You know mindfulness has gone mainstream when there’s an Idiot’s Guide to it.  I admit that I approached this book with a good bit of trepidation.  Would this simplify mindfulness in an attempt to make in approachable by anyone but ultimately rob it of its meaning and power?  Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Ihnen and Flynn are both meditation practitioners, and this book reflects their knowledge and backgrounds nicely.  Even though the text does have a Buddhist focus, it also makes it a point to point out the various contemplative practices that exist within other spiritual practices, including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and even non-spiritual based forms of contemplation including Herbert Benson’s Relaxation Response and the nature-centered practices of Emerson and Thoreau.  Even though the book does include some sitting meditation practices, it does include discussion of movement-based forms of contemplation, including yoga, tai chi, qi gong, and others.  Going beyond the cushion, Ihnen and Flynn take mindfulness into interpersonal relationships, and even into the food we eat (and how we eat it). There are three complete chapters dedicated to eating mindfully, including references to Slow Food and local food eating, and there’s a chapter on multi-tasking, reflecting current research that multi-tasking isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.  This book takes an overall approach to mindfulness that is holistic and impressive in its scope without getting bogged down in terminology and ritual.  The resource and further reading list is impressive and broad, ranging from Pema Chodron and Joseph Goldstein to Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Eckhart Tolle, Barbara Kingsolver, Michael Pollan, The Center for Mindful Eating, and a host of others.  Ultimately, this book goes beyond the average, shallow self-help texts found virtually everywhere, and does more than offer pithy platitudes.  My only concern is that because this excellent book is a “Complete Idiot’s Guide,” that it will end up in the self-help dustbin where it doesn’t belong; my hope is that this book will help to make mindfulness approachable and practical for anyone, regardless of spirituality (or lack thereof), time, or perception that they just “don’t have the time” to just stop and simply breathe. From Alpha Books and available at your local, independent bookstore.  (Tell ‘em you saw it on ElephantJournal.com!)

Kate Morton is cradling a glass of red wine in her hand, comfortably slouched in a chair on the wooden deck of her lodge. We are surrounded by thick, steamy jungle in a remote corner of Central America and Kate is perfectly at ease in the humidity. I, however, am soaked to the bone and swatting mosquitoes that don’t seem to notice my host. In between smacks to my own neck and face, I drink Belikin stout from a cold, black bottle which is sweating as profusely as me. This is Hickatee Cottages, an über-tranquil four-room affair that Kate and her husband, Ian, built in southern Belize in 2004. The property is pressed against the forest, about two miles outside of Punta Gorda, the largest settlement in the region.

“What,” I ask, “is responsible tourism?”

Kate thinks and takes a sip. A hummingbird buzzes past. The cottage cat, Oscar, opens his eyes to a squint to peer at us from the depths of his nap. My question is short, simple, and loaded. Every year since opening, Kate and Ian’s little bed and breakfast has been nominated for the Responsible Tourism Awards (given by a group of organizations that includes The Royal Geographical Society). Hickatee Cottages (named for an endangered species of Belizean river turtle) implements Rainforest Alliance’s “Best Management Practices” in the management of their hotel; Kate and Ian collect rain for some of their water use, get most of their energy from solar panels, support a village school, distribute vitamins to local children, and—you get the picture—the place is green. However, in this day and age of eco-washing, I’m trying to pinpoint what it all means.

“It’s about meaningful interaction,” she finally says. “It’s about using public transport and speaking the language; or taking the village bus to [the ruins at] Lubantuun instead of hiring a private car or tour operator. You take time and chat with people on the bus.”

It is July, one of the rainiest months in one of the wettest years on record. My wife and daughter are with Ian visiting a butterfly farm. Kate and I are surrounded by native trees, flowers, and orchids and all the birds, butterflies, and bees they attract. An afternoon drizzle makes things even steamier. Last night it poured, rain drumming on the roof, drowning the normal noises of frogs and crickets and pre-dawn howler monkeys.

