Inspiration is a dish best served in a pretty font.

A good manifesto has the power to move the spirit, incite action and change lives. It’s no wonder that rules for life have been put on paper, given the typographic treatment and posted all over Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest – then instantly shared, retweeted, reblogged and repinned. Inspiring words never get old. Here, a collection of our favorite manifestos, some vintage and some brand new, from across the Internet.

Work Is Not A Job

33 Ways to Stay Creative

Baking for Good’s Recipe for Change

Mary Schmich’s “Advice, like youth, is wasted on the young” column (“Everybody’s Free” song by Baz Luhrmann)

A Manifesto for Women in Business

Indie Travel Manifesto

55some’s Five Simple Rules for Happiness

Platform21’s Repair Manifesto

Apple‘s 1997 “Think Different” Campaign (poster design by Jared McDaniel)

The Why Cheap Art? Manifesto from Bread & Puppet

Skillshare Manifesto: The Future Belongs to the Curious

Hello Handmade Manifesto

Creative Something’s Rules of a Creator’s Life

Ira Glass‘s Nobody Tells This to Beginners

The Holstee Manifesto

Image: Jay Mug

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Welcome to the Helveti-club.

Helvetica was created in 1957 and is now the typeface of record for corporations, governments and design snobs for being the clean, neutral font that Comic Sans is not and Arial tries to be. Interestingly, conspiracy theorists criticize it for being too “pro-establishment,” used ad nauseam by some of the most prominent corporate globalized brands on the planet, from Crate & Barrel to Nestle. It became a symbol of the Vietnam War; Helvetica the film called it “the perfume of the city” because it “has a scent that doesn’t smell.”

In reviewing the 2007 documentary, the online version of The Economist‘s culture and lifestyle magazine, Intelligent Life, observed that while “[it] touches upon Foucaultian themes of control and power,” the font’s “ubiquity…has come to embody a certain sense of stability and confidence in tomorrow.”

Simply put, bad things can’t happen in Helvetica. Even a gigantic tattoo on your forearm is more forgiving in sans-serif. Helvetica the tattoo is included below, along with 19 other great and occasionally obsessive uses of almost everyone’s favorite font.

1.) Helvetica the movie Blu-ray box set.

2.) Helvetica the Bear on cotton (tree free) paper by Letterpress.

3.) Helvetica the Stendig Calender, designed in 1966 by Massimo Vignelli and now part of the Design Collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.

4.) A very Helvetica birthday hat.

5.) The “I’ll Use Arial When Helvetica Freezes Over” Wallet by WeDraw.

6.) The vintage Helvetica Roll clock via presentandcorrect.com and LoveHelvetica.

7.) Helvetica in transit makes the A much more tolerable.

8.) The Helvetica hanger by Alegre Industrial.

9.) Helvetica Neue coasters by Sawdust in My Coffee.

10.) A Helvetica package concept by Spanish designer Arantxa Reus.

11.) Helveticards printed on premium quality, high gloss, white core playing card stock.

12.) Part of a collection of faux book covers created as a tribute to vintage McGraw Hill books.

13.) Acrylic handmade helvetica necklace by Plastique.

14.) From Cupcakes and Mace, a helvetica Aa charm.

15.) The Helvetica Scarf by The Little Factory.

16.) The Helvetica tat.

17.) A Helveticheese Grater by Back Garage.

18.) Another dream mason jar DIY, a helvetica staples storage solution from William Blosch.

19.) Helvetica crocheted throw blanket for Mandy.

20.) Helveticake via F*YeahHelvetica.

Image: stopmestopmestopme

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A closer look at Chipotle’s ode to sustainable eating.

For the past decade, Chipotle Mexican Grill has distinguished itself from fast food competitors by emphasizing Food With Integrity, a commitment to serving customers “the very best ingredients, all raised with respect for the animals, the environment, and the farmers.”

As a result, Chipotle has become that rare fast food brand that is trusted by sustainable foodies for using fresh, natural ingredients. But it’s certainly not perfect. The burrito chain has also been criticized for its approach to improving workers’ rights, as well as its unhealthily large portion sizes. 

Chipotle’s Food With Integrity commitment encompasses the use of naturally raised meat, organic produce, and dairy without added hormones, with an emphasis on local sourcing. Funny enough, though, most patrons are unaware of Food With Integrity. In a 2007 Business Week interview, founder and CEO Steve Ells estimated that only 5 percent of customers know anything about the campaign. “The rest come in because Chipotle tastes great, or they like spicy food, or they think it’s a great value, or it’s convenient, or the place looks cool.”

