Shakti Rising: Transforming in North County

The touch of Shakti Rising is indelible in nature, often in your first encounter. That was certainly my experience. The rich, authentic community born out of the Shakti model transforms, inspires and empowers as it moves through San Diego county and beyond. I am a proud member of this community and thrilled to be a participant in their migration north.

On January 12th, Shakti Rising began offering their signature course, Transformation 101, in North County for the first time at Carruth Cellars Winery On Cedros. Many North County women have long been requesting local access to classes provided by Shakti in the San Diego area. The response to this initial offering at Carruth Cellars has been GREAT!

As a new student myself, I found it compelling how 15 women of varied backgrounds, ages and life experiences could so effortlessly come together and transform a space, as well as one another in their very first encounter. Our first class meeting (out of eight), proved to be enlightening, emotional, exciting, and healing, under the expert leadership of Shakti instructors Ruthi Solari and Beth Fuller.

I would like to express much love & gratitude to Adam Carruth, owner/winemaker of Carruth Cellars for donating the use of the Winery On Cedros on Tuesday nights for our class. I was inspired by the transformation of the tasting room into a beautiful space where an eclectic circle of women can gather in harmony with one another. As I soaked in the magic of community building in the space, I gratefully reflected on Adam's efforts that day (his day off), to clean and transform the winery production pad into a lovely space for us to gather. Thank you so much Adam!!!

One of my homework assignments for our class was "to make one tiny change" this week. My agreement was to spend 15 minutes on my blog. Much more than 15 minutes have passed now, and it feels wonderful to honor my commitment to myself and the class!

I will keep you posted on my journey with Shakti Rising. I also encourage you to learn more about this incredible organization and their work In Our Community. Visit www.shaktirising.org to learn more, drop me a note, or catch me at the winery and I will be happy to share more with you about my Shakti journey.

World Minded RV Tour

We just posted about our good friends at World Minded and wanted to share a picture of thier new RV.

Charles, Karla, Ella & Payton have hit the road in this sweet ride to tour the Pacific Northwest.

If you happen to be on the coast of Oregon or Washington and see them, wave them down for a free t-shirt or Mammoth Brew!

Have a good trip you guys and please drive safe....

World Minded: Company with a mission and a conscious

"World Minded is a charitable, Eco-friendly apparel company for men, women and children with an objective to raise awareness of our individual impact on each other and the environment. Our passion for adventure and our love for the outdoors is the foundation of World Minded. By sharing stories of our featured humanitarians and ambassadors, our purpose is to do more positive things for the world and to help those who already are."                                           WorldMinded.com

                                               

Charles Perry, Founder/Owner

It will only take 5 minutes with Charles Perry for most people to recognize his esteemed quality of character, kindness, and consideration.  He easily captivates those he encounters with his willingness to listen intently and share sincerely.  His passion for life and his personal mission for the community through his company World Minded, pales only to his clear passion and dedication for his family.  As one becomes acquainted with Charles and learns about World Minded, you are easily engaged in his positive energy and motivated by his drive.

Initially, World Minded was a hobby born out of challenging life experiences for Charles.  Now, you can find World Minded gear in stores throughout the country, and on the backs of World Minded Ambassadors all over the world.  As an eco-friendly, charitable clothing line, World Minded seeks to educate and inspire through their positive messages and community involvement with environmental and humanitarian organizations, as well as in collaboration with outdoor enthusiasts and community advocates.  

As an upstart company, World Minded has been committed to sustainable practices and donations of sales from the beginning.  All of their clothing and gear are made with organic cotton or recycled materials.  They source from local manufacturers, which supports the local economy and leaves a small carbon footprint through their production.  10 percent of sales from their humanitarian clothing line are donated to designated environmental and/or humanitarian organizations, such as the Greg Mortenson's Central Asia Institute, Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots Network, Protect Our Winters, and Common River.  1 percent of ALL sales are donated as well.  The designs for their clothing line are inspired by the organizations that the funds are being donated to, and local artists are employed to create those designs.

