Okay, there might be some things I hate more, like seeing animals mis-treated, gum in my hair, and Hummers. But seeing a toilet that is constantly running is right up there.

So beyond fixing a leaky or running toilet, I think the best thing we could all do is at least put a brick in it.  IE: if you don't want to install low-flow lous.. then just submerge something that takes up room in the tank. 

In terms of the personal benefits, you will save on your water bill. And for the planet, you will be conserving of those resources that is going to become scarce in the next 100 years, affirms the UN.

And do remember... when it's yellow keep it mellow.. unless of course you ate asparagus the night before.

Off to not flush another precious resource down the pot...Jen

As the studies pile up, we can say something we wouldn't have said twenty years ago: The average person is better off if they include alcohol in their diet. And in my book, beer is a natural choice for the health-conscious 21st century.

Yes, indeedy, beer makes for a great dinner in a pinch. It is easy to prepare, fun to drink, and is nicely complimented with a side dish of chips. Don’t do this every night, of course, but every so often – beer makes up my favorite evening meal.

Best of all, it is now proven that consistent (not excessive) drinking is good for your heart. To top it off, scientists at Okayama University in Japan have rather agreeably discovered that unidentified compounds in lager and stout may help to prevent DNA damage leading to cancer.

The old advertising slogan "Guinness is Good for You" may be true after all.

Historically, beer was viewed as a nourishing diet staple like bread, based on grain. One style, doppelbock, was even dubbed "liquid bread" by the monks who relied on it for sustenance during Lenten fasts. In earlier times, beer was the healthful mealtime beverage for young and old alike and a source of valuable nutrients.

Somewhere, we lost sight of beer's essential wholesomeness. Now, research has documented beer's medical and nutritional benefits. If an "average" 12 ounce bottle of beer sported a Nutrition Facts label, it would tell you that beer contains:

· 150 calories.

· 0 fat

· 0 cholesterol

· 0 caffeine

· 0 nitrates

· 1 gram of protein

· 13 grams of carbohydrates

· Significant amounts of magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, and biotin

· Impressive amounts of B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxin), and B9 (folate), with smaller amounts of B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B12 inotisol and choline.

· 92 percent water

Ben Franklin said: "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." I agree.

Off to (but of course) drink a beer – Jen

Because neither of us has been married yet, I'm sure we're being quite cavalier in saying this, but Jen and I often refer to the ways that our business partnership is like a marriage.  We couldn't go it alone.  We rely on each other to know each of our individual whims and moods.  We have mad bouts of love and hate.  We are raising our little Biter Baby each day.  And in the end - through good and bad - we are each so grateful that we found each other and started this biz.

So we are often asked: who is really in charge?  Well, since she and I are both pretty Type A, the real answer is that we both are.  Sometimes those sticky questions come up where we don't agree on something, and we have to hammer away and discuss it.  And usually, after some degree of hashing it out, we come to a consensus, which has always proven to be the correct one for the Bite, regardless of who was right in the first place.

Except for today.  She's just plain wrong.  My toothpaste is better than hers.

-Heather... off to brush with my blast-your-face-off Tom's minty toothpaste...

In essence, this is why most people just love nature.  It is why they buy a mountain cabin, why they take a beach vacation, why they love to hike or bike outdoors. 

I  will share something here... when I was little I didn't find God in our big fat church with all this 'bling' - but I did in nature.  I really worshiped trees from the moment I can remember being cognizant about spirituality.  I am mean, this beautiful things that give off oxygen, take in carbon dioxide, provide shelter, provide beauty, provide shade... provide a subtle sense of universal strength.

So Eco-Therapy is something that I have been practicing my aware whole life.  I am now on a mission to meditate more outside... and that sure is easier being on Montana...

May you all get some eco-therapy today. The time spent (even basking in the sun and just closing your eyes) will be well worth it.  Promise.  Plus, if we all got more connected to nature, we wouldn't make choices that damage this infinitely invaluable resource - our ecosystem.  (Hmm, ergo I wonder if any Exxon execs leave their office.)

Seriously, am off to get some eco therapy... the Norris Hot springs with Blue Grass! Jen

Well, people, I have won the lottery in the Netherlands (about 100 times over), AND I had this amazing opportunity to help some guy's wrongfully imprisoned dad in Africa so now should be even richer soon, AND just in time, my eBay/Chase/Paypal accounts have ALL been activated, AND, in the midst of it all, some guy named Welshdruid keeps sending me lovely snippets of random smut novel text for my reading pleasure as I wait for my checks to arrive.

