Michigan - vegan options?

It looks like I'll be going to Michigan (Ann Arbor area) next month for a few days for work. Any vegan suggestions?

Twitter links: May 29th

@greenrobeen:

1. Greener alternatives to personal care
2. The dirty 30 chemicals to avoid in products we use everyday

Golden Mean Vegan Cafe, take 3: "live" video review

While I was at Golden Mean for dinner tonight I did a spontaneous review of the Falafel Wrap, using Aaron's (the founder) iMac. Recorded, edited, and posted to YouTube in 15 minutes - gotta love Macs! ; )

Grilled Sheese sandwich

I made a grilled Sheese (smoked cheddar flavor) sandwich for lunch and it turned out pretty well.

The Sheese didn't melt in the bread in the pan, or when I microwaved it for 30 seconds after. But it was pretty tasty. I used sourdough bread and Earth Balance.

MaggieMudd: video interview with Mike & Chang

MaggieMudd

Once again, my apologies for the distorted audio. I think I need a new mic...or a camera guy.

Twitter links: May 28th

@greenupgrader: Does the Package Make the Green Product?

@treehugger:

1. Greenwashed Packaging Cartoon Says It All
2. Buying Frozen Veggies Versus Canned: Which is Greener?

@naturallysavvy: Don't Throw Away Your Coffee Grounds!: 5 Reuses for Coffee Grounds

@greenopia: Greener Airlines? 10 Least Environmentally Harmful Companies

@ecosphericblog: Glass recycling: let's get smashed

@eartheats: The Truth Is Out on Genetically Modified Foods - And It's Not Pretty

@EcoFan: Solar-powered speaker dock for iPod doubles as a green charger

Oskri Coconut Bar

If you like coconut you will love the Oskri Coconut Bar. I bought it at Whole Foods and it is a delicious light dessert - perfect post lunch. Just the right amount of sweet. The ingredients are coconuts and rice syrup. Yum.

Yeast - is it vegan?

Recently a few people have asked me if yeast is vegan. I was stumped, because although I eat products made with yeast, I wasn't sure if it was considered vegan or not. I figured it had to be vegan because yeast is in vegan breads and baked goods, and my favorite nutritional yeast...right? But it is alive, so it didn't seem like an obviously explanation.

The answer in most cases is yes, yeast is vegan and is not considered an animal or an animal product.

Here are some explainations for it's veganism:

• Yeasts belong to the same group of organisms as mushrooms
• Easy Vegan's explanation

Microwaved water

I can be lazy sometimes. Often when I want tea I put water in a mug with a tea bag, and microwave them. It takes 2 minutes and I have a brewed cup of warm tea. But I always wondered, does it make a difference? Is the microwave changing the water or killing something in the tea? Probably...but how unhealthy is it?

I looked online and found this great study on what microwaved water does to plants.

Twitter links: May 27th

@greenmeme: Ted Danson says film will be 'End of the Line' for overfishing the oceans

10 Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Footprint Through Food Choices

Air-powered car

@ecosphericblog: Four of the hottest iPhone apps for greener living

@Sierra_Magazine: Green Your Drinks: Wine

@Oburger: 10 simple things you can do to change our food system

Interview with Ioana from Luscious Organic Desserts

So sorry about the audio quality = (. But enjoy the interview with Ioana from Luscious Organic Desserts

Documentaries

Over the past few days I watched 2 documentaries that were amazing and worth blogging about. Though neither were vegan or about the environment, I connected with them for similar reasons.

The Business of Being Born really struck a cord with me because it was about American ignorance of the medical corruption and how our country has turned a natural process into a complicated, numbing experience. Being a eco-vegan has really opened my eyes to ways in which our country hides truths and is more concerned with profit than health, so this film was right in line with that. Just like many people prefer to eat out of convenience than health or compassion, many women prefer to avoid pain than experience the birthing process in it's true form. Our society has convinced us that hospital visits and cesareans are normal and best for the baby, and many families pay lots of money for these illusions of utmost safety.

Grizzly Man is about Timothy Treadwel, who was somewhat of an outcast from society and connected more with animals than humans. The film was beautiful, interesting, and touching. My favorite scenes were with his interaction with his fox friends, and I was glad he mentioned how awful fox hunting is. Treadwel's main concern was protecting the grizzlies, so much so that he stated he would never kill one even in his own defense. Though many view this film as a story about a crazy man, I saw it as a great display of the difference between the natural, animal world and the human world. And there were interesting parallels between grizzlies and people....

