Fit Body Yoga blends traditional yoga practices with cutting edge training techniques to get women into shape. Known as the go-to yoga instructor for several New York sports teams, Gwen presents women with the same moves she uses to keep professional athletes fit and injury-free.
"We are thrilled to work with Gwen Lawrence to offer a yoga DVD that has a strong focus on strength training, enabling us to reach the more fitness-minded consumer," said Bill Sondheim, Gaiam President.
"While I enjoy working with athletes, I am excited to share my knowledge to help others use yoga as a way to reach their fitness goals," said Gwen.
Fit Body Yoga features three practices that can be combined for a total-body workout or used individually to customize a routine to fit individual needs.
Bonus Downloadable Practice - Total Body Express
No time for fitness? Try this 10 minute express toning practice that hits all the major muscle groups... leaving you feeling balanced, energized and refreshed.
Gwen Lawrence's Fit Body Yoga will be available December 6, 2011 at Target stores and wherever DVDs are sold.
Celebrity yoga coach Gwen Lawrence has been a massage therapist for 20 years and a practicing fitness professional since 1990. She combines her thorough understanding of anatomy and body functions with massage therapy, yoga, training, and yoga therapy. In addition to working with professional athletes, both as teams and individual players, Gwen works with college and high school student athletes. At her yoga school, she runs a sport-specific yoga program, Power Yoga for Sports, which includes private yoga training and class instruction. Gwen has previously put together a collection of Power Yoga for Sports DVDs, as well as online videos customized to individual sports. Gwen has appeared on the Today Show, ABC News, and Good Day New York. She is also a regular contributor and host for LUNCH NYC, and has written articles for magazines such as Shape and Women's Health.
Gaiam, Inc. (Nasdaq: GAIA)
is a leading producer and marketer of lifestyle media and fitness
accessories. With a wide distribution network that consists of 62,000
retail doors, over 14,400 store within stores, a digital distribution
platform and more than 10 million direct customers, Gaiam is dedicated
to providing solutions for the many facets of healthy and eco-conscious
living. The company dominates the health and wellness category and
releases non-theatrical programming focused on family entertainment and
conscious media. In addition Gaiam has exclusive licensing agreement
with Discovery Communications and other licensing partners. For more
information about Gaiam, please visit www.gaiam.com or call 1.800.869.3603.
"2011 is the year to lower your carbon footprint! By incorporating a few small changes into your everyday routine, you have the power to make a difference," says P. Allen Smith, award-winning garden designer and regular lifestyle contributor on NBC's The TODAY Show.
"This Earth Day, challenge yourself to make a few simple changes. Here are 6 easy tips to implement into your everyday routine":
The new YogaScene media player (http://www.facebook.com/mindbodyfinder) was released by MINDBODY in collaboration with yoga and spiritual masters Shiva Rea, Ram Dass and Krishna Das. The player allows users to watch videos, listen to music and interviews, shop for yoga products and find yoga classes - all in one place. Users can share this free content by clicking the "share" button at the top of the player and indicating on which social media platforms they'd like to share, bookmark or email the player.
MINDBODY clients who offer yoga classes will reach practitioners in a whole new way through the YogaScene's "Class" section, where users can find yoga classes in their area, no matter their location. Users can also download this feature as a mobile app to their smartphones through the YogaScene's "Cool Stuff" section. Businesses not already listed can easily add their locations for free by going to http://www.mindbodydot.com.
In addition to this yoga class finder, the MINDBODY YogaScene offers free content including music from Krishna Das, streaming videos from Ram Dass and Shiva Rea, interviews from Ram Dass and links to yoga products from partners like Manduka and be present. For more information on MINDBODY's partners, Shiva Rea, Ram Dass and Krishna Das, visit: http://www.mindbodyonline.com/yogascenepartners.
"We are so excited about the MINDBODY YogaScene player and our partnership with industry icons like Shiva Rea, Ram Dass and Krishna Das," stated MINDBODY Co-Founder and CEO Rick Stollmeyer. "We are passionate about our clients' success and are always on the lookout for how best to provide them with innovative yet affordable tools to help their studios thrive well into the future."
"The MINDBODY YogaScene is just the latest way we have embodied our mission to leverage technology to improve the health and wellness of the world," said Stollmeyer. "By connecting more practitioners with these yoga leaders, and by offering simple ways for people to remain active while on the go, we continue to help improve the health of yoga fans the world over."
