DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that in one year a single supermarket uses an average of 60,500,000 paper bags? The more sustainable

option is to bring your own bags when shopping. Some stores even offer discounts of five to twenty cents per recycled

bag that you use. Although these reusable bags can be purchased in most supermarkets, you can create even less waste

by repurposing an old backpack or purse or making a bag out of your own fabric.

10 WAYS TO CONSUME CONCIOUSLY

By Maggie Udstuen

What you put in your

body matters. It directly

affects how you look and

feel both internally and

externally. However,

have you considered how

the food you eat affects

the world around you?

Practicing sustainable

food habits can reserve

limited natural resources,

protect us and the environment from harmful chemicals, preserve

nutrient-rich soil, reduce waste, promote thriving communities and

even save you money! Below are 10 ways you can promote a more

sustainable diet by consuming with conscience.

1. Plan ahead. Know what you are going to make before you

buy ingredients to avoid throwing away unused food.

2. Reduce the meat you eat. Farm-raised animals consume large

amounts of water, crops and land. Try reducing your meat

consumption. Meet your five to six ounce daily

recommendation by eating a variety of more sustainable plant-

source protein like legumes, grains and nuts.

3. Organize your fridge. Keep track of expiration dates. Plan

your meals around using older food first to avoid throwing

away spoiled food and create less waste.

4. Buy from your local farmers market. On average, food

travels 1,500 miles before it hits your plate. Buying in season,

locally grown food will eliminate hundreds of miles off your

foods’ travels which will reduce its greenhouse emissions.

5. Limit processed food. Cheap and convenient processed

foods generally come in layers of packaging. Opt for real foods

such as fruits and veggies to avoid the unneeded containers.

6. Plant a garden. Growing your own food directly connects

you to your food supply and ensures that you are eating natural,

fresh, sustainable and healthy foods.

7. Buy in bulk. Stock up with shelf-stable items such as lentils,

beans, rice and cereal. As long as you will use what you buy

before the expiration, larger bundles of food will have a lower

ratio of packaging to amount of food and create less trash.

8. Use reusable shopping bags. Get in the habit of tossing a

few reusable shopping bags in your car to use in place of paper

or plastic alternatives.

9. Compost your food scraps. Organic mater ials can be

recycled through composting. Add things like fruit and

vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells with leaves and

yard trimmings to create an environment for proper

decomposition. Composting doesn’t have to cost anything but

your time.

10. Eat mindfully. Take a step back to really enjoy your food.

Focus on where it came from, how it is nourishing your body

and tune into your body’s hunger signals; in turn you may eat

less during snacks and mealtimes, and therefore need to buy

less food.

IN THIS ISSUE

September is for sustainability. You create waste that impacts the environment every day, but

there are ways to shrink your carbon footprint. Practicing sustainable living habits like shopping

responsibly and repurposing whenever possible makes a happier planet and might improve your

mood, too. Read about ecotourism and vacation with a purpose. Purchase organic when it

counts the most - use the 2016 list of “dirty dozen” foods to know which foods have been found

to have the highest pesticide levels. Support your community’s health by making small changes

and living a more sustainable lifestyle.

SEPTEMBER 2016

WHAT’S INSIDE

QUESTION & ANSWER

Composting

TARGET TRAINING

Oblique Crunches

LIFE BALANCE

Ecotourism

CHALLENGE OF THE MONTH

Meatless Mondays

FOOD FOR THOUGHT/RECIPE

Avoiding Pesticides

By Emily Boettcher

Composting organic materials like certain food and yard waste is gaining in

popularity, and for good reason. According to the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA), 20 to 30 percent of what we throw away should be

composted and kept out of landfills. Not only do these compostable materials take up

space, they release methane which is harmful to the environment. Instead of throwing

away organic waste, consider starting your own compost pile. You’ll need a few

things to make composting part of your household routine:

1. A container – you can build one or possibly purchase a reasonably priced

receptacle from your city. A container is optional, but it will help keep animals out

and moisture in.

2. A shovel – or something to mix and balance your green and brown materials

3. Green materials – vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, grass clippings, etc.

4. Brown materials – dead leaves, twigs, shredded cardboard, etc.

Choose a dry, shady location for your compost pile or container. Add a combination

of the green and brown types of waste to your compost pile as they are collected. Pour

some water in with dry materials. Using a shovel to flip, stir or aerate your pile every

few months will keep the bacteria thriving – which is what you want.

If you take the steps to build and maintain your compost properly, you can use the

soil enhancing product in your garden. This could take anywhere from two months to

two years depending on how quickly the materials that you add decompose. You’ll

know it is ready to use when it is dark and rick in color and smells earthy. Enjoy all

the benefits of composting. You may even stand to downgrade your trash removal

service and fees since you would be throwing away fewer materials in the trash.

HOW DO I START COMPOSTING?

TARGETED MUSCLES: Obliques

START

Lie on your back with your hips next to a low bench, knees bent and

feet flat on the bench.

Keeping your knees together, drop them to one side allowing the bench

to support your legs and keep your lower back’s natural curve.

Place your fingertips behind your head and draw your elbows out wide.

Engage your core by drawing your navel in toward your spine.

MOVEMENT

1. Without pulling on your head, lift your shoulders, head and neck off the

mat.

2. Slowly lower and return to the starting position. Ensure your lower

back does not arch out of its natural curve as you lower.

