Green Living Newsletter - December 2009

Featured Vendor - Dry Dock Fish

“Drydock Fish Company”

The owner of Drydock Fish Company, Mark Lewis, was born in Marseille, France. He grew up in Casablanca, Morrocco where he and his friends would enjoy fishing the rivers. Mark came to the United States in 1968. He chose to build a fish business because he wanted to provide people with an outstanding selection of fresh fish, which he found was hard to come by. Drydock Fish has been a family operated company since 1986 when it first opened.

Mark enjoys seeing returning customers who share with him their ‘FISH STORIES’. He is known for being an extraordinary chef during markets, providing samples to his apprieciative customers.

Drydock Fish Company provides the freshest fish to a wide variety of gourmet restaurants between Los Angeles and San Diego, and supply 13 farmer’s markets per week in the Southern California area.

Mark does not have a set schedule of work hours at the plant. “I’m not done until everything is done!”, says Mark. He has no plans to retire anytime soon, and when he does, his son will still be working as the Manager of Drydock Fish. Marks future plans for Drydock are to continue selling fresh fish and expand the company so that they can go to more markets throughout California. He also plans on moving his company from Fullerton down to San Diego.

Heading up many of the Farmers Markets in Southern California is Stefan. Stefan always has great tips on how to prepare the fish and he has a wide berth of knowledge on all things fish. Come stop by and say hello to Stefan at the following markets:

Larchmont Village Sunday 9:00-2:00

South Pasadena Thursday 3:00-7:30

Agoura Hills Sundays 9:00-2:00

Westlake Village Sundays 10:00-2:00

Happy Fishing!

http://www.drydockfish.com/

Movie to see: “Food Inc”

One of my top movies for 2009 has to be Food Inc.  If you haven’t seen it, buy or rent the DVD. The film explores how modern developments in food production are posing grave risks to our health and environment. The writers aren’t radicals or even vegetarians but they are crusaders when it comes to exposing problems and naming offenders. It points out how the cozy relationships between huge agriculture corporations and government have become. If nothing else, this film makes you think even more about where your food is coming from. One thing we can all do is to support our family farms and buy local at your farmers market.
 
http://www.foodincmovie.com

Recycling Tips for the Day After Christmas

Somehow there always so much work to be done after Christmas. What do you do with the wrapping paper, packaging, food leftovers and more? How do you deal with it all, not make more work for yourself, and yet still make the most eco-friendly choices?

Joining forces with Toyota in the Farm to Table Tour

I am so excited to be joining forces with Toyota in the Farm to Table Tour. As the long time founder of California Certified Farmers Markets and Jennifer McColm Certified I feel that this is a great opportunity to further educate our community about conscious living and bring together great like-minded representatives from Toyota and Jennifer McColm Certified to benefit the community. Jennifer McColm certifies products that meet our rigorous criteria and are proud to announce that the Toyota Highlander and Prius meet those standards.

Jennifer McColm partners with Whole Foods Markets

Jennifer McColm, Whole Foods Markets, Inc. and farmers’ market operator, Raw Inspiration, are opening their first farmers market in a joint venture between the three parties and developer Comstock Cosser Properties, the owners of El Segundo Plaza.

The market is located adjacent to the Whole Foods Market store at the El Segundo Plaza and the Grand Opening is set for Wednesday, September 23. The Whole Foods Farmers Market will be open every Wednesday between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm.