What inspires me most about World Minded, besides the incredible people that are the foundation of the business, including Karla Kelley, Charles's wife and Director of Operations, is that it represents a corporation that started with a model that operates in harmony with our community’s interest.  In today’s business climate, this is a very unique stance.  Unfortunately, most corporations are rooted in an advanced capitalist philosophy of profit for the sake of profit, with little to no moral or ethical responsibility for the community it operates within, beyond the parameters the law dictates.  Conversely, World Minded is unabashed in its moral and ethical standards, and has consistently stood by their stance that if they cannot uphold these standards in their business practices, then they will not be in business.

Karla Kelley, Director of Operations

Wearing World Minded clothing is so much more than choosing a comfortable shirt with an awesome design.  It is about making a conscious choice and making a statement about who and what we support with our spending.  Our consumption has far-reaching effects that we are all too often unaware of in our busy lives.  When I wear World Minded gear, I support a model of business that I truly believe is at the heart of social, environmental, and economic sustainability.  I also create opportunities to discuss this new world order of business with others when they ask me “Where did you get that sweet hat?”

Justin Huebscher in Mammoth Lakes with WM trucker hat

Check out WorldMinded.com, tell your friends about it!  In the San Diego area you can find World Minded gear at Adventure 16 in Solana Beach and Oceanside.

• Read about World Minded Ambassadors by following this link.
• Follow the World Minded blog.  
• For awesome tidbits of information and links follow World Minded on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

If you know of other ethical companies that are rooted in sustainable practices and community activism, we invite you to share with us on our blog or  you can email anne@annemillikencommunity.com.

Autumn Hiking in North County

This beautiful weather we've been having lately inspired my friends and I to get out and go for a hike. Many of you here in North County may have forgotten about the Elfin Forest where a short drive, (30 minutes in considered short here) leads you to an area that has 11 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. We took the main Way Up Trail, which is 5 miles round-trip and an elevation gain of about 600 feet up to the Olivenhain Dam.

As you can see from the above photo, dogs are allowed which stoked out Molly dog since she's been in a perpetual state of wonderment as to where the heck all the nature went since we moved from Wyoming.

The switchbacks ease the elevation gain and halfway up you get a great view of Escondido. Once you're at the top there are picnic tables to relax and have a snack on overlooking the reservoir.

Overall the hike took around 2 hours which included snack breaks for my cute companions (who ruled the hike at the ages 4 and 6) and a chance for Molly to catch her breath after being done in by a squirrel chase.

We barely made the 6:00 pm closing time just as dusk fell so make sure you're at the trailhead by about 4:00.

The drive to the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve left the city behind and opened up to numerous beautiful horse ranches along Harmony Road.

Next time, I'm taking the Lake Hodges Overlook Trail which is less than another mile at the top. For driving directions and more information about the reserve, you can click here.

Written by contributor, Misty Andersen

Gavin & Grandma Meg ascending!

Carter & Molly over-looking Lake Hodges

Gavin & Carter: "time for another rest"

Gavin & Carter

Misty, Lauren, & Molly (looking for squirrels to chase)

Gavin & Carter taking a rest and checking out the sites

Molly, Carter & Gavin: leading the pack

Community Inteface Services Holiday Celebration

The people of Community Interface Services (CIS) are near and dear to my heart.  After moving back to California, I found a home working for CIS as a program coordinator.  CIS serves people with developmental disabilities throughout San Diego County.  I encountered so many inspiring individuals during my time with CIS; the stories and experiences I shared with the staff and individuals being served by CIS stay with me as I continue my journey.  The staff at CIS are some of the most dedicated, hard-working people I know and I have been proud to share friendship and lots of laughs with many of them.

