Green Living April 2018

April 2018

M A G A Z I N E

EARTH DAY ROTATES AROUND THE VALLEY OF THE SUN

UP-SCALE MEDICAL MARIJUANA STORE IS ON A ROLL US $5.95

TRENDING FOODS

RARE MEXICAN GRAY WOLVES RETIRE TO SCOTTSDALE WOMEN WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

THE FIRST EARTH DAY

departments

April 2018 features

16

Trending Foods

39

Women who make a difference

live green

19

The first Earth Day

4

Tips for Recycling Metals

14

Protecting Chickens from Parasites

8

A Journey Towards Greener Living

16

Natural Products Expo Food Trends

10

A Fork in the Road to Recovery

18

Fun Green Facts

11

February Eco Event Recap

19

Earth Day 1970 Remembered

12

Interior Design That Grows With You

20

A Colorful Cannibas Experience

play green

on the cover

22

Call of the Wild

40

Recipes

23

Dinner with Wolves

45

He's Green, She's Green

24

A Picture of Earth Day Preservation

48

Cool Outrageous Stuff

25

Desert Edge: A Building of the Desert

42

Green Scenes: Earth Day events

28

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: A Wild Success

44

Green Champions

work green

Our cover photo embraces Earth Day along with our April issue which features writer Paula Cullison's first-person account of the inaugeral event (page 19), David Brown's piece on how McDowell Mountain Preserve conserves our beautiful desert (page 24) and publisher Dorie Morales' reminder of 420 activities plus her mind expanding experience at Level Up, a posh pick up place for marijuana prescriptions (page 20.)

(Thankfully, she didn't inhale.)

30

The Power of your voice

38

Green Living goes to work

32

Bank Locally to Build a Stronger Economy

39

Driven to Make a Difference: Spotlight on Three Women

34

Found Creations: Natural art of Lora Barnhiser

36

Rural towns collaborate to beat back blight

greenlivingaz.com

April 2018 | greenliving

1

April 2018 Editor’s Note

Hello Readers, My name is Dolores Tropiano and I’m the new managing editor for Green Living AZ magazine. I am truly excited to be a part of what is happening here.

I wasn’t particularly looking for a job when I met Dorie Morales. She happened to be sitting next to me at one of Patsy Lowry’s famous luncheons in her hilltop home. The former First Lady of Paradise Valley had put together a Southwestern-style meal that was partially prepared impromptu that morning combining tomatoes, carrots and a touch of cumin and transforming it all into an amazing soup that was sprinkled with peppers.

Patsy has a gift for bringing people together and this diverse group of artists, authors and a publisher had at least one thing in common. For one reason or another, we all had concerns about our diet. Thus, the salad dressing and containers of ice cream were passed around the table, along with reading glasses, as the ingredients were scrutinized throughout the meal. There has got to be a new installment in the etiquette books on how to do this without offending the host! Thankfully, Patsy was gracious.

Afterwards, Dorie and I talked about the magazine, and a week later, I was preparing the March issue.

Whew! What a rush! As I have gotten to know Dorie, I have been truly awed by her sincere commitment to sustainable living. She is the real deal, which was important to me as I wanted to be a part of something that, at its core, was true. She is an inspiration.

I am not anywhere near Dorie when it comes to my own green living habits, but I am willing to grow.

Each month, I will share that process in a column called “Turning Green.” You are welcome to join me in this journey.

This month Earth Day takes place on April 22, and we have several stories that speak to this significant day. Most of us couldn’t be at the first Earth Day (for obvious reasons) but writer Paula Cullison actually attended the inaugural event in 1970 in New York City. She has shared her memorable experience in this issue. David M. Brown’s piece on the McDowell Sonoran Preserve illustrates what can happen when a community comes together and creates a place to preserve our precious desert. And writer David Schaller explains why the Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson has become one of the town’s top destinations.

We also have put together a list of Earth Day events around the Valley and across the state for you to choose from. The Green Living AZ staff will be splitting up and heading out to these preserve-the-Earth parties. Hopefully, we will run into some of you there.

I am looking forward to hearing from you. We can’t be everywhere, so if you spot something in your community that we should be covering, please feel free to email us. We always want to recognize people who are making a difference in our Green Champions section, so send your heroes our way.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy April, Earth Day, and our current issue!

And thanks for reading!,

Dolores Tropiano Editor I LOVE TO HEAR FROM OUR READERS!

Email me at dolores@greenlivingaz.com

2 greenliving | April 2018

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Yours in practicing a greener lifestyle PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICES: MANAGING EDITOR: ADMINISTRATIVE WIZARD: COPY EDITOR:

Dorie Morales Aaron Blackburn Dolores Tropiano Sara Haidle Rachel Luman

ADVISORY BOARD: Valerie Crosby Ken Edwins William Janhonen Jon Kitchell

Mary McCormick Eric Olsen Thomas Williams

CONTRIBUTORS: Dr. Stephanie Lamb Jennifer Burkhart John Burkhart Ric Coggins Kristi Hall Julia Wright David M. Brown Barbara Kaplan Amanda Savage David Schaller

Dolores Tropiano Andre Butzberger Romina Cain Kimber Lanning Jill Bernstein Paula Cullison Cassidy Rust Alyssa Ruggiero Kamilla Graham

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EDITORIAL INTERNS:

Cassidy Rust Maddie Mosley

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Green Living magazine is a monthly publication by Traditional Media Group, LLC. Periodical rate postage paid at Scottsdale, AZ. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited or contributed manuscripts, photographs, artwork or advertisements. Entire contents © 2016 Traditional Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of content in any manner without permission by the publisher is strictly prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed columns and articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Submissions will not be returned unless arranged to do so in writing. One print subscription is $39 per year or digital subscription is $12 per year. Canadian orders please add $13 per year for shipping and handling. International orders add $22 per year for shipping and handling. Bulk and/or corporate rates available. No representation is made as to the accuracy hereof and is printed subject to errors and omissions. Green Living magazine is printed on recycled paper.

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April 2018 | greenliving

3

REDUCING WASTE

WHEN RECYCLING, DON’T BE FOILED BY METALS

TIPS FOR MAKING METALS A PART OF YOUR RECYCLING PLANS

By Alyssa Ruggiero

I

f you are recycling your aluminum soda and beer cans, pat yourself on the back. According to the Aluminum Association, nearly 75 percent of all the aluminum produced in the U.S. is still in use today. More than 100,000 aluminum cans are recycled each minute thanks to recycling efforts (and because aluminum is infinitely recyclable). From the time you put an aluminum can in your recycling container, its material could be back on the supermarket shelf in just two months.

But what about all the other metal disposables found around your house? Maybe you assume certain things just aren’t recyclable. Of course, it’s always smart to check with your local recycling hauler for their rules but certain items can definitely be diverted from the landfill, whether by putting them in your curbside container or making a trip to a recycling drop-off facility.

• Aluminum foil: Many recyclers will accept aluminum foil curbside, with one caveat: like most recyclables, aluminum foil needs to be clean; grease or food residue can contaminate the other recyclables during the recycling process. Clean, disposable aluminum baking pans (like the ones you might cook a turkey in, minus the drippings) are usually accepted as well.

• Metal jar lids: Glass jars and bottles are usually sealed with metal lids, and they can often be recycled curbside. Phoenix accepts metal caps and lids and asks that they be kept on their containers.

Loose caps can be an issue because they are small and can easily fall into places they shouldn’t be. To avoid this, you could fill a

4 greenliving | April 2018

larger recyclable container, such as a can, with small bottle caps or lids of the same material as the can and then crimp it closed.

• Appliances: Obviously, you can’t put an old oven into your curbside container, but it is made of valuable metal that can be collected and reused. Many scrap metal recyclers will accept old appliances such as ovens, washers or dryers. They might even pick your appliance up for a small fee. If you bring it in yourself, you could even earn a few bucks for the donation. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Responsible Appliance Disposal program accepts refrigerators and freezers for recycling so that potentially harmful chemicals used in the cooling systems can be disposed of properly.

• Cook and bakeware: It’s always best to give away or donate used cookware and bakeware if it’s still in workable condition. But if it’s not, your best bet is to drop off metal cookware at a scrap recycler.

Chances are that metal pots, pans and baking sheets can’t be put in your curbside bin.

• Metal construction materials: If you’ve just finished a construction project and have scraps left over, from nails and screws to sheets or pipes of metal, these can be recycled with other scrap metal at a scrap recycling center.

• Wire hangers: If you do a lot of dry cleaning, those flimsy wire hangers really pile up. Keep them in good condition and return them to your dry cleaner. Or save them up and take them to the scrap recycler with your other metals. You can also bring them to your nearest thrift store; they are always in need of hangers. greenlivingaz.com

REDUCING WASTE

The bottom line: If you have household metals that can’t go in your curbside container, you still have options for recycling them. It might be worthwhile to collect those outcast metal recyclables for periodic trips to your scrap recycler. Learn more ways to reduce, recycle and reuse at Recyclebank.com.

Alyssa Ruggiero is the account manager for community marketing at Recyclebank, a sustainability education and program that shares interactive tips for reducing, recycling, and reusing household items. It rewards Phoenix residents for making a positive impact in their community. To learn more, sign up at Recyclebank.com.

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7

ENVIRONMENT

TURNING GREEN THE FIRST STEP IN A JOURNEY TOWARDS GREENER LIVING G

reen is my least favorite color. I don’t have green decor anywhere in my home, don’t own any green clothing (save for that faded green T-shirt I pull out every St. Patrick’s Day), and I have a very hard time with jealous people.

And yet here I am, working at Green Living magazine and (gasp) sitting in an office with one wall so green I feel like I’m staring at DOLORES TROPIANO artificial turf all day.

The first hour on the job it really hit me. I was tossing an orange peel into the trash when a hand swept down like a seagull on the beach and quickly intercepted it. It was a quick lesson in office composting. Legal pads, Post-its and all those other precious paper products that I love were strangely absent from the setting. And I had to remind myself every morning as I got out of the car not to bring in a plastic water bottle or the Panera coffee that was sitting in the cupholder.

So, if any of you pick up our publication and think we have all arrived at Emerald City, rest assured. Here at Green Living headquarters, we are not perfect at our practice of eco-friendly living.

In fact, we seem to be at different points on our trek, with me possibly stumbling a bit behind the others. So relax, enjoy the magazine, and don’t be discouraged. We all have to start somewhere, and I am currently -- at 10:32 a.m. March 6 -- a very, very, light hint of green.

I recycle and, uh...oh, I drop off used clothing to the local thrift store

8 greenliving | April 2018

several times a year.

But you know, for a moment, while I was writing this, a memory came to mind and I realized something. Although I had not recognized it at the time, living sustainably was a part of my childhood. When I was growing up, I was embarrassed by my parents gathering rain water in our backyard in Farmingdale, New York. Coffee grounds, egg shells and scraps from my mom’s Italian meals (not many) always had a place around the plants that grew there, especially in the large garden which took up a third of our suburban yard. There were six sections where corn, string beans, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants and many varieties of plump, juicy tomatoes grew. When the produce was harvested, the fruits of our labor were quietly left on the neighbor’s doorsteps in recycled grocery bags.

Those are my roots, and while I was always one to wander, like many people I seem to be returning to them now. I am poised for growth and perhaps you are, too.

Over the next couple of months, I plan to share my process of turning green. My hope is that this space serves as a place to encourage others, like me, who are just stepping into the green scene.

I would also welcome (friendly) suggestions from those further along on their planet protecting path.

Dolores Tropiano is the new managing editor for Green Living magazine.

She comes to the publication after years in the newspaper and TV business.

Tropiano lives in Scottsdale with her husband, Alain, her two boys, Andre and Dante and a maltipoo named Milou. Email her at dolores@greenlivingaz.com.

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April 2018 | greenliving

9

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

A FORK IN THE ROAD TO RECOVERY After being diagnosed with cancer, Ric Coggins investigates alternatives to traditional treatment

I

t was July of 2017 and I was standing at a fork in my “Yellow Brick Road.” One way led to the allopathic course of multiple chemotherapy sessions and an inevitable visit to the Mayo Clinic for a bone marrow stem cell transplant. The other steered me down an unknown path of alternative methods.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of time to contemplate all the options. The Mack RIC COGGINS truck of cancer was headed straight for me. I had to make a decision quickly.

