Cherry Bombe, an indy magazine and radio show that celebrates women and food, hosted their first west coast jubilee conference in San Francisco last Saturday, October 14th.

The sold-out event was hosted within the gorgeous grounds of The Palace of Fine Arts. Highlights included conscious food and drink from local and sustainable purveyors, networking opportunities, and a plethora of female talent in the form of panels, speakers, and attendees. Although fun and engaging, the conference did not gloss over the looming political and environmental issues at large. The raging wildfires in California, appropriation, sustainability, and female activism were all addressed at length. Yes, the conference was inspiring. And yes, it was fun, dynamic, and pink. But most importantly, the Cherry Bombe Jubilee was unapologetically relevant.

The morning began with an hour of light-hearted networking and nibbling. Upon receiving their pink wristband and hot pink envelope upon check-in, attendees were free to graze the breakfast stations. Options included fresh fruit from Imperfect Produce, an array of bread options from La Brea Bakery with various accoutrements provided by local businesses, mini bread puddings from Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement, and a selection of Kite Hill non-dairy hors d’oeuvres, such as “cream cheese” cucumber canapes and “yogurt” parfaits. San Francisco favorite, Nightbird, also provided elaborate mini toasts topped with scrambled egg, lardo, green sauce, and caviar. An endless supply of La Croix, Health-Ade Kombucha, Smith Teamaker tea, and Counter Culture Coffee espresso drinks and drip coffee kept everyone energized and hydrated.

Fully satiated, the guests made their way to their seats. Cherry Bombe co-founder Kerry Diamond and Claudia Wu welcomed everyone and immediately brought the room’s attention to the devastating fires. “We’re sorry,” Diamond apologized for every attendee who was effected by this natural disaster. “It is a miracle this happened,” she continued. The point is, the conference happened. It was not canceled or delayed due to unpredictable circumstances. This was a running theme throughout the day. Although we may despair about our current challenges, many of which are out of our control, we must adapt and face the situation. Shakirah Simley’s opening remarks reinforced this can-do attitude. “We cannot be paralyzed,” she cautioned. “We need to turn our anger into action.”

Following these sobering words, Lisa Q. Fetterman, the founder and CEO of the first home sous vide machine (Namiku), lightened the mood by introducing the first panel, yelling “This panel is going to be off the chain!” Her bombastic energy provided some much-needed lightness to the serious panel discussion, based around assimilation, appropriation, and affirmation of cultural and ethnic cuisine. Panelists spoke to the controversy surrounding ownership and representation of their cultural dishes, as much of “ethnic cuisine” is still dominated and often bastardized by white male chefs. The conversation popped with various opinions from the panelists, but one thing is clear: they all take pride in their work and their heritage. You can bet that Dominica Rice-Cisneros of Oakland-based Cosecha will never serve you a hardshell crunchy taco.

Next up, a practical presentation by Mandy Aftel, a perfumist, on how to smell. “Eighty percent of taste is smell…nature is the original flavorist,” Mandy informed the audience. She advised everyone to shop with their nose by tearing leafs and digging their nails into their produce to assess the aroma of each food. “I want you to rip things apart!” Admittedly, she advised to use discretion when doing this at your local grocery store, but the flavor is worth the risk of being admonished by the produce stocker. 

The morning portion of the conference concluded with a diverse panel on “What We’re Hungry For,” introduced by the president of William Sonoma, Janet Hayes. Panelists ranged from prominent bloggers, to a second generation farmer, to an Instagram executive. The women discussed the influence of technology in their world, both its benefits and pitfalls. They also seriously considered the prominence of food. The consensus: it is not just food. Food can be healing, in the case with Danielle Walker, who used it to treat her autoimmune disease and later launch her blog, but it can also be destructive in the case of body dysmorphia. Food is identity. Food is culture. Food is social. It is a comfort, a passion, and way to earn a living. To lighten the mood and prepare everyone for lunch, the moderator asked the panelists’ about their go-to comfort foods. The answers were as unique as the discussion: winter squash, baked goods, steamed dumplings, red wine, milk chocolate, and white bread with mayo.

Lunch offered an hour and a half respite to mingle, refuel, and enjoy the seventy-six degree weather upon the lush grasses and cascading columns of The Palace grounds. Guests were treated to boxed lunches prepared by Tender Greens, with options for every diet. Smitten Ice Cream was also churning up fresh stracciatella ice cream in collaboration with Guittard chocolate, and William Sonoma offered a sweet ending with their famous chocolate cherry bark.

Karen Leibowitz kicked off the afternoon session with a talk on sustainability. Leibowitz is known for her many environmentally friendly Bay Area restaurants, such as The Perennial, as well as her work in regenerative agriculture. “Restaurants have a responsibility,” she said. She encouraged individuals to take action as well, even though the issue of climate change may seem too daunting to tackle. Through smart individual choices and business practices, Leibowitz believes there is hope to change our environment for the better.

The conference complimented Leibowitz’s initiatives, as Cherry Bombe made a massive effort to cut down on as much waste as possible. Attendees were encouraged to bring reusable water bottles and utilize the FloWater filling station, all the serving ware was recyclable or compostable, Food Runners picked up the excess food to distribute it to local shelters, and Madewell collected attendee’s old jeans for their Blue Jeans Go Green program, which transforms old denim into new housing insulation.

