I was talking to my friend John Springer today and he shared with me his usual profound wisdom and awareness of trees and nature. He said “When a leave waves at you, wave back!” Now that’s simple and beautiful isn’t it. He can be found at www.enchantedwalkabouts.com   Now how many opportunities we have to stop, breathe and connect in with the natural world. To savor and delight in this life experience. A good reminder to me to slllllloooooooooooooowww dooooooowwnnnn and enjoy the journey, one beautiful waving leaf at a time. Thanks John and thanks to the earth.  Ilan

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It has been a great year and we are happy to be spreading Advice from Nature around the world. I was very touched to receive an email from an Afganistan American poet who requested permission to translate Advice from a tree into his native language. Here is what his email said:

I am an Afghan American poetry writer.
All my poetry is in (DARI) langiuge. I loved your great poem ( Advice from a Tree )
your poem is a great advice for Afghan people whom lost the hope during 3 daked of war
If you don,t mine I like to translate this poem in Dari and publish it at Afghani websides under your name
and I love to read more of your poems. Regards,  Sayed Homayoun Alimi

We gave him permission to translate the poem and he sent me this link to his website where the poem is translated. http://www.24sahat.com/content/view/929/1/ 

Ilan

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I am always inspired by a good  movie. Here I think is a great movie. The Soloist. It celebrates the gifts of a talented musician and the touching and poignant life story of him and others. Below is the listing on the movie website.

• The Soloist is a biographical drama about real-life musical prodigy Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, who dropped out of Julliard after developing schizophrenia and became a homeless musician on the streets of Los Angeles. Journalist Steve Lopez discovers the former classical music prodigy, playing his violin on the streets. As Lopez endeavors to help the homeless man find his way back, a unique friendship is formed, one that transforms both their lives.

Another reviewer says: Over all, I found both the relationship between the two men, and the profound effects they had on one another, to be incredibly moving. But, I also thought the greater message, the way this incredibly personal and small scale relationship spoke to the larger social ill of homelessness in the greater Los Angeles area was a brilliant way to propagate a progressive message, in a way that really touched the viewer.

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The New York Times recently had an article about London Develops a Taste for Eco-Friendly Fare. One of the restaurants mentioned was The Duke of Cambridge, an upscale London “gastro-pub.” It’s standard blackboard usually reserved with names of ales at other pubs- reveals instead a list of the restaurants ethical business practices, including a promise that 80 percent of its fresh produce comes from the “Home Counties.” In place of of a printed menu on each table, diners find a flier providing yet another two pages of Eco-facts about Britain’s first certified organic pub.

There is a new crop of green restaurants around London, run by chefs who may may want to be at one with the environment but also don’t want to limit their customers to vegan fare. We would like to offer a big shout out to these Eco-friendly chefs who are not only working to reduce their carbon footprint but are also trying to expand their business by teaching customers that eating green does not have to be a culinary sacrifice!

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Many  more corporations have green plans in their blueprints! In new Wal-Mart stores, the baseboards and moldings are made of plastic left over from diaper manufacturing. Chipolte, has installed an energy producing wind turbine outside a new store in the Chicago suburbs. A Florida pizza chain called Pizza Fusion reuses the draft from its ovens to heat water!

Another recent participant in the Going Green movement is McDonald’s. A newly rebuilt restaurant in Chicago is crammed with energy and water saving gadgets as varied as high-efficiency appliances, pavement that filters rainwater, and tables and chairs made out of recycled material-it even has a garden on the roof!

We salute all these companies for their Going Green efforts!

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Don’t throw away those Christmas Cards-they can come in handy next year. Here are a few ideas that you might consider:

On the cards where there is no picture-cut them into name tags for presents next year

Cut out pieces of the cards that have great pictures. You can then assemble this collage into Christmas signs for next year-such as making a hanging sign that says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. This is a great family project!

You can make some really great looking bookmarks with your old Christmas cards.

Consider our green Christmas cards for next year or some of our great bookmarks

Hope you all had a great Holiday Season and Happy New Year!!

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Have you heard about the Governments $25 billion dollar auto industry loan program, set up by the Department of Energy to quicken the development of fuel efficient cars? Because it is open to any company with a promise and a plan to make more fuel-efficient cars, it has set off something of a gold rush as firms rush to get a piece of the program.

I’m happy to let you know that we have been selling green products and Eco-friendly products for years and will not be participating in the Government’s $25 billion dollar hand out!

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Low Impact Living has a winner in their Fair Trade Recipe Contest. The contest was to honor Fair Trade Month in October. Check out the recipe for Spiced Cranberry Coffee Cookies and some other tempting recipes. Hope this helps you in your Holiday efforts and feel free to send some of your best samples my way:)

Happy Holidays
Ilan Shamir

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I came across a website called Low Impact Living- a site that focuses on the environment. The site is filled with tips on green projects and products and services. Check out their site and get some great living green tips.

Happy Hanukah and have a great Holiday Season! Now is a great time to check out our selection of green greeting cards! You can help promote green living and help sustainability efforts.

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