Most people take the familiar path of conventional medicine. After all, we have the greatest healthcare system in the world, right? My daughter, an oncology nurse, was apprehensive about trying anything alternative. So was my son, who had spent some time talking to oncologists about my illness. He was concerned that I might make a mistake if I didn’t take the chemo route. Even my boss begged me be treated with chemotherapy, relaying the story of his uncle who tried to cure lymphoma with wheat grass juice and nearly died until he was “rescued” by chemo.

I, too, was concerned. After all, I was the one with the horse in the race. More accurately, I was the horse in the race! All of the cheerleaders at the intersection were waving me down the path of conventional treatment. No one suggested that I consider alternative methods, that is until I stumbled across a young man on YouTube named Chris Wark.

Like Dorothy’s scarecrow, Chris seemed to be waiting for me at my crossroad, pointing reassuringly to an alternative path.

Wark’s calling in life is to encourage people with cancer and to let them know it is okay to consider all of the options for treatment. He

10 greenliving | April 2018

does this from his website, chrisbeatcancer.com.

Chris was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2003 and made the bold decision to forgo chemotherapy. Instead, he found another way to restore his health. Thankful for his full recovery, Chris has made it his life’s work to be there for others, to let them know he went down the path less traveled and that it was a safe road to pursue. Deep down, I knew I wanted to avoid chemo, but with well-meaning friends, coworkers and family members all on the side of conventional medicine, it was really hard and even scary to forge out on my own.

From his website and YouTube channel, Chris provides hours of interviews with top medical practitioners and people in the alternative cancer treatment field as well as numerous testimonials from folks who have survived cancer. Chris also put together a 10-video series he titled “Square One.” The program helps newly diagnosed cancer patients by educating them about treatments. Emboldened by Chris, my wife and I decided to visit the Hoxsey Clinic, south of San Diego in Tijuana.

My two adult children were not fully on board with this decision and made arrangements to travel with us to the clinic. On Sunday, July 16, the four of us climbed into an SUV and headed to San Diego. The next morning, we boarded a medical shuttle from our hotel to “el camino de ladrillo amarillo” leading to Mexico. After a brief stop at the border, we quickly found ourselves in the lobby of the clinic. Next month, find out about our experience at the Bio-Medical Center, better known as the Hoxsey Clinic.

Ric Coggins is a University of Arizona Master Gardener who grew up on a oneacre garden tended to by his father, who was a regular contributor to organic gardening and farming magazines. Ric continues his father’s “green” traditions, owning and operating The Fool on the Hill Farm, a one-acre organic garden homestead in Mesa.

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FASHION, FUN AND FOOD! That’s what our February Eco-event was all about. Sponsored by F.A.B.R.I.C., the fashion headquarters for Arizona designers, manufacturers, models, and more, the party was set against a string of sewing machines.

Guests mixed with F.A.B.R.I.C co-founders Angela Johnson and Sherri Barry, who showcased, among other cool couture, dresses created from recycled strips of material.

Incredible!

Vendors included Cuisine by Celine, who prepared a nutritious and delicious plate for the crowd, Witnessing Nature in Food, Labelhorde, Arizona Apparel Foundation, AZ Fashion source, Diamond Cube, Events by Danielle, Arizona Apparel Foundation, Pourmasters, Taxanista, The Centers for Habilitation, Embajador Tequila and jewelry by our very own multi-talented designer, Aaron Blackburn.

THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US! Please put this month’s Eco events on your calendar. We will be at Habitat for Humanity from 6-8:30 p.m. on April 18 3210 S. McClintock Tempe and at Enterprise Bank from 5:00-7:30 p.m. 8698 E Raintree Dr, Scottsdale. on April 25.

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April 2018 | greenliving

11

HOME DECOR

Interior Design That Grows With You

plants can be a part of your interior decorating plans

By Barbara Kaplan

P

lants add movement, warmth and interest to a room by bringing the outside into an interior design. They add color, texture and balance and can fill an empty space. Simply put, plants liven up any space.

Plants also make great partners for people. During photosynthesis, they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. We do the opposite.

Adding plants to interior spaces can clearly increase oxygen levels.

Yet when I suggest that clients add plants to their spaces, their eyes glaze over and they shake their heads. “I’m not good with plants,” they often say. “I have a brown thumb!”

This is when I extol the virtues of having live plants in every environment. I always reassure my clients that it’s okay for a plant to die. Plants don’t have to live forever. When they get ragged, it’s time to replace them.

Experience has taught me that there is no such thing as a brown thumb. It boils down to learning a little about plants and what they need.

I also subscribe to the notion that plants feel energy and react to thoughts. When I leave for a trip, my plants seem to know it and appear to look different when I come home until I have had a chance to acknowledge them.

Here’s some advice for buying and caring for plants: When you buy a plant, find out how often it needs to be watered, and give it only what it needs. Most people lose plants by overwatering, although under-watering is just as harmful.

Buy a good plant thermometer and you won’t ever have to guess if the plant needs watering.

Learn what natural light your plant requires. Does the plant need bright light or can it live in less light? This is critical for a plant to look healthy and thrive.

If you have the water and light under control, you will have beautiful plants that will live and look great for a long time.

12 greenliving | April 2018

Questions to ask when using plants in interior design: • What do you want to accomplish by bringing in a plant?

• Is the size right for the space? (What shape -- tall or wide -- would be better for the area?)

• How high is the ceiling?

• Will the placement of the plant be an obstacle to walking or sitting?

• What color should the leaves be -- dark green, yellow green or sage?

(Should the plant be a flowering type or perhaps a cactus?)

• What leaf shape are you looking for? Rounded leaves are softer and more approachable, creating a more inviting feel. Pointed leaves are more dramatic and sophisticated. Some leaves grow toward the ceiling and give the room a livelier feeling, and others grow down toward the floor for a more subdued feeling.

For rooms where the light is not conducive to living plants, you can buy fabulous life-like interior plants. Some are meant to look real and others are more whimsical.

Fresh flowers add interest to any room. You can keep silk flowers in vases and change them when you bring fresh flowers home. As you mix silk plants with live ones, few people will suspect you have mixed the two.

As a finishing touch, use up-lights on the floor to accent the plants.

For subtle ambiance or drama, put those lights on timers to go on when it gets dark and go off at your normal bedtime. This way, your home is never dark when you come home.

Usually, I end by saying, “Rooms have no feelings, you do.”

However, today I’m going to end by saying, “Plants are friends who live with you.” Welcome them and enjoy.

Barbara Kaplan is a Phoenix-based interior designer and lifestyle influencer. She is the author of “The Bajaro Method, Rooms Have No Feelings, You Do!” and CEO of Barbara's Picks.

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Ease into indoor plant decor with these easy growers Heartleaf Philodendron Botanical name: Philodendron scandens

HOME DECOR

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The Heartleaf Philodendron is a popular house plant because it is extremely easy to grow. It thrives in a small pot for years with little care. This plant is tolerant of dry air, although it appreciates occasional misting. It is a great hanging plant as stems can grow up to 4 feet long.

Coleus Botanical name: Plectranthus amboinicus This fast-growing hanging houseplant comes in more than 100 different leaf colors, textures, shapes and designs.

It dries out quicker than most house plants, so let just the top dry out before watering. The Coleus likes bright light and can even fall for fluorescent which makes leaves even more colorful.

Devil's Ivy, also called golden pothos or pothos Botanical name: Epipremnum aureum Despite the name, these really are an angel to the challenged gardener. They like indirect light and need water when dry. Doesn’t get much easier than that.

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April 2018 | greenliving

13

AGRICULTURE

LICE AND MITES AND MORE, OH MY!

Natural ways to protect your chickens from piggybacking parasites

By Dr. Stephanie Lamb

Blood sucking, disease carrying, parasites -- the word alone is enough to warrant a cringe. Nobody likes them, least of all animal owners. Parasites can be a disaster for animals, including chickens.

The more commonly known species of chicken parasites are the body louse, shaft louse, chicken mite, northern fowl mite and scaly leg mite, but there may be many more. The first step in dealing with these guys is knowing whether or not you have a problem. Depending on the type, these nasty little bugs will hide out on chickens in various locations.

FINDING THE PARASITES Lice are big enough that they can be seen with the naked eye. You just need to know where to look. They are often in well-covered areas under the feathers and may not be immediately visible. You can find them after parting the feathers near the rump where the preen gland lies. You may also find eggs in glistening white clumps along the base of the feather shafts. Combing through your birds feathers a few times a month in search of these not-so-friendly hitchhikers would be well appreciated by your bird.

Mites can be a little more difficult to spot as many species are barely visible and some are even microscopic. Instead, they can be recognized by some of the problems they cause namely poor feather quality. Darker than normal feathers from mite feces build up crusty, thickened scales on the feet or even mild weight loss. A veterinarian may need to perform a skin scraping to look for and help treat these parasites.

14 greenliving | April 2018

ELIMINATE THE ENEMY It is important to get rid of these pests in order to keep your flock happy and healthy. Although prescribed pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter feed store medications are effective, there are some natural remedies that are equally as effective and may not come with the same issues that these more traditional treatments may have.

Diatomaceous earth, kaolin clay, sulfur and certain essential oils have been found to be effective against ectoparasites.

Diatomaceous earth is probably the most well known and easily obtainable agent that can be used. This can be added to a dust box that the hens can use as a bath. After one week of use, these unpleasant parasites drop in number by 80 to 100 percent! In order to have a lasting effect, the diatomaceous earth must be available at all times. Kaolin clay and sulfur can be used in the same way with the same effect, but sulfur does have a longer lasting residual effect that may last up to nine months after it is no longer added to the nest boxes. Essential oils of thyme, manuka and pennyroyal have been found to be effective against the chicken mite when used as a fumigant, but may not be as effective when used with direct contact.

As always, consulting with a veterinarian when you have a problem is recommended so that you can determine what remedy is best for your individual flock’s needs.

Stephanie Lamb is a staff veterinarian at the Arizona Exotic Animal Hospitals.

She has extensive knowledge and skill in the treatment of exotic mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and wildlife.

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April 2018 | greenliving

15

NUTRITION

Photo from Bryan Beasley

FEAST ON THESE FOOD TRENDS

NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO EXHIBITS NEW NATURAL FOODS

By Amanda Savage

F

or 38 years the annual Natural Products Expo West & Engredea, the world's largest natural, organic and healthy products event, has been a place for innovation. It’s an opportunity for new companies and products to emerge, a place for the industry’s leading natural food brands to debut and test their new products, and a place for older companies to attempt to enter the natural foods business with new product lines. Distributors, wholesalers, venture capitalists, retailers and media all come together for this industry showcase.

This year, 85,000 attendees and 3,521 exhibiting companies were present at the event, which was held at the Anaheim Convention Center in California March 7-11.

“The conversations happening at Expo West are often catalysts for change well beyond the natural products industry,” said Adam Andersen, Senior Vice President, Events, New Hope Network.

From all of these companies and products, distinct trends often emerge. While many dominant trends like plant-based goods, matcha, kombucha, sparkling water, zero-waste business practices, and international foods continued their dominance, new trends materialized.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST TRENDS FROM EXPO WEST 2018: CBD Healing continues to reign as a top concern in the natural foods space. As the widespread legalization of medical and recreational marijuana continues, more people are turning to cannabidiol CBD

16 greenliving | April 2018

for treatment. While more research still needs to be done to officially prove the power of CBDs, many sufferers of physical pain, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, anxiety, depression, PTSD and epilepsy have turned to the non-psychoactive cannabis compound to alleviate their symptoms. It’s important to note that CBD is like a cousin to THC and does not offer the the same “stoned” side effects. Companies like Buddha Teas make consuming CBD easy with their new line of organic CBD tea bags, each containing 5 milligrams of CBD in water soluble form for instant relief. For supplement intake, Ananda Hemp offers softgels and tinctures. CBD By GoodBites is a company that makes luxurious raw CBD-infused edibles such as truffles.