Amanda Klute, Editor in Chief of Eater, roused the audience with her State of the State address, in which she outlined the gender gap that still exists in the culinary world. Again, she stressed action. We cannot be complacent, waiting for someone to take notice. We must say no to “female only” categories, and we must fight to be included. Its not based on filling a “female quota,” its based on equal recognition for equal talent. Because women are rocking the culinary industry just as hard as the men.

The final two programs, a panel of Bay Area restauranteurs and the keynote by the legendary Alice Waters, focused on hospitality and conscious consumerism. Among the panel were Dominique Crenn of Atelier, Traci Des Jardins of Jardiniere, Emily Luchetti of Big Night Restaurant Group, Elisabeth Pruitt of Tartine, Gabriela Camara of Cala, and Joyce Goldstein (author, former chef and restauranteur). The panelists spoke to a restaurant’s role in providing for the community. They create a home away from home; they create traditions and memories. The concept of restaurant responsibility was another recurring topic. These women not only practice ethical sourcing of their ingredients, they also feel it is their responsibility to create opportunity for their employees by providing a livable wage and reasonable hours. In essence, we must be stewards of the environment and our fellow human beings.

Alice Waters, the renowned chef who embraced the “farm to table” concept in the 1970s with her landmark restaurant, Chez Panisse, echoed the major themes of the day. Waters’ accomplishments far exceed her talents in the kitchen; she is a true food activist. Despite her small stature and composed demeanor, the audience was raptured by her words and her presence. She inspired the audience with the idea of consumer power. We need to buy with intention. In doing so, we can support our local businesses and farmers while simultaneously rejecting the waste and shameful practices of the big-box supermarkets. She also spoke to the importance of food education in schools. When asked about her legacy, she said she wanted to create a system in which every child was provided a free, sustainably sourced, and nutritionally balanced school lunch. Somewhat in jest, she concluded in stating she would like nothing more than to gut all the Whole Foods and turn them into year-round farmers markets.

After the final remarks were made by Diamond and Wu, guests and speakers were free to enjoy happy hour. The social event was exquisitely curated to include thoughtful food and drink collaborations by the Bay Area’s best. Guests left contented with their signed copies of the pink “Cherry Bombe Cookbook” in hand. However, this conference was so much more than just tasty bites and pink-accented goody bags. Food was once a form of escape; for many it still is. But this is not the Cherry Bombe way. Food is a gateway to activism. Food touches every aspect of our lives, and in such, we can harness it to incite change. Through food, we can light a fire, and Cherry Bombe has ignited the fuse.

Find Tanya on Instagram and The Vegan Potluck Podcast. 

Related on EcoSalon
Farmers Markets, Food, Placemaking and Smarter, Stronger Communities
These 9 Fair Trade Brands Make Shopping Responsibly Easy
Mercy For Animals Finds Perfect Balance Between Entertainment and Activism

The post Cherry Bombe Jubilee on Fire: Conference Tackles Current Issues Head On appeared first on EcoSalon.

Our obsession with avocado toast has gotten some Latin American populations into a real pickle – but there’s still hope for your favorite high-fat snack.

In the Apurimac region of Peru, villagers have learned to capitalize on our obsession with the fruit to cultivate high-margin, sustainable avocados and eke out a living for themselves in the process.

The Avocado Dilemma

Avocado has usurped kale as the top trendy health food in America – and that’s not necessarily a good thing. In Mexico, where about 40 percent of the world’s avocados are produced, growers have been cutting down acres worth of natural forests (the Independent notes that deforestation is growing at a pace of 2.5 percent per year) to keep up with the demand for avocado toast, avocado boats, and avocado everything else.

It’s no surprise that this mass deforestation has led to a number of problems, including a lack of biodiversity in the region, fumigation that has wrecked havoc on the health of locals, who are experiencing more and more breathing and stomach problems, according to the Independent, and even increased narcoterrorism linked to the money-making crop.

While these issues are certainly dire in Mexico, shoppers who opt for another provenance aren’t necessarily off the hook.

“The fact of the matter is that we know pitifully little about the environmental and working conditions of faceless people in faraway places who grow fruit for our tables,” reports the Guardian.

Some opt, instead, to buy local, but while California is rising to the occasion, producing  164,000 tons of the fruit (over 80 percent of total production in the U.S.), the effect of this crop on the already dry state is not the most environmentally friendly, and recent drought conditions have even led to an avocado shortage.

There are two solutions to this very real problem. The first is to cut back on avocado consumption, for example by subbing a tasty pea mash in for your regular avocado toast.

But cutting back doesn’t mean that we have to say goodbye to avocados forever — it just means that when we do choose the fruit, we need to choose fair trade avocados from reliable sources.

Choosing Sustainable Avocado Toast

Candelaria Pillaca hails from Apurimac, a region of south-central Peru. She had long been cultivating traditional regional crops such as corn, kiwicha, and beans when she learned about World Neighbors, a savings and credit program that not only would allow her to take out small loans to purchase and plant avocado trees but would also provide her with instruction in organic fertilization, water conservation, and basic accounting.

