There is no argument over whether hippies are green or not. That is not under investigation. At Our Green Book, we aren’t too concerned about a few kids keen on getting their kicks on tie-dyes and dreads because, naturally, that’s what Bonnaroo is – a mecca for 80,000 college kids, hippies, middle-aged men and hipsters alike forgetting the real world and living the good life for 4 peaceful days of music. We are, however, a major magazine concerned with the general population making beneficial decisions. So why Bonnaroo? Why this popular, hippy convention flooding with freaks in orange Volkswagons driving from far distances, wasting huge amounts of energy, creating tons upon tons of waste, just to power massive stages… just to wallow in the vibes of music? Is it not disingenuous?

Planet Roo

Perhaps. But while there seems to be much wasting going on, there is a finely tuned conscious behind the masses of all these festival goers… something or someone behind the controls working towards a goal, not a couple hundred thousands honest bucks, but the future of a sustainable planet, nudging each and every member to think about what their impacts are on the Earth. It can be seen the very instant you walk into the festival grounds. All around, there are hundreds of trash cans/waste stations manned by “Trash Talkers” – volunteers who decipher whether to recycle, compost or throw away. In Planet Roo, where a whole section of tents filled with non-profit organizations such as Greenpeace and other local and international organizations volunteers educate, educate, educate the concertgoers on pursuing a sustainable planet. There are Earth promoting documentaries playing every hour or so, discussions and hands on forums hosted by different non-profits, and numerous debates taking place on The Solar Stage, a stage powered with photovoltaic cells (the stage also hosts several bands). You can see that Bonnaroo invests in its plan down to the very cup you drink your beer out of: they are made from corn and are 110 percent compostable.

Somewhere in there is a giant pile of recycling

The festival, yes, may have a reputation for drug binges, lice, morbid heat and mud, and the name itself, Bonnaroo in Louisianan, may mean having a really good time, but where there are good vibes, there is an eagerness and excitement to learn, and the Bonnaroo staff provided both.

Two birds with one stone

The Festival started in 2001, and since then, the organizers have always discussed the importance of the Earth. Director, Rick Farman, says that every year the efforts to green the festival become stronger. Their concentration comes down to improved composting and recycling tactics and, in the near future, to turn completely solar. Farman said of the initiative: “We’re putting in a solar installation to generate one-third of the festival’s energy needs, and we hope to become totally solar in the next few years.” Nearly everything, originally considered waste by the layman, including plates, cups, forks, toilet paper, napkins and basically everything else, was made from post consumer, recylable/compostable material. Last year, out of 4,090 tons of garbage scattered around the grounds after 4 decadent days, half was recycled and about 12 percent was composted. Only 1,420 cubic yards went into actual landfills. The 12 percent of compost, equaling about 30 tons, stayed on the festival grounds and was used in the garden where many of the vendors got their food. Recycled products went to local waste management centers. Of all of the generators behind the 12 or so massive stages, each was powered with bio-diesel.

While action is perhaps the most important, education and inspiration are a necessity for our future. As part of the green initiative, Bonnaroo hired a large green waste management team, two small companies called Clean Vibes and Carbon Shredders. Besides serving as the heart behind the waste management, both companies aimed at educating the community at large, while providing some fun. A competition was created for all the concert goers, challenging everyone to collect the most bottles and cans, the winner receiving a ticket to next year’s festival. Bottles and cans could also be exchanged for points in which you could receive tee shirts and other fun stuff.

But perhaps most insipiring for the event and its green future, was a one-roomed abode abutted right off a main drag of the campsite. It was created by a group of concertgoers, made with windows and doors and walls… built completely out of crushed cans. An immobilized bike was set up near the base of the fort that acted as can crusher for anyone who wanted to ride it. The wheel of the bike also acted as a machine for a conveyer belt that would climb as the wheels turned. As the cans were crushed while pedaling, the conveyer belt would move the cans up and dump them into the foundation around the structure, thus creating the walls. Different Bonnarooers could come by whenever they wanted and get to recycling. It seems the vibes from previous years had inspired a little love for mother Earth. And that’s what Bonnaroo is all about – living the good life and spreading some Earth saving vibes.

