sustainable

Cows Outside

thegreenconnoisseur — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:01:24 -0400

Love artisanal raw milk cheeses and want your dairy products to come from happy cows? Interested in breadmaking? Eat meat but only if it's pasture-fed and raised sustainably? Want to learn more about how to actually make cheese?

VivaTerra – Living in Harmony with Nature

thegreenconnoisseur — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:00:17 -0400

Helping consumers live a healthy life and make the world a better place for future generations, VivaTerra (which translates into 'living earth') is dedicated to marketing products that promote a harmonious existence with nature. Supporting VivaTerra means...

(To see this full story and more, follow The Green Connoisseur Blog link on our homepage @ http://thegreenconnoisseur.com )!!

Learn the Basics of Solar and Wind Power with Free eBook

jplatt — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Do you want to know more about solar power, but don't know where to start? Well Real Goods Solar has an offer for you: a free ebook containing everything you need to know about getting started with solar power.

This 70-page eBook exerpts the “Renewable Energy 101—Solar, Wind, and Hydro Electric" section from Real Goods' Solar Living Sourcebook. This massive tome -- now in its 30th anniversary edition -- that covers everything you need to know about generating your own electricity.

But this free eBook isn't all. The first 90-plus pages of the book are also available online for free. If you like what you read, you can also order the printed edition of the 600-page book for just $35.

The full version of the book not only gets you started with solar or wind power, but also teaches you how to sell renewable energy back to your utility company, plus "how to site and build your dream eco-home; how to minimize your fossil fuel use; and more"

Give it a shot -- free reading and sustainable energy. They go together pretty well!

Check Out the Latest Solio Solar Chargers

jplatt — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Every once in a while, a new device comes along that instantly grabs peoples' attention. That's the case with the Solio line of solar-powered device chargers. These great little tools allow you to use the power of the sun to charge just about any cell phone, MP3 player, game player, GPS unit, or other small electronic device.

Solio's line of chargers are actually "hybrids" -- you can use their built-in solar panels, or plug them into a wall socket to fully charge them. Then, plug the Solio into any device to charge it on the go.

According to Solio, one hour of sunlight translates to 20 minutes of talk time or 50 minutes of music (depending on the device, or the quality of the sunlight).

There are three main Solio chargers: the Magnesium ($169.95), the H1000 ($79.95), and the Solio Classic ($99.95). They also sell a few types of LED lights that you can attach to your Solio for flashlight capability.

So, if you're looking for a way to cut your energy use, get off the grid, and make your small electronics more efficient, give the Solio a try.

Coolerado Air Conditioner Wins Renewable Energy Award

jplatt — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Ready for a new idea in air conditioning? A company called Coolerado says it sells the world's most efficient air conditioners. The governor of Colorado recently presented the company with the state's Governor’s Excellence in Renewable Energy Award for 2008.

I'll let Coolerado CEO Mike Luby tell the story:

Our units work on an amazingly small amount of power…about 600 watts, which is about a third of the power of a hair dryer. That’s as green as it gets these days in the A/C world and better than anything else on the market. And one of the reasons we got the award is we showed our systems can take air conditioning completely off the grid using a small amount of solar energy, about 4 standard solar panels worth.
It was a great project. We put a Coolerado C60 A/C unit on a trailer (a C60 will cool a 3000 sq. ft. building), connected 4 solar panels over the top, and showed this system at trade shows, street fairs, and music concerts…we even went to the Democratic National Convention. What surprised people the most was not only the solar powered cool air they enjoyed right on the street, but that the hotter it got, the better it worked!

You can't purchase a Coolerado air conditioner directly from the company or any retailer, only approved installers, which are currently working in 10 US states, England and Singapore. Let's hope to see them expand quickly, though, so we can put their new technology to the test around the country!

iPod Green: Try a Sustainable, Handcrafted Wood Sound System

jplatt — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

As the proud owner of my very first iPod, I'm in the market for a few accessories that won't break my bank or the environment. The first item I found that matched both criteria is an organic wood iPod docking station called the Vers Audio 2X iPod Sound System.

Available from Organic Bug, this great little speaker set comes in four types of sustainably grown wood, including bamboo, and ranges from $180-$200 (with free shipping). Here's how Organic Bug describes it:

Using the most environmentally friendly bonding agents available, each Vers 2X is 100% RoHS-compliant (Restriction of Hazardous Substances). It has an energy saving power supply; even the plastic components are PVC & BFR free. Units are designed for complete disassembly so all parts can be recycled. Packaging is from 100% post-consumer recycled content. Small footprint, big sound!