Until it gained independence in 1981, Belize was a backwater Central American colony known as British Honduras; today, it remains a member of the Commonwealth. Kate and Ian are British expats who have been coming to Belize since 1992. They met in Mexico on a six-week Green Tortoise bus tour and fell in love—with each other and with this part of the world. “We came to Belize to make a life not a living,” Ian told me years ago, in defense of the small nature of their business.

Belize’s tourism industry is—like the country—small. It is young too, developing and defining itself as the world begins to take notice. The sheer acreage of Belize’s protected area (over sixty percent of the country is forested) attracts visitors more interested in rough, activity-based tourism rather than refined, all-inclusive, corporate experiences. George Price, the country’s founding father, rejected tourism when he was in power, saying it would make Belizeans indentured servants to rich foreigners. But Price’s comments came during a time when Belize was struggling for independence (which it received only in 1981). Today, notwithstanding Price’s warnings, one in every four Belizeans works in tourism.

Despite tourism’s rise in Belize over the last decade, there are fewer visitors than normal this year. In fact, with the skyrocketing prices of food and fuel, things are slow throughout the country, especially in the southern Toledo District which most tourists still completely ignore. Even though it is only a 45-minute plane ride from Belize City (or a five-hour bus ride), Punta Gorda and Toledo are still considered too far and out of the way—or just plain too unknown—for most tourists.

This is changing though. There are caves, cayes, reefs, and rivers in Toledo, there is a fascinating cultural mélange, there is a slowly increasing selection of comfortable, creative, and responsible accommodations—and there is chocolate. The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao or “food of the Gods”) has gained renewed importance in the culture and economy of Mayans living in southern Belize. Thousands of years ago, Maya kings and priests worshipped the cacao bean, using it as currency and drinking it in a sacred, spicy beverage. Now, tourists travel the “cacao trail.”

Kate and Ian are huge supporters of Belize’s cacao comeback. They sell local handmade chocolate in their tiny shop and assist guests who want to visit fair-trade cacao plantations or make chocolate with Maya families. In 2007, Kate helped establish the Toledo Cacao Festival, which occurs at the end of each May, a celebration to promote cacao production and artisan chocolate-making. One reason for starting the Cacao Fest, she tells me, in addition to attracting visitors in the low season, was to promote all the local cottage industries associated with tourism. “It’s a chance for these businesses to come together as a community,” she says, “to realize how much support we can give each other.”

In fact, local purchasing and community-building may just be the most “responsible” things Kate and Ian do. “We estimate about 95 percent of [the goods and services] we buy are local.”

I watch as Kate’s short break comes to an end. She gets up, grabs her empty glass, and offers one last idea: Responsible tourists, she says, “read their guidebooks before they come down. And they don’t expect Belize to be like home.”

Unless, of course, Belize is your home. Kate disappears into the Hickatee Cottages kitchen, leaving me with the birds, the rain, and Oscar, the sleeping cat.

* * *
LEARN MORE:
Toledo Cacao Festival
Hickatee Cottages

—JOSHUA BERMAN, author of Moon Handbooks Belize (Avalon Travel Publishing), is a freelance writer, trip leader, and teacher based in Boulder, Colorado. His blog, The Tranquilo Traveler, celebrates “slow tourism and other interesting ways to see the world.” Check out his website.

All photos from Vice Magazine

I’ll admit it, I am an avid Facebook user. Some even may call it chronic. This morning I boldly added a pop cultural question to my current status. Basically I was thinking about “Hipsters” and how mainstream the whole idea of anti-mainstream has become.  What will be the next big cultural fashion overhaul in the dawning age of Obamaism?

I left it open for debate thinking “ah no one will reply it’s not really that important…” and moved on with my day. A little while later I received a few comments, I wrote back and then the conversation just blew up.

Josh Webb at 8:40am November 18

My friend Liam is the Anti-Hipster.

