Posts filed under ‘GreenTV’
Gorgeously Green DIY Face Cream
Whenever I’m in the mood for a do-it-yourself beauty project, I turn to Gorgeously Green’s Sophie Uliano for inspiration. One of my favorite skin-soothing formulas is her Geranium Almond Face Cream. I use it as a base before applying sunscreen in the morning. Give it a go and see the difference it’ll make on your complexion!
One word of advice: Make sure your oils and base are the same temperature when combining and whisking, otherwise they won’t fully bind!
What the Frack is Going On?
Courtesy of ProPublica.org - Click to view up close
The environmental movement has caught on to a marketing secret: spread the message through a “can’t-get-it-out-of-my-head” ditty. The latest catchy exposé I’ve come across targets fracking, a controversial natural gas drilling procedure that extracts trapped energy by injecting toxic chemicals and water into underground rock formations. Lax regulation around fracking standards, as well as extremely high chances of leaks, pollution, habitat destruction and contaminated groundwater, are some of the most commonly cited reasons for halting this environmental and human health danger. Oh, and the fact that it makes tap water in some communities flammable…seriously.
Watch the video produced by Studio 20 NYU and ProPublica.org below for more information. The video is based off of a three-year investigation series by ProPublica.org on the drilling procedure. And for a musical take on another environmental issue, check out the “Plastic State of Mind” parody.
Best Green Living Shows for A Rainy Summer Day
It’s a rainy summer day in the City, so grab your favorite bamboo blanket and catch up on two of the best sustainable living TV shows out there – “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” and “The Beekman Boys.”
JAMIE OLIVER’S FOOD REVOLUTION
Image Courtesy of Starpulse.com
Airing on ABC every Friday at 8pm PST, Jamie Oliver’s second season of battling bureaucracy to bring healthy lunches to schoolchildren finds him in Los Angeles, the capital of fast food. Despite a series of setbacks – i.e. having filming permits revoked, working tirelessly with a local fast food owner stuck in his old ways, being attacked openly at a conference for school lunch cooks – Jamie forges ahead and continues his educational campaign. His passion is inspiring, and even the most savvy organic cooks among us are sure to learn a thing or two. Wait until you see what the coating on shiny candy is made from!
For a recap on the award-winning Season 1 and the recipe for Jamie’s delicious Asparagus & Pesto Risotto, check out my previous post. Trust me, his show will make you want to run the kitchen immediately and start whipping up your own meals!
THE BEEKMAN BOYS
Image Courtesy of prippyhandbook.blogspot.com
Gentleman farmers Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Dr. Brent Ridge, on the other hand, are approaching sustainable eating in a different way on Discovery Channel’s “The Beekman Boys.” Escaping New York City life to start their own “experiment in seasonal living,” the two purchase the stately and picturesque Beekman Mansion (built in 1802 near Sharon Springs), meet Farmer John and his goats, turn the mansion into a working farm, and begin a cheese and artisanal product line. From goat milk soap to heirloom linens, their products have become so popular that I’ve been on the wait list for the Beekman 1802 Blaak cheese for over half a year!
Josh and Brent’s farm antics, lessons and adventures – from raising a barn to trekking baby sheep to Martha Stewart’s estate – are entertaining and will make you want their “simple” life. I had the chance to meet them at this year’s Green Festival in San Francisco, and they are as friendly and fun in person as they are on camera. Watch reruns and new episodes of the second season on the Planet Green network. Check local listings for times.
Calling All Foodies: Get Hungry For “The Perennial Plate” Web Series
Are you into adventurous and sustainable eating? Then you’ll go absolutely crazy for “The Perennial Plate,” an online documentary series that follows activist and chef Daniel Klein as he celebrates real food in America.
I just discovered “The Perennial Plate” and have been devouring the episodes. From urban gardens to Midwestern family farms, Daniel shows how simple food produced in conscious ways transforms people, communities and, most importantly, the dinner table. And he throws in some adventures, such as catching catfish using human fists and going Arkansas frog hunting at midnight. Catch one of my favorite episodes highlighting Sweden Creek Farm’s shitake harvest below!
Celebrate Earth Hour This Saturday!
Great success is usually preceded by smart preparation. That is the reasoning behind World Wildlife Fund and Earth Hour’s new “Beyond the Hour” platform, which challenges individuals to reflect and think of eco actions they can take during Earth Month (April) and continue for the rest of the year. Whether it’s expanding the idea of Earth Hour on March 26 – i.e. turning off lights for an hour – and applying that to every Saturday evening, or bringing a homemade lunch to work most days of the week, Beyond the Hour lets families, citizens, companies and even governments publically pick, share and commit to one or more green actions.
