A Stapler Without Staples?
Can saving the planet start with a stapler? Well, maybe. The designers over at Made By Humans create novel products – from a corn calculator to recycled paper vases – that may seem trivial at first but are actually very smart in design. Case in point: I discovered the company’s Eco Staple-Free Stapler yesterday, which uses a strip cut into paper (i.e. the existing material) to stitch together up to four pages. Extra waste in the form of metal staples is completely eliminated.
The stapler cuts out a strip from the sheets of paper and stitches them together!
Now, a staple-free stapler may sound like a minor victory for the planet, but it’s this type of innovative thinking that can help us see the potential in working with the materials we already have to create solutions. I went on a stapling spree today with all my loose papers and have these tips for using the nifty device:
- Be sure to press down hard!
- I was able to staple together more than five sheets, but four really is the magic number (all the more reason to make sure you are printing double-sided).
- Stapling vertically, instead of horizontally, makes the staple less susceptible to tears.
So should you go staple-free? You may need your old stapler for bulkier paper sheets every now and then, but overall this product gets the job done!
*I purchased my Eco Staple-Free Stapler at MaiDo Stationery Store (415.567.8901) in Japantown for $9.95. For more information go to www.madebyhumans.net
Beeswax Beauty with Moon Valley Organics
Image Courtesy of MoonValleyOrganics.com
Bees are magic makers. From honey for colds to beeswax for skin, their hard work provides us with incredible natural benefits. Moon Valley Organics, a Deming, Washington-based company, has taken these health perks and crafted beeswax-based, herbal recipes for a line of unique medicinal salves and soap bars.
The family-owned-and-operated business is certified organic, and many of the healing ingredients in Moon Valley Organics’ products come from its own biodynamic farm. Each formula is handcrafted and infused with nourishing botanicals.
My parents recently returned from a road trip to the Northwest and gifted me with the Moon Valley Organics Skin Essential Kit, which they picked up at the company’s store in Pike Place Market in Seattle. The calendula and comfrey Lotion Bar has become my favorite hand and body moisturizer. The scent is intoxicating and the unique moon-shaped bar is fun to use. The Lip Balm, scented with vanilla and lemon, is also fantastic.
As the farm-to-face skincare trend continues to gain popularity, Moon Valley Organics and its wonderful products are a great example of farm fresh beauty done right.
Meatless Monday: Snack Time with Kale Chips
Goodbye, potato chips. Hello, kale! If you’re in the mood for something crunchy, bypass unnecessary junk food calories and bake a batch of organic kale chips. Don’t be fooled into buying the $7 ready-made kale snacks at the grocery store. They are incredibly easy to make at home and a fraction of the cost if you buy raw ingredients. Add nutritional yeast to give it an extra health kick and cheesy taste.
Greenista’s Kale Chips
Serves 4
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Baking Time: 25-30 minutes
Ingredients
Kale – two bundles, organic
Olive Oil – 2 tablespoons
Nutritional Yeast – 3 heaping tablespoons
Salt and Pepper – to taste
Recipe Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash kale and rip into bite-size chunks. Put into large bowl.
Drizzle kale with olive oil and nutritional yeast. Mix to incorporate all ingredients thoroughly. Sprinkle salt and pepper.
Spread out kale pieces on baking sheet (use one or two sheets, depending on size). Bake for 25-35 minutes, flipping kale after 15 minutes. The longer you keep them in, the crispier they will be.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Homemade kale chips will last a few days, but are best fresh and out of the oven. Store in cloth or plastic bag.
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!
Organic Summer Squash Orzo Recipe
My CSA box has been brimming with summer squash lately. Squash, which is known as one of the “three sisters” (along with corn and beans) of Native American cuisine, is high in key antioxidants that are good for eye health. So to preserve my sight and put something easy and delicious on the table, I created the following vegetarian recipe. Pour a glass of wine and start chopping!
Summer Squash and Zucchini Orzo
Serves 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Baking/Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes
Ingredients
Patty Pan Squash – 2 squash, sliced into ¼ inch bite-size chunks
Yellow Zucchini – 4 small zucchini, sliced into ¼ inch bite-size rounds
Yellow Onion – half of the onion cut into slices
Asparagus – 6-8 stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
Olive Oil – 2 tablespoons
Salt and Pepper – to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese – ½ to ¾ cup
Orzo – 4 servings
Earth Balance Butter – 2-3 thin slices
Recipe Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Combine sliced squash, zucchini, onion and asparagus in large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper. Mix well.
