| | Published March 18th, 2009
| The Green Buddha: A Mother and Daughter Share The Attitude of Gratitude
| | By Sophie Braccini |  | | Dana Windatt and Jeannie Dowell discuss strategy Photo Sophie Braccini
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As Dana Dowell Windatt sits across the table from her mother, Jeanne Dowell, in her Moraga home there is a flow of excitement between the two women. Their strong bond and shared values explain why they are in business together. The pair recently launched an online retail store, The Green Buddha.
"For me it all started after I went to a grief workshop, Jacquelyn Aldana's 'The 15 Minute Miracle,' explains Dowell, a popular local yoga instructor, "she recommended that everyday we write about something we are grateful for and what it does in our lives, and I quickly felt the positive power of this attitude of gratitude."
Windatt quickly took on the same writing habit and the two started to brainstorm ideas for sharing their new attitude with others. Dowell asked her daughter to illustrate the concept. Windatt, who is an actress, yoga teacher and artist, drew the jolly green Buddha that has become their messenger.
They worked with their friend Michele Houston, of Insight Resources in Orinda, to have the drawing printed on commercial products. The two women didn't want to use just any fabric or material. The idea was to choose a sustainable and beautiful medium for their message.
The two feel that The Green Buddha has become their way of sharing their gratefulness. "Cultivating gratitude boosts your well being and helps you sleep better," says Dowell, "it energizes, inspires and transforms." The two hope that every time one of their customers wears one of their shirts or uses any of their other products, they are reminded to be grateful.
The Green Buddha's most popular item has been the signature tee-shirt. The women's version is made of bamboo fiber, a fabric that feels like silk, is naturally thermal regulating to keep users warm in winter and cool in summer, and it wicks away moisture. "One of my friends bought five of them and she wears them every night," says Dowell.
"We buy our plain men's tee-shirts from EDUN," Windatt explained, "a fair trade non-profit clothing company created by U2 leader Bono to foster trade in Africa through the wholesale of blank cotton t-shirts, one hundred percent African from grower to sewer."
Other products include hoodies, tote bags, socks, water bottles and stationery; there are more ideas on the drawing board. A percentage of the proceeds go to SEEDS, a non-profit organization that provides grassroots relief to Nepal's poorest villages. For more information go to www.thegreenbuddha.net
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA