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Earth Day

In case you've been living under the rock for the past 38 years - today is the Earth Day. At least once a year people get reminded that this planet is our home and we need to take proper care of it. But let's make every day and Earth Day, shall we? :)

So here's my five cents and 10 easy ways to be more green:

1. Turn OFF the lights when you leave the room, simple.

2. If you work in an office, do turn off your computer at the end of the day and on the weekend - if you are not there, there is really no reason for your equipment to be working (plus you'll save on electric bill, your boss will appreciate it).

3. Don't charge your cellphone overnight - these days most cellphones only take a couple of hours to charge so don't keep your phone connected to an outlet all day (and you'll save the battery life).

4. Replace light bulbs with long-lasting fluorescent bulbs in areas like hallways, storage rooms, and garage (many people say they are sensitive to fluorescent lights and get headaches so don't install them in rooms where you spend a lot of time, just a precaution).

5. If you are still getting it, cancel the phone book delivery. I mean, seriously, when was the last time you looked anything up in a phone book? Google it!

6. Sign up for getting your bills electronically to eliminate paper statements. Most banks and credit card companies already provide such services. Also, embrace online banking to cut back on paper and postage.

Quick Fact: Approximately one billion trees-worth of paper are trashed each year in the U.S., and hard copy bills alone generate almost 700,000 tons of waste and almost two million tons of carbon dioxide. Both you and the planet will be happier without the excess garbage.

7. Fight junk mail with all your might: cancel magazines you never read, catalogues you never look at, credit card promos you don't really need. Here's a wonderful website that gives you all the information on how to do that - Stop Junk Mail

8. Recycle. I can't believe how many still don't do it.

9. If you are going to buy groceries, bring a re-usable bag with you: it lasts you forever and you don't sink in plastic bags.

Facts: Amount of plastic bags used in the US annually - between 500 billion to a trillion (according to Environmental Protection Agency)
Amount of oil it takes to manifacture 100 million bags - 430,000 gallons

10. Finally, my personal favorite and the easiest tip of the day - while you are brushing your teeth, turn off the water! If you do what the dentists recommend and brush for 2 minutes, well, you just used 18 gallons of water. It adds up to 547 gallons per month, just from leaving the water on while brushing your teeth! Think about it, people!

And if you are curious how much water you consume on a daily basis, here's a fun calculator - Water Consumption Calculator.

Happy Earth Day!

Alina

Welcome to Radiant on Raw Blog

Greetings and welcome!

My name is Alina Vladimirova and I live in Brooklyn, NY. I am finally hopping on the blog train that everyone else seems to have joined ions ago.

Why now?

This year I celebrate several new beginnings - a new married life (a Mrs. as of March 16, 2008), a new business (Raw Food and Lifestyle coaching), and a new me. This year I am creating a new "identity" for myself. Let me explain.

Growing up as the only child of a hard-working single mother in distant Belarus, I was a shy, soft spoken child who's sole interest was books. I was a book worm, reading anything and everything, day and night. This was partially due to the fact that I was a very sick child, spending more time in bed and hospitals that playing outside and going to school. I was a strange and lonely kid. My mom wasn't very affectionate, my parents were divorced. You get the picture. Sadly but true I grew up to be a shy, self-sufficient, and a bit anti-social adult. For years I've had a very low self-esteem. But for the past few years I've been feeling a deep desire to shed the old skin and become a new me.

So this year is all about change and re-birth, celebration of life and passion. I've always felt deeply passionate about health, nutrition, spiritual and personal growth, environmental and social issues. I care about people, about our amazing planet. And now I want to create this space to share my feelings, ideas and my knowledge. I want to inspire people to live healthier and more authentic and balanced lives. I've met many amazing women in my life (like Marianne Williamson, my spiritual guide Ammachi, amazing yoga master Rama Berch, fabulous raw food coach and teacher Karen Knowler, and many others) and I've always been inspired by their light, passion, and their drive to serve the world. And now I feel ready to share my passion and light with the world, no longer able to contain it all within my little shell.

So with this blog I will share my passion for raw food, green and conscious living, my thoughts, feelings, and everything in between.

Two things are in order at this point:

Disclaimer - I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, I don't diagnose anything, but I have been studying nutrition and health for years and continue to educate myself daily, especially now with raw food. Most doctors I've seen over the years don't even know there is a connection between what we eat and how we feel (do I have to say more?).

Warning - this blog is an expression of my personal thoughts and feelings. There are things happening in this world that I feel very passionate about and if, for any reason, you don't like what I have to say - well, let's agree to disagree, ok?

So there. My first blog post ever. Hope you liked it and will come back.

To your radiant health,

Alina