Original Photography

Meat eaters are taking some flak these days. Leaders of the green movement have pointed angry fingers at the gruesome details incorporated with the production of beef. Documentaries such as Food Inc. and Super Size Me have underlined our country’s oblivious effort at “eating” mother Earth to death, spreading some light to the ignorant. Although there haven’t been riots, yet, the strong words are right – one fifth of human greenhouse gasses are emitted by the beef industry. The fuel used to produce their feed, the animal’s methane release, and the deforestation caused for land all rank amidst the top catalysts of global warming.

But there is a kind of beef that will satisfy the stomach of even the most maniacal tree hugger. We’re not talking tofurkey or that fecal looking excuse your hippy aunt will bring out at reunions, we’re talking all-American, grade A, ranch raised Beef – cows raised out on the open range, grazing on the fresh grass. While it seems old school, progression is not always gleaming with neon lights and touch screens.

The concept of grass fed beef is quite simple: the cows roam; they eat grass and they continually seek out newer, greener pastures. As a former, natural member to the great-plains eco-system, the cows actually cultivate the land, fertilizing the grass with their waste as they roam. While they continue through the prairies and fields, the grass behind them grows back, sucking up carbon from the atmosphere. There are different techniques certain farmers use in order to maintain the freshest grass and healthiest cows, but overall, the results are inspiring for beef eaters: meat from grass-fed animals requires only one calorie of fossil fuel to produce two calories of food, where as grain and vegetable crops require anywhere from 5 to 10 calories of fossil-fuel for every calorie of food produced.

On the other hand, sitting next to the grass fed beef in the meat aisle of your run of the mill grocery store, is grain fed beef patties and steaks. Maybe appearing a little cheaper, this beef is considerably worse for you and for Mother Earth, and there is no surprise why: the cows are raised like car parts in a factory, or like living in a tenement building compared to a cabin in the woods with fresh air – disease festers in the unsanitary, close quarters. The cows are mass-produced and fed hormones and grains, on the cheapest amount of land. The conditions are simply improper and foreign to the cow’s immune system, leading to the use of antibiotics, ammonia cleansing solutions and other weird techniques to right the wrongs. But inevitably, sickness spreads and mass-amounts of methane is released. Federal health officials estimate that tens of thousands of people are sickened annually by the e coli pathogen, a disease found in the feces of cows. Last year, a girl was paralyzed from grain-fed meat that was eventually recalled in Minnesota.

Grass fed beef is much healthier. According to a report in Nutrition Journal, it has lower levels of unhealthy fats and greater levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for cardiovascular. When cooked, the grass-fed beef is not oozing with grease, but sitting pretty like a nice hunk of meat. It is also lower in dietary cholesterol; it is packed with vitamins A and E as well as numerous antioxidants. According to the Surgeon General, the cows have about twice the levels of conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA isomers, which may have cancer fighting properties and lower the risk of diabetes and other health problems.

So why, despite its purely archaic features, are we still eating what we have come to believe as “normal” beef? Perhaps it is the taste? Some backwards folk believe that taste is not actually subjective and that the public will not be able to back the product because of its grassy flavor. Others, like fine restaurants all over cities, are serving it up, believing it tastes fine – even better. We decided to give you a list of restaurants serving up grass fed beef so that you could decide for yourself. The evidence is there, it’s just about making right decisions for a sustainable community. Also, join coops, shop at farmer’s markets or Whole Foods – they’ll hook you up.

