eco

What You Need To Know About Red Roses For Valentine's Day

Red roses are popular year round but take on special importance at Valentine's Day. Suddenly they are everywhere. Bouquets of roses are sold by the side of the road and by salespeople hovering around restaurants. This, combined with the overflowing buckets at the grocery store, saturate a market that is deserving of a richness equivalent to its history. Favored mostly for its beauty and durability, combined with fragrance, the rose's popularity has caused an outbreak of ecologically harmful and trade-wide problems.

Many roses are raised in Ecuador and Colombia, and there is an ongoing concern of heavy pesticide use, unfair wage and labor conditions and the possibility that the rose tips themselves may have been treated with anti-fungal chemicals that are harmful to human beings.

Flower arranger and horticulture expert Betty Miles explains the importance of careful-sourcing and following care that will result in a longer life and a clear conscience. She notes that, due to favorable climate conditions as well as cheaper labor, most long stem roses (the most popular in America) are grown in greenhouses around the world, and generally in Colombia, Ecuador and parts of Africa. There can be a big difference between the white-bucketed variety amongst conventional locations and the fresher and perhaps more local available at a credible florist. Betty goes on to say:

When sourcing flowers in person, check underneath the bud to see if petals will have been removed. This will prove the flower to be old or not as fresh, diminishing their cut-life. 'Hardening-off' is a common flower arrangement term- taking a cut flower from a garden or, later, florist, and diagonally cutting an inch off the tip of the stem then immediately placing it in water (or cutting while the stem is submerged in water). Doing these steps, along with removing the lower leaves and stems will avoid rotting and water-contamination thus, shortening the life. If not removed, the most distal part of the stem will get dried, killing the cells within the stem, rendering it inactive, and killing the flower. This can and should be repeated by the distributor, the florist and finally, the customer. Though the packet of "flower-extender" that comes with your flowers appears artificial, it is an inert and biodegradable substance (typically a formula including dextrose and bacteria-inhibitors) that will extend the life of your cut flowers.

Tags: alternative, bush, columbia, day, decor-pedia, domestic, eco, ecuador, fairtrade, florist, friendly, grow, hybrid, hybridization, long, luxist-awards, main-pedia, red, roses, stem, US, valentines

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Escape to the Naples Ritz, Hide in the Spa and Go Green ... All at the Same Time

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spas, Green

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort – and its sister property, the Beach Resort – are making it easy to hide from the world for a few days this summer. And, I can tell you from experience, the twin Ritz properties are great places to hide. With the Spa Escape Package, you can be treated as you deserve (or, in my case, better), for a mere $259 a night ($299 at the Beach Resort).

The spa at the Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort services both Naples, FL properties. As part o this program, a stay at either hotel will get you a $200 spa credit, which includes both services and retail. You'll also pick up a $50 gift card for the properties' on-site stores.

The Ritz-Carlton Spa integrates organic and eco-friendly options to mitigate environmental impact without degrading the quality of the treatments provided. The Eco-Luxe Facial and Eco-Luxe Cocoon are conducted in the Eco-Room, which features soft materials made from organic cotton and bamboo and washed in a separate machine with fragrance-free and sulfate-free cleansers. The floor and chair are made from bamboo, and the massage table was crafted entirely from sustainable materials.

With domestic flights cheaper than ever (except when I'm flying, it seems), getting to Naples won't be painful, and JetBlue has countless flights into the area. And, the perks that come with the Spa Escape Package basically make the room free. I hit this spa last summer and might just make it an annual experience.

Tags: eco, eco-friendly, environment, environmental, environmentalism, environmentally friendly, environmentallyfriendly, florida, golf, green, green travel, GreenTravel, naples, resort, resorts, ritz, ritz carlton, ritz-carlton, RitzCarlton, spa, spa therapy, spa time, spa treatment, spa treatments, SpaTherapy, SpaTime, SpaTreatment, SpaTreatments

The Sears Tower Goes Green

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Green, Real Estate Developments

We see a lot of plans for new green buildings but an existing iconic tower is getting an eco-makeover. The famous Sears tower in Chicago was the world's tallest skyscraper when it was built in 1973. The new plan calls for installing wind turbines and PV to reduce energy use by 10% (the building has already reduced energy consumption by 50%). Adrian Smith of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture spoke about the project at this week's Cityscape conference and said it also calls for new lighting systems, extra insulation and a green roof. The Building website has video of Smith talking about the greenification which is expected to cost over $145 million.

