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School Nutrition
A friend who volunteers at a low-income community garden recently told me a disturbing story about the high school kids who help out there: To fuel a long day at school, most had consumed nothing for lunch but a bag of chips and a soda.
Food for thought is just that - the stuff that powers brain function - so little surprise that kids struggle to get the most out of their school day (and develop into productive adults) when they’re subsisting on junk food or other highly-processed, nutritionally-empty calories. Plus processed food takes a huge toll on the environment between the packaging, shipping, production waste and more.
With that in mind, I’m getting on my soapbox for the Slow Food USA’s Read the full post... 
Food for thought is just that - the stuff that powers brain function - so little surprise that kids struggle to get the most out of their school day (and develop into productive adults) when they’re subsisting on junk food or other highly-processed, nutritionally-empty calories. Plus processed food takes a huge toll on the environment between the packaging, shipping, production waste and more.
With that in mind, I’m getting on my soapbox for the Slow Food USA’s
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Remember the article that circled a few months back uncovering the fact that 90% of U.S. bills posses trace amounts of cocaine? Here's round two on that topic, albeit less funny than all the cracks that were made then about Washington D.C. being the $ + cocaine epicenter.
Studying the effect our land living has on watersheds, Washington State researchers have discovered that certain spices show up in concentrated forms in our water supply depending on the time of year. For example, thyme and sage traces are more significant around Thanksgiving, cinnamon reigns throughout the winter, waffle-cone and caramel-corn (yuck, really?) remnants have their shining moment around the 4th of July, and chocolate and vanilla rear their sweet heads each Read the full post...
Studying the effect our land living has on watersheds, Washington State researchers have discovered that certain spices show up in concentrated forms in our water supply depending on the time of year. For example, thyme and sage traces are more significant around Thanksgiving, cinnamon reigns throughout the winter, waffle-cone and caramel-corn (yuck, really?) remnants have their shining moment around the 4th of July, and chocolate and vanilla rear their sweet heads each Read the full post...
Green Spaces NYC
So, my boyfriend just decided to branch out on his own and work from home. Instead of seeing him for a mere 3 hours a day (he works in finance), I can see him all I want now. No more waiting until 10:30 pm to eat dinner, no more walking the dog solo, no more taking care of all the chores alone. Yah!
But, um, I miss my alone time and space all to myself. Luckily, Green Spaces New York just opened a new downtown location at 394 Broadway. Ecopreneurs (as they call them) can buy desk space to work on their green companies and small businesses. Membership is $50 a month which gives you one work day per month and $25 for any additional days. Need a full-time desk? It’ll cost you $495 a month or $275 for part-time. You’ll get your own desk with access to a conference room, lounge, and kitchen as well as Read the full post...
But, um, I miss my alone time and space all to myself. Luckily, Green Spaces New York just opened a new downtown location at 394 Broadway. Ecopreneurs (as they call them) can buy desk space to work on their green companies and small businesses. Membership is $50 a month which gives you one work day per month and $25 for any additional days. Need a full-time desk? It’ll cost you $495 a month or $275 for part-time. You’ll get your own desk with access to a conference room, lounge, and kitchen as well as Read the full post...
Michael's Craft Contest
If you subscribe to our local or Mama editions, you might have seen our Make Its (crafty tips on reusing what might otherwise turn into waste) – or even tried a few. Some of my faves: Chicago’s swimsuit sachets, LA’s tee bag, and Mama’s baby hat with kitten ears.
Now, thanks to suburban craft mecca Michaels, you can score a little ch’ching for your crafty ways. This month it launched its “Handmade Holiday Contest” and’ll be doling out two $100 gift cards every week through Dec. 20. Just upload pics of what you’ve made at Michaels.com, and peeps who visit the site will vote for their fave (read: time to hit up Read the full post...
Now, thanks to suburban craft mecca Michaels, you can score a little ch’ching for your crafty ways. This month it launched its “Handmade Holiday Contest” and’ll be doling out two $100 gift cards every week through Dec. 20. Just upload pics of what you’ve made at Michaels.com, and peeps who visit the site will vote for their fave (read: time to hit up Read the full post...
Freecycle.org
We now bring you Part MCMXVII in the "Mike Really Does Not Care for the Process of Moving" series...
This weekend I gave away a TV. It was a 32" Toshiba that has served me well, through the days back when I had cable (On Demand, how I miss thee...), through all of the Oakland A's playoff runs of the early 2000s, and through intense Netflix periods as well. It still worked great, but it was time to say goodbye because my new studio is...cozy, in the parlance of real estate agents. (I'm not particularly looking forward to only watching movies on my laptop, but it's either that or sleep with the TV in my bed. And I'm a warm sleeper already.)
So I listed it on Freecycle since I had no takers on Craigslist -- apparently no one wants to pay for a bulky, unreasonably heavy, non-flat-screen Read the full post...
