When you Go, go green

There was a great article on CNN today about green burials - sounds like something I'll do!

Companies like Eternal Reefs, Eco Coffins Ltd., Green Burial Council, and CoffinCouches.com are featured in the article. 

Pretty trash

I stumbled upon an article about pink polka-dotted trash bags, which were used as an art project by Adrian Kondratowicz in NYC. Besides being cool to look at, they're also biodegradable and contain natural insect repellant. The best part is that you can buy them if you'd like. 

Page-A-Day: February 18 & 19

February 18: Using antibacterial soaps and taking antibiotics contributes to the rise of "superbugs" (that are immune to our defenses). Only use these when you absolutely need them.

February 19: Next time you plan to go skiing, find a resort that uses renewable energy - www.keepwintercool.org. And buy "green tags" (offsets) from www.skigreen.org

Mint water

I have enjoyed MetroMint waters for a while, but today I discovered my new favorite flavor: Chocolatemint. It's water flavored with mint, and in this case, cocoa essence. They are not sweeteners or preservatives, just a refreshing flavor. Plus, it's a great alternative to eating chocolate when you crave it!

Delicious tea

I bought some great tea today from The Republic of Tea called Rose Petal Tea. It's a limited edition, so get it while you can. I got it from Pharmaca and it was half off.

Since this is loose tea, it is more eco-friendly because you can use a wire infuser instead of tea bags and all the packaging.

Page-A-Day: February 11, 14, 15, & 16

February 11: Best Blogs: www.thegreenguide.com; www.treehugger.com, www.grist.org, www.thedailygreen.com, www.care2.com/greenliving, www.greenliving.tips.com, www.teensygreen.com, http://greenoptions.com, www.lime.com 

(how come I'm not listed here?)

February 14: Next Valentine's Day, buy locally made chocolates, flowers that were grown locally in a greenhouse, and/or potted plants. Roses are overpriced, often from the other side of the world, and full of pesticides.

February 15: Formaldehyde is a VOC that is linked to nasal and lung cancer, and possibly to brain cancer and leukemia. It can also cause respiratory difficulty, eczema, and sensitization. Formaldehyde can be found in building products, cleaners, cosmetics, pressed woods, clothing, bedding, paint, finishes, and nail polishes. 

February 16: Instead of using Post-it notes, scribble notes on the back of used paper, or use an application on your computer (such as Stickies on Mac OSX, or Post-it's Digital Notes software for the PC). (However, some Post-it Notes are made from recycled paper, and all are recyclable. )

New vegan items at Trader Joes: Gel Cups and Wraps

I went to Trader Joes in L.A. for the first time in a while and discovered some new, delicious items. 

"Gel Cups" are vegan Jello cups and they are tasty. However, they are a knock-off of Cool Cups. 

Both brands come in Black Cherry and Peach Mango.

T.J.s has a couple different kinds of vegan wraps, so I tried the Spicy Lentil and it was excellent! Very flavorful and not too spicy, and it comes with a side of tahini sauce. Yum!

The downside is that both products use quite a lot of packaging, so they're not very eco-friendly. = ( So if you do buy them, make sure you recycle everything

Grocery delivery

Looking for a specific product, or need to buy a bunch (in bulk)? Try ordering through a grocery delivery service.
I did this for work because we needed several dozen of a food product from Vons and the store never had enough. So I used Von's delivery service and they delivered it the next day. This is a good eco-solution because you don't have to drive around from store to store, and the delivery service is out and about anyways.

Page-A-Day: February 8

Use cloth napkins instead of buying paper napkins. You can buy beautiful fabrics, or use fabric you already own/make your own. 

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Tonight my friend Carla and I made Chocolate Orange Cupcakes from Post Punk Kitchen.

Alterations:

- I didn't have Grand Marnier (and it was very expensive), so we used orange triple sec

- I bought Cherrybrook Kitchen Vanilla Frosting, and mixed in orange peel and cacao nibs (yum!)

- The recipe has baking soda in it but the amount is not listed in the ingredients, so I left it out

Specifics & Brands:

- Dagoba Dark 59% semisweet dark chocolate

- Nestle cocoa powder (didn't have Dutch)

- cake flour

- Soy Dream (original)

- I forgot my pure maple syrup, so I had to use Aunt Jemima's! = (

- I had 2 cupcake pans - one shallow and one deep. The shallow cakes baked for 20 minutes, and the deep cakes needed 25. 

Change the way you think

Change the way you think

Excellant Vegan Soft Serve at Interim Cafe (Los Angeles)

Yesterday I was excited to read on QuarryGirl's blog that one of my favorite places to get breakfast and lunch now has vegan soft serve! I went there and have my usual Tofu Steak sandwich - which is tasty but has a little too much tofu. However, the Chocolate Salvation soft serve (most likely named after Obama) was delicious! Interim created the recipe themselves, and there is very little soy in it. Try it once and you'll be addicted!

Vegan tour of Los Angeles

My vegetarian sister is coming to visit me in L.A. for the first time and I am determined to bring her to the best veggie places around. We only have 5 days!

Here's my list - please leave a comment if you know of other must-go restaurants. Keep in mind I try to stay on the Westside, but I'm willing to travel for an amazing meal. = )

BREAKFAST

- Swingers (for the pancakes & donuts)

- M Cafe

LUNCH

- Chandni

- Casa De Tree

DINNER

- Real Food Daily 

- RAW

LUNCH OR DINNER

- Seed

- Veggie Grill

- Native Foods

- Spot

- Rahel OR Rosalinds - WHICH SHOULD I CHOOSE?

- Purgatory Pizza (for the new vegan cheese!) OR That's Amore. WHICH SHOULD I CHOOSE?

POSSIBILITIES

- Scoops

- Madeleines

- Flore

- Tender Greens

- Akasha

- Sante La Brea

- Pure Luck

- California Vegan

- Bodhi Tree

- Interim Cafe

- China Beach Bistro (for the fried rice)
- Mao's Kitchen

I just read about Locali - a vegan market in Hollywood! We must venture there!

Akasha (Los Angeles)

Thanks to QuarryGirl's post on Restaurant Week, I finally went to Akasha in Culver City and it was great! I had the shitake, roasted squash and basil pizza, the punjabi mung beans and rice, and then the salty chocolate tart. The pizza and the tart were fantastic, and the punjabi was good but not up to my expectations. I'd definitely go again!

(photo credit: QuarryGirl)

(photo credit: QuarryGirl)

Page-A-Day: February 1 & 2

February 1 - Find all the paper products in your place, use them up, and then buy non-paper and/or recycled alternatives.

February 2 - Turn off your computer and the power strip it's attached to when you're not using it. If you have a desktop, turn off the monitor because it uses  more energy than your hard drive.

German Government Advisory: Eat Meat Only on Special Ocassions

Germany’s environmental issues advisory body issued a strong advisory for German people to lower their meat consumption, effectively asking the population to eat meat only on special occasions. The advisory board cited that 15% of Germany’s greenhouse gases come from agriculture. Dramatically reducing meat consumption will diminish Germany’s carbon footprint.