now we all know that I deeply love my element and honda cars in general. they have received many accolades for their “environmentology” and for being the greenest car manufacturer in north america. while I love the versatility of my vehicle, the amount of stuff I can cram into it & the great mileage and features; I wish I had gotten a hybrid. the truth is- that the hybrids really came to the forefront just about a model year after mine, and even with all my offsets, it is my only car buying regret.

with ellie in the shop after being rear-ended, I decided that I would rent a car for a couple of days to get some final new york errands done, and my hybrid search began. so I started with all of the usual suspects: zipcar, travel sites, rental agencies, discount fare search engines- only to be left greatly disappointed. but when I googled “prius rental”- I stumbled upon something that I didn’t even know existed.

toyota dealers rent cars!! what?!?! yes. toyota dealers rent hybrids. highlanders, camrys, and yes- even the highly sought after prius. now it goes without saying that there are just a few bumps in the greener paved road when one decides to rent directly from a dealership, but there are just as many perks. there are far fewer dealers that do rent, but there is an efficient website directing you to those that do and there is an easy online reservation request form to start the process. they will ONLY accept major credit cards for the transaction and the deposit is on the steep side (around $500); however, you are getting a brand new vehicle. the vehicles only rent for 4 months, then they go to the used selling floor, so every car is in impeccable condition. the cars rent for about half of what hertz was renting them for, at just about $45 a day, and just under $280 for the week. that is the biggest perk of all.

I found out that toyota has been renting cars since 1989, and I am honestly amazed that more people don’t know about this wonderful resource. so next time you want to rent a hybrid and you’re feeling blue that you don’t live in a major city- call your local toyota dealership, they may have just the right vehicle to give you that “oh, what a (green) feeling!”

namaste.

as I am busily preparing to make the move back to new orleans, I can’t help but be reminded about all that new york is doing to create the most sustainable city in america by the year 2030. the ,mayor’s planyc which includes maintainyc and greenyc, is a charter program unmatched by any other city official. with a massive push towards green living- the ad machine is churning out 30 second tips that start with the simple switches everyone can make everyday. cloth bag vs. paper or plastic, cfl bulbs vs. using incandescents, and espousing the wonders of mass transit. there are also reminders throughout the city to use less water, energy and resources during the particularly high drain days of summer.

new york is serious about becoming the green model for the rest of the country. with hybrid taxi initiatives in place, a pilot public recycling program with increased roll out planned, green building incentives and the mayor’s controversial congestion tax all working toward the ultimate green city title- there has never been a more eco-aware time in new york’s history.

recently, even the world famous empire state building got in on the green action. in honor of the live earth concert; the city’s most inspiring lights were lit completely with a soft hue of the eco-attached color. of course- the most energy efficient powerful statement would have been to shut down the lights COMPLETELY. maybe next year?
namaste.

this is my opportunity to finally come clean. I am an addict. addicted to the absolute power of cupcakes. never has there ever been a more comforting, smile inducing connection to my childhood. when I was in catholic elementary school, we had punch and cupcake sales just about every friday. maybe- just maybe- this explains my current need for them at least one day a week. of course, back then the cupcakes were just twenty-five cents and the punch was gratis. today, I willingly pay up to five dollars for each delicious memory of my innocent times. those tiny sweets topped with simple frosting and sugar dots or flowers, ALWAYS cheer me up. I fear I may have also passed this addiction on to my almost 4 year old son, who now begs for cupcakes whenever we pass mommy’s favorite bakery.

I thought that I would take a few moments to tell you about my favorites here in brooklyn and beyond. and YES, I am talking about cupcakes of the organic variety. my absolute favorite cupcake in the world is quintessential simplicity. vanilla cake with vanilla icing. and I get these from cheeks. melanie, the owner and pastry chef makes everything fresh daily and uses only organic and local ingredients. from what I hear, she used to be affiliated with magnolia bakery (of sex in the city fame), but honestly– hers are soooo much better. magnolia’s lines are ridiculously long and as a cupcake connoisseur who has tried just about every cupcake in nyc, I do NOT find them line worthy. melanie’s are. I seriously dream about these cupcakes and cheeks in brooklyn is THE spot to find them.