This Sunday, Carruth Cellars Winery On Cedros will be hosting a fundraiser on behalf of CIS to raise funds for a very special event:

"Your help is needed to make a magical evening come to life.  Each year in December, Community Interface Services hosts a Holiday Party for hundreds of people with developmental disabilities and the dedicated staff members who serve them.  Most people with developmental disabilities live below the poverty line and wrestle with social isolation, making our Holiday Party a very special event in their lives.  Attendance at the event consistently surpasses 400 people - the dance floor is full when the band strikes the first note and does not empty until the final encore.  Add in a little food, a visit from Santa and some socializing, and it truly is a magical evening."  ~Community Interface Services

As a former staff member of CIS, I can personally share with you how vitally important this event is to hundreds of people that CIS serves.  The supervisors and coordinators work incredibly hard to put this event on each year, and relish in the joy it gives to so many people.  

Carruth Cellars will be donating a mixed case of wine, valued over $400, to be raffled on behalf of CIS.  All proceeds will be donated to Community Interface Services Holiday Party.  Carruth Cellars will also be donating 25% of wine sales on Sunday to CIS.  

Please join us, Sunday, September 12, anytime from 1:00PM to 7:00PM.  

Wine raffle to be held at 6:30PM

Carruth Cellars Winery On Cedros

320 So. Cedros Ave. #400

Solana Beach, CA 92075

www.carruthcellars.com

(Just south of the Belly Up Tavern~Behind Cole's Fine Flooring~Next to Project X Art: Gallery)

I am honored to help facilitate this event, along with Adam Carruth at Carruth Cellars Winery On Cedros, on behalf of all of the amazing staff members and service recipients of Community Interface Services.

For me, these are the types of collaborations at the heart of true community.  

Kickstart a Project

I have a Sunday tradition of chilling with the New York Times and a cup of coffee. It was during this favorite time of mine that I ran across the new website Kickstarter and I immediately got sucked into it for at least an hour checking out all the cool projects people are working on.

How it works is people post their projects, how much money they need to get rolling and you have the opportunity to donate to the cause if you feel so inspired. I love this idea of people helping each other accomplish artistic visions that lack of funding usually kills.

There were lots of Burning Man projects that were funded this way like the Mega-Mart Mega Store whose purpose is to satirize and provide commentary on our modern society’s need to consume and spend. It also looks like it will be one sick dance party.....

I'm a big fan of street food and it's what I lived on in SE Asia. I'd like to see a bigger movement towards street food here in the States and thought the Good Food Truck Project out of Atlanta was an awesome idea: Yummers!

There are way too many cool projects to mention so go check it out yourself and help someone out or start your own project and let us know about it!

Written by Contributor, Misty Andersen

Real Food: Inspiration and Community

7 Strategies for Teaching Your Kids What Real Food Is - Planet Green

As I read this article from Planet Green (click the link above to read), I was reflecting on how much we have been enjoying the riches of our garden this summer! I've come a long way since my childhood days of throwing watermelon seeds in the dry dirt along side my home, and praying something would grow. Sadly, nothing did and that closed the chapter on my gardening for a decade or two. Thankfully, in my adult life, my lovely friends have introduced me to the simple and abundant pleasures of gardening. I sit here today knowing, without a doubt, that I will never grow tired of caprese salad prepared fresh from my garden; it doesn't seem my loved ones will either. It is my token pot luck contribution these days.

The beauty of gardening for me is that it connects me to community on so many levels. I am learning about the symbiotic relationships inherent in nature, as we plant, grow, prepare and enjoy. Every time we prepare a meal from our garden, we delight together in something we helped to create and how we are nurturing our bodies with healthy, organic, and flavorful foods. To prepare a meal for my friends and family with fresh pickings from my garden is so exciting and rewarding! As new plants go in, I anticipate their growth and fruit with the excitement of a child every day, as I inspect their progress. I thank them, these sweet little treasures, with such humble gratitude. How did I not know how much fun this could be as a child?

