The American Heritage dictionary defines discipline as “training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.”  Clearly there are many other definitions of the word discipline, but for our purposes this is the definition that is aligned with the way we’re using the term.

If we look at it honestly, we all have disciplines. And, we can learn a lot about ourselves from the disciplines we have, the disciplines we don’t have and where the disciplines we have come from.

An important question in assessing our discipline is: what are our disciplines a product of? In other words, what are they in service to? Are they in service to our egos? Our dysfunctions? Or, are they in service to the highest good of all, including ourselves?

I examined my own disciplines in this context, starting with the question: what are my disciplines? I found many: meditation, yoga, exercise, eating healthy foods, making sales calls, coaching and consulting clients, meeting with my consultant, participating in mutual support calls and many more. Then, I looked at these disciplines in light of the question posed above for each of these: what is my discipline in service to in this area?

Through this inquiry, I had a key insight. My discipline of eating healthy, exercising and maintaining my well being has primarily been a way for me to perpetuate the illusion that I am better than others – and to maintain a false sense of superiority. When I looked at it honestly, I could see that what has been driving this discipline is my desire to look good by making others look bad.” And, it was nasty. In my head, it sounded like, “they don’t have any willpower. I do.”

While I could have compassion for myself for doing this, I certainly didn’t want to continue it. I was ready to end the lie and the separation, because it didn’t feel good and it also blocked me from contributing to those who could use my support in this area. As we all know, it is very difficult to feel supported by someone who is judging you. When we drop the judgment, our colleagues and friends can feel and receive our support.

And, when I compared that to other disciplines, such as my meditation discipline, I could see a stark contrast. My meditation discipline was simply a way to connect to the Universe/The Source/God and I didn’t have an agenda to it. It felt a lot different. It felt clean.

Through this inquiry, I came to the conclusion that any discipline that keeps me separate from others needs to be transformed. I can keep doing the practice, but I need to change the context that it exists inside of by asking: Is this in service to the highest good of all, including me? Or, is it in service to my ego? If it’s the latter, it needs to go. I need to change my consciousness about it.

In light of what I discovered about myself, I can now see why we have very little trust of discipline. We don’t trust the source of that discipline. We are not trained in the discipline for what is for our highest good. We follow the discipline of our egos and our wants and our addictions.

We’ve been disciplined by our need to look good. Instead, let’s make a commitment to be disciplined by what is for our highest good and the highest good of all. Each time we act consistent with that commitment we’ll be living our definition of “training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.”

Todd Benton is a consultant and coach who helps business owners, executives, managers and individual contributors fulfill their potential in business without compromising their well-being, personal goals and aspirations. Todd is also the Executive Director of The Stream, a non-profit spiritual community and teaching and learning organization. Todd’s business can be found on the web at www.bentoncg.com.

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What is passive income and how can you create it?

Passive income falls under two types: residual and leveraged. Once you’ve set up the income stream through some initial steps, this income becomes “passive” as it continues to provide profit without you having to spend time on it.

Residual Income

Residual income comes from income brought in over a period of time as in the case with:

• Income from rental properties you own
• Commission from a client who renews an account on a yearly basis
• Selling a book or video to accompany a class you teach
• Online products and e-books you’ve created sold online via your website
• Licensing photos you own as a stock image in stock photography companies
• Owning a business that is run by someone other than you

These are all examples of income you set up, get running, and over brings you continual income without continual effort and work on your part. Passive income can be created as easily as delegating tasks to someone else freeing up your own time to use on other tasks.

Leveraged Income

Leveraged income is simply when others work for you and bring you income such as:

• Selling your e-book via online affiliates
• Creating a franchise out of your business
• Being part of a multi-level marketing (MLM) organization where you create a downline of distributors below you that generates commission for you from their sells

Passive income is wonderful in that it truly only takes some initial work, regardless of the type, and then becomes passive. For those of you who can see the benefit of some initial focused energy that will reap rewards in both money and time later, here is a quick sampling of some of the many already existing passive income streams available to you now:

1. eBay. Find a wholesaler you can work with and set up your own eBay store. You can buy wholesale and let the distribution company do the physical product handling and shipping. On eBay, there’s a market for nearly every product you can imagine.

