OK, I don't want to brag here, but I DO make a mean cup of coffee.  Of course, I probably have to give credit where credit is due: to my trusty old French press and the killer beans I grind to use in it.

My favorite beans?  Equal Exchange's Organic versions.  Try this: 3/4 of their French Roast, blended with 1/4 of their Sumatran.  Of course, the Sumatran only comes in a 5 lb bag, so here's hoping you have friends with the same jittery fetish as you.

In the meantime, should you want yours truly to make you a slightly stronger beverage... if you are in the Bay Area, swing by Elixir (16th and Guerrero) tonight at 9 - Tosh, Kris and I will be guest bartending our way to a greener planet.  Proceeds go to carbon offsetting, well, your liquid licentiousness.

-Heather... off to practicing spinning my bottles like Tom (pre Nic or Kate) in the movie Cocktail...

Since I am bitter due to the fact that I STILL haven't seen Casino Royale yet (hot, hot, hottie, OMG), I can't say for certain whether or not James has switched to organic cocktails as he moves into his new image. If anyone has seen the flick and can comment, please do let us know.

In the meantime, regardless of James's proclivities, in honor of our own organic cocktail tip, I figured I'd talk about Cocktails for Carbon...

Yes, Biters, if you are here in SF, swing on by Elixir (Guerrero and 16th) tomorrow night. Yours truly, along with our Biter t-shirt models, will be guest bartending. We are buying carbon offsets with our tips, in an effort to, well, justify our drinking.

See full invite by clicking on the picture.

-Heather... off to bone up on how to make a perfect martini...

Seriously, I am a bit worried about myself.  I am wondering if QVC is in my near future.  Thing is, I haven't purchased much at all in the last 5 years of my life (since leaving a steady job in NYC, going to grad school, needing to slug along without much of an income as I built a few startups after the green MBA, etc.)  So now, I am happy to report that we can pay small salaries at Ideal Bite, and I feel rich!

This weekend as I waited for my friends to come over to pick me up (since I failed to get snow tires in time and it DUMPED here), I entertained myself by picking out an all natural yoga mat from GAIAM, and of course stocked up on some new eco-cleaning products since I will be having more guests come to town, and nothing says "i care about you" more than a clean house, IMHO.  (OMG, dude, am I turning into my mom????)

Too bad GAIAM isn't participating in our Green Tuesday, 15% off deal.  I would have saved a bundle.
Next year though, we can hopefully get 100+ green online retailers to participate... and hopefully that will convince people to save themselves, their time & money, and the planet next post-Thanksgiving shopping urge.

Off to look for shopaholic therapy... oh, I know how to do that... log into my bank account!- Jen

Ah, there are few things in the world as good as snuggling up.. with your favorite blanket and book, your animals in bed with coffee, or yes, your favorite snuggle buddy (ahem).

This whole discovery of the EMF stuff definitely makes me glad I have gotten by with the layering system (sans electric blankie) and a down comforter.  The down can definitely keep the heat in.  Recently my friend was in town and so I lent her the comforter to stay warm in the guest bed, and let's just say I didn't sleep so well, even with a few other blanket layers.  Goes back to how nature always designs the best systems. 

However, I learned that some companies take the feathers off the geese while they are still alive. Quoted from the Peta site: Plucking geese causes them considerable pain and distress. One study of chickens’ heart rates and behaviors determined that “feather removal is likely to be painful to the bird(s),” and another study found that the blood glucose level of some geese nearly doubled (a symptom of severe stress) during plucking.(2,3)

So yes, I am looking for synthetic down for my guest room, and I found one type that didn't take the feathers from live birds (IKEA), but the problem is this.. what is the alternative stuff made of?  For example, alt leather is made with PVC... so which is worse?

Thoughts??

Off to ponder something simple because I have been struggling with this one for years and it hurts my head - Jen

Believe you me (who says that??) - I know it is not as easy as Kermy says to go green, and it is even harder to get friends and family members to roll that way. 

But the one thing I have found that starts to change people's minds that this isn't all about righteous flaming liberal rhetoric is to show how you just do it, in small ways.

So what I am going to do this year is take off all wrapping paper very slow so that the moment of giving & receiving is extended... my friends and family will see that is something small they could do too.  Now, I probably won't go as far as iron the paper for re-use, as my Grammy did... but I will definitely try to re-use it.

Gift giving is so much more when there is some thought put behind it.  Just say no to last-minute gifts bought at Macy's without some thoughtful wrapping.

Off to wrap up my new kitten in a brown bag.. omg is it funny...  jb

OK, so I'm supposed to talk about sugaring/waxing today.  But let's be honest - I don't have a lot to say that wasn't already said in the tip.  I like getting sugared/waxed, instead of shaving. Finito.