Five years later, Pillaca is supporting her family with her avocado plantation, adding $3,000 to her yearly income, a substantial amount that allows her to help support two of her children who attend university.

By adding avocados to her small, one-and-a-half hectare farm, Pillaca has created a sustainable way to produce the in-demand fruit. She is a strong proponent of agro ecology, incorporating drip irrigation and crop diversification into her farm and using organic fertilizers produced on her own land from animal waste and compost.

Perhaps most importantly, Pillaca is not contributing to widespread deforestation problems, but rather integrating avocados into an already diverse farm.

“The problem of deforestation may happen when practicing large scale of avocado planting and not integrating them with other tropical fruits,” says Pillaca.

“I didn’t have to cut down trees to plant avocados.”

Related on EcoSalon
3 Environmental Benefits of Farming You Probably Didn’t Realize
Care About Sustainable Food? Start Thinking About Soil: Foodie Underground
Growing the Cold Chain: An Essential Key to Reducing Food Waste

The post Your Avocado Toast Habit is (Probably) Unsustainable, But That’s About to Change appeared first on EcoSalon.

The West Coast’s Dungeness crab fishery is encountering one of the biggest sustainability issues ever: the fishery entangled more than 22 whales in 2016, contributing to a record-breaking 71 whale entanglements on the West Coast alone. This number breaks the record for whale entanglements for the third straight year.

This information, released recently by the National Marine Fisheries Service, is cause for alarm, according to experts. Ryan Bigelow, Program Engagement Manager for the Seafood Watch program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, notes that the Dungeness crab fishery has received a red bycatch score from the program due to its connection with issues of whale entanglement.

Whale entanglement is a significant problem when it comes to the safety, wellbeing, and survival of the often endangered whale species who are concerned. Whales can suffer slow, painful deaths due to starvation, dehydration, or trouble breathing when entangled in fishing lines and pots used to catch Dungeness crabs.

“Endangered whales don’t have the resilience to fight through Dungeness crab pots during another year of record-breaking entanglements,” says Catherine Kilduff, senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. “We need to stop the entanglements before it’s too late.”

Unfortunately, this is not a problem limited to the Dungeness crab industry. The global estimate for cetacean entanglement resulting in deaths is approximately 308,000 per year. In addition, studies carried out on the East Coast showed that approximately 80 percent of the right whale population and 55 to 60 percent of the humpback population has been entangled at least once in their life, based on observed scarring on these populations, with 20 percent of animals getting new wounds from this equipment every year.

But with the Dungeness crab fishery showing even more entanglements than the average, something has to be done.

Experts claim that the primary problem with this fishery is that there are too many Dungeness crab lines in the ocean.

“This is one of the most profitable, highest-revenue fisheries in the state, which means that there’s a lot of competition to put more and more traps in the water,” explains Kilduff. “And that means that the whales are more and more at risk of getting entangled.”

Solving the Problem of the Dungeness Crab Fishery

While the fishery is showing more entanglements than any other, experts also say that this isn’t any reason to stop supporting the Dungeness crab fishery.

David Mattila of the International Whaling Commission explains that if experts were to ask people to boycott the fishery, the problem could actually get worse.

“What happens is you automatically set up an adversarial relationship,” he explains. Fishermen might be less likely to report entangled whales, thus lowering the perceived statistics of entanglements without actually solving the problem.

Instead, experts recommend that we encourage Dungeness crab fishermen to work with conservation efforts to solve this problem.

“The only way to really solve this problem in a socially and societally equitable or balanced way is to work with the fishermen,” explains Mattila. “Because they’re the ones who know the kinds of things that they can do to change their fishing, if they’re motivated.”

“I think that there’s pretty low-hanging fruit in terms of changes that the fishery could make for instantaneous results in terms of lowering the number of whales that are caught,” explains Kilduff.

One of these solutions would be to encourage fishermen to communicate where they place their traps. This information could then be cross-referenced with known migration routes of whales, allowing experts to recommend modifications that would keep crab traps away from whale populations altogether.

“This requires a little bit of a mind shift for the fishermen, who are very protective of their knowledge about the ocean and about where Dungeness crabs are,” explains Kilduff.

Luckily, most fishermen are more than happy to contribute to this, at least in Mattila’s experience.

“The fishermen don’t want this to happen,” he explains. “All of the fishermen that I’ve talked to do care about the whales, but even if they didn’t, it’s damage to their gear, it’s down-time for fishing, it’s a real headache.”

New technology is being developed to help give fishermen even more tools to contribute to the improvement of the sustainability of this fishery. In 2016, a best practices guide was developed, highlighting modifications like adjustments in trap line lengths and limits on the amount of line between the main buoy and the trailer buoy that could reduce the likelihood of whale entanglements.

A few new developments, like remote sensing technology that can indicate where whales are, due to sea surface temperature or the presence of krill, could also be put into place.

Matilla even cites an Australian technique developed to fish for expensive lobster that involves a remotely released trap with no line at all.

“I think we just need to bring fisheries’ management into this century and say, ‘We have to fish smarter, not harder,’” says Kilduff.