2. Google Adsense. With Google Adsense, you can set up ads on your website and automatically generate income from people who click on the links in the ads.

3. Affiliate programs. Sign up for affiliate programs for products other people create. You advertise the products on your website and through email campaigns. Most of these programs pay you commissions based on your sales.

4. CafePress. CafePress.com is a website that sets you up an online shop of your own, selling personalized mouse pads, t-shirts, coffee mugs, and other items with graphics you create. The graphics can be a picture, cute saying, or whatever you desire. It costs you nothing to get started.

5. Artwork. If you’re a photographer, you can submit your photos to websites that sell images as stock pictures for various publications. You’ll receive royalties every time your picture is sold.

6. Blogging. If you’re passionate about something, blog about it. There are always people out there who share your passion or want to learn about something new. Put some ads on the site related to your blog and you can generate a nice passive income.

Generating passive income is all about “setting it and forgetting it.” With a little initial time, focus and effort, once you get the income stream set up and automated, it can involve very little further work. You may not get rich through your passive income streams, but setting these up can make a real difference in your finances. Plus it will provide you with some ease of mind as you focus on your other projects.

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Top 5 Ways to ‘Go Green’ and ‘Save Some Green’

Let There Be… Energy-Efficient Light! The cost of lighting is one of our most expensive expenditures at home so it makes perfect sense to opt for energy-saving compact fluorescent lighting. True, your initial outlay may be more as you replace your cheaper incandescent bulbs but since they last about 10x longer, you’ll end up saving more in the long run.

If you want to save even more, try LED lights. They are even more energy-saving than fluorescent lighting.

Save on Water Usage. We shouldn’t take anything for granted on this precious planet of ours anymore, and water is one resource that we should really save up on. This is not really hard because there are many different kinds of faucets nowadays that can help you in this endeavor. There are also tech gadgets that can help you measure the amount of water you use while you shower or while you water the garden, just to make you more aware of how much water you are consuming. And yes, the less water you consume, the lower your water bill will be, and the more money you end up having in your pocket.

Buy Used Items. In today’s tough economy, we should all be more aware of the money we spend. So why not buy second hand items instead of going for the shiny, brand new stuff.

If you buy used items, you are preventing these goods from ending up in a landfill and polluting our environment with hard to recycle materials. So that’s a score for Mother Earth! As for your pockets, buying used or second hand items is way more cost-effective. And thanks to sites today like eBay and Craiglist, purchasing used stuff is easier than ever. If you’re the type who would like to personally inspect used items before you buy them, no sweat; just go to a garage sale, car booty, or even a local auction house and you will surely find what you’re looking for.

Switch from Paper Towels to Cloth Kitchen Towels. Since kitchen paper towels came onto the scene, it seems that every household was hooked. Not surprising really since they are indeed very handy to use… and easy to discard. Unfortunately, the fact that we consume so much of them means we are killing more and more trees in the forest and putting in more and more thrash in landfills. The solution? Let’s go back to cloth kitchen towels!

You don’t need to switch 100% if you find that you’re giving up too much convenience. For instance, still use paper towels for cooked food but use cloth towels for spills on the kitchen counter or table. It’s all about moderation!

Make Healthier Food Choices. Apart from the obvious health benefits, choosing to eat more fruits and vegetables mean that there is less livestock to raise, maintain, slaughter, activities that actually bear a huge toll on the environment!

So go ahead and make greener choices. You’ll be saving up your hard-earned cash and doing your bit to preserve nature as well.

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Eco-Friendly Buying 101

An environment friendly product indicates that the item is produced using sustainable ingredients such as bamboo flooring, or that it recycles an old material (e.g., an old tub) into something new (a planter!).

