Jaia Rosenfels, Contributing Writer

The oldest of five children, Jaia Rosenfels grew up in a rural Iowa town. She is from a family in which organic foods were served long before eating organic was trendy. Composting was a natural part of her family’s life.

Today, Jaia resides in a city where organic eating is a respected choice because consumers are educated about the advantages.

Jaia is a freelance writer, who volunteers with a variety of civic groups.

Jaia Rosenfels

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Jaia’s Posts

Bag Green Guilt by Jen Pleasants

Jessica Ackerman, Contributing Writer

Jessica Ackerman learned first-hand how to visualize a remodeling or building project from concept to fruition. After graduation, her love of both design and writing turned into a series of articles to help any homeowner make their home more functional and beautiful.

Jessica has spent years designing interiors for well-to-do residential clients. Now she shares her insights and experience while working for Wall Decor and Home Accents.

Jessica Ackerman

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Jessica’s Posts

Striving for Sustainable Design

Improve Your Living Space with Houseplants

Abby Seixas, Contributing Writer

Contributing writer Abby Seixas is a psychotherapist, speaker and author of the highly acclaimed book, Finding the Deep River Within: A Woman’s Guide to Recovering Balance and Meaning in Everyday Life.

She offers workshops, retreats and individualized coaching, as well as her popular “Deep River”™ groups. Abby’s television appearances include NBC’s The Today Show and the Hallmark Channel, and her work has been featured in local and national print media, including O, the Oprah Magazine; Self; Woman’s Day; Fitness; Body + Soul; and The Boston Globe.

Abby has been in the mental health field for 30 years, and has been a clinical trainer and supervisor at training centers in the United States and abroad, including England, the Netherlands and Russia. She is the mother of two grown children and lives with her husband outside Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, go to the Deep River Within website.

Abby Seixas
Licensed Mental Health Counselor 
Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/n3kura
LinkedIn: http://tinyurl.com/lhs78w
Twitter: http://twitter.com/deepriverwithin

Abby’s Posts

An Upside to the Downturn – One Pyschotherapist’s View

Shraddah Reyna, Contributing Writer

Shraddah Reyna is a new environmentalist, who became interested in the environment while living in Hawaii, a microcosm of our larger society and planet. She has an extensive background in advertising and sales, which she hopes to put to use in bettering our planet. Currently, Shraddah is studying business at the University of Redlands in California.

Shraddah is proud to support her country through being a Marine wife, all the while entertaining and learning from her two-year-old daughter, River. She does not know exactly what life has in store for her, but is excited about the journey.

Shraddah Reyna

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Shraddah’s Posts

Fee and Dividend – A Better Plan to Reduce CO2

Green Living Takes Recycled Clothing from Shabby to Chic

T. I. Williams, Contributing Writer

T. I. Williams is a baker and live foods chef-educator based in New York City and, on occasion, Jamaica. Williams explains her philosophy at Live Sip this way:

Every food that is perfect is in easy reach. Live Sip teaches people about food in their most vital states to help folks eat a lil’ bit of what’s perfect and good every day… slow foods, traditional foods, raw foods, complete foods, grandma’s foods… We support the foods that have sustained humankind for most of our existence.

T. I. Williams

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

T. I.’s Posts

Farm to Table’s 100-Mile Menu Coming Soon to NYC

Good Beer at BAM Fundraiser Is Something to Savor

The New Deal Supper Club – A Moveable Feast

The New Deal – A Progressive Supper Club

Megan Lisman, Intern

Megan Lisman is transitioning from being a junior at the University of Iowa to her final year of college, during which she is hopes to avoid falling into the dark abyss of senioritis. Megan is spending her summer as an intern at Blue Planet Green Living to keep her mind fresh and to save it from melting into a puddle in the humid Iowa City air.

Although it has only been a short time, Megan can tell that she is going to learn a lot working with Blue Planet Green Living this summer. She is very eager to have a more in-depth understanding of the issues affecting our world today, as well as grow as a writer. Because of her knowledge of the environment and trained writing skills acquired over the summer, Megan will undoubtedly become her TA’s favorite student when she goes back to school in the fall to finish her Journalism and Communication Studies degrees.