In fact, Chipotle only just recently started emphasizing its sustainable values in its marketing. Last year, it created a stop-motion animated short film called “Back to the Start,” which was recently broadcast as the company’s first ever national television ad during Sunday’s GRAMMY Awards. Set to a cover of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” by country star Willie Nelson, the animated short depicts the growth of a factory farm, before its owner has a change of heart and decides to operate more sustainably.

Though his green marketing budget is slim, Ells himself is an outspoken advocate for sustainable farming and ethical animal treatment, and he frequently expresses his hope that Chipotle’s efforts will spur an industry-wide revolution:

Finding sustainable sources for food in each region can be difficult. But we are committed to serving food made with the finest ingredients available. The more consumers understand the benefits of eating food from more sustainable sources, the more they’re going to expect it from everyone.

It’s evident that Ells and his Chipotle empire are mighty good at talking the talk. But do they walk the walk? Here, a look at the good, the bad, and the questionable aspects of one of the country’s quickest growing fast food restaurants.

The Good

Today, Chipotle serves more “naturally raised” meat – defined as open-range, antibiotic free, and with a vegetarian diet – than any other restaurant chain. The company sources 100 percent of its pork and “much”  (approximately 80 to 85 percent) of its beef and chicken from suppliers who adhere to these values, including the highly respected Niman Ranch in California.

In addition, 40 percent of Chipotle’s beans are organic, with a small percentage grown using conservation tilling methods. And in 2011, the company announced that it would use more than 10 million pounds of local produce from farms within 350 miles of the restaurants where the produce will ultimately be served, including bell peppers, jalapenos, oregano, red onions, and romaine lettuce.

To prove Chipotle’s freshness point, none of their restaurants have freezers, microwave ovens, or can openers. They do, however, have open kitchens for even further transparency.

The Bad

Since 2006, Chipotle has faced protest from sustainability advocates because of its refusal to join other fast food chains in a coalition to improve wages and conditions for Florida tomato pickers. In 2009, 33 individuals and groups, including Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser and Food Inc. director Robert Kenner, signed a public letter to Ells, calling on him to support the efforts of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a grassroots farm worker organization, by signing onto the Campaign for Fair Food. The letter challenged:

Your company has shown admirable leadership in working with – and incubating – meat suppliers willing to meet your higher standards. But your failure to do that same hard work in the Florida tomato industry – together with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) – threatens to render your announcement an empty gesture aimed more at public relations damage control than an effort to make real change.

Ells responded that the CIW “doesn’t see the bigger picture” of fundamentally changing the fast food world, though CIW has made landmark progress in improving workers rights, even earning a Hero Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery Award from the U.S. State Department in 2010.

Ultimately, Chipotle entered into an agreement with East Coast Farms, Florida’s largest tomato producer, where it agreed to pay an additional penny per pound of tomatoes picked. Despite repeated pleas from big names in the sustainability community, it still hasn’t signed onto the Campaign for Fair Food to address other workers rights.

The Questionable

Though the ingredients are fresh and more-or-less well-cultivated, the Chipotle Burrito has become an object of controversy because of its nutritional content, landing on lists of both the best foods and the worst foods.

On Chipotle’s website, nutritional facts are broken down by ingredient – helpful for build-your-own-burrito aficionados. However, this breakdown disguises the fact that a basic pork burrito with rice, vegetables, cheese, guacamole, and salsa can top out at more than 1,300 calories – more than twice that of a McDonald’s Big Mac. The burrito also contains 31 grams of fat, 105 milligrams of cholesterol, 102 grams of carbohydrates, and a whopping 2600 mg of sodium – more than your average daily allowance.

Experts remind us that even fresh, organic food must be consumed in moderation. Though Chipotle’s past efforts have made it a pioneer in sustainable fast food, the next step might be to adjust portion sizes to make them more in line with a healthy balanced diet.

SEE ALSO:

Behind the Label: H&M’s Conscious Collection

Behind the Label: McDonald’s See What We’re Made Of Campaign

Behind the Label: Levi Strauss’ E-Valuate Program

The post Behind the Label: Chipotle, Food With Integrity appeared first on EcoSalon.

A collection of inspiring, controversial, and downright outrageous quotes on feminism.