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Tags: chicago, eco, green, sears tower, SearsTower, sustainable

Balmoral Goes Green

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Green

Prince Charles has long been known for his eco-efforts including driving a wine powered car. But Queen Elizabeth is green-minded too. The Daily Telegraph reports that Queen Elizabeth who has also set up an energy-saving committee at Buckingham Palace, is turning Balmoral, her Scottish estate, into a property that is completely energy self-sufficient. A small hydro-electric plant has been installed at at Balmoral and it sells electricity to the national grid. The plant was developed on the Gelder Burn, a stream in the estate forest and generates enough power for Balmoral and for 1,000 private homes in the area. A water-driven turbine was originally installed in the 1920s to provide electricity, in the 1950s it was used to power the estate sawmill, and now since the mill is no longer in use a generator was installed which allows the turbine to be connected to the National Grid and offer power to the surrounding homes.

The Balmoral woodlands are registered with the Forestry Stewardship Council which supports sustainable forestry worldwide and all farming practices are registered with the Soil Association, which promotes organic food and farming. The estate is also a big recycler turning tons of organic waste into compost each year. Even the royal protection officers pedal around the estate on bicycles and use their vehicles less. It's all part of the Queen's commitment to climate change initiatives, a stance which she has urged other nations to adopt.

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Tags: balmoral, eco, england, green, queen elizabeth ii, QueenElizabethIi, scotland

Brad Pitt Cleans Up With Kiehl's

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Green

It's not quite Brad Pitt body wash but the architecture-loving dad has teamed up with Kiehl's on their new new Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser. The product is the popular skincare brand's first item that is completely eco-friendly right down to the packaging and is certified by Cradle to Cradle. Pitt won't be appearing on the bottle or in the advertising but he did pen a hand-written note that will be on the bottle. All the profits benefit JPF Eco Systems, a charitable foundation created by Kiehl's and Brad to support global environmental initiatives. The project hopes to raise $1 million for charity with the first funds raised earmarked for Pitt's Make It Right foundation, which builds eco-friendly housing for those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

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Tags: brad pitt, BradPitt, eco, expire-images2009-8-18, green, kiehls, make it right foundation, MakeItRightFoundation

Healthy Child Healthy World, Charity of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Green, Charity of the Day

It couldn't be more true that in order to have a healthy world we have to have healthy children, and Healthy Child Healthy World is a non-profit organization that makes that principle their main aim by working to protect our youth from harmful environmental exposures. Working through education, laws, governmental agencies, advocacy, and spreading awareness of environmental issues this charity is a no brainer because not only are they helping kids but they're also helping the environment (something we could all be doing more of).

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Tags: charity, charity of the day, CharityOfTheDay, child, children, eco, environment, environmental, green, health, health child healthy world, HealthChildHealthyWorld, healthy, healthy child, healthy world, HealthyChild, HealthyWorld, kid, kids, world

The Ferrari F430 Spider Bio Fuel

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

Fast high-end sports cars are generally not considered to be eco-friendly, with their gas guzzling turbo engines and energy-sucking luxury features. But that's not to say they aren't trying -- Ferrari for example, revealed their F430 Spider Bio Fuel model earlier this week in Detroit. It burns a mix of 85% natural ethanol and 15% gasoline, which results in +10hp (meaning its got a solid 500hp to work with) and a 5% increase in gas mileage over its gas-only counterpart. As for now the F430 Spider Bio Fuel is only a concept, but Ferrari says they'd like to put it into production as part of their efforts to cut emissions by 40% by the year 2012. Like the looks of it? See more photos here.

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Tags: auto, Bio Fuel, BioFuel, car, cars, eco, environment, F430, Ferrari, green, Spider, wheels

Damien Hirst Orders Serious Solar Power

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Green

Damien Hirst, the world's most expensive living artist, is going green in a major way: he recently placed an order for Britain's second largest solar panel system. The system will be used to switch his Gloucestershire country home and studios over to total solar power. I can imagine he's got a lot of electricity needs for his entire estate, but I'm wondering if a 310 watt system (enough power to supply electricity to the equivalent of over 150 homes and will account for 2% of the entire country's solar power) isn't a bit overkill?