When not spending her time with Blue Planet Green Living, Megan enjoys reading books, conversing with quirky people, and daydreaming about traveling around the world.

Megan Lisman

Intern

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Megan’s Posts:

Crofter’s Superfruit Gives a Tangy Twist to Jam

Is Your Fish High in Mercury? Safe Harbor Knows

Tiny Houses Offer Sustainable Living Options

Event Banners Get New Life as RetroActif Fashion Accessories

Climate Change Reporting Contest Announced

Chef Helen Sandler, Contributing Writer

Helen Sandler is used to being an innovator and at the cutting edge of whole foods/whole grains awareness. After graduating from SUNY, New York with a teaching degree, she began to follow her real passion for healthy cooking, which took her from Los Angeles to Boston to attend the cooking school of the late and great master Japanese natural chef, Aveline Kushi. Later, that passion took her to Kyoto, Japan to continue her studies, where she spent four more years learning the art of healthy Japanese cooking (Seishoku). She discovered in Japan, you can’t call yourself a true chef unless you spend 10 years changing craft to art.

Helen was the first to open and mass market natural/organic cakes, cookies and breads in the Boston area, focusing on delicious taste, along with healthy quality. Her business grew to a national company, including a regional distribution company, marketing English muffins and natural/organic breads under the Matthew’s All Natural brand.

She sold her company, moving to the Colorado Mountains to focus on family and follow her passion for teaching. Her innovative bread recipes and commercial formulations are still the standard in the regional New England area that natural breads are measured by.

Helen Sandler

Wellness Coach, Chef, and Motivational Speaker

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Chef Helen’s Posts:

Healthy Kids – Yours, Mine, Ours

Terri French, Contributing Writer

Terri French is a writer living in Huntsville, Alabama. Her work has appeared in The Valley Planet, Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine, Boston Seniority, and The Canadian Organic Grower.

Terri and her husband, Ray, recycle, use “green” products, buy organic, and make environmentally friendly investments.

Terri French

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Terri’s Posts:

Green Investing — The Next Step to Green Living

Brigette Fanning, Contributing Writer

Brigette Fanning works as a Proposal Writer for an international educational company. Previously, she worked as a Marketing and Communications Specialist at a contact center company and as a correspondent for the Cedar Rapids Gazette, where she covered local city council meetings.

In May 2010, Brigette graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelors Degree in Journalism and Political Science. While at the UI, Brigette joined Iowa Student PIRG, where she developed a passion for sustainability and the environment. In April 2009, she began writing posts for Blue Planet Green Living and held an internship with the local Congressman.

Her hobbies include running, reading, writing posts for BPGL, learning about organic and sustainable foods, and enjoying life in Iowa City.

Brigette Fanning

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Brigette’s Posts

Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion

Groovy Globe: Chic and Conscious Clothing

Bird on Fire: Lessons from the World’s Least Sustainable City

Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort: Sustainability in an Island Paradise

Sailors for the Sea Encourages Ocean Conservation

Treasure Mountain Inn: An Eco-Friendly Destination for Travelers

The Heifers Are Strolling in Brattleboro

redLeaf Water Introduces Biodegradable and Recyclable Water Bottles

International Women’s Day Event to Celebrate Ugandan Hero

Woofables — A Gourmet Bakery Your Dog Will Love

Taproot Nature Experience Deepens Children’s Connection to the Natural World

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Making Natural Soaps

Torie Halbert – Designing for Eco-Conscious Luxury

Stop “Chocolate Milk” from Running in Iowa’s Rivers – Vote for Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy Referendum

Naturally Fresh Deodorants – Odor Protection without Health Risks

California Green Chemistry Initiative to Improve Consumer Safety

Scented Cleaning Products May Harm Your Health

Top Ten Tips to Green Your Prom

Christopher Drummond Eye Shadow Rocks!