Here’s a link of restaurants selling grass fed beef: http://www.cenyc.org/greenmarket/chefswhobuy

Here’s a link for farmers markets in New York selling locally grown foods: http://www.cenyc.org/97greenmarket

It is one of our nation’s finest traditions – the great American road trip, and it has received some unfavorable heat. With scientists making doomsday predictions, inflated gas prices, and long, ugly wars fought for foreign oil, is road tripping becoming just another fleeting, nostalgic story? The new thing your aunt brags about, carbon counting, has become popular, and detrimental to racing a van across the country, simply for the joy of doing so; some folk would have you think it’s depressingly selfish.

Yet there is hope on the horizon.

While in the past, the buffoons in the oil industry nearly killed the electric car (blame it on the media, maybe the government or even yourself, however the oil companies are certainly a culprit), it still exists. But to trek across the country in an electric car today is simply absurd. The cars can only travel a 100 miles or so before they run out of juice. Depending on your geographical location, you might make it past your neighbor’s mail box, and then charging the battery takes about three hours. You might make it out of your neighborhood before sunset.

But some are changing the game. Already, the eco-conscious pioneers are strapping their hybrids and hippy vans with photovoltaic cells, giving their rides an extra 20 miles on a clear day. The intelligent car companies, like Toyota and their hybrid series, are doing the solar thing too. Nissan has a fully electric car and is continually striving to increase its battery life. Best Buy is selling a line of electric motorcycles that can reach speeds of 100 miles per hour.

Getting involved as well is the government. Out West, Washington, Oregon and California have come together to create a “green freeway.” They are projecting that within this year, Interstate 5, stretching from Canada to Mexico, will be lined with renewable fueling sources such as recharged batteries, pumps with bio-fuel, ethanol, hydrogen and compressed natural gas. Obama recently bolstered up the public transit budget with hefty billions, promoting states to invest in renewable fueled transportation. His preposition is to create a high speed rail system across the U.S. that if you read our train post recently, you would know all about. It would likely, according to the Center for Clean Air Policy, result in 29 million fewer car trips and 500,000 fewer plane flights each year, saving six billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions – the equivalent to removing a million cars from the road annually.

Perhaps it is the sad end to the mini-van and the loud boom of the Hog. The road trip has not died but evolved. My advice is take some time off, buy a used hippie van, convert it into an electric/bio-diesel hybrid, strap it with some solar panels, maybe a detachable, mini, wind turbine, mark up a map with nature reserves, and head West, or East, depending on your preference. Buy local foods. Drink at local brew pubs. Get rugged. Bathe in the ocean. Maybe ride a bike through the Rockies. Pull a Forest Gump and run, run, run. If you’re not into the whole treading softly thing, buy the new, fire apple red, Ferrari Hybrid, zip out into the sunset and donate a lot of money to some nature reservation project to keep your conscious clear (http://www.carbonfund.org/).

Perhaps the predictions were correct and Manhattan, Cape Cod and New Orleans went underwater, and San Francisco split off during some epic earthquake… now is the time to discover the other side of the country.

As AVI Publishing’s CEO, and my deep desire to become enriched in “all things Sustainable”, I made the 3000 mile journey from New York City to the scenic coastline of Northern California. The Monterey Conference Center and the Portola Hotel & Spa, located in the heart of historic Monterey, was the breeding ground of unbelievable inspiration. Four full days, filled with intense learning, networking, thought leadership programs, think-tank applications and remarkable lectures was the nature of my experience. Every aspect of this event was fruitful. Every person I met was inspirational. Every idea I captured had its merits. Here are some highlights of my experience – and its only the first two days:

Monday June 7th – 9AM-12PM Workshop:
Driving Sustainable Culture Change Through Employee
Engagement
Led By: Mike Mercer

Monday June 7th 1:30-4:30 Workshop
Breaking through the Green Clutter: Groundbreaking Campaign Sells Sustainability through Cereal, and Urges North Americans to “Get on the Path.”
Led By: Maria Emmer-Aanes, Marty McDonald and Hilary

Tuesday June 8th – 9AM – 10:45AM – Lectures

Welcome and Morning Kick Off:
Gil Friend, CEO/Founder, Natural Logic, Inc.
SB’10 opens with a look at some of the key market drivers and trends shaping today’s sustainable business marketplace.

