denim sale @ kaight

eco vans

A little over a year ago, I stopped buying apparel made in China. There are numerous reasons, but it was mainly an environmentally driven decision. But I've found that I've needed to make a few exceptions, and in those cases, my decisions were also environmentally driven.

Like the clothing company Nau, who sadly is closing up shop. Their efforts to run a sustainable business using materials that were either recycled or organic or just responsibly sourced were inspiring. Their designs and attention to detail were impeccable. And they gave a portion of sales profits to the charity of your choice. But a lot of their clothes were made in China, Thailand, and other Eastern countries. Sometimes ya gotta bend the rules, even your own.

It's also really hard to find shoes that aren't made overseas. Again, one needs to make exceptions. Luckily, companies like Vans are starting to make their shoes out of sustainable materials. You can get the classic slip-on which has hemp infused gum rubber outsoles and water-based glues and inks to make them a bit more eco-friendly. They also make vegan shoes without any animal products.

Here are some other companies making responsible kicks:
simple
terra plana
keen
patagonia
beyond skin

5 actions you can take right now

1. Slow global warming: Urge your senators to push for clean energy
2. Protect children from airborne lead with stricter EPA standards
3. Stop mountaintop removal coal mining
4. Save Yellowstone and The Greater Rockies from coal mining
5. Stop the clock on species extinction


The endangered Philippine eagle


Mountaintop removal coal mine in WV
(Vivian Stockman)

afternoon web scan

• Urban farming: There Will Be Chicken Blood [Slate]
• Get More From Milk: Pasture-fed, Organic Is More Nutritious [OCA]
• Food Is a Growing Commodity [NYT]
• Arnie Down Under (via satellite) for World Environment Day [NZ Herald]
• More From the Governator: Drought Declared in Cali [NYT]
• Coca-cola India to Conserve Water (but I ask, what about the GMO corn syrup?) [Times of India]
• Jane Goodall: Please Do What You Can To Save Mother Nature [China View]

Happy World Environment Day!

how much good would good wood do?

One of the biggest contributors to climate change is deforestation. And if we don't pay attention to the labeling on things like paper products (tp, napkins, stationery), building materials, or furniture, we won't know if we're contributing, too.

When my boyfriend and I were renovating our kitchen last year, one of my criteria for cabinets was that they be made from FSC-certified wood (The Forest Stewardship Council is an independent organization that certifies if manufacturers of tree-based products are sourcing materials from sustainably managed forests). We did some initial shopping at big box stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. When I'd ask the sales people if they had any cabinets available in FSC-certified wood, they didn't know what the heck I was talking about. So we had to do some research.

Luckily, we found Neil Kelly Cabinets. We really expected that their prices would take us way over budget, since their cabinets are FSC certified and contain low to no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). But we got an estimate. Surprisingly, their prices were on par with those at the big box stores. The un-eco-friendly part is that we had them shipped from the West Coast. (Can you say huge carbon footprint? Well, I guess it's smaller than if we would have ordered cabinets made in China).

They're not only responsibly made, they look really great, too.

When buying any wood or paper products, look for the FSC seal.

Pledge to buy good wood here.

eco to go

Sick of the piles of disposable utensils and napkins that come with your takeout orders? Well thankfully, someone is speaking up against all that waste. A new movement started in NYC by ecoagents* is spreading the word to restaurants, that, well, some people don't need or want those plastic forks wrapped in cellophane. It's called eco to go and I hope it catches on. When you call to place your order, just say "eco to go" and they'll omit all the extra stuff you don't need. Find participating restaurants here: eco to go via ideal bite.

*Ecoagents is a non-profit working to protect the Amazon Rainforest and empower the indigenous communities to sustain their way of life and their native environment.

turning green

These days, everyone's going green. Even political pundits. Check out the Huffington Post's new blog here.

5 eco-minded books on my shelf

Silent Spring, Rachel Carson
The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan
Collapse, Jared Diamond
Big Green Purse, Diane MacEachern
The World Without Us, Alan Weisman

what's that smell?

Oh, it's me. I switched to deodorant that doesn't contain all the baddies (chiefly: aluminum, a heavy metal that's absorbed through the skin and has been linked to Alzheimer's, though this is a controversial point). And usually, the Weleda deodorant spray I use works. Really. But I recently changed from the Rose scented version to the Citrus. Old rosey was more reliable. Which is sad because I wanted a fresh citrus scent for summer. Guess I'll just have to carry it around with me all day and reapply. Or just deal with my own natural scent.

The fragrance,
my friend, that floats
to you this moment
streams from the tent
of the secrets of God.
--Rumi

You can get Weleda Deodorant Spray here:
Amazon
Drugstore
Weleda's own site

PS. My man wears the sage-scented version and it smells pretty good. And he doesn't stink at all.

kaight is great

There was a time when if you said to someone that a clothing item was made of sustainable fabric you'd either get a blank stare or they'd imagine a burlap-like sack made of hemp. This, thankfully, is no longer the case.