MAPLE When it comes to whole foods, not much is more American than maple. This year at Natural Products Expo West, dozens of companies were tapping into maple in unexpected ways. Emma Marvin from Butternut Mountain Farm, a maple sugar company in Vermont, sees three factors influencing the growing trend of maple: People’s awareness of sugar in general; the want of nutrients and not empty foods; and, of course, the taste!

Ripple, for example, debuted a greenlivingaz.com

NUTRITION new maple-flavored dairy-free yogurt at the expo. Dozens of maple companies offered maple sugars, sweeteners, butters and vinegars.

The Maple Guild spokesperson Brett Pinto said maple vinegar can be used in salad dressings and as a versatile cooking ingredient.

Other companies used maple in totally original ways. Sap! is making sparkling maple sap soda, while Asarasi is using reverse osmosis to filter out the 3 percent sugar in freshly tapped maple syrup (the other 97 percent is water) to create a completely clean new resource for water.

CHICKPEAS In the never ending search for the latest and greatest new superfood, chickpeas, specifically the green chickpea, seem to be having a moment. If you didn’t know, green chickpeas are simply young chickpeas and are said to have more nutrients than their older sisters. Vana Life Foods has a new line of grab-and-go green chickpea bowls, while Lightlife debuted new chickpea curry bowls. For more subtle consumption, Hippeas offers chip-like chickpea puffs, while Rule Breaker Snacks stole the show with delicious brownies and sweets made with chickpeas. Carina Ayden, the creator of EFFi Foods’ legume-based granola, said it is important to make everyday foods healthier in order to fight problems like obesity. Ayden explained that using low-sugar, high-fiber proteins like chickpeas in granola makes a person reach satiety sooner and keeps them full for a longer period of time.

Amanda Savage is a travel and lifestyle journalist and reporter, who focuses on environmentalism and conscious consumerism. She has worked as a television producer, content strategist and editor and writes for many local, regional and national publications.

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April 2018 | greenliving

17

GREEN LIFE

DID YOU KNOW?

For more green fun facts, visit greenlivingaz.com/ greenfunfacts

FUN GREEN FACTS

The beginning of Earth Day Earth Day celebrates our planet and environment, raising public awareness and inspiring eco-friendly change.

Read on for more about the history and impact of this important annual event.

• More than 100 billion pieces of junk mail are delivered in the United States each year.

• On Earth Day 2009, Disney released a documentary film called “Earth” that followed the migration paths of four animal families.

• In 2009, the United Nations officially changed the name Earth Day to International Mother Earth Day. WHAT IS EARTH DAY? Earth Day is an annual worldwide environmental event that brings people together to focus on ways to protect our planet. Activities such as signing petitions, collecting garbage, planting trees, showing informational movies, and even cleaning up coral reefs (depending on your location) take place. Though it is recognized on April 22 of each year, some communities and schools dedicate the entire week to focusing on preserving the Earth.

• Recycling saves three to five times the energy that waste incinerator power plants generate.

HOW WAS EARTH DAY ESTABLISHED? The very first Earth Day was founded and celebrated by Sen. Gaylord Nelson on April 22, 1970. This annual event was a result of Americans protesting the industrial revolution and was celebrated across countless primary and secondary schools, universities and communities.

Even though it originated in the U.S., it became recognized worldwide by 1990.

EARTH DAY LOGISTICS When it comes to numbers, Earth Day brings in the crowds. Twenty million people showed up to celebrate the first event. Since then, Earth Day has inspired those in other parts of the world. According to dosomething.org, “more than 100,000 people rode bikes in China to reduce CO2 emissions and save fuel” during the 2012 celebration. In Panama, people honored the day by planting 100 endangered species of orchids. Whether it’s 28 million trees being planted in Afghanistan or less pieces of junk mail being delivered, Earth Day paves the way for large groups of people and organizations to work together to make the world a more eco-friendly place.

18 greenliving | April 2018

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ENVIRONMENT

THE FIRST EARTH DAY REMEMBERED

by Paula Cullison

T

he 1970s was a time of consciousness raising, political upheaval, anti-establishment thinking, anti-war activism and social unrest. Our mantras were profound: Stop pollution and save the Earth; war is not healthy for children and other living things; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; waste not, want not. Local activism was commonplace throughout New York City. Vacant lots were being turned into community gardens.

As part of the Citizens for a Better New York, and as one who had already campaigned for political candidates and rallied around numerous social issues, getting on board with the first Earth Day event in New York City on April 22, 1970, was a natural choice.

Our committee focused on Brooklyn Heights and had organized a neighborhood Saturday morning recycling project in the back of a local church. The money received from the newspapers, bottles and aluminum allowed us to break even, since we needed to rent a truck to take the items to a recycling center.

We had no idea that the Earth Day movement of April 22 in 1970 would have attracted more than 20 million people across the United States. The local park became the center for our Earth Day celebration.

Our children became walking slogans for the environmental movement with the patches we sewed on their clothing. Our goal was to educate the community about the three Rs. We set up information

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Courtesy of University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability

tables, made kid-friendly games using recycled material, and gathered signatures on petitions to change city ordinances regarding waste management.

In spite of Mr. McGuire’s advice to Dustin Hoffman in “The Graduate,” we were opposed to plastic. We did not believe that plastic would to be helpful to the future of the planet. Unfortunately, we lost that battle and others.

Since 1970, people have created numerous catastrophic environmental problems. It seems as a country, we fail to realize that the United States constitutes only four percent of the world’s population but consumes about 25 percent of the world’s resources.

There is a (LED) light at the end of the tunnel, however, and the tide is finally turning. Some states are banning single-use plastic bottles, studies are finding solutions to eliminating all the plastic in our oceans and rivers; wind and solar energy are being embraced by many nations.

This Earth Day, may we once again embrace the mantras of the hopeful 1970s generation. Stop pollution and save the Earth. Waste not, want not. And please, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Paula G. Cullison, a graduate of CUNY – Baruch College, moved to Phoenix with her husband and two small children in 1974. She has been a writer for many years focusing more recently on international travel and photography. www. paulacullison.com.

April 2018 | greenliving

19

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

A COLORFUL CANNABIS EXPERIENCE Level Up takes cannabis dispensaries up a notch

By Dorie Morales

A

fter spending an hour at Level Up, an alternative medical marijuana practitioner, I dubbed it the Saks Fifth Avenue of the industry.

The store, located at 14980 N. 78th Way Scottsdale, close to the Scottsdale Airpark, is an upscale state licensed medical marijuana dispensary with a unique European flare. It opened in December 2016 and initially helped 100 patients a day. Now they can sometimes serve up to 400 people a day. Medical marijuana is legal for medical but not recreational purposes in Arizona.

When I walked into the waiting room, it was like being in a sophisticated lounge. There are black leather with modern-styled armchairs with other contemporary accents. The room is filled with natural lighting from the exterior windows which creates a beautiful connection with the outdoors. (Level Up was actually a finalist in the 2017 Shop! Design Awards for its excellence in retail design.) All of that was part of the the owner’s plan.

Being at Level Up truly was a mind expanding experience. I learned an entirely new vocabulary. Industry lingo like bud tending and budtender. The budtender is the person who assists patients at the bud tending station, which is where you choose your medicine.

You need to have a medical marijuana card to purchase the buds.

Those interested in becoming medical marijuana patient apply online at medicalmarijuana.azdhs.gov. A medical marijuana card is $225 a year. Ten percent of purchases made by patient for life members of Level Up are applied to annual card renewals.

Jenna Urusky, the marketing director for Level Up and K.I.N.D. Concentrates was my personal budtender. K.I.N.D. Concentrates

20 greenliving | April 2018

is a wholesale cannabis company, the first of its kind in Arizona.

It provides 70-percent of the marijuana and CBD to dispensaries throughout Arizona.

Urusky showed me a variety of buds including Blueberry Kush and Mendo Breath which both sell for $14 a gram up to $290 and Purple Urke is $16 a gram and $330 an ounce. I learned that there are cannabis products for energy as well as pain relief.

420 UNITES THE CANNABIS CROWD A couple days before Earth Day is 420, 4/20, or 4:20.

It is a national holiday for the cannabis culture. There are a lot of stories about how this day came to be.

It seems that a group of high school kids from San Rafael, California, who named themselves the Waldos, came up with the term in 1971. At 4:20 p.m. on 4/20, smokers around the world partake in cannabis activities. A fun fact is in 2003, California legislature passed the marijuana bill named SB420.

Level Up cares about their patients and their experience. They offer yoga sessions in the breezeway once a month and tips on relaxation techniques are also available. "As a patient, I really appreciate that Level Up cares about my overall wellness. Sometimes life can get a bit hectic, so it's nice that they offer free yoga sessions. It’s even nicer that it’s all for charity. For the most recent session, my daughter picked out the toy she wanted to send to The Cancer Foundation for Children. I greenlivingaz.com

HEALTH AND WELLNESS took it to Level Up and had an amazing yoga session!" said Shelby, regular customer who chose not to provide her last name.

Prior to creating K.I.N.D. Concentrates, Urusky was a successful in the mortgage industry in Kentucky. But she suffered from fibromyalgia and eventually could no longer work at a desk.

“I was a personal marijuana patient and I could not work in the office environment any more,” Urusky said.

After recovering from seizures, she searched for a job that was cannabis friendly. She has compassion for the cannabis patients and wants to change the stigma around the industry.

“Cannabis is a natural and holistic way to deal with pain,” she said.

A new Level up location opens this month at 2424 W University Drive, Tempe.The vision for the new 2,500 square-foot Tempe dispensary aims to reimagine the couture cannabis retail experience of Level Up's award-winning North Scottsdale location. The new store looks to offer a retail experience that fits in with the youthful, vibrant, up-and-coming area of its forthcoming store near ASU's Tempe campus. Edgy, Instagram-worthy graphic walls and brand imagery bring an ultra-hip personality to the store, tying together everything that this location stands to honor: the modern cannabis user, the modern cannabis experience, and the modern Tempe, AZ community they will serve for years to come. By tying in signature design elements that Level Up's first location is known for, like textural brick feature walls, rhythmic chevron floor patterns, an inviting glass-walled storefront lobby space, and a jaw-dropping showroom that puts the customer experience on stage, High Road Design Studio's Take 2 on Level Up's store design aims to evolve

gl

this best-in-class brand to serve their new digs and their younger demographic of clientele.

As the publisher and editor-in-chief of Green Living magazine, Dorie Morales turns living green into an art form fully embracing the idea of living, working and playing green. Her vision of a sustainable future drives the magazine, educating, empowering and inspiring readers to make their own eco-conscious choices for the betterment of the planet.

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April 2018 | greenliving

21

WILDLIFE

CALL OF THE WILD

WOLVES FIND PEACE AND PROTECTION AT THE SOUTHWEST WILDLIFE CONSERVATION CENTER

By Andre Butzberger

O

n a recent Friday afternoon in March, Chooli, F891, one of the female wolves at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center initiated a low solo call that was echoed by her mate, Ghost, M877. Soon, a pack of nearby wolves joined in for 30 seconds of chilling howls. Visitors ran to the fences with cameras to capture the rare experience.

The center, which cares for 13 Mexican gray wolves (a part of the captive population), is one of the few places in Arizona where visitors can witness this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. (Another opportunity takes place on April 15 at Dinner with Wolves, a fundraiser set just a few feet from these intriguing animals.)

WOLVES ARE NOT THE VILLAIN Kim Carr hears the call of the not-so-wild wolves regularly. The animal care manager enters the enclosures everyday to feed and tend to the wolves. “I absolutely love them,” said Carr. “They’re one of my favorite animals to care for.”

22 greenliving | April 2018

But they aren’t on everyone’s good side. “In every childhood story, the wolf is the bad guy,” said Nikki Julien, director of education for the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center.

She may be right. As many remember, the “big bad wolf” has been blowing down houses, messing with Peter, and terrorizing grandmothers in fairy tales for generations, so it’s no wonder they get a bad rep. But do they really deserve it?

“I think they are very misunderstood,” Julien said.

Little Red Riding Hood might disagree, but “they really are the heroes of our ecosystem,” said Julien. “They keep deer and elk in check.” And that’s a good thing, because the overpopulation of deer has contributed to the loss or decline of certain plant and tree life as well as several songbird species.