The Unfolding Green Brands Landscape:
Notes on the Trendline
Annie Longsworth, President, Managing Director,
Cohn and Wolfe

Updating research presented at SB’07, SB’08 and SB’09 Cohn & Wolfe will present new research that explores specific behaviors and attitudes that are driving (or preventing) purchase of sustainable
products, as well as the latest public perception about which brands are the best at being green.

Re-Defining the Metrics of Success: The Emerging
Measures of Qualitative Growth
Hazel Henderson, Futurist & Economics Iconoclast,
Ethical Markets Media
Hazel Henderson, a well known and globally respected futurist, economist, syndicated columnist, consultant on sustainable
development presents some of her newest thinking on why GDP
is no longer a serving us as the ultimate measure of progress.

Responsibility AND Profit: From Corporate Responsibility to Responsible Profit
Jason Sau, CEO, Mission Measurement
Jason Saul will outline five types of social innovation that turn social change into powerful business strategy. Combined with experience-based best practices in impact measurement, these innovation
strategies make measuring the business and social value of CSR program practical, timely and relevant to your company.

Design for Behavior Change: Helping Consumers
Co-Create a Better World
Bruce MacGregor, Managing Partner, IDEO.
SB’10 opens with a look at some of the key market drivers and trends shaping today’s sustainable business marketplace.

Today’s Data Explosion and the Drive to Radical
Corporate Transparency
Paul Herman, Founder/CEO, HIP Investor
Dara O’Rourke, CEO/Founder, GoodGuide
Cynthia Figge, President, COO and Co-Founder, CSRHUB
Jay Golden, Co-Director, Sustainability Consortium
One of the prime drivers behind sustainable brand innovation at the moment is the explosion of new data initiatives that promise increased clarity to all stakeholders on the comparative sustainability
of various materials, suppliers and brands.

Tuesday June 8th – 11:15 – 12:30

Open Innovation: An Apropos Paradigm Shift for Sustainable Brand Innovators
Henry Chesbrough, Professor, UC Berkeley
Open innovation is the use of purposive inflows and outflows of knowledge to accelerate internal innovation, and expand the markets for external use of innovation. Dr. Chesborough provides a look at the idea of open innovation as a backdrop to this year’s launch of GreenXChange, an open sustainable innovation coalition launched at Davos in January.

GreenXchange AND the Effort to Speed Eco-Innovation
Kelly Lauber, Director, Sustainable Business &
Innovation Lab, NIKE
GreenXchange, spearheaded by 10 companies and social enterprises
including Nike, Yahoo!, IDEO, Mountain Equipment Co-op, salesforce.com, the Outdoor Industry Association, and others, is a groundbreaking initiative geared to empower companies working to protect the environment to share their research — legally — for social good and mutual profit.

Recycling the Cup: Systems Thinking and the Importance of Getting the Questions Right
Peter Senge, Director Center for Organizational Learning, MIT Sloan School of Management / Ben Packard VP Global
Responsibility, Starbucks Coffee Company
As part of Starbucks Shared Planet goals, Starbucks has set a bold goal to develop a recyclable cup solution. The company has enlisted MIT Professor Peter Senge and his expertise applying systems theory to approach this situation.

Solutions Innovation to the Rescue: Making the
Waste = Resource Connection
Brooke Farrell, Co-Founder , RecycleMatch
Today, companies of all kinds are focused on the triple bottom-line of people, planet and profit to create a sustainable business. Finding
the competitive edge often means revisiting and challenging “the way it’s always been done”. Focusing on zero waste goals can go a long way to re-setting stakeholders points-of-view while lowering
costs and environmental impact.