For further information, please call 818-591-8286

Fresh Pesto

I belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). It is a system by which you become a “member” of a farm. You pay membership dues, and in exchange, get a weekly share of the farm’s harvest; apples, beets, lettuce, potatoes, beans, squash, eggs, etc.. It is a wonderful way to enjoy fresh, locally grown foods and to support your local farmers and economy. One of the most exciting things about belonging to a CSA is that you never know what you’re going to find when you open that week’s load, so you are encouraged to try new foods and new recipes. During the height of summer and the height of my CSA’s growing season, I found myself faced with load after load, brimming with fresh vegetables and LOTS of basil. I was forced to come up with some new recipes. This is the pesto recipe that came out of that. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

3 cloves garlic
¼ - ½ cup pine nuts (negotiable)
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (you can cut this half and half with chicken broth)
juice of half a lemon
2-3 cups fresh basil
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
dash of pepper (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Fill food processor with garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and lemon juice. Pulse until smooth. Add basil, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Pulse until well blended. Scrape down sides and pulse until smooth.

Serve on whole grain baguette slices topped with yellow bell pepper slices.

Or toss with a whole grain linguini pasta.

Planet Green is the Place to Be

Amidst the ocean of infomercials you float through during insomnious nights rolls a new, refreshing wave which ebbs into daytime, as well– Planet Green. The Discovery Channel’s innovative companion airs 24 hours a day.

Planet Green hopes to show the young audience how they can start living a more natural life, and the older audience how to erase some of the heavy tracks they made on this world over the years. The station boasts programs that will teach you what it means to be green.

Greenovate, an environmentally-friendly spin-off of regular home renovation shows, couples homeowners with designers and consultants who specialize in green style. Renewable energy and sustainable products are key, as homeowners shop for the likes of solar panels and bamboo flooring to cut their home’s energy costs. For the viewers, Greenovate will compare the cost and effectiveness of these items to those traditionally used in order to prove that going green is not just beneficial for the environment, but for the user, too.

Mean Green Machines calls all motor enthusiasts. The action-packed half-hour showcase and competition matches an eco-friendly vehicle against its traditional gas-driven counterpart, examining the power, speed, endurance, and agility of both. An ATV, Land Rover, motocross bike, and snowmobile are just some of the contenders you will watch battle it out for the title of “Mean Green Machine.”

A cross between reality TV and ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover, Greensburg is not just a play on words. This Kansas town was devastated by an EF-5 tornado that stormed through in May 2007. Co-produced by Craig Piligian and Leonardo DiCaprio, Greensburg, a 13-episode series, follows citizens as they choose to not just rebuild, but construct a green community.

G Word offers a trendy look at green living, hosted by SuChin Pak, reporter and host for MTV, and Daniel Sieberg, science and technology correspondent for CBS news. This candid show covers hot topics on everything from simple recycling to eco “bedroom toys”.

Watching all of these shows and wondering just what you can do? Then, Wa$ted! is for you. Annabelle Gurtwitch and Holter Graham host this series that takes them into an environmentally-unfriendly home to point out what can be done to go green and reduce the wastefulness taking place each day. At the end of 21 days, those brief savings are figured for what they would bring throughout an entire year’s time, and that extra cash is given to the household as a prize.

If these informative programs do not offer up enough green knowledge, check out the Planet Green web site at http://planetgreen.discovery.com. Sign up for the newsletter and read daily blogs, green buying guides, and how-to’s. With Planet Green, sustainable living becomes simple.

Eco-Chic Wedding Invitations

In today’s changing world, it is important that you do everything you can to make sure you are being respectful towards the environment. When your goal is to live in a socially conscious way, planning your wedding is the perfect “green” opportunity. This will probably be the first big “purchase” that you and your fiancé will make in your new lives together, why not make it in an ethical way?

Now, the first step is announcing your big day! Wedding announcements or invitations can set the perfect tone for your environmentally friendly wedding. There are many options today for 100% recycled, partially recycled or completely tree free papers from wedding invitation suppliers. A perfect source for earth friendly invitations is Earthly Affair. Not only do they offer 100% recycled alternatives to traditional paper invitations, but they also take into consideration their environmental impact in other ways, such as earth friendly printing methods, an eco equipped studio, and carbon free shipping.

