Share A Bike

So I'm here in Minneapolis, enjoying my vacation, and every time I walk around Lake of the Isles I see people riding along the bike path on these cool green bikes.  Turns out you can rent these bikes from Nice Ride Minnesota by the day, month, or year! 


With a subscription you get a key that gives you access to bikes in dozens of locations all over the city.  They're ideal for transportation (it's nice and flat here, so biking around is easy), for exericse, or for tourists like me who want to explore the lakes and parks!


What a great, GREEN idea.


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Real Food Movement

More than 750 schools across U.S. nominated in Annie's second "Root 4 Kids" contest encouraging kids to dig real food.

BERKELEY, Calif., June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Annie's, Inc. today announced The Village School in Eugene, Ore. as the winner in its second Root 4 Kids contest encouraging kids to dig and plant new veggies. The Village School generated more sign-ups than over 750 other schools throughout the nation competing to win their choice of a Farm to School program or school garden.

Root 4 Kids, a cause-related campaign conducted in partnership with the National Farm to School Network, has set out to reach and celebrate one million kids digging and planting new veggies. To encourage participation and create friendly competition this spring, Root 4 Kids invited parents, teachers, administrators and community members to sign up at http://www.root4kids.com/join and commit to helping kids "dig" new vegetables by completing at least one activity, such as learning about, eating and planting new veggies, or working to get more fresh foods into schools.

After Camas Ridge Elementary School in Eugene, Ore. took top prize in Root 4 Kids' first contest earlier this year, the community rallied again, helping carry The Village School to victory. With its prize, The Village School will work with Farm to School to customize a combination of activities that best help its students become more deeply connected to real food.

"Winning the Root 4 Kids prize adds a vital third layer to our work already in progress to be more green, sustainable and to serve healthy food," said Bob Kaminski, Principal of The Village School, a public charter school. Kaminski is working closely with Executive Director Andy Peara and a group of dedicated staff and parents to start the school's own locally-grown, organic food service for its 212 K-8 students.

"We thank everyone who supported our efforts and Annie's leadership to promote kids' interest in healthy, natural and organic foods," said Peara. "Annie's message truly resonates in our community."

To help generate sign-ups, staff and parents spread the word far and wide via emails and phone calls. Following the lead of parent Abra Cooper, they also held a screening of the film "What's on your plate?" to educate both kids and parents on the importance of connecting families to where food comes from.

"After two successful contests, thousands of teachers, parents and community members have demonstrated a commitment to teaching kids about growing and eating more real food," said Aimee Sands, Marketing Director at Annie's. "The Village School and all the participating schools deserve recognition and support for their efforts. We wish we could award the prize to all of them."

Annie's will award Root 4 Kids merchandise, Annie's product and grants toward a garden or Farm to School program to all schools that finished in the contest top 10, including Hayhurst Elementary School, Portland, Ore.; Lakeshore Elementary School, Mooresville, N.C.; Anthony Elementary School, Anthony, Fla.; Greenwood Elementary School, Seattle; Somers Elementary School, Kenosha, Wis.; NICE Community School, Ishpeming, Mich.; Memminger Elementary School, Charleston, S.C.; Seven Generations Charter School, Emmaus, Penn.; and Hampton Elementary School, Hampton, Conn.

For more details about The Village School, visit http://happyvillage.org/. To learn more about Root 4 Kids, and to commit to helping kids dig and plant new veggies, visit www.Root4Kids.com.

About Annie's

Annie's is dedicated to nourishing families with delicious natural and organic foods made with the highest quality ingredients. The line includes cheese, pasta meals, crackers, cookies, pretzels, cereals, fruit snacks, salad dressings, BBQ sauce and condiments. Since its founding in 1989, Annie's has been committed to social and corporate responsibility. The company believes in the importance of sustainable farming practices that respect the earth and its inhabitants. Annie's products are available nationwide at major grocery stores, natural food stores and club stores. For more information, visit www.Annies.com. Follow Annie's on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/annieshomegrown) and Twitter (@annieshomegrown).

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SkinCareIngredients2011: the First Ever Virtual Trade Show for the Cosmetics Industry

MONTPELLIER, France, June 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 15th 2011 CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com and CosmeticsDesign.com USA will launch the industry's first ever virtual trade show (VTS) focusing on the industry hot topic, skin care.

