Earth Day

Otarian Carbon-Friendly Vegetarian Dining

Otarian Vegetarian Eco-Friendly Fast Food

The words vegetarian, eco-friendly, and fast food have not gone together until now, under the name Otarian. Founded by Radhika Oswal, a woman who described herself as a "hungry vegetarian" and pitched the idea to her husband 3 years ago after being frustrated at not being able to find anything but "pizza and french fries" while traveling.

And so Otarian was born, a fast food chain that not only serves "global vegetarian cuisine" but does so in an eco-conscious and sustainable way. "This isn't a chain of vegetarian restaurants, but a chain of sustainable restaurants," Oswal says. Everything from the as-local-as-possible food to the way the buildings are constructed to the packaging and production practices of the stores is geared towards being ecologically responsible. They even label each sandwich and combo meal with its carbon number and the carbon number of a similar meat dish, so you can see how much you've offset by choosing vegetarian.

Currently there's an Otarian located on Bleeker Street in NYC, with another planned to open in the city this Friday (the 23rd) near Columbus Circle at 8th Ave and 56th St and two more planned to launch soon in London. Stop by and grab a Portobello Mushroom Burger (shown here) for lunch and do your part for the planet.

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Tags: burger, dining, Earth Day, earth day 2010, earth day april 22, fast food, green, vegetarian

Celebrate Earth Day with a BeadforLife Necklace

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Charity

Jewelry for a cause doesn't always have to be clunky and obvious. Naturally, it's good to let people know you're supporting a cause, but if you're too showy about it, you just look silly. This year, celebrate Earth Day both subtly and elegantly with a BeadforLife necklace by Amanda Pearl.

BeadforLife is an organization which employs Ugandan women, allowing them to earn money by turning colorful recycled paper into beads. The organization provides regular income to hundreds of women, including 150 who graduated from their training program for self-sufficiency.

We asked hip young Seattle designer Amanda Pearl Brotman, whose Clutches for a Cause we featured last year, how she got involved with BeadforLife:

"I learned about the BeadforLife beads and organization through my dad, who had attended an event in Seattle surrounding BeadforLife jewelry and forwarded me information on the organization. After visiting their website, I knew immediately that I wanted to become involved. I love the beads and knew exactly how I would like to use them in my Spring collection and immediately ordered half a dozen bags to work with. I'm really excited to have the opportunity to work with BeadforLife. It's a great cause, the beads are beautiful and I look forward to finding new ways to work them into the collection season after season!"

The attractive, colorful and positive energy-infused necklaces are available from Amanda Pearl and select retailers for $348.00.

Tags: Amanda Pearl, beaded necklace, BeadforLife, beads, Earth Day, necklace

Earth Day Special: Stunning Green Homes of the World

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Green, Books

April 22 marks the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day celebration. To mark the event, we look at some modern, sustainably designed homes featured in the new book "New Green Homes" by Spanish architects Sergi Costa Duran, Ethel Baraona Pohl and Liliana Bollini and published by Collins Design. Each of the homes are specifically adapted to their climates using some of the latest energy-saving technology. They may conserve energy but there's no skimping on lifestyle. And the setting alone of many of these homes will drop a few jaws.

Gallery: Stunning Green Homes of the World

Tags: Earth Day, earth day april 22, EarthDayApril22, green architecture, green design, new green homes, NewGreenHomes, sustainable design, SustainableDesign

Champagne Gets a Green Makeover

by Amy Cortese (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Green

You won't necessarily notice it, but your Champagne is about to get greener. Champagne producers have recently standardized a new lighter-weight bottle designed to reduce carbon emissions generated during transport by 8,000 metric tons annually - the equivalent of taking 4,000 cars off the road.

Sure, you say, another group of producers jumping on the green bandwagon. But this was no easy feat. Each bottle of bubbly contains 6 Gs of force -- for the non-rocket scientists among us, that's about 60 pounds of pressure per square inch, similar to the pressure found in a tire on an 18-wheeler. So the bottles are thick and heavy for a reason. However, working with local glass designers, the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), the region's trade group, was able to shave about 2 ounces from the glass bottle without compromising safety. The lighter weight allows producers to pack more bottles per truckload or container, cutting down on the number of shipments.

The move is part of a broader initiative by Champagne makers to cut carbon emissions by 25% by 2020, and a whopping 75% by 2050.

Tags: champagne, Champagne bottles, Earth Day, eco-friendly, environmental footprint, glass, global warming, green

Continue reading “Champagne Gets a Green Makeover”

Christie's Green Auction, Saving The Planet Through Art

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this year, Christie's has joined forces with NBC Universal to auction off a host of celebrity experiences, world-renowned art, and luxurious travel packages. In addition to a live inaugural Christie's Green Auction on the 22nd, they've partnered up with Charity Buzz to host an online auction with such prizes as a golf outing with President Bill Clinton or an all-new Lexus Hybrid 250h. And the entire event is carbon neutral. Among the spectacular artwork up for bids is Damien Hirst's All You Need is Jealousy, The Salt Pit by Matthew Ritchie, and a Broken Record Beatles Art collage from our favorite young art duo Robi Walters and Leanne Wright, signed with the support of Sir Paul McCartney himself.

Proceeds will benefit the Central Park Conservancy, Oceana, Conservation International, and the National Resources Defense Council.

Christie's Green Auction
April 22 at 7.30pm EST
20 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY

Through May 6 at CharityBuzz.com.