And should I ever need it, apparently, I have access to heaps and heaps of ED medication, so I will never be tempted to by rhino horn or sea turtle eggs.

-Heather... off to check with Woody (our new tech guy) about our spam filter options...

Would love to pretend I just pulled that Napoleon Dynamite quote out of thin air, but in reality, I'm stealing it from a friend who used it recently to reference the new challenges in air travel.

And challenging, it is.  Today's tip actually bumped an earlier scheduled tip on great eco-travel items to take on flights: essential oils (nope), luscious tubes of lotion (not on your life), SIGG water bottles (uh-uh), and eye drops (no way).

Of course, I understand completely the need for the new regs.  We'd all rather be dehydrated than the alternative. 

But really... how am I supposed to rehydrate myself after I drink all those little teeny bottles of wine during my flight to Italy next month?

-Heather... off to draw a picture of a Liger...

So if yesterday I raved about how much I love back to school time, today, I need to rave about how much I love this tip.  It's just one of those "of COURSE" ideas that makes so much sense.  (And we bumped other tips out of rotation simply because we wanted to tell the story).

I love that Barbara Maynard not only got her stores to rethink their policies, but that she wrote in and shared her story so that we could convince you all to do the same. 

So come blog with us, Barbara - and the rest of you, share some kudos to her for making a small difference that could just add up to a big one!

-Heather... waiting for Jen at the Boise airport...

I'll admit it.  I was that weird kid who LOVED school.  Loved it.  Loved the first day of classes.  Loved trying out new schedules.  I'm happiest in the fall, and I think a lot of that is due to the fact that it's back-to-school time and there's a chill in the air.

And there wasn't much that I loved more than brand new school supplies.  The binders (I grew up in the age of Trapper Keepers) and pencils, the smell of new books and clean notebooks and crayons...

I wish we had "back-to-school: for work.  A mandated "get a new notebook" time.  A cleaning out and starting over, instead of just a sporadic dumping of the laptop email inbox into a folder that says "Old Emails" (that I never seem to revisit and answer)...

-Heather... off to order some eco-friendly office supplies for the new SF office...

Okay, so that story about Tosh in the Personally Speaking of Today's Tip made me LOL. And I sat here thinking that I don't have a funnier story than that, well... except the time my Dad was feeling a bit sassy when we were little going through the car wash, and told us to all look up at the washers... then unrolled the windows!... but besides that, Tosh's story was funny.  And I think he should write more in the blog. Everybody in favor say "bite on, Tosh!" - and share any funny car wash stories while you are at it.

Off to put on my bikini to raise money...  kidding... I have to wear a suit. - Jen

Here at the Bite, we are honored to get to try out the latest and greatest green products on the market.  And believe it or not, we do give time and attention to every one, deciding on whether or not it passes muster for you, our Biters.

So in some ways, you'd think we could get pretty jaded about all the great, green products we see each day.

But we aren't.  See, quite often, something amazing comes across our line of vision, and we sit up and take note.

A few months back, that amazing "thing" was Blooming Lotus.  Their chocolate rose body polish is a thing of beauty.  And I am not saying that because they are doing today's GCS... I'm saying that because - honest-to-god - when I started using their stuff, I called people and said "I love this so much I want to tell everyone about it."  And my friends all reminded me that I tell everyone about the great green products I see every day, and that, maybe, just maybe, I should just include them in a tip.

-Heather...  off to exfoliate...

Okay so I received some samples of this MT-made week killer, and I gave it out to all my friends that have nice lawns and gardens.  I kid you not – even with nasty knapweed (and other noxious weeds) – this stuff worked.

True, it might kill the grass around it if you are not careful, but this is small “con” in a huge list of “pros” for not using that CRAZY-TOXIC conventional week killers – which probably also kill grass if you aren’t careful anyway.

Does anyone have a goat to help with weed control?  Would love to hear from you.  I am tempted to get one but afraid it would jump up on my car.

Off to weed my garden… oh whoops… don’t need to.  Jen

My mom was (is) a great mom… she packed our lunches everyday.  There was often a PB&J on wheat, and a piece of fruit, and for desert, a fruit roll up.  I of course would consider myself incredibly lucky if someone would give me a bite of their cookie or Twinkie even. 

