Hello and welcome to all our new subscribers since the last issue. Happy Summer Solstice! I'm so happy that summer is (finally) officially here and the weather around here is starting to warm up for a welcome change. I'm headed down to southern California this weekend for the Enlightened Entreprenuer Summit where I hope to connect with other like-minded businesses and learn how I can conitnue to make a bigger impact with Dropwise going forward.

This will be my first trip of the summer. And while my ultimate goal is to make a bigger impact with my business, I'm already looking for ways to make a minimal impact with my travel. One of the benefits of having a green eco-friendly personal care business is access to our small trial sized products which are perfect for tossing into a carry-on. I've never been a big fan of the junky products that most hotels offer in their bathrooms so this gives me the opportunity to enjoy totally clean and great smelling stuff while on the road. When the trip is done, I pack the empties back in my bag and bring them home to refill them for the next trip. I always bring extras along to hand out to people I meet (which they seem to love!).

Have you thought about some of the ways you can green your travel this summer? If not, then hopefully this week's articles will give you some simple ideas to get started.

Yours in health and prosperity,

Donya

SUMMER TRAVEL SPECIAL: 25% OFF Aromatherapy Misters, Aromatherapy Soy Candles, Diffuser Blends, Organic Lip Balms, and our special Summer Travel Essentials Bundles

Summer's Here and the Time is Right: 5 Tips for Greening Your Travel

These days you probably hear the catch phrases "eco-friendly travel," "green travel," and "eco-tourism" quite a bit as early adopters in the travel arena try to set the ground rules for how the rest of us will eventually "green" this aspect of our lives too.

While the term "eco-tourism" tends to conjure up images of what some refer to as "volunteer vacations" where you might be involved in a beach clean up project or wildlife preservation program, you really don't have to sacrifice comfort or go for an adventure in the wild to do it. There are as many different ways to green your travel, as there are ways to travel. It's all a matter of degree and commitment.

The truth is that while these terms actually mean different things they all follow the same guiding principle: be mindful of your impact on the natural habitats and cultural environments that you visit. In other words, leave no footprint behind, respect the local cultures and customs, and wherever possible, make a positive contribution to the local communities.

If you want to green your travel then always keep this core principle close to your heart. And practice the 3 Rs inherent in any greening activities: Reduce, Re-use and Recycle. So what does that exactly mean when it comes to travel? Here are 5 tips to help you get started.

1. Maintain Carbon Neutrality. While you can purchase carbon offsets for a nominal price to assuage your guilt, one the best ways to minimize your impact is to take fewer plane, train, and car rides to get to your destination (i.e. fly non-stop as much as possible and map out the most efficient routes for road travel). Read the full article here ...

Dropwise Essentials is a San Francisco-based manufacturer of pure aromatherapy and organic plant-based personal care products that give people a safe and effective way to relieve stress, increase vitality, improve confidence, or manage their emotional state any time or place without popping a pill. Our products are:

• Free of synthetic chemicals and petroleum ingredients
• Made with high quality certified organic oils and pure essential oils sourced from around the world
• Packaged in re-usable or recyclable materials
• Hand-made locally in northern California

Dropwise Essentials was founded by Donya Fahmy, a writer, producer, and consultant whose avid interest in the curative powers of aromatherapy and herbs ultimately led her to design and create the seven products and seventeen unique essential oil blends that make up the current Dropwise product line. She has studied aromatherapy with Carol Schiller - a successful author of several aromatherapy books - and with Dr. Daniel Penoel - a renowned expert in the field of medical aromatherapy.

Dropwise Essentials is a proud member of the Indie Beauty Network (formerly the Handmade Beauty Network), the Green America Business Network (formerly Co-op America), Green Product Alliance, Natural Ingredient Resource Center, and a Friend of PETA. We were among the first companies to join the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics by signing their Compact for Safe Cosmetics - which simply formalizes our existing commitment to formulate products free of known or potentially toxic ingredients.