I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a door mat or a prostitute. -Rebecca West

Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, “She doesn’t have what it takes.” They will say, “Women don’t have what it takes.” -Clare Boothe Luce

The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, “It’s a girl.” –Shirley Chisholm

Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels. -Faith Whittlesey

No one should have to dance backward all of their lives. -Jill Ruckelshaus

The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it. -Roseanne Barr

I’m tough, I’m ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay. -Madonna

[Feminism is] a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians. -Pat Robertson

Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women access to the mainstream of society. -Rush Limbaugh

You don’t have to be anti-man to be pro-woman. -Jane Galvin Lewis

You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation. -Brigham Young

Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry. -Gloria Steinem 

It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union … Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less. -Susan B. Anthony

One of the things about equality is not just that you be treated equally to a man, but that you treat yourself equally to the way you treat a man. -Marlo Thomas

I’ve yet to be on a campus where most women weren’t worrying about some aspect of combining marriage, children, and a career. I’ve yet to find one where many men were worrying about the same thing. -Gloria Steinem

The only jobs for which no man is qualified are human incubators and wet nurse. Likewise, the only job for which no woman is or can be qualified is sperm donor. -Wilma Scott Heide

My idea of feminism is self-determination, and it’s very open-ended: every woman has the right to become herself, and do whatever she needs to do. -Ani DiFranco

When a woman behaves like a man, why doesn’t she behave like a nice man? -Edith Evans

People have accepted the media’s idea of what feminism is, but that doesn’t mean that it’s right or true or real. Feminism is not monolithic. Within feminism, there is an array of opinions. –Judy Chicago

What, do you think that feminism means you hate men? –Cyndi Lauper

Feminism’s agenda is basic: It asks that women not be forced to “choose” between public justice and private happiness. It asks that women be free to define themselves – instead of having their identity defined for them, time and again, by their culture and their men. -Susan Faludi

People think at the end of the day that a man is the only answer [to fulfillment]. Actually a job is better for me. –Princess Diana

The word, and the concept of feminism, was a gift because it gave me a sense of identity and a way of defining how I wished to live my life. –Betty Buckley

Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. –Eleanor Roosevelt

Women get more unhappy the more they try to liberate themselves. -Brigitte Bardot

No man is as anti-feminist as a really feminine woman. -Frank O’Connor

Does feminist mean large unpleasant person who’ll shout at you or someone who believes women are human beings? To me it’s the latter, so I sign up. -Margaret Atwood

Until women learn to want economic independence, and until they work out a way to get this independence without denying themselves the joys of love and motherhood, it seems to me feminism has no roots. –Crystal Eastman

Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition. -Timothy Leary 

Feminism is dated? Yes, for privileged women like my daughter and all of us here today, but not for most of our sisters in the rest of the world who are still forced into premature marriage, prostitution, forced labor – they have children that they don’t want or they cannot feed. -Isabel Allende

Male supremacy has kept woman down. It has not knocked her out. -Clare Boothe Luce

The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race. –Susan B. Anthony

I believe that women have a capacity for understanding and compassion which man structurally does not have, does not have it because he cannot have it. He’s just incapable of it. -Barbara Jordan

The modern woman is the curse of the universe. A disaster, that’s what. She thinks that before her arrival on the scene no woman ever did anything worthwhile before, no woman was ever liberated until her time, no woman really ever amounted to anything. -Adela Rogers St. Johns

A good part – and definitely the most fun part – of being a feminist is about frightening men. -Julie Burchill

Nobody will ever win the Battle of the Sexes. There’s just too much fraternizing with the enemy. -Henry Kissinger

Instead of getting hard on ourselves and trying to compete, women should try and give their best qualities to men – bring them softness, teach them how to cry. -Joan Baez

My advice to the women’s clubs of America is to raise more hell and fewer dahlias. -James McNeill Whistler

When a man gives his opinion, he’s a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she’s a bitch. -Bette Davis

Why do people say “grow some balls?” Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding. -Betty White

Image: Karen Horton, James Vaughan, The U.S. National Archives, David Shankbone.

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Sometimes, you’re better off moving on.

You’re feeling ill-at-ease, and you just can’t quite put your finger on the cause. You’re uninspired. Stifled. Frustrated. It’s time to examine your life, starting with the town you live in. Is the home you’ve chosen holding you back? If any of these 10 signs apply to you, from lack of enthusiasm for eco-friendly programs to intolerance of the differences of others, a fresh start in a new place might just do wonders for your well-being. Or, if you’ve got the stomach for it, maybe you should stay and fight for the things you believe in. Either way, it’s time for a change, baby.

There’s no recycling program

When private recycling companies won’t operate in your moderately-sized town because there aren’t enough residents willing to pay for the service, you know you’ve got a problem. Even when city-run programs are free, many people choose not to go through the “hassle” of recycling, but paid programs often fail spectacularly in areas where such practices are seen as “hippie stuff.” Sure, you could haul 50 pounds of recycling to the nearest big city once a month if you really care about recycling, but you shouldn’t have to.

