Spring has sprung!
Spring is here and it’s time to start gardening! I’ve been very motivated the past few weeks to plant herbs, make terrariums, and I finally have my own vegetable garden! I was volunteering with Enrich LA a couple months ago and one of the volunteers offered the use of their backyard. On Saturday, I pulled weeds and planted: 2 varieties of kale, butter lettuce, romaine lettuce. spring lettuce mix, carrots, scallions, and spinach. The area is shady, and gets at least 4-5 hours of full sun a day.
I knew a little bit of about gardening growing up, but I’ve really learned a lot from volunteering with Enrich LA. My mom is a gardener and she grew up on a farm. I was never interested in gardening growing up, because it always felt like a chore. As an adult, I’m trying to learn more about gardening and see how it goes. I hope all goes well, and I will definitely share the progress of my garden. I’m very excited to grow my own food!
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All Wild Co. Organic Baby Linens & Clothing
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I’ve found some many wonderful shops on etsy, and I would like to help promote them. Supporting small businesses is essential, as well as shopping local. Since shopping local can be challenging at times, it is good to know that there are wonderful alternatives out there like etsy.
This shop is called the Green Thread Shop. It features a line of organic baby linens and clothing called All Wild Co. These designs are unique, stylish, and fun.
“All Wild Co. creates organic baby linens and apparel. They take great care in producing each item – we hand-dye, hand-print and appliqué to create original designs. Only high quality organic fabrics are used, which are free from pesticides, water-based inks for printing and low-impact dyes for dyeing.”
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AllWildCo?ref=pr_shop_more
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Find Local, Sustainably Grown Food at LocalHarvest
LocalHarvest is a wonderful resource for people who want to eat sustainably grown food in their area. You can have sustainable food delivered to your door on a weekly basis. This is great for people who are busy and don’t have time to shop locally. At LocalHarvest, find farmers markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area.
“People worldwide are rediscovering the benefits of buying local food. It is fresher than anything in the supermarket and that means it is tastier and more nutritious. It is also good for your local economy–buying directly from family farmers helps them stay in business.”
“The best organic food is what’s grown closest to you. Use the LocalHarvest website to find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies. Want to support this great web site? Shop their catalog for things you can’t find locally!”
Loose Tea Reduces Your Carbon Footprint
Organic, Fair-Trade loose tea is the eco-friendly choice compared to tea bags. There is less packaging involved with loose tea and larger portions of the plants are use to create a more robust flavor. Organic farming improves the fertility of the soil and stops the use of harmful chemicals and that in turn makes farming safer for the farmers and their families and for the surrounding wildlife.
Fair trade empowers the tea workers to improve their lives. Fair wages and respectable living and working conditions are combined with the ability, education and training to manage their own funds as they see fit.
Here are 5 Ways Loose Tea Reduces Your Carbon Footprint:
1. ELIMINATE WASTE: No tea bags and excess packing… No landfill…
2. REUSE: Resteep leaves for added “green” factor, value, & enjoyment!
3. COMPOST used leaves.
4. REUSE / RECYCLE metal tea tins.
5. BONUS… Resteep your tea leaves a final time to water your house plants.
Source: http://theteaspot.com/eco-friendly-tea-products-organic.html
Atwater Village Farm: A community farm-to-table shop
Last week, I went to Atwater Village Farm, and it felt like I stepped back in time. It is a very quaint corner store that you’d find in small town America. The idea is to have access to the farmers market experience every day of the week. Atwater Village Farm is funded and driven by the community. They want to give the community the opportunity to purchase fresh, organic local produce at an affordable price.
Atwater Village Farm carries breads, baked goods, and fresh prepared sandwiches from the Village Bakery in Atwater. The produce selection is great and beautifully displayed. The herbs are in wooden planters which adds a nice touch to let you know they are truly fresh. They also carry grains, cereals, jarred goods, and much more…
They recently opened their doors in Dec. 2011, and planning to expand the space in 2012. They plan to carry meats, prepared foods, and juices. They are also taking requests of items you would like to see in their store. Please support this local business, and help them grow.
40 Sustainable Restaurants in the Greater Los Angeles Area
Update: This post now has its own page:
http://www.ecoenthusiast.com/?page_id=3147
Here is a list of 40 Sustainable Restaurants in the Greater Los Angeles Area. I’m sure there are more and they will be added to my list in the future. I’ve been to some of the restaurants on this list, but I would eventually like to try them all one day.
I chose the majority of my list from Greenopia. A few of the places are Greenopia’s list are out of businesses now, so I didn’t include them. I’ve added a few newer places that I’m pretty sure will make it on their list in the future.
This is how Greenopia chooses their restaurants.
“Although we looked at all sorts of ways a restaurant or café might demonstrate its commitment to sustainability, our primary focus was on the food, as we expect yours is. However, we also looked at other green aspects of the business-its composting, recycling, and energy efficiency programs-and whether or not available carryout containers were biodegradable, compostable, and/or were made with recycled, recyclable, and/or chlorine free materials. The restaurants and cafés in our guide have demonstrated an ongoing and concerted effort toward balancing the issues outlined above.”
