June Meeting Announcement: Ayurveda for the Family

On Tuesday, June 1, we will welcome Anne Thiel, Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant, who will speak on "Ayurveda for the Family". Ayurveda is a traditional system of medicine that originated in South Asia. The system considers both spirit and matter, and focuses on five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether) and three doshas: vata - air and space; pitta - fire and water; and kapha - water and earth. Anne will discuss the elements and doshas of Ayurveda, and then explain how we can apply Ayurvedic practices for family health and wellness.

Anne Thiel is an Ayurvedic lifestyle consultant. She was first formally introduced to Ayurveda in an Ayurveda/Thai Yoga training in 2005 and completed Kripalu’s School of Ayurveda program in 2007. Anne is passionate about the wisdom of this ancient Indian healing science and seeks to help clients identify lifestyle changes that allow them to find more balance and harmony in their lives. Anne has been offering workshops in the DC area for the past few years and also works with clients on an one-to-one basis.

May Meeting Recap: Cleaning & Greening at Home

Thank you to Cindy Olson of Eco-Coach for an extremely informative presentation on Green Cleaning last week! Cindy discussed a number of common conventional cleaning products, and provided safer, less toxic alternatives for each. Cindy also discussed ways to improve indoor air quality, and non-toxic pest control. Members and visitors asked a number of questions, all of which Cindy answered with loads of information. Cindy also brought a number of product examples, and pointed us all in a safer, greener direction.

Cindy provided our chapter with many informative materials, which will be available on our information table at the next meeting in June.

Thank you again, Cindy!

May Meeting Announcement: Cleaning & Greening at Home

On Tuesday, May 4, Cindy Olson, V.P. of Eco-Coach, Inc. will speak to us about Cleaning & Greening at Home: Creating a Non-Toxic Environment for Your Family. Cindy will talk about how our daily activities impact our health and the environment (and our wallets!), how we can clean our homes in a non-toxic way, and how we can identify key contributors to indoor air pollution. Cindy will provide information and resources to help us create less polluted and toxic indoor environments for our families!

Cindy Olson is the V.P. of Eco-Coach and, among other responsibilities, she educates clients and assists them in directing, implementing, and documenting the best sustainable practices for the new economy at the business and residential level. From designing eco-communities & creating community gardens to financial planning on Wall Street, Cindy has a kaleidoscopic wealth of experience that connects with her breadth of knowledge and interests. Cindy has created and facilitates the eco-voyager and eco-auditor curriculum. Cindy also has helped to create the on-line Green Jobs Workbook, to be released in early 2010. Cindy believes that if each of us takes one small step to make our community greener, we create big changes for our planet. As the organizer of Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover for a Carbon Free DC, she is helping many households lower their impact.

Our "Cleaning & Greening at Home" meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 4 from 6:30-8:30 at the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There is street parking in Cleveland Park, and the library is also metro accessible through the Cleveland Park/Red Line stop.

April Meeting Recap: Organic Gardening

On Tuesday, April 6, Mitch Baker from American Plant spoke to us about organic gardening in the DC area. Mitch began by discussing the origins of chemical products in our garden, noting that before 1947 all gardening was basically organic. He shared information with us on the best and most productive soil to use for container gardening, and how to amend soil in the ground to best support healthy, productive plants. Mitch also discussed composting, organic fertilizers and pest control, and gave specific recommendations for growing plants such as tomatoes in the DC area. Thank you Mitch for a very informative and helpful talk as we move into the planting season!

Notes from the meeting will be available to members who were not able to join us!

April Meeting Announcement: Organic Gardening

On Tuesday, April 6, we welcome Spring with a meeting on organic gardening! Our speaker is Mitch Baker from American Plant, an independent family-owned garden center with locations in Bethesda and Great Falls. American Plant has a commitment to promote EarthWise gardening, which means adopting good gardening practices so that plants can flourish naturally without relying on chemical pesticides.

Mitch will speak about organic gardening as it pertains to suburban ornamental and vegetable gardening. He will cover organic soil amendments, fertilizers, pest control, composting, container gardening and vegetable gardening, and will welcome questions as he speaks. Mitch will also bring a few products to show as alternatives to the typical chemical mainstream offerings.

Mitch Baker is a Horticultural Specialist with American Plant. A Maryland Certified Professional Horticulturist with 34 years in the garden center industry, Mitch is also a Board Member of the Rachel Carson Council.

Our “Organic Gardening” meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Cleveland Park Public Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008. There is street parking in Cleveland Park, and the library is also metro accessible through the Cleveland Park Metro/Red Line.

March Meeting Recap: Dr. Anthony Noya

On Tuesday, March 2, Dr. Anthony Noya spoke to us on the topic of "Life Without Fear: A Wellness Approach to Healthcare". It was a really informative session about a wellness approach to health and your life. Dr. Noya discussed vital life force and ways to express your life force and keep it flowing so that you can live your healthiest life. Some ways to live healthy are yoga, chiropractic care, exercising and breathing practices. There were a lot of questions about how chiropractic services fit into a family wellness model and about how children react to being "adjusted". Thanks Dr. Noya!

March Meeting Announcement: Life Without Fear, A Wellness Approach to Healthcare

On Tuesday, March 2, we will welcome Dr. Anthony Noya, of Noya Chiropractic in DC, who will speak on the topic of "Life Without Fear: A Wellness Approach to Healthcare".

Dr. Noya will give a discussion on shifting one’s paradigm from sickness and disease care to wellness care. He will focus on the body's innate healing abilities and demonstrate how chiropractic and other modalities can play a role in creating, maintaining and supporting health and wellness for you and your family.

Anthony Noya was born and raised on Long Island, NY. He attended Stony Brook University in New York and earned a B.S. in Biology. In 2001 he obtained the Doctor of Chiropractic Degree from Life Chiropractic University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Noya specializes in family wellness care. He has received advanced training in pediatrics and pregnancy care, Bio-Geometric Integration (BGI), Torque Release Technique (TRT), and Posture Rehabilitation. He has participated in multiple chiropractic mission trips to Brazil. Dr. Noya cares for children and families, working to promote health and wellness.

In his free time, Dr. Noya enjoys yoga, rock climbing, reading, running, movies and soccer. He lives with his wife, Abbie, and their two children in Bethesda, MD.