THE WAR AGAINST THE WOLF Thousands of Mexican gray wolves once dominated the Southwest, roaming Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. Then, a private initiative

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WILDLIFE that later became a federal program began an eradication campaign against all wolves in order to protect livestock. Part of the plan included denning, a process of pulling wolf pups from their den and killing them. The campaign also used poisoned animal carcasses to lure the wolves as well. The carcasses killed the wolves, and more.

Eagles, ravens, foxes, bears, and other animals were eliminated as well. By the 1970s, the wolves were practically extinct. That’s when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a species survival plan to grow the population. The program included a captive breeding plan with the seven remaining wolves. Today, there are about 235 gray wolves in captivity and 113 in the wild population.

After they are beyond their breeding years, many are placed in zoos. As they grow old, they retire from these sometimes stressful and highly visited habitats to find permanent homes in U.S.D.A. approved facilities like the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center. The center is a part of the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan.

“It’s the Sun City West for the wolf world,” joked Julien.

The gray wolves at the Scottsdale sanctuary continue in what is considered a very sophisticated social structure with a leader (alpha) and mate. (In the wild, the alpha usually leads the pack and is the first to eat.)

The wolves are paired up and placed in enclosures where they run circles around bush, water and each other. One of the most endearing quality of wolves is their romantic relationships. When Chooli was put in with Ghost, Julien said it was “love at first sight.” Another wolf has had all three of her mates die while on the property, and the team has dubbed her the “Black Widow” of the wolves. The youngest wolf, Cinderella F1219, brings out the feistiness in her male counterparts.

THE DEVOTED WOLF During their lives, wolves will find a mate and remain loyal to them until a death or separation. When this happens, the wolf often lets out a anguished howl. The Southwest Conservation Center staff recently experienced this when Chooli was taken from her mate, Ghost, for a two-day operation. “He would make this mournful sound every few minutes,” recalled Julien. After the operation, the two mates were happily reunited and will continue to live out the rest of their wolf years at the conservation center.

The 10-acre Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center was started

by Linda Searles in 1994, after she nursed an orphaned coyote pup named Don Coyote. The coyote’s family had been accidentally hurt by a tractor. It was then that Searles discovered the need for a center such as hers.

“Wild animals that were harmed or injured had no place to go,” Searles said.

Since then, thousands of animals, including bears, raccoons, bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions and even hybrid mixes have been rescued and cared for. The center has grown and so has its operating budget, which has reached $1 million annually. To support their work, the animal rehab center hosts the annual Dinner with Wolves fundraiser, which is limited to just 100 guests.

“The goal of the evening is to raise money for the wolves and other animals,” she said.

Andre Butzberger is a junior at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale. He loves writing, theater, track, baseball, actor Benedict Cumberbatch and his girlfriend, Faith Cain.

greenlivingaz.com

Dinner with Wolves

AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH THE MEXICAN GRAY WOLVES

By Dolores Tropiano

Dinner with Wolves is not exactly what it sounds like. Guests will not be sharing an intimate catered dinner with a Mexican gray passing the salt. But these mysterious, wild animals will be close by. Tables at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center’s April 15th fundraiser are set within howling distance of the sanctuary’s 13 resident gray wolves.

WOLVES MAKE A COMEBACK One of the goals of the evening is to educate guests about the Mexican gray wolf, which has been protected by the Endangered Species Act since 1976. At that time, the wolf had become nearly extinct. Progress has been made in bringing back this legendary wild animal. In 2017, there were 113 Mexican gray wolves in the wild. But that has changed. In March, two were shot and killed in Arizona.

Ann Siner is a strong supporter of the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center and will be providing a bus to the event.

WHY WOLVES? "Wolves are a vital piece of the wildlife eco-system right here in our own state. The balance is in our hands to develop a plan to keep them in the Southwest and to let them live,” said Siner, CEO and founder of My Sister’s Closet, My Sister’s Attic and Well Suited and co-creator of the fundraiser. “Once they are gone, they are gone. We can’t get them back."

Ann Damiano and Pam Wugalter (co-chair) decided to help with this year’s fundraiser after attending it for several years.

“It brought us closer to the cause of preserving the Mexican gray wolf and supporting the work of Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center,” said Damiano, event chair. “Providing a sanctuary and rehabilitation to animals that cannot be returned to the wild is a critical service to our community and we want to support those efforts in any way we can.”

The gala feature a self-guided tour and a chance to see black bears, bob cats, fox, jaguar and more. There will be speakers and auctions.

Proceeds will benefit Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center and Defenders of Wildlife.

Linda Searles, founder of the center says the fundraiser is crucial.

“We could not survive without events like this.”

What: Cocktails, speakers, self-guided tour, auctions When: 4:30-6:30 p.m., April 15 Where: Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, 27026 N. 156 St. Transportation: Buses leave at 4 p.m. from My Sister's Closet, 6204 N. Scottsdale Road, Paradise Valley Price: $250 Info: Education@southwestwildlife.org, 480-471-3621

April 2018 | greenliving

23

ENVIRONMENT

A PICTURE OF EARTH DAY PRESERVATION

HOW HARD WORK AND A VISION HELPED CREATE THE MCDOWELL SONORAN PRESERVE

“Let us approach our future gently, with careful regard for what it may be.”

T

–A.B. Guthrie, Jr.

he land that is now the McDowell Sonoran Preserve could have been approved for more high-end homes, more storefronts, more asphalt, more left-hand-turn lanes, and more, and more, and more.

Instead, it’s less, and, because of that, it’s much more. It’s less construction, less congestion and more conservation. And with Earth Day celebrations taking place this month, the preserve perfectly exemplifies what we can do, working together to protect our desert and our Earth.

For visitors, that means a place for Old Man Boulder, coyote and Harris hawk; terrain for tarantula and packrat, mule deer and foraging javelina; and views east to snow-crested Four Peaks. And trails, trailheads and an eco-sensitive trail center.

Amidst the landmark McDowell Mountains, where Native Americans lived centuries ago, here are also red cardinal, orangeand-black Gila monster, Brown’s Ranch, Granite Mountain, and unobstructed postcard-stunning sunsets: pinks, teals, blues, vermilions and oranges.

Here, too, are chuparosa, zebra-tailed lizard, poppies, saguaro, lupines, wildflowers: as they’ve been for millennia, as they will be. All for our recreation and re-creation.

PRESERVING THE SPIRIT OF THE PRESERVE The triumphant result of four decades of visioning and knuckles-

24 greenliving | April 2018

By David M. Brown

down work by citizens and city, including the acquisition of more than a billion dollars of developable land, Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve encompasses 30,580 acres and 195 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails -- welcoming everyone interested in learning about and experiencing the Earth’s most biologically diverse desert.

“Scottsdale is very proud of our residents’ commitment to purchase the land surrounding the McDowell Mountains, now the country’s largest urban municipal preserve,” said Guy Phillips, a Scottsdale city councilman.

Managed by the nonprofit McDowell Sonoran Conservancy and under contract with the city of Scottsdale, the preserve is stewarded by 650 citizen volunteers dedicated to preserving its natural state, including flora and fauna. Entry to the preserve is free, and it’s open dawn to dusk.

“I am happy to say that many folks have hiked the trails and enjoyed the beauty of our desert preserve and most are very careful to obey our rules to keep our desert beautiful. Earth Day would be a perfect day to visit our preserve,” said Scottsdale Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield.

“With the preserve, Scottsdale has created a template on how communities everywhere can preserve lands that speak to their identity, and for Scottsdale that is the Sonoran Desert,” said Christine Kovach, a Scottsdale resident who chaired the original McDowell Sonoran Land Trust, now the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, in 1994 and again from 2004 to 2006. continued on page 26 greenlivingaz.com

ENVIRONMENT

DESERT EDGE: A BUILDING OF THE DESERT

THE PROPOSED EDUCATIONAL CENTER WOULD CREATE A MULTISENSORY EXPERIENCE OF THE DESERT

By David M. Brown he proposed Desert EDGE (formerly Desert Discovery Center) in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve would be a place where people can learn and experience the desert from the inside looking out -- hence, EDGE (Encounters, Discovery, Global, Education). Originally envisioned in 1993, it would connect aesthetically to the current structures located at the main Gateway Trailhead in the preserve.

Requiring about five acres of preserve land and occupying 47,586 square feet, the concept calls for eight low indoor-outdoor desert pavilions, which, by blurring the line between indoors and outdoors, focus on relationships between the visitors and the desert.

The pavilions would be linked with interpretive courtyards. The approximate cost would be $61.2 million, with possible funding sources coming from the existing bed tax, the preserve tax and private donations. An admission fee would also help defray costs and maintenance.

T

POSSIBLY THE MOST IMPORTANT DESERT EDUCATION CENTER IN THE WORLD “It is place, an experience that is focused on preparing you for your journey into the preserve by gaining a deep understanding of all that you can see and cannot see within the preserve. Its goal is to be perhaps the most important environmental education center focused on deserts and arid lands in the world,” said John E. Sather, a partner with the Scottsdale-based Swaback Partners, an architecture and planning firm involved with the concept since 2010. “It would be a building on the edge. A building of the desert.”

Three years ago, the city contracted with the not-for-profit Desert Discovery Center Scottsdale to continue planning and bring a final design to council, explained Executive Director Sam Kathryn Campana, who, after serving as the city’s mayor, worked to raise money to build the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center in south Phoenix.

In turn, Desert Descovery Center Scottsdale has contracted with Thinc Design, The New York City-based firm that designed the National September 11 Memorial & Museum to create the multi-sensory desert experiences of the pavilions.

OPPOSITION TO THE CENTER While the proposal has brought praise for its innovative approach to desert education, some residents have been critical because, they say, it violates the terms and spirit of the agreements creating McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

As a result, Scottsdale city council is awaiting the results of a citizen initiative, due in July, to block Desert EDGE from being built in the Preserve.

Look for more coverage of the controversial plan in an upcoming issue.

For more information, see scottsdaledesertcenter.com and vimeo. com/230191746.

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April 2018 | greenliving

25

ENVIRONMENT Among its many contributions, the conservancy arranges hikes, bird walks, citizen science, family programs and lectures, and facilitate education partnering with ASU, Scottsdale Community College and local schools.

Kovach is also a financial donor of the Bajada Nature Trail and the Kovach Family Nature Trail, both ADA-accessible. She now chairs the nonprofit Desert Discovery Center Scottsdale, contracted by the city to design Desert EDGE, a proposed nature education center at the Gateway Trailhead just off Thompson Peak Parkway.

A recreational area for everyone, this ecotourism destination helps set Scottsdale apart. “The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is the jewel of Scottsdale, and it allows both residents and visitors to enjoy our Sonoran Desert landscape,” said Rachel Sacco, president and CEO of Experience Scottsdale, the city’s tourism bureau.

“Our Sonoran Desert distinguishes Scottsdale from competitive destinations and is a key component in Experience Scottsdale’s tourism promotion. We emphasize its beauty, its restorative power, and its opportunities for adventure and exploration,” Sacco added.

“The preserve began as a cactus-huggers’ effort more than two decades ago, with bake sales and galas, to raise money to buy the mountain land. It turned into a well-managed, professionally executed, volunteer-impassioned effort that was also fueled by an effort to slow down growth in Scottsdale,” said Sam Kathryn Campana, a Scottsdale resident who served on city council from 1986 to 1994 and mayor from 1996 to 2000.

“Scottsdale has made an enormous commitment to conservation and our environment through the acquisition, protection, and longterm vision of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, which is almost onethird of the city’s land mass -- bigger than Tempe, bigger than San Francisco and Washington, D.C.,” said Campana, executive director of Desert Discovery Center Scottsdale. “The McDowell Mountains are our oceanfront and have been preserved for all to enjoy.”

HEROES OF THE DESERT SEA Scottsdale citizens have shown consistent support for the preserve project.

“Five different votes by the citizens of Scottsdale supported efforts to establish, fund and expand the preserve,” Campana said.

People have been heroic, she noted. These include Vice Chair Kovach, and Florence Nelson and Chet Andrews, both deceased, who suggested the original idea at a location on Pinnacle Peak and envisioned a network of preserve trails.

