As part of our YDT Meatless in May campaign to raise awareness and help fight global warming, I have taken on a 30-day commitment to be meat free. Since I am amping up my personal efforts to do my part with my menu I began researching other ways to reduce my carbon footprint, like with my yoga mat. That led me to something exciting and cool for a yogini like me: Recycle Your Mat.

Founded in 2008 by Stephanie Stano, a yoga practitioner, Recycle Your Mat was formed around three basic ideas:

(1) To keep yoga mats out of landfills.
(2) To create a system for yoga mat recycling.
……………………………………………….. (3) To recycle and upcycle mats in an ecologically conscious way.

As a matter of fact, 50 % of the mats collected in 2008 were upcycled into other products, including yoga products. This year, Recycle Your Mat’s goal is to collect one million mats. As its website explains, “The company adheres to the triple bottom line by striving for planetary, community and financial health. The people of Recycle Your Mat, as individuals and together as an organization, seek to solve environmental challenges in a socially responsible manner.”

If you too are feeling socially responsible and want to get rid of an old, plastic mat and also help Recycle Your Mat reach its one million mat goal for the year, there are three easy ways you can contribute:

(1) Send your mat in. Be sure to follow the instructions.
(2) Drop it off at any of the locations provided on their website.
(3) Sign up to collect mats.

This May you can make a difference. Whether you go meatless, or you want to Recycle Your Mat, there are plenty of small, meaningful ways you can pro-actively join the fight against global warming. Next time I’m in downward facing dog, I’ll be thinking about how good it feels to stretch outside my personal limitations and reduce my carbon footprint even further.

What do you do to reduce your carbon footprint? Post your tips up in our forum.
Are you looking to do something active that will allow you to give back to the community? Consider participating in the Second Annual Pacific Palisades Love Walk Saturday May 17th, 2009 where you can stomp out breast cancer. All proceeds from the walk will benefit the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. For more information or to register, click here.

Tags: Green LA, Green Living In L.A., Recycling, Reuse, yoga