Wembé Soaps – The “Wild Spirit of the Rainforest”

Teens Turning Green – Eco-Healthy Messages for Teens

My Wedding Workbook Simplifies Wedding Planning

Community Colleges Offer Green Classes for Kids and Adults

Gently Used Wedding Gowns – More Than a Fashion Statement

Benefit for American Red Cross at Devotay This Sunday

Green Weddings – Good for the Planet and Your Pocket

Green Dream Weddings Offers Brides a Touch of Green

Chowpatti Serves up Tasty Vegetarian Fare in Chicagoland

Recycle Your Imagination with Vocal Trash

Wilson’s Apple Orchard – Eco-Friendly Farming Yields Bumper Crop of Family Fun

ModCloth Ecopreneur Makes Vintage Shopping into Successful Career

Carbon Day Chicago Promises “Music and More for a Better World”

GE Requests Stimulus Funds for Advanced Batteries – and Green Collar Jobs

Student Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Takes on the “Hard Work on the Ground”

Kairol Rosenthal, Contributing Writer

Kairol Rosenthal is a health care blogger and patient advocate working with national cancer organizations, including Gilda’s Club, Planet Cancer, and I’m Too Young For This. She lectures on health care issues at Columbia College and is co-host of The Stupid Cancer Show.

Kairol has been interviewed as a cancer expert for The New York Times and Harpers’ Bazaar. Her essays have been produced by National Public Radio and appear in Help Me Live: Twenty Things People with Cancer Want You To Know.

Visit Kairol’s blog www.everythingchangesbook.com.

Kairol Rosenthal

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Kairol’s Posts:

Everything Changes – The Insider’s Guide to Cancer in Your 20s and 30s

My 5: Elias Simpson, Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (BPGL) asked contributing writer Elias Simpson the following question:

What are the five most important things we can do to save the planet?

ELIAS SIMPSON:

1. Eat local (or eat vegan). From a strictly environmental standpoint, eating local is the most sustainable practice. You support people in your community who (probably) know, love, and conserve their land. You can even visit to see the wheat that makes your bread, or the cows (if you choose to pass on the vegan option) that make your steak.

2. Ride a bike. It doesn’t need to be your bike, so long as it fits. You’ll get exercise, eliminate the need for a car (which takes a lot of resources — imagine if there were a park in place of every gas station), and eliminate transportation pollution, the number three source of greenhouse gases (first is supposedly methane from animals, see “1”; second, construction, see “3”).

3. Share a bed. I don’t mean a one night stand, rather, sharing a bed can be a sign that you share everything else — a kitchen, toilet, a broom, rugs, a bike — and that reduces consumptive demands by half.

4. Vote for hemp. I don’t mean marijuana, although that would help balance everyone’s budget (everyone’s except the drug lords’). Hemp was grown during World War Two, but has since been outlawed. It is a versatile, renewable crop that can be used for clothes, paper, and food. Aligning your political views to reverse legislation that bans hemp in favor of destructive agribusiness could make a positive impact on the environment.

5. Garden. This was also popular during World War Two. It’s funny how the current economic depression is bringing back the best in us (the U.S.). Your fruits and vegetables are freshest when picked by the hands that feed on them. It’s the most sustainable way to cultivate, and it can be profoundly rewarding and satisfying.

Elias Simpson

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Blake Cothron, Contributing Writer

A dedicated steward to the earth and wild creatures, contributing writer Blake Cothron has been an organic gardener for over 15 years and is a passionate orchardist. He is also a musician, playing hand drums and strings.

Blake has traveled extensively in the US, learning about organic agriculture and local plants. He spent a year and a half in the tropics, where he learned about tropical permaculture and coconut climbing. For the past three years, Cothron has been dedicated to intentional community living. He resides in intentional permaculture communities and strives to “be the change” he wants to see.

His passions include NVC compassionate communication, herbal medicine, organic food, the forest, fruit trees, permaculture, deep human relationships, and living in highest alignment with his values. Blake enjoys writing about sustainability and educating others about these topics.

Blake Cothron

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Blake’s Posts:

Green Living — A Beginner’s Guide

Contributing Writer, Stacey Tarrant

An Auburn University School of Engineering graduate, I have a B.S. in Environmental Science. I’ve been working with Environmental Engineers, Inc. for almost 5 years. I truly love my job, and I feel so blessed to say that.