A fun project for your guests after the wedding is to provide them with “plantable wedding invitations”. They are an interesting and unique way to literally green your wedding and Botanical Paperworks is doing them the right way. Garden Greetings™ paper has actual seeds embedded into it and when you plant the paper in a pot of soil, the seeds will grow into beautiful wildflowers! How eco-chic is that? 

Now, if you really want to throw caution to the wind, many couples are fore-going the paper invitations all together and moving towards the virtual world. Couples are opting to send a simple email invitation to visit their online Wedding site. A creative and informative wedding website can easily give details and links to important wedding locations, schedules, maps, etc. In addition, if the couple is able to create their own site or find a designer they like, they can definitely express their own unique flair and theme on a wedding website. This non-traditional method might be a little controversial, but times they are a’ changing, and this route is an easy way to save a lot of time, money and help the planet.

In the end, you have many alternatives in your choice of invitations that can be original, unique and eco-friendly – this is something that will require a little more effort on your part, but if taking care of our planet is important, then you will want to make this effort to be socially responsible.

A few other companies that are doing it the right way:
Bella Figura
Naturally Ever After
Oblation Papers + Press

Green Your Cleaning

When most people think of going green, they expect the transition to be an expensive one. Luckily, a common sense approach to eco-friendly cleaning products doesn’t have to be difficult or costly. Here are several tips to green your cleaning that can be easily incorporated into your household cleaning routine.

Simple and inexpensive items, such as soap, water, vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, and Borax can take care of the usual cleaning needs of most households. Washing everything that comes in contact with raw meat or eggs with soapy, hot water is the most reliable way of killing Salmonella and E coli. Additionally, white vinegar can kill bacteria, viruses, and mold.

If you want to get rid of soap scum and some stains, instead of grabbing for the Comet or Ajax, make a paste of baking soda and water. If you want a commercially prepared product, try Bon Ami (calcium carbonate); it’s safer than similar products in that it doesn’t contain any chlorine bleach. Sprinkling baking soda in a sink and scrubbing with a damp sponge or rag will work in the same way as Comet or Ajax.

You can also green your cleaning by using the all purpose 20 Mule Team Borax. This product has been around for ages and is still popular. It contains no phosphates or chlorine, and it’s safe for septic tanks. It’s a great laundry booster, stain remover, and clothes deodorizer. Speaking of removing odors, its deodorizing abilities work wherever you need it – in the refrigerator, trash can, and bathroom. It’s also good in removing carpet stains and odors, but make sure you test on a small patch of carpet first to see if your carpet’s dye is colorfast. You can use the Mule Team for cleaning bathroom surfaces, just as you would with baking soda and water. Just sprinkle some on a damp sponge or rag and scrub. If you don’t want to deal with a powder, Ecover makes a plant based cleansing cream that is gentle on the earth. For toilet bowls, just a quarter cup of Mule Team Borax, soaking for at least 30 minutes, will do.

Green your window cleaning by making up your own mixture and placing into a spray bottle. If you want a lemony fragrance, put one tablespoon lemon juice with water inside your spray bottle. If you don’t mind the smell of vinegar, you can use 1/4 cup white vinegar in your spray bottle. In addition to a do-it-yourself window cleaner, a couple reputable eco companies make glass cleaners: Seventh Generation or Ecos.

The average laundry products you find in the store contain petroleum and phthalates, which have been suspected of causing cancer and harm to human’s reproductive system. It’s best to choose products that are fragrance free and not petroleum based; they should be plant based - such as corn oil, coconut oil, or palm kernel oil. If you have a stubborn stain, an eco friendly way of getting rid of it is water mixed with lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide, or white vinegar. Non-chlorine bleach, such as Ecover and Seventh Generation are made with safer ingredients, such as hydrogen peroxide. For fabric softeners, a natural way is adding 1/4 cup baking soda or white vinegar to the wash cycle.

As you can see, green your cleaning takes common sense and getting back to the cleaning basics. Much of the going green movement is all about simplicity, and these common household products will have your house looking and smelling clean.

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