The people just say no to solar panels

Some say renewable energy projects are ugly. Others are devoted to fossil fuels unto death. And even in towns where there’s some measure of support for them, solar power farms and wind turbines are all too often stifled by the NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard). Nearly half of all renewable energy proposals are stifled because of local opposition, and while not all of the protests lack validity, it can be incredibly frustrating to see a promising project killed because your neighbors don’t want a turbine poking into “their” skyline. When they stop you from putting solar panels on your own roof, you’ve definitely got a legitimate reason to get the hell out.

There’s no public transportation

America’s sprawl is legendary, and for many parts of the country, personal automobiles seem like the only way to go. Nobody’s going to build a commuter railroad 100 miles out into the country to ferry a few dozen rural residents to the nearest city five days a week. However, cities and suburbs have no excuse for a lack of decent public transportation. With few routes and infrequent stops, poor public transit systems make this greener way to get around virtually impossible to rely upon. And if your town’s not bike-friendly, your options are even more limited. It’s no fun to be forced to drive to work and fight for a parking space when a bus would be so much more efficient.

Health care is conventional or bust

Got allergies? Go take some Sudafed. Ear infection? We’d better give you some super-strong antibiotics, just in case. Oh, you want to find the root cause of your health problems instead of just treating the symptoms? [Blank stare.] Yes, in many towns, you’re hard-pressed to find a health care practitioner that will even consider alternative treatments, even if they’re as benign as vitamin therapy. These attitudes often stem from the patriarchal directive to bow to a doctor’s authority, even if said doctor’s education is four decades out of date. If you can’t find a doc that will delay your child’s vaccination schedule, consider natural childbirth plans or condone the use of herbal supplements, you should look elsewhere.

Pharmacists refuse to carry Plan B

In many states, it’s perfectly legal for pharmacists to flat-out refuse to carry or sell birth control methods like Plan B due to moral or religious objections. Such practices more than likely lead to an increase in unwanted pregnancies, and when these women subsequently seek abortions, they’re not likely to find local services for that either. State laws are shutting down Planned Parenthood branches and other women’s health centers left and right, so many women find it difficult to even get physical contraceptives, low-cost health exams or counseling that isn’t pro-life pressure in disguise. One could argue that such conditions are anti-woman, but there’s no question that they’re anti-choice.

Racial segregation is still the status quo

There are still towns in America – and not just in the South – where a local resident’s tour of the countryside will introduce you to “the white swimming pool” and “the black basketball courts.” Unofficial racial segregation is common even in the most liberal of cities, including the outer boroughs of New York, but it’s a little different when a mixed race couple can’t attend church together, when high school students have “black proms” and “white proms,” and when country clubs have unwritten policies against admitting members of color.

Small biz lost the battle against corporate chains

You’d love to shop local, if only there were places to do it. Your dining options are limited to fast food, Olive Garden and T.G.I. Friday’s, and if you want household essentials, Walmart is the place to go. Mom and Pop shops were plowed under a long time ago to erect another sprawling retail warehouse, and locally-made products are hard to find. Sadly, some towns have opened their arms to big business in the hopes of receiving more jobs and cheaper products, but they’ve lost their identities in the bargain.

Freedom of religion

We are a diverse nation of atheists, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, agnostics, Christians and dozens more religions and spiritual traditions, but in some towns, you’d never know it. That’s because the people who don’t attend twice-weekly church services and quote scripture in every conversation are often shamed into staying quiet about their beliefs. If you don’t fit in, you’re not just a heathen, you’re probably a devil-worshipper, and no one will ever loan you a pound of sugar or give you a ride when you’re broken down on the side of the road. Every group is guilty of occasionally marginalizing those who are different from them. That doesn’t mean you have to accept intolerance.

Every other car has an NRA bumper sticker

Sitting behind a monster truck at a traffic light, you’re staring at no less than a half-dozen highly offensive bumper stickers with slogans like “To get to heaven, turn right and go straight,” “Waterboarding works,” “Welcome to America, now go home,” and “I’ll keep my freedom and my guns, you keep the change.” This isn’t an isolated incident; they’re everywhere you go, even on vans full of children. You’re almost afraid to put up your meek little equality sign lest your car get keyed. If only people wore these slogans on their chests every day, you’d know just who to avoid.

Your town just won’t let you be great

You can’t find a good job. Nobody laughs at your jokes. All the single men you meet are behind on their cell phone payments and literally live in their mother’s basements. Sure, these could be signs of your own character deficiencies, but you’d probably prefer to believe that this place just isn’t for you. Don’t let your location stifle your self-expression or hold you back from doing great things. Either get out of dodge, or do them anyway, no matter what anyone else thinks.

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Photo: Maxime Guilbot

The post 10 Signs It’s Time to Leave Your Town appeared first on EcoSalon.

Popular “health foods” are sneaky sources of sugar.

