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Monterey Bay Aquarium - white shark on exhibit
August 31, 2007

Posted by CindyW in : For Kids , 1 comment so far

Labor day weekend is here. For those who still don’t have any plans (like me), here is a possible activity: visit Monterey Bay Aquarium. It’s always fun for my family to go there. Now there is even a better reason. Yesterday evening, a white shark was placed in the Outer Bay exhibit. For those who have not been there, visiting the Outer Bay exhibit is a mesmerizing experience. My kids can spend an hour staring at the giant fish - bluefin tuna, sun fish, hammerhead sharks, and many other. Now a white shark.

This is the third white shark Monterey Bay Aquarium has had in their exhibit. The first one was there for 198 days before returning to the wild and the second one stayed for 137 days. Hopefully this one will stay around for a few months.

While you are there, don’t forget to pick up the handy seafood guide, which tells you which fish are sustainably caught and which fish are on the endangered list.

See other fun exhibits in the aquarium and why we need to care about sustainable seafood.

CindyW at Organicpicks

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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Ditch the machines and walk outside
August 30, 2007

Posted by CindyW in : Opinions & Thoughts , 1 comment so far

Yesterday evening I took my daughter to our neighborhood YMCA for her very first swimming lesson. At 5pm, the gym was jam-packed with health-minded people, on treadmills, StairMasters, elliptic machines, stationary bikes, rowing machines, and other interesting looking contraptions, all powered by electricity of course. It was 75 degrees outside, sunny, with a light breeze, a perfect northern California evening. And this particular YMCA is situated on the edge of a beautiful park, with walking/jogging paths weaving through shady trees. Yet, there were far more people running and walking inside than outside. Are we afraid of fresh air?

Yes, I am being presumptuous. People with physical injuries may have to exercise on specific machines; people living in sweltering heat may be advised to stay indoors; people in big cities may prefer not to directly breathe in automobile exhaust from the streets. But please, it was 75 degrees, beautiful out there! I really wanted to put big banners on all their windows – “get free exercise outside!” But surely someone in the YMCA facility would drag my daughter out of the swimming pool and warn us never to get close to the premise again.

So I am posting banners on my blog on why people can benefit from exercising outside, at least some of the time:

Surely there are many other surprising benefits of exercising outside that are not mentioned above. There is still some summer left. And the cool and crisp fall is arriving soon. Halt the gym membership until October and enjoy the outside.

CindyW at Organicpicks

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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Smart Car Road Show Continues to Roll
August 29, 2007

Posted by CindyC in : Transportation , add a comment

A while back, we started following the unveiling of the 2008 Fortwo, after observing the popularity of smart cars in Europe. To prepare the size-does-matter US consumers, Smart USA has been showing off these tiny wonders on the road.

smartusatour

If you are one of the $99 reservation holders, not only can you preview the cars and ask questions til your heart’s content, you can take these (european) models for a spin. You must be at least 18 to drive and 14 to ride. The tour runs until November and has 3 routes: Western, Central and Eastern.

The western tour recently rolled through the Bay Area. Our friend Tim at Neontology took a closer look and drove some of the Fortwo’s at the Silicon Valley stop. According to Tim:

Despite his mixed review, it sounds like we might see Tim parking a new Fortwo between Hummers and Suburbans real soon.

CindyC at Organicpicks

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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Organic delivery box - across the pond
August 28, 2007

Posted by Helen in : Fresh Look , 1 comment so far

I certainly wasn’t a pushover when it came to converting me to the joys of the organic home delivery box. In fact, it would be fair to say that I’ve been quite choosy. I’ve got first-hand experience of three of the companies in the UK that deliver a box of organic fruit and vegetables to your door. The first company I used was too expensive, the second delivered virtually the same vegetables every week and the third dumped me when I moved to a new area (’Where’s that? We don’t deliver there, I’m afraid.’)