Instead, I want to talk about how apparently pervasive this whole green movement really is.  All signs point to the idea that it's taking the world by storm...  In fact, it's even changing the urban criminal underbelly.

Case in point: someone broke into my car on Friday night.  (Now, you need to bear with me a bit on that "broke in" thing... I never actually LOCK my car, since there isn't much to steal, so in the end, I guess they just kind of opened the door and spent a little time inside).

But regardless of whether or not they were actually committing a crime for hanging out in my car, they definitely committed one when they stole some things inside her.

Specifically, they took my B.Happy shopping bags (which I keep in the car to use when I go to the grocery store) and my Biter SIGG bottle.

Now, if the B.Happy bags and SIGG bottle were the only things stolen, I wouldn't assume that this thief had ANYTHING to do with a green lifestyle.  But here's the thing: this apparently eco-friendly intruder passed up taking not only a non-organic baseball hat and a non-recycled-paper book and a non-eco car freshener, but also my old yoga mat.  Now, if the yoga mat had been an eco-friendly rubber/jute mat, I would assume the whole incident was just random.  However, this was my old, PVC-laden mat, so I'm inclined to think that the eco-thief wisely, wisely passed it (and it's offgassing ways) up.

So - Biters, take heart.  Apparently even the criminal element of the world has taken heed and is reading their daily tips and taking them to heart...

-Heather... off to club my car...

The following was posted by Jill Finlayson, Director of Marketing for GreenDimes

Like you, I am busy. Between job, home, cars, parents, spouse, kids, kids' homework, piano, sports, and so forth, there is not a lot of time for thinking about the environment. When in college, like many students, I had the time and opportunity to help raise issues and awareness. While advocating divestment from South Africa to help bring an end to apartheid, we built a symbolic shanty town in front of Sproul Hall, but that is not something I can squeeze into my schedule now.

Does lack of time mean lack of interest? Not in the least, that’s why we created GreenDimes. We know, given a choice right in front of them, people will opt for doing things in a way that will help the planet. We also wanted to make that easier and then show off how much all those little decisions you make really do add up to great improvements when you put them all together.

Besides, it turns out there are problems that we can solve for ourselves that coincidentally help the planet. That’s why we are so serious about figuring out this junk mail problem. It is bad for the earth and bad for my counter space. So less junk mail solves two problems.

So Biters, the question to you is what other easy little things can people do (or not do), that cumulatively will have a big impact?

To get you started, we have thought about reusable bags for shopping (keeping just one in your car and bringing home one less bag helps – you don’t have to use only reusable bags every time) and reusable coffee cups – great idea but I admit to being a big culprit here.  I find myself getting a paper Starbucks cup several times a week.  Washing a cup seems onerous, but I know that’s just plain wrong.  So help me and other Biters and GreenDimers put a little bit of spare change to good use…

Lets chat! Marching together we can make a big difference! 

So lately, I've been getting acupuncture.

Lying on a bed with needles sticking out of my wrists and fingers and forehead and belly, I'm occasionally struck with the silliness of it all. I mean, I'm not even trying to have a baby, and here I am, trying to normalize my hormones so that I ensure my fertility in the oncoming years and stay healthier in the here and now (apparently, I am SUCH a woman, I have an overabundance of unchecked estrogen in my system and I need my hormones to balance out).

But I believe it will work.  Mainly, I believe it will work because I know that there are spots in my wrist that scream all the way into my skull if I flex my fingers while the needles are in.

That must count for something.

-Heather... off to swallow some Chinese herbs that apparently are going to clear out the excess heat in my body...

So my friend is coming into town (she can cook, I have strategy here people!) and we are doing T-day like the natives.  We have researched all types of concoctions that are reminiscent of what the Native Americans ate around this time of year.

I found lots of the recipes in the recent copies of Vegetarian Times and VegNews, and well all except the Tofurkey stuffed with cranberries will be true to TRUE American form.  That will feel good.

Now the Tofurkey.. since I have been a veg head since 11 (coincidentally the same age Darryl H. went veg) I know my fake meats... and this one is the best. 

I can't wait for Tofurkey Day!! Whooohoo!

Off to research Native American poems on gratitude that we will say as the grace... Jen

Seriously... I DO love the skinny fit of the Del Forte jeans... but my butt.  Not-so-skinny.  Too much time in the office eating client-intended organic chocolates.

We did just get back from Green Festival in SF and go to meet so many of our friends and clients... usually one in the same.  One of them is Summer from BTC Elements.  Turns out she is the one that fits perfectly in those skinny jeans (she is gorgeous, tall and thin.)  However, at the BTC Elements booth I tried on the skinny jeans for Heather (I really wanted to make them work for real) butt...Heather said they looked good on me from the front (thanks there, Heather ol' pal.)

