My mom is still fighting cancer. I’m going back to Minneapolis today. I’ll be posting as regularly as possible over the next week. Stay with me. And please take a moment to read the message below. Thanks for visiting and for all your comments. Tao

Below is an important message sent from Mike Cherubino, who has cancer. He is sharing what he has learned about how what we eat and breathe affects our health. I’ve printed it in partial form, but if you want to see the entire piece, please contact me, since Mike is anxious to help people through his experience. Tao

Fighting Lung Cancer (or helping to prevent it), a “two-step” approach. By Mike Cherubino

(Introduction and disclaimer: What I am presenting is a life-style design that I have developed to battle and to eradicate the lung cancer that has invaded my life. Please recognize three key facts:

• I am not a medical doctor and the goals suggested are based on the theories of a cancer patient not a trained medical provider.
• Each person has a very unique individual chemistry; you must take both your own physiology and (if ill like me) your own specific type of cancer into account.
• I AM NOT a five-year survivor, but am still fighting this disease – this is not a testimony to a successful process.)

Actually, I am writing this to help my three children live a healthier and longer life, as well as to nurture friends from my cancer support group. It’s based on the simple but provocative theory of “paying attention” to two key elements of our lives – the air we breathe and the food we eat. Much of my two-step method is based on this idea. It’s all about protecting your immune system.

The air that you breathe – step one.

1.You cannot under any circumstance - smoke “anything” nor subject yourselves to second hand smoke – period. This means sitting and standing in public (or private) places that allow this un-healthy and deadly activity.
2. You must carefully remove those cleaning agents we all use in our homes and work place that contain deadly ingredients. A visit to a health food store or organic food store will offer many of the alternative cleaning items that are health essential.
3. You should have your home tested for Radon gas. There are many testing methods and they become very important if you are inflicted with lung cancer as I am. We have installed a radon abatement system and a continuous radon monitor in our home.
4. You should spend the money to purchase an air filtering and cleaning system for your home and your work office if possible.

The food that you eat – step two. Mike’s Ten Rules of Healthy Eating.

1. If possible become a vegetarian. If you must eat a little red meat PLEASE make sure it’s organic. And try to reduce your red meat intake to two-three ounces a serving.
2. Eat as many whole grains, nuts, a few raw fruits and many raw vegetables as possible each day – strive for 70% of your food intake to be “raw”. Eat raw foods first –then cooked food second during your meal.
3. Add three meals a week of “cold water” fish – salmon, tuna, halibut, bass, cod, haddock are all great tasting cold water fish.
4. Eat fruit alone – do not eat fruit with meat, starches or vegetables. Start your day with fresh fruit and fruit smoothies.
5. Eat five of the cancer fighting vegetables every day. Choose from these super vegs…beets, spinach, romaine lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, squash, red cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower.
6. Eat as much as you can of these fruits: red cherries, strawberries, blue berries, mangos and blackberries, HOWEVER IF YOU HAVE CANCER –DO NOT EAT BLACKBERRIES AND RASPBERRIES –they have too much sugar.
7. Add some yogurt – low fat organic only – to your breakfast.
8. Drink your smoothies and only tea and water – pure water 40 ounces a day and as much green tea (white if possible) as you can both hot and/or cold. Do not drink diet colas. Do not drink fruit juices – they have too much sugar. Cancer feeds off sugar!
9. Never eat non-fat, low fat foods with substitute fats like margarine.
10. Stay away from processed sugar and processed foods.

Finally, this is a load to think about but it only truly affects the physical side of your life. So much has been written and articulated about the mind-body connection. We ALSO need to do all we can for the intellectional and emotional dimensions. Keeping stress free and at peace is a huge part of total health. PLEASE RIGHT NOW and forever more – forgive every single person who has done you harm or just makes you mad or bitter. And, in addition I personally believe we should nurture our spirituality as well by praying.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

As a student and teacher of yoga, I always tell my students that half of what we learn and do in a yoga practice is a result of our efforts. The other half just happens.

I’m compelled to share this story involving my dog, River, because it demonstrates our human potential on all levels. Just like in yoga practice, sometimes we need to tap into something bigger to complete what we do on a conscious level.

Bonnie Illies is an animal medical intuitive and healer. Rather than try to explain that, I’ll tell you River’s story.

River, my Cattle Dog, loves to run - hard and fast. One day, at full speed, she became tangled in a vine and the result was a torn ligament in her back leg - not a hopeful diagnosis for a herding dog. After 4 months of orthopedics visits, supplemental and physical therapy, her condition continued to worsen. Facing a dire prognosis of increased, long-term pain and/or extensive surgery, confinement and rehabilitation, I turned to Bonnie for help.

Bonnie lives 1,000 miles away. On the phone, rather than asking me to explain the problem, Bonnie told me to wait while she “checked in” with River. She came back to the phone and told me that River had pain in a back leg. Surprised but impressed, I didn’t need to hear much more. Bonnie scheduled a healing “session” with River for the next day, asking for a time when she would be quiet and at rest.