Due in large part to MINDBODY's commitment to the continual improvement and evolution of its software and services, the company has enjoyed consistent growth over the years with a client base that increases by approximately 70% each year - reaching over 11,000 clients in over 60 countries by the end of 2010 - making it one of the fastest growing software providers in the United States. SOURCE MINDBODY, Inc.
]]>The Oikos campaign, conducted at select health clubs in the HCMN network, consists of attractive ads coupled with tear-off, instant redeemable coupons (IRC) valued at $1.00 off any Oikos products. The ads promote the organic yogurt as having zero percent fat and two times the protein of ordinary yogurts and features the campaign's tagline, "Possibly the best yogurt in the world."
Anne-Sophie Schmitt, brand manager, Stonyfield Farm said, "We turned to HCMN for this campaign in order to enhance awareness, drive trial and influence the opinions and purchasing behavior of Oikos among active adults. HCMN also allowed us to geo-target our consumer outreach to select gym locations that were near key retailers that sell our products."
This is Stonyfield's first campaign with HCMN (www.hcmn.com), the largest exclusive provider of advertising and marketing programs in health clubs and fitness centers across the U.S.
"Our CPG clients are targeting health- and nutrition-focused audiences where they are choosing to improve their lives and right before they go on a regular shopping trip," said Richard Hirsch, EVP, Health Club Media Network. "These clients are finding that coupon tear pads placed on in-club media panels are generating redemption rates that are ten to 20 times their benchmark FSI rates."
Stonyfield Farm, celebrating its 27th year, is the world's leading organic yogurt company. Its all natural and certified organic yogurt, smoothies, milk, cultured soy, frozen yogurt and ice cream are distributed nationally. The company advocates that healthy food can only come from a healthy planet. Its use of organic ingredients helps keep over 180,000 farm acres free of toxic, persistent pesticides and chemical fertilizers known to contaminate soil, drinking water and food. To help reduce climate change, Stonyfield offsets all of the C02 emissions generated from its facility energy use. The company also started a nonprofit called Climate Counts (climatecounts.org) which shows people how they can help fight climate change by the way they shop and invest. Stonyfield also donates 10% of its profits to efforts that help protect and restore the Earth. For more information about Stonyfield Farm, its products and initiatives, visit www.stonyfield.com.
Founded in 1995, HCMN (www.hcmn.com) has grown to become the U.S. market leader in the field of health club advertising and marketing. HCMN's exclusive network now extends to nearly 4,000 clubs across 49 states and 120+ DMAs, with significant presence in the top 20 DMAs. The company's clients include Kraft, Unilever, P&G, Honda, GSK, Target, Coca-Cola and many others. HCMN is headquartered in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York and Chicago. Its investors include Parthenon Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in San Francisco and Boston.
Source: Health Club Media Network (HCMN)
]]>The Food and Drug Administration called today for stepped up efforts to improve food safety practices in retail food establishments, specifically pointing to the need for the presence of certified food safety managers to oversee safety practices. FDA pledged to work closely with state and local governments and operators of restaurants, grocery stores and other food service establishments to prevent illness from contaminated food.
FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods Michael R. Taylor cited the retail food industry's recent progress in key areas as well as room for improvement, based on the findings released today from FDA's 10-year study tracking the retail industry's efforts to reduce five key risk factors.
"In looking at the data, it is quite clear that having a certified food protection manager on the job makes a difference," Taylor said. "Some states and localities require certified food protection managers already, and many in the retail industry employ them voluntarily as a matter of good practice. We think it should become common practice."
A component of the 10-year study, the 2009 retail food report, found that the presence of a certified food protection manager in four facility types was correlated with statistically significant higher compliance levels with food safety practices and behaviors than in facilities lacking a certified manager. For instance, compliance in full service restaurants was 70 percent with a manager, versus 58 percent without a manager. In delicatessens, compliance was 79 percent with a manager, versus 64 percent without. For seafood markets, compliance with a manager was 88 percent, versus 82 percent without. And in produce markets, compliance was 86 percent with a manager, versus 79 percent without.
In addition to calling for certified food protection managers to be common practice, Taylor said the FDA initiative will include:
"The key to food safety is prevention at every step from farm to table. Food retail managers, like growers and processors, have a responsibility to reduce the risk of foodborne illness," Taylor said. "We want to build on past progress through continued collaboration with the retail industry and strengthened partnerships with state, local and tribal agencies in their standard-setting and compliance efforts."
The 10-year study looked at more than 800 retail food establishments in 1998, 2003 and 2008 and five risk factors: food from unsafe sources, poor personal hygiene, inadequate cooking, improper holding of food (time and temperature), and contaminated food surfaces and equipment.