Coconut Macadamia Nut Cake at Real Food Daily

I had the Coconut Macadamia Nut Cake at Real Food Daily (West Hollywood) over the weekend and it was amazing. I would have taken a picture but I was too busy enjoying it to remember!

It had an amazing coconut flavor, crunchy bits of sugar, and great white frosting. That's my new favorite dessert from RFD.

It's a special until May 31st, but hopefully they'll have it more often! But I recommend getting in there to try it before it runs out!

What's wrong with orange juice?

Here's a great article called "What's wrong with orange juice?". I've always been really picky about OJ - I don't like anything but fresh squeezed.

Twitter links: May 26th

@PlanetGreen:

1. Save 100 Million Trees: Send Your Mail Online Using Zumbox
2. How to Choose a Green Charity

@ecophotographer:

1. Green Weddings: Alternative Flower Ideas
2. 45 Awesome Ways to Get Eco-Energized at Work

@thegoodhuman: We Must Stop Living Throw-Away Lives

@veganbakesale: Vegan French Toast recipe

@eartheats: France To Obama: "Yes You Can... Do A Lot More" On Environment

@TreeHugger: BAN Uncovers e-Cycler Lying, Sending e-Waste Overseas

@SustainLane: Five Ingredients to Avoid When Buying Summer Skin Care Products

More vegan ice cream in West Hollywood: Ice Pan

I just heard about another place that has vegan ice cream in West Hollywood. Here's Quarry Girl's review of Ice Pan.

O! Burger: video review and interview with Andy the co-owner

Millions of Milkshakes - video review

Vegan milkshake!

Millions of Milkshakes
8910 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(213) 38-SHAKE
www.millionsofmilkshakes.com

Wheel of Life - vegan Thai in Irvine, CA

For some reason that escapes me I wrote a note about a restaurant called Wheel of Life. The menu looks pretty good and different. I'm curious if it's any different from all the generic vegan thai places in L.A. I've been told it's great, so at some point I'll have to try it out!

Daiya vegan cheese - GREAT NEWS!

I received this great email from Daiya today:

"I have read your blogs and am happy to tell you that we are currently working with zpizza and that Cruzer Pizza will be carrying Daiya as of this Wednesday May 27...I also noticed you mentioned Native Foods in your blog, just an FYI, I am speaking to them about Daiya."

YAY! Great news!

Eco-friendly rent payments

When I came home tonight I found a note from my building manager informing residents about PayYourRent.com - online rent payment! The flyer read, "with over 160 million paper rent checks written every month, if only 20% paid online we could: 

• eliminate over 8 million pounds of paper
• save 140,000 trees
• reduce 160,000 tons of greenhouse gases
• save 112 million gallons of wastewater
• salvage 8.25 million gallons of fuel"

Love it - of course I'm doing it! The site is great - easy to navigate through, and you can even schedule maintenance through it!

I encourage you to tell your property management about this service - what a difference it would make! The company even offers money for referring them to your landlord!

Breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien (West Hollywood)

I had a great breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien in West Hollywood this morning.

Of course I got the Organic Matcha Green Tea Latte - my favorite, especially with agave.

Then I had my new favorite muffin - the Ginger Green Tea muffin. I tried some of the fruit spreads on them (Apricot, and 4 Red Fruits) and they were amazing!

Then I had the Organic Omega-3 Berry Boost Oatmeal - delicious. It was just the right size and was bursting with nutrition due to the flax seeds and oil. It wasn't sweet, aside from the berries, so I mixed in some agave and it was perfect.

Earth Class Mail

I passed a neat looking store in West Hollywood called Earth Class Mail. Since it had the word earth in it, I wondered if it was eco-friendly. It is.

Earth Class Mail is a cool concept. Instead of receiving mail in your mailbox, it goes to the company. They scan the UNSEALED envelopes and email them to you. Then you decide:

• Recycle all the junk with a click of your mouse
  
• Have us securely scan the contents so you can read it online
  
• Shred sensitive information
  
• Forward the original to you or someone else
  
• Forward the electronic document to whomever you choose
  
• Archive the originals at our facility
  

It's definitely a great idea if you travel a lot, or if you're as lazy as getting and reading mail as I am. And it's a quick way to recycle your mail. 