I came home that evening filled with curiosity. Although my dog was slightly favoring her bad side, for the first time in 3 months, she was not limping. I called Bonnie, excited and hopeful. She recommended a second session for the next day.

The next night, I returned home to a dog that ran to the door to see me without any visible sign of discomfort. I immediately took her outside and she raced around the yard. I watched nervously. Nothing - just a happy, healthy dog. I called Bonnie, thrilled but hesitant about letting her run too much too soon. But Bonnie said all was well - she was healed. The next day, River and I ran 4 miles through the woods - and has been doing so every day since then.

If your animal is sick, distressed or injured, Bonnie can help. She has been specializing in medical intuitive/healing work since 1998. Visit her website and read other testimonials from across the country at BonnieIllies.com.

My own experience has not only helped my dog but helped me have faith in our abilities as human beings to heal each other and the planet.

By Kahlil Gibran, from The Prophet –

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;

For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Happy Mother’s Day. Tao

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

We had a great time on this trip and we are also in the early stages of considering opportunities for relocating. For now, we love living in co-housing in Carrboro and will be here for the near future, enjoying and participating in this progressive town. Still, there’s something to be said for shaking things up, challenging yourself to grow in new opportunities. I’ve moved a lot and admit that relocating is a wonderful stimulus for me, pushing me into new action. So, we’re listening, watching and waiting.

Sweet Pond Eco Community is forming in Southeastern VT, about 6 miles from Brattleboro. Here, 9 environmentally friendly homes will be placed in an apple orchard, while the surrounding pastures, woods and pond will be protected - close to 100 acres of remarkable beauty and natural habitat. The construction plans will be Leed Gold certified and based on the E.F. Schumaker’s, Small is Beautiful.

Currently seeking members, a thoroughly informative website is in place at SweetPondEcoCommunity.com. We were given a tour of the property (along with lunch and engaging conversation!) with T and Zoe, a well-informed, creatively inspiring couple who set out to save land and invite neighbors to work together to create “a caring, supportive, friendly, and most importantly FUN home.” Their vision includes “a community that delights in life, values communal living and diversity, and leaves a legacy of wise stewardship for future generations.” Learn more about T.

Brattleboro itself also seems promising as an urban community, drawing people in, rather than pushing them out. The only way we can find a community-oriented sustainable way of living in America is to unite in downsizing and contract back into efficient city landscapes. Consider The Wherehouse in the heart of downtown Winston-Salem, NC, where a group found variations of life and work in an urban kind of utopia. Our cultural shift towards hoarding space and “privacy” has not brought the health or happiness that we expected. Of course, just like in yoga, contraction triggers the complementary energy of expansion and, in this case, balancing our hearts and minds and our way of life.

One thing both Jerry and I know, is that we will continue to seek a way to share a way of life, interests and resources with others, wherever we end up. Co-housing/space sharing is the way of a sustainable and hope-filled future - no matter where you put it.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Just how green was this trip and what is the bottom line of travel decision-making? Next time, I’ll arrange a shuttle from the airport rather than renting a car, but otherwise, I think I at least covered my carbon-emitting butt by offsetting the rest. For my future travel decisions, I am learning to look at 3 things:

1. Is this trip necessary/needed/reasonable? 2. What is the most sustainable way I can cover miles? 3. How can I further reduce my carbon footprint while traveling and still have fun?

While fun is subjective, I think we can all agree that the vacations where we lounge about poolside at the luxury hotel or resort is not necessarily what we’ll write home about. Adventure, thrills and new experiences are usually outside the boundaries of starched sheets and a suntan. While we all need a little R & R at times, life happens at the edge. What do you REALLY want to do/see/experience?

While a “necessary” trip could be about family, education or business, a “needed” trip could simply mean a way to balance your physical/mental/emotional health and well-being. A “reasonable” trip applies in both cases and could depend on where I want to go, for how long and what I do when I get there. Evaluate these things in your own way. I heard about one family who loved Hawaiian vacations, but found when they decreased the frequency to every other year, they were able to stay longer and appreciate it more. They also found they enjoyed the simplicity of vacationing at home during the off years.

Once you know where I need or want to go, explore your travel options. It’s tempting to hop on a plane that you’re convinced will be in the sky, with or without you - but remember, our consumer decisions absolutely drive market demand and airlines constantly re-evaluate flight loads and scheduling. Mile for mile, the effect of jet CO2 is over 2x that of autos. This is due to several factors, including heat trapping cloud formations (called radiative forcing).

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, trains are 18% more efficient per passenger mile than airplanes. In addition, it takes half the crude oil to generate a gallon of diesel fuel for trains than the same amount of jet fuel.

If traveling by car is possible, keep in mind that here is where size matters most. Although a car averaging 30mpg will always trump the flight (more so if carrying more people), personal SUVs and trucks can mess with that equation and make little environmental sense no matter how you look at it.