I married my high school sweetheart, and we celebrated a 10-year marriage in August. We have two small children, and live in Birmingham, Alabama.

Stacey McGill Tarrant

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Stacey’s Post:

Property Buyer, Beware! (Unless You Have an E.S.A.)

Amanda Rooker, Contributing Writer

Amanda Rooker is a freelance writer and editor based in Yorktown, Virginia. She also serves as a spiritual director and teacher at LivingStone Monastery, a Protestant community and retreat house in Newport News, Virginia. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from the College of William and Mary and her Master of Divinity from Duke University.

She loves her husband Ben, her two crazy-active sons Sam and Elias, pathless woods, simple abundance, poet Pablo Neruda, Trader Joe’s, and most of all, the school bus.

Amanda Rooker

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Amanda’s Posts:

Spiritual Sustainability: Save the Earth Without Killing Yourself

My 5: Amanda Rooker, Freelance Writer and Spiritual Teacher

My 5: Amanda Rooker, Freelance Writer and Spiritual Teacher

BPGL: What are the five most important things we can do to save the planet?

Amanda Rooker:

• Live simply.

• Love people, not things.

• Apprentice yourself to the processes in nature. We grow and thrive much like other living things do: slowly, deliberately, determinedly, thriving best in manageable adversity — but we can only compensate for so much before we begin to weaken and die.

• Take it slow. We can’t love the world and the people in it unless we learn to savor everyday experiences.

• Know the difference between building and growing. Don’t water buildings and expect them to grow; don’t hammer seedlings and expect them to live. Hint: Human beings are living things, not buildings.

Amanda Rooker

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Related Posts:

Spiritual Sustainability: Save the Earth Without Killing Yourself

Makur Jain, Ph.D., Contributing Writer

Dr. Makur Jain lives in Lucknow, India, where she earned her Ph.D. in English literature. During the 2007–08 school year, she was hosted by the U.S. State Department as a Fulbright Scholar to teach Hindi at the University of Iowa.

Having an opportunity to compare India and the U.S. gives her a unique perspective on solutions to sustainable living. For example, India is a leader in some areas of environmental innovation, such as using bicycles and small compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles for transportation.

Since Iowa City is home to the Small House Society, during her time in the U.S., Makur had an opportunity to learn about the small house movement and other initiatives for simpler and smaller living. This is how she first connected with Blue Planet Green Living.

Makur Jain

Contributing Writers

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Makur’s Posts:

Notes from India: Greenathon Raises Funds for Solar Lights

Notes from India: “Clean Lucknow, Green Lucknow”

Project GreenHands – Compensating the Earth

Elias Simpson, Contributing Writer

Elias Simpson earned a bachelor’s degree in English and French from the University of Iowa. He spent a year in France in 2007, and traveled to Prague, Venice, Barcelona, and London, as well as cities in France, including Nice and Grenoble.

Elias has worked for Practical Farmers of Iowa, an organization that supports sustainable agriculture. He has also worked for two small organic farms: Turtle Farm and Small Potato Farm. He has volunteered for the university’s environmental coalition and is a registered member of the Iowa City Bike Library.

He is attending graduate school at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, where he studies poetry writing and works as a teaching assistant.

Elias Simpson

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Posts by Elias

China (you’ve been on my mind)

Notes from Virginia: We Share Responsibility for Activists’ Deaths and Rainforest Destruction

Spinning Tires – Biking Out of Town

Eco-Friendly Traveling Provides Uncommon Pleasures

Book Review – The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

World Peace Diet – Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony

Book Review – Animal Liberation by Peter Singer

My 5: Elias Simpson

Jagdish Poudel, Contributing Writer

Jagdish Poudel holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in environmental science from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal. He works as a researcher and environmentalist for the nonprofit organization World Forestry Institute in Portland Oregon.

Jagdish consults regularly with executives from a variety of environmental fields to help create synergistic solutions to world problems, such as climate change, natural resources conservation and management, pollution control, and solid waste management.

Prior to his current position, he created and led a Living Earth team at the national level in Nepal.