Anna Kristina Gilkerson at 8:44am November 18

what IS an ANTI-HIPSTER though? Cause…

Jonathan McKeever at 9:55am November 18

Well, I’m no fashionista but HIPSTER seems like a combo of: irony, (subtle) quest for the new ‘formal’, and the carefully cultivated appearance of not caring a bit. Fundamentally cynical, but revellrous nevertheless. With an optional dash of nostalgia. The literal opposite might be: earnest, guileless, veering on the side of traditional, … thirsting for ‘casual’, and the oblivious belief in ‘modern.’ That goes two ways, both bad: Abercrombie and Fitch may be the polar *opposite* of hipster. The other would be a sort of martha stewart mom’s wear: white khaki pants and an “oh look at me you caught me pruning” vibe.
Acknowledged that OPPOSITE and ANTI are not the same. If you are looking for the POST HIPSTER (ha ha this sounds sooo banal, sorry), then I daresay you’d be looking for someone who’s beliefs and vision significantly outweigh their vanity, even to the point of naivetee. Think Che Guevara, Frida Kahlo, Trotsky. Visionaries. Socialists. Lovers marching….

Josh Webb at 9:56am November 18

well for starters he doesn’t own a mac…

Josh Webb at 10:00am November 18

people in thier teens to 20s who generally listen to indie rock, hang out in coffee shops, shop at the thrift store and talk about things like books, music, films and art, ride fixed gear bikes and wear snowboard/ski/hockey helmets while doing so.

Brooke Gray at 10:09am November 18

sure she owns a mac, if it’s the best tool for the job. she just doesn’t wave it in your face.

Brooke Gray at 10:11am November 18

but probably not an ipod!

Anna Kristina Gilkerson at 10:22am November 18

I think you all have good points.

I think Jonathan explained it really well by incorporating my actual question. What happens AFTER the hipster? I mean it seems like the end all and be all of existence no??
behind every trend there is another one lurking. The lurking trend is first seen on street kids or artists and after about 10 years Walmart …  Read Moresells it in the 2 dollar bin.
I had my first experiences near Bedford Ave. In Williamsburg, Brooklyn. All these beautiful rich kids would go thrift shopping for avocado cardigans and 80’s band t-shirts. All the boyfriends drove shit brown chevy’s and all their girls wore fake eye glasses. It was all about embracing the feeling you got in school when everyone hated you because your locker smelled like bananas and couldn’t afford new Nike Jordans so you wore the ones from your dad’s 78′ graduation year. I think hipsters are nerds that never got to experience being a true nerd or they were nerds that found other like nerds and they banked on it

Anna Kristina Gilkerson at 10:24am November 18

Is it being the true ARTIST? Or is it about intelligence and culture? Or is it about being yourself? Individuality can only be mustered through the absoluteness of oneself. If we all copy each other in an ironic way it may work for a while but then that is just becoming another trend. As soon as we copy each other it becomes a trend.

Anna Kristina Gilkerson at 10:27am November 18

Maybe the last statement is so obvious it isn’t. I have learned a lot from the hipster era, and it’s to be myself.

Anna Kristina Gilkerson at 10:32am November 18

I also think the computer comments Brooke are somewhat valid but in this day and age it is not so much a trend to have a mac or an i-pod. These items go beyond trend because they work with any type of person. My brother is the biggest yuppie-Techie (Obama supporter who could very well be the opposite of hipster) and was a PC guy forever, now he owns a mac and an i-phone and this and that - all Apple products. I think he switched sides because Apple products were more innovative and generally worked better for his needs.

Brooke Gray at 10:50am November 18

exactly - we still say “he switched sides”.
while these kinds of tool options are still viewed as “sides”, there will continue to be trends of choice between them.

anti-hipster would avoid the ipod on purpose in favor of something more “out there” , probably visually representing their otherness, to illustrate their clear distinction from … hipsters.
(when we self-identify as “anti-something” we generally try to brand ourselves in opposition to it…)

apres-hipster, if considered to be intelligent and authentic in character, would identify the dichotomy as an economic (marketing) construct and ignore it, choosing their own equipment based on their individual needs and wants. (they may very well have an ipod! or both a mac and a pc; or a little unknown-make laptop filled with open-source software.)