But how else is it eco-friendly? "Instead of making physical postal deliveries that are so dependent on fuel for planes and trucks, we deliver postal mail online, where people can manage it instantly, anywhere in the world." 

"Recycling mail is one of the primary ways Earth Class Mail already makes a difference for the planet, and that's just the beginning: To truly benefit the environment, Earth Class Mail has developed the first online postal-mail delivery system scalable to an entire country’s postal mail.
By offering national posts the ability to deliver mail online, Earth Class Mail can move posts from their current energy-wasting physical-delivery model to clean electronic delivery for a significant portion of the mail they currently handle." 

Pretty cool actually. It's pricey for someone like me (around $10 a month), but I love the idea.

Z Pizza (West Hollywood) - Organic, but is it vegan?

I passed by Z Pizza in West Hollywood with a big sign that read "organic". So I went inside to check out the menu. They had a veggie sandwich...and a pizza with soy cheese. It didn't say if it was vegan, so I asked the guy at the counter if it was. He said he thought so, then I asked him what kind of cheese they used. Unfortunately no one knew and the cheese didn't have any packaging. He was pretty certain it was vegan, but when I emailed the management they told me it wasn't. = (

"Thank you for contacting us at zpizza. All of our soy cheese does currently contain casein. The founder is currently testing vegan cheese options to bring into zpizza in the future. We appreciate your interest and hope to be able to offer this for our vegan guests soon!"

I responded encouraging them to use Daiya or Teese - if you'd like to email them you should too - just go to their website and write them asking for vegan cheese.

Z Pizza
8869 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood CA, 90069
P: (310) 360-1414

Vegan burger at O! Burger in West Hollywood

I had an incredible experience at O! Burger in West Hollywood. Mainly because the owners and staff are amazing people. That restaurant has wonderful, positive energy. I wish they were closer because I would go back just for the good vibes.

O! Burger is an organic restaurant with vegan options. They have a vegan burger with many homemade sauces to choose from, a vegan wrap, and a vegan shake. I had the burger (with chipotle sauce) and fries (dipped in Thousand Island) and they were delicious. 

Stay tuned for the video review and interview with Andy the co-owner!

And add to your calendar: O! Burger's 1 year anniversary! June 21st.

Vegan milkshakes and soft serve: Millions of Milkshakes in West Hollywood

Wow.
That's the best word to describe the vegan milkshakes at Millions of Milkshakes in West Hollywood.
My video review will say (and show) it all, but I had to write about it in the meantime.
It's almost too good to be true because it tastes like it couldn't possibly be vegan, but I asked a couple people and a few vegans have recommended it, so I hope it's legit. However, it is FULL of sugar, which is probably how it tastes so good.

I was recommended to have the non-dairy base with bananas, Oreo cookies, chocolate sauce, and non-dairy whipped cream - YUM! That was a good choice.

I didn't try the soft serve (yet) but that's vegan as well.

It's a fun place, and since it's not entirely vegan you can bring your non-veg friends and they will love it too. Although, there's no way a non-vegan could tell the milkshakes are vegan. They're that good.

Stay tuned for the video!

(And thanks to Mike the manager for helping me out and being so kind!)

Native Foods in Westwood: video review

Had a great lunch at Native Foods in Westwood today. And they had no problem putting my food into my glass containers!

Twitter links: May 22nd

@tofuqueen: TofuXpress - tofu presser

@tweetmeme: In Search of PVC-free Bath Mats

@ecorazzi: New Terminator Film Deadly For Humanity, Easy On The Planet

@3rdwhale: Old cell phones save lives

Eco-Friendly Receipts

Every little bit counts, and that's why paper receipts from stores drive me crazy. Some stores print unnecessarily looooong receipts, sometimes with coupons you don't even want or surveys, others print every single item line by line even if they're duplicates. Others print on full-size pieces of paper (8.5 x 11) - these especially drive me up the wall.

So here's a quick blurb of places who have eco-friendly receipts, and some that don't.

Vote with your dollar. And voice your opinion about companies methods of printing receipts.