So now I’m on my fourth organic delivery box company. It’s called Riverford and overall I’m pretty impressed. I’m yet to receive a lettuce with yucky brown bits, the carrots have an authentic covering of soil and there have been only one or two unidentifiable vegetables. I can also feel ever so slightly smug that hideous numbers of air miles have not been wasted to bring the produce to my door. (Most of the vegetable come from a farm in Devon; the rest from local producers).

And while many people seem to detest the fact that having an organic box delivered to your door means that you are limited to what’s in season, I quite enjoy it. It makes me more inventive and increases my vegetable repertoire: I wouldn’t dream of seeking out baby turnips or Jerusalem artichokes at the supermarket, but I’ve certainly enjoyed trying them.

There is still one small nagging doubt. What the hell are you supposed to do with cabbages? Don’t get me wrong, I like coleslaw as much as the next person, but not every week. And sauerkraut is OK too, but it doesn’t get you excited, does it? In fact, it’s difficult to get excited about anything to do with cabbages.

Of course I acknowledge that the cabbage family is a diverse one: there are white cabbages, red cabbages and savoy cabbages. Believe me, I’ve tried them all. Savoy cabbages, apparently, are the hardiest members of the cabbage family, able to endure even the harshest of winters. And they also go well with a traditional English roast dinner; all those wrinkly bits on the leaves are excellent for soaking up the gravy. I’ve had a go at making cabbage soup too. My family were seriously under whelmed, but I thought it was quite nice.

But despite my growing discontent with the never-ending cabbages, I find that I have developed quite an attachment to my organic delivery box. This became apparent when I went into my local Tescos (the biggest UK supermarket chain) to find that it too now sells an organic box of fruit and vegetables sourced from ‘local farmers’. And it costs a whole £2 less than the box I have delivered to my door. Not only that, but Tescos announced last week that it is now trialling an organic home delivery scheme too.
Tescos is a phenomenon. Everything it does is a huge success, so I guess there is every reason why its organic delivery scheme should be too.

Like Riverford et al, Tescos is going to give customers reassuring information about where the products are grown and who the farmers are, as well as a couple of recipe ideas for what to do with the ‘less standard’ vegetables.

All this should, in theory, be a good thing. Big supermarket working more closely with local farmers etc. etc. And yet isn’t there something not quite right about buying your organic delivery box from the country’s biggest supermarket chain? After all, its organic boxes might come from the friendly farmer down the road, but what about the millions of items they import from every far-flung and pitifully paid corner of the globe to fill the rest of their shelves?

No, somehow I can’t see myself becoming a customer any time soon. And maybe, just maybe, I’m not the only organic home delivery box devotees out there who feels this way. I reckon there’s quite a few who, though they may not be able to forsake the likes of Tescos completely, can gain a certain satisfaction from ‘putting two fingers up’ to the supermarket chains by getting their organic delivery box from a smaller, committed organic company that sources the majority of ALL its produce within the UK.

Meanwhile, does anyone have any novel suggestions on what to do with cabbages?

Helen, voice of reason from UK

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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Green Journal: Sentiments with No (or at least Recycled) Paper
August 27, 2007

Posted by CindyC in : Green Journal , add a comment

Every year around this time, our mailbox gets a bit fuller with heartfelt sentiments from loved ones. With two birthdays and an anniversary, there’s a lot for us to celebrate in the month of September. As much as I enjoy hearing from friends and family, I never really know what to do with these birthday cards. I can’t possibly keep them all but how can I put these well-wishes into (gasp) the trash! This is both a personal and a global environmental quandary.

According to industry estimates, over 9 billion greeting cards are sold every year in just the US and UK alone. That is enough cards to circle around the globe FIFTY-FOUR times, if you lay each of them end-to-end! Most greeting cards are made from cardstock (from virgin pulp) and often use environmentally toxic inks or finishes. Given the recent “green” interest, some but still not enough of card makers are offering products made with recycled materials and soy based inks .

