I Left my Heart in San Francisco

Yeah, we all loved that scene in American Beauty at the very beginning where the lone plastic grocery bag drifted through the street. In theory. Because it was a movie. In real life, we don’t like plastic bags flying around our streets, our beaches, our landfills. We don’t like those plastic grocery bags at all. (It’s kind of like how we all love that scene where John Cusack holds up the stereo in Say Anything, but if a guy did that in real life we would probably think he was an annoying, scary stalker).

So, this week we’re giving props to San Francisco, the bastion city of eco-progression, who has outlawed the old, decidedly eco-unfriendly and flimsy plastic bags from all grocery stores, drug stores and major retailers. Joining the ranks of South Africa, Taiwan, Paris and Bangladesh, San Francisco shoppers will now have a choice of canvas (BYO), recyclable paper or biodegradable plastic.

County Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi says San Fran was producing almost 200 million of these little bags per year and is hoping their ordinance has a domino effect, rippling through the rest of California (who uses more than 19 bullion bags per year, creating 147,000 tons of waste) and elsewhere. Check out the whole L.A. Times article.

So….good for San Fran, and back to you, dear reader. We’ve talked about this before, and felt we were due for a little refresher. Let us put this bluntly—neither paper, plastic or biodegradable plastic are GOOD for the environment. Paper takes lots of energy and trees to produce. Plastic uses bad toxic chemicals and the bags kill animals who think that it’s food. Biodegradable plastic is BETTER, but still creates waste. What’s a shopper to do?

• Canvas Bag it. By far, the best solution because it creates no waste and can be reused again and again. There’s so many cute ones out there now, too.

• Re-Use your paper bags. If you’re buying cartfuls of groceries each week and canvas bags just aren’t feasible, use our old advice. Get paper bags, unload your groceries, put the bags back in your trunk (this is the key part, otherwise you will forget!) and then re-use them the next time you are at the grocery store.

• Re-use your biodegradable plastic bags (if your grocery store has them). Biodegradable plastic bags are not only better for the environment, but are a LOT stronger than the regular plastic that breaks when you put more than one apple in it. So, since paper bags kill lots of trees, if you have biodegradable plastic as an option, then go for it and make sure to reuse.

Besides the "I'm doing my part" warm fuzzies, and the approving looks you’ll get from everyone in line for being such a good recycler, certain markets such as Trader Joe’s give even more incentives to reuse and recycle—like entering you in raffles to get $50 market gift cards or taking a little off your final bill.

What else can you do? Try to get this plastic bag ban over to your city…it’s pretty easy to contact your city officials. Just type in “mayor” and the name of your city into Google. They all have “Contact me” buttons where you can write your suggestion: In light of the new law in San Francisco that bans all non-biodegradable plastic bags from supermarkets, I would like to propose a similar law in _____ (your town), to reduce waste and be at the forefront of green cities in the world.

If you live in L.A., we did the legwork for you:

• To contact Antonio Villaraigosa, go to: http://www.lacity.org/mayor/mayhow1.htm

• To write a letter to the Los Angeles Environmental Affair department, simply email: eadinfo@mailbox.lacity.org

We can all take a cue form the beautiful city by the Bay and move away from our plastic grocery bags. Just think of the next Alan Ball film with a canvas bag floating down the street. Now that is beautiful.

Local is the New Organic

If you’ve ever been to Europe you know that the food tasted so much better than it does here and you may have wondered why? Why is the baguette so light and airy in Paris? Why is the yogurt so thick and creamy in Ireland? What is the gnocchi so fluffy in Italy (and at Georgio Baldi?) Generally speaking it’s because Europeans still eat local food, made by local artisans from ingredients grown in the region.

On the flip side, America is a place devoted to convenience, so we have demanded that our markets carry every fruit and vegetable year-round but that does not mean that food tastes good or is good for you or the environment.

Whether to eat local, organic or otherwise is a very complicated and multifaceted issue but, of course, we've tried to put together the simple explanation.

Eating organic food has been the popular health trend because organic food is grown/raised/farmed with out the use of potentially toxic pesticides and fertilizers. Even certain Target and Wal Mart stores have started carrying organic produce--if that's not mainstream, we don't know what is. Organic food is better for your body and also for the environment since it does not use chemicals and pesticides that pollute the water, soil and the air.

Or is it?

Usually to get organic food in season, grocery stores have to ship food in from all over the country and the world. Asparagus from Chile might be delicious in the winter as a break from the dreary potatoes, but what impact does that journey the asparagus took to get to your plate have on the environment? How many miles of trains, planes and automobiles have those spears of asparagus traveled to make it to our local markets? As far as the environment is concerned, eating locally is much better than eating organic if the organic food is not locally grown (most is not). Bottom line is try to eat food that is locally grown and in season and if it's also organic, then your are in luck.

If you are still not convinced on the benefits of local produce, check out these 10 reasons to eat locally.

Now, you may not have even realized your food was being shipped from all around the world or have any idea what food is in season at what time or where to buy local food, but that's what we're here for.

The first place to look for local, fresh produce is your local farmer's market. To look up local farmer’s markets in your area go to http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm or http://www.localharvest.org/. In L.A., we have at least 2 farmer’s markets a day, so you can always find one when you need it (most other big cities have this, too). If you live in a more rural area then plan ahead for the 1 day a week your town or area does have the farmer’s market.

Just to prepare you....farmer’s market shopping is not express lane, credit card friendly or particularly convenient. You have to get cash and bring a canvas bag and organize yourself to get yourself to the farmer’s market at the designated time. Waaa Waaaa Waaa. The upside is you get delicious produce, cheese, eggs and baked goods at very affordable rates made by actual people (not machines.) Baby lettuce tastes like actual lettuce, not soggy smuchy plastic bag and don’t get us started on how yummy an organic and local apple tastes compared to the waxy and strayed varieties at the grocery store.