Essentially, the online interactive platform takes Mother Nature Network’s recently-launched Idea Lab to the next level, embracing numerous social media avenues to inspire people to proactively think about long-term sustainable living changes and share them with peers around the world. This helps keep us accountable to our eco promises and provides a measuring tool to see which changes are resonating most with individuals and societies.
Beyond the Hour is a great example of how New Year’s goals for the eco-conscious crowd have morphed into Green Resolutions for Earth Month. But these ideas aren’t relegated to personal journals or put up on the home refrigerator. Instead, they’re posted on the web for all to see on Facebook, Twitter, via an iPhone app or even as a blog widget, keeping us honest with ourselves and our fellow human beings who, in the long run, will benefit from our eco promises.
So where to start? Turn off your lights from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time this Saturday, March 26. With households participating from countries all over the world, you’ll be able to see a “wave of darkness” sweep the Earth. For my part, I’ll be lighting a few organic beeswax candles and bringing out the board games!
Must-See Documentaries from the 1st SF Green Film Festival
For its first run, the inaugural San Francisco Green Film Festival was a hit! The topics of the various documentaries – from the rights of butterflies to the greening of Hollywood film sets – showed just how expansive the sustainability sector is and how creative entrepreneurs, hard-working humanitarians and everyday citizens are able to drive change in their own unique way.
The festival, organized by Rachel Caplan, was held at the Landmark Embarcadero Cinema in downtown San Francisco. The location was easily accessible by public transportation and the theater’s concession stand had a selection of vegan and vegetarian sausages from local spot Underdog - a good fit for the green event. The opening night gala and special festival events were hosted nearby at the beautiful LEED-certified Bentley Reserve. The gala was plastic-free – guests drank from real glasses and ate off of compostable dishes – and Bay Area-based food sponsors provided organic wines and appetizers. Vegetarian fare was limited, unfortunately, so hopefully this will be remedied next year.
The wonderful film selections, however, made any first-time-festival glitches unimportant. Below are the must-see documentaries I encourage you to watch. The more we spread the word about these types of important and emotionally-moving films, the greater chance we have of selling out the house at next year’s San Francisco Green Film Festival and opening the eyes of our neighbors, friends and family. So make a big bowl of organic popcorn and get ready to be entertained and enlightened!
Image Courtesy of www.bagitmovie.com/
Bag It! – “Everyman” Jeb Berrier explores the effects of single-use plastic (think plastic grocery bags, the plastic fruit container you get from Trader Joe’s, etc) and how this type of packaging poses serious waste disposal and societal health problems. From the lies behind the ability to recycle single-use plastic, to the politics behind chemical-company-led attacks on phasing out plastic grocery bags, Jeb’s focus evolves as his wife becomes pregnant and their awareness of other everyday toxic chemicals grows. This is a perfect film to show green newbies, as it touches on many of the movement’s most important issues.
Image Courtesy of www.yearoftheflood.com
In the Wake of the Flood – Environmental author Margaret Atwood’s 100-day book tour for her latest novel “The Year of the Flood” is documented as she makes her way around the world visiting her readers. To get the message out, each eco tour stop hosts a theatrical reenactment of her story. The film is touching and lets you see a more personal, passionate side of Margaret. But, after yesterday’s terrible earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan, it’ll also give you goose bumps wondering if her fiction has turned into prophecy.
Image Courtesy of www.greenthefilm.com/
Green – A film without sound can sometimes say more than a script ever could. Follow the final days of Green, an orangutan whose rainforest home has been destroyed and whose baby is sold into the exotic animal trade. Her depression is palpable as staff at a wildlife rehabilitation center attempt to treat her. However, the images of the decimation of forests in Indonesia for the paper and palm oil industry are particularly frightening. Though the filmmakers do gently point the finger at worldwide consumers for driving demand, we can see firsthand the terrifying impacts of allowing corporations to plunder and pillage the environment as they see fit.
Image Courtesy of www.ifc.com
Into Eternity – “Onkalo” means hiding place in Finnish, which is a fitting name for the nuclear repository hidden deep underground in Finland that contains the radioactive waste generated by the country’s nuclear energy plants. Eerily fascinating and unnerving at the same time, the film explores the potentially-devastating implications if there is a leak and how generations hundreds of years from now may come to see “the hiding place that should never be disturbed” as either a sign of a miracle or apocalyptic.
