Oh yeah! ZU (Zappos University) held their very first official class today - “Playing with Dirt —Beginning Gardening.” Our instructor, Liz, told us about her raised bed home vegetable garden and compost pile. She described how she organically prepared her soil for planting and the basics for starting a compost pile. Then it was hands on and we filled small pots with soil, planted some seeds and watered them. Catnip was a popular choice, as was basil and corn.



This is just the beginning of the ZU class offerings for a very wide range of topics. Later today we'll have a class on diet and nutrition. The email announcement from Vanessa included this general statement of purpose.

“WARNING!! The ZU is kicking off classes that may increase your energy and creativity! Being a part of the ZU will allow you to share your passions and talents to all Zappos employees, which can create a sense of fulfillment and extreme joy. You must be warned that the classes are all geared toward making your day more fun, weird, informative and AWESOME! We’re striving to make Zappos more than a company…We want to make Zappos a way of life… (I just made that up…or did I hear it somewhere…hmm. That’d be cute on a bumper sticker…or a pillow.)”

Here are the proud graduates of the very first official ZU class!



Vanessa, Amy, Mark, Amanda, Jessica, John, Liz, Amy, and Thomas. We're wearing our gardening gloves, holding our potted plants, and holding up 1 finger to symbolize the first class.

How’s that for an attention getter? Well, that’s the title of a new Zappos University inhouse seminar. It’s led by our ZU keepers and has been very popular. Topics on nutrition, beliefs, behaviors and motivation are covered.

I bet most of you, deep down anyway, know what foods are good for you and which ones.... not so much. Now I would also bet that most of you didn’t know that the frequency at which you eat a fixed amount of food can affect your weight. In other words, let’s say you have 2 pounds of your favorite healthy food packed up for one day’s worth of meals. If you eat all 2 pounds at one sitting, your body will actually react as if your food supply was uncertain and channel more of the food into your body’s fat reserves. If instead you ate the 2 pounds spread out over 5 meals, your body will react as if your food source is reliable and less fat will be created. Pretty clever, eh? Now, this does not mean you can just nibble on a 4 pound sack of candy all day long and expect minimal weight gain.



That’s Loren B. He is one of our new hire trainers and he is my hero and mentor. Why? Well he is our reigning Zappos Hot Dog eating Champion and Chile Cookoff champion but he is not our BBQ champion and that keeps him humble. So yes, he is a powerful eater, drinker, and all around nice and funny guy. He attended the seminar and also graciously consented to having his picture taken. <cough attention hound cough> Loren says stay tuned for more Gazelle tips from the ZU!