As far as you’re concerned, you’re having a pretty healthy day. You start off with a glass of orange juice and a bowl of whole-grain cereal. By mid-morning, when you’ve got the munchies, you reach for some mini rice cakes and a cup of yogurt, and lunch is just a smoothie and an energy bar. You end the day with some spaghetti drizzled with marinara. Truth is, you might as well have just eaten ice cream and cookies all day, because all of these foods have added up to an insane 200 grams (50 teaspoons) of sugar. Here are 10 ostensibly “healthy” foods that often have even more sugar than a can of Coke.

Milk

You down that glass of cow’s milk every day thinking about how the calcium and vitamin D are so good for you – and they are. But just a single 8-ounce serving of plain old 1% milk contains 12 grams of sugar. That’s 3 teaspoons hiding in a very unexpected place. The real trouble comes along when you add any kind of flavoring, like chocolate or strawberry. A carton of flavored milk is a popular “healthy” option for children’s school lunches, yet either option contains between 25 and 30 grams of sugar. For reference, a can of Coca-Cola Classic clocks in at 27 grams.

Non-dairy milk tends to fare a little better. Silk brand soymilk has 6 grams of sugar per cup, while So Delicious brand coconut milk contains 7 grams. The original flavor of Rice Dream has 10 grams of sugar, and the vanilla kind has 12. Get the unsweetened version of Almond Breeze and you won’t be taking in any sugar at all, but the chocolate version is nearly as bad as dairy chocolate milk at 20 grams.

Cereal

Take a stroll through the cereal aisle and you’ll see box after box of sugary confections that look more like desserts than breakfast. Of course, all of those glazed mini cinna-buns and marshmallows are clearly not healthy, but what about the whole grain oats, shredded wheat and flax flakes? General Mills’ Oatmeal Crisp Crunchy Almond is “whole grain guaranteed,” but the ingredients include brown sugar, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and honey, making it 27% sugar. Kellogg’s Raisin Bran may be mostly wheat flakes, but it still has just as much sugar as Lucky Charms at 19 grams. In contrast, Kashi 7 Grain Whole Puffs has zero grams of sugar, and Cheerios have just 1. Check out this chart at Harvard School of Public Health to compare dozens of varieties.

Yogurt

Greek yogurt is kind of having a moment. It’s rich, it’s creamy and it’s good for you, packed with protein as well as probiotics that maintain bacterial balance in the gut. The plain versions offered by brands like Fage or Chobani contain a lot of saturated fat (up to 16 grams per serving – as much as three Snickers bars) but the low and no-fat kinds taste just as good. Then, of course, there’s the sugar. I happen to have four flavors of Chobani fat-free greek yogurt in my fridge, so I decided to check each one. Plain? Not too bad at 7 grams of sugar. But I nearly choked when I saw that the 6-ounce pineapple, peach and blueberry flavored yogurt cups contain 18, 19 and 20 grams, respectively. Ouch.

Other types of yogurt, unsurprisingly, are even more sickly-sweet. A 6-ounce container of Stonyfield Farm vanilla yogurt has 25 grams, and a cup of Yoplait Original Blueberry has the exact same amount of sugar as a can of Coke. But the worst by far is another flavor offered by Stonyfield Farm: fat-free “Chocolate Underground,” at 35 grams of sugar. Add in any of your own sugary toppings, like granola, and you might as well be having ice cream for breakfast.

Granola

The word “granola” is used to this day to describe people who are wholesome, down-to-earth and health conscious. This may be a bit of a misnomer, at least when it comes to the last point. Mixing rolled oats with dried fruit, nuts and sugar or honey can produce a product that’s got more sugar than soda and more fat than french fries. An 8-ounce cup can contain as much as 30 grams of sugar and granola bars, which are often globbed together with even more sugar, can be even worse. Look for low-sugar options or make your own.

Fruit Juice

Squeezed straight from fresh oranges, apples, pineapples and other fruits, juice should be one of the healthiest foods on the planet. It can’t be that bad if there’s no added sugar, right? Wrong. These fruits are naturally full of sugar, meaning they don’t need any help to be sweeter than soda. Apple juice has a whopping 10 teaspoons of sugar in just 12 ounces, and orange juice has 8. Grape juice actually beats Coca-Cola by half, with 15 teaspoons or an unbelievable 60 grams.

And, as anyone who has ever comparison shopped for juice knows, 100% pure fruit juices are outnumbered by all of the varieties that contain added sugar. An 8-ounce glass of Ocean Spray Cranberry Cocktail has more sugar than a can of soda at 33 grams, while an 8 ounce bottle of Minute Maid Cranberry Grape juice, which is “25% fruit juice”, contains 38 grams.