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Tags: artist, damien hirst, DamienHirst, eco, environment, green, hirst, most expensive, MostExpensive, solar power, SolarPower

Adopt An Olive Tree

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Green

Here's a great chance to both do something great for the environment and get something fun to show for it: adopt yourself an olive tree! Nudo, an olive grove in Italy, is offering people the chance to support small scale artisanal farming (instead of the large mechanized operations that damage the earth) by adopting a specific olive tree. And when you adopt an olive tree in the grove for one year not only do you get the satisfaction from the environmental effort, but you also get all the produce from your tree. You'll get a Spring Package with the olive oil from your tree, and then an Autumn Package of more olive oil and some handmade olive oil soap. $130/year.

via DailyCandy

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Tags: adopt, earth, eco, eco friendly, eco-friendly, EcoFriendly, environment, environmental, green, italian, italy, nudo, olive, olive oil, olive tree, OliveOil, olives, OliveTree, tree, trees

Esque Terrariums

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Even if you're not generally a fan of houseplants, terrariums are a great way to bring some life and green indoors in a way that keeps with structured and styled decor -- you get all the benefits of a houseplant but without the potentially unruly appearance and dead leaves falling all over.

These darling little Esque Terrariums from Velocity are perfect to sit anywhere. Hand-blown, each one is unique and signed by the artist. They're made from 100% recycled glass and heated in a furnace powered completely by wind energy -- truly "green" art in more ways than one! The plant isn't included, and they're available in two sizes (8" and 12"). $600-$800

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Tags: eco, eco-friendly, esque, glass, green, hand blown, HandBlown, plant, plants, terrarium, terrariums, velocity

The Best Green Hotels

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The principle of a hotel being truly environmentally friendly, especially a nice one, is a concept that is largely debatable. But if you believe in appreciating baby steps, and spend time traveling, this list of the top ten greenest hotels might be of interest.

The encouraging part is that many hotels and resorts are getting away from "token" efforts and going for certifiable measures like recycling and high-efficiency water and lighting systems. Some hotels are better at being green than others, going 100% solar or wind powered, or recycling waste water. But you can do your part, too, no matter where you stay: tell housekeeping you don't need fresh sheets and towels every day, keep your shades drawn to help with temperature control, and don't throw away the left-overs from the mini shampoos and soaps they give you -- take them with you and use them up.

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Tags: eco, enviroment, environmentally friendly, EnvironmentallyFriendly, green, hotel, hotels, recycling, resort, resorts, travel

Building 'Green' in a Big Way: The EcoManor

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

With global warming becoming such an unavoidably huge issue, pretty much everybody has a soft spot for all things "eco." But that being said, not everybody takes it quite as far as Ted Turner's daughter, Laura Turner Seydel, and her husband did when they decided to built the biggest environmentally friendly home in the United States, the EcoManor.

It wasn't cheaper to build, although with features like recycled water from the showers irrigating the drought-resistant lawn, and rainwater-filled toilets, it will be cheaper to maintain -- 80 to 90 percent cheaper than other homes of similar size in the area. And with beautiful white linen wallpaper (made of recycled newspaper, of course) and natural lighting via solar tubes, the Seydels didn't have to sacrifice any style while they were doing their part to help the environment.

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Tags: building, construction, eco, eco-friendly, ecofriendly, ecomanor, environment, environmentally friendly, EnvironmentallyFriendly, global warming, GlobalWarming, LEED, mansion, recycle, recycled, Seydel, Turner

Warwick Solar Fountain

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

The appeal of the Warwick Solar Fountain lies in the fact that it is completely self-contained, in addition to looking quite elegant. The fountain has a solar panel discretely positioned at the top which provides power to an internal water pump. No plumbing or cords are necessary and the fountain reuses the same water as it operates, make it very eco-friendly. It can be positioned on any relatively flat surface, including grass, patios and even on balconies. It is made from a durable resin with a faux bronze finish, so it needs minimal care to maintain its good looks. At only 12-lbs., it is easy to move around should you need to reposition it for better light or to accommodate new patio furniture. Price: $249.

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Tags: eco, fountain, garden, solar, warwick

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