sustainabites: is that organic?

January 31, 2011

Food labels can be misleading sometimes.  Ever see a package that claims to be “all natural”, but after reading through the ingredients high fructose corn syrup makes an unexpected appearance?  What about the big “O” word- organic?  Well, by definition food that is organic means it was derived from a living organism.  If we are talking about fresh produce, that technically makes it all organic.  Certified organic is what really matters and distinguishes formerly living food from food that was cultivated free of synthetic chemicals and GMOs. 

Mesclun and baby spinach are certified organic

Look for the USDA certified organic seal

sustainabites: recycling christmas

December 28, 2010

With 362 days left until Christmas, your farm-cut xmas tree probably will not make it until Christmas 2011.  So after the holidays are over and you still have a living tree perched in your living room, what now?  After you’ve stripped it of its twinkling light and ornament glory, it is time to recycle your Christmas tree.  Most curb side recycling programs incorporate tree pick up for the first 2 weeks of January.  They remind recyclers not to place trees in plastic bags since most trees head straight from your curb to the mulch chopper.  If you have a yard and are interested in recycling your tree yourself, try laying cut branches over your garden to keep it warm during the winter, or even create a “snow fence” and use the tree to redirect melting snow to water your garden naturally. 

sustainabites: green gift guide

December 7, 2010

Ahh December, the start of the very merry holidays. Tis the season of music, hot chocolate, and the question of “what on EARTH to buy for friends and family!” Well fret no more, and take some time to check out this sweet, green gift guide I found on Treehugger.com. It’s packed full of great ideas of gifts to buy the most eco-friendly-ones in your life with items ranging from sustainable boomerangs to DIY picnic sets to luxury vintage chinaware. So whether you’re buying for a foodie, fashionista, or philanthropist, they’ve got you covered. I really loved the necklace with the recycled silver chain and vintage beads (shown below)… in case anyone *eh hem* was wondering.

-Dominique

photo credit to treehugger.com

Tags: green gift guide, holiday, shopping, sustainabites | Posted by sweetgreen

sustainabites: sOccket to me!

November 30, 2010

sweetgreen is all about incorporating health, sustainability, and of course good food. Why not knock out two of those at once, and check out the thing-I’m-digging of the moment, sOccket balls. Four Harvard grads put their heads together and figured out a cool way to tackle environmental challenges in an innovative business model (…sound familiar?) and have created the sOccket to reduce dependence on kerosene oil. The sOccket is a soccer ball that captures energy during play, and later connects to charge batteries or power LEDs. 15 minutes of play can light a LED lamp for up to three hours, so you can stay active and save the planet all at once. Now if you can do that while juggling a sweetgreen salad, more power to you… literally.

-Dominique

photo credit: soccket blog http://soccket.posterous.com/

sustainabites: why i’m taking the stairs

November 16, 2010

As a proud American University student, I’m giving deserved recognition to my learning hub for their participation in the Campus Conservation Nationals’ 2010 contest. Hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy and the LucidDesignGroup through American University’s student-run, environmental coalition, EcoSense, AU is competing against 39 other universities in energy reduction from now until November 19th. Students across the country are shutting their lights, swapping their bulbs, air drying their clothes, and taking the stairs all for the sake of energy reduction. Campuses have until November 19th to strut their power saving stuff… and it goes without saying which team I’m rooting for to take home the grand prize.

-Dominique