Recently I heard two very different birthing stories about two very different cultures which I thought may be of interest to all those new Mum’s to be that are interested in bringing their newborns into the World as naturally and safely as possible.

The first was from a 35 year old Mexican woman, 2 months pregnant with her second child. Over guava, banana, papaya and pear salad with homemade strawberry yoghurt, Isabella told us of the ´maternity ward reality´ of Mexican hospitals. Apparently the general consensus amongst doctors here is that it is better for the baby to be born at the 8th month mark instead of allowing them to grow to full term. 

The second shocking fact (which holds true in the good hospitals as well as the poor) is that doctors actually encourage women to have caesareans, often after confirming both mother and unborn child have perfect health throughout the pregnancy only to make up a health problem or complication right before the birth time. This is so common that it is considered normal practice.

Isabella also told us of how she was laughed at by a doctor when she demanded to breastfeed her first child whilst still in the hospital. They wanted her to use the milk formulation the hospital supplied. It is as if the health professionals of this health system have been trained to take the natural out of the most natural process that occurs in life. This kind of story is not restricted to one small Central American country.

Women in the UK have spoken of similar experiences where control of their labour has been stripped from them at a time when they are somewhat powerless amongst the popular opinions of the professionals. Gas or epidurals being given without consent or conversely withheld when demanded, are quite common. It is when I hear these stories that I think of how important it is for women to share their positive stories of natural births in order to pass on their knowledge and the knowledge they’ve learnt from their elders.

Two stories come to mind. One is about a friend of mine, Sarah who recently had a homebirth. She convinced herself that she would have a painless, easy and quick labour… and guess what? She did.  It took one and half hours to push wee Amelie out. Could it be the power of positive thinking or a natural fluke?

The aboriginal culture of Australia may agree with Sarah that preparing for yourself birth– mind, body and physical space – goes a long way to making labour a beautiful rather than painful experience. To prepare or and give birth to their children the aborigine women who still follow their old cultural customs go off on their own into the bush to give birth. They dig a pit then line it with Boab flowers, crouching in the hole to allow the baby to come out as easy and painlessly as the body will allow. The reason they us the Boab flower is because it supposedly contains energetic qualities that help the new child cut any genetic characteristics that are not useful or relinquish past life issues that are not serving to their spirit in this life.

If you have any positive, natural labour stories you’d like to pass on to other women please send them to us and we’ll help to share them.

… if only there were such a thing. One thing I’d heard plenty about before I arrived in this fascinating country (Sam for one was eager to discover what I’d find) was that in the city street there were abundant pockets of organic garden. It made sense being a communist country where international trade is restricted with its neighbouring nations (specifically the USA and Mexico) that the Cuban people would have a somewhat sustainable, localised food culture. The organic part made sense to due to the lack of funds to pay for anything (like pesticides) than what the earth naturally provides. 
The reality? The first part of my stay was in a small Casa Particulars (like a B&B but, like everything in Cuba, under strict guidelines provided by the government) in Central Habana. The streets here are narrow and grey and the buildings in much of the city are decrepit and falling down which is a real shame as their concrete shells show marks of once spectacular architecture. Even so, it would not be too hard to imagine some greenery around the place but all that could be found are a few small pot plants on the balconies of the odd home or a small 4 x 4 metre plant shop.
So arriving in the country´s tropical fruit off season might explain what it was near on impossible to buy fresh fruit and vegetables (of any kind) except for at a couple of the big hotels. A concierge informed me that he could not find fresh produce anywhere on the streets of Habana, and he was looking hard as his son was ill and needed naturally derived vitamins and minerals to avoid buying expensive medication the doctors told him he required.

The fresh salad at the hotel restaurants (consisting of a slice or two of tomato, a bit of cabbage or cucumber if you are lucky) is imported at a special price by the government as they seem to desperately be trying to attract tourists to the country. There are supermarkets but they are really only 3 x 3 metre shops with a few cans of soup, juice and if you’re lucky super sweet yoghurt. As you can imagine the word “organic” is pretty much unheard of to the majority of people here.

The closest you´ll get to an organic Cuban experience is to stay in one of the Casa Particulars to get close to the people and their culture. The second casa I stayed in was just across the water of Central Habana in Gran Parque Morro and was called El Canonazo. Apart from the tasty food in their decent and clean restaurant (which does include some fresh fruit and vegetables by the way) there are chickens and ducks running freely around the garden. A little bit more professionally run than most casas which are literally family casas (homes) so if you´d prefer an even more organic stay go for one of these. Be warned however, the comforts of the big hotels don’t exist here and you generally pay for what you get.

Either way as soon as you step out onto the streets it’s impossible to miss what this country is all about – 52 Fords, Cuban cigars, rumba and salsa music and a people untouched by the temptations of the consumer-heavy west. You can´t get many places in the world these days that are more organic than that!

The home of Buena Vista Social Club, salsa, rumba and hot dancing (there's really no other way to describe it!), Cuba is one music-passionate place. Walking through the Old Town streets of Habana, it's all you'll hear amongst the low buzz of old 52 Ford taxi's and banana freight trucks. They play from their hearts, these Cubans, and it's a good thing too because their repressive government, led by Fidel Castro, gives them little else to get excited about.