To do this, however, the state of California needs more funds devoted to the protection of this wildlife: the Australian remote trap equipment, for example, is much more expensive than the equipment that Dungeness crab fishermen are currently using.

And that’s where we come in.

The Center for Biological Diversity has created a petition addressing both the state of California, asking it to devote more resources to this issue, and the National Marine Fishing Service, requesting their help in putting some of these solutions into place. With their help, we may soon be able to drastically reduce the number of whales that are endangered by the Dungeness crab fishery.

Related on EcoSalon
Sard-In: The New ‘It’ Food in France is a Tiny, Sustainable Fish
Pescatarian: 10 Ways to Make Sure You’re Eating the Most Sustainable Fish
Endangered Species Like Bluefin Tuna Could Find Protection in the Growing ‘Faux Fish’ Market

The post There’s a Whale of a Problem (Literally) with the Dungeness Crab Industry appeared first on EcoSalon.

Is your closet sustainable yet? If not, it’s high-time you started shopping for eco-friendly, fair-trade, sustainable fashion. Not only is it the responsible choice, you’ve also got a lot of fun choices.

But first, the bad news: fashion is the second highest polluting industry in the world. Eighty-two pounds of textile waste are produced per person every year, just in the U.S. One new pair of jeans takes 900 gallons of water to produce, and to top it all off, nearly 20 percent of industrial water pollution comes from synthetic textile dyes for that perfect periwinkle or hot pink.

And shopping isn’t just bad for the environment — about 99 percent of clothes being sold in the U.S. are not made ethically, according to Business Insider, with most of the garments that we buy being made in sweatshops by underpaid, overworked laborers–including children, despite laws and global efforts to reduce child labor.

Why has it gotten this bad? Because we’re addicted to shopping. A 2008 study from Stanford, MIT, and Carnegie Mellon showed that while most people don’t want to spend money, they do want the pleasure of buying new things. Enter the world of fast fashion, which has evolved to allow consumers to buy lots of low-quality products, renewing their closets every year (or even more often) with ever-changing trends. We’re currently buying 400 percent more new clothes than we were just two decades ago.

So how can we do better?

Ruby Veridiano, an advocate for social responsibility in the fashion industry, has a few ideas. Shopping vintage or secondhand is a good place to start, especially because only ten percent of clothing donated to thrift stores is actually sold (much of it gets thrown away.

Veridiano also champions eco-fashion champion Livia Firth’s 30-wear rule when making a purchase.

“It’s the idea that before buying something, first consider if you can commit to wearing it at least 30 times,” Veridiano says. “The 30 wear rule guarantees that you buy quality items instead of buying in quantity, which means that you might buy less, but keep it for a longer period of time. Not only does it reduce waste in your closet, but it also helps reduces waste on the planet.”

But perhaps the biggest change that you can make to really ensure that your fashion choices are sustainable is choosing to support ethical brands.

“Ethical brands are made with integrity and support a socially responsible ethos,” says Veridiano. “The challenge is finding them, as they are not always readily available.”

That’s what inspired Veridiano to start the now extensive list of ethical brands on her website, if you’re just getting started, here are three ethical, sustainable fashion brands we love.

1. People Tree

People Tree is one of Veridiano’s personal faves, and we can see why. A major player in the ethical and sustainable fashion industry for the past 25 years, the company has established partnerships with Fair Trade producers, and its very mindset is founded in the creation of an alternative to fast fashion.

“Slow Fashion means standing up against exploitation, family separation, slum cities and pollution – all the things that make fast fashion so successful,” writes People Tree, whose clothes are made from sustainable materials and by people in rural communities who make a living wage.

Now that’s all well and good, but what are the clothes like? Well honestly, we love them. Tons of simple classics like button-up shirts, wrap dresses, hand-knitted sweaters, and even t-shirts, made from high-quality materials in neutral patterns that you’ll be able to wear again and again.

2. Eco

As this infographic shows, glasses aren’t exempt from the eco-fashion police: the materials used to make glasses and sunglasses – particularly plastic ones – are the sorts of things you should probably avoid if you want to live sustainably.

Eco – a brand created by boutique eyewear brand Modo — makes trendy glasses whose frames are made from 64 percent bio-based and recycled materials, like eco-friendly plastic, which is made with oil from castor beans instead of crude oil, or high-density polyethylene plastics recovered from the sea.

Not only are you cleaning out some of the eight million metric tons of plastic dumped into the oceans every year if you choose one of these pairs of trendy frames, you’re also contributing to replanting the world’s forests, as Eco plants a tree for every pair sold.

3. Vavavida

For all of your accessory needs, choose Vavavida, which sells bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings, and bags that are handmade by fairly paid artisans. The high-quality products highlight the craftsmanship of the people – often women – behind these unique pieces.

Vavavida is all about empowering local craftspeople, and founder Antoine even posts some of the artisans’ stories on the Vavavida site, so that you can get to know the women who crafted your favorite statement necklace or bangle.

To top it all off, Vavavida donates ten percent of its revenue to non-profit organizations empowering women.

These are just a few of the brands that are slowly but surely paving the way to increasing the choices in the world of sustainable fashion. Now it’s time to do our part and vote with our dollars for our favorite pieces.