Good

• The Apple Store gives you the option of emailing the receipt - awesome! Most people throw out their receipts, so this is a great way to save paper and still have an electric copy that you can't loose.
• Target, believe it or not, has really short receipts - straight and to the point

Bad

• Creative Computers (aka Mac Mall or PC Mall) in Santa Monica prints really old-school, large, carbon copy receipts on 8.5 x 11 - when I complained about them the cashier said "but if we stopped printing them lumberjacks would be out of jobs". I avoid shopping there now.
• Ralphs and Vons/Pavillions tend to put all sorts of unnecessary information at the bottom of their receipts
• Kaiser Permanente prints on white 8.5 x 11 paper, and they only use about a 1/5 of the sheet. (they also send me appt reminders even though I can see them online, but I have no idea how to ask them to stop) Grrrrrr...
• Walmart, Ralphs, CVS, Smart & Final, and Front Runners in Brentwood print every item line by line, even if it's duplicates of the same item. Their receipts are ridiculously long!
• Whole Foods categorizes items into sections, which takes up extra room. They may be easier to read, but not so eco-friendly (at least not their receipts).

One day all stores will follow Apple's lead and email receipts. One day.

Twitter links: May 21st

@mgonyeo: Host an Eco Barbecue

@the_daily_green: Why It's Harder Than Ever To Find Safe, Natural Sunscreens

Things to Look for in Eco-Friendly Outdoor Furniture

@ecorazzi: Sprig eco-friendly toys

@paynter: 8 Meat-Free Sandwich Ideas

@urban_housewife: Check out Go Max Go Foods for vegan 3 Musketeers, Snickers, Milky Way & Almond Joy!

Vegetarian Dog from Seven Pounds

Ok. Can someone please explain why so many people are Googling the term, "7 pounds the dog" or "seven pounds dog" or 70 other version of that phrase(I kid you not)? I mean, I understand that they're curious about the vegetarian dog in the movie "Seven Pounds", but seriously, still? That movie came out last winter and almost every time I use Google Analytics to see what keywords people type in to find this blog, "seven pounds dog" comes up! I posted a short blurb about it a while ago, so it makes sense. But I want to know, is it the same person searching over and over and over again, or is there that much interest?

Nonetheless, The Seven Pounds Googler(s) will be very excited when I post my interview with the owner of V-Dog Food! And in a few months I will have my own vegetarian dog, and will blog about my experiences with that.

Interview with Kris from Coconut Bliss

Thrilled to present my interview with Kris Willey from Coconut Bliss. I met her at WorldFest.

I'm eating Mint Galatica flavor right now to celebrate!

Cruzer Pizza MIGHT serve vegan pizza with Daiya!

A small pizza chain called Cruzer Pizza in Los Angeles is considering serving vegan pizza made with Daiya cheese, but they need you to convince them! Please send them an email urging them to add the vegan option to the menu, and prove to them it will be a hit!

CFO: Sam Khalaf: s.khalaf@ariesnetwork.com
Call: Cruzer Pizza 323-666-0600

If you're not sure how you feel, try out the pizzas tomorrow night at the Farm Sanctuary LA Activist Meeting they'll be serving vegan pizzas with Daiya.

May 21, 7:00 p.m.
Shalom Printing
15133 Ventura Boulevard
Sherman Oaks, CA
(818) 905-6413

Why You Should Shop at Farmer's Markets

1. Support local farmers - keeps them in business and food does not have to travel from out of city/state/country
2. No or little packaging. Produce is usually loose - bring your own reusable produce bags/containers and shopping bags
3. Cash only - no need to use credit card machines/electricity
4. No receipts = no paper
5. Since farmer's markets are usually outside they are not using electricity for lighting, air conditioning, etc.
6. Many farmer's markets, especially in Los Angeles, are very bike friendly so you can ride instead of drive. The Sunday Santa Monica market has free bike valet!
7. All the produce will encourage you to eat healthy
8. Save money - farmer's markets usually have good prices and some vendors may bargain
9. Fun - farmer's markets tend to have a entertaining atmosphere, sometimes with live music. Shopping at one is also a great way to meet new people, as the customers are usually very friendly.

SunPower cookies at Santa Monica CoOp!

Greenleaf Chop Shop - video review

Greenleaf Chop Shop

The Antioxidant Orchard salad was amazing, and the quinoa salad was very good.