FDA found that overall compliance improved in all nine categories of establishments. The improvements were statistically significant in elementary schools, fast food restaurants, full-service restaurants, meat and poultry markets and departments, and produce markets and departments. Improvements, although not statistically significant, were seen in hospitals, nursing homes, deli departments/stores and seafood markets and departments.
However, according to FDA, continued improvements are needed across the board, in regard to three risk factors: poor personal hygiene, improper holding of food, and contaminated food surfaces and equipment.
More than 3,000 state, local and tribal agencies have primary responsibility to regulate the more than 1 million food establishments in the United States. FDA assists the regulatory agencies and the retail industry through the Food Code, which contains prevention-oriented and science-based food safety guidance, training, program evaluation and technical assistance.
For more information:
FDA Trend Analysis Report (1998-2008) http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/RetailFoodProtection/FoodborneIllnessandRiskFactorReduction/RetailFoodRiskFactorStudies/ucm223293.htm
2009 FDA Report http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/RetailFoodProtection/FoodborneIllnessandRiskFactorReduction/RetailFoodRiskFactorStudies/ucm224321.htm
Backgrounder: FDA Retail Food Risk Factor Study
Backgrounder: FDA Retail Food Safety Initiative
FDA Food Code
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/FoodCode2009/default.htm
FDA National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/RetailFoodProtection/ProgramStandards/ucm180269.htm
Ensuring Food Safety: The Cooperative Retail Food Program
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm223441.htm
Ensuring Food Safety: The Cooperative Retail Food Program (photo slideshow)
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm230343.htm
Media Inquiries: Pat El-Hinnawy, 301-796-4763, patricia.el-hinnawy@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA
"Shoppers want more information about what's happening to their food," said Michael Besancon, Whole Foods Market senior global vice president of purchasing, distribution and marketing. "The Non-GMO Project's program helps us stay true to our mission of offering food in its most natural and unadulterated state. We're committed to this program because it gives us and our suppliers a way to label non-GMO verified products and to educate consumers so they can make informed choices."
Whole Foods Market shoppers can learn more about non-GMO verified products through store displays in October and by visiting the company's website. October 10 is Non-GMO Day, and Whole Foods Market stores throughout the country will offer product tastings and demonstrations.
Genetically engineered varieties of plants such as corn, soy, canola and sugar beets are designed to be able to withstand direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. More than 30 countries including Australia, Japan and all of the European Union, have restrictions and/or bans on the production of GMOs because they are not considered proven safe.
According to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, approximately 80 percent of the food on grocery store shelves in the U.S. contains at least one GMO ingredient. While Federal law compels organic producers to comply with non-GMO requirements through the USDA organic standards, there is no standard for labeling GMOs in non-organic products.
"Most Americans have no idea that there are GMOs in their food, and may not even know what a GMO is," said Megan Westgate, executive director of the Non-GMO Project. "At the same time, study after study points to potential health risks and consumers in most developed countries around the world won't eat them. Americans deserve the same information and safe choices that consumers in Europe and elsewhere have, and that's what the Non-GMO Project and Non-GMO Month are all about."
The Non-GMO Project, with the support of Whole Foods Market, established America's first third-party non-GMO verified label--the "Non-GMO Project Verified" seal--to help shoppers recognize which products meet rigorous GMO avoidance practices. Verified products range from cereal and snacks to soy beverage products. Unfortunately, due to cross-contamination and pollen drift, very few products in the U.S. are completely free of GMOs. The Non-GMO Project standard is a process-based standard that avoids the intentional use of GMO ingredients by providing suppliers with procedures and best practices for minimizing the presence of GMO ingredients.
Whole Foods Market has enrolled its 365 Every Day Value store brand in the Non-GMO Project Product Verification Program. The company plans to celebrate the launch of the seal on many other products during Non-GMO Month. Of Whole Foods Market's private label products, several varieties of tortillas chips already bear the seal. For more information about GMOs and Non-GMO Month, visit www.nongmoproject.org.
SOURCE Whole Foods Market
]]>Over the last decade, the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade has raised and donated nearly $700 million to accelerate research and improve access to breast cancer care in more than 50 countries. Reese Witherspoon says, "Kiss Breast Cancer Goodbye is the Crusade's latest call to action against this disease that touches all of us. Here in the United States, one woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes. I am proud to stand with the Avon Foundation for Women in this important crusade to raise both awareness and funds that will save lives."