Related on EcoSalon
5 Essential (and Totally Sustainable) Work Bags
The Ultimate List of Sustainable Handbag Designers (from A to Z)
Our 5 Favorite Upcycled Fashion Designers from the USA

Fashion image via Shutterstock

The post Sustainable Fashion Designers Changing the Game appeared first on EcoSalon.

This weekend, the Green Festival Expo for sustainable living is coming to Los Angeles – and we’re going to be there!

The Green Festival Expo is America’s largest and longest-running sustainability and green living event, uniting brands, businesses, filmmakers, thinkers, and consumers in one vibrant, dynamic marketplace. It’s the must-attend event for anyone who’s interested in green living — and we know that means you.

“The Green Festival Expo continues to gain momentum in Los Angeles as new and exciting speakers and celebrities will join an array of brands, partners, and speakers to feature the latest in sustainability across the country,” said Dr. Corinna Basler, president of Green Festivals, Inc. “We are excited to expand the plant-based offerings at this year’s show and provide even more food options that are healthy for our attendees and that help to combat climate change.”

This is the sixth year that the festival will be coming to the Los Angeles Convention Center. The festival will take place from September 16 to 18, with thousands of products and services to explore and a host of different events and panels to attend, including sustainable fashion shows, hands-on demos, and educational activities.

The Expo will be opened on Friday from 12 to 6pm, on Saturday from 10 to 6pm, and on Sunday from 10 to 5pm. Tickets are available online, and free entry is granted to kids 16 and under and anyone who bikes to the event – just bring your helmet to the box office.

Events will include a discussion by actor and activist Ed Begley Jr. on energy efficiency in 2016, musician Moby addressing the effect of animal agriculture on the environment, free classes on Bokwa fitness and African dancing at the Valetta SuRae Fitness Pavilion, vegan cooking demos with Spork Foods, and screenings of several environmental documentary films such as “Cowspiracy,” “Love Thy Nature,” and “Speciesism.”

Our very own Laura Klein will be speaking on the Living a Stunning and Sustainable Lifestyle panel on Saturday from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. The panel, which will be moderated by Rachel Winokur, the award-winning interior designer and sustainable lifestyle expert behind Rachel Winokur Interiors and a board member of Fair Trade LA, will feature three movers and shakers in the world of sustainability.

Rachelle Carson-Begley is an actor, environmentalist, producer, and author. She was featured on “Our Green House with the Begleys: Learning As We Go” on BiteSize TV with her husband Ed Begley, Jr. as the couple built their very own green, fully solar home.

Kamea Chayne, is an author, blogger, and eco-lifestyle advocate. Named a “millennial pioneer of sustainable living” by Half-Stack Mag, Kamea is the Editor of Konscious World, the Marketing Manager of Ethical Writers Co. and the bestselling author of “Thrive.”

And of course, Laura Klein is the co-founder of Organic Authority LLC and the publisher and editor-in-chief of OrganicAuthority.com and EcoSalon.com.

The Green Festival will allow attendees to explore everything they need to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. We hope to see you there! Get your tickets here.

Related on EcoSalon
4 Must-Have Fall Fashion Trends with a Sustainable Twist
5 Essential (and Totally Sustainable) Work Bags
Kindred Black: A Sustainable Approach to the Luxury Lifestyle

Image care of Green Festival

The post The Green Festival Expo is Coming to Los Angeles — And We’ll Be There! appeared first on EcoSalon.

Promote community-building and make your town or city a greener place to live.

Looking for easy ideas to promote sustainability and community building at the same time? We got you covered.

1. Get Involved with Government and Politics – If you aren’t already involved within your community’s government, you might be surprised at the opportunities for everyday residents to influence policy decisions. Make sure to attend public meetings, reach out to elected officials, and even serve on local boards and commissions.
2. Start a Community Garden – Growing food together in a sustainable way isn’t a radical new idea in community building. It’s one that our grandparents and great-grandparents practiced to grow food and to help communities work together. A community garden is about more than just fresh fruits and vegetables; it’s about creating connections with neighbors to create a better and more resilient community.
3. Become a Bike Advocate – Here in my home state, we have two local bike groups–the Urban Bike Project and the Newark Bike Project. They are nonprofit groups with the goal of encouraging and supporting bicycling as a healthy, affordable, and practical means of transportation, recreation, and community building. Maybe you could start something like this in your town.
4. Pick an Issue and Work on It – There are plenty of worthy, local issues that need advocates just like you. Promoting backyard egg-laying chickens, curbing the use of plastic bags, allowing backyard beehives, and more are all great issues that you promote along with your neighbors. Make change in your community while you build relationships with neighbors!
5. Advocate for Local Food – Whether it’s getting a farmers market started in your town, getting a community garden off the ground, working on policy to allow fruit trees and foraging on public lands, there are so many worthwhile local food projects to advocate for while community building.
6. Certified Wildlife Habitat –  Work with your neighbors to turn your lawns into certified wildlife habitats through the National Wildlife Federation and allow nature to flourish in your town. The antiquated idea of what a yard is supposed to look like dates backs to the 16th-century aristocracy!
7. Promote Open Space – Walking paths and parks are one of the quickest and most effective ways to build a sense of community and improve the quality of life. Gather your neighbors together to reach out to your elected officials to identify and protect open spaces in your community.