As consumers, my husband and I have pretty much abandoned the paper card practice for electronic methods for everything from birthday to holidays to party invitations. This practice started as pure laziness but has evolved into a family action for the environment. Of course, we can’t abandon Hallmark completely as not all of our loved ones get that fuzzy feeling from an e-card. even though I suspect many of our card recipients do as I do – pile the cards in a drawer and hope to find some use for it. However, all of us can try a few things to reduce the amount of resources eaten up by these cards.

1. Send electronic cards or invitations to anyone who appreciates sentiments and clutter(free) equally. E-cards actually bring tears (of neglect) to some of my older relatives but most of my blackberry-is-my-favorite-accessory friends love them, especially the humorous to slightly raucous ones. You can even get some really fancy e-cards from Hallmark now, for a nominal fee. There are also plenty of free card sites but our favorite is evite, as it provides both invitation services and free cards for all occasions.

2. Make your own card. This is a great and inexpensive option, especially if a child is the giver or the recipient. My daughter loves making cards out of magazine cut ups, scrap paper, ribbon or even fabric.

3. BUY eco-friendly cards when electronic or homemade cards just won’t do. A card made from virgin wood isn’t any more beautiful than one made from recycled materials. Of course, to not fall into the current “greenwash” trap, look for labels that specifies why these are eco-friendly cards. Random “environmentally friendly” claims don’t mean anything.

To reuse your stockpile of birthday and holiday greeting cards, consider:

1. Cut out interesting pictures and reuse as gift tags or bookmarks.

2. Cut of cards with greater borders and use them to “frame” pictures.

3. Save the card (backs) after doing items 1 or 2 and let the kids practice cutting. The stiff cardstock is great for scissor beginners, avoids need for construction paper and the resulting scraps can still be recycled.

4. Save the colorful cards and the kids make new, collage-like greeting cards by cutting out color pieces and gluing them onto blank card backs.

I’m sure there are plenty of other ideas out there and would love to hear more about them! In any case, I started separating my card pile this weekend to reuse as gift tags and my daughter has already claimed several of them to make “new” birthday cards for friends. Not bad for just a few minutes of sorting effort.

CindyC atOrganicpicks

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Related Green Journal Posts:
Recycle, Reuse and Recreation
Reusing Packing Materials
BYOC: Bring Your Own Cup
BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag

Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Going Green in the Kitchen
August 25, 2007

Posted by MichelleS in : Fresh Look , add a comment

It’s pretty easy to think about ways to Go Green in the kitchen. Healthy and fresh produce come to mind, as well as a reduction of un-necessary packaging. However, most people forget to consider the tools that they are using to do the actual food preparation.

Look in your kitchen drawers, and you are likely to find a red-stained wooden spoon that is creased with hairline cracks. Imagine in its place a golden brown alternative that is sturdy and stain resistant.

Bamboo is a renewable resource that is naturally beautiful and durable, making it perfect for both cooking and serving. It is actually a grass, rather than a tree product, and grows very quickly, making it an ideal candidate for use as flooring and other products. Bamboo is an excellent tool in the kitchen because it:

If you do decide to buy products to Go Green in the kitchen, shop online. You will not only help to save the trees, you will also protect our air, as well!

Michelle Stern @ What’s Cooking, a Certified Green SF Bay Area business

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Another Water Selling Ploy: Skinny Water
August 24, 2007

Posted by CindyC in : Rants & the Ridiculous , 1 comment so far

I was browsing through the local paper at the doctor’s office when a brief mention of this product, Skinny Water, caught my eye. Skinny Water comes in a shapely plastic bottle and is touted as a NATURAL appetite suppressant. Huh? Do they mean if you drink a lot, you won’t be hungry? Always on the lookout for the curious, I googled Skinny Water when I came home.

