Conservation Chocolate

Original Beans offers three varieties of single-origin chocolate, from Ecuador, Bolivia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nothing original about that, but what they do is plant a tree in the rainforest where the bar’s ingredients originated.

Each chocolate bar carries a certificate with a lot tracking number. The number tells you where the new tree is located. “By entering the tracking code on the company’s website, customers can not only trace where the cacao beans in their individual bar were grown, but also what their contribution is to the chocolatier’s rainforest replenishment efforts. Hence the company’s mantra: One bar, one tree, go see.”

[Via: Springwise]

What Is Bagasee? And Are Products Made From It Any Good?

Erin Devine, the social media marketing intern, from My Green Table has written a guest post on the site’s bagasee products (available from My Green Table but also lots of other places online) which is well worth a read:

“Let’s face it: it’s unrealistic to think that even the ideal environmentalist will use their good reusable tableware when they throw a party, and wash everyone’s plates afterwards. It is also unrealistic to think that cafés or restaurants will ever be able to use reusable plates/bowls/cutlery without forking out (no pun intended) lots of money they can’t afford to spend. Bagasse tableware products are a great solution to this issue.

“Bagasse, a fancy name for the leftovers from sugar cane manufacturing, serves as an excellent alternative to paper, as it does not require cutting down of trees, and it does not require as much energy to produce (and does not need to be bleached). In the past, Bagasse was considered a waste product and burned, unnecessarily polluting the environment with more carbon dioxide. Since the useful properties of Bagasse were discovered, manufacturers of sugar cane in underdeveloped parts of the world could sell the Bagasse as a product in and of itself, enabling them to make a higher profit and potentially help raise these countries’ GDPs.

“Bagasse products can withstand temperatures up to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, and are completely microwave and freezer safe. The aspect that makes Bagasse an eco-friendly substitute is that it is completely biodegradable/compostable. That is, it will decompose under controlled means in order to become compost within 30-90 days. It is good for the environment, requires less energy to produce, releases less carbon dioxide during production, and is a durable and convenient material for foods.

“Before I began my internship with My Green Table this summer, I admit I knew nothing about the disadvantages of paper, plastic, and Styrofoam throw-away plates and cups, let alone the advantages of this product called Bagasse. Upon much research on the pros and cons of each material, it hit me just how easy the switch can be, and how big the impact can be. Instead of contributing to all of the Styrofoam, paper, and plastic taking up space in landfills, by switching to Bagasse products you can single-handedly cut back on waste, especially if you decide to buy a personal composting machine: then you can use the composted matter from your plates/bowls/cups as fertilizer for a garden! It’s all a matter of making the conscious choice to use eco-friendly brands of tableware that are biodegradable/compostable, rather than the non-green type that pollute our streets and load our landfills.”

“My Green Table is a small company located in North Carolina with a big mission to inform people of the advantages of starch-based products, and to provide these products at the lowest prices on the internet. Visualized, owned, and managed by an ambitious environmentalist, My Green Table’s goal is not one of moneymaking but of offering an alternative to paper, plastic, and Styrofoam at a reasonable price that anyone willing to make the switch can afford. In fact, we are in the process of applying for non-profit status. If you’d like more information and/or would like to join our movement for Bagasse, check us out at www.mygreentable.bravehost.com or shop at our store at My Green Table!

Thanks Erin!

Do You Ask Where Your Fish Comes From?

Waitrose, the UK supermarket, is calling for a sea change on the issue of sustainable fishing with their World Without Fish campaign. New research reveals:

• 72% of people are unaware that some fish are as close to extinction as the white rhino
• Half our cod could be illegall, but 78% of people admit they don’t even try to buy fish from a sustainable source
• However 70% are more likely to make sustainable choices when given the facts

Over half (52%) are unaware that fish stocks could be wiped out completely within this century if we continue as we are. And almost two thirds of people (63%) are unaware of the damaging effect beam trawling can have on the marine environment.

However, the research also reveals that consumers do want to shop ethically. When told just a little about the issues involved, 70% say they are more likely to seek out sustainable seafood. Most people questioned want restaurants (87%) and supermarkets (86%) to buy their fish from sustainable sources. And over half said they would be prepared to pay a little more for seafood if it is sustainably sourced (51%).

