Feel Good Guru

This densely populated island city-state in Southeast Asia was early to the table on environmental policy and has since become an inspiration for other cities (and countries) trying to achieve the difficult goal of sustainable development.

Singapore’s Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources was established in 1972 aiming to achieve environmental sustainability for the long term. In effect since the ’70s, Singapore’s anti-congestion charges have served as a model for cities like London. Proposals for radical new policies include having cars fitted with satellite tracking meters and charging drivers a per-mile fee to slash congestion. Meanwhile, the mass-rail transit is extremely clean, affordable and efficient. (more…)

Anyone who’s ever visited free-spirited, liberal and tolerant Amsterdam knows that it can feel like a trip to the cottage.

Cars, trucks and buses are conspicuously absent. In Amsterdam the bicycle rules.

The Dutch learn to bike as soon as they learn to walk, and continue cycling well into old age. A staggering 37% of Amsterdam residents commute by bicycle alongside canals and over 2,500 kilometers of bike paths. About $40 million a year is spent for cycling infrastructure, some of it allocated to new parking garages for thousands of bicycles. (more…)

What, exactly, is a “green city”? Is the term not an oxymoron? If a green city is an ideal whose time has come, why, then, does it still feel so impossibly Utopian?

My definition of a green city is “a self-sufficient high-density urban area that functions in harmony with nature, where every resource used is renewable, no thing is wasted, zero emissions are released into the atmosphere; and humans and animals are treated with utmost respect.” Nope – no such thing – yet. (more…)

My friend Martha, a fan of Feel Good Guru in Japan, recently tried sending me some traditional hand-crafted miso from a tiny operation in rural Japan run by the Onozaki family, the oldest and most respected family in miso artistry. (see her video below made special for Feel Good Guru!) It’s the highest quality miso in the world, naturally fermented, traditionally crafted and certified organic, but much to our disappointment, it was sent back due to Canadian food import laws. Bummer! Instead, she sent me two books, “Japanese Foods That Heal – using traditional Japanese ingredients to promote health, longevity & well-being” and “The Miso Book – the art of cooking with miso”, both by John and Jan Belleme, America’s leading experts on miso and traditional Japanese food. I’ve added both these books to my list of new favorites. (more…)

Had I not been staying, several years ago, in a 17th century French “magnanerie” or silk production workshop, now a gorgeous Provencal vacation home, I may never have been awakened to the dark secrets of sericulture and the plight of the industrious little silkworm…

“For centuries, the walls in here were covered in mulberry leaves,” said our charming host, Bernard Cay-Maubuisson, indicating the thick stone walls of his rustic and cozy living room. I imagine a lush interior garden with climbing vines and ripened berries hanging just so over the frames of his beautifully restored antique art. “And tens of thousands of silkworms munched on the mulberry leaves,” he added with a smile. My thoughts of an indoor Eden are replaced with visions of slimy larvae slithering over the furniture.  (more…)

I am a free spirit. I am a free spirit hanging from a tree. I am a free spirit sphere dangling in the dense rainforest of Vancouver Island, suspended like a dream-state…handcrafted, untamed…swaying gently, providing sanctuary for souls…

I am Eve, and I am available for overnight rental. I am located just north of Parksville, near the gorgeously serene Qualicum Bay. I have a spirit brother, Eryn, who also provides luxurious outdoor experiences to magical beings. Need I say more?

Oh, I am totally groovin’ with the woowoo!

This is not your showgirl Vegas. This is not mindless entertainment, self-indulgent fun and games, nor a place to place a bet. In an odd way, this is the most narcissistic hour or two you might spend in Sin City – but it’s time so well spent you’ll walk away with a great deal of respect for yourself in the morning. You’ll see yourself in a brand new way, and “body beautiful” will take on a whole new meaning…

Bodies…The Exhibition is an intimate and fascinating look under the hood, or under the skin, of the human body. Real human specimens are used, giving viewers access to their intricate selves normally reserved for med students. (more…)