SkinnyWater

First of all, the site gives absolutely NO nutritional information. The only “ingredient” I can glean from the picture was Super CitriMax; I couldn’t even make out the other listed ingredient. I had to look it up on Amazon to find that it is “artesian water” sourced from Croatia with Super CitriMax dissolved in it. OK, so apparently Super CitriMax is hydroxycitric acid, a plant derivative and popular ingredient in natural weight loss drug (an oxymoron if you ask me). It’s been clinically proven by a random, double blinded trial done on 90 obese people. Yup, very impressive and large trial indeed. And guess how much the product costs? About $6 for a six pack at Super Target – more than just any other run-of-the-mill bottled water since it has a Super additive. Up until now, I thought Aquafina’s Hydro-7 ,”a rigorous, seven step purification process” to purify water from public sources (aka tap water), was the most ridiculous marketing ploy. Skinny Water now is the reigning champion!

CindyC at Organicpicks

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Related Posts on bottled water:

Labeling Bottled Tap Water Source
Myth and Reality of Bottled Water

Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Great deals on Sigg bottle
August 23, 2007

Posted by CindyW in : Deals & Giveaways , 1 comment so far

Since I have been yapping about school lunches and reusable water bottles, I want to mention that our friend Michelle has a sale on kids’ Sigg bottles right now. The lowest prices I have seen yet. Also check out my review and Organicpicks users’ reviews on these adorable bottles.

Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Catered school lunches deliver wrong value?

Posted by CindyW in : For Kids , add a comment

My 5-year old started her first day in kindergarten yesterday. It means that from now on, I need to prepare her lunch everyday or order hot lunches from a school-contracted caterer. The vendor came to the school yesterday to showcase their healthy lunches. “Organic whenever possible,” they said. Great, I thought. This can certainly be a good alternative every so often when my daughter is sick of having sandwich and mini-carrots for two weeks straight. Unfortunately much to my dismay, the healthy, organic whenever possible, lunches come in small plastic containers, one for meat, one for vegetable, one for bread or rice. Remember airplane meals? Yeah, kinda like that, but with more containers. In addition, there is a half-sized bottle of water. I asked if they recycled the containers, which seemed sturdy and perfectly re-usable. “No, recycling is not a part of our business,” they answered. I wanted to pursue the conversation further but realized that the demo people weren’t the right ones to speak with. I did some math in my head. So for a week, my child will throw away 15 plastic containers and 5 water bottles. The kinder program has 30 kids. That would mean 22,500 plastic containers and 7,500 water bottles tossed away annually in the landfill. And that is all from a tiny kinder program. In the US alone, we have more than 50 million school-aged children. Even if only 5% of the kids are getting boxed lunches from caterers, it will result in 2.5 billion thrown away plastic containers and water bottles every year.

Ummm, thank you very much, I am not interested in the catered lunch. Kids learn from what they do everyday. A lot of my habits and values were taught when I was a school-aged child, eagerly absorbing everything. I certainly do not want my daughter to learn not to think twice about tossing things in the trash, after all it would be a trash-laden world she and her peers would inherit.

So I am back to packing her lunch everyday and learn to be more creative.

CindyW at Organicpicks

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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks

Safe Disposal of Lead Contaminated Toys
August 22, 2007

Posted by CindyC in : For Kids , add a comment

The recent toy recalls from Mattel have created much anxiety and fear among parents, me included. It makes me shudder to think that I may have purchased a potentially harmful or toxic toy for my child and my first reaction is “how do I get rid of it?” Although the urge of throwing these recalled toys in the trash is understandable, experts are warning parents against hasty disposal. Since these toys are potentially lead-tainted, sending them to landfills may cause environmental harm; these toys need to be treated like hazardous waste. Experts strongly urge parents to use one of these safe disposal methods to protect children and the environment.

–Mattel’s recall program is offering a free voucher for the exchange of the toys in question. Consumers can print a free prepaid label to mail back the items, which Mattel will dispose of safely.
– You can always leave the toys (or make a drop-off appointment) at your local household hazardous waste collection site. The centers will treat and process the toys like toxic substances.
– Several Bay Area cities have set up lead toy drop-off centers where parents can leave recalled toys or even toys that they no longer feel comfortable having. The current list* includes:

* List obtained from nbc11.com

Let’s keep this potential threat out of the hands of our children and the environment.

CindyC at Organicpicks

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Copyright 2007 Organicpicks