Daily Loaf

Looking for something green-related to do this weekend? Look no further than our own Green Community Calendar.

Ellenton Farmers Market- Saturday, July 25; 8 am – 1 pm. Ellenton Farmers’ Market will be the largest year-round market in florida that specializes in “green” natural, organic and environmentally friendly products that makes for a healthier lifestyle and a better environment. Located just North of the Prime Outlet Mall in Ellenton, Florida (exit 224, Old Exit 43, off I – 75).

People’s Use of Plants Through Time- Saturday, July 25; 9:00 am – 11:00 am. Join us for an engaging ethnobotany class and hike to learn about native plants and their many uses.  Humans have traditionally used plants for food, shelter, tools, and medicine.  Learn about the natural and cultural history of common Florida plants.  Call us for more information and to register.  This program is free and open to the public. Recommended for adults. Weedon Island Preserve- 1800 Weedon Drive N.E. St. Petersburg, FL 33702.

Gulfport Green Market- Saturday, July 25; 10 am-5 pm. Gulfport Goes Green is Tampa Bay’s premier monthly street fair and expo focused on green and healthy living, eco-consciousness and sustainability.  It is a free public gathering in the Gulfport, Florida and welcomes all ages on the fourth Saturday of each month from 10AM through 5PM in the Gulfport Waterfront District.  This July 25 activities will include:computer recycling by the Gulfport Technology Center, clothing swap hosted by LocalShops1.com to benefit Salvation Army, book swap coordinated by Small Adventure Books, green vendors and informational presentations, household battery recycling at The Outpost, Herbalwise offering information on herbal remedies and how to start your own backyard herb garden. Gulfport Florida Waterfront District (Beach Boulevard south of 28th Ave S).
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

TRA’shion Fashion and Art Show 2009 (photos) – The fabulous trashionistas were out in force for ARTpool’s annual TRA’shion Show, and photographer Chip Weiner caught all the recycled green glamour.

Letting go of addictions: Using alternative methods to release addictions of any type- Kelly Rothwell gives us alternative methods such as energetic healing, visualizations and affirmations, that can be used to not only cope with such addictions but to understand the reason behind the addiction and let it go for good.

Living sustainably in Tampa Bay: Dave Starman’s biodiesel fueled car and green lifestyle – The first in a series of profiles, by Jack B., of individuals who are living sustainably in Tampa Bay. This profiles Tampa Bay resident Dave Starman.
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Tabbouleh salad is a quick and simple dish that can be served as a side, used in a wrap, or just eaten by itself. I like to spruce mine up with fresh veggies and herbs, like I’ve done with this recipe. This light and refreshing salad with bright flavors makes for great summer fare.

Tabbouleh is traditionally a Middle Eastern dish used for mezze (appetizer finger food) that primarily contains bulgur wheat, parsley, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. It’s often seen served as dip or in pita bread.
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Looking for something green-related to do this weekend? Look no further than our own Green Community Calendar.

“What’s Transformation?” with Anne Adams PhD @ USF St. Pete- Fri., July 17; 7-9pm. The Essentials of Transformation with Anne Adams PhD. Introducing a Transformational Series presented by USF St Petersburg’s Bishop Center for Ethical Leadership & The Connection Partners Inc. What’s Transformation? How’s that different from change? What we’ve believed to be true isn’t working any more. Stories of fear and greed are giving way to those of generosity and compassion. What’s going on? Gain insights as to what’s behind this global shift. Free event. USF St Petersburg, Davis 130; 140 Seventh Ave South St., St Petersburg, FL 33701.

Ellenton Farmers Market- Saturday, July 18; 8 am – 1 pm. Ellenton Farmers’ Market will be the largest year-round market in florida that specializes in “green” natural, organic and environmentally friendly products that makes for a healthier lifestyle and a better environment. Located just North of the Prime Outlet Mall in Ellenton, Florida (exit 224, Old Exit 43, off I – 75).

Post July 4th Beach Cleanup in the Fort Desoto area- Saturday, July 18; 9 am-12:30 pm. The Ocean Conservancy will be conducting a cleanup on July 18th in the Fort Desoto area.
We are seeking volunteers to assist in removing marine debris from Bunces Pass, Terre Verde and Fort Desoto gulf pier from 9:00-12:30. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to mailto:intern-fla@oceanconservancy.org with your beach of choice. If either beach suits you just let us know or we will place you where is needed.
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this past week:

Reconstructing a historic bat tower in Temple Terrace and how to build your own bat roost- Grant Rimbey investigates efforts in Temple Terrace to reconstruct an historic tower for bats, discusses a large community bat roost he designed for the Florida Bat Conservancy, and tells how you can purchase (or build) your own bat roost for your yard.

Summer Solstice: A brief history- Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, occurs this Sunday- June 21st. Here are a few facts you might not have known about it, from Linda Taylor.