Recycling is actually very big today. You can almost buy something that’s been another thing in its previous ‘life’. For instance, used foil (e.g., chip bags, juice cartons, etc.) can be made into recycled bags, and old cabinets can be sanded and re-painted to be used as new in other homes.

What you should think about really before you purchase an item is to consider how it was manufactured. There are two ways to think about this. One, is the item made from sustainable or recycled materials? And two, has it been created under earth-friendly conditions? If the answer to both questions is YES, then you’ve got yourself a real eco-friendly find there!

Sustaining an Eco-Friendly Buying Mindset

Going eco-friendly does not only apply to big purchases. For instance, when you do your groceries, opt for the brown paper bag. In Europe, if people can carry things in their hands, they do so and turn down offers for plastic bags. Better still, for weekly shopping, buy an eco-friendly basket/bag (jute bags are great!) and use this over and over, week after week.

Most grocery stores now sell re-usable bags for just a dollar or two.  Buy a handful of these bags will ensure you always have some in your car and some in your home for easy access.  Taking these bags with you to a local farmer’s market is a sure way to up your eco-friendly buying a few notches by buying local produce.

Having a home renovation? Consider using bamboo flooring or any other type of flowing that’s made from sustainable materials. Cork flooring for one is made sustainable materials and comes in great styles nowadays; not to mention they’re warm and comfortable on the feet! If you want to accomplish an industrial feel in your home, then why not opt for marmoleum, which is manufactured under eco-friendly conditions.

Clothing is another area you can easily go eco-friendly on. Pick clothes that are produced from cotton or hemp or bamboo. These materials are sustainable and are soft and comfortable to wear. And no, you won’t look like you’re wearing a potato sack. In fact, even the big names in the clothing industry are going green too. For instance, the popular brand name Levi’s is utilizing recycled zippers and buttons and organic cotton nowadays.

Go green too with cleansing and cosmetics products. Look at labels and opt for the ones that do not contain any toxic chemicals. Not only are these greener choices, but they are better for your skin and face too!

Make being eco-friendly a habit too by using products that support this cause as you go about your daily routine. For instance, buy a composter so you can recycle your fruit and vegetable peelings and leftovers into compost. Purchase water-saving faucets and gadgets that help tell how much water you are using while watering your garden or taking a shower. Switch to fluorescent or LED lighting too.

All of these will not only help save Mother Earth but they help you save money too! Eco-friendly buying is a win-win situation really so what are you waiting for?

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In the past, have you ever left for vacation in a frantic rush?  Did you continue to worry incessantly about work while you were “relaxing”? Did you find yourself planning your vacation while on vacation because you couldn’t find a second before? And did you return to a huge pile of work or an office that clearly did not function effectively while you were gone?

Rather than asking yourself why you ever left and missing out on the tranquility your vacation was meant for, below is a summary of steps you can take for increasing work productivity while on vacation, reduce the likelihood of crisis while away and plan an awesome vacation so you can truly kick back and relax:

Five Steps to Your Fantastic Vacation

1. Plan your vacation by scheduling blocks of time.
From researching places of interest to booking hotels, car rental and activities, planning a vacation requires a little dedication.  Schedule a few blocks of times in your calendar to ensure that you make reservations and complete preparations long in advance. This will help you relax and also save you dollars!

2. Brainstorm about ideas of what you might do on your vacation ahead of time.
You never know what opportunities will present themselves. I have found the “For Dummies” books to be really helpful in selecting activities, places to visit, and other options that I would not have considered on my own. Also, look through online travel blogs for insider tips.

3. Schedule time to take care of work responsibilities & details.
Yes, another scheduling suggestion but it is part of the proactive planning that will ensure increasing work productivity while you are away so you can relax.

•    For people who need to know you will be gone, send out an e-mail announcement, set up an email auto responder directing inquiries to the designated person and change your voicemail message. Designating someone else to contact with questions in your absence will allow you to unplug while away. Let them know in these communications.
•    A couple weeks in advance, schedule specific blocks of time to complete necessary work projects.
•    If there are things that need to be done while you are gone, arrange someone else to do them. Write a description of how to do the tasks, if needed, to ensure their success and your serenity.
•    Creating a list of all your essential tasks is not only handy for this trip but is reusable for all future vacations.

