by Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer 

It was July 2019. I was on vacation with my husband in Austin, Texas, and I was about to launch into my twenty-eighth year on this planet. All I wanted to celebrate this birthday, I informed my husband, was the experience of a yoga hike outside the raucous urban pulse, quirky street murals and endless food truck options that define Austin’s city limits.  

Now don’t misunderstand, I relish the energy and vibrance of a downtown strip, but there is also just something about an escape into nature. It’s rhythmic, placid, harmonious and restorative, how the earth is designed to be. The warm breeze that rustles a tree branch, the warble of a stream that prances over rocks, the freedom to move through asanas and meditations under a cloudless beam of sunlight—these are what percolate my senses and remind me of how fortunate I am to be alive, to be rooted in this soil.  

It’s also in moments like this where I am confronted by the sobering reality that existence is in peril as the earth and its resources fall victim to our wasteful human affairs. Natural and biodiverse ecosystems—from the Barton Springs aquifer where I yoga hiked in Austin, to the oceans, mangroves, estuaries and marshes of our own Sarasota landscape—have suffered the impact of environmental degradation.  

Based on research from Yale University, 60% of Americans are either “alarmed” or “concerned” about the earth’s future as a result of the global climate shifts we hear about weekly in the media. Glaciers melt across the Arctic tundra, heat waves plague the Western seaboard, hurricanes escalate in the Caribbean, and wildfires devastate the Australian outback. Many parts of the world are in ecological crisis, but just as we humans are responsible for much of this—so too can we mobilize to find a resolution.  

This has me thinking about hyper-local initiatives that we as Sarasota residents can take to preserve our lush and scenic home. Southwest Florida teems with unique habitats, native wildlife, abundant palm trees and beaches renowned across the country, so it’s important to be ethical, conscientious stewards of all this beauty around us. For some actionable and immediate (not to mention, easy) strategies that will advance climate solution efforts in our own backyard, I turned to local business owners on the frontlines of this charge.  

Liana Bryant of Rosemary Court Yoga in Sarasota and Ted Weinberger of Café Evergreen in Nokomis both recount the sustainable practices which inform their own lifestyles and business models—and their advice is uncomplicated enough for the rest of us too. In fact, these ideas can be merged with our current activities, schedules and routines for a seamless push in the eco-friendly direction.   

“Walk, ride your bike or carpool with a friend. Carry a reusable water bottle around town with you. Our studio has a water fountain where you can refill it. Located in the heart of Sarasota’s downtown Rosemary District, we love to see when our many neighbors choose these options,” remarks Bryant. For the yogis, she adds, “Clean your mat with natural products. At Rosemary Court Yoga, we formulate our own mat spray with vinegar, water and essential oils. Be sure to recycle old mats as well—we donate ours to a local animal shelter!”   

Weinberger chimes in, “For the past eight years, Café Evergreen has ‘walked the talk’ when it comes to local initiatives that we can all participate in daily to make our environment better. Processed food has more of a carbon footprint than food made from scratch, so we control what goes into each recipe which not only enhances the taste and nutrition, but also positively affects the climate. Most restaurants use ready-made ingredients, but these contain processed salts, chemicals and sugars which lead to waste, so we seek to eliminate that.”  

On this note, he continues, “30% of worldwide carbon emissions result from producing, transporting, cooking and disposing of food. But we purchase in bulk to minimize excess waste in landfills, and we buy local to decrease the environmental impact of shipping. For instance, our mixed greens and hydroponic kale are sourced from an organic farm in North Port which ensures there are no GMO seeds and pesticides too. 

“Finally, our staff is trained to ask customers if they need to-go utensils because, too often, we feel that restaurants just blindly include plasticware in to-go orders. When we ask first, however, the majority of diners respond with, ‘No thank you, we have our own.’ In addition, 100% of our to-go containers are both plant-based and compostable—even our straws— so in the event someone needs utensils, they are sourced with the environment in mind.” 

That immersive nature experience in Austin, Texas, shook me into a greater awareness of why it matters to conserve, defend and sustain this planet. Likewise, I believe we all come to our own moments of realization that it’s on us, the human race, to advocate for the splendor of our earth, the sacredness of life and the safety of future generations. Today’s climate issues are real—but so are the solutions. 

Thank you to both Liana Bryant, director and instructor of Rosemary Court Yoga, and Ted Weinberger, co-owner of Café Evergreen, for their useful, practical and insightful advice. Rosemary Court Yoga is located at 810 Central Avenue, Sarasota. For more information, call 941-952-5280 or visit RosemaryCourt.com. Café Evergreen is located at 801 South Tamiami Trail, Nokomis. For more information, call 941-412-4334 or visit CafeEvergreen.net.  

Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer is the Managing Editor of Natural Awakenings Sarasota–Manatee. She also works as a freelance writer, blogger and social media marketer. Her personal blog HealthBeAHippie.Wordpress.com features tips for embracing an active, nutritious, balanced and empowered lifestyle.