Kids AND Parents: Why the Longterm Market for Sustainable Goods is Stable
Tom Feegel, Founder & Principal, GreenMyParents
Jordan Howard, Film Maker, GreenMyParents
How do you get 1,000,000 kids to help their parents save $100 at home? Traditional media doesn’t take kids seriously. Green media is worse. It slaps green onto an existing brand or celebrity by telling kids to “recycle” or “save energy.” The $100 MM Kids Campaign demonstrates that kids, even before they can have a real job, can do the work of sustainability at home.

Tuesday June 8th – 2PM – 3PM – Workshop

Extended Producer Responsibility: Establishing Boundaries,
Tackling the Challenges
Ben Packard, VP Global Responsibility, Starbucks Coffee Company
Seetha Kammula, Founding Partner, Simply Sustain

Tuesday June 8th – 3:15PM – 4:15 PM – Workshop
Open Innovation / GreenXchange in Action
Kelly Lauber, Director, Sustainable Business & Innovation Lab, NIKE
John Wilbanks, Vice President of Science, Creative Commons

Everywhere you turn, there was somebody of interest. People, brands, remarkable ideas, and this wonderful open-forum is the type of setting that is required for positive change. The overall feeling was exciting, in the sense that people returning home will actually use the knowledge and wisdom acquired throughout this experience, and actually apply it. I know I will. Sustainable Brands Conference is a must for all entrepreneurs, executives, marketers, publishers, consultants, and so much more. Be prepared to come excited, get filled with wisdom, have a ton of fun, and leave feeling accomplished. I cannot wait for SB’11… Hope to see everyone there!

Sustainably Yours,

Abraham Slavin

CEO – AVI Publishing, INC.

The health care bill has passed. Headlines hail Obama as the image of the new America, retracting the country away from the old, Regan years. History has been made…

but what’s next?

Part of this new growing conscious in the country has begun to look at the earth in a new way. No longer is it limitless with resources, no longer something to ignore, or even a safe place to build a    home: People are treading with lighter shoes. But at the same time, the economy struggles and Obama’s fate relies on his ability to stimulate the country and create new jobs.

Trains are part of this solution. High speed trains that have flourished in the rest of the modern world can compete with the automobile and airfare. The Obama administration has awarded $8 billion, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), to the development of the country’s first, national, high speed rail system, connecting several, heavily trafficked cities. The trains on a rail through California will reach speeds of 220 miles per hour, and average a commute time, from L.A. to San Francisco, of about 2 and half hours. Normally, a drive between the two cities is about 6 to 8 hours. Imagine the influx of train travelers. Imagine if similar rails could be opened around the country.

The project will spur the economy with job creation, much of the purpose behind ARRA, but, on an environmental standpoint, is projected to save 12.7 million barrels of oil per year by 2030. Trains require only one third of the amount of energy compared to planes and one fifth of the daily automobile trip. Also, the rails will steer us away from fossil fuels as they are operated with electricity. As our knowledge of renewable energies increases, the pollution trains will save us could be astronomical.

The automobile industry is sinking and right in its wake could be the train. Not only will the environmental impact be great, but perhaps it will counteract the travesties in Detroit. Trains serve as a great metaphor for the green movement. As consumers are looking for the greenest, most sustainable products, a whole new economy will explode with possibilities.

(photos from treehugger.com)

Dog lovers like Fred don’t need to go any further than Puplife.com to find anything from eco-friendly doggy beds, leashes, organic treats and dog food and even organic cotton dog sweaters. Visitors will be glad to know the company’s commitment to the environment doesn’t stop at its inventory. For example, while most online stores ship their products from the manufacturer to their warehouse and once more to their customers, Puplife.com has its tight network of small family-run manufacturers ship merchandise directly to their customers, greatly decreasing carbon emissions. The company also cut down 90 percent of its waste by recycling all of its boxes and having suppliers use paper packaging instead of styrofoam to keep products safe during shipping. “I sleep very well at night knowing that PupLife.com is doing all we can to address the problems facing our planet,” he said.