4. Prepare your home for your absence.
From paying bills to having someone feed the cats, cover all basics. As you did for work, create a reusable list of how to prepare. Set up times to complete the list. Tell the key people in your life that you will be gone and how to reach you in case of an emergency.

5. Block out at least one day at work and one at home after vacation.
Give yourself two days to reintegrate so as to not go into an immediate rush that will undo all the rest and relaxation just achieved. Keep these days free from meetings and other appointments. Remember, if you are like most people, you’ll probably return to 400 to 700 e-mails and piles of snail mail, plus a suitcase to unpack. Before you leave, schedule enough time for each of these items and consider letting people know you are back a day later than you really are.

Using the above advice, you will be increasing work productivity while and vacation as well as before, and after your time off.  Mostly, it will make your vacation experience many times more enjoyable – for you and whoever is on vacation with you.  Now that will make your vacation dollars well spent!

—

Todd Benton is a consultant and coach who helps business owners, executives, managers and individual contributors fulfill their potential in buinsess without compromising their well-being, personal goals and aspirations. For the past 15 years, Todd has led a variety of programs and consulting engagements and has coached thousands of people in communication, teamwork and productivity. Todd has delivered programs and consulting to organizations such as Microsoft, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Adobe Systems, Boeing, Wells Fargo and many others. Todd’s business can be found on the web at www.bentoncg.com.

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As an event planner I love a great party as much as the next person but seeing the huge amount of waste that is typically generated quickly began to worry me. Through research I found that the event industry produces the second largest carbon footprint and that $42.8 billion of food is wasted every year in the United States!

Wanting to be part of the solution and not the problem, I made a promise to begin planning my events differently, with a conscious, as I like to think of them. With a little bit of thought and planning anyone can enjoy all the fun summer has to offer while still being mindful of the planet. Eco party planning may even save you a couple of bucks!

I’d like to share with you my tips for planning the perfect eco friendly affair, from start to finish.

Eco Party Planning Made Easy

1.    BBQ Grills:  Like most of us, summer get-togethers mean barbeques. Before turning on your grill though make sure you’re using a cleaner burning propane or electric model over one powered by charcoal, which contributes much more to poor air quality.

If a charcoal BBQ is your only option, use lump coal instead of briquettes. And for a truly eco grilling experience, solar ovens and stoves are available which mitigate most emissions altogether.

2. Now for everyone’s favorite part: the food! Head to your local farmer’s market to purchase as many items on your shopping list as possible. Not only is this the most economical place to shop, it’s also the healthiest and greenest. For your meats, poultry, and fish choose the leanest cuts and trim fat before cooking to minimize potentially carcinogenic substances that can form from grilling at high temperatures.

Of course, the most sustainable and frugal option is to bypass the meat, poultry, and fish section entirely. About 25 percent of a person’s carbon footprint comes from what he or she eats, and raising animals for food is one of the most resource-intensive industries. I realize that for many, having a barbeque involves meat so while you don’t have to become a vegetarian, you can cut back your consumption. Instead of relying on animal products as your source of protein, try legumes or quinoa.

3.    Glass and ceramic tableware aren’t very practical for a casual outdoor affair but that doesn’t mean you have to resort to one time use plastic and paper products. Instead of generating waste when choosing tableware and cutlery, use non-disposable plates and silverware that can be used at all your events throughout the summer.

Preserve makes great products in fun colors that are made of recycled plastic and can be reused and recycled. If disposable items are the only practical option for your party choose plates and cutlery made of compostable materials such as sugarcane, bamboo, and cornstarch. And always remember the 100% recycled napkins.

4. As far as décor, less is definitely more when it comes to throwing a green event; Celebrating with the environment in mind means consuming less and buying less. So forget the balloons, and instead opt for items that can be reused days, or months after your event.