This October Avon launches its latest fund-raising product, the Lips for Life tote. Priced at $5 each, 100% of net proceeds ($3.74) will go to Avon Breast Cancer Crusade beneficiaries, including leading cancer research and clinical centers, and community-based, non-profit breast health education programs. The tote is available at PasstheKissOn.org and through Avon Representatives, by calling 1-800-FOR-AVON or by visiting www.avon.com.
Avon also has created a fun online tool that people can activate to remind one another of the many resources available to manage breast health. "Pass the Kiss On" is a customizable online widget, available at www.PasstheKissOn.org, featuring Reese Witherspoon and a pair of "talking" lips. People can send family and friends a personalized message expressing support, urging them to get a mammogram, and encouraging them to pass the message along.
"Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. We are encouraging everyone to spread the word that early detection and treatment can save lives," says Carol Kurzig, President of the Avon Foundation for Women. "By passing the kiss on, people can help the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade raise funds and awareness to accelerate research, with an emphasis on developing new diagnostic tests and tailored therapies, and ensure that all women (and men) get the breast cancer screening and care they need."
The Avon Foundation for Women was founded in 1955 to improve the lives of women, and brings this mission to life through focus on two key issues: breast cancer and domestic violence. Through 2010, Avon global philanthropy has donated more than $800 million in more than 50 countries for causes most important to women. The Avon Breast Cancer Crusade launched in 1992, and Avon breast cancer programs in more than 50 countries have raised almost $700 million for research and advancing advance access to care, with a focus on the medically underserved. Funding is awarded to beneficiaries ranging from leading cancer centers to community-based grassroots breast health programs. In addition to generous support from Avon Products, Inc., funds are raised through the sale of Avon "pink ribbon" products, as well as a variety of events, races and walks; the U.S. Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series is the Foundation's largest fund-raising source. SOURCE Avon Foundation for Women
The first event is an Open House Week in which Yoga Center is making free yoga available to the community. Anyone interested in trying classes at Yoga Center may attend as many classes as they want the week of Saturday, October 16 through Friday, October 22 at no charge.
A special four-week meditation class series on "Nada Yoga, Using Sound to Have a Deeper Meditation Experience and Gain Peace of Mind," is the next event. This series is offered for only $40 in honor of the 40th anniversary rather than the regular charge of $75. The classes will be held on four consecutive Tuesday evenings from 6:00 pm - 6:50 pm beginning October 19.
Launching 2011 off to strong start, Yoga Master Ramakrishna Ananda, the founder of Yoga Center of California, will offer a four-week series on "Prosperity and the Law of Attraction." The series will be held on four consecutive Tuesday evenings from 7:30--9:00 pm beginning January 4, 2011. In celebration of the 40th anniversary, the cost for this series is only $40 representing a savings of $35.
Free monthly Saturday afternoon seminars will be offered in February, March and April 2011. Topics include: Stress Reduction, The Power of Mantrams and How Pranayamas (breathing techniques) Can Increase Your Vitality and Stamina. The specific dates will be announced in January.
A Yoga Center member's only dinner cruise event kicks off the anniversary festivities on Saturday, Oct 2. During the cruise there will be presentations on the Changing Face of Yoga and Yoga Students throughout the past four decades.
Founded in 1970, Yoga Center teaches asanas (exercises) in an authentic yoga style to gain maximum health, vitality and inner peace. The Center has a strong focus on meditation, ensuring that students experience peace of mind and also maintain the benefits of the exercises. Yoga Center provides the highest quality of teaching with all instructors going through teacher training for 3-5 years and studying with Yoga Master Ramakrishna Ananda.
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By investigating health and beauty claims and test-driving every single experience they cover, Brue and Gelula have created a reliable and trusted resource for the swelling ranks of New Yorkers seeking the latest well-being services and information. Well + Good clues readers into what's worth their time and money, and what's definitely not.
Well + Good publishes several articles a day and sends two subscriber e-mails per week. Its well-researched articles provide a clever and critical approach to a healthy New York City lifestyle. It celebrates living well in the city, but substitutes the latest workout for the latest restaurant and best acupuncturists for New York Magazine's Best Doctors.
"Our five content channels--Good Sweat, Good Looks, Good Escapes, Good Advice, and Good Food--reflect the key components of wellness," says co-founder Alexia Brue. "It's our mission to present these wellness pillars in an accessible and affordable way that's also quirky and fun for our readers."
