I just got off the phone with Margaret Smith, owner of Clean Green Studios - a company whose mission it is to provide sustainable dwellings (called the Hope Shelter) for people in developing nations, and who usually live in shacks made out of surrounding debris.

Of course CGS also offers the Hope Studio, (readily available to you and I) and are what Margaret affectionately refers to, “as kind of like your back-yard retreat. It’s a 120-square-foot studio (see above and below) for creativity: art, woodworking, writing, music and entertaining friends. It has French doors, two large windows, a storage loft and built-in bookcase.”

How is it sustainable? The company uses materials with high recycled content and health-conscious finishes:

Galvanized steel siding is a green alternative to all-wood structures.
Insulation and interior siding are made with recycled content.
Clay tiles act as natural floor insulators.
Rain catchment system lets you water your landscape around the studio.

According to Smith, “this year the company has been working with a top advisory board, which includes consultants in sustainable architecture and energy, as well as in issues of social justice.”

2 for 1

For a limited time, when you buy a HOPE STUDIO plan, Clean Green Studios will send a HOPE SHELTER plan to a non-profit house-building organization in developing nations. That means your support will directly contribute to bettering the lives of a family or two in need like this family (shown below) who live on the entrance road to Managua’s (Nicaragua) city dump, and whose community of about 1600 is called La Chureca.

Look at those smiley cute faces, even living under substandard conditions (that neither you nor I can fully comprehend), have something profound to teach us.

Photo taken by Margaret’s son, Eric Smith.

Find this story interesting? You can help by spreading the word. Tell your friends, visit the website: www.cleangreenstudios.com where you can purchase a Hope Shelter for $595. That’s very affordable and would make the perfect holiday gift for more than one.

You can also help by clicking on any of the buttons at the end of this post to share with others on Digg, Facebook, Stumble Upon and other social networks.

(I am re-posting a story that’s been warming the hearts of many humans around the globe.) I hope it moves you as much as it did me. –Cheryl

Freedom and I have been together 10 years this summer. She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken wings. Her left wing doesn’t open all the way even after surgery, it was broken in 4 places. She’s my baby. When Freedom came in she could not stand and both wings were broken. She was emaciated and covered in lice. We made the decision to give her a chance at life, so I took her to the vets office. From then on, I was always around her. We had her in a huge dog carrier with the top off, and it was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lay in. I used to sit and talk to her, urging her to live, to fight; and she would lay there looking at me with those big brown eyes. We also had to tube feed her for weeks.

This went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still couldn’t stand. It got to the point where the decision was made to euthanize her if she couldn’t stand in a week. You know you don’t want to cross that line between torture and rehab, and it looked like death was winning. She was going to be put down that Friday, and I was supposed to come in on that Thursday afternoon I didn’t want to go to the center that Thursday, because I couldn’t bear the thought of her being euthanized; but I went anyway, and when I walked in everyone was grinning from ear to ear. I went immediately back to her cage; and there she was, standing on her own, a big beautiful eagle. She was ready to live. I was just about in tears by then. That was a very good day.

We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to glove train her. I got her used to the glove, and then to Jesse’s, and we started doing education programs for schools in western Washington . We wound up in the newspapers, radio (believe it or not) and some TV . Miracle Pets even did a show about us.

In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I had stage 3, which is not good (one major organ plus everywhere), so I wound up doing 8 months of chemo. Lost the hair - the whole bit. I missed a lot of work. When I felt good enough,  I would go to Sarvey and take Freedom out for walks. Freedom would also come to me in my dreams and help me fight the cancer. This happened time and time again. Fast forward to November 2000, the day after Thanksgiving, I went in for my last checkup. I was told that if the cancer was not all gone after 8 rounds of chemo, then my last option was a stem cell transplant. Anyway, they did the tests; and I had to come back Monday for the results. I went in Monday, and I was told that all the cancer was gone.

So the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty and cold. I went to her flight and jessed her up, and we went out front to the top of the hill. I hadn’t said a word to Freedom, but somehow she knew. She looked at me and wrapped both her wings around me to where I could feel them pressing in on my back (I was engulfed in eagle wings), and she touched my nose with her beak and stared into my eyes, and we just stood there like that for I don’t know how long. That was a magic moment. We have been soul mates ever since she came in. This is a very special bird.

On a side note: I have had people who were sick come up to us when we are out, and Freedom has some kind of hold on them. I once had a guy who was terminal come up to us and I let him hold her. His knees just about buckled and he swore he could feel her power course through his body. I have so many stories like that.