Potted plants with color themed flowers are a beautiful, festive way to decorate your home for your party. Small flowerpots can also be given away as favors to your guests. Burn soy-based candles in matching colors for a flattering, and fragrant outside glow.

5. Once the party is over the final and most important step to your eco friendly event begins: waste disposal. Recycling and composting are essential, and should be planned for before the party begins. Place three separate containers at each trash station throughout your event, one for recyclables, one for compostables, and one for garbage.

If this is done beforehand it makes clean up that much easier. Otherwise it will be your job after the party to separate the trash into the appropriate bags, using biodegradable garbage bags of course. For cleaning surfaces and dishes use all natural cleaning products that are not only good for the environment, but good for your health as well.

With a little thought prior to your event, eco party planning is the key to a scrumptious, beautiful and guilt-free event.  And as you can see from how easy it is, going eco for your summer parties is such a natural option!

Chrissy Gray is the owner of Green Events, an earth friendly event planning company based in Orange County, CA. For more information on how to plan your next eco affair contact Chrissy at chrissy@grnevents.com.

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Green Home Renovations are now the Norm

The large demand for green home renovations is being seen as the nation’s largest home remodeling retailers and many contractors now offering sustainable options for construction.  There really is no reason not to remodel in a green way.  Here’s a simple run through of what to look out for and do in your home remodeling projects that will make your home both beautiful, healthy and green!

Use Green Products

There are a variety of green products you can use to jump-start the process. Start your search with low VOC products like green carpets and green floors. Also, cabinets made from such materials as bamboo and cork are great for decoration and not such a strain on the environment. Consider beautiful recycled glass counters in your bathrooms and kitchen. You can even have this glass stained for a variety of beautiful pure colors or to create artistic mosaics. All of these green decorations will actually make your home look more stylish and may increase the value of your home.

Use Recycled Products

There are plenty of recycled products that make great home decorations, with wooden cabinets and floors coming near the top of the list in terms of beauty and value. You can strip the old wood floors from a home that is being demolished or renovated and refurbish the wood back down to its old, beautiful look. Then use a natural stain or finish to bring back the original natural beauty of the wood floor.

Use Natural, Renewable Resources for Your Home

Make sure the design of your home puts to use the natural, renewable resources around it. A home that gathers energy from windy days or sunny days will save you money and do much less harm to the environment. You may not be able to afford or have space for a giant wind machine or mirrors and a solar tower, but you can certainly put up a small wind water pump in the countryside or a little wind generator on a smaller property. A couple of solar panels will make a big difference in the long-term. Consider also solar windows with triple pane insulation. Make sure all outer doors seal well.

Use Natural Application Materials

Try to stick to application materials, such as paint and glue that are made of natural products and safely decompose. This will keep you healthy and safe, without leaving an unhealthy legacy for the environment. After all, according to the EPA, it is not uncommon for the air inside a home to be 100 times more toxic than the polluted air outside. Water based paints are generally preferable to oil based paints. Green adhesives are not always easy to come by, but the rewards of choosing them will last you a lifetime.

If you keep your eyes open wide, you’ll find there are a lot of great alternatives for doing green home renovations. In many cases, the creativity and uniqueness of going green with home renovation will lead to much greater beauty and elegance than using the same materials found in most homes. There are many beautiful options available for going green.

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A vacation with a cause touches all levels of mind, body and spirit, while providing true cultural immersion and contributing to greater good.  Independent tour operators are popping up to provide travelers with philanthropic travel itineraries that allow meeting regional natives, participation in ceremonies, and giving back either in dollars or volunteered time. This is travel for a cause.

Travel for a Cause:  Humanitarian Opportunities for Global Trekkers

Today traveling for a cause has expanded with different styles to fit all timeframes, ability to contribute and preferred purpose.  Here are some of the common options to inspire your global heart and soul:

Philanthropic Travel: This traveler has more money than time. Travelers stay in luxury accommodations, and are given hands-on opportunities that dive deeper into the native culture, & experience regional projects in action.  These custom-made trips are one-of-a-kind and itineraries will feature local gourmet food, fine wines, and private guides for events or ceremonies.