Raised in Damuli, Tanahun, Nepal, Jagdish moved to the U.S. from Kathmandu. His master’s dissertation was entitled, Land Use Change, Biodiversity Conservation, and Economic Development of Ratna Nagar Buffer Zone of Chitwan National Park, Chitwan, Nepal.

The posts Jagdish writes for Blue Planet Green Living will give readers insights into his experiences, ideas, and knowledge gained through his work and studies in Nepal and in the United States.

Jagdish Poudel

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living (Home Page)

Jagdish’s Posts

Mitigating Climate Change through Forest Planning

Notes from Nepal: Cautions about Expanding Ecotourism

Notes from Nepal: Climate Change Reaches the Himalayas

Notes from Nepal: Teaching Climate Change in the Himalayas

Jordan Jones, Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living is pleased to introduce Jordan Jones, who will be writing periodic book reviews in a column he calls the “Environmental Canon.” — Julia Wasson, Publisher

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The “Environmental Canon” will be dedicated to examining the major and minor texts of environmentalism. We will explore the various books that have had an important impact on environmentalism, as well as the books that deserve to. My aim is to create a sort of informal catalog of the “great books” of the environmental movement, to examine their influence, history, and artistry.

The idea for this project came about from my own need to educate myself on these issues, which I feel to be the most serious crises facing humanity in our time. At the same time, I also had a desire to get involved in the conversation, to teach others and to learn from them. I hope to review a wide array of books, and I am always open to suggestion. After all, I’m learning right along with everyone else.

I am 23 years old and full of that empathetic enthusiasm so common to youth. Originally from Des Moines, I attended the University of Iowa from 2004 to 2008, graduating last spring with degrees in English and History. After graduation, I joined AmeriCorps and got a job at the Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity affiliate, building houses for those in need. Sometimes I work in the Habitat ReStore, a shop that sells discount building materials and furniture. I love my job and I learn new things literally every day.

As I get older, I find myself increasingly interested in the world around me and what I can do to improve it. I will admit that I am by no means an environmental expert. But in place of technical knowledge, I bring a sense of curiosity, urgency, and an abiding belief in the need to nurture and protect the natural world. I look forward to educating others (as well as myself) and to advancing the cause of environmentalism, which, in essence, is a form of humanitarianism.

I currently reside in Iowa City and spend my free time reading, writing, and watching movies. I also just became a vegetarian, so I’ve begun to get a little creative with my cooking. You’ll usually find me hunched over a book at a coffee shop, pretending I’m still a student.

Jordan Jones (Top of Page)

Contributing Writer

Blue Planet Green Living

Jordan’s Posts

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

John J. Audubon, Iconic Painter of Birds

Book Review: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth

The World Without Us

Ansel Adams at 100

Silent Spring

My 5: Jordan Jones, AmeriCorps

My 5: Belinda Geiger, Contributing Writer

BPGL: What are the five most important things we can do to save the planet?

BELINDA GEIGER:

• I’m taking recycling seriously, trying not to muck up the landfill with recyclable things.
  

  Belinda Geiger, Contributing Writer

• I only buy Kindle books, to save trees and energy. If I see a book I want that isn’t on Kindle, I click the Amazon link that says, “Tell the publisher you’d like this book on Kindle.” Then I wait for it.

• I’ve just learned that Goodwill has an e-waste program. We have a growing collection of computer hardware that we’re getting ready to take to them. Our trash company picks up e-waste, but only three times a year.

• I have a personal issue with watching water go down the drain while waiting for it to get hot. So now, when I’m waiting for water from the kitchen faucet to turn from cold to hot, I fill up a pitcher with the cool to lukewarm water. Then I use it to fill the dogs’ water bowl, or water plants with it. I’ve also been starting the washer on warm water, then turning it off and saving it for a cold wash later in the day – it gets the water in the pipes hot and my shower doesn’t take forever to warm up.

• I’m consolidating errands whenever possible, and I use my canvas grocery bags for everything.

Belinda Geiger

Blue Planet Green Living

Related Posts:

Almost Green: How I Saved 1/6 of a Billionth of the Planet

A Tree Hugger for Book Lovers: Amazon’s Kindle

Five Things We Can Do to Save the Planet

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