Others include Carla (her legal name), who helped found the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, and her brother Greg Woodall, an archeologist who identified the most important lands; ASU’s Dr. Art DeCabooter, the first and longtime chair of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission, whose members were originally appointed by the city council to recommend the purchase of lands and offer insights on protection of the preserve; and Melinda Gulick, named the first Cox Conservation Hero for her work on the preserve.

The city’s directors of the preserve, Bob Cafarella and Kroy Ekblaw, also stand out. So, too, are Doug Hansen, a trail builder who designed and helped build at least 40 miles in the Brown’s Ranch area, and Dan Gruber, a Desert Discovery Center Scottsdale board member who has helped identify, build and maintain those trails.

“The volunteers who served on the original McDowell Mountain

26 greenliving | April 2018

Task Force, the Desert Preservation Task Force, Mcdowell Sonoran Preserve commissioners, and the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy are also heroes,” Campana said.

City council members and mayors have participated as well, including the late Herb Drinkwater, the mayor when the original McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission appointments were made.

FOLLOWING PHOENIX’S LEAD Inspiring the Scottsdale effort was the trailblazing work in the 1970s by Phoenicians such as the late Sen. Barry Goldwater, setting aside the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, which provided miles of hiking and biking trails north of downtown for a city suffering from sprawl.

This effort curtailed the development along 2,704-foot Camelback Mountain and 2,608-foot Squaw Peak (now Piestewa Peak) and South Mountain Park. The Open Space Plan for the Phoenix Mountains in 1972 noted, in part: “Mountains...are magnetic, and the measure of their magnetism is the measure of the threat of their destructive exploitation.”

Scottsdale smartly acted on this cue: “The McDowell Mountain Preserve is timeless, ensuring less wear and tear to our high-desert environment,” said Frank Aazami, a resident of nearby Troon and principal of the Private Client Group at Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty in Scottsdale.

In particular, he praised the work of Weddle Gilmore architects in Phoenix, which designed some of the trailheads and interpretive trails as well as the Gateway Trailhead, welcoming visitors to the preserve trails.

That building protected the arroyos and incorporated rammedearth walls and a cobbled roof to integrate with the desert. In addition, the “net-zero” building has an 18 kilowatt solar array and harvests 60,000 gallons of rainwater annually to irrigate the adjacent xeriscaping. “I would be honored to have them design a home for me to match these eco-sensitive characteristics,” Aazami said.

He continued, “Because of years of effort by our neighbors and our city to create the preserve, we have provided ourselves, our children and theirs the opportunity to enjoy and understand the wonders of this very special land for many, many years to come.”

David Brown is a Valley-based writer (azwriter.com).

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April 2018 | greenliving

27

WILDLIFE

photo by Jay Pierstorff

THE ARIZONA-SONORA DESERT MUSEUM

A WILD SUCCESS

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum was a long, hot, dusty car ride west of Tucson when it was created in the early 1950s. I know -- I was an unenthusiastic 6-year-old in the back seat of the family’s 1946 DeSoto on a weekend drive to the museum shortly after it first opened. The trip required an expeditionarylike journey over dirt roads and a narrow mountain pass to reach the site. The museum DAVID A. SCHALLER was either going to be a crazy idea that failed to catch on or become a monumental achievement in preservation and an interpretation of desert ecology unique to the then little-valued Sonoran Desert.

It didn’t take long for the success story to unfold. With the support of the initial benefactor, Arthur Pack, editor of Nature magazine, and the Southern Arizona community, the visionary idea of founder William Carr resulted in what is now considered one of the top 10 zoological parks in the world. Not bad for an endeavor that had but four employees when it opened its gates in 1952.

of zoo, botanical garden, art gallery, natural history museum, and aquarium.” The museum’s nearly 5,000 living animal specimens represent some 240 different species. They range from the black bear that inhabit the Sky Islands, to mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, coatimundis, gray wolves, javelina, other wild cats, raptors and more.

There are more than 56,000 specimens from approximately 1,000 varieties of plants that landscape the museum’s 98 acres. Clearly, there is more of the Sonoran Desert landscape to take in than can be experienced in one or even a dozen visits.

The museum also has the Art Institute program which offers classes and a certificate program in nature art. The mammals, birds and plants on the grounds become live models fro students.

Return visitors create a strong demand for annual memberships, and today there are more than 22,000 household memberships alone.

Museum staff report that that on a typical spring day, they welcome 2,500 visitors. With annual visitation topping 460,000, the museum now ranks as Tucson’s number one attraction. Already this year, the first two months of 2018 have shown a robust 4- percent increase in visitors over the same period in 2017.

BY THE NUMBERS

MEMBERSHIP AND MORE

The world-renowned museum now has a much larger staff, more than 500 volunteers and today offers what it calls a “fusion experience

Thousands of museum members realize their green living purchasing decisions don’t have to be limited to low-impact goods and

28 greenliving | April 2018

greenlivingaz.com

WILDLIFE

photo by Jay Pierstorff

photo by Jay Pierstorff

photo by Jay Pierstorff

greenlivingaz.com

services. They can easily make room for a personal or gift membership to a place like the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Memberships have great value the more often they are used and admission cards can be taken advantage of 365 days of the year. Entrance to a world-class museum for pennies a day is a tough deal to beat.

Beyond membership, another way to connect with the museum is through its symbolic animal adoption program. Here, people can become “Proud Parents” to everything from a hummingbird to a Mexican gray wolf. Besides helping to provide high quality care to one of the museum’s iconic species, “Proud Parents” receive an e-newsletter, a personalized adoption certificate and exclusive access to their own adopted animal webpage. Information on museum memberships, the animal adoption program, and its multitude of scientific research, education, and outreach programs can be accessed at desertmuseum.org.

Looking for a more involved commitment to the museum? More than 200 docents currently volunteer at least once a week, providing interpretation, educational programs and special live animal interactions. Among the most popular are the raptor-free flights and a new Stingray Touch exhibit featuring manta rays from the Gulf of California, itself part of the varied and expansive Sonoran Desert ecosystem.

A trip to the Desert Museum is no longer hot and dusty, as improved roads link it more easily to the expanding population of southern Arizona. New visitors, winter or home-grown, have their first Sonoran Desert experience every day. As the public’s love affair with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum continues to flourish, its founding vision has been realized.

David Schaller is a retired environmental scientist living in Tucson, where he writes on climate, water and energy security.

April 2018 | greenliving

29

LEADERSHIP

ADVENTURES IN CONSCIOUSNESS

THE POWER OF YOUR VOICE

By Kristi Hall

I

recently spread my wings and moved from the written page to the stage when I delivered a keynote presentation to a women’s forum for an international company. The following is an excerpt from my talk: When you commit to discovering, cultivating and courageously sharing your voice with the world, your entire life transforms.

Mountains move. Obstacles disappear. Opportunities abound. And you will find yourself, like me, living in the midst of dreams more beautiful and satisfying than you could have ever imagined.

GROWING UP When I was a little girl growing up in Texas in the 1970s, I never imagined I would become a writer, speaker, entrepreneur and voice for conscious business. I was a shy, quiet, obedient child who used to hide behind my mother’s legs when I received attention.

As I grew into a woman and started my career in corporate and community relations for a major media company, I was quite happy to be behind the scenes promoting and publicizing the people, organizations and causes I believed in. I never imagined I would be the subject of the interview or the featured writer in a publication.

Even when I conceived Conscious Connections about four years ago, it was completely about showcasing wise women leaders so that, as a community of purpose-based professionals and business

30 greenliving | April 2018

owners, we could glean from their wisdom and live and work more wholeheartedly and successfully.

SETTING THE STAGE Then about two years in, one of my early mentors said, “Sweetheart, one day, you’re going to have to start speaking up and putting yourself on your own stage.”

I did not easily or readily embrace her sentiment. It seemed much cozier and safer to stay behind the scenes. But at some level I heard her and started to write about my own visions, beliefs and experiences.

I consider myself a writer first, above a speaker, because it is in these quiet moments of self-reflection that I feel closest to myself and my creator. For me, writing is a stream of consciousness exercise that helps me gain clarity, healing and personal empowerment.

It is not until I hired branding strategists a few years ago that I started doing what I call “deep shares” with our community. I started sharing pages from my journal publicly. Sometimes I would share a particularly vulnerable piece and feel absolutely sick inside before I hit the send button. It’s what Brene Brown calls a “vulnerability hangover.”

But with the loving support of my branding team, I kept writing and sharing, stomach flips and all, to build up my vulnerability greenlivingaz.com

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muscles. I started sharing things I had hid in shame and secrecy for so much of my life, like my history of depression, my breakdown at the age of 35, and the end of my nearly 20-year marriage.

HEALING HEARTS And guess what happened? I started receiving the most beautiful, heartfelt responses that my sharing was helping to heal, inspire and empower readers to start finding and using their own unique voices.

I remember the first time one of our subscribers, whom I had never met, came up to me at my local favorite coffee shop and said, “Thank you. Your words speak straight to my heart. I feel like they were written just for me. They arrived in my inbox just when I needed them. I am so happy to know that I am not alone and I can overcome my challenges.”

Then I was hooked. What started out as a journey for my own healing became a source of healing and empowerment for others.

That is the power of sharing your authentic voice.

The time to start sharing your voice is now. Through your words, whether one-on-one with a dear friend, in a note of gratitude or from a stage in front of thousands, YOU can be the one to inspire souls, mend hearts and expand minds if you choose to use your authentic voice.

PS: Would you like to share your authentic voice from the stage?

We’re launching the next Take The Stage program soon. Subscribe to Conscious Connections to stay in the know.

Kristi Hall is an author, speaker and the creator of Conscious Connections, a community for more than 6,000 purpose-based business women. Learn more at www.consciousconnectionsglobal.com

EVERY BANK HAS BUSINESS ACCOUNTS. OURS COME WITH ACCOUNTABILITY. Bank on Accountability alliancebankofarizona.com | 602.389.3500 Alliance Bank of Arizona, a division of Western Alliance Bank. Member FDIC.

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April 2018 | greenliving

31

BUSINESS

BANK LOCALLY

TO BUILD A STRONGER ARIZONA ECONOMY

By Kimber Lanning

A

rizona is the most underserved state in the country in terms of community banks per capita. There are only 15 institutions located in the state and six counties have no locally controlled banks at all. Local First Arizona is gearing up for Community Banking Month in April during which time we will continue our efforts to encourage Arizonans to move their money to community banks to increase local lending and improve our state’s resiliency before the next major economic downturn strikes.

The lack of locally controlled deposits limits the available capital for local businesses. This particularly affects small and start-up businesses, which account for the majority of jobs in Arizona.

Community banks provide a traditional approach to banking with a focus on using local deposits to reinvest in the local community through lending. As such, they are also strong supporters of entrepreneurship. They take a relationship-based approach to customer service and are characterized by local ownership and local decision making.

Fundamentally, community banks focus on providing traditional banking services in their local communities. They obtain most of their deposits locally and primarily make loans to local businesses.

Community banks are built on long-term personal relationships with their customers. Given their smaller size and local focus, they

32 greenliving | April 2018

have detailed knowledge of their communities and their customers.

Because of this, community banks tend to be more open to basing credit decisions on nonstandard data obtained through long-term relationships, as opposed to formula-based underwriting criteria used by larger banks. On average, 47 percent of loans at community banks in Arizona in 2016 were to small businesses versus only 14 percent at large banks.

The lack of community banks in Arizona is evidenced by the share of deposits held by large national banks in this market. Although 92 percent of banks in the U.S. are community banks, four large national banks hold 43 percent of deposits. In Arizona, where three of these large national banks operate (Chase, Wells Fargo and Bank of America), the largest national banks hold 70 percent of deposits, other non-community banks hold 23 percent, and locally controlled banks account for only 7 percent of deposits statewide. This creates a gap in local capital markets that may be limiting the expansion potential for small businesses in Arizona and creating a drag on overall economic growth in the state.

The good news is, thanks to individuals and businesses moving their money into local banks, the market share for locally controlled banks has increased by 3 percent over the past three years.