Make sure to go this week for the anniversary discounts - ends on Saturday!

To learn more about Greenleaf, check out this great video

Twitter links: May 20th

@TaigaCompany: Itsy Bitsy Recycled Plastic Bikini (I think I'm gonna buy one)

@BakeMeUpLA: Donate money for L.A. Bake Sale costs, Earthlings, and Animal Acres.

@JaymiHeimbuch: iRecycle iPhone App Makes Local Recycling a Breeze

Interim Cafe (Santa Monica)

Had lunch at Interim Cafe (once called Newsroom) in Santa Monica. I haven't been there for a while, but last time I really enjoyed their vegan Chocolate Salvation soft serve. Unfortunately it wasn't as good as I remembered - maybe today was a bad batch.

For lunch my friend Nik and I shared the split pea soup, the vegan spinach quesadilla, and the vegan pot roast with mashed potatoes. The soup and the quesadilla were excellent, but the pot roast was mediocre.

Twitter links

Twitter is an amazing place to stay up-to-date on eco-vegan news and web links. Here are my findings from today:

@organicyours: Bamboo-On-The-Cob (corn holders)

@LivingWoutMeat: Hungry? Plenty of Vegan Recipes in the Blogs

WorldFest 2009 - video summary

Here is my video report in montage format - each of the interviews I did will be separate, so stay tuned for those.

Featuring guest appearances by my friend Bill Muir (who works at Seed Kitchen), Kris Willey from Coconut Bliss, and Jumper (the pig) from the upcoming film "Bold Native".

Organic vegan funnel cake from Pop N Mama.

GreenLeaf Chop Shop anniversary: discounts all week

Discounts off everything all week at GreenLeaf Chop Shop in Beverly Hills.

WorldFest commentary

Stay tuned for the video coverage and interviews from WorldFest, but in the meantime here's my wrap-up commentary.

Featuring:

C'est La V Bakeshop

Luscious Organic Desserts

MaggieMudd 

Bodhi Tree Cafe

Friedel Caribbean Cuisine

Sun Power Natural

Pop N Mama

New Coconut Bliss products!

During my research for my interview tomorrow with a rep from Coconut Bliss, I discovered that they are coming out with new products!!!

Most exciting are their upcoming bars - YUM!

Also great to hear that they are making a Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor!

Can't wait to hear all about it tomorrow at WorldFest!

Online shopping: packaging, part 2

I received a package from Eye-Fi today (which is a really neat product for your digital camera). Not only did they ship the product in a perfectly sized envelope, but their product was packaged incredibly well. In fact, it's probably the best packaging I've ever seen (sorry Apple)!

Everything was included in a tiny box - the product, the software, and a mini set-up guide. And even better, the software was loaded onto the camera card, so they didn't have to include a CD!

Check out my 12seconds video:

In awe of Eye-Fi's packaging on 12seconds.tv

DIY business cards on recycled paper bags

I always design and print my own business cards, and yesterday I found a website showing cards printed on paper bags. I thought that was a great idea, so I gave it a try today and they came out well. I took 2 different bags, one of which was from Real Food Daily. Due to my design, they came out a little dark, but the quality is good, and it looks really cool and very eco. Can't wait to pass them out at WorldFest this weekend!

Madeleine's Bistro - take 2: video review

Mrs. Winston's Green Grocery: video review

Santa Monica - Revel with a Cause: video coverage

Breakfast (and dessert) at Seed Kitchen

During a recent trip to Seed Kitchen in Venice I noticed some new items in the dessert section. When I asked Eric what they were he told me they were the new breakfast items: scones and muffins. I got the raisin-flax seed scone and the raspberry-chocolate muffin: YUM!

The scone...well, it tasted like a scone, and it had great flavor. The muffin was out of this world - great flavor and texture (a little moist). Even though I ate them at closing, they still tasted very fresh. Eric said they haven't been selling very well because no one knows about them - so get yourself down to Seed and try them! Seed opens at 10am everyday.

