Organic
Farm To Table – Taking Food Local
You may be hearing a lot about an emerging trend in food sourcing at local restaurants called Farm to Table or Farm to Fork. This takes local and usually organic food to a whole new level with a menu prepared from the restaurants own local garden or a nearby partner farm.
Rooted in the local food movement, farm to table eliminates much of the transportation, storage and utilizes smaller local farms rather than large scale factory farms. › Continue reading
Good Greens Organic Raw Food Bar
I am kind of a health food junkie. Walking home from work, I pass a Whole Foods, which is kind of like my version of a candy store. Fresh organic produce and delicious real food found throughout, but some days I just don’t have time to prepare my breakfast or lunch.
I’ve tried to suppress my hunger and supplement my meal (or lack of) with an energy bar or health bar, but usually this just leaves me feeling unsatisfied and hungry. Many taste like cardboard, and those that have flavor are more like a candy bar, loaded with sugar. This usually compounds my problem, leaving me more hungry due to the high carb and sugar content. I wonder what I am missing out on nutrition wise as well since it tends to just be a filler.
Lucky for me Good Greens was kind enough to send me a sampling of their real whole food, natural and organic energy bars. They come in a range of delicious flavors and all but one have a dairy-free organic chocolate coating.
What impressed me the most was the taste was amazing for so little sugar. With 14 grams or less sugar › Continue reading
All Natural Organic Mattresses
There has been a bit of an explosion of natural and organic mattress retailers, many of them have been in business for years in Europe and are just now popping up state-side. Conventional mattresses these days are made with an array of materials and chemicals, especially the popular memory foam mattresses.
Unfortunately many of the mattress producers are also required to add toxic flame retardants although there are more natural ways around this. Still, many compound the issue by using petroleum synthetics, unsustainable materials, and manufacturing practices that release harmful VOCs (that really bad chemical smell from paint or a new foam mattress), and that are not biodegradable or recyclable only to waste space in landfills.
Lucky for us there are now a pluthura of all natural mattress manufacturers out there which use all natural, organic an sustainable materials such as:
- Natural Rubber (Latex)
- Wool
- Organic Cotton
- Bamboo Frames and Support
- Sustainable Wood Frames
- Coconut Fiber Batting
- Horse Hair
- Cactus Fiber
Some of the larger names using 100% natural rubber and various other sustainable materials include › Continue reading
Veggie and Fruit Wash Soap Labels
Now those stickers on your fruit can serve a purpose other than at the register. Scott Amron has come up with a clever dual purpose UPC label sticker which not only tells the checkout clerk how much to charge, but also will clean the fruit once you are home.
For those who are unaware, fruit can be covered in all kinds of pesticides, wax, fertilizer, bacteria and nastyness, so it’s always a good idea to wash your fruits and vegetables, whether they are organic or not. This label just makes it easier since the wash comes on the fruit rather than buying it separately!
Engineered to only dissolve when rubbed with water, it is actually water resistant and won’t fall off before it reaches the check stand, and can always be peeled off if desired. It is also made from organic biodegradable materials which won’t harm the environment. › Continue reading
Fearless Raw Organic Chocolate
The folks over at Fearless Chocolate sent us over a friendly care package filled with delicious chocolate treats from their latest batch. Fearless organic raw chocolate is just that, unroasted and minimally processed at temperatures below 118 degrees to preserve the antioxidants, minerals and nutrients naturally found in cacao.
It is also better than fair-trade, it’s direct trade. Collaborating directly with family farms in Bahia, Brazil to ensure complete ‘bean-to-bar’ manufacturing straight from the Mata-Atlantic rainforest. Rounding out the green package, it is organic, minimally processed, vegan, gluten-free with no refined sugars, and if that wasn’t enough, they are also Kosher.
Flavors include super-foods and exotic spices such as chia, matcha green tea, ginger and hibiscus. Donating 1% of profits to change-making organizations of your choosing (you can enter your choice on their website, but you do need a batch number from a purchased chocolate bar), they are helping to give back as well.
› Continue reading
Fair Trade Organic Chocolate
It’s almost Valentines day again, and we are quickly approaching chocolate season! Equal Exchange has come out with two new chocolate bar offerings, a chocolate caramel with sea salt bar, and an Ecuador origins 65% cacao bar.
Last years Valentines Day chocolate from Equal Exchange was equally as delicious and well received. Lucky you, we have a special coupon code for $5 off and for those who comment or tweet this article will be entered into a free giveaway! See below for a coupon code and details!
7 Most Popular Eco Friendly Articles for 2010
With another year behind us, I like to look back and see what people are reading, and in particular, the most popular articles on this site. Here they are as voted by your traffic, the Top 7 Chic Ecologist articles for the year 2010:
- #1 – Pacific Plastic Island
A plastic island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean more than 30 feet deep and twice the size of Texas, this is definitely a troubling story. It seems that there are more of these plastic islands in just about every major ocean driven by wind and current gyres. - #2 – Eco Friendly Driveways
Green driveways are becoming increasingly popular to reduce storm runoff, water pollution and recharge underground water sources. They are easy to build, add a softer more charming feel to any parking spot and are much more visually pleasing. A great way for anyone to reduce their footprint. - #3 – Eco Friendly Diamonds
Is there such a thing as a Green Diamond? What is the difference between a mined diamond and a synthetic diamond? How about social implications, like blood diamonds? This article explains your green options when it comes to selecting a jewel for your gem. - #4 – Platinum for Fuel Cells
Platinum plays a big role in fuel cell vehicles, and a new process found by Researchers with the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the University of Houston may make it more efficient and cheaper. This is a big step in the development of fuel cell technology, one that may affect our future transportation costs.
Top 5 Winter Skin Picks
When I first started changing my lifestyle to reflect my environmentally conscious goals, I had a very difficult time finding products that fit my spring and summer routines AND my fall and winter routines while still avoiding harmful skincare ingredients . The harsh winds, the freezing temperatures, and still having to deal with all the normal things that go wrong with my skin! Winter wreaks havoc on most people’s skin, and your regular routine usually does not pack enough moisture. I stock up on a myriad of products to get me through the winter, but I’ll share with you my favorites for this season.
This stuff smells sweet like Calendula and goes on thick. It has enough moisture to solve any trouble area. I like to keep some in purse for emergencies. It works miracles on knees, arms, heels, legs, elbows, and the occasional severe chapped lips. This stuff works on anything! It’s seriously amazing. My girlfriend uses it on her face as well and swears by it, but it is a little too intense for my own and causes breakouts.
If you’re more into oil, like me, I’d go with Dr. Hauschka. My favorite of their scents is the Arnica scent. My husband says that’s what ‘organic’ smells like and if so, that’s fine by me. I love body oils because they seem to lock in the moisture throughout the day. I crave hot showers in the cold winter months, but that strips the moisture even more from your skin. Throughout the winter I use this oil after every shower and before bed. I always wake up in the morning feeling silky smooth and supple! I love them!
3. Lavera Wild Rose Liposome Cream
This is hands down my favorite night cream. While it’s not technically a night cream, and I do use it for daytime use too, I love how well it works overnight. I didn’t really understand having a day cream and a night cream before, but now I get it. The hydraulic acid in this cream is the key. I swear it clears up my skin too, but it doesn’t claim to do that anywhere. Either way, you’ll wake up with noticeably smoother skin.
