Let’s hope the worst of this year’s hurricane season has passed. People in Haiti, Cuba and parts of Texas were hit hard and suffered many losses so I have chosen three organizations to send some financial assistance to.

Hope for Haiti

Global Giving (for their Cuban relief)

Direct Relief International (for their work in the Gulf Coast)

When giving to organizations like this it’s wise to do some research and support organizations that are highly regarded, efficiently run, ideologically unbiased and who have a track record of transferring all or most of donations to direct relief programs rather than administrative costs or fundraising. I think these three are worthy of our support. Please consider making a donation.

BYD is sponsoring the Second Annual Beat the Street for Little Feet 5K and Fun Run in Historic Oakhurst. a benefit race for the Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool. We’re also offering a free 10 Day Intro to all runners who enter the race (excluding existing BYD clients). You can sign up for a Kids Fun Run, a One Mile Short Run or the full 5K & Phantom Runners. Visit the OCP web site for details.

update - This W/D is no longer available.

We have a perfectly good, used, low-energy, high-efficiency, ventless washer-dryer that we don’t need (we bought a larger model). It washes and drys in the same tank, plugs into a standard 110v wall outlet and doesn’t need to be vented. The only down side, and the reason we replaced it, is that it’s not ideal for large or heavy loads. You can read about it at the distributor web site.

This washer sells new for $1400. I tried selling it but no-one replied and I haven’t been able to find any charitable organizations that accept washer/dryers. I am now willing to give it to anyone who will come pick it up. It’s the shape and size of a standard washer and only a little heavier. I do not have a hand cart or dolly and we’re on the second floor.

Anybody? It’s taking up space in my closet and I hate to see something useful be un-used.

Twenty years ago I volunteered as an escort at the Feminist Women’s Health Center when Rev. Flip Benham and his misguided flock arrived soon after the Democratic Convention to harass the Center’s clients and staff. It’s been relatively quiet there ever since but Operation Rescue is coming back July 12-19 with a promise to not only harass the clinic but also the employee’s at their homes. In light of the serious violence, and even murder, of abortion provider’s that has occurred through the nation, this time the Center is relying on professional security guards in addition to better law enforcement protection to ensure safety.

The Feminist Women’s Health Center is a non-profit health resource providing a wide range of health and education services. Providing the enhanced security is going to be costly and they need help paying for it. But that’s not the only reason to support the Center. For more than 30 years the Center has been providing accessible, respectful women’s health care and advocating for reproductive health and justice for all women, including those who are under-served due to race, ethnicity, socio-economic level, cultural orientation, sexuality, disability, size, age or national origin.

update - I omitted a key piece of information: we have some pledge sheets at the studio if you’re able to make a donation.

We ask a lot of our brothers and sisters who serve in the military particularly in times of prolonged conflict such as are happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. The things our soldiers have to endure in combat are bad enough but then the service and support they get upon return are shamefully lacking. The Veterans Administration does a lot but it’s vastly underfunded and ill-equipped to provide even adequate care and support for the thousands of returning combat soldiers and their families.

Veterans commit suicide at twice the rate of other Americans. One quarter of our homeless population are military veterans. The rate of returning troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been estimated at between 30 and 100 percent. The range is so wide because the Department of Defense and the VA don’t monitor the mental health of soldiers after they return to their civilian lives. That fact alone is alarming. The truth of war is that it’s effects will be felt by all of society for generations to come. It is vital that we stop looking the other way and admit that we are all responsible for the care and well being of our wounded soldiers and returning veterans.

Thanks to your continuing support of BYD we are proud to be able to support Disabled American Veterans and Soldier’s Heart.

If I were pessimistic about the future I’d be worried that hot yoga isn’t a sustainable business and probably will become a luxury we can’t afford as a global energy crisis approaches. Yoga, of course, will never go out of style or be impractical, but heating the studio to 105 degrees may some day be cost prohibitive. I’ve done what I can to maximize our energy efficiency (using radiant heat, installing double pane windows in the studio, insulating the walls and ceilings, converting to compact fluorescents (in progress) and installing timers on many of our electrical appliances) but the truth is that ours is a business model that uses more than it’s fair share of energy.

I’ve tried the Bikram series without the heat and it’s just not the same. I also believe that the profound benefits derived by so many people makes it worth the expenditures so I have decided to join the carbon offset bandwagon. I know carbon offsets aren’t a perfect solution and we need to continue to look for more ways to create energy and minimize our use of it but there aren’t any perfect solutions and this is a concrete step I can undertake now.

I have just purchased one year’s worth of carbon offsets from NativeEnergy, an organization that is working to find “clean and renewable energy sources that reduce pollution and create sustainable economies for Native Americans, family farmers and local communities.”

Whenever a major natural disaster strikes anywhere on the globe everyone’s thoughts and prayers go to the victims and survivors. If your impulse is to do something more and you don’t have the means to travel or the time to volunteer then you can always, like BYD, send money. A little research has led me to believe that the organization best equipped, financially, politically and logistically, to quickly and efficiently get aid to remote and difficult to reach locations is Americares. While the news media are full of articles about the difficulties of sending aid to Burma/Myanmar imposed by the ruling military junta Americares already has partners in the region and people and supplies on the way. This is the first organization I look to when wanting to donate to any global humanitarian crisis.

One of the amazing things about the Atlanta Community Food Bank is their claim (which I believe) that 94 cents of every dollar received from individual donations is distributed in the form of food. BYD is proud to support them.

I often donate classes to benefit auctions as a way to support local charities, non-profits or advocacy groups. I usually donate a 20 Class Card but for an event this weekend — Earth Day Party in the Park — I decided to offer a Yearly Membership. It costs $50 per person to attend but the starting bid on the Membership is only $100. This is a $1200 value and allows a full year of unlimited attendance at our studio. The highest bidder above $100 is guaranteed to win (the 20 Class Cards usually end up selling for about half price). Even if you don’t win you will be supporting an important group of organizations, all of whom are working to protect Georgia air, land and water.

The party/auction is from 7-10 pm this Saturday, July 19 at Atlantic Station. See their web site for details and the exact location.

If you visit our pricing page you’ll see that we offer a variety of discount programs. We’ve just updated the page with one new category: effective immediately we are offering sliding scale discounts to active duty military personnel and free unlimited attendance to returning combat veterans. Please help spread the word to anyone you know who may be interested and have them call us at 404-329-1006.