Also, while I was there I tried the new and improved vanilla soft serve - AMAZING! The vanilla flavor is really intense and the texture is just right. The only downside is that it melts really fast, but it still tastes delicious as a drink! ; )

Good Health Natural Foods: video review

WorldFest 2009 (Los Angeles) : interview with Co-Producer Billy Hulting

** Click on HD for the best quality **

Product Spotlight: Glutino Sesame Breadsticks

My new favorite snacks are Glutino gluten free Sesame Breadsticks. YUM! So light and full of flavor. I got them at Whole Foods.

Green your Exercise Routine

Found this great article on Elephant Journal

Santa Monica Festival - this Saturday

I just found out about the Santa Monica Festival- Revel with a Cause, which is a very eco-friendly event. It's happening this Saturday (tomorrow) from 11am - 6pm, at Clover Park off Ocean Park Blvd. And the best part is, it's free!

There will be music, earth-friendly workshops, food (not a lot of vegan options though), and more. It's kinda like a mini-World Fest!

They have an Eco-Zone, featuring: Bikerowave, California Recycles, California Wildlife Center, Children’s Nature Institute, Delicious Living Magazine’s MIX Tour, Energy Coalition, the Green Resource Center, Heal the Bay, the International Culinary School with the Santa Monica Farmers Market, the Office of Sustainability and the Environment, Recovery International, reDiscover Center, RideAmigos Eco Transportation, Sustainable Works, Water Pollution Prevention, Water Resources Protection Program, Wilderness Fly Fishers, Solar Santa Monica and Solid Waste Management.

I wonder why I didn't hear about this....I think they need to do more promotion next time.

Green coupons

Check out Mambo Sprouts for info on healthy and green products, and they even have a coupon section!

Earthlings: Interview with Shaun Monson

I will be interviewing Shaun Monson, director of the documentary Earthlings, at World Fest next weekend. I would love to incorporate any questions you might have for him, so please leave them in the comment section. Stay tuned for the video in a few weeks!

Also, stay tuned for my interview with Billy from World Fest - that should be up in a few days.

Eco-friendly Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just a few days away (May 10), and although it may just be another reason for companies to profit on a silly holiday you might still want to buy your lovely mother something! So why not make it eco-friendly? Here are some ideas:

- Potted plants instead of cut plants (what's the point of a dozen roses if they die in a couple days?)

- Organic (and perhaps vegan) chocolates. Dagoba has some really neat flavors, like Lavender Blueberry! (you can find them at Whole Foods)

- Organic body products - I love Hugo Naturals because they have great scents, and you can find them easily at places like Whole Foods

- Eco-vegan makeup - I love Gabriel Cosmetics and they're offering 20% off on their website for Mother's Day!

- Organic cocktail mixes by Modmix - they're vegan,and are available at Whole Foods. You can find a free downloadable $1 off coupon for Modmix here

- Fair-trade/organic/shade-grown coffee, or loose tea and a strainer. These teas from Tea Forte look nice.

- Jewelry made from recycled materials. Here are some examples: Smart Glass and Cool Planet.

- Donation to a eco-friendly organization. Author Rory Freedman (Skinny Bitch) will match donors to Peta2 dollar-to-dollar (up to $5,000) for Mother's Day.

- Carbon-offset gift certificates.

Here's a nice article from EcoMii with more ideas.

If your strapped for cash (and time), Peta suggests making a microwave cake!

Here's another article, from GoGreenBlog, and one from The Green Girls

Trader Joes: Organic Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats

Went to the new Trader Joes in Westwood and it is very nice - big, clean, and open (and free, easy parking). I found a few new vegan treats there, and the first that I tried was Organic Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats. Unfortunately, I didn't think they were that tasty. They were ok, but a little bland and the texture is more crunchy than chewy or creamy. But if you miss Rice Krispie Treats and want a vegan alternative, these are decent and inexpensive (apparently Liz of Yo Soy! loves them!).

Event catered by Doomies this Saturday (Los Angeles)

PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN: Images from the LA BIKE SCENE

Date: Saturday, May 9, 2009
Time: 7:30pm - 11:30pm
Location: The Bike Oven / Flying Pigeon L.A.
Street: 3706-3714 N. Figueroa
City/Town: Los Angeles, CA

Come out and check out the fabulous photography and art produced in LA's bike culture. Select pieces will be available in exchange for donations to AIDS/LifeCycle. Amazing art by some of Los Angeles' most talented underground photographers will be available for your enjoyment and acquisition!