My next challenge is to find a sustainably designed carrying case. But I'm on the hunt!

What are your favorite "green" iPod or MP3 player accessories? Let us know!

Recycled Magic Wallet

mayari — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 04:06:50 -0500

The Recycled Magic Wallet is a clever and useful niche product that values waste and promises better design.

The magic wallet's characteristic graphic design comes from reclaiming wasted fruit juice cartons for its creation. Every single wallet is entirely and carefully hand-crafteded and has its unique identity number. Though Recycled Magic Wallet is made of used but carton, it's a high quality product that's very robust and designed for everyday use. It's available ready-made or bespoke upon request.

Check out www.mayari.net/recycledmagicwallet.php for more info.

Sustainable Sushi Guide

scleaver — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

If sushi might be on your menu this weekend, consider downloading a sustainable sushi guide to bring along with you. We’ve covered sustainable fish guides, but there’s a new guide out this month, and the guides in general are a wonderful, useful way to eat sustainably wherever you are. (To read what we’ve covered, here are past blog posts about mercury dangers and sustainable seafood.)

Sushi restaurants are, apparently, behind the curve when it comes to serving sustainable options, unlike chefs who cook fish at general seafood restaurants, sushi chefs may not know where fish came from and whether it was farmed or caught. And, too many of us don’t even think about sustainability when choosing our maki rolls or platters and order plates and plates of over-fished or endangered fish. For example, right now, mackerel is in and octopus is out, according to the AP on MSNBC.com, while bluefin tuna is very, very out. Other fish to avoid: monkfish, freshwater eel,l and red snapper.

Download a guide from The Monterey Bay Aquarium or The Environmental Defense Fund to use this weekend.

Photo of a sushi bouquet from The New York Sushi Blog.

Green Your Sweet Tooth

scleaver — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Hershey’s is “milk chocolate” no more; now it’s “chocolate candy” instead, because the company replaced the cocoa butter with vegetable oil in an attempt to reduce costs. But, as Eat. Drink. Better. reported, Hershey’s has never been the best at providing fair trade (not to mention green) chocolate anyway. So, with sweet tooth holidays from Halloween to Christmas approaching, here’s how to satisfy your chocolate fix and keep it environmentally friendly:

Eat organic: Organic chocolate is grown and harvested using eco-friendly methods and sustainable agriculture, as well as rBGH hormone free milk.

Look for fair trade labels: low wages, child slavery, and unsafe working conditions are a problem in the cacao industry, a fair trade label ensures that your delicious snack was harvested by farmers who were paid fairly and had safe working conditions. Learn more about that fair trade chocolate campaign at The Global Exchange.

Organic and fair trade chocolates are on shelves everywhere from Target to Whole Foods.

Go for artisan chocolates: Instead of going national, buy local or regional chocolates.

Looking for organic, fair trade, artisan on the web?

Try Coco Zen, Earth's Sweet Pleasures, or Dagoba Organic Chocolate for organic chocolate products. Equal Exchange for fair trade products. And, Theo Chocolate for organic, fair-trade and bean-to-bar.

Photo from Dagoba Organics.

Sustainable Happy Hour

scleaver — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:01:39 -0400

I had an organic beer the other day and it was delicious, but after a hard week, let’s face it, sometimes you want something a little harder. Enter Eat. Drink. Better’s review of organic vodkas, and not a moment too soon! Here are the four organic, sustainable vodkas highlighted:

Vodka 360 The World’s First Eco-Luxury Vodka is “four times distilled, five times filtered.” The recycled glass bottles come with caps that you can mail back to the factory to be reused. Recommended for use with mixers.

Square One Organic Vodka is made from organically grown American rye and the byproduct ends up as food for cows at nearby dairy farms.

Vodka 14, The Height of Purity, is made in Colorado, 80 proof, distilled with Deep Rock water.

Prairie Organic Vodka is a corn vodka, after the vodka’s made the leftover corn is used as energy to run the factory. Apparently, corn-based vodka has more apple, pear, and melon tones with more creaminess than a rye distilled vodka.

How to drink vodka? Freeze the bottle overnight, let the vodka warm slightly before swirling and tasting. For more tips visit Vodkaphiles.com. And, for specific taste and flavor advice, see the Eat. Drink. Better. eco-vodka blog post. Cheers!

Photo from DK Images.