Dieting. For many this word brings pictures of hunger and having to starve for hours to achieve goals. As the friend of a compulsive overeater who won the battle of her life three years ago by losing ninety pounds, I can tell you with confidence that there is a better way. There are countless diets and programs out there designed to help you lose weight but there’s only one method that will help you lose weight while doing good for your body, and that is by working out and doing exercise. Besides for keeping you in shape and feeling great about yourself, working out also keeps your body healthy. The best way to work out is in the comfort of your own home. Having a workout room situated in your home is cheaper than you think. The biggest cost cutter is rubber flooring. This is a safer and more comfortable choice than concrete or carpet.

Working out at home gives you the convenience of doing exercise whenever you have time, not only when the gym is open. This opens up many possibilities, such as an early morning workout session followed by a refreshing shower. Morning workouts can greatly affect your day. Besides for waking you up and taking the place of a caffeine fix, it also gives you an extra adrenaline rush for the rest of your day. Many refrain from working out at home, believing that expensive machines must be purchased in order to workout correctly. This notion is patently false, as proven by many studies showing that working out without machines by doing pushups, sit-ups, and working with small equipment and weights is a lot more beneficial than spending an hour on a treadmill. Having rubber flooring and rubber wearmats is essential when doing body exercises in your home. The rubber flooring absorbs hard impact and cushions your body as you work on getting yourself in shape.

As every overeater will tell you, dieting is a monumental climb. To a compulsive overeater, going without the bar of chocolate that is so tempting is paramount to a non-dieter going without water while working out. It is with this knowledge that I have reached the conclusion that the best way to diet is by doing exercise at home, so there can be no excuses not to work out. Although experts advocate eating healthy, dieting by doing safe exercise on rubber flooring is the best way to lose weight.

With childhood obesity on the rise around the world, parents are finding it increasingly harder to get their kids outside to play. Czech designer Pavel Tuma and his team are looking to change that with a new 5D playground in the works. While coercing children into physical activity, the playground combines online favorites, video games, and other interactive features for a complete experience that is fun, educational, and merges the old with the new.

The team of designers spent two years coming up with the specifics for this otherworldly playground. They describe it as a playground the size of a tennis court, with a 5D box right next to it. The box is a sort of mini-computer center, with a touchpad and sensors relating to the five senses. Each child would have a chip to enter the game, which is a series of physical and mental challenges that have to be overcome.  The playground itself is very attractive visually, with numerous hurdles of different kinds, a multimedia box, and various surfaces, rubber mulch among them.

The software will have six areas of knowledge – geography, history, natural sciences, entertainment, and general knowledge. Quizzes vary between concentrating on one subject, and across the board knowledge. Pavel envisions a scenario where teachers give his team the test questions a day in advance and they would take care of the rest, allowing the children to take the test through the playground system. On a nice day the test could take place out in the open, and teams of students could even play against each other. By the time they get home from school, they would have received their test results by mail, with photos on Facebook of the kids in the playground.

This playground project is still in the making, but there has been interest from countries all over the world, some looking to fight childhood obesity, with others looking at it as a source of tourism. From the looks of it, computerized playgrounds have a bright future.

February 9 saw the closing of the International Year of Forests 2011, organized by the United Nations. The event celebrated forests for people and featured stories from around the world, summing up the contributions of the international community to a healthier, more sustainable future. The program featured presentations of the five Forest Heroes Awards, screenings of forest films, speakers from international organizations, youth participation by the winners of the 2011 Universal Postal Union letter contest, and the announcement of the 2011 children’s art contest winners. The event also featured the launch of the commemorative Forests for People book with 75 articles from 35 countries.

2011 was named the International Year of Forests by the UN in an effort to raise awareness and strengthen the sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations. Governments, regional and international organizations and civil society organizations were expected to create national committees and designate focal points in their respective countries to facilitate organization of activities in support of the International Year of Forests.