Consolidation has had the greatest effect on the largest and greenlivingaz.com

BUSINESS smallest banking institutions. Over the past 20 years, consolidations, in concert with policies that favor the biggest banks have caused significant growth of the largest banks and a decline in the number of locally controlled community banks. But there is something residents can do: we can grow the size of the community banks’ share by moving our money to them.

A defining characteristic of community banks is their focus on traditional deposit and lending activities. One of the major trends that has occurred in community bank lending over the past 20 years has been the shift away from mortgages and credit cards toward commercial lending and in particular toward secured commercial real estate loans. At the same time, big banks were shifting in the opposite direction, away from commercial lending toward credit cards and mortgages. Of the largest banks in Arizona, Chase lends the most to small businesses, but those loans amount to just 6 percent of their overall portfolio here.

If you love your state, the smartest thing you can do is move your money to a locally controlled bank so you can be sure you’re supporting the growth of new businesses and jobs here in Arizona.

At Local First, we know the task can be daunting, so we’ve created a handy checklist to be sure you don’t forget anything when you decide to find a new home for your hard-earned dollars. Make your money work to build a better state by keeping it in the hands of Arizona’s local banks!

Kimber Lanning is the executive director of Local First Arizona and the Local First Arizona Foundation.

THREE EASY STEPS to Make the Switch to Local Banking STEP 1: DEFINE YOUR NEEDS AND DO YOUR RESEARCH There is a diverse array of local banks and credit unions in Arizona. Determine what your banking needs are (personal banking, business banking, investing, loans) and do your research to find the best fit for you. Local First Arizona's directory has a great selection of local banks and credit unions to choose from.

Visit localfirstaz.com/banking.

STEP 2: CONTACT AND MEET WITH A REPRESENTATIVE Once you've honed in on the banks or credit unions you think will be the best fit for your banking needs, contact them to set up a meeting with a representative. A face-to-face conversation is really the best way to determine what will ultimately be the right decision for you.

STEP 3: MAKE A DECISION AND MOVE YOUR MONEY! After meeting with the potential banks or credit unions, now it's time to make a decision on where to put your money. Contact that bank or credit union to let them know that you've decided to move your money and they'll help you complete the switch.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN MAKING THE SWITCH:

LIST OF ARIZONA’S COMMUNITY BANKS: • 1st Bank Yuma • BNC National Bank • Canyon Community Bank • Commerce Bank of Arizona • Gateway Commercial Bank • Goldwater Bank • Horizon Community Bank • Metro Phoenix Bank • Mission Bank • Mohave State Bank • Pinnacle Bank • Republic Bank Arizona • Foothills Bank • West Valley National Bank • Western Alliance Bank

greenlivingaz.com

• What direct deposits go into your account?

• Employers/payroll • Retirement/pension • Social security • Rent payments

WHAT AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS COME OUT OF YOUR ACCOUNT? • Rent/mortgage payments • Insurance payments • Credit card payments • Utility payments • Phone/internet/cable payments • Loan payments

DOES THE BANK OR CREDIT UNION PROVIDE: • Free online banking and statements?

• Free checking account?

• Shared branching/accessible locations?

• Surcharge-free ATMs? • My required level of technology?

WHEN CLOSING YOUR OLD ACCOUNT: Verify all of your checks have cleared.

Destroy all old check/card/deposit slips, etc.

Request that any remaining balance be sent to you.

April 2018 | greenliving

33

photo by Cassidy Rust

FOUND CREATIONS

THE NATURAL ART OF LORA BARNHISER

By Cassidy Rust

L

ooking at discarded, unwanted wood and being able to see beauty and art is a rare gift: a gift that Arizona artist Lora Barnhiser possesses.

Barnhiser uses tossed out wood as her canvas where she paints everything from pets and pots of cacti to abstract pieces where she is guided by the grain in the wood in her choice of colors and brush stokes. Cacti and desert landscapes are her best sellers and the quickest of her pieces to make. However, Barnhiser has more fun with the abstract paintings and finds them the most fulfilling.

Barnhiser creates some pieces on thick blocks of wood that can stand on their own while others are thin and are meant to be hung on a wall. The abstracts are often grouped together to create a larger work of art. And then there are “Wooden Misfit Art,” tiny works of art created on odd or unevenly shaped wood that she neither alters nor adjusts. Instead, she works with whatever she is given.

Barnhiser’s process of creating her art begins by putting on music, either oldies or alternative. Then she takes a block of wood and burns it to make the outline of her design. She then goes in and paints with watercolors on the wood.

Although she burns the wood, she doesn’t change the overall shape or texture of any of the wood she obtains.

“Sometimes I sand them if they’re lumpy,” Barnhiser said. “Usually, I like to keep the general shape and size that’s given to me. It’s fun to use

34 greenliving | April 2018

that challenge to have that be your canvas. What you have is what you work with.”

Barnhiser was born in Ohio and graduated from Bowling Green State University with a fine arts degree and never doubted that she would become an artist.

“I always knew I should be majoring in arts,” Barnhiser said. “It was the only thing I felt strong in and just figured it would somehow all pan out.”

She moved to Phoenix and after working as an art instructor at a Boys and Girls Club she discovered a love for teaching. Barniser was inspired by her dad, a shop teacher, who always told her teaching was the greatest job. The artist currently teaches art at Tolleson Union High School.

Having a father who taught shop might not have been the reason she decided on wood as a canvas. It definitely helped to know how to use wood and the tools properly. Barnhiser, who considers herself an environmentalist, stumbled upon wood as her medium by surprise.

She had just started teaching, and one of her students told her that a store was throwing out all of their wood.

This kind of material is also free; a great thing for anyone, especially an artist and teacher. She didn’t have to purchase canvas paper or leather or any other type of material for her art, making the choice both affordable and sustainable. greenlivingaz.com

Barnhiser now has a website where people can purchase her work or make requests, but she didn’t start out selling her pieces. Creating art, including jewelry, began as a hobby. It wasn’t until a friend suggested that she start selling her art that she put her work out into the world.

Currently, Barnhiser shows at Phoenix Flea twice a year, and her work is also on display at MADE art boutique on Roosevelt Row and Rubymint General on McDowell Road in Phoenix.

Her medium keeps her a part of different art communities -- the display and gallery world as well as the world of smaller wearable art.

This overlap allows Barnhiser to meet all different kinds of artists.

“It’s something that sets you apart from other people,” said Barnhiser, of her chosen profession. “Not everyone has that ability to visually show what they feel and think. Being an artist in Phoenix has allowed me to meet so many people and make a lot of friends and become more involved with the community.”

Barnhiser is excited to see where the future will take her, both with her art and with the twins she’s expecting.

greenlivingaz.com

“I don’t know what the future’s going to look like with twins coming into the picture,” Barnhiser said. “It’ll be interesting to see how that changes not only the amount of work I produce, but also if that affects what I make as a mom. It’ll be a big lifestyle change.”

Cassidy Rust is an intern at Green Living magazine. She is in her junior year at Arizona State University and is majoring in journalism. With plans to graduate at the end of the year, she’s excited about where journalism and life will take her.

April 2018 | greenliving

35

BUSINESS

RURAL TOWNS COLLABORATE TO BEAT BACK BLIGHT

CCEDC Blight Forum, Superior, March 2, 2018 Photo by Catrina Burgess

KEEP ARIZONA BEAUTIFUL HELPS RUN DOWN RURAL COMMUNITIES

By Jill Bernstein

D

ecay, decrepitude, deterioration. These words describe urban blight, a condition taking place in some of Arizona’s rural towns. The cause: aging, neglect and a lack of financial support for maintenance. Preventing it is a priority for Keep Arizona Beautiful.

The organization works with communities to address the challenges of urban blight, defined as a part of a city that is falling apart, in three key areas: litter prevention, recycling and beautification. Keep America Beautiful, a statewide nonprofit, travels throughout Arizona sharing information with mostly rural communities and learning how these rural communities are using ingenuity, planning and collaboration to solve their local blight challenges.

RURAL BY CHOICE BLIGHT FORUM In early March, Keep America Beautiful’s Executive Director, Jill Bernstein, was invited to speak at the Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition’s Rural (CCEDC) by Choice Blight Forum in Superior. Approximately 37 people attended, including business people, community groups, city and county staff and elected officials from the region that includes Globe, Miami, Superior, Hayden, Kearney, Winkelman and Mammoth. The nonprofit shared what they had learned as they traveled the state. They also learned about the challenges participants face in the Copper Corridor.

While the CCEDC has been around for approximately 15 years, the organization has begun to evolve under the leadership of their board and Mila Besich-Lira, who serves as both the CCEDC executive director and the mayor of Superior. Besich-Lira has been working to strengthen the vitality of the region and her hometown of Superior.

Inspired by what they have learned over the last couple of years at Local First’s annual Rural Policy Forums, Mayor Besich-Lira and her regional colleagues have begun hosting Rural by Choice forums to

36 greenliving | April 2018

educate themselves on how to create and sustain economic growth in the area, and to strengthen the synergy among the towns in the Copper Corridor region. Their first forum was focused on the Arizona Trail, which runs directly through their area. Attendees learned what the trail is all about, how it will impact their region, and how they can use the opportunities the trail brings.

To understand how to best proceed in their efforts to bolster economic development, Besich-Lira received support from Resolution Copper to bring in consultants Ioanna Morfessis, Julianna Brutsche and Kimber Lanning, as well as Karalea Cox of the Southern Gila County Economic Development Corporation, to help determine the steps needed to revitalize the area. The consensus among them was that, before anything else could be done, they had to get serious about blight.

This included addressing litter and illegal dumping; creating access to recycling; and taking care of dilapidated buildings, including private homes that are falling into unsightly disrepair and vacant commercial buildings left crumbling on the main streets of rural towns.

LOANS FOR LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS The Copper Corridor region is challenged by a sizable percentage of low-income and elderly homeowners who are unable to adequately maintain their properties. Besich-Lira learned from the USDA that Superior is considered a “priority area” and was encouraged to go after funding from the USDA Section 504 Home Repair program. The program provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes, as well as grants to elderly verylow-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.

To help local homeowners navigate the process of applying for these loans, the CCEDC recently began educating local homeowners, and assisting those who fit these criteria in applying for the 504 funding.

greenlivingaz.com

BUSINESS The program’s education and assistance outreach began in early 2018, and by early March they already had 27 homeowners contact them, and several have begun the application process.

ABSENTEE LANDLORDS ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM In addition to the impact of dilapidated homes, one of the most pressing challenges facing the region is the negative impact of absentee landlords who allow their commercial properties to fall into disrepair. Karalea Cox provided insight into the how properties are assessed, the quirks in the current laws that essentially incentivize absentee landlords to let their properties fall into disrepair, the tension between individual property rights, and the overall economic health of a town. It’s a thorny problem that centers around property evaluation, the differences in board member composition between county and state Boards of Equalization, and in how the different appeals processes are managed.

Additionally, Todd Pryor, the city manager of Superior, gave examples of dilapidated properties and remediation efforts that can stabilize and hold the value of these vacant, neglected buildings, creating opportunity and hope. He said that there are no easy answers or solutions. Since these are privately owned properties, the cities and counties have no standing in the evaluation or appeal process. While cash-strapped rural towns struggle, their lack of a voice in the process makes it extremely difficult to counteract the negative impact that dilapidated properties can have on communities struggling to attract and retain businesses.

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Mayor Mila Besich-Lira (on street in Superior) Photo credit: Copper Area News Three state legislators from the area were in attendance: Sen. Frank Pratt, Rep. T.J. Shope (speaker pro-tempore) and Rep. David Cook.

They each brought forum participants up-to-date on legislation they have moving through committees. Additionally, they were made aware of the challenges of urban blight in the Copper Corridor, with a special emphasis on the problem of absentee landlords and their growing impact on the economic health of the area.

Mila Besich-Lira’s family has been in Superior for five generations.

She and the rest of the forum attendees voiced deep commitment to their rural towns. Besich-Lira says she wants the CCEDC and the Rural by Choice forums “to continue to bring our region together to collaboratively solve some of our biggest problems with creative solutions.”

If you are interested in learning more about the Rural by Choice forums or the efforts underway in Superior and the Copper Corridor to eradicate blight, visit them at facebook.com/AZCopperCorridor.