Houtkooper also goes the extra mile when it comes to picking out new products and working with new suppliers. “We’re different from the mega-mall type retail chains,” said Houtkooper. “We sell intelligent dog toys that are safe, challenging and keep your dog learning. We actually turn down about 90% of the dog merchandise we come across and only pick the finest products.” Puplife.com also carries a wide array of all-natural and organic dog food items which are healthier than what many humans eat.

PupLife.com also donates 10 percent of its yearly profits to dog-related charities, such as local animal rescue organizations. “We adopted our first dog Daisy from a rescue shelter so we feel that it is important to give back,” said Houtkooper. To get everything from free dog tips to alerts about special promotions and much more, visit Puplife.com and become fans on Facebook and Twitter.

While we support the efforts of the few winemakers who explore avenues to eliminate the use of sulfur dioxide, the truth is that wines without added sulfites are very few in number and very unstable in quality, giving the public a negative perception of Organic Wines in general (Organically Grown I mean!)! The wine industry has the dubious honor of being the only one that cannot call its product “organic” even though it is made with more than 95% of organic components. [Even with 100ppm SO2 present in the wine, the highest permissible level, the product is still 99.99% organic!].

This is detrimental to the winegrowers who seek to market a consistently drinkable product and yet are discriminated against in a really unique way. It is also an annoyance for consumers and merchants alike who do not need more categories to confuse them! Moreover, note that a wine without sulfites should not be equated with an organic wine, since it is quite possible to make a sulfite-free wine with conventional (non organic) grapes.

The excessive attention given to this matter is perfect to distract the public from much more important issues like soil depletion and erosion, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, ecological impact, resistance to pests, chemical dependence, and product standardization to name just a few which plague the conventional way to produce grapes and other agricultural products!

An independent body of certification, itself duly accredited by the USDA, has the responsibility to control each winegrower, once or twice a year, to verify his or her adherence to the standards applied to organic farming, now recognized internationally. The fundamental idea behind organic wine is that making wine from grapes grown without chemical fertilizers, weed killers, insecticides, and other synthetic chemicals is better both for the planet AND for the wine drinker because all of these things can damage the soil and the plant, and can end up in the wine as residues.

Since the NOP standards are essentially derived from the ones already in existence in European countries we have not insisted to add this layer of administration to our already busy producers. It increases their costs and ultimately the price we and you pay without any visible benefit. The real issue though is that NOP forbids the winemaker to state that their wines are certified by their own system (in place for 30 years!) which is a clear abuse of power!

How do Organic Wines taste as compared to Conventional Wines?

Nowadays, French organic wines show up consistently among the top ten best wines of any region where they are represented, being cited in magazines as the most innovative, interesting and personalised products around. Surprisingly though, due to a relative lack of public awareness and trade recognition, this quality does not come at a big premium, compared to everything labeled “organic” nowadays!

One theory for this outstanding quality is that organic vineyards have more natural resistance to poor weather or pestilence, and therefore tend to perform better in poor vintages than non-organic ones. Additionally, many organic vineyards hand pick their grapes, rather than using mechanical pickers. This allows only the ripest and healthiest bunches to be picked, with the minimum amount of stress/damage to the vine, fruit or soil.

Organic vineyards choose organic methods to obtain the strongest and richest grapes possible, with the fewest detrimental effects on the environment, and their wines reflect that dedication to quality.

Organic Wines: Why Should You Care?

Our Green Book has received an increasing number of requests for information about organic wines. These requests emanate both from the public and the media. Questions we answer at events etc, we are asked over and over again, “What is an organic wine?” and “Why should consumers care about organic wines?” We are truly delighted with this steadily growing interest in what we do and why we do it, and therefore it is with much pleasure that we update you as to the status of organic wines, legal and otherwise.

For starters, what do we mean by Organic Wine? First and foremost, it’s a wine made from certified organically grown grapes. The fundamental idea behind organic wine is that making wine from grapes grown without pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers is clearly better for our planet AND therefore, in all likelihood, better for you, the wine drinker.