A News + Deals microblog covers breaking well-being stories, as well as act-now bargains. The editors also curate event listings on the website's Events Calendar, and keep an enthusiastic community of health-conscious readers engaged throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter. The Well + Good community also gathers offline for monthly events that give Subscribers access to the city's best fitness experiences and renowned health and natural beauty experts.
"A lot of people associate New York City with buzz-worthy restaurants and boozy nightlife, but it's also a wellness capital with lots of healthy living options," says co-founder Melisse Gelula. "The city has a passionate yoga community, leading well-being experts, and loves its farmer's markets as much as its museums. Now it has an insider guide that delivers entertaining and reliable news to health-conscious New Yorkers."
Prior to its official launch, magazine journalists Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula started Well + Good as a single column blog. Brue, who holds an M.A. in journalism from Columbia University, is the author of Cathedrals of the Flesh: My Search for the Perfect Bath (Bloomsbury) and has written for the New York Times Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, and Vogue among others. Gelula began her career as a Fodor's editor, where she authored many travel resource guides. She is the former editor in chief of SpaFinder Lifestyle and beauty editor of Luxury SpaFinder Magazine and has written for Departures, Martha Stewart Living, and Budget Travel among others. Well + Good is a natural extension of the founders' knowledge of and passion for fitness, healthy eating, and alternative medicine.
The cornerstone of the organization is a troupe of 12 professionals, the lustigdancetheatre. This unique dance company will be housed at the new studios. Board of Trustees President, Richard Salvadore was inspired "To create an outlet for Graham and his dancers who are truly passionate about this art form." The company's repertoire will have a foundation built on Mr. Lustig's highly respected and innovative work and will also include works by up-and-coming choreographers.
Opening September 20, LDT's Dance and Wellness Studio will provide a positive atmosphere for students to experience first hand the benefits of dance. Located within walking distance of the New Brunswick train station, there are two dance studios with a Wi-Fi enabled waiting lounge. Classes will be offered for all ages in ballet, contemporary, hip hop and tap along with Pilates, yoga-stretch and "Fit Folk" - music and movement for seniors - with many of the classes being taught by experienced LDT company members.
Collaboration, live music, community-focused educational programming, and personal interaction between dancers and audience highlight LDT's commitment to providing New Jersey and beyond a relevant and engaging experience with art.
The general public is invited to LDT's free open house September 15-17, 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm and September 18, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. Interact with the company dancers, enjoy refreshments, and attend free open classes.
Graham Lustig is based in New Brunswick, NJ heading up his new company lustigdancetheatre. He is also working part time as a consultant for the Oakland Ballet Company.
Classes at LDT's Dance and Wellness Studio begin September 20. A preview of this new company can be seen October 23 at Ramapo College followed by the official premiere November 5 at Middlesex County College.
lustigdancetheatre is located at 80 Albany Street in Downtown New Brunswick.
]]>The participants will outline concept of yoga with practical examples and highlight the upcoming nationwide event on August 29, part of the Serve.gov initiative, in the spirit of President Barack Obama's "Active Lifestyle Challenge."
Readers are invited to enter the contest at http://www.yogajournal.com/sweep/94 to win a Yoga Revolution CD, which was created to raise funds for yoga-based fitness classes in schools serving underserved youth throughout the country.
"Maintaining a healthy life balance comes in many forms, whether it's taking natural vitamin supplements or simply getting kids to move to music," said Dr. Mayur M. Dev, yoga practitioner, pharmacist and director of product safety for Nutra Summa. "Nutra Summa is committed to increasing customers' knowledge and education on our innovative products which is why we have a pharmacist on staff. We proudly support the mission of Yoga Revolution."
Yoga Revolution was produced by Frank Fitzpatrick, a multi-platinum producer, Grammy-nominated songwriter, yogi and the founder of EarthTones. The CD is part of EarthTones' Music with A Heart program and features Nettwerk Music CEO and yogi, Terry McBride, as the executive producer. Proceeds from the CD will benefit the Yoga Health Foundation's national health education and fitness programs.
For more information about Yoga Revolution visit www.yogarevolution.org. For more information about Nutra Summa, visit www.nutrasumma.com.
With the hospitality and multifamily industries on the front lines of the bed bug resurgence, the potential for business travelers and apartment-dwelling employees to pick up bed bugs and bring them into the office has greatly increased. This exposure created a perfect storm for commercial real estate. Orkin conducted a survey with the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International in early 2010 and found that one in 10 respondents reported bed bug incidents in a commercial property.