Sunday, we perused the Encinitas/Leucadia Farmer's Market. I have been eating peaches, blueberries and raspberries like candy ever since. Sunday night, we prepared a steak produced with fully sustainable practices by a local farmer. And the figs, oh the figs!!! I spent 30+ years not knowing about figs! Please, I implore you, if you are a parent or significant role model of a child, introduce them young to the pleasures and delights of "real food".

“What we choose to emphasize...will determine our lives. If we see only the worst it destroys our capacity to do something... To live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” -Howard Zinn-

Occasionally I find myself really resonating with this postcard that was posted on www.postsecret.com this week. I start focusing on all the things wrong with the world which usually happens while I’m driving around consuming expensive gas that leads to record breaking oil company profits because I live in a place where driving is as necessary as breathing which actually seems to be the case everywhere. So I take a deep breath and try to turn my thoughts elsewhere which is why blogging has become a great tool for me to shift my paradigm.

There are so many unique individuals doing amazing things and when I start to think about them and how they have found something to live for that inspires and educates me, then my world becomes a more pleasant place. I wish we could all be solar panel, bio-diesel, composting, beer brewing, gardening, goat raising, cheese making, outdoor adventurous geeks that travel the world looking to other cultures for solutions, ideas and self expansion but, sigh, we cannot.

I think if I/we can share our passions with each other we’ll all stay inspired and excited to see the future unfold. I look forward to meeting and showcasing more fabulous people that are making things happen and hopefully we can all help each other get through these crazy times.

Thanks for reading! -Misty

The Mindful Method: Misty Andersen, Pilates Instructor

I am honored to feature my friend and collaborator, Misty Andersen in this post! In so many beautiful ways, Misty embodies the essence of organic community that we are striving for in our lives and with this blog. Misty is also an inspired Pilates instructor in Our Community, the heart of Carlsbad Village. I recently had the opportunity to start my Pilates journey with Misty...


Walking into a Pilates studio for the first time, with total ignorance of the process, I feared I had just entered a torture chamber as I scanned the room full of masochistic looking machines. Looking at Misty’s sweet face, it is hard to imagine she could be the administrator of such punishment, but I have always thought it is the sweet and innocent faces you must beware of!


After some cautionary first movements, under Misty’s expert instruction, I quickly realized these machines were actually really cool. For a 7:00 am workout, lying on your back for most of the hour playing with moving gadgets is not such a bad thing. Although, I must advise, these seemingly insignificant movements, in a prone position, do catch up with you the next morning!


It is a special treat to see a dear friend in their professional element. It often unveils components of their essence that you have not yet had the opportunity to experience. Training with Misty in Pilates, I was able to witness her in a role of expert, professional, and skilled instructor. As awkward as it is to take on a new exercise regimen in unfamiliar surroundings, I felt surprisingly comfortable with her calm, relaxed, and attentive approach to coaching. Misty also brings her subtle, spot-on sense of humor to her Pilates instruction, which makes your training session glide along with laughs, as you feel the burn.


Health and wellness are so vital to our individual sustainability, as it is to our community’s sustainability. Finding a fitness routine that you can maintain is a must! One of the gifts of working out under Misty’s tutelage is she compels you to keep coming and to keep striving for your own health and fitness. If you are in the North County San Diego area, I highly recommend trying Pilates with Misty Andersen and supporting a LOCAL, small businesswoman. You will feel stomach muscles you never knew you had!


Check Misty’s website out at www.themindfulmethod.com for more information or call 310-698-2256 to learn about her new client specials.

The Orchid Man

One man's love of Orchids has blossomed into a thriving business and Encinitas now has a responsible business owner who cares deeply about the people in his community and the environment.

The owner of Encinitas Orchids, Don Doerfler, endears himself to you upon your first meeting! His love of orchids and passion for life fuel his up-and-coming business through his superior customer service and community involvement. Don caught our attention, first with his beautiful arrangements, but held it when he began to discuss his commitment to striving toward a sustainable business. Encinitas Orchids ensures that their orchids are harvested with sustainable practices. He also drives a vintage yellow Mercedes powered by used vegetable oil he collects from local businesses. Free delivery is available for these beautifully crafted arrangements. Yes that's right, no part of the earth has to be drilled to propel this man's flowers to you.

