How to green your holidays
With the holiday season coming to a start and the year already coming to an end, why wait until the new year to start living a greener lifestyle? Get into the swing of the holidays by putting some eco-friendly practices to use. Bonus: They’ll help you save money as well.
Here’s a list of some sites that offer great tips and advice on how to green your holidays this year:
Read the rest of this entry »










Talk about recycling with a purpose: The new Navy Ship,
For a big budget, Hollywood-style disaster film,
Sadly, there will be no new
Be sure to check out the clip (below) where he interviews the biggest jerks (and least favorite contestants) from seasons 1 through 4: Tiffany, Marcel (still sporting the
Earlier this week, I wrote a
We’ve all heard about the
Earlier this week, the UK’s climate chief and leading authority on global warming, Lord Stern of Brentford, 
For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs were let loose in Tom’s restaurant, Craftsteak, where they go apeshit over all of the choice proteins they think they’re going to use. Then their guest judge is introduced: Natalie Portman! And guess what? She’s a vegetarian! (Didn’t we see this in Top Chef Masters?) The cheftestants’ faces then immediately took on the “oh shit” look and they all turned white.
More fashion foibles this season: Padma’s tube top/pant suit atrocity, Ceveech’s tube top dress and open-toe ankle boots ensemble a la Pretty Woman, and Gail Simmons’ green prom dress circa Dynasty ‘86.
Nestlé Waters North America
As we saw in
I know that people who make environmentally-friendly inventions have the best intentions at heart, but sometimes they take it a bit too far and come up with things that are, well, weird. Just in time for the creepiest holiday of the year,
Last Saturday (October 24) was the
Like me, most of you
The inaugural
At the beginning of the Restaurant Wars challenge, I really believe it was up in the air as to who would take the win. Though by service time, we had a much better idea of who would be on the chopping block. The red team, though led by a cruel tyrant, Mike V., bickering like school children, took their heated passion and directed it into their food – coming out on top and taking the win. Success stemmed from the leaders this episode and Ceveech’s stressing out (again) really took a toll on her team. Everyone on the blue team were just too nice and agreeable, leaving no one really in charge and a line of dishes that were ill-prepared.
Drama! Action! Blindfolds! (Sounds kinky.) I know we’re going to see at least two of those in tonight’s episode of
We’ve been hearing about the plethora of environmental films and docu-dramas out today that preach about changing our ways concerning our food, climate change, pesticide use, and so on (
This Saturday, October 24, 2009, is the
You’re buying more organic food these days, maybe for health reasons or just because it makes you feel like you’re making a difference. But did you know that most of the organic brands you find in the grocery store, like
A report released earlier this year by the
Forget the term ‘recycle’, these days people are turning everyday found objects into pieces of usable art by ‘upcycling’. According to the
clock made from bicycle parts. I’d have to say the most ‘out there’ piece featured is the oil lamp made from an old surplus military grenade – a surefire conversation piece for your coffee table.
Much to our surprise (hint of sarcasm), Redbeard won with a pork dish again, and Ash ended up getting the boot. (Top Chef Rule #3: Don’t tell the judges that you didn’t cook the dish that you had originally intended to.) It was good that they put Ash out of his misery, though - after learning that he could no longer clean Picasso’s paintbrushes, he felt that the Top Chef life just wasn’t worth living.
As we’ve been discussing the last few weeks in the
If you’re interested in clean energy solutions, climate change, and the environment, be sure to attend the
I’m sure many of us have all tried in one form or fashion to become more eco-conscious and tread a little lighter on this planet. Most of you have heard about the concept of the
The non-profit organization
Yes, we here in Tampa Bay may live in a highly populated metropolitan area with a huge
Delhi, India – used for waste disposal, drinking and bathing; and Lake Karachay, Russia – named the most polluted area in the world by the Worldwatch institute on nuclear waste because, thanks to the nuclear dumping by the Soviet Union, one hour of exposure at this spot will guarantee you a lethal dose of radiation.
For the Quickfire Challenge, the chefs had to create a dish using the three description words that the Cookstr slot machine gave them. What is “stressed” food, by the way? ‘Stress food’, as in, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s? Or maybe a lobster that was just dropped into a boiling cauldron of water. I digress. Ultimately, we learned that passing off a Middle Eastern dish with Indian curry to Padma just doesn’t fly, Jersey Mike really knows his Asian food- note the sarcasm, and Ceveech sure loves her scallops (maybe we’ll start calling her ‘Top Scallop’ from now on).
It’s finally Fall which means it’s the start of the growing season, and you know what that means-
We’ve recently seen an influx of environmental themed films that deal with what we’re putting into our bodies.
Join the Audubon of Florida on October 23 and 24 in St. Petersburg for the 2009 Audubon Assembly and Dialogue on Coastal Conservation and Climate Change. See below for more information:
Many groups are trying to make their voices heard over the issue of climate change, trying to get world leaders to attend the 
The party went on throughout the aquarium, with
Check out this hilarious clip from the
Screening of Food, Inc.- Friday, Oct. 2; 7 pm. How much do we know about what we eat? How much do we want to know? Documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner explores surprising and shocking truths about the American food industry, and considers what we as consumers can do about it. Showing in the Miller Auditorium at Eckerd College:
(
In May 2007, the city of
Just in case you missed the first run showing of
For their Elimination Challenge, the chefs had to deconstruct a classic dish but keep the same flavors of the original dish. The judges table was very- how shall I put this – bitchy this week. The claws were out with Padma and Michelle and it was no-holds-barred with the critiques to the chefs on the bottom of the barrel this week. It was also great to see Michelle put Toby Young in his place concerning the pronunciation of “paella” (and the city of “Barthelona”).
We all want to save money on energy and utility bills during this time when money is tight. Some people have the misconception that going ‘green’ and putting energy efficient installations in their home can be expensive, but it’s quite the contrary. Why not learn how these solar powered/energy efficient components work and see them in action in homes and buildings around the Tampa Bay area?
Highlights from our Podcast: Angry Brother’s incessant cockiness and whining, Ben Folds (Ashley), really needs a shower, Padma’s “cowgirl chic”, Frenchy (Mattin) makes the judges sick (literally), and Chef Tim Love’s p-p-p-poker face.
Current
Downtown Tampa is going green this Friday by participating in the national event,
According to this press release from
Highlights from our Podcast: We slip into French accents to set the mood, Jeff describes how dirty “Ben Folds” (Ashley) is, the debate over Frenchy’s (Mattin) sexuality and if he has a thing for Jersey Mike, Katie thinks “Ceveech” (Jennifer) and “Angry Brother” (Mike V.) are ‘banging’ out a lot more than dishes, “Jack Black” (Jesse- pictured at right) finally gets set free, and we take a stab at predicting our trifecta for the finale.
The Age of Stupid
For their elimination, the chefs had to cook for 300 airmen and their families at an Air Force base. The catch- they had to use some canned items and their kitchens had no burners, just large ovens and tilt skillets. For some reason, the chefs decided to pair up into teams, even though they were not instructed to. This, obviously, became the demise for a few of them. Highs: The Atlanta “fat kids”, Eli and Kevin (”Redbeard”), pulled off some delicious-looking pulled pork and Southern potato salad and the less hotter brother (Michael V.) did some slab bacon in a lettuce leaf – because bacon makes everything taste better, even salad). Lows: Laurine and Preeti’s dull pasta salad and Michael I.’s (”Jersey Mike”) Greek oil-poached shrimp salad. After not getting why she was in the bottom three again (and arguing about it), Preeti (”Phranc”) was sent packing.








Tampa Bay Green Drinks