By Jacqueline Bosquez

OBLIQUE CRUNCHES

WHAT NOT TO COMPOST

ACCORDING TO THE EPA

Black walnut tree leaves or twigs release

substances that might be harmful to plants

Coal or charcoal ash might contain substances

harmful to plants

Diseased or insect-ridden plants might survive

the decomposition process and be transferred

back to plants in your garden

Fats, grease, lard or oils create odor problems

and attract pests like rodents and flies

Dairy products or meat and fish scraps also

create odor problems and attract pests like

rodents and flies

Pet wastes can contain parasites, bacteria,

germs, pathogens and viruses harmful to

humans

Yard trimmings treated with chemical

pesticides might kill beneficial composting

organisms

ECOTOURISM

By Emily Boettcher and Karin Junge

JOULEBUG

If you need motivation to practice sustainable living habits, download Joulebug from the Apple or Google

Play app store. JouleBug is a fun way to track and gain points for the environmentally friendly actions you

take in real life. Complete challenges to gain points for yourself or to compete in a friendly competition.

Some activities are simple like turning off the light when you leave the room or skipping the car wash.

Other activities take more effort like spreading mulch around trees and bushes to keep the ground wet so

you can use less water on the lawn.

For each of the several activity suggestions, JouleBug shows you the yearly impact and additional resources

related to the activity. For instance, using a fan and turning your air conditioner temperature up by four

degrees saves enough energy over a year to bake 107 frozen pizzas, power a hot tub for 11 hours or keep

your refrigerator running for 37 days. Skipping the dryer and hanging laundry to dry saves enough energy

annually to bake 438 frozen pizzas, power a hot tub for 43 hours or keep your refrigerator running for 150

days! Use these fresh ideas from JouleBug to stay motivated to save our Earth’s resources.

MEATLESS MONDAYS

Meat is a mainstay for most meals. While it is a convenient, satisfying source of protein, iron and other essential vitamins and minerals,

raising animals for food requires massive amounts of land, crops and water. Join the Meatless Monday movement. Eliminating meat

from meals one day a week would cut the word’s consumption of meat by 15 percent. In addition to the numerous health benefits

including decreased risk of heart disease and cancer, replacing some animal protein with a more sustainable plant-source protein such as

nuts, seeds, beans, tofu and lentils will have a profound effect on the environment.

By Maggie Udstuen

By Jacqueline Bosquez

Becoming an eco-tourist starts with mindful planning but does not need

to be complicated or expensive. You can make your trip eco-friendly by

simply replacing motor transportation with walking or biking. If you are

looking for more of an impact, spend your vacation time and dollars

traveling to communities that do not have many income-generating

resources or exports.

Here are some additional ideas for your next eco-friendly vacation:

Take a zip-line canopy tour in a rainforest. Enjoy the vegetation

without leaving a trail or disturbing forest floor wildlife.

Buy local. Patronize locally owned restaurants and purchase

artisan handicrafts produced by the members of the community.

Learn at a wildlife reserve. Take a hike in the local wildlife reserve

or learn about the unique animal and plant species native to the area.

Take a volunteering holiday. Stay local or go abroad and donate

your time to another community’s needs.

Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries. As travelers

become more environmentally conscious, many are turning to

ecotourism. Eco-tourists believe their travel choices impact the

environment, culture and economy. They seek environmentally

responsible experiences to minimize a negative visitor impact

and believe in supporting the wellbeing of the local economy.

CINNAMON APPLE

PORK CHOPS

Pests can cause damage and reduce crop production. Pesticides are

chemicals used to remove or control these pests. A number of health

problems such as birth defects, cancer, hormone system disorders

and other diseases have been linked to exposure to pesticides.

Children are especially at risk since they are growing and have lower

body mass. Pesticide exposure to children can disrupt the

reproductive and immune system, delay development, affect

behavior and damage organs.

The best way to avoid pesticides is eating organic products.

Certified organic produce are grown and processed with few to no

pesticides. If organic options are too expensive, inconvenient or aren’t

available to you, there are steps you can take to reduce pesticides in

the food you eat.

Remove the Fat

Pesticides gather in the fat of animal products. Remove the fat from

meats before cooking, and purchase low-fat dairy items.

Wash and Peel

Washing fruits and vegetables removes some residues, but peeling off

the skin is more effective.

Buy 12 Organic Foods

Foods that are part of the “Dirty Dozen” have high levels of

pesticides. These 12 foods are strawberries, apples, nectarines,

peaches, celery, grapes, cherries, spinach, tomatoes, sweet bell

peppers, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. Purchase organic versions

of these foods at the market.

PESKY PESTICIDES

By Chelsea Banken

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat one tablespoon butter over medium heat in large skillet

2. Add pork chops

3. Cook pork chops four to five minutes on each side

4. While pork chops are cooking, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and

salt in a small separate bowl

5. Remove pork chops and keep warm

6. Using same large skillet, add remaining one tablespoon butter, apples,

pecans and brown sugar mixture

7. Cook and stir until apples are tender

8. Serve apple mixture with pork chops

Healthier Living is your monthly guide to creating a healthy lifestyle through physical activity, nutrition and life balance. Brought to you by HealthSource Solutions, LLC.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons butter, divided

4 boneless pork loin chops

(4 oz each), fat trimmed off

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

4 medium tart apples, peeled and

thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped pecans

PREP TIME: 25 SERVES: 4

Nutritional Info

Calories 390

Fat (g) 17

Carbohydrates (g) 33

Fiber (g) 4

Protein (g) 30