Now let’s turn to the second question that we are perennially asked: “Why should consumers care about & choose organic wines?” Well, let’s take a look at the alternative. Conventional wines are the result of conventional agricultural practices. These were adopted in large part after WWII and rely heavily on chemicals. The problem with that approach is that these chemicals damage the soil, the vine, the air, the water, the farmers, and, in all likelihood, all of us down the road. Not only that, this approach triggers a destructive cycle of poisoning. Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides throw the natural harmony of the vineyard completely off balance. Chemical fertilizers strip the soil of minerals essential to its health, thus necessitating an ever-increasing reliance on artificial inputs to restore what has been lost without ever finding the natural balance again.

There is an enormous amount of scientific evidence documenting how pesticides, weed killers, fungicides and other chemical substances damage the soil and the plant, its fruits and everyone else in their path.  Grapes are no exception and wine is merely liquid grapes. Make no mistake, grapes are one of the most heavily sprayed crops around.

Thankfully, there is the long term approach, namely, organic farming (mind you, the term “sustainable” has been hijacked by people eager to do something for the environment but not necessarily following sustainable principles). There is absolutely no question that organic farming methods are better for the Earth and all of her inhabitants. They are based on traditional, common sense farming methods which are not harmful to people or the environment. Like the Chinese acupuncturist, the organic farmer’s primary objective is balance. Therefore the key to the success of organic farming is maintaining a balanced, fertile soil.

Let’s briefly review some of the organic techniques & tools. Instead of chemical fertilizers, winemakers spread manure or algae in the vineyards. Instead of spraying pesticides, promoting biodiversity. That means they grow plants other than vines in and around the vineyard. Why? Because biodiversity helps regulate the vineyard soil by attracting beneficial flora and fauna into the vineyards, such as insects, spiders and predatory mites. Cover crops provide shelter and food (pollen, nectar) to “beneficial bugs” which decreases/replaces the need for insecticides or pesticides.

What cannot be fully controlled through biodiversity can still be managed organically, through the use of naturally occurring plant or mineral extracts, which leave no residues in the soil. As for weeds, they are allowed to grow, and mow periodically so that the cut weeds decompose back into the ground, thus providing organic fertilizer. In our opinion the costs are more than worth the outcome by any measure you want to use. And the reliance on petroleum derivatives has been largely proven to be a recipe for disaster in the long term!

All right, all right, you say! Organic viticulture is better for the Earth and probably for me, but are the wines any good? That’s what I want to know! Well, what would be the point of producing something, organic or otherwise, that no one can drink? Relax, nowadays organic wines as a big family stand consistently above their conventional counterparts in terms of flavor and taste, and are as reasonable in price and varied in styles. In many instances they reach to the top like the world renowned Romanée-Conti, organically grown for decades already, and La Coulée de Serrant, an exceptional biodynamic white wine, a stunning experience! All in all, wines made from organically grown grapes taste more flavorful and “cleaner”. That is our perception and the feedback we regularly receive from folks with or without a great wine knowledge. Consumers AND critics are more and more agreeing that they do taste and feel better.

In short, why do we encourage you to choose organic wines? Well, first because they are very good, second because we feel they should become the norm instead of the alternative, and because when you choose them you help us break the “circle of poison.” There is absolutely no question that organic agriculture is the way OF the future and the way TO our future, therefore we should all support it wherever and whenever we can!