Organics: How to eat well without breaking your budget- With the increase of demand over organic food in the last ten years you would think that a wide range of these products would be easily accessible. Here’s some some advice from Kelly Rothwell on purchasing healthy, organic food in this region without breaking your budget.
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With the increase of demand over organic food products in the last ten years, you would think that a wide range of these products would be easily accessible to most Americans, but this unfortunately is not the case yet. Many of the large companies are beginning to see the need for organic products and are beginning to expand their offerings in an effort to appease these needs. In the mean time, until organics are widely available at an affordable price, what are we to do? I am writing to offer some advice on purchasing healthy organic food in this region without breaking your budget.
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One of life’s great pleasures (especially here in Tampa) and health benefits — coffee has it all. Caffeine, aroma, deep flavors and, to coffee connoisseurs around the globe, coffee is a known as a tonic that prevents diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and cancer. No wonder we hold a fascination with brewing this tasty bean!

Here’s a tip: next time you grab your morning joe, sprinkle a little cayenne on top. Not only does the spice help wake you up, but this pepper is packed with vitamins A and C along with the full spectrum of B vitamins. And taken in tiny daily doses, it can help prevent heart attacks and strokes. Read the rest of this entry »

the Meridians, photo healingfabrics.com

An acupuncture study conducted in Seattle, released this month by the Archives of Internal Medicine, that substituted acupuncture needles with toothpicks to stimulate the meridian points, has acupuncture physicians and other Natural Health practitioners scratching their heads. The study used pointed toothpicks to stimulate the body’s meridian or acupuncture points and the results in pain relief were nearly identical to the cases where acupuncture needles were used.

“This study missed the point, ” said Acupuncture Physician Dr. Christy Giallourakis of  the Center for Oriental Medicine in Tarpon Springs, Florida. ”The problem with Western studies of traditional Chinese medicine is that the person conducting the study has to use experts on the placement of the meridian stimulus so that any results will be accurate.  There are 26 meridians but there are many, many, extraordinary points and these points can be inadvertently stimulated by someone who does not understand the system.”  What is used to stimulate the points has little effect on the outcome of the stimulation. “If you put any kind of stimulation to the point you will have a reaction.”

Acupuncture is based on the energy meridians of the body: these meridians are pathways of subtle energy that connect and compliment every organ and function in the body. Along these pathways is an interconnected system of subtle energy that can interrupt pain or enhance sensation depending upon the combinations of stimulated points. The interruption of pain is an important factor in healing. Read the rest of this entry »

I just heard a talk by Joseph Malki at Tarpon Springs; lots of major players in that town attended and plans are afoot to do some good things with sustainability there. He’s putting on Green Cities in Orlando, May 20-21. It is “an innovative sustainability conference for business, government and community”. If you care about sustainability, this looks like a good thing to go to. I’ll be there. They’re offering free admission to government employees and officials. That’s a serious gesture toward achieving sustainability.

It takes a lot of coordination and cooperation to green a city, but more than anything perhaps, it takes conscious, intelligent design. That’s where permaculture comes in. Permaculture is the science of designing for sustainability. It follows principles of natural law and designs are based on how natural systems work. The result is abundance for everything in the system, with no waste. The cleverness and subtlety of some permaculture solutions must be seen to be appreciated. Though we may not achieve the full elegant and beautiful efficiency of nature with our design – the wings of a bee, the energy production of bamboo, the multiple-dynamic function of an old tree, we can get pretty darn close by working with nature instead of against her. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you green? Words can mean different things to different people. The word “green” seems to be based upon a genuine concern for health; your health, the health of those around you (both near and far) and the health of the planet. This simple concept is a great foundation for your own embellishments if you desire to be green. You might express that concern by recycling, or buying and consuming healthy food. Of course, merely focusing on health can be somewhat nebulous and open to a good deal of interpretation. If your taxes contribute to the deaths of innocent people half way around the world can you call yourself green? How much trash would you have to recycle to make up for the death of small child in Afghanistan? Maybe those questions aren’t in good taste. If you need a happy face on everything find another blogger.

From this architect’s point of view it seems more and more fashionable, marketable, and finally cost effective in terms of building life cycle to build green. I joined the United States Green Building Council (USGBC)a few years back and quit after I found out that they had recently approved some products made of plastic. Somehow that didn’t quite fit into my definition of green. Maybe I was wrong in thinking that we should be more concerned with our carbon footprint. Maybe my studies in homestead sustainability from 35 years ago got in the way. Maybe I was just wrong and uninformed. Anyway, my middle ground was joining the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC). It was more local; I like that about an organization in which I am a member. Read the rest of this entry »

“Ugh, my cuticles are dry!” my Canadian pipefitter boyfriend said over the phone, 3,000 miles away. “I think I need to moisturize.” He has the most rugged job out of anyone I know, and yet he moisturizes daily. Aveeno, he swears by it.

“Now that you’re moisturizing, it makes me want to moisturize,” I said, not wanting to be out girled by someone who pounds steel together in the Canadian cold all day, as I reached for my Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Buttermilk Lotion. “Mine’s all natural.” Read the rest of this entry »

Bill Niman — the man who founded a meat company that brought sustainable, humane and natural meat to homes and restaurants acrosss the country — recently said that standards had changed so much at Niman Ranch that he no longer feels comfortable eating his former company’s meat. Admittedly, some of that may come more from sour grapes than tainted beef.

According to a comprehensive profile of Niman in the San Francisco Chronicle, Niman Ranch was never a profitable business over the thirty years it’s operated. Niman lost virtual control of the company in 2006, when investors came in to stem the losses that were around $3 million. Read the rest of this entry »