Once you’ve arrived, there are many ways you can balance your carbon output. Where you stay, what you eat/buy/consume, how you get around and what you do are variables you can work with consciously and creatively - you may be surprised at the enjoyable results.

For more on greening your getaway, go to Sierra Club Newsletter. Have an eco-travel experience? Let me know!

by Tao Oliveto, Amherst, MA

We woke early the next morning, anxious to see the farm in daylight and meet our host and self-proclaimed, “dirt farmer”, Jim Pitts. We headed down the long dirt road that led to the fields where Jim was working — a lone, tall, straight-backed figure pushing a tiller across a field.

He strode over to us and within a few moments, challenged me to name the big leafy plants I was looking at. Being the city kid I am, I hesitated - but then surprised him by guessing it — rhubarb! He broke off a thick red stalk and handed it to me. In my excitement, I munched it straight down. As he led us on to the strawberry field, this time he asked me to describe the difference between hay and straw. I flunked that one, although I knew horses ate hay but not straw. I now know why - straw is the inedible dried grain stalks after the grain has been shorn and hay is the still nutritious, dried grass. We also learned that strawberries were named because they grow on top of straw, placed alongside the fruit to keep it from getting dirty before going to market. As Jim told us more farmlore, I asked him if he went to school to learn all of this. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Sometimes schooling can get in the way of your education.”

Yet, it turns out, “dirt farmer” was only the most recent of Jim’s accomplishments. Growing up in the Deep South and an African American, he wasn’t allowed admission to Georgia Tech University. Yet, he still managed to shoot up the ranks of corporate America and become a top tech-industry executive. He also became enmeshed in politics, serving as a delegate and addressing the Democratic National Convention on the death penalty while negotiating with George Wallace on other platform issues, and working as MA manager for Shirley Chisolm’s historic presidential campaign. As we listened with growing interest, Jim began tossing out one memorable chunk of wisdom, information or history after another. When Jerry mentioned that a key flaw in the Constitution was its absence of land protection, he explained to us that one purpose of the constitution was to ensure people’s right to own land, which, as the Native Americans have always known, is an “absurd” idea.

This former editorialist recently wrote a piece for the Amherst newspaper in support of Barack Obama. Jim explained that the entrenched culture wars that have dominated post-Vietnam politics are keeping us stuck and divided. He feels Obama represents the way to finally transcend these divisions, whereas Hillary seems both trapped and defined by them.

As we reluctantly allowed Jim to get back to his plowing, he told us that he was going to be moving to Cambridge soon. Aghast, Jerry said “you’re leaving your farm!?” Jim, who was bending down to make an adjustment on the tractor, turned around and said with a wry and wise smile, “Every thing’s got to end sometime.”

Back at the house, we heard his 5-month old baby crying and were subtly reminded that with every ending comes a new beginning.

by Tao Oliveto and Jerry Stifelman

I didn’t really forget about “Earth Day” on Tuesday. My confession is that I’ve been kind of a Scrooge when it comes to the idea because, well, every day should be Earth Day, right? I look to Jerry on this one and here’s what he had to say:

Earth Day, hmmmm, what about the other 364 days that we spend ON THE EARTH. There ain’t no living, loving, no rock and roll, no sports cars, no frisbees, no barbeques, no manola blahnik shoes ——– without the access to the resources of this most excellent and forgiving planet.

So I’m not big using Earth Day as an extra special reason for companies to sponsor events, put their logos on plastic water bottles, for people to drive to festivals and concerts.

Let’s get serious about doing good by the Earth every dang day of the week. Now that WOULD BE FUN.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Last year, I spent more time vacationing at home and, as you heard previously, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I discovered a lot of fun spots right in my area that I would have missed otherwise and I enjoyed the relaxation of just staying put. (The only flight I’ve taken in one year has been a visit home to Minneapolis when my mom was very sick.) Now, I’m splurging on a trip to Vermont, where we are going to visit another co-housing community.

As I started planning, I found out that there are no direct flights from here to Vermont. I did look into the train, but did not have enough days to make that work. Instead of giving up too fast, I decided to think a little harder and came up with an idea that would at least significantly downsize my travel footprint of multiple flights. After looking closely at an atlas, I realized that I could reasonably fly into Boston on one flight, rent a car and drive the 3 hours to my destination in Brattleboro, VT. (Of course, I’ll be offsetting that flight with one of my favorite offset companies, Terra Pass.)

I then searched every car rental company for a hybrid to use, but, unfortunately, nothing yet available in that area (what’s up, Hertz??). Ok, well, I opted for the smallest car I could get. We’ll stop halfway and stay at Delta Organic Farm Bed and Breakfast and enjoy some rural scenery and hiking - no extra driving since it’s on the way. Then, we’ll land in downtown so that we can enjoy those activities car-free. No sacrifice, a lot of benefits, with a little less carbon output.

The rest of the year? I’m planning to avoid air travel when possible again. I’ll let you know what I come up with for vacation fun as we move into Summer. Because, where there is a will……….

(I’ll try to post while away, but will miss tomorrow. More soon! Tao)