Hosted by Stephanie Ruhle (managing editor anchor for Bloomberg Television & co-host of Market Makers). Speakers (from left to right): Jessica Seinfeld (author of three NY Times bestselling cookbooks on healthy eating, founder of Baby Buggy non-profit organization dedicated to families in need), Gary Hershberg (co-founder & chairman of Stonyfield Farm), and Ken Cook (president and co-founder of the Environmental Working Group a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment).

As you probably have heard, GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) food is currently not labeled here in the US. Yet citizens of 64 other countries, including Russia and China have this right.

It is believed that, GMO’s have lower nutritional quality than natural foods making the nutrients unavailable or indigestible to humans. Additionally, the effects of ingesting such foods loaded with herbicides and toxins in the GMO’s may cause diseases such as Cancer, Parkinson’s, Allergies and Autism to name just a few.

There is also speculation that bacteria living in the digestive tracts of humans and animals could build up an antibiotic resistance gene from a GMO plant. Currently 60% – 100% of the rainwater in the midwest is already contaminated with the powerful herbicides like Roundup used to grow GMO crops.

The corporations behind the GMO foods are very powerful and wealthy. They are quickly buying up established healthy brands such as Annie’s and Quaker, which was recently purchased by Pepsico. Once purchased they change the traditional ingredients to GMO’s, which is more cost effective for them and dangerous for us. But, they are currently not required to label GMO ingredients.

We deserve to know what we are buying and eating by demanding transparency in our food system, our health and ultimately our lives depend on it. We need to take a stand for mandatory GMO labeling in the US.

Just Label It!

The good news change is happening, recently the progressive restaurant chain Chipotle has committed to remove all GMO ingredients from it’s food. Mandatory GMO labeling would be a huge step in the right direction.

As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Please go to www.justlabelit.org and take action today.

by Judith Longo

Judi with Jessica Seinfeld

tanya-b urban legend, Jamie Lugo.

Thus, the modern yogi is a brave seeking-spirit who is willing to try and fall, over and over again. As a labor of love, with each step on the mat, we grow and remind ourselves to love each and every day, moment by moment. Yoga is the practice of NOW.

Introducing tanya-b

As each yogi on the path will tell you, feeling good about your yoga instructor is very important. Meniscus had a chance to sit down with one such yogi whom a whole lot of people resonate with. Pure Yoga instructor Tanya Bolton’s intention is simple: To guide her students to stay present in their experiences—both on and off the mat. Looking at Pure Yoga NYC’s roster of instructors, you will find an incredibly deep portfolio, with each instructor having their own divine flair. Tanya holds down a very special corner of that tapestry of yogis.

Extending her creativity off the mat, Tanya is now unveiling her new line of yoga wear called tanya-b, an authentic, well-designed activewear collection for the modern woman looking for a unique way to express themselves.

When we asked why she started her new yoga line, Tanya explained “It was a purposeful calling, to bring in everything my heart and soul desired from the community, creativity, and connectivity. I wanted women to feel sexy and feminine in the clothes while keeping the brand and yoga accessible to everyone.”

It did not come without its challenges however.

“Starting a business is about getting over your doubts, fear, and shame…TRULY believing in yourself.”

Sound familiar?

Challenges, on and off the mat

The idea originally came to Tanya when she was living and teaching yoga in Hong Kong. She discovered that it was a long process of research and connecting with the right people that enabled her to bring the idea to fruition. She had a very specific sensation around what the brand was about. “It needed to FEEL right,” she remembers.

Once Tanya’s father passed away, she found herself with a greater sense of resolve and focus to make it happen.

“In trying moments, there can be great inspiration,” she explained.

With this new tanya-b yoga line, she is encouraging a paradigm shift away from yogawear brands that are mass-produced, to brands that are more personal and connected. “I believe people are craving community and connectivity, which is why many people are drawn to doing yoga in the first place,” she said.

Here are a few selects from the current tanya-b collection.

Students of Tanya’s Hot Power Vinyasa classes at Pure Yoga NYC can certainly feel her energetic state, which is why her classes are constantly packed. Tanya feels the reciprocal energy and the cycle continues.

Doing Good

One of our favorite topics at Meniscus is prosumerism, which in short, is supporting brands you believe in with your wallet instead of corporate behemoths that do not align with your personal ethics. The idea is that we can change the world in a truly capitalistic manner by supporting brands that support our own philosophy and ideals. Tanya-b is one of those brands that we feel aligned with and it is in a large part, due to that reciprocal relationship with people. She is she is leaving the planet with more positivity and wellness than when she found it.

“There’s a responsibility to stay connected to your customer,” Tany explains, “to find ways to share with others so they feel invested, and truly a part of it.”

If you are in the New York City area, please join cofounders Tanya Bolton and Anna Chung for the debut of the Tanya-b line at Pure Yoga on Tuesday Feb 24th at 6:15 where Tanya and urban legend Kay Kay Clivio will co-teach a hot power vinyasa class to officially kick it off.

Please check out the line at tanya-b.com and stay connected with her on Facebook here.

- Interview with Tanya Boulton
- By Jon Heinrich

You are not alone. In this interview with Prosumer Coach, Jon Connors, we explore how that is all changing.

Fortunately for all of us, there is a new economic system generating momentum that represents an evolution of the knowledge and technology we have created as a human race.

Introducing Prosumerism: the combination of the Producer and Consumer

Prosumerism was first coined by futurist Alvin Toffler in the late 1970’s but the history goes much farther back. In what Toffler refers to as First Wave, timed in the Agricultural Era, people produced what they consumed.

In Toffler’s Second Wave, the era of Industrialization, we saw a split from the producer and the consumer. Now fast forward 60 years and this is where we are at right now, where the majority of the world are consumers. Unfortunately, it is not sustainable and most money and resources are centralized to a few mega-corporations and banks.

Right now with the Information Era upon us, we have the opportunity to evolve—to once again combine the producer and consumer while bringing a new level of actualization because of humanity’s great technological innovations. Prosumerism is how we capitalize on all progress we have made as mankind and will usher in a new era of abundance for everyone who participates. This is our chance for an industrial leap forward!

Here is Prosumer Coach Jon Connors on Prosumerism Defined:

Moving forward, Meniscus will be working with Mr. Connors to dissect the different components of this philosophy and you are invited to join the journey forward, out of the current crumbling political economic era of the Second Wave—where we are forced through our distribution system to support companies that we may not believe in. Instead we are moving to an economy where people only support with their wallets, companies and people they resonate with.

Jon Connors walks through the foundations of Prosumerism, in the first video in the series above. Next, stay tuned for the next installments, “Why ‘The Third Wave’ is Coming and No One Can Stop It” and “‘The Lean Startup’- Innovation Accounting to Build ‘The Third Wave.’”

As for now, take note how you are prosuming right now—on social media! Think about it, we share stories, spread the ideas of others, and sometimes we directly prosume products and services from our friends. Your homework is to think about what ‘best practices’ we use in social media that we should employ to create a new prosumption marketplace. We can all contribute and benefit from this new way of thinking, please join us!

-An interview with Jon Connors by Jon Heinrich

Get in touch with Jon Connors on Linkedin, Facebook or Vimeo.

- Photo by Jon Heinrich