Anyway, it is my goal to fit perfectly in them in a few months. I am going to get in mega good shape.  We found a few cleansing mixes at the conference... stay tuned... if I lose 10 lbs I will definitely splurge on the $180 Del Forte skinny jeans as a reward.

Off to the airport to sit on my butt some more... jb

OK, so I am supposed to talk about libraries in the blog here today, but I'd really rather talk about GreenFest SF.  Suffice to say, I was a huge library afficionado my whole life.  I remember EXACTLY how the library in Troy, Montana smelled.  I remember walking down to it with my mom, heading straight to the kid's section, being so excited each week as I magically swapped out old treasures for new.

So, libraries rule.  Not a lot more to say about it.  The end.

Instead, I'd like to shout out to all of you who stopped by our booth at GreenFest in SF this weekend.  You are truly inspirational, and you make everything we do each day so worth it.  Some specific call-outs:

Elisa - we love your enthusiasm, your Biter shirt, your "I want to be on the team members' page" line.

Tim Henry - any Biter who remembers us from last year is a friend for life.

Jen and Ursula and Rowan and Margaret and all of you who came by or grabbed us in the hall for photos or hugs, and everyone who brought friends by the booth and let us know that you were "changing your life one Bite at a time"...

You're the reason the world's a better place.  You're the reason we do this.  And we are so, so honored that you are Biters.

-Heather... off to data entry the 1000+ new Biter names we signed up at the conference...

Living in a 450 square foot apartment in Brooklyn necessitates giving up a few things.  Mainly, when I moved to New York, I had to make a choice: was that 12x10 room going to be a living room or a dining room.

Being me, and loving food and dinner parties as I do, the choice was clear.

So here I am, years later in SF with a great deal more room, and my living room is so empty it echoes.  Accordingly, I am on the hunt for furniture for the living room.

Since I tend to be a floor dweller, I am on the hunt for a wide, rustic coffee table.  I'm talking the kind where you throw cushions on the floor and have big communal dinners around it.

Saw some amazing tables yesterday at Frog's Leap winery in Napa - made from reclaimed wood.  The tables were gorgeous beyond belief (as was the winery itself - completely organic, with sustainably built buildings and amazing views.

-Heather... off to catch up on some sleep before GreenFest starts tonight...

Honestly, the best counter tops I have ever seen are the mosaic looking recycled glass ones we tipped. 

One day I would love to really do it right, not sacrificing on anything and building uber-green from the ground up.  But with renovation projects, it is a bit harder as you need to have new things meet your old peculiarities. My Bozeman house was built in 1908... so what I gain in character I lose in energy efficiencies and ease of renovation.

Luckily on the energy efficiency front I am able to get it re-insulated (doing the blow-in type I think), and also going to apply for a grant to do a solar panel installation.

But counter tops. Just don't know. What was your favorite type of eco tops? What style would go with a cottage-y house?

Off to see when that insulation guy can came out... oh Dad! where art thou? Jen

**********

9AM PST

Correction from Toshio:

The price we listed for the IceStone counters is incorrect. The cost is actually less than we published, so rejoice! The correct pricing is $75-$150/sq ft installed.

So did you see the WRI video from today's tip?  I was so lucky to work there... not only because of getting to bump into said hot Latin man, but also because these people are beyond legit and incredibly balanced in their wicked smart approach to advancing the great environmenal cause.  Not to mention, clearly they walked the talk, as you can see in the video.

I have to admit that when it comes time to redo my kitchen (it is very 70's right now), I am not sure what my options will be for super eco luxy cabinetry, primarily due to time & cost.  I just wish I could go to Home Depot and get it, you know? 

Speaking of Home Depot, a Biter wrote in to say she found out that Home Depot shreds all of its damaged products instead of donating them.  That made me wince since my new stove just arrived there damaged (broken glass piece or something on the top), so it went into a mega shredder?  Does anyone have any more info on this?

Off to live in a yurt.
No wait, it is getting cold.  Off to make a fire and surf for ways to convert it to a pellet burning stove - Jen

So many meanings of this title!  First meaning: I am now 33 and so although I feel pretty much as healthy and energetic as I did in my twenties, I am starting to have more "wise old owl" thoughts. And correspondingly, it is pretty hard to "floor" me with shocking information, behavior, or news.  Is that how one gets jaded?  Well, there is one area where I am constantly floored... and that is by nature and her beauty and adaptive, regenerative power... but I won't eco-geek out on ya here.

The second meaning would be when one is nicely pushed to the floor to make out.  Hmm. Fun.

And the third.  Well I just love nice floors and hate nasty carpets that hold dust and mold.  A nice floor in a house makes all the difference.  There are hardwoods in my new place, and I can't wait to see them shine up with some eco-refinishing.  Then they will be nice enough for my date to knock me to the floor, and that will floor me that he did so.  Ha.

