Sage Wins 3rd Consecutive Ecostar Award
We are excited to announce that Sage was selected as a recipient of an Ecostar Award for the third consecutive year. The Montana Pollution Prevention Program grants Ecostar Awards to small businesses taking environmentally responsible steps to reduce solid and hazardous waste, maximize efficiencies, conserve energy and water, improve air quality and create a more sustainable business model. Thank you for the recognition!
Bozeman residents, Lindsey and Dustin started Race4Equality with the goal of fighting global extreme poverty. As their first commitment, they are supporting a project providing a fresh water source and a self-sustaining food supply at the Bright Hope School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
They are running one marathon a month for a year and asking others to do the same in an effort to raise awareness and donations for the Bright Hope School and future projects.
It’s hard not to be inspired. Learn more at Race4Equality.com and start training!
Here’s an extra incentive from Sage: New Year > New You
As part of our ongoing Healthy Communities Program, we were happy to donate complimentary spa and salon services to the following organizations in December and January:
Bridger Ski Foundation
Hearts and Homes
Bridger Clinic
Battered Women’s Shelter of Bozeman
Thank you for making Bozeman, and Montana, great places to live!
On the great East African plain it is the human who feels himself the intruder.
As written by Peter Matthiessen in The Tree Where Man Was Born
Part three of a four part video podcast series chronicling a conversation with Peter Matthiessen about nature, writing, conservation, culture, religion and the amazing journey that is his life. Both an introduction to the series and part one can be seen here and part two here.
Bozeman is a great bike commuting and cycling community thanks in part to the Bozeman Bike Kitchen. The Bike Kitchen is a cooperative cycling center dedicated to making the use of bicycles as transportation and fun possible for all members of the Bozeman community. Refuge Building has organized a raffle to support the Bike Kitchen and Sage is a proud sponsor – for more details go here. To win you must be present at the Refuge “I’m Dreaming of a GREEN Christmas” Holiday Event on December 10 at 7:15.
Eat. Bike. Sleep.
“Lifestyle entrepreneur, reluctant business person…Justin currently splits his time growing Wisetail, driving the technology and marketing behind Sage Spa Living which he co-founded with his wife, serving on the Board of American Wildlands, meditating while ultra-distance trail running and spending as much time as possible biking, skiing, climbing and traveling. In a past and less interesting life, he was a runner on the NYSE, a technology consultant in San Francisco with Accenture and a…”
Full interview at ideasmensch.
Does place = bliss?
Our ongoing, ever-changing pursuit of happiness will be an important theme in the wise living* / blog. It seems as though recent events have us all looking at what makes us happy through a new, and perhaps, clearer lens. Happiness ebbs and flows with changes in our health, stress level, sleep, goals and relationships – to name just a few. But, how does the place we live contribute to or reduce our overall happiness?
In The Geography of Bliss, author Eric Weiner circles the globe in search of the answer with some expected and, some surprising, results. Some quick examples:
Simplicity = Bliss
Envy = Not Bliss
Gross National Happiness = TBD
Suffering = Not Bliss
Ability to reinvent yourself = Bliss
The next shiny thing = Not Bliss
Cold and dark in Iceland = Bliss
High and diverse in Amsterdam = Not Bliss
Simplicity is the whole secret of well-being.
As written by Peter Matthiessen in The Snow Leopard
Part two of a four part video podcast series chronicling a conversation with Peter Matthiessen about nature, writing, conservation, culture, religion and the amazing journey that is his life. Both an introduction to the series and part one can be seen here.
Deep Roots in Wild Places (Video)
For over 30 years, our friends at American Wildlands (AWL) have been working to protect the wild places that we all love so much. Places that are both physically beautiful and provide a sense of adventure in the form of a possible bear, wolf, wolverine, elk or moose sighting (to name some of our favorites). These places truly return us to our roots, clear our minds and rejuvenate our souls. AWL’s early work made them a pivotal player in our country’s wilderness movement and today they are at the center of identifying and protecting the critical connections between wild places or, more specifically, wildlife corridors.
You may be wondering why protecting wildlife corridors is so important. Don’t we already have large pieces of land with wildlife in the forms of National Parks, Wilderness Areas, National Forests, and Land Trusts? It’s a valid question and the answer has a lot to do with island biogeography – but ultimately, it comes down to the fact that, much like ourselves, some wildlife need a lot of room to move in order to thrive. Poorly planned roads, fences and developments make such movement difficult and therefore are threatening to turn wild places into, well, just places.
We were fortunate enough to discuss this question with David Quammen, a friend and thought leader on the subject.
To further explore work being done to identify and protect wildlife corridors across the US and around the world, visit FreedomtoRoam.org.
It’s clean, but is it healthy?
Chemicals, chemicals, some more chemicals with a little formaldehyde on the side. These are just a few reasons why Sage replaced our store bought cleaning products and why you should consider doing the same. For everything we buy in the store to clean our homes – window cleaners, wood polishes, and bleach for example – we can get the same effects by using everyday household items like vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. By doing so, we can limit our exposure to nasty chemicals, reduce waste and even save money.
White vinegar, a grease cutter, can be used to clean your windows and pretty much every surface in your house. Just add a little essential oil for scent and two thirds water to dilute. Lemon juice is also a great grease cutter and stain remover. Baking soda can be used as a scrubbing agent to lift dirt off surfaces and eliminate odor. Borax can be found at any drug store for a few dollars and is used to remove dirt and is also an anti-fungal agent. Good old hydrogen peroxide is great as a non-toxic bleach alternative, stain remover and another anti-fungal agent. Olive oil as a furniture polish is our favorite. Just put a quarter cup olive oil in a picnic ketchup bottle with some essential oil and your wood furniture will shine bright and smell sweet. Don’t worry, the wood will soak up the oil, think of it like a great shea butter for your furniture. House hold cleaning products are not the only thing you can make at home. Air fresheners are just as easy, inexpensive and healthier. Grab a spray bottle and pour in one third isopropyl alcohol, two thirds water and your favorite essential oil to your desired strength.
Here are two ways to get you started (taken directly from Gorgeously Green):
An all purpose spray
32 ounce plastic spray bottle
2 cups distilled white vinegar
3/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
20 drops essential oil (or as many drops to your desire)
Air freshener
12 ounce spray bottle
1/3 isopropyl alcohol
2/3 water
20 drops of essential oil (or as many drops to your desire)
It is true that we all can do a little something extra to keep our environments both clean – and healthy – for our friends, family and guests. For more information about healthy cleaning, visit gorgeouslygreen.com.
This post was contributed by Katie M. – Guest Care, Sage in Bozeman, MT