Jill Bernstein is the executive director of Keep Arizona Beautiful, a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering communities to care for their environment through litter abatement, recycling and beautification.

greenlivingaz.com

1233 East Camelback Road Phoenix, AZ 85014 (602) 635-2559 www.CourtesyChev.com April 2018 | greenliving

37

GREEN BUSINESS

GREEN LIVING GOES TO WORK

By Julia Wright

SEVEN TIPS FOR A GREENER OFFICE

Y

ou already recycle your paper and have switched to LED lighting, but for businesses looking to take it to the next level, here are five tips to up your office green game.

Dine-in lunch – Fast food lunches often come with an incredible amount of packaging. Encourage employees to bring food from home by installing a fridge stocked with salad dressings and other condiments to share. Sparkling water is also a nice touch. There’s nothing worse than having to clean dishes in a sink designed for a minibar; having real plates, a drying rack, and a full-sized sink will make clean-up a breeze.

Ditch the dry cleaning – Adopt a more relaxed dress code that does not require dry cleaning. Consider offering a performance fabric polo shirt to your team. These shirts dry quickly (especially in Arizona!) and don’t need to be ironed, saving time and energy over conventional cotton shirts. Plus, they make picking out clothes every morning fairly mindless (and stress free.) A comfortable employee is a happy employee.

Flex time is less stress time – During rush hour, a commute that should take 20 minutes can turn into 30, 40, or more. Killing an extended amount of time frustrated in bumper-to-bumper traffic is not the best way for anyone to start the day. Reclaim that time by shifting the start and end time of your day to miss the worst of rushhour traffic. Better yet, shift to a four-day work week or telecommute at least some of the time.

Alternative routes to work – Encourage workers to bike, bus or

38 greenliving | April 2018

even carpool by providing schedule and map information or helping to connect people living in the same area of town. Throwing in a free monthly lunch or other form of motivation might get more people revved up on the idea.

The right writing instruments – Single-use pens can be switched with classy refillable ones. You may even invest in pens engraved with your employees’ names. Not only will it help them to feel recognized, it will save money in the long run. Make sure to have ink refills in the supply closet.

Autonomy – Nobody likes being told what to do. Letting employees choose the ways in which they conserve office resources can be very effective. Provide education, give as well as take suggestions, hold competitions, and offer rewards. Give them the freedom to choose and buy-in will increase.

Hand towels – In the employee restroom, install a small hook and a towel for each member of your team. Towels are traditionally just used to remove clean water from your hands, so they should last all week without any concern about germs. If someone washes their hands twice a day, that will reduce paper towel use by 10 per week, per employee. The employee who washes the towels over the weekend gets to leave 15 minutes early on Friday!

Julia Wright believes in promoting the sustainable economy through green marketing. She also has a passion for environmental education and conservation.

greenlivingaz.com

GREEN LIFE

DRIVEN TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

By Kamilla Graham

Three women are doing their part to create real change in Arizona

W

omen are making a difference in 2018, and not just in politics or industry. Arizona has a long history moulded by influential and innovative women, from Rose Mofford to the very first female Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor. Today, women are impacting our state through change in public transportation, programs that build on solar power, encouraging community sustainability, and so much more. The women highlighted here have one important thing in common: they are driven by the desire to bring change to a community.

LORI SINGLETON

SHANNON SCUTARI

LINDA SEARLES

Lori Singleton is a name with which you may be familiar. She was named one of the 50 Highest Ranking Women in Arizona in 2015 by The Republic's Who's Who in Business. With a passion for Arizona and environmental protection and sustainability, Singleton makes a difference every day with the programs she has helped create with the Salt River Project. During her 35 years with the utility company, Singleton encouraged the organization to embrace more sustainable solar power and reforestation efforts.

Singleton is now the CEO of Arizona Forward, an advocate between economic development in the state; environmental quality; and leaders from businesses, communities and politics. Singleton didn’t start her career with the goal of developing such important programs for sustainability for the community. Driven by her core feelings about the environment, she felt that she could affect change.

“I never looked at my career as ‘just a job’,” Singleton said, “but as something I was passionate about and I knew I could make a difference.”

Shannon Scutari is the woman in the Valley who impacts the way communities are connected. Scutari is the former policy advisor for two different Arizona governors and was the director of Rail and Sustainability for ADOT until 2011. She is one of the driving forces behind the successful light rail system.

Scutari recently co-founded the nonprofit partnership Sustainable Communities Collaborative.

With an eye for the future and a passion for community, the collaborative is “rolling up its sleeves” to bring more sustainability and opportunity to urban communities from Mesa to Phoenix. The light rail connects people, bringing social, cultural and economic classes together.

“Looking back at the pieces of me and what motivates and drives me, I recognized that I want people and communities to be more inclusive,” Scutari said. “The best catalyst is the human tangle of interaction.”

Scutari hopes that building a collaborative nature for development in an urban setting will strengthen the community, providing a forum for discussion and expanding the way people can impact the development of the city.

Linda Searles, the cofounder of Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, grew up on a ranch in Arizona riding her horse through the surrounding beauty of the Sonoran desert.

She enjoyed the peaceful world she found in the wildlife. However, as the years passed and development turned ranches and desert into communities, the wildlife began to lose their homes.

Protecting Arizona wildlife is an important part of how Searles gives back to the community. One of the most engaging parts of this state is the wild and untamed beauty of the mountains and the desert. As development occurred, Searles saw a need to help conserve, rehabilitate and educate for the future of all species in the community. And Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center was born.

“I feel that we are in a race against time.

If we are to save them, we must all do our part to see that our wild places and beautiful wildlife will be there for future generations,” Searles said, “I want my granddaughters and their children to know and enjoy wildlife and the outdoors like I did. We must all do our part to save what we have. “

Kamilla Graham is an Arizona native and avid NPR listener who enjoys rediscovering the world with her kids and husband.

greenlivingaz.com

April 2018 | greenliving

39

RECIPES

SEARED HAKE WITH BABY POTATOES AND GREEN SAUCE

INGREDIENTS: For Green Sauce 1/3 cup fresh celery juice (from about 2 stalks) 1/3 cup fresh sorrel or cilantro juice (from about 2 cups, lightly packed) 2 teaspoons fresh leek juice (from about 1 dark-green leek top) 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice Kosher salt For Fish and Potatoes 1 pound peanut potatoes or baby potatoes (as small as possible) Kosher salt 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling 4 4-ounce pieces skin-on hake or cod fillet 4 scallions, trimmed 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt Chervil or other tender herb sprigs (for serving)

DIRECTIONS: For green sauce, combine celery juice, sorrel juice, leek juice and vinegar in a small bowl; season with salt and more vinegar, if desired.

(Green juice without vinegar can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Stir in vinegar just before serving.) Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add water to cover; season with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 10-15 minutes; drain and return to saucepan. Toss potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil, then season with salt. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season fish with salt and cook, skin side down, until very crisp, about 4 minutes. Turn fish and cook until just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in same skillet and add scallions. Cook, turning occasionally, until scallions are charred in spots and are slightly softened, about 1 minute. Transfer to plate with fish. Divide fish, yogurt and potatoes among shallow bowls. Spoon green sauce around and drizzle with oil. Top with scallions and chervil.

Courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine

GREEN AND WHITE PIZZA

INGREDIENTS: 1 12-inch round of pizza dough, stretched 2 3/4 ounces fresh mozzarella Extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt 1/2 ounce Parmesan, finely grated 2 handfuls baby arugula Half a lemon, juiced

DIRECTIONS: Place a pizza stone or tiles on the middle rack of your oven and turn heat to its highest setting. Let it heat for at least an hour.

Break the mozzarella into small pieces and place them gently on the stretched dough. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and a pinch of salt and scatter the Parmesan over the top. Using a pizza peel, pick up the pie and slide it onto the heated stone or tiles in the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling, approximately 4-8 minutes. Meanwhile, put the arugula in a large bowl and dress it lightly with a splash of the olive oil, the lemon juice and a further pinch of salt or to taste. When the pizza is done, put the dressed greens on top of the pie and serve immediately.

40 greenliving | April 2018

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RECIPES

EARTH DAY SNACK Courtesy of Mamaguru

INGREDIENTS: a round plate kiwi fruit blueberries bananas a rough idea of a globe DIRECTIONS: Cut kiwi fruit into small pieces. Arrange them to create the continents (highlighting wherever you live). Add blueberries to make oceans. A few slices of banana can mark Antarctica and the Arctic.

Gobble it up and compost the scraps.

Courtesy of Mamaguru.com

EARTH DAY SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS: Blue Smoothie 1 cup milk (or unsweetened vanilla almond milk) 1/2 cup frozen blueberries 1/2 frozen banana Green Smoothie 1 cup milk (or unsweetened vanilla almond milk) 2 handfuls organic baby spinach 1 frozen banana

DIRECTIONS: In a Vitamix or high-speed blender, blend Blue Smoothie ingredients until smooth. Put in a large glass or glass measuring cup and rinse blender. Add Green Smoothie ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. In two large glasses, alternate pouring the Green Smoothie and Blue Smoothie into glasses.

Add a reusable straw and enjoy!

Courtesy of AWhiskAndTwoWands.com

greenlivingaz.com

April 2018 | greenliving

41

GREEN SCENES

APRIL CALENDAR OF EVENTS CENTRAL ARIZONA

April 14

April 21

PARTY FOR THE PLANET AT PHOENIX ZOO

EARTH DAY PHOENIX

Activities include a lakeside recycled fashion show, bag making station, arborists from AZ Community Tree Council, a zero waste specialist, textile recycling and more! All activities included with general zoo admission. From 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Phoenix Zoo, 455 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. phoenixzoo.org/ earth-day

Keep Phoenix Beautiful is hosting one of the biggest Earth Day celebrations in Arizona. There will be exhibitors, mini eco-classes and, of course, everything will be recycled or used for compost.

From 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Steele Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. earthdayphoenix.org

April 14

April 21 CITY OF CHANDLER EARTH DAY & ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION This family friendly Earth celebration will include food and beverage vendors, craft activities, live animal presentations, and booths showcasing green products and sustainable lifestyle tips. The morning will culminate with an Arbor Day tree planting dedication in Veterans Oasis Park. From 9 a.m. - noon at Veterans Oasis Park, 4050 E. Chandler Heights Road, Chandler. chandleraz.gov/eec

April 21

CELEBRATE MESA 2018

EARTH DAY AT PAPAGO PARK

A free family event that brings the community together for games, carnival rides, entertainment and more! Come see the Living Green Village and the newly renovated park while enjoying friendly activities. From 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Pioneer Park, 526 E. Main St., Mesa. celebratemesa.com

Join the Student Conservation Association volunteers as they trim back overgrown native trees and remove trash, while also supporting the restoration of the park’s facilities by painting and sanding historic ramadas. From 9 a.m. - noon at Papago Park, 625 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. scaearthdayphoenix.eventbrite.com

April 19 GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EARTH DAY FAIR Come see what the exciting vendor booths will be offering at the Student Union and out on the lawn. Plus, at 7 a.m. Wednesday, April 18, is the 11th Annual Dumpster Dive! Volunteers will sort through an entire day of trash to see how many recyclables are in the waste stream. From 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Glendale Community College, 6000 W. Olive Ave., Glendale. gccaz.edu/events

April 22

EARTH DAY

42 greenliving | April 2018

April 21 PLANET PALOOZA EARTH DAY FESTIVAL This Earth Day festival celebrates all the resources the environment has to offer with food, music, learning and family fun. Enjoy a recycled fashion show, gardening demonstration, face painting and educational booths. Don’t miss out on the prizes and giveaways! From 4-8 p.m. at Westwing Park, 27100 N. Westwing Parkway, Peoria. peoriaaz.gov/ specialevents

greenlivingaz.com

GREEN SCENES

APRIL CALENDAR OF EVENTS SOUTHERN ARIZONA

April 7-28

NORTHERN ARIZONA

BUSINESS

April 21

April 5

EARTH MONTH AT BIOSPHERE 2

FLAGSTAFF EARTH DAY

Enjoy a three-week Earth Day celebration with hands-on experiences taking place every Saturday in April at Biosphere 2. Tickets are $10-$20. Visit Biosphere 2's specialty tours page for more information. From 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. every Saturday in April at the University of Arizona, 32540 S. Biosphere Road, Oracle. visittucson.org

This event kicks off at 9 a.m. with a volunteer-led community cleanup, including coffee and breakfast provided by Whole Foods. Entertainment starts at 11 a.m. with interactive and engaging local organizations and vendors. Don’t miss the new food trucks, live performances, and free workshops! From 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Bushmaster Park, 3150 N. Alta Vista Drive, Flagstaff. flagstaff.az.gov/earthday

LOCAL FIRST AZ TOUR OF PHOENIX MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY

April 21 TUCSON EARTH DAY FESTIVAL AND PARADE Tucson’s 23rd annual Earth Day festival is fun for the whole family. Enjoy local food vendors and entertainment while engaging in activities and exhibits featuring themes related to air, water quality, alternative energy and wildlife conservation.