I never forget the honor I have of being so close to such a magnificent spirit as Freedom’s.

Economic crisis, plummeting markets, increasing un- employment, recession, depression, gloom and doom – it’s hard not to fixate on the news during times like these, right?

Nope, I’m not going there anymore.

Sure, for a week or so I was glued to CNN trying to make heads or tails of what was happening, wondering how this was going to affect my business, my husband’s job security, and my mom and dad as they prepare for retirement later this year.

But after about a week I noticed that I’d crossed some sort of tipping point.  A tipping point that positioned the news, at its best, as a source of useful information and, at its worst, as a feeding ground for that part of myself, which I call the “negative ego”, that thrives on negativity, chaos and fear.

But as they say, “where attention goes, energy flows.” Is this really where I want to place my attention… on gloom and doom?

Hell to the no!  So I decided to unplug and redirect my focus.

Quickly I began to reconnect with my virtual community of coaching colleagues and mentors.  They helped me remember what I’d temporarily forgotten - that this “chaos” is just evidence that we are on the precipice of a huge shift.

We are being forced to confront what we collectively created over the last few years, decades, and centuries, and with that, we have an opportunity to grow and transform.  We have an opportunity to awaken and evolve.

But to do that, we need to observe and learn while simultaneously redirecting our attention to what is possible and what we want to create moving forward.  It won’t happen if we hyper-focus on messages of fear and powerlessness.

Remember, where attention goes, energy flows.

So I ask you, where will you put your attention today - on the current circumstances or what is possible for the future?

Let today’s attention plant the seeds for positive change in your life and the world around you!

In the interest of all things natural, peaceful, and happy, I bring you laughter yoga.

On my college campus, there was a “Laughter Yoga” club, and I’d heard mixed reviews about it. However, one day when final exams rendered me incredibly grumpy, I decided to head over with my roommate to the “Laugh Chance” to participate in this club.

There were approximately twenty people all in a circle, in a grassy area on campus. As the meeting began, the sun was brighter than my mood.

Led by two other students, Sammi and Molly, we breathed deeply, in an adaptation of “yoga breathing,” and laughed as we introduced ourselves.

We then did a variety of games of “theme” laughter. For instance, “Kung-Fu” laughter involved pretending to kung fu fight, but instead of actually fighting we laughed. Each punch or kick was accentuated with a “Ha.” My personal favorite was “angry” laughter, in which we pretended to be angry, but instead of yelling, we laughed. My goodness, did we look awkward!

After the club meeting, we talked to Sammi, who turned out to be quite a kindred spirit. We chatted about a class we would be taking the next semester, the joys and frustrations of creating a Planned Studies major, and outdoor adventures. I made a new connection, sent out some positive vibes, and left feeling fantastic. Grumpy, to fantastic- here’s hoping the universe sapped up some of that positive energy!

If you are interested in learning more about laughter yoga, please visit: www.laughteryoga.org

Cheers to cheer,

~Amber~

I’ve always been one to eat out. When I was a kid, it was McDonald’s; (okay, I admit it).

My mom would throw five bucks my way and I (the latch key kid) would skip my way over to the golden arches about ten blocks away with the biggest smile on my face. That was decadence back in the late 70’s, early 80’s.

As an adult, I became a vegetarian and, still, I liked to eat out. Portland is great that way with it’s abundance of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free restaurants and cafes.

Lately, however, I’ve been experimenting more with eating in and I’m feeling very abundant. My boyfriend and I decided to share crock pot meals each week. On Monday I make my crock pot dish and his turn is on Wednesday. We split both dishes which last for several meals.

I thought at first, I might feel scarce not treating myself to eating out. After all, the reason we started thinking this way was to save money and become more mindful where we were spending our dollars. The opposite has happened. We treat ourselves to organic ingredients and with all those yummy left-overs, I feel decadent and rich. The refrigerator seems more full than usual and I like it.

I noticed the difference this week in particular.  I’ve only spent $35 (so far) at the market and tomorrow, I’ll be treated to vegetarian Chili that I can’t wait to try.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t ever dine out. I still do and I love it.  But now, I’m more particular about where I go, who I’m supporting, and where I’m spending my dollars.

It’s a important lesson in savings, sharing and getting creative. As we practice this ritual each week, I look forward to my next recipe and get excited about my new creations. In the process, I feel rich and very, very grateful.