The “Celebrate Forests. Celebrate Life.” campaign was the official U.S. celebration. Coordinated by the NASF in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. celebration aimed to elevate awareness and understanding of the value of America’s forests and showcase the connections between healthy forests, people, ecosystems and economies. American citizens were encouraged to organize events nationwide to celebrate America’s trees and forests. From nature walks and trees plantings to hearings on Capitol Hill, families, coworkers and friends were celebrating America’s trees and forests throughout 2011.

The action precipitated by the Year of Forests was closely watched by the Arbor Day Foundation, as well as many other eco-conservationist organizations. They have all been working hard to condemn deforestation, and conserve trees. They are hoping that the International Year of Forests will help shed light on this important cause.

Rubberecycle has worked hard to save trees as well as promote recycling, and they have applauded this move by the UN. Rubberecycle products are made entirely from recycled rubber, and recycling works in tandem with conserving trees.

It has come to the point in society where even do-gooders are criticized.

In response to an alarming rise in childhood obesity and pointed fingers that soft drinks are a large part of the cause, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have launched numerous programs in the recent past that are designed to promote physical activity and movement. As part of the growth of the movement, last year Coca-Cola bestowed on Howe Elementary School of Excellence on Chicago’s West Side a $25,000 grant for a new, safe playground.

After students wrote thank you letters to Coke, critics accused Coke of using this as another advertising tactic. They claim that this move associates in students’ minds the thought that their school approves of Coke, and by extension, their products. This criticism comes even in the face of the Assistant Principal’s statement that Coke did not in any way try to promote their products through the building of the playground.

Bystanders are left to wonder how the purely righteous act of donating a safe playground has become an advertising ploy in the minds of some.

In 2005 and 2006 PepsiCo joined forces with nonprofit organization KaBoom to build 12 new playgrounds across the United States. Last year along Coca-Cola’s Sprite brand invested an estimated $2 million in building and renovating 150 neighborhood parks, playgrounds, basketball courts, and fields. It is estimated that Coca-Cola’s pledges to the program will cost them an estimated $1 million a year for five years.

While critics knock Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, the two companies have helped prevent numerous injuries by installing rubber mulch flooring in their playgrounds. When they build a playground, they do it all the way. The playgrounds built by these corporate giants feature the latest technology to help improve playground safety, and they know that is starts with rubber mulch flooring.

The critics can keep up their complaints while Coke and Pepsi work to promote exercise in children in a safe manner, with rubber mulch playground flooring.

As with any industry, a big part of the business is networking between companies and learning about the latest industry technology and innovation. Nowhere is this as prevalent as it is in green products. With constant progress being made in production techniques and inventions, it is vital to keep a finger on the pulse of things. Rubberecycle is at the forefront of industry progress, with revolutionary Playsafer mulch and rubber mulch for landscaping and horse arenas.

Trade shows are a great place for green companies from all corners of the U.S. to meet and exchange ideas. The New England Grows show is a major trade show that Rubberecycle is now attending. It is kicking off today, and will run between Feb.1 and Feb. 3. The show is based on horticulture products and services. With over 13,000 horticulture professionals and more than 1,100 exhibitors, it generates lots of buzz.

Aside for wholesale and retail exhibitors, the show hosts horticulture seminars that cover a range of relevant topics. Some of the major exhibitors at the New England Grows show include John Deer, Bobcat, TechoBloc, and others.

Rubber mulch and its prime manufacturer, Rubberecycle, is always the topic of much discussion at the show, because of its excellent use in landscaping and its extreme eco-friendliness. Tire mulch is used for landscaping around plants, in permanent walkways, and rubber curbs are used to divide flower beds and for landscaping aesthetics. Many landscapers also prefer rubber mulch because it comes in many colors that don’t fade.

As it becomes more popular, more landscapers are learning to employ rubber mulch’s many uses in their work, and Rubberecycle’s representatives are very sought after at the show.

Rubberecycle is looking forward to a productive New England Grows trade show, where they will learn about new techniques and ways to go green, and hopefully incorporate them into Rubberecycle products, making them better than ever. Rubberecycle’s constant improvement of their product is just one more reason why consumers return time and again.