Not to mention, farmer's markets are kind of fun. Lydia grew up traipsing around the farmer’ market every week with her mother collecting their families produce for the week. Lydia would admire the bouquets of fresh lavender and the golden jars of local honey and stare longingly at the yeasty mounds of freshly baked bread. So if you’ve never experienced a leisurely walk with a cappuccino around a Sunday morning farmer’s market, you grab your sweetie and get to it. You will feel deliciously European.

Another newer option are the grocery stores that are starting to sell local produce, most notably the eco-conscious grocery mecca known as Whole Foods has started to put signs up over local produce and are investing in local farmers. Of the roughly $1 billion in produce the company sold last year, 16.4% came from local sources, up from 14.9% in 2005.

To find farms, restaurants and grocery stores in you area that feature all local and sustainable ingredients check out The Eat Well Guide.

For more info about the why to eat local, you can read the article My Search for the Perfect Apple: Eating Better than Organic by John Cloud which was featured in Time magazine a few weeks back.

And one last thing....just to be clear...we are not knocking organics. BUT if you can find local produce, that's even better for the environment. And if you can find local AND organic (not hard at many farmer's markets), then even better.

So grab your canvas bag, pick up some fresh produce and bring them home to enjoy. Relax on your apartment's balcony that faces the alleyway behind La Cienega with a sweet, crusty baguette. If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine you're on the Seine.

Almost.

Throw Some Money at the Problem: Recycled Furniture

It’s not like we needed another reason to love Urban Outfitters.

But then we picked up their catalogue and saw that this clothing/accessory/furnishing mecca has started carrying some funky recycled home accessories…and they’re tres cute. The new line of recycled products is called Green Light and we are highlighting our faves!

Just look at these recycled magazine frames and mirrors…

Or since summer is coming up, decorate your yard, patio or balcony with some recycled tin lanterns…stick a candle in and it’s perfect for creating a breezy, romantic ambience on a summer’s eve…

For the guy’s bachelor pad, we absolutely love the recycled bike-tire rug. (We guess it doesn’t have to just be for boys, though.) It’s funky, stylish and totally functional. And the best part? You just have to wipe it clean or put it on the patio and hose it off.

And though Urban Outfitters hasn’t quite caught on with the organic/hemp and/or recycled clothing movement yet, they’re making a small dent with their new Livity Recycled Ranger caps…see what they’ve said about it:

“The good folks at Livity are dedicated to making products from sustainable materials and their ranger cap is an awesome example of that. It's made out of their signature sustainable and functional Rip-Tide material, which is a combination of hemp and recycled plastic. And, though it could have totally wound up just looking like a pot leaf wrapped in a plastic bag on top of your head, Livity is also dedicated to style, so you can look really good while doing good.”

And just on a side note…if you are looking to start buying more eco-friendly yet super stylish clothing, our fave site is www.btcelements.com (think organic denim skinny jeans and super-soft jersey dresses made from bamboo).

Whenever we recommend a green product, our Tip of the Week is to exercise your green politics through your pocketbook. And obviously, though we’re loving Urban Outfitter’s stuff, there are billions of ways to buy green this week from clothing to paper towels to CFL lightbulbs to green energy from your electric co.

So now when you’re at Urban stocking up on faux-vintage T’s and journals and pillows and underwear and stuff…you can buy a few green items too…Hey, Everyone Loves a Recycling Boy and Girl.

Note: Green is the New Pink does not endorse companies or products on a pay-for-play basis. All reviews are strictly editorial…

Star of the Class: Energy Star

Energy Star

Some dear friends of ours just got engaged last week and that leads us to thinking about gifts for the home, organizing new kitchens and fun stuff like that . While they may battle over the gunmetal vs. baby pink Kitchen Aid stand mixer, we know one thing that will make their lives easier as they shop for things for their new home...looking for the Energy Star sticker.

Energy Star is a program of the Enviromental Protection Agency which is a branch of the US Department of Energy. More than 50 types of products can earn the Energy Star, including appliances, lighting, home electronics, and home office equipment. Energy Star qualified products meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. EPA. They use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment.

For the kitchen and laundry room, you can now find Energy Star refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, water coolers and washer/dryers. But that's not all...there's Energy Star TV's, DVD players and Home Audio Systems.

And if you have a home office (or just that corner in your apartment that has a desk with a computer and printer on it), almost everything you need is available...from Energy Star scanners to mailing machines (Check out the complete list of Energy Star office equipment.). In just one year, Energy Star qualified new home office equipment significantly reduced the demand for energy — enough to prevent the release of 19 billion pounds of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

All you have to do is look for the energy star label when you are shopping for appliances. The energy star label and energy guide will help you purchase a more energy efficient appliance, saving you money in energy costs. According to the energy star website, If just one in 10 homes used Energy Star qualified appliances, the change would be like planting 1.7 million new acres of trees.

If you want to get a sense of how energy efficient your house is you can get a free assessment online from Energy Star with their home energy audit from a specialy trained contractor who can show you how to improve the energy efficency of your home.

Some of these energy star appliances, cars and green home improvments offer a tax credit which you can research more to see if you qualify. They are even building energy star homes now! Wow! Check out builders or existing energy effiecient homes in your area.

So whether you're getting married, you're getting an even bigger plasma (yes, there are Energy Star Plasmas) or the computer you've had since college finally conked out on you....remember to look out for the big blue star...