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We were at the Natural Products Expo last week in Boston and discovered an exciting green company whose line of over 90 antioxidant beauty products are as kind to our skin as they are to the planet.  The folks at derma e Natural Bodycare wowed us with their dizzying array of product samples.  Our personal favorite was their Fruit Smoothee product line, which includes a facial cleanser, moisturizing crème, toning mist, eye creme and serum, all of which smelled good enough to eat.  Our skin glowed after applying their Very Clear® Cleansing Scrub and OGB publisher Abraham Slavin used their Skinbiotics Treatment Crème on his freshly carved insect bites, soothing the inflammation while stimulating the healing process.

derma e’s product line while remarkably diverse uses all-natural non-GMO ingredients, many of which are certified organic or sourced from farms that employ sustainable agricultural practices.  Most products are gluten-free and vegan, and all of these products are cruelty-free, vegetarian and paraben-free.  derma e® is no newcomer, either; their ever-growing line of topical skincare products have been enjoyed by eco-conscious consumers for over 25 years.  And you don’t have to worry about encountering nasty, pore-clogging ingredients like lanolin or mineral oil in their products all of which are sold in 100% recycled packaging.  Packed with nourishing vitamins, powerful antioxidants and healing botanicals, derma e’s award-winning formulas are designed to keep skin young and healthy and in some cases even reverse the aging process and heal damaged skin.

After speaking with the derma e team, we were surprised to learn that derma e’s commitment to nature went far beyond the ingredients of their products.  The company supports green business practices in its corporate structure as well as in supporting environmentally friendly and socially responsible initiatives.  All of their products are manufactured in a facility that uses 100% wind energy and the company has an in-office conservation and recycling program.  Last year, derma e proudly supported over 10 charities including The Paraguay Project, the Ventura County Special Olympics, the Coalition to End Family Violence and the World Wildlife Fund.  The Paraguay Project was founded by derma e in an effort to protect children, wildlife, the rainforest and support the rural poor of the impoverished South American country.  In fact, all of the profits from the sales of their Nanduti (the native Paraguayan word for “spider web”) lace pieces go directly to The Paraguay Project, as does a percentage of the sales from all derma e products.  Available in a variety of colors and sizes, these gorgeous lace pieces are delicately and intricately hand-woven by Paraguayans in the age-old tradition of that country’s indigenous population and make handsome decorative centerpiece doilies.

So try one of the amazing skincare products formulated and perfected by derma e.  From blemishes to scars, rashes and infections, their products not only nourish your skin, but heal the earth as well and improve the lives of millions of people in a country with which so few of us are familiar.

Location: Whole Foods Market, Columbus Circle, New York

Date: September 15, 2009

Company: Scrubz Body Scrub Inc

Founder: Roberta Perry

Contact: www.scrubzbodyscrub.com

email: scrubz@scrubzbodyscrub.com

Telephone: 1 877 SCRUBZ 8 (1.877.727.8298)

Recently I spent a day on site with one of our biggest clients Whole Foods Market, where I first learned about Scrubz. As the name suggests, the product is an all-natural sugar body scrub.

The company was giving a demonstration at Whole Foods, highlighting 4 of the 20+ scents in their effective yet gentle green scrub/exfoliant/facial products.

It wasn’t too long ago that finding such products that were clean and pure, without harsh chemicals, was not easy and more than confusing. My family and I grew up with allergies and sensitivities to commercially and chemically made products. The only place you could find natural skin-care products was in small specialist health food stores with no one to really guide you.

Scrubz founder, Roberta Perry, has a life story that is as rich and complex as the fragrances in her products. The powerful message that her products radiate, is one with the air we breathe, the food we eat, and what we put on our skin – our body’s largest organ. What goes ‘on’ really goes in. It feels good to choose healthy skin care. There are many small companies making products that are better for you and for our environment and Scrubz body scrub is one of them.

Scrubz Body Scrub, Inc. is a very young company and the natural sugar body/face scrub line is just the beginning. People like me who insist they can’t use any products with scents have become devotees of Scrubz Body Scrub, which uses a combination of essential oils and fragrance oils that meet or exceed RIFM guidelines.  Loyal users rave about the subtle scents, which Roberta blends like perfume. For those who prefer no scent, their unscented products contain nothing added whatsoever. We at Our Green Book call that “transparent green” – the green is there, but it doesn’t have to hit you over the head.

Terence Rickaby – Our Green Book