Anyway, as you Biters have noted, we don’t have children, and so I will leave it up to you to use this forum to submit your own best options for packing a healthy lunch for little Tommy or Jane.  And I must say – my hat’s off to you – there are soooo many temptations for kids to eat CRAP these days!  Sparkly things, vending machines, and frankenfood that probably sings…   

Off to “sample” more of those all natural iced animal crackers for part two of this tip topic…  Jen

See Heather in Sunday's SF Chron story today, she  cut her BITER tee good look, HS! ... ECO-CHIC / Web site pitches 'sassier shade of green'  - she has received one marriage proposal thus far, and counting....

After spending a weekend at a family wedding, trying to come up with ever new and varied answers to the question "So. Heather. Think we might get to see YOU doing this sometime in the future?  How old are you now anyway?" I feel a need to write about being in love.

So, it might seem a little strange, but yep - I fell in love with my water filter several years ago when it got me through SE Asia without ever having to buy bottled water.  I just filled my hotel room sink with tap water, stuck the filter in, pumped away, and viola!  Clean water.  Never got sick.

Well... check that.  I DID get sick, but not from my water consumption.  After months of eating only cooked-to-death veggies while traipsing throughout a veritable vegetable HEAVEN, visiting markets dripping with every imaginable amazing fruit and veg, I found a lovely little British guesthouse in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  They had this huge mixed salad on the menu, and I just couldn't resist.

Take it from me - RESIST.  Just trust me. I spent the next 5 days holed up in hotel room, cursing the gods, trying to stay hydrated, and watching the same 4 bad B movies on the one English TV channel in my room.

But it wasn't my lovely filter's fault.

-Heather... off to start a week-long detox... expect grumpy blogs in a few days...

Okay so the thought of bringing home real pig strips disgusts me, but you know what I meant.

As you probably know, I don't cook.  I would love to know, don't get me wrong, I just lived in NYC in my formative cooking years, and hence all I know how to do is dial for delivery, or heat up an Amy's organic burrito.

So I learned to excel in other areas.  I love to clean dishes, and I love to set the table. The most productive thing I learned over Xmas break one year was to make fun napkin settings out of CLOTH napkins (paper napkins are so tacky anyway; if you aren't using cloth you are missing out!). Plus this exercise gave me something to do with my grandmas.

This is one of my favorites, a bit phallic -so be it.  Good conversation starter: www.napkinfoldingguide.com/07-crown/

Off to pick some wild flowers for a center arrangement... just kidding! - Jen

OK, so yesterday, we thought about eating in things in season. Since berries are in season right now, here’s my absolute favorite red velvet cake recipe (courtesy of the lovely people at Epicurious): http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/108256. It ain’t healthy, but use local, organic berries and buttermilk, and we can all pretend that we’re saving the world with every bite.

Meanwhile, here’s a shot of yours truly, carrying said RV Cake at a recent Earth Pledge dinner party…

-Heather… off to meet my prospective new landlord...

OK, so I have to write about seasonality while I'm slightly buzzed on a plane from Portland to Oakland.  Ah, you gotta love altitude for reintroducing you to the concept of tolerance.

Back to the matter at hand - seasonality...

In the end, this tip has so much more to do with eating locally.  And listen, coming from the far NW corner of Montana as a child, I completely understand the "problem" of eating in season.  Chilean grapes and Fiji apples start to look pretty damn good in late February.

But now?  Come on - NOW?  Here in the US, you'd be hard-pressed NOT to find amazing produce, local and in-season, this time of year.

So - I challenge you.  Can you eat ONLY local foods (with the exception of any dry goods you might already have in your cupboards) for the next week?  For a day or 2? 

Give it a shot.  And come back and let us know, please.

-Heather... off to take the lovely Air Train to the BART to a cab... call me the queen of PlanesTrainsandAutomobiles.

Seriously, people that have double ovens plus a stove top impress me to no end.  I am pretty much out of my league anytime something requires I use the oven.  My toaster oven was definitely a very solid $45 spend.

Not to mention, it heats up quickly, which is such a bonus when you are super hungry and can't wait for your Morning Star (soy) corn dog to crisp up after a long day's work and then a 2 hour ride at the barn. 

Now the microwave... I do use it for things like Newman's own popcorn and melting cheese over my Garden of Eaten's sesame blue chips.  And I think it may be in someway bad for us, at a gut level. Like talking on the cell phone.  But alas, the government won't conclude those tests until, um, never. 