Free Delivery! What is greater than that you may wonder? Don takes it a step further by replacing your dying Orchids (and relieving Orchid phobia) with a blooming one for only the price of the new plant. Don is committed to you enjoying a living Orchid arrangement all year long.

You can find these fabulous arrangements and the man behind them at the Sunday Leucadia Farmer's Market, Saturdays at The Mercato in Little Italy, downtown San Diego, or you can call for an appointment to visit his studio in Encinitas.

Encinitas Orchids

www.encinitasorchids.com

760-533-0991

Written by Contributor, Misty Andersen

Fair Trade: What, Why, & Where

Fair Trade: What, Why, & Where

We are all aware of the endless issues we face socially, economically, and environmentally in our world today. It is very easy to become overwhelmed and in response throw up our hands and say, “what can I do, as one person, that will make a difference.” It is our intention to embark on a journey of empowerment and share this journey with our community, so that we may each step forward knowing that we can and do make a difference both individually and as a collective community.

First stop on this journey, Fair Trade. We both start our days, as many of you likely do, with a good ‘ol cup o’Joe. The sound of the beans grinding, the sweet aroma of it brewing, the steam rising off my foaming soy, and the delicious, invigorating first taste are such fundamental necessities to a day starting off just right. Our simple daily rituals, such as enjoying a cup of coffee, can have significant implications, socially, economically, and environmentally.

Americans consume one-fifth of the world’s coffee, making our country the largest consumer of coffee in the world. Coffee is the United States largest food import and the world's second most valuable traded commodity, behind only petroleum.



Fair Trade: What is it?

Fair Trade is a world-wide collaborative system to ensure producers receive a fair price and a living wage for their commodity. Fair Trade is not exclusive to coffee, and continues to expand its reach.
The following are highlights cited on www.globalexchange.org regarding Fair Trade:

• Forced labor and exploitative child labor are not allowed
• Buyers and producers trade under direct long-term relationships
• Producers have access to financial and technical assistance
• Sustainable production techniques are encouraged
• Working conditions are healthy and safe
• Equal employment opportunities are provided for all
• All aspects of trade and production are open to public accountability

Fair Trade: Why?

Understanding the significance of your purchase power allows you to wield it with ethical intention, that can have far-reaching results. When you choose Fair Trade coffee you are ensuring that participating farmers receive a living wage, and that they are provided loans and assistance with transitioning to organic farming. Coffee purchasers must pledge to pay a minimum of $1.26 per/pound for Fair Trade coffee beans. Without Fair Trade guarantees, farmers have been known to not only go into poverty, but to take their children out of school to work on the farms. One cup of coffee costs us more than the farmers get per pound! When you choose that cup of coffee, consider the sustainability of that purchase for the grower and for our environment.


Fair Trade: Where can I use my purchasing power?

The following area some locations in our are that serve or sell Fair Trade products. Please join us in highlighting other companies that are participating in Fair Trade in our area or yours, in the comments section.

Panniken Coffee & Tea
www.pannikincoffeeandtea.com
Encinitas Café
510 N. Highway 101
Encinitas CA 92024
760-436-5824

Vinaka Cafe
300 Carlsbad Village Dr Ste 211
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 720-7890

2Spoons Coffee Company
www.2spoonscoffee.com/
3829 Plaza Drive
Oceanside, CA 92056
(760) 724-1220

Hill Street Coffee House
524 S. Coast Highway
Oceanside, CA 92054
(760) 966-0985

Naked Cafe
www.thenakedcafe.com
300 Carlsbad Village Dr.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
760.720.7866

E Street Cafe
www.estreetcafe.com
128/130 West "E" Street
Encinitas California 92024
(760) 230-2038

For more information regarding Fair Trade, visit www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/.