Energy Bars

You’re halfway through a long workout and can’t stop thinking about food. It’s the perfect time to break out an energy bar, which provides the protein, fats and carbs that your body needs for optimal performance, and after all, you’ve earned it. But be careful. Nutritional bars contain lots of sugar to help you power through a workout, but those grams still count toward your daily limit. A fruit and nut Boomi Bar in Apricot Cashew flavor has 19 grams of sugar, a Kashi Go Lean roll has 14 and a Kind Fruit & Nut Delight contains 11 grams. Grab a Clif Bar in the enticing seasonal flavor of Iced Gingerbread and you’ll be taking in 24 grams of sugar, or 6 teaspoons.

Packaged Fruit

Popping dried fruit instead of candy? You might benefit from the extra vitamins and minerals, but you’re still getting about the same amount of sugar. It would seem that canned or jarred fruits packed in syrup would be among the worst packaged fruits on the sugar scale, but a small cup of Del Monte diced pears has 17 grams and it only gets worse from there. Motts apple sauce has 23 grams of sugar in a small serving cup, and just 1/3 cup of Ocean Spray’s Craisins dried cranberries contains 29 grams.

Oatmeal

On the road without a pre-packaged breakfast, what’s a health-conscious traveler to do? If you’re desperate, the oatmeal options at either Starbucks or McDonald’s might be tempting but don’t give in. McDonald’s oatmeal cup, ostensibly made up of just oats, milk, brown sugar and fruit, actually has 11 ingredients and more sugar than a Snickers bar at 32 grams. In fact, it has just 10 fewer calories than a McDonald’s cheeseburger or Egg McMuffin. Meanwhile, at Starbucks, the “optional dried fruit topping” has 20 grams of sugar, and you can add even more with a packet of brown sugar.

Eating at home? A packet of instant oatmeal might be slightly better than the drive-in options, but it’s still far from healthy. Quaker’s raisin, date and walnut variety has 11 grams of sugar and the strawberries and cream kind has 12. Try the low-sugar,  varieties instead, or choose Kashi brand, which averages 6-7 grams per serving.

Smoothies

You probably don’t need anyone to tell you that smoothies from McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts aren’t anywhere near as wholesome as claimed. Sure, there’s “real fruit” in a McDonalds strawberry banana, mango pineapple or wild berry smoothie, but there’s also 49 grams of sugar. A 16-ounce Dunkin Donuts strawberry banana smoothie has 69 grams of sugar and the same size Jamba Juice Sunrise Banana Berry smoothie contains 59 grams.

Pasta Sauce

Tomatoes don’t have many calories, so why would crushed tomatoes in a jar add up to over 100 calories per serving? It’s partially the olive or other vegetable oils, but another culprit is up to 6 teaspoons of sugar. The 9 grams of sugar in Classico’s Sweet Basil sauce or the 11 grams in Ragu’s Sundried Tomato and Sweet Basil may not send you into a sugar crash on its own, but they definitely add up fast.

Rice Cakes

Long thought of as the ultimate diet food, rice cakes typically resemble nothing so much as round slices of styrofoam. But in a bid to catch health-conscious shoppers, manufacturers have begun releasing these puffed rice snacks in a wider range of flavors from sour cream and onion to caramel corn. Quaker’s Vanilla Creme Brulee mini rice snack cakes pack 8 grams into a serving.

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Photos: kaibara87, daily sunny

The post 10 Health Foods With More Sugar Than a Coke appeared first on EcoSalon.

Scandinavia was consistently inspiring in 2011.

After looking back on a year of Shelter posts, we realized that our obsession with Scandinavia was embarrassingly obvious.

This year saw a steady stream of sustainable innovation, progressive thought, and great design coming out of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and their not-officially-Scandinavian-but-Scandinavian-in-our-hearts cousins, Finland and Iceland.

Here’s a list of eight things that set our hearts a-flutter about Scandinavia this year.

They know how to strike the perfect balance between indoors and outdoors. Rooms at the Juvet Landscape Hotel nurture a relationship with nature, while remaining minimalist and sophisticated.

They can pull off a girly microbrewery. The Mikkeller pub in Copenhagen underwent a feminine design transformation at the hands of Femmes Regionales. The result was delightful.

They make rest stops not so scary. Norway’s government-sponsored a National Tourist Routes program engaging architects like Margrete Friis and Peter Zumthor to design lookouts, concession stands, restrooms, picnic tables, and other sustainable rest stops along scenic country roads.

They champion post-secular worship and design. Helsinki’s Chapel of Silence provides a place for urbanites to meditate in silence, without religious affiliation. It’s also gorgeous.

They design treehouses that look like UFOs. Sweden’s Treehotel consists of five eco-hotel campsites designed by leading Scandinavian architects in the woods of northern Sweden.