A woman at our casa (home… like a B&B) told me she earned more at her current waiting tables (a job which tips she relies solely on to make a living) earns more now than when she taught English where she earned about 260 pesos (roughly 20 pounds). Despite having a business degree in Marketing she can do little with it as she there are no private businesses in Cuba nor is she allowed to leave the country… very few Cubans are.

You see, beyond the minority of the rich officials, it seems by most accounts that it is only the musicians who have a fair chance of earning an ok wage in Cuba. They also have a better chance of leaving their country… albeit temporarily. So brilliant at what they do it's easy to understand why. They play as if their instruments are an extension of their body. They move a lot as they play also, playing as if they were born music-makers… I guess they were.

This is organic, live music at its best. It is rare that they would have help to set up electronic instruments and are lucky to be attached to a sound system or have a sound engineer adjusting their instruments – nope, none of those behind the scenes gents you´d find anywhere else in the world helping the greats sound great.

If you ever make it to Habana, Cuba, the experience would not be complete without a visit to either the Jazz Café (for Saturday night jazz and delicious cocktails), Las Vegas (Friday night locals ramba), La Llovia De Oro (any night great salsa band) or Calle Jon De Hamel (a Sunday day jam in the colourful street filled with art and sculptures made by the locals).

If you can't make it to Cuba, So Organic have a range of Jazz and World Music by maestros from all over the world you can engross your ears with the tasty tuneful treats of international musicians.

Tourism is important to Native American Indians since they were introduced to the monetary trade ways of the west. It’s their bread and butter so to speak, despite having survived very well (not to mention more peacefully) without money just a few hundred years ago. Now many of the Hopi and Navajo peoples are confined to reservations, which having seen these desolate lands first hand, are far from the wild and lush lands of yesteryear.

What we can do to help when we’re buying the ´keepsakes´and treasures of the native peoples in any country we visit is to buy from authentic crafters and taking tours with people that respect the ways of the people that live on their sacred lands. In the south west of America there are shops everywhere selling American Indian art and collectables like dream catchers and turquoise jewellery. It’s a question of authenticity rather than availability. But there are organizations out there looking out for the authentic craftspeople. The not-for-profit Council for Indigenous Arts and Culture informs people where they can buy original indigenous arts and crafts.

I picked up one flyer that told me how you can tell the difference between an authentic piece and a copy; what material you should look for (ie a written disclosure on the raw component of the stones used should be included with the receipt); and the questions you should ask to ensure you’re getting what you really want (i.e. is it Handmade or Handcrafter – the latter requires less skill, the artists name and tribal affiliation and whether the stones used are natural, stabilized or imitations). They also provide a Shop with Confidence brochure that lists the businesses and sponsors who are committed to authenticity and the honest representation of Native American Indian arts and crafts. You can find these members of the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association at www.atada.org

There are also laws such as the Indian Arts and Craft Act that protects indigenous arts and culture from misrepresentation. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your home work as there are still profiteers who are willing to sacrifice integrity for the sake of an easy tourist buck.

When planning a visit to this ancient land visit the Northern Arizona Native American Culture Trail. And also check out the visitor´s centre in Flagstaff, a great resource to help you discover more about the ways of the Native American culture.

Capturing the natural renewable resource of solar energy is the power of choice for the natural tourist destinations of the west coast of America. It seems it is for many of the sunnier countries on the North and South American countries. It´s a good thing too, with tourism one of the largest industries in the world, it has the potential to make or break our planet by depleting its resources or helping to educate people on how to use them more wisely. The potential of the southwest to meet the growing energy needs of the rest of the states is huge particularly with the advances of photovoltaic cells and in light of the crude oil crisis. 

One of the 7 wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon which attracts millions of people each year, uses renewable energy to run its facilities. Situated in the ´Solar Capital of the World´ this canyon is not just great for its size (1 mile deep by 18 miles wide), this beauty has a lot to offer in regards to sharing its solar power knowledge with the people that come to view her from all corners of the globe too. The seven solar arrays produce up to 18 kilowatts of energy and supply a third of the power used by the visitor centre on the south rim. Per year the system produces 28,800 kilowatt hours of energy which is enough to power two homes in the sunny state. Any unused energy is sent into the grid and distributed to other buildings that can utilize their solar power.

But harnessing solar energy is not such a new concept at the Grand Canyon. In 1200 AD  the ancestral Puebloans (early Native American people) lived in this wonder until the 13th century AD. Though Arizona is a desert state it is not hot year round (frost on our hire car in the middle of October prove it!). To combat the cold the Puebloans built their dwellings facing south to maximize exposure to the warmth of the low-arcing sun of the winter months. This was also true for the Puebloan cave ruins of Betatakin (see picture below).
It’s not just solar energy helping to keep the Grand Canyon green and clean. The National Parks service has placed recycling bins everywhere. There’s also no heating from the restrooms dryers or hot water in the taps. Nor will you find drinking water from the fountains during winter to help preserve water. There are free shuttle buses that take people to forest trail heads to prevent car congestion and pollution in the park. The forest service is excellent at advertising their ´Back Country Ethics´ throughout the south west also. From information on setting up camp the green way to personal rubbish management, conscious campfire building and sanitation, the service provides through guidelines to ensure people reduce the amount of damage on the ecosystem of the natural environment they are enjoying.