So I will stick (primarily) to my toaster over and blue tooth headset.
Off to see what  happens when I use my toaster over to make nachos... Jen

Last week, I (begrudgingly, excitedly) left my apartment in Brooklyn to head to San Francisco to start a new chapter of life.  The Bay Area just makes sense in so many ways – personally (closer to family), professionally (no better place for the intersection of the green and tech industries) and physically (I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed just being outside these past years in NYC and London).

So all in all, while sad to leave my “home” in Brooklyn, I’ve been pretty excited about this relocation. 

Never more so than yesterday, as I looked at apartments in SF, and realized (stupidly/belatedly) that regardless of which apartment I get, I am going to have about 3 times as much space as I did in Brooklyn.

Which means that I can start to resurrect my latent cooking skills and can FINALLY start shoring up my woefully inadequate kitchen supplies.

First order of business?  Talking my mom into giving me her old cast-iron frying pan.  I’ve coveted it for years, but haven’t had the kitchen storage space for it.  It’s one of those oldies-but-goodies – heavy and full of character.  Just looking at it makes you think that you need to turn into a cartoon character and whack someone over the head with it until little birdies start to circle...

-Heather… off to listen to Evan Dando's Frying Pan - seems appropriate...

The following was written by April, an MBA candidate at the GreenMBA Program (class of December 2006)

There is an article in this month’s Plenty magazine, not about global warming, but about global worrying, the “eco-anxiety” brought on by the overwhelming task of undoing the damage we’ve done to the environment (http://www.plentymag.com/article/11feature). When you are the only person on your block who fills their recycling bin to the brim, you may start to think, “Am I it? Does all this fall on my shoulders? Doesn’t anyone care what’s going on besides Marvin Gaye and me?!”

I’m here to tell you that yes, there are other people who care what’s going on.

John Stayton, one of the founders of the GreenMBA Program, holds a Spring semester event called “Two Fish Café” – an open mike night to re-charge our batteries and reconnect with alumni. At our Cohort’s first Two Fish, one performer was a soft-spoken young farmer who’d joined the program with the intent of developing his farm into a retreat center. He’d lost a close friend recently, he said, and wanted to sing a song for him. In a shaky voice, he began Paul Simon’s “The Boxer.” By the time he was halfway through the song, the entire room was singing along. When he finished, there wasn’t a dry eye (or an empty arm) in the house. It was in that moment, group-hugging a fellow student, that I realized I had become a part of a community I would always feel safe in, would always have a friend in.

Some people say that at the end of Simon’s song, the boy, like the boxer, is hurt, but not beaten. In the road ahead of us, we will have struggles, and disappointments, and hurts too numerous to count, but we will always, always have each other.

And that, my friends, is the only way we can evolve and survive.

For more information about the GreenMBA Program, check them out at: www.greenmba.com.

To join in the discussion or fire questions to Green MBA, April or Ideal Bite, feel free to comment.

I have such a body care products obsession.  If it scrubs, rubs, foams, smells yummy, soothes, lifts, softens, hydrates... well, count me in.

So I love today's tip.  Mainly because I can honestly say I just love all the products within it.  I HAVE all of them, and each morning and evening, it's a chore to decide which ones to use.

And these are the important questions, no?  At the same time that I am trying to determine how to halt the advance of global warming, it is also intensely important to me to halt the advance of time across my face.  (Because strangely, in the past 12 months, my ability to keep wrinkles and age at bay seems to have subsided, and suddenly: I look my age.  Bummer).

Still, I am no botox or cosmetic surgery girl, so I'm doing my best to slow this whole process down.

-Heather... off to decide whether to use Pangea or Lavera or Dr. H or Jurlique...

...Add in some tomatoes and olives and nice bread, and I swear I would need nothing more to be culinarily content.

I do have to say though... when trying some of the organic wines, and even using the air-sucker-outter-re-corker, the organic wine doesn't keep well. 

Has anybiter found one that does?

Off to detox.. this testing of wines and cheeses was intense... speaking of detoxing... we should be doing a tip on that soon, which will be based on the detox I do before I try out going VEGAN. I am reading this great book called "Skinny Bitch" that has been my motivation for wanting to try it.  I liked the authors immediately when I read that they recommended organic red wine, and absolutely railed against the factory farm industry.

- Jen