For those who are not familiar with the meaning of “feng shui“, it literally translates to mean “wind and water.”

Feng Shui is about how the “chi”, or the energy of the life force, flows around us and influences our lives. The main aspect of this energy is that it should be in balance.

There are five Feng Shui elements. There are no good or bad elements but each one has its own influence on the other. The five basic elements are metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The Chinese believe that these are the basic elements of the universe and everything in our world is an amalgam of the five elements.

There are colors associated with each element. They are:

Element and Associated Color

Metal - White, Aqua blue
Wood - Green, hunter green
Water - Black, navy blue
Fire - Red, light purple
Earth - Yellow, light brown

Here are Ten Top Tips to Feng Shui your kitchen for better health and prosperity.

1. The kitchen should not be the first room you want to see when you enter your house.

2. The kitchen should not be located below a toilet or adjacent to it.

3. The kitchen should have several levels of lighting, creating an airy and spacious, clean, bright and welcoming environment

4. Keep the kitchen simple and do not overload it with gadgets.

5. De-clutter worktops and cabinets alike.

6. Fresh flowers bring uplifting energy to the kitchen. Place a bowl of fruit, a vase of flowers, or a living plant in your kitchen.

7. Always use bright Yang colors like oranges, greens, browns and bright yellows as this is the Yang sector of your home. Yellow (any shade) is very good for digestion.

8. The oven should not face the front door under any circumstances.

9. Fire and water should not be aligned side by side or directly opposite the each other. Separate the two with a partition made of wood if you don’t have a choice.

10. The kitchen is a perfect place to grow herbs and vegetables. Any green growing plant will vitalize your space; growing food increases your ability to generate wealth exponentially. Whenever you water your plant, visualize that you are investing in your future and caring for your financial needs.

We hope you enjoy your newly energized space.

by Ian and Jo Ludlow
About the Authors: Ian and Jo Ludlow have worked in the home improvement industry for many years. They can be contacted through any of the following websites. http://www.design-ideas-for-kitchens.com
http://www.home-and-garden-ideas.com
http://www.sales-and-management-training.com
Ian Ludlow’s background is in sales training and coaching with a specialization in supporting companies that sell direct to the public.

Buy the Book: The Feng Shui Kitchen
Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/loremipsum/82848198/

Investigate and organize your vacation using the internet:
Travel companies produce millions of thick glossy brochures each year for us to look through for inspiration. Rather than taking a pile of these from your travel agent, do your browsing online and only print out the pages you need.

Offset your carbon footprint when flying:
We’re not saying don’t travel but we are saying that you do it responsibly and this includes paying to offset the amount of carbon produced when you fly. Go to climatecare.org or carbonneutral.com for details.

Prepare your house:
Before you go away, make sure to turn off all your appliances. Don’t leave them on standby. Also remember to cancel your delivered newspapers to ensure your home is left empty and efficient.

Packing:
The heavier the plane the more fuel it will use so take care when packing - do you really need to take an iron or a hairdryer if they are able to be borrowed locally?

Babies and toddlers:
Leave the stroller at home and save the hassle and extra weight of transporting it by using a sling or backpack-style child carrier. Also take your own disposable diapers as it can be difficult to find environmentally-friendly ones overseas.

Accommodations:
Just as you would at home make sure that the lights, TVs, air conditioning etc. are turned off when not needed. And try to forego freshly laundered towels and sheets every day.

Sun care:
Use natural products or locally produced ones, natural and organic options are kinder to your skin and the environment.

Leisure time:
Where it is possible, try hiring a bicycle, or use public transport rather than hiring a car. If you must hire a car, join one of the carbon neutral schemes such as Avis and Alamo. Digital cameras are more eco-friendly than film-based ones and if you go diving remember it’s a case of look but don’t touch where the coral is concerned

Recycle, reuse, reduce:
Litter on beaches is one of the tourism industry’s biggest issues so make sure that you take all garbage away with you and recycle it whenever possible.

Do as the locals do:
Enrich your travel experience by supporting the local economy. Drink regional wine, beer and liquors and avoid imported international brands and their associated air miles.

Author: Evan Moss
About the author: Find cheaper travel insurance at AA Travel Insurance. Find a variety of different types of holiday insurance to suit whatever holiday arrangements you have met. Visit: http://www.aa-travelinsurance.com

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/visita-kerala/2291401961/

Author: James Grierson

Speciality coffee by its nature is fairly traded. Rather than being treated as a commodity on the futures market, it is traded on its quality, which in turn demands a premium price for the
farmer. For example, in May 2006 ‘Hacienda la Esmeralda Geisha’ coffee, from Panama, set a record of USD50.25 per pound at online auction (This award winning coffee retails for over
USD100 a pound). More over, it is not only third world countries which grow coffee, developed nations such as Australia and United States (Hawaii) also have established industries.

Many people imagine coffee to be grown in large plantations akin to vineyards, with row after row of coffee bushes. This may be the case for the beans that are sold to make your jar of instant coffee, but speciality coffee tends to be grown in smallholdings by the indigenous people of the land. In contrast to the mono-culture of plantations, these smallholdings are bio-diverse. The farmers cultivate the land with self-sufficiency in mind. They have to feed their family and
their livestock as well as growing coffee and other produce they can sell.

“Fair trade’s strategic intent is to deliberately work with marginalised producers and workers in order to help them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency. It also aims at empowering them to become stakeholders in their own organizations and actively play a wider role in the global arena to achieve greater equity in international trade.” Wikipedia.com

This approach has great benefit for both the quality of the coffee and the sustainability of the land. The bio-diversity of the smallholding attracts natural predators to eat the pests, so
chemicals are not needed. The nutrients of the soil are not drained as the different species of plants require and produce different nutrients. And so, although most farmers choose not to
pay to be certified, their produce is organic and therefore better for us.

So you should feel good when you buy speciality coffee. Not only is it fairly traded, but it is grown in a sustainable and organic manner. You get great tasting coffee which is ethically
sound.

“Few Americans realize that agriculture workers in the coffee industry often toil in what can be described as “sweatshops in the fields.” Many small coffee farmers receive prices for their coffee that are less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt.
Fair Trade is a viable solution to this crisis, assuring consumers that the coffee we drink was purchased under fair conditions.” Globalexchange.org

Shop for fair trade coffee

About the author:
James Grierson is the owner of Galla Coffee: http://www.gallacoffee.co.uk - UK online retailer of designer coffee accessories. Through the Coffee Knowledge section of his website he aims to help people understand more about coffee and give them tips on how to make great tasting coffee in their home.

Check out
http://www.gallacoffee.co.uk/acatalog/Coffee_Knowledge.html for more articles.