One of my favorite places to shop for great-looking clothes made of sustainable materials is Kaight. The sort-of-eponymous shop owner, Kate, is so friendly and helpful. And she's got great taste in clothing. I get my haircut in the neighborhood and can't resist stopping there on my way home. I'm the type who, as you may have gathered, prefers buying a small number of quality goods over piles of whatever is the latest and cheapest trend. So here are a few of the items I've brought home with me from Kaight (most of them, on sale):



Prairie Underground organic cotton dress (above left, in periwinkle, not cranberry)
Viridis Luxe bamboo dress (above right, in black, not yellow)
Linda Loudermilk silk tuxedo dress
John Patrick Organic cashmere sweater dress

I also got a pair of black organic cotton leggings from Jaime Pressly's (yes the same from My Name Is Earl) clothing line J'aime.

If you're lucky enough to be in NYC to visit the shop, it's at 83 Orchard St (btwn Grand and Broome). If not, you can get a taste online.

love animals, hate sprawl

If you don't already know this about me, I'm about to let you in on something: I'm a sucker for animals. There really isn't an animal I don't like. Even the ugliest, most bizarre creatures are fascinating to me. And the thought of actually communing with animals, on say my own piece of property, is -- while a bit intimidating -- very exciting.

Well there's a community out in Nevada, outside of Reno, where people live on little patches of land (around 1 acre or more) with their animals. These aren't farms and this isn't really rural country. It's where suburban sprawl meets the good ol' days when it was commonplace to have livestock in the backyard. Even my dad grew up with chickens in the yard -- in Hackensack, New Jersey.

So these people out in Golden Valley, NV, have horses, goats, chickens... and, yes, even donkeys. But now that the landscape is leaning toward suburbanization, their agricultural lifestyles may be threatened.

Sadly, one of these happy agrarian households was recently broken up. Seems the neighbor couldn't take the braying of the donkey any longer. I can understand that. The guy couldn't sleep because the donkey would bray in the middle of the night. But didn't this guy realize he was moving next door to someone who had livestock in their yard? Wouldn't you do a little research on the culture of a neighborhood before moving in?

The case went to court and despite a reasonable defense and much community support, the judge sided with the complainant. The community, outraged and fearful this case would set a precedent, sought that a stipulation be added to new home contracts in their town. Now, anyone new to the neighborhood will be forewarned. But who reads the fine print? And sadly, this may not protect the citizens from future litigation.

Check out the full story, plus interactive features, here.

save the planet: eat pb&j

To balance out the previous post about meat products, here's an ode to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

There's no dairy in your butter,
no meat in your jelly;
Oh, PB&J,
get into my belly!

Alright, I'm no ee cummings or Samuel Taylor Coleridge. But I do have an appreciation for this vegan-friendly sandwich. The PB&J is a near-perfect embodiment of the sustainable meal (if you wash it down with a glass of organic non-GMO soy milk, that is). And who doesn't like PB&J? (ok, except those with nut allergies.) Everyone has their preference. Skippy or Jif with grape jelly on Wonder Bread with the crusts cut off? Well that's not for me, but that may be what we all remember eating as kids.

This is how I like mine. First off, I call it an AB&J. Almond butter takes the place of peanut butter, probably more for health reasons -- the fat in almonds is healthier than in peanuts -- though the toasty almond taste is quite delicious. Usually, strawberry preserves represent the "J," so I guess I should really call it an AB&P. Then it goes on some kind of healthy whole grain bread, right now I'm liking Healthy Hemp Bread from French Meadow Bakery. It's full of protein and yummy seeds and stuff, and it toasts really well.

To find out more about how PB&J can save the world, check out the PB&J Campaign. They're trying to spread the message that replacing meat-based meals with PB&J (or any vegetarian or vegan dish) significantly reduces your carbon footprint. And if you're feeling so inclined, take the PB&J pledge. It's a simple step you can take to leave the world a better place.

my own private omnivore's dilemma

It can be tough being an omnivore these days -- but it's not hopeless. Even before reading Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, I considered the impact of my culinary choices and thought of myself as a responsible eater. Buying from the farmer's market when I could, buying organic as much as possible, eating what I thought was meat from humanely treated animals (it's not always so easy to tell, sometimes you've got to take a leap of faith).

But since reading the book, I've made another change to my diet. I'm only eating grass-fed beef. If you don't plan on reading the book, trust me, grass-fed is not only healthier, it's easier on the animal (they really can't digest corn, which is what they're fed the bulk of their penned-up lives), and the environment -- especially if the beeves (yes, in farmer's parlance that's plural for beef) are pasture fed.

So this past Saturday my boyfriend and I went to a BBQ and brought our own hot dogs to accommodate for this new eating choice (see above). They were Applegate Farms Organic Grass-fed Hot Dogs (can't ya just picture pastures full of hot dogs grazing on grass?), and they were pretty damn tasty. We got them at our local Fairway supermarket. They may be available at your local grocer. You can also buy 'em on their site.

On to a different animal. The pig. I love pigs. They're so cute, and so tasty! (Sorry to the vegetarians reading this post. I think I felt a collective cringe and sigh from you.) I don't eat pork that often, but when I do, I'd prefer one that's had a relatively happy life. So we turn to Niman Ranch for their quality products. And they're pork bratwursts are even more delicious than the aforementioned hot dogs. A slight spicy bite from the ginger and spices, and like they say on their site, they're great on a roll with mustard.

You can get Niman Ranch products on their site, and sometimes on Amazon. You might be able to get them at your local Whole Foods or other supermarkets. And if you live in NYC, they're available at Fairway.