This weekend I gave away a TV. It was a 32" Toshiba that has served me well, through the days back when I had cable (On Demand, how I miss thee...), through all of the Oakland A's playoff runs of the early 2000s, and through intense Netflix periods as well. It still worked great, but it was time to say goodbye because my new studio is...cozy, in the parlance of real estate agents. (I'm not particularly looking forward to only watching movies on my laptop, but it's either that or sleep with the TV in my bed. And I'm a warm sleeper already.)
So I listed it on Freecycle since I had no takers on Craigslist -- apparently no one wants to pay for a bulky, unreasonably heavy, non-flat-screen Read the full post...
Film
Here's a gem worth adding to your lineup of holiday films: Objectified. I love this movie. Love. It reveals the thought that goes into everyday things we take for granted through interviews with high-profile industrial designers like Jonathan Ive, and behind-the-scenes looks at the process of creating an object - from brainstorming to manufacturing (there's even some ewaste recycling footage - woo!). It covers what defines good design, the challenges of sustainability, and (just in time for the gift giving) the psychology of consumption and the meaning we give objects in our lives.
Dieter Rams, the former design director at Braun, says in his interview: "That's what particularly bothers me today, the Read the full post...
Dieter Rams, the former design director at Braun, says in his interview: "That's what particularly bothers me today, the Read the full post...
Eco Stocking Stuffers
Wanna play your true love's Santa by giving fun, not spendy presents? Five golden rings might be out of the question, but check out a few of these planet-friendly picks for the lucky lords and ladies in your crew.
1. Bomb Diggity
Give your bath-loving peeps an excuse for good QT in the tub. Lush's festive Christmas Cracker combo includes its new, paraben-free fizzy Cinders Bath Bomb (scented with almonds, cherries, and cinnamon) and a sparkly red Holiday Bubble Bar, made with rose oil and rejuvenating tangerine. They come wrapped in gold paper and red ribbon, and include fresh, organic ingredients that aren't tested on animals ($14). Give it.
Read the full post...
1. Bomb Diggity
Give your bath-loving peeps an excuse for good QT in the tub. Lush's festive Christmas Cracker combo includes its new, paraben-free fizzy Cinders Bath Bomb (scented with almonds, cherries, and cinnamon) and a sparkly red Holiday Bubble Bar, made with rose oil and rejuvenating tangerine. They come wrapped in gold paper and red ribbon, and include fresh, organic ingredients that aren't tested on animals ($14). Give it.
Ask a Scientist SF
Last Tuesday I dragged my cold-ridden body to SF's Ask a Scientist, a monthly lecture/Q&A session on different science disciplines. November's presenter was Daniel Gluesenkamp from the Audubon Society, speaking on invasive species.
Loved it. The idea is you get a drink, maybe some food (c/o the excellent Axis Café), and hear about something science-related you might never have thought about, or at least never thought could be interesting. And it's free.
-Toshio…off to reconsider wild turkey for Thanksgiving…
From Read the full post...
Loved it. The idea is you get a drink, maybe some food (c/o the excellent Axis Café), and hear about something science-related you might never have thought about, or at least never thought could be interesting. And it's free.
-Toshio…off to reconsider wild turkey for Thanksgiving…
From
Opportunity Green
Dearest Biters:
I wrote an article for The Huffington Post about my experience at the Opportunity Green conference, and I have to be honest - it is kind of a battle cry to go beyond small steps.
Don’t get me wrong: I do believe that all the changes that we collectively have made over the past 4+ years haven’t gone unnoticed, especially by companies. I mean look, you’d be hard pressed to find a Fortune 500 company without a green product line or sustainability section in its yearly stockholder report. This is exactly what we set out to do… so, well done Biters!! We’ve truly made a huge impact with our collective small steps adding up. But I’ve really accepted the fact that we gotta think bigger, expect more, and just be bold if you love this earth and people and animals on it.
So Read the full post...
I wrote an article for The Huffington Post about my experience at the Opportunity Green conference, and I have to be honest - it is kind of a battle cry to go beyond small steps.
Don’t get me wrong: I do believe that all the changes that we collectively have made over the past 4+ years haven’t gone unnoticed, especially by companies. I mean look, you’d be hard pressed to find a Fortune 500 company without a green product line or sustainability section in its yearly stockholder report. This is exactly what we set out to do… so, well done Biters!! We’ve truly made a huge impact with our collective small steps adding up. But I’ve really accepted the fact that we gotta think bigger, expect more, and just be bold if you love this earth and people and animals on it.
So Read the full post...
DIY Book
Recently I met up with Justina Blakeney, Jill-of-all-trades and co-author of the popular 99 Ways series of books, at Veggie Grill (my new lunch obsession, BTW). Over our matching Santa Fe Crispy Chickin' sammies (all the food is vegetarian) and sides of Steamin' Kale, we caught up, lamented about The Climate Race and other doom and gloom-y matters, and she told me about her newest book that just launched this month, Refashioned Bags: Upcycle Anything into a High Style Handbag.
And she really means Read the full post...
And she really means Read the full post...
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