All proceeds benefit Team Midnight Ridazz's AIDS/LifeCycle Team, riding 545 miles to fight HIV! Come on out and support!

Vegan catering will be by DOOMIES home cookin' - that's right, LA's famous vegan comfort food master will be doing his thing right here.

Veggie Pride Parade - Los Angeles: video coverage

I finally put together my footage from the Veggie Pride Parade in Los Angeles - enjoy!

**Click HD to watch in best quality**

And if you haven't seen my review of C'est La V - check it out!

Online shopping: packaging

I have to order a lot of items for work, and often I need to buy them online. Some people say buying online is more eco-friendly than driving to buy a product, especially if it's far away (wasting gas). It seems like it's a thin line, but since companies like USPS, UPS, and FedEx are out anyways (especially if you are in a busy area) you might as well have them drop off a package. It's also better to have products shipped ground, instead of an expedited method that will require a plane.

Anyways, my new fixation is on packaging. I decided to start keeping track of how companies ship their products. I do a lot of ordering via Amazon, but usually it's through one of their vendors. Today I received 2 packages. One package had one small item inside, and the other had 4 items. Believe it or not, the first package was large enough for the second package to fit inside, even though the first package only had one item inside! I decided to email the company, Skin Care RX and express my concern over the environmental impact of using such large packaging for a small item. They wrote back: "Are shipping department only has one size box that they use if possible please recycle the box if posible" Clearly they don't have excellent grammar, nor do they care that they have now lost my business. (And of course I will recycle the box - that's not the point). Not to mention there were a ton of catalogues and flyers in the box as well - I can find all of that info on their website, which is how I ordered from them in the first place.

On the other hand, I would like to commend Brand Vitamin Discounters for their nice use of packaging.

Please consider this next time you order online, and join me in writing companies to express your dissatisfaction with their packaging - maybe together we can make a change.

UPDATE: I just received a third package (told you I order a lot) and I had to mention this one from Good Health Natural Products as well. Not only was the box a perfect size for the contents, but they used shredded paper as stuffing/packing.

I received a very nice email from Good Health after writing this post:

"Many of our products have a huge vegan following. We try to keep in mind when developing a snack product that some people do not want dairy products in the seasoning so we always make sure we have a flavor or two that are dairy free.
Every day we try to look at ways that we can become more eco-friendly. We're taking steps to make changes like new biodegradable and recyclable packaging on our soaps and opening an East and West coast warehouse to make our carbon footprint smaller. Within the next six months our vegetable oil soaps will switch to a natural sodium gluconate base that is truly 100% biodegradable in the environment. We realize we have a long way to go but we are getting a little closer every day."

Trading in DVDs for $7 and Blu-Ray Versions "Go Green with Blue" from Fox and HMV Canada

Thanks to @greenerideal for this great link. Canadian's (and hopefully Americans soon) can trade in old DVDs for a discount on Blu-Ray version.

Whole Foods discoveries: review

My review of products from Whole Foods: Spinach Mix, chocolate chip tamales from Whole Foods, and Mudslinger's Freestyle Memphis Mudd Pie coconut milk ice cream

TerraCycle

TerraCycle is amazing and inspiring

Vegan pancake mix by The Cravings Place review

Big Sunday: beach clean-up

This weekend is Big Sunday in Los Angeles - a weekend full of community service. I haven't done much community service, so I thought it was about time. The website even has a section of green activities to choose from, and I decided to help clean up Zuma Beach in Malibu. 

The beach was shockingly clean, especially by the water, which is how it should be. I really didn't find that much trash anywhere - I mainly found small wrappers and cigarettes. A lot of people turned up, of all different ages. It was a fun morning. Not as social as I expected, but I really enjoyed being at the beach early in the morning. And of course it felt good to give to the community and help keep our beaches clean!

I thought the following in the picture was really neat - one of the houses overlooking the beach made stairs from old tires!

Eco Baby Shower

My lovely friend Angie had her baby shower today and I was sure to give her eco-friendly gifts. But I wasn't the only one - check out some of the cool green gifts she received.

I gave her the presents in the first photo: a bodysuit from Maggie's, the amazing G Diapers, Green to Grow bottle, and the Hugo Naturals baby soap. I bought most of that at Whole Foods - they have an amazing eco-friendly baby section.