"Ten percent may not sound significant at first," noted Ron Harrison, Ph.D., Orkin's director of technical services. "But it is a concerning statistic when you consider that these properties don't represent the typical bed bug habitat - a place where people sleep."
Harrison spoke at the BOMA International annual conference in June to address the impending threat to commercial property managers and building owners, noting that Orkin's bed bug treatments in commercial properties more than tripled from 2008 to 2009.
"At BOMA International, we felt it was important to be proactive in presenting this information to our members," said BOMA Senior Vice President Patricia M. Areno, CAE. "Commercial real estate leaders have the opportunity to educate themselves and their tenants to prepare for a possible bed bug epidemic."
Bed bugs are reddish-brown blood-feeders roughly the size and shape of apple seeds. The nocturnal pests surfaced from nearly a half-century of inactivity in the early part of this decade, predominantly in hotels. Increased international travel and a more targeted approach to pest control contributed to bed bugs reestablishing a presence in the U.S. Nationally, Orkin saw bed bug treatments double from 2008 to 2009, a trend it expects will continue this year. While New York City has been in the news recently for its efforts to curb bed bugs, the top five hot spots for bed bug activity, according to Orkin treatment data, are Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, followed by Chicago, Denver and Detroit.
Orkin's treatments in commercial real estate are still limited when compared with the hospitality and multifamily industries. In Orkin's Midwest Commercial Region, which services four of the company's top five bed bug cities, office building treatments range from 10-15 per month. Harrison hopes that the educational measures Orkin has initiated will keep it that way, even as high-profile incidents like retail store infestations in the Northeast garner nationwide media exposure.
"Commercial real estate is facing what multifamily dwellings faced a few years ago," said Harrison, who remembers the number of bed bug incidents in multifamily housing significantly increasing in 2008.
Unlike sparsely furnished hotel rooms, apartments and condos contain personal belongings and more furniture, providing ample shelter for bed bugs. Orkin experts also observe that apartment dwellers often recycle furniture from prior residents, which can perpetuate an existing infestation. By the close of the decade and for the first time since bed bugs resurfaced, Orkin treatments in multifamily properties exceeded those in hospitality, in some regions by three or four times the volume.
Harrison collaborated with the National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI) earlier this year on a bed bug white paper and a series of webinars for property management professionals, and participated in the National Apartment Association's annual conference.
"In addition to learning identification and remediation techniques, apartment management professionals were eager to discuss how to communicate with residents about bed bug prevention," said Maureen Lambe, CAE, executive vice president of the NAA Education Institute. "Our members recognize that good communication and resident cooperation are critical to successful remediation."
Bed Bug Resources for Multifamily and Commercial Properties:
]]>Bellagio is world-renowned for the spectacular floral exhibitions found within its sunlit Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Each display memorably showcases tens of thousands of flowers, plants and organic materials in artful vignettes. When an exhibit ends, however, the journey just begins for each planting - all find a new beginning through a composting endeavor that turns them into nutrient-rich mulch, creating an endless circle of life.
Actively dedicated to environmentally sustainable practices, Bellagio's expert Horticulture staff composted and recycled more than 600 tons of materials in 2009 alone including flowers, trees, shrubs and plants. In addition, Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens now lines its horticulture beds with a layer of recycled tire bits, instead of mulch, eliminating the need to constantly replace the drainage barrier. A Horticulture staff of 40 creates and maintains each spectacular display of nature in full bloom.
"Bellagio understands the vital importance of recycling and the impact we have on the environment by doing our part," said Director of Horticulture Andy Garcia. "Our Horticulture staff works extremely hard to envision and implement spectacular floral displays, and we work equally hard to determine ways to recycle and reuse these materials. As a result of that effort, I am pleased to say nearly 100 percent of our exhibits reappear as mulch either within the Conservatory or the surrounding grounds of Bellagio."
Cindy Ortega, Senior Vice President of Energy and Environmental Services for MGM Resorts International, said, "Being green isn't just about putting a cup in a recycling bin. Being green is an ever-evolving consciousness that drives us to constantly look for ways to protect the environment and then ask ourselves if we can do more. Bellagio's horticulture recycling endeavor is a shining example of MGM Resorts International's dedication to this earth-first philosophy."
The corporate-wide sustainability practices of MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) have led to substantial reductions in electricity, gas and water usage at all of its properties. To learn more about the company's global commitment to green practices, visit www.mgmresorts.com/company/environmental-responsibility.aspx. For more on Bellagio's sustainability efforts, go to www.bellagio.com/hotel/sustainability.aspx.
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