They give their factory workers, even the fast furniture ones, five weeks of paid vacation per year. Workers at IKEA’s Sweden plant also get paid $19 per hour, and the whole country offers free healthcare, elderly pensions, and a host of other social goodies. Compare that to workers in IKEA’s Danville, Virginia, plant, who get paid $8 an hour and are often forced to work overtime at the risk of being fired.

They can look perfectly at home in a house with white floors. A peek inside designer Tine Kjeldsen’s home in Denmark reveals the perfect combination of exposed wood, raw metal, plush plum upholstery, and flawless white floors.

Their idea of luxury involves cycling, yurts, and designer hot tubs. As it should. Activities and design at Southern Norway’s eco-friendly Canvas Hotel celebrate their motto: “You don’t stop playing because you get old, you get old because you stop playing.”

Image: Leong Him Woh

The post 8 Ways Scandinavia Impressed Us This Year appeared first on EcoSalon.

North America’s beauty spreads from sea to shining sea.

When wanderlust strikes, there’s the tendency to picture oneself overseas. My personal fantasies bring me to deserts in Morocco, beaches in Goa, hole-in-the-wall salsa clubs in Havana. I tend to forget the bounty of natural beauty that exists right here in North America. These pictures showcase the stunning vistas, cultural relics, and breathtaking natural phenomena that exist right at our front doors, or at least within a few hours drive.

(above) Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA

San Jose del Cabo, Baja California, Mexico

White Sands, New Mexico, USA

Washington, D.C., USA

Venice Beach, California, USA

Crater Lake, Oregon, USA

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, White Water, California, USA

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Banff National Park, Canada

Coyote Butte North, Arizona, USA

Henkel, Colorado, USA

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Kent, Washington, USA 

Pagosa Valley, Colorado, USA

Lackawanna State Forest, Pennsylvania, USA

San Francisco, California, USA

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Santa Cruz, California, USA

Galveston, Texas, USA

Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA

Bitterroot Mountains, Montana, USA

Cimarron National Grassland, Kansas, USA

Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Yosemite National Park, California, USA

U.S. Route 66, Arizona, USA

Mule Canyon, Colorado, USA

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Everglades, Florida, USA

Sequoia National Park, California, USA

Anne’s Beach, Florida Keys, USA

South Dakota, USA

Quechee, Vermont, USA

Riverwood Park, Mississauga, Canada

St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Bountiful, Utah, USA

Big Moose Lake, New York, USA

New York, New York, USA

Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, USA

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The post 40 Gorgeous Photos of North America appeared first on EcoSalon.

A dozen plus ways to waste money on Apple gadgets this holiday season. 

What do you get for the Apple enthusiast who has it all? Somewhere to stick it. There are thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of ways to accomplish this as the dawning of the iPhone and iPad era have heralded an influx of inventors and entrepreneurs all competing for your iCash.

Some are truly ingenious, others not so much. Here are a dozen plus that are just straight up obnoxious.

The iHome iP4 Boombox is built to look like an old-school cassette-player of yesteryear, except it’s 2012. We get that the iGeneration’s most evangelical customers peaked when The Beastie Boys headlined Lollapalooza in 1994, but must they be so self-referential about it? It’s like talking to the Woodstock kids of the grunge generation.

Just what you ask is this?

Evidently, the DigiTech iPad Pedalboard is a “Programmable Pedalboard [that] sets a new standard for guitar signal processing by harnessing the power of the iPad.” It “unleashes” the power to create guitar effects “like never before.” Hendrix is shaking in his grave.

The iPhone Lens Dial was invented to further indenture you to your mobile telephone.

It’s a mountable photo-enhancing tool, kind of like a camera used to be. (Cameras you know are so two years ago.)

The iD91 is a dual alarm clock radio for your iPhone or iPad, which lets you charge your device (because only Luddites use their Apple issued chargers) and acts as an alarm clock. That’s neat. Need we mention that there’s a free app for that?

The following can be used as a gaming joystick or a form of birth control. I swear that thing looks like a plastic IUD.

For the Polio stricken iPad, the clunky TabGrip will get your device back on its feet.

It’s big, it’s bulky, and the CRT TV is the exact opposite of what your iPad is supposed to be.

The iTee and iDress were designed with “the digital lifestyle of Apple lovers in mind.” Although meant for wearing outside of the house, this kind of iFashion is on par with the Camouflage Snuggie.

Speaking of psychotic, check out the TV Hat, which also comes in camo. Great for Skyping, snuggling in with your iSpouse, watching online porn, and virtual gaming (please, skip ahead to the 1:30 mark).