Please take a look at the list. If you know of any other restaurants to add to the list, then please comment below.
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| Akasha 9543 Culver Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 310-845-1700
1155 N. Highland Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90038 323-871-2666
1009 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA 90291 310-664-9787
1743 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 323-982-9900
5406 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036 323-939-3932
10100 Constellation Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90067 310-279-4180
1521 Griffith Park Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026 323-667-1551
107 S. Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena, CA 91105 626-440-0100
2135 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026 213-484-6829
2301 Main St. Santa Monica, CA 90405 310-392-9501
3818 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026 323-953-0611
3823 W Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026-1529 323-663-6885
2122 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 323-841-4866
Golden Bridge Yoga – Nite Moon Cafe 1357 N. Highland Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90028 323-936-4172 |
Huckleberry Cafe 1014 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401 310-451-2311
128 Old Topanga Canyon Rd. Topanga, CA 90290 310-455-1311
(formerly Newsroom Café) 530 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401 310-319-9100
2424 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405 1310-581-9888
11938 W. Washington Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90066 310-390-6005 (check site for other locations)
Helms Ave. Culver City, CA 90232 415-515-8084 (check site for other locations)
1507 Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028 323-466-0927
2943 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026 323-662-4740
7119 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046 323-525-0588
18621 Ventura Blvd. Tarzana, CA 91356 818-758-6971
350 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90071 323-638-4885
2141 West Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026 213-483-2337
1110 Gayley Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90024 310-209-1055 |
Natural Cafe, The 2667 Tapo Canyon Rd Simi Valley, CA 930631 805-527-2272(check site for other locations)
8593 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069 310-854-0234
7950 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90046 323-375-3390
609 Broadway Santa Monica, CA 90401 310-587-1552
414 N. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048 310-289-9910 (check site for other locations)
333 S. Alameda St. Los Angeles, CA 90013 213-617-0305
110 2nd St. Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 310-376-2355
6290 Sunset Boulevard Hollywood, CA 90028 323-382-0380 (check site for other locations)
1710 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91506 818-253-1710
8565 Melrose Ave. West Hollywood, CA 90069 (check site for other locations)
8000 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90046 (check site for other locations)
2454 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90403 310-586-1707
123 North Larchmont Los Angeles CA, 90004 323-466-6969 (check site for other locations) |
Sustainable Bedding
A few weeks ago I was doing laundry and a friend read the label and puzzlingly asked “Your sheets are organic?” I replied “Yes, they’re organic cotton.” A lot of people only think of food as being organic and don’t realize that natural fabrics come from crops, too.
There are several types of bed sheets such as Organic Cotton, Bamboo, Sateen, Linen, Birch, Hemp, Beech, and more. These sheets can be found in several stores and also online. Next time you need some new sheets, then please consider getting some sustainable bedding. We spend a lot of time in bed and being in a toxic-free bed is definitely worth it.
10 Lead-Free Reusable Shopping Bags
Reusable shopping bags are affordable and a small step in helping keep the planet clean. There are several types to choose from such as organic cotton, canvas, recycled plastic, non-woven-polypropylene, and more…
In the US, tests show that some non-woven-polypropylene bags made in China, contain high levels of lead. Most of these bags have been pulled off the shelves, but cloth bags are the safest bet. Not all bags made in China contain lead.
Fair wage, fair trade, organic or recycled bags cloth bags can easily be washed and be the safe alternative. Next time you purchase a reusable shopping bag, please be careful with the type of bag you choose. This will help you stay healthy and avoid contaminating your food.
Here are 10 safe, lead-free, reusable shopping bags available:
1. Eco Enthusiast
2. ChicoBag
3. Eco Bags
4. Envirosax
5. ReUseIt
6. RuMe
7. LeadFreeBags.com
8. Project GreenBag
9. Plastic Pollution Coalition
10. Green Eyed Monster
Backwards Beekeepers
Backwards Bees is a group of organic, treatment-free beekeepers in Los Angeles, with branches now forming in other cities.
They’re “Backwards” because they rely on observation and natural practices to keep our bees thriving rather than pesticides, chemicals, or treatments of any kind.
They’re continually growing as more and more people discover the enjoyment and worth of encouraging our native feral bee population. Their goal is to do right by the bees so that the bees can return the favor.
Bees are essential to the environment and we al need to do our part to help them thrive. If you have a bee problem, then please contact Backwards Bees or a humane beekeeper in your area.
http://www.backwardsbeekeepers.com
Alternative Earth Apparel
I am a huge fan of Alternative Earth apparel. I have a few shirts and they are extremely comfortable and stylish. I get compliments on the organic scoop neck tee shirt. It is very flattering and has that vintage softness.
You can make a difference with what you wear. Their eco-friendly fabrics are manufactured with 100% certified organic cotton, recycled polyester, and man-made fibers derived from sustainable raw materials. Alternative Earth has casual clothes that look good and feel good.
http://www.alternativeapparel.com
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