New Blog Alert: That’s Fit

After much anticipation it brings me joy to announce one of the newest members of the Weblogs, Inc. NetworkThat’s Fit. Our latest and greatest sister-blog is devoted to all things that allow us “to live well and stay well,” according to Kristi Anderson, who provides the official site welcome message. If you’re a fan of the Weblogs, Inc. Network be sure to bookmark That’s Fit and get your fill on fit living for the mind, body and soul. Exercise, diet, alternative therapies, organic living, inner growth, natural beauty and eco-travel are just a few healthy samplings to be found on That’s Fit!

Go on – swing by, check it out and send a warm round-of-sound to the team!

Have A Green Summer & Google Maps

Considering summer officially kicked off last month it’s safe to say this Have A Green Summer and Google Maps campaign isn’t new news to all, but for some of us I’m sure it’s new. What has happened is this: Earth Day Network teamed up with Google to bring eco-friendly, green information to folks traveling to five major metro areas this summer. Areas include Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando and San Francisco. You can use Google maps to hunt down all your green locations while you use Earth Network’s video tours to explore before you go. I’d say this is pretty gnarly if you’re afraid of going some place like Los Angeles because of all the smog and what not. Even better if you’re not a fan of far-off, tropical jungle escapes where everything is green. You can have your city, cake and eat it too provided the icing is a light frosty colored green.

Plenty Magazine

It’s official now – I’ve been
diagnosed with a case of the Green Holy Ghost.  And who knew catching an eco-spirit could be so much fun?
It all started yesterday when I arrived first thing in the morn for the grand opening of a new Wild Oats market here in Tampa. I was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and
determined to be one of the first 200 to nab one of the grand opening goodie bags. After they slapped all eagerly
waiting persons with the kind of green wrist bands you’d get at a nightclub and introduced all the VIP’s including the
mayor we were let loose, running rampant  inside the natural marketplace. In their clever little marketing scheme
you could only pick up your bag at the register after you perused aisles and aisles of healthy fare. Nobody was bold
enough to go to the cashier without one item at the very least, so the smart ones plucked up little energy bars, got in
and got out. Adrienne, on the other hand ended up spending $45 bucks when my goal was to spend half.

Needless to say I was hoping there would be a 5-gallon trial size of ethanol
nestled somewhere inside, but there wasn’t. On the contrary, I did find some delicious energy bars, chocolate soy milk,
coupons and a recent issue of Plenty Magazine. Plenty? Hmm… Never heard of it
before. After just spending a few minutes looking through the glossy mag dedicated to several eco-related topics
including travel, I decided it was a fair trade off for the ethanol I had initially expected. Plenty appears to have
lots to talk about if you’re interested in finding very green events, spa destinations or food happenings for your next
vacation. Check out the online blog for frequent updates or find a magazine
in your area.

And I promise you it won’t even cost you $45.

America's Cleanest & Greenest Cities

The Ames-Boone area
of Iowa normally doesn’t get mentioned around here too much, but it’s time to turn things around or our travel
destinations at least. Forbes.com runs an
interesting health piece which highlights America’s greenest and
cleanest cities
. The listing is based on ozone pollution and particles from data collected by the American Lung
Association’s 2005 set of statistics and according to other research studies pollution is costing a pretty penny. For
businesses it pays to be clean and  for the curious vagabond just looking to roam aimlessly – where better to
spend your time than in clean destinations like those found on their list?

Newton, Iowa or Sioux Falls, South Dakota may not
come off as exciting as NYC, LA or Miami, but who needs the smog and increased exhaust fumes leaking from almost every
vehicle in big city traffic jams? Not me and certainly not you, so if seeing is believing and better for our health
plan ahead before being clean suddenly becomes trendy. The top 10 cleanest and greenest areas in America are as
follows:

  1. Ames-Boone, Iowa
  2. Bellingham,
    Washington
  3. Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville, TX
  4. Cedar
    Rapids, Iowa
  5. Colorado Springs, CO
  6. Deltona-Daytona
    Beach-Palm Coast, FL
  7. Des Moines-Newton-Pella, Iowa
  8. Duluth,
    Minn., Wisconsin
  9. Eugene-Springfield, OR
  10. Fargo-Wahpeton,
    North Dakota., Minn

For a complete list with all
25
visit Forbes and be sure to check out the slide show. It’s so clean you won’t believe your own eyes.