Off to find the name of that contractor... getting excited for this little renovation project. - Jen

OK, so I had a bit of a "my baby is cuter than your baby" conversation last week with a few people. This was all terribly interesting, especially since I don't have a baby.

I do, however, have a nephew, and yes, he's the cutest thing in the world (evidence: photo).

And let me tell you - he isn't breathing any natty paint VOCs in his nursery. Nope, Aunt Heather got him milk-based paints from Anna Sova, so his walls smell like milkshakes, and his little breathing is easy and sweet (and cuter than every other baby out there, I swear). ;)

-Aunt Heather... off to contemplate how cute babies make for very bad birth control...

OK, so we all know that I love wine.   I love wine like Johnny Appleseed loves trees and fish love water and Jen loves Cricket.  Wine is god's gift to the universe, and the day I have to give it up is the day I stop eating.

But sometimes, said love of vino gets me into a wee bit of trouble.

Take Wednesday night, for instance.  Out to dinner with VS (Very Strategic) businessfolk, and the wine is flowing (and the wine is really, really, really good), and the conversation is flowing, and Heather's mouth is flapping, and somewhere mid-sentence, I catch myself discussing a waxing job or a yoga adjustment, and it occurs to me that maybe my words shouldn't be flowing quite so liberally.

Fortunately, however, wine doesn't get me in too much trouble outside of a healthy dose of verbosity.  Thank god for Jigsaw's Activated B vitamins.  Discovered them about a year ago, and I swear - the stuff staves off hangovers (but only if you remember to take it before going to sleep).  I was psyched that they are this week's GCS, since we are heading into the holiday season, and we all might find ourselves with a little too much wine in our hands (bellies/heads).

-Heather... off to drink some water and sweat out some toxins...

All right, I don't want to brag here, but I DO make a mean cup of coffee.  Ahem.

Still, I should probably give credit where credit is due: to my trusty old French press, and to the insane beans that I grind to brew in it.  My absolute fave mix?  Equal Exchange's Organics - use about 3/4 of their French Roast and 1/4 of their Sumatran.  I promise you, you won't be disappointed.  (Of course, you can only get the Sumatran in 5 lb bags, so it's useful to have friends who ALSO have your same coffee fetish).  The lovely John at Two for the Pot in Brooklyn got me hooked on this blend, and I've been an addict ever since.

But, as we mention in the tip - should you be interested in having me "brew" you your own beverage, and if you are in the Bay Area, swing by Elixir at 16th Guerrero tonight. I'll be pretending that I know how to pour something other than wine. 

And, I just MIGHT have some spare Biter shirts behind the bar, just waiting to be doled out...

-Heather... off to practice tossing bottles in the air like Tom (before Nic or Kate) in Cocktail...

As some of you know, I love cards. 

My card fascination started back East when I found these adorable hand stamped cards at a Farmer's market, done on classy thick recycled paper, with a golden horseshoe in the middle.  I bought all five, and then found a number for the group that produced them, and ordered 100.  I start off every note I write on them with why I feel so lucky to know the recipient.

Last year for Christmas I bought Mudlark cards and then glued a springy picture of Cricket to the front and put frays of bailing twine all around.  Hard to imagine, but turned out kitschy cool.

This year I am stoked... working with GreeneStreet I am doing custom cards with a hilarious picture of the Cricket scarfing down a Christmas cookie.  I am talking, full crumbs a'flying!  If I don't do custom though I was thinking about one of their retro cards...  I really want to support Evan (founder) in her endeavor to successfully launch this company...  she is a beautiful person (on the inside, only met her via phone) with a beautiful product, with a beautiful mission.

Anywhoo... if you are Kuckoo for Cards, then get your eco-holiday cards early and write one a week, so by the time the holiday's are here you are done.  (Now let's see if I can follow my own advice!)

Off to write a card.  No, wait, will do my card list on the plane today.  That is pretty good start considering we just hit Nov..  Jen

Back in the day, I remember that coconut oil was vilified as one of those "tropical oils" that would give you a heart attack if you even looked at it.  This was after I learned that pasta and bagels would make me thin and lithe, but before I learned that eating a steak and eggs every day would be just fine, as long as I never so much as looked at a piece of bread.

Since I LOVE Nutiva's organic raw coconut oil (and not just because my skin is soft and my hair shiny... mainly, I am mad for the taste and eat about a spoonful a day), I am hoping that the good news about coconut oil - that it might help kill viruses and stall the flu - will stick around.

In the meantime, I'll just use it in everything from smoothies to hair conditioner and celebrate our ever-expanding knowledge.

-Heather... off to rub some coconut oil on my getting-dry-with-the-colder-weather skin...