Green Options

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Of the great apes–a group that includes chimps, gorillas, and bonobos–the orangutan (found only in the tropical rain forests of Sumatra and Borneo islands) is the most endangered, currently. Recent wild fires, tribal conflicts and on-going deforestation has seriously dwindled their total habitat. Some primatologists believe that the orangutan is the closest primate relative to humans–more than even the chimpanzee.

1. Get together with friends and laugh. Laughing increases vitality, cleanses energy, and brings the mind and body into harmony and balance. Laughter not only boosts beauty, it also increases the release of joy increasing endorphins!
2. Cultivate gratitude with daily lists. Taking one minute each morning to write down a handful of things you have to be grateful for jumps starts the day on a good note.
3. Create your personal mood boosting meditations. This is so simple, as all you need is your memory, to remind you of your favorite place, and find some headphones with relaxing music or focus on your natural rhythmic breathing in silence.

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~ e e cummings

Previously we shared some ways to boost happiness, and now let’s find out more about the benefits of laughter.

Laughing increases vitality, cleanses energy, and brings the mind and body into harmony and balance. Laughter also increases the release of joy increasing endorphins!

“In Seven Pointers to Lift a Bad Mood” Dr. Mao tells us:

“No one can live a long and healthy life without the will to go on; sometimes mood swings can make us feel that life is too much for us. A bad mood not only gives you a gloomy outlook, it also lowers your immune function, leading the way to illness.” He recommends “Laugh Therapy,” pioneered by Norman Cousins.

As it turns out laughter is the number one prescription for a bad mood. For example, laughter and joy boost immune functions, especially the production of natural defense cells in the body that protect us from illness and cancer.

Extra body benefits of a good laugh include:

Earth Day is nearly past, but there’s a few minutes left to just have a laugh after a day of celebration. I’m about to share my double-secret mom tricks. Now, keep these to just us parents, right?

Now and then, we parents have to be creative. Someday, if our kids are lucky, we’ll share these secrets when they have kids of their own. Maybe. Or maybe we’ll just have a bit of a laugh first then let them in on it. (fun after the jump).

I once had someone suggest to me that environmentalists didn’t have enough fun. Granted, that person was a flame-throwing stilt walker, so her idea of fun might be a bit different from yours and mine. But the question remains: do environmentalists take themselves too seriously?

Now you may be shocked by this question. I was. I mean, if you can’t see the fun in trying to save the world from global warming and mass

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On Monday, we announced the Green Options The Lighter Side of Green contest, and we've been really pleased with the response we've received. Of course, we'd love to see more contest submissions, so if you think you can make us laugh, take your shot at a $100 cash prize and a starter contract as GO's resident funny man or woman.

Let’s face it: those of us living and promoting the green life can be awfully serious. That’s understandable, as we’re dealing with serious issues like climate change, resource depletion and ecological degradation.

At Green Options, though, we know that green can be fun. In fact, we even believe it can be downright hilarious! And we’re pretty certain that some of you also see the lighter side of the green life.

With that in

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