From 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Children’s Museum Tucson, 200 S. 6th Ave., Tucson. tucsonearthday.org

April 21 EARTH DAY AT KARTCHNER CAVERNS Learn about wildlife rehabilitation, dig for fossils with Tom Olson, and get up close and personal with wild animals. There will be special presentations, games and activities. Normal park entrance fees apply. From 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Kartchner Caverns State Park, 2980 S. Highway 90, Benson. azstateparks. com/kartchner

greenlivingaz.com

April 21 EARTH DAY CELEBRATION AT RED ROCK STATE PARK Celebrate Earth Day with special guests, kids activities, raptor and reptile displays, local artwork, and of course, plenty of hiking! Demonstrate your support for environmental education and low impact recreation while enjoying informational exhibits, demonstrations and crafts. Entry costs $4 for adults, $2 for children. From 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Red Rock State Park, 4050 Red Rock Loop Road, Sedona. azstateparks.com/red-rock

Meet Local First Arizona's Green Team at Phoenix’s Material Recovery Facility where you will learn how recycling is sorted and processed. This free eye-opening tour provides a greater appreciation for recycling. Thanks to our friends at Recyclebank for supporting this event! From 2-3:30 p.m. at the North Gateway Transfer Station, 30205 N. Black Canyon Highway, Phoenix. RSVP via email to Carrie@ localfirstaz.com.

April 18 US GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL HEAVY MEDALS AWARDS Join USGBC Arizona for the 6th Annual Heavy Medals Awards celebrating the work of exemplary LEED-certified buildings. The event acknowledges building owners and their supporting teams for their extra effort to accomplish LEED certification for their buildings. Tickets are $50-80 on Eventbrite.

From 6-9 p.m. at Salt River Project PERA Club, 1 E. Continental Drive, Tempe. usgbc.org/events

April 24-28 AZ ECO FASHION WEEK AT F.A.B.R.I.C. Engage with Arizona designers, businesses, students, experts and leaders in the community to explore ECO Fashion. The week features education, engagement and entertainment while exploring sustainability in the business of fashion. Various times each day at F.A.B.R.I.C., 132 E. 6th St., Tempe. azecofashionweek.com

April 2018 | greenliving

43

CHAMPIONS

GR EEN C HAM PIO N S Each month in our Green Champions section, we feature three people -- one each in northern, central and southern Arizona -- who are making strides in the green community. In our April Issue, we celebrate those working to rebuild communities stricken by hardship, bringing relief where it is needed.

NORTHERN: DAN MAURER AND ANTHONY MANCINI Co-founders of Elevate Nepal

Dan Maurer and Anthony Mancini first traveled to Nepal in 2011 and fell in love with the country.

They spent three months immersing themselves in the culture and volunteering on farms. After leaving, the two Flagstaff residents remained connected to Nepal, returning later to join the relief efforts after the 2015 earthquake. Maurer and Mancini then co-founded Elevate Nepal, Inc., to facilitate the rebuilding of housing, education and sanitation infrastructure, planning to include renewable energy in solar and biogas for residential village homes by 2019. elevatenepolinc.org

CENTRAL: ASHLEY CAMHI Executive Director at the Arizona Sustainability Alliance and CEO of Camhi Environmental Consulting

After receiving her B.A. in Environmental Studies and her M.A. in International Environmental Policy, Ashley Camhi became the executive director of the nonprofit Arizona Sustainability Alliance as well as the CEO of Camhi Environmental Consulting LLC. Camhi studied and worked in environmental policy over the past decade and has learned that economics is central for sustainable resource management. Camhi Environmental Consulting uses a team of experts to provide innovative solutions to global environmental challenges, including climate change and ecotourism. Arizona Sustainability Alliance dedicates itself to creating project-based solutions that protect our state’s natural resources. azsustainabilityalliance.com

SOUTHERN: DORA MARTINEZ Flowers & Bullets Collective Member

Dora Martinez helps lead the effort to bring agriculture to the Barrio Centro/Julia Keen neighborhood after Julia Keen School shut its doors. Flowers & Bullets helps to strengthen the youth and community through sustainable farming and home-grown food. Those living with food insecurity are taught to garden and harvest water while preserving their roots and their culture.

Flowers & Bullets hopes to not only bring the people of Barrio Centro together, but to represent the Southwest lifestyle through artistic expression. www.facebook.com/FlowersBullets

Want to nominate someone as a Green Champion? Email your candidate to editor@greenlivingaz.com!

44 greenliving | April 2018

greenlivingaz.com

HE’S GREEN JOHN BURKHART

NON-DAIRY CHEESE

Product reviews by our eco-conscious couple John and Jennifer Burkhart

Few things can make a larger positive impact on the Earth than changing the food you eat. This month, we'll focus on dairy, or more specifically, cheese. To make just two slices of traditional cheese, 50 gallons of water are required to grow feed for the dairy cows. By omitting the cheese, you could keep 400 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere yearly. You can save 50,000 gallons of water every year by giving up dairy altogether. You'll benefit nutritionally too – cheese is the single largest

HEIDI HO ORGANICS: NE CHEVRE LIVE CULTURE CASHEW CHEEZE, USDA ORGANIC PURE HE SAID: Cashews, man. Is there anything they can't do? They're good in Kung Pao, they're good in trail mix, and now they're better than cream cheese, apparently. This Heidi Ho cashew cheeze is a perfect alternative to dairy cream cheese. It has a nice thick texture, but is still smooth and spreadable. A slight grit was the only downside.

JENNIFER BURKHART

source of saturated fat in the human diet – eek! Plant-based cheese substitutes are a wonderful alternative, but it can be an intimating change when you don't know where to start. Never fear, we braved the dairy-free cheese aisle for you.

DAIYA: CHEDDAR CHEESE SLICES HE SAID: I have to give Daiya props for throwing their hat in the ooey-gooey melty cheese arena.

Dairy cheese has been numero uno in this class for, like, ever. But, as expected, Daiya went down early in the first round. They're idea of melty cheese was more like thick powder, not gooey cheddar. It didn't work on a burger or in a grilled cheese. It was a pretty decent cold sliced-cheese alternative, though.

SHE SAID: I never wanted to actually eat my Fisher Price toy cheese slices as a kid and I didn't want to eat this look-alike now. This non-melty slice held its shape on a grilled burger and grilled cheese and at least it turned soft. The flavor was unimpressive enough for me to skip the cheese altogether.

SHE SAID: It's looking like cashews are where it's at when it comes to creating yummy cheese alternatives. I would not know the difference between this or Grandma's pecan-covered cheese ball at Thanksgiving. Grab a cracker, some Heidi Ho, and Trader Joe’s “Everything but the Bagel” sesame seasoning blend for an amazingly good snack.

TREELINE: FRENCHSTYLE TREENUT CHEESE HERB-GARLIC FLAVOR

PARMELA CREAMERY: AGED NUT CHEESE SHARP CHEDDAR STYLE HE SAID: During the heating process, this aged nut cheese goes from chalky cold shreds to oily warm shreds, to hard plastic shreds and nowhere in between does it even come close to melted cheddar cheese.

Maybe I missed the three-second window where it becomes edible. I tried to make nachos and nearly lit the corn chips on fire trying to melt this stuff. Never again.

SHE SAID: This cheese (along with Daiya) had a very yeasty aroma and flavor. Both the flavor and texture were off-putting when eaten from the bag, but that improved a bit under the broiler on nachos (though, it didn't melt much). I think I may skip all cheddarstyle, plant-based cheese. It's just distracting and dishes taste better without it.

HE SAID: The soft cheese market is definitely where dairy-free cheeses start to shine. This garlic-herb cashew cheese was quite delectable. It had a savory flavor that would be amazing on bruschetta toast with artichoke hearts, tomato and basil...man, now I'm hungry! Off to the kitchen I go. Thanks a lot, Treeline!

MIYOKO'S CREAMERY FRESH VEGANMOZZ, USDA ORGANIC

SHE SAID: Another winner in the “I didn't know it wasn't cow-cheese” category. Wow. Be warned, though: you’ll need an arsenal of mint gum, a tin of Altoids, mouthwash and your toothbrush if you plan to enjoy this spread. The first bite was like, BAM! GARLIC! HERBS! That didn't keep me from having at least three more topped crackers, however.

greenlivingaz.com

SHE’S GREEN

HE SAID: Miyoko’s Creamery is another alternative cheese company with lofty aspirations, as mozzarella is the king of the melty cheeses. We topped a pizza with gobs of this in hopes of a dairy-free margherita pizza. The flavor was spot on, but this cheese has a consistency closer to ricotta than real mozzarella.

SHE SAID: Despite this looking exactly like Play-Doh, (seriously, don't leave it near any preschoolers) it was delicious! The melty goodness on our margherita pizza made me forget about any dairy-style mozz. I could easily swap dairy for this every time.

See more product reviews at greenlivingaz.com/hgsg April 2018 | greenliving

45

THANK YOU to our partners!

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WE APPRECIATE OUR READERS SUPPORTING OUR ADVERTISERS! Alliance Bank of Arizona.................................31

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April 2018 | greenliving

47

COOL OUTRAGEOUS

1

STUFF

AVALON ORGANICS ALOE UNSCENTED MOISTURIZING CREAM SHAVE

Finding an organic shaving cream that leaves skin feeling soft and smooth is no easy task. Avalon Organics has come up with a moisturizing shaving cream that is all of that and more. Aloe and other plant extracts give the razor extra glide while also speeding up the repair of nicks and irritations. The cream has no harsh preservatives and isn’t tested on animals.

Plus, it’s biodegradable and unscented.

Starts at $7.

WWW.AVALONORGANICS.COM

2

NATUROPATHICA ALOE REPLENISHING GEL MASK

Aloe is a star ingredient in beauty products this season. Naturopathica Aloe Replenishing Gel Mask uses the plant’s leaf juice to transform stressed out skin, reduce redness and help repair damage caused

by UV rays. This soothing lightweight mask also helps eliminate redness and premature aging.

Starts at $12 WWW.NATUROPATHICA.COM

3

JANE IREDALE POWDERED EYELINER

4

If you put on eyeliner on in the morning and it magically disappears by the time you get to work, Jane Iredale’s powered product may be perfect for you. Not only does the eyeliner stay put, but it a goes on smoothly so your eyelids aren’t covered with cakey lines. And for those with sensitivities or allergies, their products are gluten and wheat free.

Starts at $24 WWW.JANEIREDALE.COM

ETHIQUE FRIZZ WRANGLER SHAMPOO

Frizzy hair is never fun, especially if it has been abused by hot irons, curlers or bleach. But Ethique’s Frizz Wrangler Shampoo can help. The product is made with Samoan coconut and cocoa butter which has a soothing, healing effect on hair.

The bar (yes, it is a bar) comes in cute compostable packaging.

And it’s concentrated, so you get the cleaning power of at least three regular bottles packed in one solid shampoo. Ethique is also vegan and cruelty free.

Starts at $16 WWW.ETHIQUEBEAUTY.COM

5

GRANDMA’S PURE AND NATURAL SOAPS

Leave it to Grandma to come up with a soap line that uses only natural ingredients. The soap helps exfoliate dead skin leaving it feeling soft and smooth.

And to make your heart feel as good as your face, it is not tested on animals.

Starts at $5 WWW.GRANDMASLYESOAP.COM

48 greenliving | April 2018

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