if I am puttering around manhattan, there are several options; however, I tend toward the simple straight-forward style of cupcakery. I typically stay away from the over- sized, multi-flavored, cream filled varieties. in my mind, these are the stuff twinkies are made of, and I loathe twinkies. my spot in the city is buttercup bake shop. slightly sweeter and much more icing than the faves in brooklyn, but haunting nonetheless.

while my son was visiting his nana this summer, he decried to me that there were no cupcakes by nana’s house. this is in outrage, I thought- there has got to be a bakery that he can visit. my mom is not really adept with the baking skills & well, it turns out- there wasn’t. so I went the next best route- the internet. I was so ecstatic when I learned of sweet debbie’s organic cupcakes, that I had her immediately ship a half dozen vanilla-vanilla with stars (the boy said he wanted stars on the cupcakes, so he got stars!) sent out overnight. debbie uses only organic ingredients and from my research appears to be a rarity in shipping them out. from what the little guy has said to me they were yummy and debbie’s customer service shone like those stars he requested. she was an absolute pleasure to work with. now, of course overnight shipping is frought with carbon emission dilemmas, and I strive for as light a footprint as possible, so I once again sought out a way to offset. this time, I contributed to the WWF (“hotter than I should be”) global warming fund.

I would definitely recommend seeking out organic and local cupcakes, or making your own from farm fresh ingredients- but for an occasional indulgence- this is a simple step to help the planet recover from our undying cupcake addiction. now, if you’ll excuse me- I think cheeks’ cupcakes are calling me!

when in boston- visit johnny cupcakes to get the t shirt pictured above. they don’t actually have edible cupcakes, but they do have great cupcake inspired gear. I’m definitely with johnny on this one: more cupcakes- less war- makes perfect sense.
namaste.

okay, I have lived in NYC for a total of almost 6 years on & off, and I had never even dared to enter the royally guarded FAO Schwarz. with just mere days left in the big city, and coincidentally having some errands to run on fifth avenue- today seemed like the perfect day.

after visiting with the life size Harry Potter characters made entirely from LEGOS (which have always been pvc free) , and paying tribute to the giant keyboard showcased in “Big”, I made my way back downstairs to the old fashioned ice cream parlor for some lunch.

much to my delight, the entire menu (which is on the smallish side for the savory foods, but hey! it IS an ice cream parlor) was ORGANIC. I opted for the fresh lemonade, the crab and corn chowder and the turkey and avocado on nine grain bread. it was, without a doubt, one of my favorite lunch experiences in the city. simple and fun. organic and fresh. it hit the spot.

I didn’t stay for dessert, because it was a little on the expensive side and I was quite full, but I would definitely go back just for dessert and coffee were I in the neighborhood. so keep this among your places to visit  when in NYC. it’s a great destination for organic dining and fun toy shopping. now if only we could get them on board with PVC- free, non toxic, organic & fair trade toys it would be just about perfect.

namaste.

until recently, sunday was just another day at the office. I was always just a little jealous of those who got to sleep in, read Harry Potter all day and brunch. today; however, I decided to celebrate my new career path in the non-profit sector by heading out to a brooklyn spot called Applewood. the menu changes daily, according to what is locally available. sustainable, organic, seasonal, artisanal, local- what more could a green foodie want?

it was a truly amazing dining experience. watermelon mimosa, tomato martini, marscapone cheese grits, duck confit and pea shoot omlette- it was simply the perfect brunch.

feeling completely sated and wanting to walk off a little of my indulgence, I decided to re-explore the hood I lived in a few years back. Park Slope is easily one of my favorite spots in Brooklyn.