A new film ‘The End of the Line‘ opened on World Oceans Day (June 8th). The film, based on the book by former Telegraph Environment Editor Charles Clover, promises to be ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ for the Oceans, drawing much-needed attention to the issue of sustainable fishing. You can watch the trailer below:

The plight of the world’s fish stocks has been described by the film’s makers as “the greatest environmental disaster that people haven’t heard about”. Some scientists warn that seafood resources could face total collapse by 2048 if we continue as we are, taking fish off the menu for good and having a devastating impact on the environment.

A Decade Behind Bars: Return to the Farm

A Decade Behind Bars: Return to the Farm is airing on June 16th at 8 pm ET/PT on National Geographic. The original film, which can be seen in its entirety at natgeotv.com/farm, documented life inside the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola — commonly known as The Farm — with a notable lack of sentimentality and melodrama, even as it presented the violent and morally ambiguous perspectives of six “lifer” inmates.

This documentary takes place ten years after the original Oscar Award-Wining The Farm where 6 prisoners’ lives were followed during their stay at Louisiana’s the farm. The same 4 (2 are recently deceased) are followed. However, under warden Burl Cain the facilities and environment have drastically changed: 5 churches and a bible college reside on the grounds, the grounds are an almost completely self-sustaining agricultural community (raising vegetables as well as beef sold in supermarkets), and prisoners have instituted their very own television station. Thus, here we see one of the most dangerous prisons in the world transformed into a total rehabilitation center that addresses vocation as much as physical and spiritual health.

Below you can watch a preview clip of the show:

A Decade Behind Bars: Return to the Farm is airing on June 16th at 8 pm ET/PT on National Geographic.

Have A Green Thanksgiving

As this year will be my first real US Thanksgiving as a US resident, I found this interesting article from Ecologue aimed at “Greening up your Thanksgiving.”

An example tip is about decorating for the Thanksgiving feast:

“All flowers remind us of nature’s bounty, but not all flower companies are created eco-equal — most spray their crops with heavy loads of pesticides or ship their beauties in from far away countries. The nasty chemicals probably won’t end up in your digestive system — though carnations and chrysanthemums are tasty — but they will end up polluting soil and water. Turn over a new rose petal this year, and order a gorgeous Thanksgiving centerpiece or edible cornucopia platter from Organic Bouquet. They often pledge part of their profits to organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, and send your flowers in biodegradable, corn-based flower sleeves.”

Read the rest at: Ecologue.

Teaching Kids To Cook With Organic Ingredients

Handstand Kids cookbooks offer kids a fun, hands-on learning experience, while getting them excited about the world in which they live, and they do it with organic ingredients. Each cookbook introduces kid chefs to one country and comes with a delightful cooking accessory. The first book in this series journeys to Italy and comes complete with a chef’s hat, packaged together in a pizza box. The second, about Mexico, is in a tortilla bag along with an oven mitt, and has been named Toy Directory’s Top Toy of 2008.

As well as buying the book, there are now also Handstand Kids Cooking Classes that offer kid chefs a “hands-on, yummy cooking experience”. Each class uses organic ingredients to make healthy & delicious foods from around the world, along with holiday treats to share with the family!

If you order a cookbook in October (i.e the next couple of days – sorry about the late notice!) from the Handstand Kids website ($28) you will also receive a new eco-friendly child’s reusable shopping bag for FREE that you can use for grocery shopping (an $8 value).

VerTerra Natural Dinnerware Eco Product Review

VerTerra dinnerware are plates, bowls and platters that are made from 100% fallen leaves.

No glue, chemicals, varnishes, or bonding agents are used. The plates go through three levels of sterlization: steaming; high-pressure spraying; and UV sterilizing (while recapturing at least 80% of the water) and then are heated in an oven. It has taken them two years to perfect a safe product.

I’ve embedded a video below to show the plates in more details. If you’re reading from RSS and can’t see the video, please click here.

Each piece is made from 100% renewable and compostable plant matter and water. You can even use it to reheat in the microwave, bake in the oven, or cool in the fridge. The plates were really strong when I tested, destroying them took a lot more effort than paper or plastic. They worked well when wet and can simply be dried off and used again with no ill effects.

They are made in South Asia, and the leaves will biodegrade when composted in about 2 – 3 months. Check out their products at the VerTerra website.

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