Jonathan McKeever at 10:53am November 18

Brilliant! !! !!! What is the difference between individuality and originality. Sounds like we can agree that HIPSTER is not exactly originality (though it may yield some fun new combinations), but its still about individuality, no? Embracing the inner nerd, as you said. VAIN sounds pejorative, but it doesn’t have to. I see the POST HIPSTER as original, grounded, aware, and collectivist. Visionary. More original. Less individual. ??

Josh Webb at 11:09am November 18

To be an Anti-Hipster or a Post-Hipster you have to know if Hipsters define themselves as Hipsters and then why they define themselves as hipsters. Does originality exist in our modern world? I believe that individuality can, but really when it comes to being original, it’s all been done before.

Anna Kristina Gilkerson at 11:09am November 18

Yes!

But is it the other way around? More individual less original? Or can you truly be an individualist and not be original? Brook points out that true individualists don’t care if they are being original or trendy they just be (themselves) and take what they want from this world and use it how they need to use it. I think we can look at like people who try and people who don’t. I bet I can find a lot of people who don’t try that are not that original but then you find that one individual who doesn’t care at all about anything and therefore is the ultimate trend setter. so maybe you are right Jonathan maybe we have gone as far as we can go with the whole “I don’t care” routine. Is it now the time for the intellectuals out there? the ones that care about deeper issues. Maybe it is anti-I don’t care.

Anna Kristina Gilkerson at 11:12am November 18

Less self-intended vain and more intellectual gain… maybe we will all realize it is an illusion… but then again it’s so fun to play a role. It’s human nature to copy others in light of our own individuality.

Josh Webb at 11:27am November 18

absolutely, and it’s when we take bits and pieces from “hipsters” , “trendsters”, “artists” etc and create our individual that fits and feels right. I think the fundamental of the whole situation comes down to: Are you doing it because you like it? Or are you doing it because others will like it? Defined by self? Defined by others?

Josh Webb at 11:28am November 18

ps. Holy superdebate over a facebook status. lol.

Leitha JU Haysom at 1:01pm November 18

Wouldn’t a hipster not even use an ipod cause it’s too mainstream? I guess I’m not a hipster then…. but not the anti-hipster either.

Anna Kristina Gilkerson at 1:55pm November 18

I suppose being anti-anything will make you a conformist of your own ideas instead of allowing the outside environment to influence you. So then is it ok to be a quasi-tech-goth-hipster that listens to Paul Simon? I think that those combos are the most interesting. Like people who totally surprise you. I think the element of surprise and humour will be the next big thing.

Some more photos…

Driving north on a rural highway as straight as the line for your signature on a contract, I stop to look at a ribbon of thick black smoke on the horizon. Just me and a big black horse standing on the pasture watching the smoke rise into the clear, flat sky. The horse, as black as the smoke, ignores me until I get too fidgity and then ambles toward me, washes me with his liquidy black eyes and before turning again to the rising smoke. The horse and the smoke seem inseperable, ethereal dark characters on a yellow and blue landscape.

>for more photos from southern Colorado from this last week, please see the pixtress blog and www.coreykohn.com<

To subscribe to receive the pixtress photo-of-the-week by email, please write to corey[at]coreykohn.com and put ’subscribe’ in the subject heading ***

I am always on the lookout for simple changes that I can make to green up my home that will also help me save some green too. 

The book “It’s Easy Being Green” by Crissy Trask has some great ideas, many of which, you can use right away.  Some of my favorites are:

- Place a 1 quart bottle of water in your toilet tank to create an instant low flow toilet.  You save one quart of water with every flush and hundreds of gallons a year. 

- If you live in a cold climate, paint your house a dark color. Dark colors reflect as little as 3 percent of sunlight, thus absorbing more heat.

- If you live in a warm climate, paint your house a light color that will reflect up to 90 percent of sunlight and keep your house cooler.

