The New Latte is “Mate”
Date: January 2, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
Yerba Mate Tea has been gaining some headway as a less stimulating alternative to coffee that is also gentle on the stomach lining - great for all of us with caffeine-sensitive constitutions. Its leaves contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids and abundant antioxidants, making it one of the healthiest drinks around. Guayaki is the of this lovely leaf: organic, rainforest-grown (with reforestation programs) and fairly traded from South America. Guayaki also offsets their carbon footprint through solar power purchasing and is involved in a number of environmental/social efforts. For the most conscious way to consume your mate, buy their bags in bulk and brew it at home, but on the fly you can pick up one of their choice bottles like Empower Mint or Pure Endurance at most health-food stores (Whole Foods carries it). Coffee is yesterday’s news; Yerba Mate is making headlines. And don’t forget to recycle or reuse the glass (we fill them with filtered tap water when we finish one and then stick it in the fridge for crisp hydration). Note; mate does have a unique flavor.
A Flute Full of Ecofabulous
Date: December 29, 2007 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
It’s that time again - when we bust out the bubbly stuff to reflect on the year past and predict what the next has in store. Three words: Iron Horse Vineyards. Their iconic sparkling wines have satisfied the sophisticated palates at such high profile events as the Reagan/Gorbachev Summit Meetings which ended the Cold War and the White House Millennium Dinner when the highly anticipated clock turned from 1999 to 2000. With 170 acres in Green Valley, Calif., there’s no need to have Champagne shipped in from France. And these are sustainably grown grapes to boot. Our VIPs at Gorgeous & Green enjoyed Iron Horse Sparklings, and to do it right this New Year’s Eve, we say support the local and usher 2008 in with some serious style.
Siphoning Soda
Date: December 26, 2007 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
A little while back we posted about a nifty contraption that would cut down my waste production while still gratifying my avid bubble fancy, the Soda Club Bubbler. To check it out, click here. Now we’ve found a more portable version (and a very sleek one at that). This stainless steel soda siphon (as they’re calling it) allows you to instantly create sparkling water on the fly. All you do is pour in some water (filtered tap hopefully), screw on the soda charger, shake and release the lever for seltzer that stays carbonated for days. Just think of all the bottles you could save using one of these.
Let’s Drink to a Greener Holiday!
Date: December 24, 2007 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
Lovers of a little fruit of the vine who want to be more environmentally conscious have often had a difficult time finding decent eco options. What could be better than organic, biodynamic, vegan and/or sustainable wines to make you feel merry and bright? Organic Vintners gathers the finest conscientious bottles from around the globe under one online roof. Though environmentally speaking, us West Coasters would do better to stick to the Californian grown (or at least the Oregon varietals), their selection spans five continents and is truly unique for even the most discerning oenophiles. Organic imbibing may not affect your hangover (though it very well may), but you’ll be supporting small, ethical wineries that are taking environmental strides - and that is worth toasting.
Little Bites, Big Hit
Date: December 19, 2007 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
In keeping with the dessert first theme, we must deliver ourselves from these chocolaty, sinfully delicious brownie bites that were served last night at, yes, Gorgeous & Green. Though Just Desserts is not a strictly organic company, they brought their local, San Franciscan flair and pulled out all the organic stops for our event. They do, however, consistently create all-natural desserts from scratch that never include preservatives, trans fats or bleached flour and have an in-house philanthropy program where they donate desserts for just causes. Considering themselves on the road to a more eco-friendly product, Ecofabulous recognizes the process and gives Just Desserts props for not only indulging our sweet tooth, but for committing themselves to the pursuit of sustainability.
The Real Cool Scoop
Date: December 19, 2007 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
We are beginning our coverage of Gorgeous and Green with our sweet spot - dessert. As far as we know, Three Twins becomes the first certified organic ice cream chain in the galaxy when they open their second store in downtown Napa, California this coming Friday (their other shop is in San Rafael, Calif.). Last night, their organic scoops of seasonally appropriate peppermint and cinnamon melted in the mouths of Gorgeous and Green attendees to the tune of “oohs” and “aahs.” But this stuff isn’t just deliciously organic; Three Twins offsets all their emissions, uses compostable serving dishes - which they then compost themselves - and are members of 1% for the planet - making them a truly eco-inspiring operation. To see where you can pick up a pint (or two or three) in the Bay Area, click here. Otherwise, we’ll see you at one of their shops (my kids are completely obsessed with the mint chip). And for the rest of you who reside elsewhere, we’re hoping they’ll migrate all over the place soon, because no one should miss this little scoop of heaven.