Skin care continues to be the most innovative category in the cosmetics and personal care industry and in 2010 the global market was valued at $80bn. This is forecast to increase to $91bn by 2014, with growth in the emerging markets set to be particularly strong. Big rewards await those who can capture these consumers, with continuous innovation key to staying on top.

SkinCareIngredients2011 (http://www.skincare-ingredients.com/index.php) will focus on the very latest opportunities in this sector, including the ever-expanding natural and anti-aging categories, the use of pre- and probiotics in skin care products, the complex area of green formulation and detailed information on the emerging markets with a particular emphasis on opportunities in the BRIC markets.

Not only is SkinCareIngredients2011 ( http://www.skincare-ingredients.com/index.php) free for visitors, but the best part is that you don't even have to leave your desk to attend the show! The event is paperless and with no travel required the carbon footprint involved is also reduced to a minimum.

The event starts at 2pm CEST, which is 8am EST - a time that allows for the maximum number of industry professionals from the major European, American and Asia-Pacific markets to attend at any time during the day.

SkinCareIngredients2011 (http://www.skincare-ingredients.com/index.php) will consist of an exhibition hall with 15 sponsored booths occupied by some of the biggest players in the skin care ingredients business, including Cognis (BASF), Symrise, Evonik Goldschmidt, Croda, ISP, Dow Corning and Lipotec, as well as a comprehensive conference program featuring presentations from leading industry experts.

More information and free registration to this ground-breaking event can be obtained here (http://www.skincare-ingredients.com/index.php).

CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com (http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/) and CosmeticsDesign.com (http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/) USA provide free, cutting edge daily news on all aspects of the personal care industry to cosmetics manufacturers and developers in North America, Europe and beyond.

The CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com team and CosmeticsDesign.com USA is led by award-winning journalists who scan all available scientific, technical and industry sources and seek out previously unpublished material, primary data and expert opinions in all areas of significance to its readers.

SOURCE CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com and CosmeticsDesign.com USA

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Organic Strawberries

It's almost strawberry season.  Yum!  So, do you spend extra for the organic berries?  I do because according to the Organic Consumers Association, strawberries are high in pesticide residue.  (So are cherries, apples, and peaches.)  

If you just can't bear the cost of organic strawberries, The Organic Consumers Association recommends substitute fruit choices (non-organic fruit with lower pesticide residue) that provide similar nutritional benefits.

Want to learn more about how organic berries are produced?  Check out the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service site.

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Sustainable Living in L.A.

Check out this slide show on the NY Times website about a beekeeping couple livin' la vida sustainable in a 1000 sq foot house.  They grow and dry their own chamomile, they make their own jam....so romantic!

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New Reviews on Fancy Green

Howdy! We just posted some new reviews of natural body products on Fancy Green.  Check them out:  Lavera's shimmery clear lip gloss, Weleda's Citrus Deodorant, and hair styling products by Collective Wellbeing. 


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Buy a Bag, Feed the World

If you haven't already heard about the FEED Project, check it out.  They sell cool organic cotton tote bags and tees, and profits feed people in need around the world.  Love it!!

Here's their mission statement from their web site:

"FEED Projects' mission is to create good products that help FEED the world. We do this through the sale of FEED bags, bears, t-shirts, and other accessories by building a set donation into the cost of each product. Thus the impact of each product, signified by a stenciled number, is understandable, tangible, and meaningful.

We take great pride in using environmentally-friendly and artisan-made materials, along with fair-labor production, in creating all FEED products."

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Green Blue Jeans

From the NY Times:

In Eco-Jeans, the Green Becomes Harder to Spot
By ALEXANDRA ZISSU
Published: January 5, 2011

TWO years ago, when going green was red-hot in the fashion industry, there were plenty of organic jeans to choose from. Brands including Levi’s, Banana Republic, Genetic Denim, 7 For All Mankind, Earnest Sewn, Aristocrat, Loomstate, Del Forte and J Brand offered at least one pair made with some amount of organic cotton, which is grown without environmentally threatening chemicals (according to the Sustainable Cotton Project, a nonprofit organization, conventional cotton consumes 25 percent of the world’s chemical pesticides and fertilizers).
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Today, none of the brands do. Which raises the question: Where has all the organic denim gone?

Continue reading...

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