Local design firm Caruso Kitchens offers these Ten Tips for Greening Your Kitchen

The goals of greening your kitchen should include natural lighting, good ventilation, low-toxicity finishes, energy and water efficient appliances, and surfaces that are durable, cleanable and of course, look good.

Innovations and design ideas for a green kitchen:

1. Lots of operable windows for natural daylight and free ventilation - skylights are good, too
2. A receptacle for compostable materials very near the work prep area
3. Easy access to and sufficient room for recyclables storage in the kitchen
4. A small, energy-efficient refrigerator-freezer (visit the Energy Star website for the most energy-efficient models)
5. Hardwood floors, which are easier on your feet than stone or tile, have no grout to clean, and mop up easily with soap and water (consider Bamboo-one of the earth’s fastest growing plants that requires no replanting!)
6. A place to grow herbs, like a garden window
7. Storage designs that are sufficient and easy to use; storage space should be designed specifically for your storage needs
8. A cold box, which keeps fruits and veggies fresh without requiring refrigeration
9. Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) use up to 75% less energy, last 10 to 15 times longer and reduce waste and air pollution
10. Formaldehyde-free cabinets; also, choose stains and finishes that do not offgas volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your home

More ideas can also be found at my website too.

Having discovered in early August that the (at least) two year old fridge I’d inherited when I moved into ‘Hotelephant’ was the most inefficient thing in my slowly-greening home, I promptly sold it.

It’s out the door—for $250 to a friend who was about to buy some older ones for some apartments he rents so. So now I have a gaping hole, a pile of mouse poo I just cleaned up with a couple of rain-damp scissored-up too-old towels, $250 bucks (I know, I’ll hafta save up a bit) and a question: what are the greenest, most environmentally (and financially) responsible refrigerators I can find and buy? And quick, my coffee (the only thing I consistently stock, as a confirmed eco-bachelor) is freezerless.

What are the top 10 eco/energy star refrigerators, from compact for college kids to fancy schmancy for rich people who need to show off? Please recommend where we buy them—local indie appliance store, instead of Home Depot?—and where they come from (if they’re shipped from China, is that eco)?

Fun to watch—if you’re a knee-jerk liberal who’s been waiting years to see Hannity meet his verbal sparring match. Video:

From Rocks to Rockets Arms and Armies through the Ages was written and illustrated by my dad William Gilkerson back in 1963. The story book has now been re-released by Osprey Publishing in many countries including Canada, The US and The United Kingdom.  My father was always a bit of a war history nerd and he always liked to draw old tanks, ships and lots of explosions.

Not much has changed…War is still popular and my dad still likes to paint and practice a little bit of safe shooting fun involving just a slight of gun powder.

I thought this book would be great to introduce to ele-readers as it’s message is a simple one that I think we all can relate with.

With order there is always chaos…

You can read other reviews and purchase here or here…

William Gilkerson and grandaughter Hannah shoot a vintage pistol!