Green Gastronomy Lands in Napa
Date: December 7, 2007 | Category: Events, Food & Drink, Lifestyle
The ecofabulous ladies may differ in their opinions of meat-eating - from the strict vegan to the head-to-tail advocate - but one thing is for sure: we all appreciate GOOD vegetarian cuisine. So when Ubuntu opened its sustainable doors on Napa’s “restaurant row,” we dispatched one of our own to see what it was all about (well, she dispatched herself). Ubuntu is a Zulu word that evokes community, and this “vegetable-based” (as they like to be called) restaurant operates in this vein. Headed by chef and pastry-cook couple, Jeremy and Deanie Fox - who hail from four star Manresa - Ubuntu delivers unique, impeccably thought out fare from local, organic farmers and their own biodynamic garden. And the majority of their 200 wines comes from sustainably harvested grapes. The chic but unpretentious dining room features exquisite local art, native stone walls and an array of recycled materials such as the floors that are salvaged wood from old shipping containers. They also have their very own yoga studio upstairs offering 53 diverse classes per week. So, whenever your next jaunt to Napa comes about, this warm, welcoming and decidedly green enterprise will do more than satisfy your grumbling stomach. Even if you are the most devout of carnivores, you will not miss meat for a second during the Ubuntu experience. Owner Sandy Lawrence has taken green dining up a notch (well, a couple of notches). And if the stuffed savoy bok choy under french pumpkin soup happens to be on the menu (as it changes daily), it’s a must.
Bubbling With Joy
Date: December 5, 2007 | Category: Food & Drink, Holiday & Gift, Kitchen, Lifestyle
When blogger buddy Frank over at FranklyGreen told us about the Soda Club bubbler, I have to admit, I got a little overly excited. You see, I have a thing for sparkling water. Of course, when it comes to the flat stuff, I have a filter on my tap and carry around my Earthlust bottle so as to avoid plastic bottles. But I’m a bubble fiend, and I constantly feel guilty about the unnecessary waste. No longer. I’m asking for Santa (or my husband) for one of these soda makers with reusable bottles and CO2 cartridges. And what’s even more thrilling is that it doesn’t require any power. All you do is pump it a couple times with your hand. Now that brings me joy.
Kamut Loves Anna, and Visa Versa
Date: October 2, 2007 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
Selezioni Monograno Valentino Felicetti is a mouthful… but the most delicious mouthful. Anna Getty, my organic living guru girlfriend and soon-to-be expat has an eco-luxe retreat (which I am currently helping her remodel) in Italy’s Chianti region, where she serves some of the best pasta I have ever tasted. The most extraordinary thing about this delicacy is that it is durum wheat-free! Organically-grown kamut, the ancient and significantly healthier relative of the better known grain, is the only ingredient. With far more protein and vitamins than its cousin, kamut is celebrated, though rarely used in anything considered delicious. A couple of weeks ago I called Anna to let her know that we can finally find this delicacy stateside… or at least at some Whole Foods. The firm and flavorful pasta is well worth searching for. True it doesn’t meet 100-mile diet requirements, but it sure requires a lot less embodied energy than traipsing over to Tuscany for my fix, and, until a California company knocks it off, it will be my slightly guilty pleasure.
Oulu-La-La
Date: September 28, 2007 | Category: Food & Drink, Green Building, Lifestyle
Designer Evangeline Dennie credits the oh-so-sustainable blueprint behind Brooklyn’s latest eco-lounge, Oulu, to a story she read about a decaying fictional city overtaken by trees and vines. Her ongoing mission to address the issue of restoring lost natural habitats to our concrete jungles is typified in Oulu’s grass facade. Provided by Green Living Technologies, the Green Wall - besides being an aesthetic marvel to passerbys - helps combat global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen (it also provides insulation for the structure). A few New Yorkers might just owe their lives to Oulu’s Green Wall as it is projected to conceivably produce enough oxygen to meet the needs of 46 people a year! As for the rest of Oulu’s construction, all the wood is FSC-certified, and the finishes are low-VOC, including the silver milk-paint on the ceiling. They were careful to source materials with high recycled content, and almost all the construction waste was then recycled itself, making Oulu’s greenery more than just a facade. Indeed, Brooklyn is in no shortage of hip lounges for cavorting hipsters, but Oulu’s marriage of style to substance is a welcome addition.