Tags: central park conservancy, charity buzz, christies, conservation international, damien hirst, earth day, green auction, oceana

Diane von Furstenburg EXCLUSIVE "Go Green" Canvas Tote, Handbag of the Day

by Star Sutherland (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags, Green

Diane von Fürstenberg designed this hip green shopping bag for retail chain Intermix. It's made of certified organic cotton and features small ivory hearts and long beige cotton handles. The tote has a gold Intermix logo on one corner, and Diane's signature on the other. A hand scrawled message from Diane on the inner seam reads "Save and Love the Planet". I keep seeing similar reusable shopping totes but this one is by far the cutest! Available exclusively at Intermix for $65.

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Tags: Diane von Frstenberg, DianeVonFrstenberg, earth day, EarthDay, handbag, purses, reusable bags, ReusableBags, reusing, shopping bag, ShoppingBag

Palm Desert Earth Day Vacation Package

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Green

I wouldn't generally think of Earth Day as a vacation holiday but the Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort and Spa and the City of Palm Desert, California are trying to turn it into one with an "Escape! Earth Day" travel package during the month of April. The package, starts at $399 a night and includes a stay in a standard guest room at the Desert Springs, two 50-minute organic date scrub spa treatments, use of spa/fitness facilities, breakfast buffet for two at the resort's Lake View restaurant (including an organic honey tasting) and a free admission to Palm Desert's Living Desert (in exchange for turning in a used cell phone). The Living Desert is Palm Desert's natural zoo which fosters conservation through preservation. Ten percent of the proceeds from the package will be donated to the Living Desert Organization. While I might debate the eco-friendliness of travel, at least if you go to the Palm Desert in April you likely won't need the air conditioning.

Another hotel Destination Resorts Hawaii is offering a $250 carbon credit for guests traveling to Maui this spring. Their Honua Makuahine (Mother Earth) package includes five nights lodging, a complimentary Dollar rental car, free parking and a $250 carbon credit per booking. The offer is valid April 1 through June 15, 2008 and pckage rates begin at $1,080 based on lodging in a one bedroom condominium. The $250 carbon credit offsets an average of 3.5 roundtrip flights from Los Angeles to Maui based on calculations from Carbon Planet.

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Tags: california, earth day, palm desert, PalmDesert, travel, vacation

Welcome AutoblogGreen

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Kermit the Frog says it isn't easy being green but that isn't the case for our new blog sibling, AutoblogGreen. The new enviro-friendly spin-off of Autoblog will focus on alternative fuel vehicles. Given the recent gas prices ($4.09 in Beverly Hills!) this is a blog we should all be interested in.

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Tags: autobloggreen, earth day, green, green week, hybrid

Recycled Sailcloth Bag, Handbag of the Day

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Making good use of already existing products, this handbag is made out of the sailcloth from a real ship. The material used for sails is some of the strongest fabric on Earth, able to withstand wind, water and extreme exposure. Though the sails are strong, they are still replaced by safety-conscious sailors. Recycled Sailcloth Bags, as a result of their unique material, and virtually indestructible as far as handbags go. There is a panel on the inside of the bag that authenticates the sail and identifies the origin of the ship it came from. The bags are funky and fun, perfect for taking along on an Earth Day hike, and have a design that varies from bag to bag. Price: $98.

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Tags: bag, boat, earth day, handbag, handbag of the day, purse, recycle, recycled, recycled sailcloth bags, sail, tote

Recycled Chopstick Wine Rack

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Wine

Today is Earth Day and, in honor of that, it seemed appropriate to bring out something earth-friendly. This unique wine rack is made from over 1,000 single-use chopsticks, the kind that come with Chinese takeout, though these are actually from China. The chopsticks are cleaned and thoroughly sanitized at high temperatures, then stained and bound together to create many interesting furnishings and fixtures. The Wong Wine Rack holds up to 27 bottles of wine. Price: $108.

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Tags: chinese, chinese food, chopsticks, decor, earth day, environment, furnishing, recycled, unique, wine, wine rack, wood

Matt Gagnon Paper Table

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Matt Gagnon's Paper Tables have more personality than you average coffee table. They are available in both solid and hollow versions, with natural racks for magazines, books and the other assorted papers that usually find their way onto coffee tables. Speaking of paper, the tables are actually made entirely of recycled newsprint boards that have been fused together. With one of these, you can be doing something good for the environment, as well as something good for your living room. Price: $3,400.

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Tags: coffee tables, decor furniture, earth day, environment, paper table, PaperTable, recycled, recycled paper, table

Aveda's Earth-Friendly Efforts

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Aveda and home-spun designers Project Alabama will be holding a fundraiser for the the Natural Resources Defense Council. For Handbags for the Earth, Project Alabama made 500 handbags for Aveda. The cotton handbags are made from recycled t-shirts, have balsa wood handles and are stitched by Alabama artisans. Aveda sent the handbags and fabric paint, to celebrities. 50 handbags, decorated by celebrities including Avril Lavigne, Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba and show casts like Will and Grace (their effort is shown here) will be auctioned on eBay on June 5-15. This isn't Aveda's only earth-friendly effort this season, they are also selling the "Light the Way" candle, a $10 candle with scents of rose geranium, lavender, peppermint, ylang ylang and grapefruit which benefits organizations dedicated to saving threatened and endangered plants.

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Tags: aveda, earth day, earth-friendly, eco-friendly, project alabama

Oregon Winery Goes Green

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Just in time for Earth Day this year, an Oregon vineyard will be opening a new winemaking facility that runs off solar power. The new winery at Stoller Vineyards in Dayton, Oregon will open on April 19 and is expected to create 44,000 kilowatt hours of clean renewable solar energy each year. The facility includes a gravity-flow system which results in energy savings in production and is also considered to be the most gentle way to process the Pinot Noir that the winery specializes in. The new facility is the first winery in Oregon to be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s Green Building Rating System. Their 2004 JV Pinot Noir sells for $22.

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Tags: earth day, eco-friendly, green design, oregon, oregon wine, pinot noir, solar power, stoller vineyards, wine

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