Related on EcoSalon

Is It Time to Round Up Roundup?

7 Simple DIY Projects to Celebrate Earth Day

Do We Need Farm-to-Table? Foodie Underground

Image: Group of People via Shutterstock

The post 7 Simple Community-Building Ideas for a Greener Space appeared first on EcoSalon.

Upcycling ideas are on trend in the DIY space. This involves taking any ol’ item and re-using it so that it functions with a different purpose. Practically anything can be upcycled. Not only is it an environmentally-conscious activity but also is practical, fun, and inexpensive, too.

So, why not get a little creative and help yourself and the environment? Here are 14 upcycling ideas for regular household items. Get the family involved so you can all be environmentally-friendly together!

1. Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles are one of the worst offenses in terms of litter. From water to fizzy drinks, plastic bottles are a cheap way to package our favorite beverages. However, they cannot be reused more than a few times after refilling with new beverages, as the plastic begins to leach toxins into the liquid it holds. So in order to get the most out of plastic bottles, without tossing them in the trash, is to find a new life for them! Here’s an idea: dip the bottle of various shaped plastic bottles into paint and imprint it on a blank piece of paper, creating a flower figure. This is a great activity to do with kids – they get to paint and learn about upcycling all at once!

2. Wine Bottles

There are so many creative and beautiful things you can create out of used wine bottles. Instead of putting wine bottles into the recycling bin after a boozy evening, save them in order to create decorative vases. Use a paintbrush or spray paint to decorate the vases, fill each with water and then stick a few long-stem flowers into neck.

3. Tennis Balls

Tennis balls can fall flat after repeated use, but that doesn’t mean they are no longer any good. Cut a 3-inch long slit parallel and about 1-inch up from the white line on the ball. Adhere the opposite side of the ball to the bathroom wall. Now, push the top of a towel into the slit and watch it hang gracefully and securely from the tennis ball.

4. Ketchup Bottles

When you’re out of ketchup, wash and rinse the bottle and then use it as a dispenser for pancake batter. Ketchup bottles also safely store unused batter for a later use.

5. Old Doors

If you’ve replaced your doors or have old ones hanging around somewhere in the shed or attic, don’t just let them rot in loneliness. Instead, get use out of them. Transform an old door into a table top. Doors are flat, sturdy and rustic-looking. All you have to do is install legs and you’ve got yourself a unique piece of furniture.

6. Mason Jars

If you are anything like me, you have more mason jars than you think to use. Now they can be transformed into beautiful lights. It’s so easy to do, even kids can accomplish it on their own.

7. Egg Cartons

Egg cartons make for great storage containers for small, easy-to-lose, easy-to-tangle jewelry. Separate necklaces, earrings and other pieces of jewelry from each other by reserving each shell for its own piece.

8. Toilet Paper Rolls

Finally, a way to store cables! From your phone to your computer to your mp3 player and beyond, it’s hard to keep track of all the cables and cords. To remedy this, simply take a shoebox and take a collection of paper roll center cartons and stand them upright, side by side. Make sure you have enough so that you fill the entire box. Next, roll up your cables individually and slide them into the rolls.

9. CD Holders

Not sure how to pack that bagel sandwich to work or school? Place it in one of those old-school CD holders. It’s not like you’re using CDs these days, anyway.

10. Picture Frames

Picture frames make for great serving trays for when company comes over. Whether the frame contains a picture, painting or nothing at all, the frame makes for a useful (and hopefully well-adorned) alternative to a plain old tray you’d otherwise use to serve food or beverages.

11. Kleenex Boxes

Reuse Kleenex boxes much in the same way they were used when first bought – as a dispenser. Store extra plastic bags in the box and pull a bag out every time you need one.

12. Bulletin Boards

Place a bulletin board on the wall near the main door of your house or apartment and use it to hang keys and chains.

13. Bicycle

This may seem far-fetched, but it’s a great idea for those into alternative designs: use an old bicycle as a base to bathroom sink! Install a flat board on top of the bike and then place the sink above that. You’ll need help from a professional to install it properly and to make sure that it is sturdy, but it’s most certainly possible and looks charming once finished.

14. Mini Fridge

An out-of-service mini fridge operates as an excellent storage cabinet. Just be sure that if the fridge still works, that it is not turned on when being used as storage, else your belongings will go frigid.

Related on EcoSalon

5 Awesome DIY Projects to Upcycle Bras

Our 5 Favorite Upcycled Fashion Designers from the US

Creative Ways to Upcycle Before You Recycle

Hydrangeas in bottles image  via Shutterstock

The post 14 Clever Upcycling Ideas for Regular Household Goods appeared first on EcoSalon.

With so much news circulating about our doomed ecosystem and the decreasing quality of our lives because of it, it’s both exciting and relieving to learn about projects taking place all around the world in the realm of sustainability. These sustainability projects promise a brighter future for us all, taking current environmental issues inherent in a variety of industries and proposing creative, unique and mind-boggling solutions.

Tackling issues as vast and pressing as our polluted oceans and as individual as prostate cancer, get inspired and motivated by these ideas to make your own change in the world!