Philanthropic travel has proved to be a wonderful way to bring potential donors in and up-close with the people most in need of help.  With such close interaction, many times philanthropic travelers becomes an organization’s valuable supporter and continue to campaign for the cause after the vacation is over.

Volunteer Travel:  Meaningful vacations allow a budget conscience traveler to give-back by participating in work programs in a wide assortment of activities as wildlife rescue, well digging, home construction, health camp aid and providing education to local communities.

This is a common way for young students in high school and college to travel while learning more about humanitarian issues.  Volunteer trips abroad are a way to become part of foreign community & culture and experience life from a different perspective.  Volunteer travel projects, common in the summer, exist for from one-week getaways up to 3 months.

An example of volunteer travel is the Peace Corp. Although this requires a 27-month commitment, those desiring profound cultural immersion and service opportunities, this is a life-changing opportunity. This type of program provides a unique chance to live in another country and working on projects from healthcare and the environment to business development.

Teaching Abroad: Imagine spending your summer teaching English in Spain and learning to cook or surf in your free time!  These types of programs are easy to find and you’ll get paid for your teaching but ensure you choose a respected company that has done their research on their projects and your accommodations.

Charity Travel: Charity climbs or charity adventure events such as races, biking challenges and trekking tours are part of the growing industry of adventure travel.  With adventure trips that range from dude ranches to sky-diving, this type of vacation is also an excellent source for corporate travel and team building.   Conscious business owners might consider planning a trek, or adventure tour instead of the standard hotel and board-room type gatherings for staff and executives.

These trips give back big time, as the traveler actually has to raise money, or be “sponsored” at entry levels generally in the $500- $2500 range just to participate.  This is great for causes like Hope Lodge of the American Cancer Society or for Breast Cancer fundraisers, since 10 participants automatically raise up to $25,000 for the local chapter of that non-profit organization.

Vacations that Give Back: Choosing a conscious tour operator or travel agent who willfully donates a portion of the proceeds back to a non-profit organization of choice is another way to travel for a cause.  This type of vacation planning when used on a large scale can generate a massive amount of fundraising cash for organizations since the agent donates 10% or more back to a cause. For example:  if a group has 100 members who all take at least one vacation a year, with an average cash back return from the donating agency or tour operator, the group or charity just earned $10,000 for the year.

Today, Anyone can book their vacation on the Internet, but by becoming aware of conscious travel agencies, tour operators and travel for a cause opportunities, you will find the same vacation, at the same price, that now has a positive impact for the entire planet.

—

Melinda Johnston is the owner of LUX World Travel, which specializes in mind, body, and spirit tours, trips, retreats and personally planned vacations to fit your style of travel.  http://www.luxworldtravel.com.

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It is a recipe for success that merits popping open one of their ice-cold brewskis and celebrating!

Ecofriendly Beer:  Brewing Consciousness into the Bottom Line

New Belgium is clearly a company with a lot of heart and it shows in every area of their operations.  First and foremost, New Belgium is brewing some delicious brews.

Beer names such as La Folie, Skinny Dip, Organic Mothership Wit and Frambozen Raspberry Brown Ale might make you think otherwise, but these guys have deep affection and respect for brewing.  And their enthusiasm becomes transparent in the flavor and large loyal fan base of this Colorado based brewery.

Their most popular beer is Fat Tire, an amber ale conceptualized after a co-founder’s bicycle trip that took him from brewery to brewery in Belgium. From shiny new bicycles to classic old cruisers, today, you can see bikes all around the New Belgium brewery; on their labels as part of their marketing, as décor around the factory, as annual gifts to all their employees and as part of the sustainable culture they are committed to promoting.