I wandered into Brooklyn Industries and I was pleasantly surprised to find a water cooler with a sign inviting clients to refill rather than purchase disposables. that one single act alone will avert over 60 million plastic bottles in one year. this is now the practice at all of their locations, so mad props Bk Ind- that’s a great green start!

of course, sunday wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the green market for some refreshing rosemary lemonade and gooey organic brownies. I also visited a few tag sales and an antiques market, where I found hand crafted jewelry by local artists.

on the bus ride home home, I read a little and enjoyed one of my last sundays in Brooklyn. I miss it already, but home is calling.
namaste.

on wednesday, I was at the hotel pouring organic wines for our guests during our evening wine hour, when an explosion caused the hotel to shake and tremble. as I looked out of the window, hoards of people were running down park avenue screaming. there were fashionable women with no shoes, businessmen covered in soot, mothers and children, all streaming passed the hotel in utter fear. one woman made eye contact with me, locked in on me, and shouted “it’s a bomb!!” at which point my own fear set in and shear panic ensued.

the thunderous roar grew louder and continued for 40 minutes. when we got the news that the reason for the explosion was a steam pipe that burst due to heavy rain cooling the underground pipe system, I could think of nothing else but how it was all connected. the explosion was indeed terrifying, but the cause of it IS what truly scares me and should affect us all.

the torrential downpour we had that day, and the day before. the summer heat that caused the grid to be overpowered and drained and surging from excessive air con power and energy use. the aging pipes still covered in toxic asbethos. the lack of alternative power/energy/fuel sources even in a population dense city like NYC.
how do you minimize energy consumption during the unbearable heat of summer? I use fans and pull the blinds and shutters closed during the day. I also save my shower till evening and then use that to cool me through the night. what tips do you have for using less and greener living during hot, humid days?

namaste.

Remember the episode of “I love Lucy” where she does a commercial for a vitamin elixir called “Vitameatavegamin“?  Lucy starts by taking a few spoonfuls of this liquid vitamin and ends up slugging the bottle since it is really part alcohol.  No one was seriously thinking “Boy, that stuff must be good for you”.  We all knew Vitameatavegamin was a joke.

I’m not really one to drink soda, but I’ve become aware of a new Coke on the market that made me think of Vitameatavegamin.  Coke is now selling us their diet drink complete with vitamins.  Seriously now, soda with vitamins?  People are drinking this and thinking it is good for them?  When have we lost our sense?

I try to eat a balanced diet, and I do fail at times.  I’m not against supplementing and I do use high quality natural supplements from a reputable company.  But, there is no way you can convince me (or others) that Diet Coke with vitamins is good for me. 

My advice to the Diet Coke Plus drinkers is eat your organic veggies, take a good dose of common sense, and don’t waste your money.

while the summer might not seem to be the most opportune time to pack all of one’s worldly posessions up and start a new path somewhere else, it is the peak moving season.

I thought that I would share with you some of the resources and tips I found out there that will help you to have a greener, lighter move.

the first essential of any move would definitely be BOXES. now there are tons of ways to get boxes for free through your local co-op or market, discount stores and wine shops, but what if you don’t have the means to schlep boxes home? what if you need something delivered to you? usedcardboardboxes.com will actually deliver flat packed gently used boxes right to your door. less expensive, less headaches, and eco-friendly? sign me up. they also offer an offset program on the site to help defer the footprint of the shipping process. when you are done with your boxes, you send them back–then they resell them or recycle them depending on the condition of the boxes. either way, the boxes are out of your hands and out of the landfills. pretty ingenious if you ask me.

I also found earth friendly moving which has taken the cradle to cradle theory quite literally. they reuse everything from hard to recycle bleach bottles to diapers to create the innovative products they offer. with the recopack moving system, they deliver recycled plastic containers and recycled packing paper to your door and then when the move is complete pick them up again in their all biodiesel fleet. they also offer poopy palettes which are made from discarded disposable diapers and countless other eco smart packing supplies.

I have found go green moving solutions which does work with earth friendly moving, they utilize recycled materials in all their moves, including furniture pads, but other than that the green national moving companies haven’t emerged just yet. so if you are transporting cross country, the next best choice is going to be in the way of offsets.

my final tip is one that is found on countless other sites, but I feel it is the most important. DONATE. purge your life of everything you haven’t used in 6 months and let it benefit someone else. Dress for Success will accept gently worn women’s career clothing, shoes and accessories and pass them on to women going back into the job force. a truly wonderful cause that empowers women who were abused, incarcerated or homeless. good will and salvation army will accept furnishings, clothes, toys, electronics and housewares. planet aid has bins set up to receive clothes and shoes. your local library will accept books, cds, dvds and other media. battered women’s shelters are ALWAYS in desperate need of the most basic items: women and children’s clothing, toys, books, sundries. and the best part is that most organizations will pick up your donations, so there really is no excuse not to.
I hope these tips will help you to experience a lighter, greener, less stressful move. for you and for the planet.

namaste.