1. Ocean Cleanup Array

When he was just 17, Dutch inventor Boyan Slat made headlines for developing a system that can catch plastic debris driven by ocean currents. The Ocean Cleanup array system involves a static platform that passively collects plastic as wind and ocean currents push debris through 2000-meter booms. In June 2015, Slat announced that the structure, which will be the world’s first ocean-cleaning system, is set to deploy in 2015 near the Tsushima island in Japan, where there is a build up of some one cubic meter of plastic pollution per person. The island will discern whether the plastic captured can be used as an alternative energy source.

2. Two Fingers Brewing Co.

This beer company’s name may seem random and overall inconsequential, until you learn about the “man-kind” beer’s oath: to donate 100 percent of its profits to Prostate Cancer UK. The 7-strong team based in the UK is determined to give back to the men who drink their beer. Men are 35 percent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than women with breast cancer, but prostate cancer gets far less attention than breast cancer. One in eight men (and one in four black men) in the UK are affected by prostate cancer, which sheds light on the severity of the disease and how ventures like the microbrewery Two Fingers are necessary and should be celebrated. Despite its overall higher conscience, Two Fingers founders are committed to not letting its higher purpose deflect from the quality and taste of the beer itself and they are keen on raising money for a good cause by selling good beer.

3. Solar Impulse 2

In July 2015, Swiss pilot André Borschberg flew over the Pacific, from Japan to Hawaii, but not in any old plane – with a solar-powered plane called Solar Impulse 2. The flight took 118 hours and the cockpit was so small, Borschberg couldn’t stand, let alone walk around. The Solar Impulse 2 is the brainchild of Swiss scientists Bertrand Piccard and Borschberg himself. It took the two 12 years to build the aircraft, which has a 72-meter wingspan and weighs as much as a car. Some 17,000 solar cells are built into the wings, which harness the sun’s energy.

4. Pasona Group

In Tokyo, Japan, the staffing company Pasona Group’s headquarters is decked out with plants. Tomatoes dangle from the ceilings of meeting rooms and rice paddy is in the lobby centerpiece. The urban farm design is meant to encourage employees’ innovating thinking about agriculture as well as to create a sense of community among them. The crops grown are used to prepare food served in the company cafeteria.

5. Kombucha Clothing

Fashion designer turned biological conjurer Suzanne Lee uses kombucha to grow clothing. That’s right, kombucha. The fashion industry is a dirty business – the second-largest biggest polluter in the world, in fact. Lee approaches the future of fashion with radical ideas, including growing kombucha-based material that can be used like a fabric. She currently directs the BioCouture research project, which is the world’s first biocreative design consultancy that explores Nature’s sustainable materials for future consumer products.

Related on EcoSalon

7 Awesome, Influential Women in Sustainable Fashion

10 Ocean Conservation Groups Making a Difference

5 Green Office Products We Love

Photo Credit: Solar Impulse from Shutterstock

The post 5 Sustainability Projects that Promise a Brighter Future appeared first on EcoSalon.

You can tell a food trend is catching on in cities and countries that draw foodies, but what’s hot in France is destined to be a trend leader. The trend of the day: small, sustainable fish like sardines.

After 11 years of experience at some of the best Parisian tables, including L’Arc Paris and Atelier Robuchon, Chef Antony Germani has decided return to his hometown, the port city of Marseille, to highlight a small yet hugely sustainable protein powerhouse: the sardine. Sard’In, which opened in June, is the first sardine bar in the world.

After over a decade in the capital, Marseille’s prodigal son knew he missed the south, but he also knew that he could only return with a specific project in mind, a project, he said, that needed to be able to be fleshed out quickly and inexpensively. The idea of a sardine bar, serving a variety of high-end canned sardines in simple recipes, came easily.

At first, canned sardines might seem like anything but the trendy star of a new restaurant, but Germani was determined to change their reputation. “I like canned sardines, because they’re often associated with malbouffe (junk food) or products of mediocre quality, but when you add a really fresh product, the can takes care of the rest,” he says of the star of his menu. “It keeps it for years — all the flavors and finesse of the products, and it even gets better with time, like a good wine.”

Germani’s interest in sardines comes in the wake of many chefs becoming interested in smaller fish, fish that have been ignored by big-name chefs for years. Just recently, 20 all-star chefs united to highlight ways to serve the “perfect protein” in their restaurants, mainly due to the ecological impact of such a decision, an impact that isn’t lost on Germani.

“The ecological impact is enormous,” he says. “Canned sardines allow us to respect different fishing seasons. We have to consume less fish and meat, that’s obvious nowadays. The omega 3, phosphorous and vitamin B3 content in a can of sardines is extraordinary, especially compared to other fish. Eating two cans of sardines a week can allow us to consume less fresh fish and, above all, to leave other more sensitive varieties (in the water).”

The choice of sardine did not come out of nowhere for this Marseille native. Sardines have long been at home in this port city, though, as Germani learned, this is no longer truly the case. Because of overfishing, sardines became smaller and smaller, and in Marseille, it was decided to stop canning them to allow them to regenerate in the Mediterranean waters.