Image Courtesy of www.bananasthemovie.com/
Bananas!* – Who knew that a sunny-colored banana could have such a dark side. Filmmaker Fredrik Gertten, who is currently being sued by Dole Food Corporation, documents a tense courtroom drama that has a flashy-but-compassionate Los Angeles lawyer fighting on behalf of Nicaraguan workers who have a myriad of health problems – from cancer to sterility – as a result of being exposed to chemicals that Dole’s C-suite knew were toxic. After watching this film, I am only buying fair-trade and organic bananas…that are not grown by Dole. Trust me, it’s worth the extra 30 or 40 cents.
Image Courtesy of www.divethefilm.com
DIVE! – Filmmaker Jeremy Seifert takes viewers on a journey from dumpster to dinner plate as he and his friends pull enough food from the garbage bins of large grocery chains throughout Southern California to feed their families and share with local homeless shelters. The film is a commentary on how Americans throw away 96 billion pounds of food a year – much of it perfectly edible – but still can’t eradicate hunger in society. Hopefully the awareness generated from the movie will help America improve its food distribution system, and have consumers be more mindful of the waste that makes it into our compost bins.
San Francisco’s First Green Film Festival Is Here!
The first San Francisco Green Film Festival kicked off last night! The entire event is plastic-free and launched with an entertaining and enlightening look at America’s addiction to plastic. I’ll be posting my reviews of select films throughout the weekend, but here’s something to whet your appetite: the awesome parody music video “Plastic State of Mind” produced by Green Sangha. It’s time to kick our nasty single-use plastic habit!
Not Your Typical Holiday Fruitcake
Image Courtesy of www.Beekman1802.com
Holiday traditions are important (and fun) markers of the season. Whether long-established or recently conceived, pick an activity that you can joyfully call your own. Make vibrant wreaths or sew a quilt for the local homeless shelter – the options are endless!
This year, I decided to take a page out of Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory” and try my hand at baking delicious fruitcakes for our family’s Christmas Day luncheon. The store-bought versions with their strange neon-colored fruit bits have never appealed to me, so I was excited to come across this fabulous homemade recipe from the Beekman Boys (Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge). Substituting as many organic ingredients as I could, my two fruitcakes are currently “finishing,” which is essentially leaving them alone at room temperature for a few days so the dough becomes moist from the rum-soaked fruit.
It’s not too late to bake your own organic fruitcake for the holidays. Finishing can be anywhere from 1-3 days, so soak your fruit tonight, bake tomorrow morning and be ready to serve for Christmas dinner on Saturday – or save it for New Year’s festivities. Bon appetit and happy holidays!
Eyeopener: Greenista’s Video Pick of the Week
Egg shells as architectural buttons? A beer tap as a faucet? Dan Phillips, a daring builder and founder of The Phoenix Commotion, creates unique homes from recycled and reclaimed materials. His philosophy and design aesthetic urge us to seek abodes that veer from safe, predictable models and instead embrace the perfection in imperfection.
Tech Trouble: The Story of Electronics
In her latest “The Story of Electronics” video, Annie Leonard tackles the toxic tech industry and explores the inherent, disposable nature of electronics – what she calls “designed for the dump.” Now, we’ve all been tempted by the affordable upgrade-your-mobile-phone offers every two years, or the sleek and shiny new gadget from Apple. But behind all the innovation and cool features is a production system comprised of dangerous chemicals and materials all destined for the landfill in a short period of time. The laptop-we-can’t-live-without is actually chockfull of toxic components we should be avoiding – at least, if we actually want to have a healthy life. Same for the cell phone, MP3 player, television, microwave oven…
From beginning to end, the life cycle of electronics is not a pretty picture. As “The Story of Electronics” shows, the mining to get the materials erodes the planet and the local community that has to deal with toxic elements released from the Earth; workers in far-off countries who assemble our products pay with their health; waste generated at production plants poisons our soil and water; and then there’s the carbon-intensive transportation to get the products into our anxious hands. And that’s not even addressing the effects to our own health from daily use and the unregulated recycling of these items once we decide we want a better, newer model.
Leonard’s solution to our gadget obsession? Don’t be tempted to upgrade when your product still works. Stop allowing companies to externalize costs. Demand responsible take-back programs and support designers in creating “green” non-toxic products. This is all possible. Society does not have to come to a screeching halt. But it is key that our electronics be “designed to last,” as their current design will dictate how long we last, too.