Spread out vegetables on baking sheet and put in oven for 30-40 minutes. Flip veggies after 20 minutes.
Boil water and cook Orzo according to instructions.
When Orzo is done, immediately drain and mix in Earth Balance slices and grated Parmesan. Let stand, covered, for three minutes to allow butter and cheese to melt. Add baked vegetables, mix and serve! And if you have some fresh basil lying around, tear and sprinkle on top.
What’s for Dinner?
Image Courtesy of yourgreenpath.com
Not all meat is created equal, finds the recently published “Meat Easter’s Guide to Climate Change + Health” by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Teaming up with environmental analysis firm CleanMetrics, the two conducted lifecycle assessments of the top 20 conventionally produced, non-organic proteins Americans pile onto their dinner plates. The major findings: lamb, beef, cheese and farmed salmon have the highest emissions.
To come to this conclusion, Production Emissions (i.e. GMO feed grain and methane release) and Post Farmgate Emissions (i.e. transport and cooking) were calculated. Though we usually associate emissions with the planet getting hotter, the Meat Eater’s Guide makes it clear that “the U.S. has other very large other industrial sources of greenhouse gases, making the meat slice of carbon emissions comparatively smaller.”
Image Courtesy of equal4all.wordpress.com
Carbon emissions aside then, the guide does validate an old saying: you are what you eat. Cutting back on meat consumption is one of the most effective actions you can take to dramatically improve your health and support sustainable agriculture methods that give us clean air, water and land. The way our industrial animal operations are currently run in this country is unsettling. I highly recommend picking up a copy of Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” or Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” for an insightful read into the path our food takes to get on our plates and the potential destruction it leaves in its wake.
Overwhelmed on where to begin? The Meat Eater’s Guide provides some easy tips, such as buying organic, grass-fed meat or committing to a Meatless Monday. You don’t need to go whole-hog right away! Check back later for one of my homemade seasonal veggie recipes that won’t have you missing meat.
Natural Sound with Vers Earphones
Image Courtesy of VersAudio.com
If you’ve never given much thought to your earphones, that’s about to change. Over the past few months, I’ve been plugged in to iTunes quite a bit – listening to classical music when I study for my GreenMBA classes or catching up on the latest NPR podcast while riding MUNI to work. But when my second cheap pair of earphones failed me in the span of four months, I realized my frequent landfill-bound replacements were becoming very unsustainable.
Enter, Vers. Unlike the majority of audio equipment manufacturers that make plastic earphone parts from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a chemical that studies have shown adversely affects human health, Vers’ earphones are PVC-free and even comply with the European Union’s Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) directive. On top of that, the stylish, handcrafted shell is made from either U.S. sustainably sourced hardwood (cherry and walnut) or bamboo. And for every tree the company uses in production, it replants 100 through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation.
I’ve been using my Vers Cherry earphones daily, and besides being very eco-chic, the acoustics are incredible! Who knew that a little pair of earphones could have such an impact – not only on superb sound quality, but also on your health and the planet.
Vers earphones retail for $49.99 and are available for purchase at the Vers online store.
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.
Not Your Typical Mom-and-Pop Ice Cream Shop
Saffron and Black Walnut Chocolate Flavors from Xanath
Have a craving for Cucumber Ice Milk? How about creamy Saffron? When it comes to quirky dining, even San Francisco’s ice cream shops are on the bandwagon. So while the sun is shining, head over to Humphry Slocombe on Harrison, Xanath on Valencia or Bi-Rite Creamery on 18th Street. All three use organic Straus Creamery dairy to whip up their tasty flavors, which span the gamut from the intriguing (Black Walnut Chocolate at Xanath) to the daring (Boccalone Prosciutto at Humphry Slocombe). Local ingredients are also sourced whenever possible, making for a tasty eco treat you can feel less guilty about.
My top Greenista flavor recommendations? McEvoy Olive Oil at Humphry Slocombe, Saffron at Xanath and Salted Caramel at Bi-Rite Creamery. Like most good things in the City, the lines are worth the wait for something deliciously local!
Humphry Slocombe is located at 2790 Harrison St. Xanath is located at 951 Valencia St. Bi-Rite Creamery is located at 3692 18th Street.
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.