This weekend I volunteered to be one of the “green team” members at Live Earth NYC. I made my way out to Giants Stadium through means of mass transit and hiked around the entire venue to find the volunteer check in point. It was incredibly hot, but I was energized to be a part of what was touted as the largest global concert event and I was more than a little skeptical of the actual “greening”.

Now, I love volunteering for a worthy cause, and I sometimes border on green neurosis, so I really wanted to know what was being done. After all, this was an event planned on 7 continents, and live shows are definitely in need of some all around clean-up.

I went in with an open mind and I really wanted this to be the greenest event possible. I knew going in that the energy use had been offset through Native Energy. I also knew that the website was using solar powered servers and offset credits, so those are good starts.

Walking into the stadium, I was filled with immediate anxiety. There were the same standard buses everywhere! There wasn’t  even one hybrid or alternatively fueled vehicle. Ok, breathe- I told myself. It could be difficult to get biobuses in those numbers, and surely I didn’t see every car on the lot. Smart car was a sponsor of the event and I didn’t see them driving around. I found that odd.
Then I noticed the port o lets around the venue perimeter. Pretty standard (and low down dirty, too- yuck!). OK, walk away quickly, relax- maybe those composting toilets aren’t available in portable versions just yet.

I wasn’t even in the gate yet and already I was thinking like an event planner, there was much more than clearly could have been done.

On the plus side, I will say that EVERY single piece of food and beverage service ware was compostable. Spudware utensils, ecotainer ice cream cups, bagasse sugar cane plastic beer cups- just to name a few. Recycled napkins and toilet tissue were in attendance as well. Would I have liked to see local, organic food options? OH, YES.
There were 3 bins for collecting and sorting waste (compost, bottles/cans & waste), and as a volunteer, it was my job to keep things where they belonged. It was fun meeting other concert-goers through the sorting interaction sending them off with a bit of positive energy to continue this momentum at home. But then I started to wonder: how is this really going to be composted? I asked several people both in the volunteer camp and stadium staff, and no one had a clear answer.

From my personal experience, the event  was a good “show”, but fell short in a number of ways. There were some very powerful voices represented on that stage- Melissa Etheridge, Kanye West, Sting, Roger Waters and they all gave the crowd awe-inspiring performances and things to contemplate. I just hope for the sake of our planet it didn’t all fall on deaf ears.

Namaste.

There is nothing that says summer to me more than a tomato sandwich.  Especially when the tomato comes ripe from my garden just 10 feet away or fresh from the farmer’s market.  I just can’t wait to slice that juicy red fruit and eat it between two slices of homemade bread, yum!

But my sandwich just got even better thanks to a recent study reported by BBC News on a comparison of organic tomatoes and non-organic tomatoes.  After a 10 year study, researchers at the University of California report organic tomatoes have higher levels of the flavonoids quercetin (79% higher) and kaempferol (97% higher).  “Research studies have consistently provided evidence suggesting an association between consumption of diets high in flavonoids and reduced risk of cancer and heart disease.” states the USDA Agricultural Research Service site.  So it seems to me that there is evidence that eating organic tomatoes might be a good thing if you are interested in reducing your risk of heart disease or cancer. 

Yet in the same article by the BBC, others are quoted as saying they aren’t ready to admit that organic foods are better for you that non-organic foods.  Even though they have higher levels of these healthy substances.  Does this make sense?  (I feel the need for duct tape coming on).

As for me, I am definitely going to enjoy some organic tomato sandwiches.  Some people might not be able to see the evidence that organic is coming out ahead in the nutrition department.  Thanks to the lycopene in my tomatoes, I can see it quite clearly.