“The actual canned sardines we’re consuming, called ‘Marseillais sardines,’ are actually Atlantic sardines,” he says. “But we appreciated the frankness of the fishermen and the different canning facilities that take responsibility and are aware of the dangers towards Mediterranean sardines,” Germani says, saying that it will be five years before true Mediterranean sardines can be fished and canned again.

“They’re a strong species, and they regenerate fairly quickly as compared to others,” he says.

This is one of the many reasons that Germani does not sell only French sardines in his bar, which will offer all sorts of high-end canned sardines, a combination of high-end gourmet boutique and restaurant. Simplicity and flavor are on the menu here, but so is the entirety off the Mediterranean.

“I got informed. I traveled. I went to Spain, to Portugal, to Tunisia and in France and met with conserveries who still respect the fishing methods, and I met passionate people who are, above all, lovers of sardines, like me,” he says.

And that’s his key clientele as well: people who love sardines enough to see them — and even, occasionally, their cans — on their plates.

“Canned sardines allow me to have 0% waste in the products that I sell and cook with, and that’s what interested me,” he says. “I hate throwing anything away or wasting anything.”

Chef Germani is currently working with Foodraising, a French food-based crowdfunding platform. If he raises his goal of 5,000 euros, he will be able to expand his current shop and possibly open other locations in Paris, Lyon, and, qui sait, further afield.

Related on EcoSalon

Marine Life Disappearing Thanks to Overfishing and Climate Change [Study]

Endangered Species Like Bluefin Tuna Could Find Protection in the Growing ‘Faux Fish’ Market

The Nordic Diet: Eating Like a Viking is Good for All of Us

The post Sard-In: The New ‘It’ Food in France is a Tiny, Sustainable Fish appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnThere are so many things we know we should stop eating, but we don’t. Why?

We’re going to get into a tough discussion today.

It’s one that I am sure is going to elicit a lot of comments. We are going to talk about what we eat. “But I love talking about what I eat!” you think. Nope, we are going to talk about the things that we eat when we know we should be doing otherwise. We are going to talk about the “I know better, but…” syndrome.

I thought of this as I was researching an article on the sustainability of cheese production. Without getting too far into it, large scale cheese production is pretty bad for the planet. On an Environmental Working Group list of different foods and their greenhouse gas emissions, lamb comes first, beef second, and in third place is cheese.

It’s these kind of articles that I read, feel overwhelmed, sigh, and then question everything I put into my body for the following week.

It’s hard to write about food without thinking about your own personal actions. I eat cheese, it’s something that I struggle with, having cut out meat from my diet. But I do try to buy cheese from small scale producers, and I try to eat smaller amounts of it. Enjoy the good stuff in small quantities so to say.

There are a lot of people out there that don’t have a choice in what they eat, the majority of them because of economics. But for those of us that do have the choice, and read all of the various articles looking at the impacts of all of the foods we eat – meat, cheese, coffee, quinoa etc – what is it that leads us into the “I know better, but…” syndrome.

“I know better, but I am going to eat this anyway.”

That is essentially what we are saying every time we are standing in front of an aisle at the grocery store, or sitting in front of a dish in front of a restaurant, and our emotional self wins out over our rational self. Our brain says no but our stomach says yes.

This is not to get on a soapbox. I know better too. There are things that I eat that I know I shouldn’t, be they for health, sustainability or ethical reasons, so I try to keep them in moderation. Smoked mackerel, I am looking at you. Ocean activist and all around wonderful human being Sylvia Earle doesn’t eat fish, and I always think of her. As she once said, “We have choices; they do not.” To really stick to one’s morals is admirable, most of us will choose convenience and comfort. I have yet to get there, and I am very aware of that.

What we eat is a process. You don’t wake up one morning miraculously having committed to the healthiest, most sustainable diet out there. No, it’s a work in progress. You give up one thing here, add another ingredient in there. No matter how we eat, we can always do better.

But doing better means letting our brain win out over our stomach. It means truly accepting that our choices do in fact have an impact.

It also means being accepting and sensitive to our peers around us. It means not passing judgement based upon what their choices are. The best thing that we can do is to lead by example, and to walk our talk. We are all human, none of us is perfect.

Are you truly willing to stop eating the things you shouldn’t? Maybe you aren’t, and that’s ok, as long as you accept it, and take the small steps to get to a place where you maybe might be. There are things that all of us could consume less of, without entirely eliminating them from our diet. Also, you should definitely give bananas the kick to the curb, as well as those out of season tomatoes and strawberries. Being a year-round locavore isn’t as hard as you think.

We are emotional beings, what we eat, or don’t eat, is sometimes a tough question. But let’s be sensitive, and keep our eyes open. Let us at least acknowledge our imperfections, and that we are working on improving them.

Choose to be better tomorrow, and the next day and the next day. That’s what we can do, no matter where we are at.

Related on EcoSalon

Can You Be an Environmentalist and Eat Meat?

Think Cheese is More Eco + Humane Than Meat? Think Again

Hey McDonald’s, Sustainable Meat Doesn’t Make You Responsible: Foodie Underground

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Image: Thomas Hawk

The post Are You Willing to Stop Eating the Things You Know You Shouldn’t? Foodie Underground appeared first on EcoSalon.