Conscious Business is Good Business

In addition to delicious ales and quirky bike-centered advertisings, the joyful spirit behind New Belgium shines through into basically every other area of their operations.  And this is precisely why New Belgium was voted #1 place to work in America in 2008 by Outside Magazine (Google was 2nd).

For the employees, a relaxed honor-code atmosphere allows for plenty of room and time to do on-site wall climbing, yoga classes, or ridding on the cyclocross track in their 50 acres out back.  Plus each new year that New Belgium employees are with the company they receive a brand new bike and ownership in the company.  These demonstrations of appreciate result in a work atmosphere that feels less like work and more like play.

But the work environment is not the only one to benefit from New Belgium’s conscious business practices.  The global environment is benefiting a lot as well.  This ecofriendly beer company is taking sustainability where no brewery has gone before.

In 2007, the brewery figured out what the carbon footprint was for a six pack.  And while they use sometimes up to half the amount of water most breweries use in their brewing process, they were still shocked (and honest enough to admit) that the footprint of a six pack was about equal to the emissions from driving a car one mile.  While this is mostly due to emissions from in-store refrigeration, New Belgium has committed to reducing their own carbon emissions by 25% by 2015.

Another one of their sustainability goals is to become entirely wind-powered. Until that goal is reached, the brewery pays their local utilities company an increased rate for energy to ensure it comes from the cleanest source possible. Also, about 10% of their power is being derived from byproducts from their on-site water treatment plant such as methane gas.  This is beyond sustainable, it is regenerative.

And the Party Doesn’t Stop There

New Belgium is looking to spread the news about biking and sustainability outside their Colorado home and they do this via their annual pro-bike tour, Tour de Fat. These spirited events take place in various large cities around the West in order to promote bike riding and sustainability.  They include music, circus-type performances, bicycle dance troupes, a giant group bike ride/parade where everyone dresses up in costumes and rides through town and of course, lots of New Belgium beer.

Truly, these guys are having fun while loving people, their employees and the planet (and their bank account must not be doing too shabby either).  And so while beers may be known to help some take it easy and relax, we feel it is spirit such as the conscious business spirit behind by this one of a kind ecofriendly beer company that really make for a good time!

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Here’s a sampling from the ever-growing array of conscious & ecofriendly gifts for dads and grads that will inspire both your shopping and your heart:

1. For the Conscious Student or Executive, the Solar ProFolio is the modern alternative to the classic briefcase. This solar business bag will connect to cell phones, iPod, GPS or other 12-volt unit using your item’s car charger adapter. Now that’s power.

2. For those inspired dads and grads often found burning the midnight oil, immersed in the work or life’s passion, Badger’s Headache and Stress Balm helps soothe overworked or stressed minds. Made of all natural, organic ingredients.

3. For the grad moving out on her own, this Eco-Starter Kit will help green her new pad and save her up to $300 a year. Includes an energy monitor, CFL bulb, faucet aerators, outlet sealers, toilet leak detectors, window caulk, a soy candles and more!

4. If your grad loves jewelry, check out these necklaces made by a16 Year Old Liberian war survivor, refugee and designer, Lovetta Conto. Made of remnant bullet pieces from her native land, the profits serve to support other young people from the developing world either displaced or orphaned by war or other circumstance.

5. For the new or seasoned entrepreneur, these business card cases made of recycled circuit boards are hip and green.

6. And for the dad or grad that has it all, how about a donation in their name to the micro-credit organization Kiva. A gift like this shows us how investing in someone else’s future is truly investing in our own.

7. How about a truly clean shave for your husband or grad? The North Woods Organic Shaving Kit Gift Set by Aubrey Organics made of only sustainable, plant-based ingredients is just that.

8. The Conscious Business Institute is an international organization that supports businesses and leaders in creating more effective, inspiring and sustainable companies. For those execs or grads, looking to step up their game as conscious leaders and entrepreneurs, a mentoring program from a company such as this might be the ultimate gift.

The era of socks, ties and personalized stationary is gone. And with a selection of conscious and ecofriendly gifts for dads and grads such as this, we’re glad!

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