FeelGoodLiving

There is sunlight falling through the canopy of leaves, reflecting on the mirrored pond. A breeze is steadily flowing, mimicking your breath, as you slowly stretch across your mat. Then you start to hear music, coming from a distance. Is this paradise? Well, just about.

In the spirit of quality organic food, Nova Monda Cacao and Chocolate has chosen to never settle for producing sub-par chocolate. As Rich and Gregory from Nova Monda told us at the LOHAS conference, “what’s really important to us is the integrity of the chocolate”. The company operates within fair trade, all components of the chocolate are organic, and they try to blend the community of producers with the community of chocolate-loving consumers they work with. They have a dream to one day, be able to sail cacao from Ecuador, thus cutting down on carbon emissions in this ancient transporting method.

Xero Shoes are the lightest, "most barefoot" sandals. A high-tech upgrade of the Tarahumara huaraches, Xeros are perfect for walking, hiking, yoga, or running 100-mile ultramarathons. Xero shoes founder, Steven, sat down with FeelGoodNow at LOHAS and explained his passion about natural movement.  

It is a commuter’s dream: a bike that finally makes it easier to travel long distances. Jim Turner founded Optibike fifteen years ago after deciding he wanted to start his own business and also utilize his knowledge of engineering. Thus, the Optibike was born.

Naropa is not your typical university. Founded with Buddhist roots, their approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, thus nurturing and creating sparks of inspiration that fly throughout the school.

The inspiration for Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day happened in the middle of a grocery store aisle. The founder of the company, Monica Nassif, was strolling along the cleaning section of her grocery store and was bothered by the amount of harsh and bad-smelling chemicals found in most cleaning products. She then made a decision: design a line of sustainable cleaning products that used natural oils with aromatherapeutic scents based on her mother’s, Mrs. Thelma Meyer, garden. And not only that, but make them work just as well as the big name cleaners too.

Tao Inspired Living is a wellness lifestyle company that offers the most essential programs and services that help people achieve an experience of balanced living, total well-being and a meaningful sense of community. Its founder and CEO, Jonathan Ellerby, sat down with FeelGoodNow at LOHAS to give a brief explanation of how Tao works, its message and goals.

Jerry Brick is serious about renewable products. His company, Trax Actions, is a start up venture that wants to reward people for their everyday choices. “We want to quantify green”, is his motto and therefore he has created an incentivized system to keep track of exactly how much waste a person is offsetting. The way that Trax Actions works is that, for every renewable purchase one makes, Trax Actions gives you a twenty-five cent reward. How will Trax Action know? Well, there is an app for that! By logging into the Trax Actions mobile app and using the geo-locator, Trax Actions can account for every time you use your renewable bag or water bottle. Soon, they will start to use the 999 water bottle, a reusable water bottle that has a turn-knob on the bottom that accounts for exactly how many plastic water bottles its user is saving. Brick says that his venture is “just starting out” and will hopefully grow into more incentives for a wider range of green products and eventually phase plastic out forever. To stay up to date with new renewable resource news, follow Trax Action's Twitter account. And be sure to keep an eye out for their website that is launching soon!

With climate change and greenhouses gases at the forefront of environmental discussions, Native Energy is doing its part to conserve the Earth and its resources. Native Energy’s Marketing Vice President Tom Rawls explained to FeelGoodNow at the LOHAS conference why their company’s mission is crucial to our environment and communities. Native Energy was started about ten years ago and serves companies and individuals who desire to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. They develop projects for their clients that will offset their carbon emissions. Native Energy created a specific approach called “Help Build” that helps fund carbon reduction offsets for companies that cannot initially afford to fund the project, thus compelling many companies to choose Native Energy over others. Native Energy has just begun to create carbon reduction projects internationally, with one of their firsts being a water purification project in Kenya. Native Energy's website has much more information on how to gauge your carbon footprint, sustainability tips, and other climate solutions content. 

HERO – Happy Endings Do Occur. JOY – Just Open Yourself. They may be simple acronyms but Russell McDougal hopes that they can offer up a little optimism to those who might not take the time to see it otherwise. FeelGoodNow sat down with Russell McDougal, the creator of Isle of View, at LOHAS to find out a little more about his unique project. The goal of Isle of View is simple: to pass positive insight and inspiration on to others. McDougal creates his poetic acronyms and art and then distributes them through card decks, short books, his three iPhone apps, and on Facebook. McDougal has been publishing acronym poems for many years, and has been working on Isle of View for about ten. Recently, he started using Facebook because he wanted to become more serious about marketing and opening up his business to a broader audience. McDougal came to the LOHAS conference knowing that these consumers are a primary demographic for his company because of their interest in personal evolution and consciousness. If you want to explore more about Isle of View, visit their site.