As a recent graduate from the University of Colorado, I was faced with what some might consider a challenge: finding a job and “starting” my life. I found a job, actually three—working part time for elephant journal, serving at the Lazy Dog, and catering weddings on the weekends. People would often ask me, “so you graduated college and this is what you do??”
A while before graduation I decided to take a different path than most people. I knew I always wanted to travel-see the world and experience new cultures, but I had no set plans of where I wanted to go. I knew I needed to start saving money if I wanted to set out for a few months so from May until the middle of September I had no life besides work—whether it was at 2 am closing down the bar, or setting up a wedding at 8 am, I was always working. At first I was planning on working until November and then heading down to South America, but when a friend randomly called me up and asked me if I would be interested in meeting him in New Zealand, I simply couldn’t say no. My spontaneous edge kicked in and soon I was on the phone with a travel agent booking flights. I seemed to have saved more money than expected, so I figured why not go to New Zealand and Australia before heading to South America?? Two months later I was on a flight heading across the Pacific to a far away land otherwise known as New Zealand. I found myself alone in this strange world-my friend had visa problems and had to head home, so I decided to just go out on my own in hopes to meet people to join up with.
At first the trip was a bit rocky—I didn’t do much research about New Zealand but I knew that it had a lot to offer.  The beginning was frustrating because it seemed as if there were too many options to choose from-should I rent a car? Do a tour bus around the country? Try and find people to get a caravan with?  Where should I spend more time? North Island, South Island, who knows! After about a week, I met three guys who I got along with quite well from the start. They offered me to join them and I agreed right away since we shared a similar mindset– going with the flow but also hitting up some major hikes around the country. We decided to buy a car, which turned out being the cheapest way to travel here and soon after we started heading south. While driving along the country, we had to make many stops to take in the views and of course get some photos in as well. We were in awe of what we were seeing. I have been to many places, seen many mountains, swam in many lakes, but never have I seen such vibrant colors and such different terrains in one area. Such a beautiful country untouched by humans with never ending greenery and brilliantly colored rivers and a whole lot of sheep. I quickly fell in love with the cleanliness of the country and the generous people who seemed to respect their land like no other.  People here are a lot more mindful of their doings and are grateful for all they have. Otherwise known as ‘kiwis,’ the locals are warm hearted and inviting, and are very passionate about their country and all that it has to offer. New Zealand was the last country to be discovered in the world and therefore a lot of geothermal activity and active volcanoes still exist all over the land and many parts are still untouched by mankind.
I came here because I knew there were a lot of outdoor activities that I love to do like hiking, skiing, rock climbing, and biking, but I realized soon after arriving that this place is more than just that. It is a place where you feel connected to nature, almost a way for you to thank Mother Nature for putting this stuff on earth. It made me realize the beauty of the world before humans arrived, and what we as people have done to ruin all that Mother Nature has given us.
If you would like to read more about my travels, visit my travel blog!

Processed food has a bad reputation, thanks to Twinkies and Spam. So it’s refreshing to see a whole new crop of food bars that are easy and energizing, but also nutritious. Bobo’s Oat Bars walk the middle path on the continuum between cookie (tasty, not so healthy) and powerbar (packed with athletic-inducing nutrients, not so tasty). Small and square, they’re a perfect fit for the side pocket of your Camelback, school lunchboxes, or your car glove compartment. Here’s how Bobo’s rates on the questions most vital to foodbar lovers everywhere:

Taste: Bobo’s have the satisfying consistency of a Chewy Granola Bar or a cookie fresh out of the oven. They’re never hard or crispy and the flavor (you can choose from nine of them—my favorites were coconut and banana) comes from real fruit and never tastes artificial.

Nutrition: Heavier on carbs than protein, Bobo’s are great for long hikes and strenuous exercise that demands an extra boost of energy. Whole grain oats do provide some protein (about six grams per bar), and are healthier than the heavily processed ingredients in most athletic bars. After oats, the two most common ingredients are brown rice syrup, which is a sweetener, and Earth Balance, a vegan butter substitute. Which means that if you’re not heading out for some exercise, these bars are a delicious and decadent treat (which might head straight for your hips.) Bobo’s are also 100% organic, vegan and non-GMO.

Digestibility: When I wasn’t absolutely famished, I found myself getting full after only half or a third of a bar. When I was famished, I finished a bar off in about 30 seconds and then suddenly felt…very…full. The good news is that each bar packs a lot of power, so you only need to take one or two on very long hikes. And unlike nut-focused food bars, they’re easy on the digestive tract (read: no gas) and don’t sit in your stomach, so you can easily get back on the move as soon as you’ve snacked.

Sustainability: This woman-owned company (hurrah!) is named in honor of Bobo, the founder’s teenage daughter, who helped develop the brand. By using organic, non-GMO and vegan ingredients, these bars support sustainable agriculture as well as good health. But as with every other food bar I know of, the wrapper is plastic and non-recyclable (will some eco-minded inventor please come up with an alternative!), so be sure to stick it in your pocket instead of tossing on the trail.

Find Bobo’s in a store near you!