Millions of people play Angry Birds, wherein players use a slingshot to fling birds at pigs. Given the average lifespan of a human being, we’re not sure why one would use up precious hours in this pursuit. Nor do we understand why one would dock their iPhone in one.

The Black Diamond promises “a hypnotic, swirling lightshow,” as evidenced by the scintillating video below. It’s like a modern day lava lamp, except it’s really lame. A few more caveats: to use it, you must first download the app and remove your protective case each and every time you care to charge your phone as the magic crystal ball requires it to be fully unsheathed.

The iPad is a great and wondrous thing, as is Velcro. The former, however, happens to be a $500 piece of very breakable technology that should never, ever be affixed to the ceiling, motorcycle or window on a rainy day with the latter.

The USB Typewriter costs $799, about $300 more than the iPad you can hook it up to. Why would you trick out your iPad with the USB typewriter?

The world may never know.

Image: Juicy Dog Couture, photojojo

The post iClutter: 13 Accessories You Really Don’t Need for Your Apple appeared first on EcoSalon.

180 handy uses for 9 items you already have in your pantry.

Looking to simplify your life, save money or cut the number of chemicals you use around the house? Chances are, you’ve already got nine natural, versatile products in your pantry that can do far more than you think. There are literally hundreds of surprising and unusual alternative uses for olive oil, wine, salt, garlic, coffee, lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar and honey. Here’s a roundup of EcoSalon’s 20 Unusual Uses series.

Coffee

Even after those rich, earthy grounds have given you your must-have pot of coffee in the morning, they can do so much more. Unusual uses for coffee include nourishing your plants, massaging away your cellulite, dyeing fabric, growing mushrooms and keeping cats out of your garden.

Read 20 Unusual Uses for Coffee

Lemon juice

Using lemon wedges solely as a pretty garnish on the edge of a glass is actually kind of insulting considering all that this little citrus fruit has to offer. Its acidity enables it to preserve foods, whiten fingernails, clean glass, highlight your hair and brighten your white laundry without bleach.

Read 20 Unusual Uses for Lemon Juice

Olive oil

Mmm, olive oil. Besides being the most perfect bread dip ever, it’s ultra-moisturizing, making it an ideal solution for all kinds of things you never realized. Olive oil has all kinds of beauty and household uses like conditioning your hair, removing stickers, getting a smooth shave, buffing stainless steel to a shine and removing heavy eye makeup.

Read 20 Unusual Uses for Olive Oil

Garlic

This broad-spectrum antibiotic is a must-have for colds, cuts, cold sores and ear infections. And, though it may sound weird at first, garlic has plenty more uses outside the kitchen. It makes a highly aromatic yet effective cleanser for your skin, mosquito repellent and hair growth tonic. If you’re lucky, it might even turn you on.

Read 20 Unusual Uses for Garlic

Salt

We simply can’t live without salt. Our bodies require it, and our food tastes bland without it. But chances are, you’ve been underestimating just how much it can do for you. Salt will sanitize your sponges, heal canker sores, keep milk fresh, preserve sliced fruit and keep your clothes from freezing on the line.

Read 20 Unusual Uses for Salt

Wine

So you’re not crazy about that bottle of cheap Merlot that you got as a gift. What are alternative uses for unwanted or sour wine? Well, you could add it to your bath, use it to clean your countertops, trap fruit flies, heal bruises and maybe even slow down the aging process. Filling up that wine rack has never been more of an imperative.

Read 20 Unusual Uses for Wine

Baking soda

Stop buying toxic oven cleaner, expensive fruit and vegetable sprays and special face scrubs. Baking soda can do all of these things and more. This cheap household essential is usually kept in the fridge to cut odor and added to recipes to make baked goods rise, but once you learn all of these surprising uses for it, you’ll start buying it in bulk.

Read 20 Unusual Uses for Baking Soda

Vinegar

Discovered thousands of years ago when wine, beer and cider was accidentally allowed to spoil, vinegar brings out the flavor in so many foods. But this acidic condiment also has some benefits that might surprise you, like dissolving rust, cleaning crusty paint brushes, soothing sore muscles and removing those ugly pit stains from your clothing.

Read 20 Unusual Uses for Vinegar

Honey

Tasting sweet is just the beginning. Honey is antibacterial, anti-fungal, nourishing and moisturizing, and its many uses are pretty amazing. Make your own luscious homemade lotion, heal your sore throat, boost your athletic performance and eliminate that hangover. It even helps heal cuts and scrapes.

Read 20 Unusual Uses for Honey

Photos: selma90, fdecomite, dailyinvention, brickvicky, visualpanic, neilconway, bgottsab, carbonnyc, rahim packir saibo, photoskate,  don hankins

The post Unusual Uses for 9 Pantry Items appeared first on EcoSalon.