased a Kleen Kanteen — a reusable, lightweight, stainless steel water bottle — to cut down on the amount of plastic I use and recycle, and to help reduce my exposure to the potentially hazardous chemicals that can leach into my drinking water from plastic containers.

This past weekend, I broke out my old Juiceman Juicer out of storage, and enjoyed some fresh, homemade juice made from organic fruit. The juicer is a real pain in the butt to clean (and it takes a LOT of fruit to make a few glasses), but the juice sure is tasty!

And I've recently discovered Peace Cereal – a nutritious, delicious, and organic cereal promoting a worthy cause. I don't want to sound like a commercial, but what a concept! And since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I thought, why not create some good karma while I'm fueling up my body?

For years now, I've been a big fan of what has been called "Mobile University," and I frequently listen to CD audio programs in my car during my commute to and from work. My most recent acquisition: a program called "Spiritual Activation" by Julia Butterfly Hill, an environmental and social activist best known for living in a redwood tree for two years to keep it from being cut down. On the CD, Ms. Hill speaks about connection, gratitude, sacred space, and developing and increasing our social awareness. I'm only 20 minutes in, and I'm hooked.

Am I becoming a granola crunching, tofu-eating, tree-hugging hippie? Just maybe... I even updated our dojo website homepage this week.

Want to know what all this has to do with karate, martial arts, and "self-defense?"

Contact me!