Daily Loaf

Here are some wonderful ways to green your festivities by starting a few planet friendly holiday traditions this year.

Here are five ideas to get you started:

1. Wrap it up. Think outside the wrapping paper aisle! Reuse old paper or make your own keepsake pieces with stamps and other art supplies. Borrow from Japanese culture and create a furoshiki, or traditional Japanese wrapping cloth – a beautiful scarf or embroidered towel can make a stunning and reusable gift wrap.
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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:

City of Seminole recycling and sustainability discussion - A local activist held a discussion on recycling and sustainability at the Seminole Community Library on Monday, November 9.

1890s Ybor City: Green and sustainable (plus vintage postcards) – Grant Rimbey explores the green and sustainable nature of pre-urban renewal Ybor City.

BPA in plastics linked to aggressive behavior in children – Did you know that exposure to the BPA in the “bad” plastics has been linked to aggressiveness in children, as well as other diseases in humans?

Energy systems 2.0 – We are currently in an energy crisis, yet continuing to rely on old, out-of-date systems of provision that are no longer viable, economically or ecologically.
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A great opportunity crossed my path when Jamie Trahan from the USF Clean Energy Research Center called. As a local green builder, she thought I could help her search for homes to feature on the 14th annual ASES National Solar Tour being held across the country on October 3rd.

Sadly, I informed her although I researched installing solar on our super energy efficient homes, I couldn’t find a way to make it work. Our mission is to build sustainable and affordable. We went with a gas fired tankless hot water system. Yes, it is natural gas, not a renewable, but still better than a traditional water heater sapping electricity around the clock. I know everyone can relate to waiting for water to come from the tank to your shower and up to a comfortable temp, wasting gallons upon gallons of water in our already deprived region. Tankless saves money and almost more importantly, water. Would I have preferred solar? Damn straight I would, future homeowners of our Ec0-Craftsman would have benefited from a zero energy home, but solar is caught in a conundrum of sorts. There’s not the demand to spur mass production, which leads to lower costs while at the same time, there isn’t the mass production leading to lower cost which would spur demand.
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“There can be no real happiness until the soul finds its peace.” -Dadi Janki; Administrative Head, Brahma Kumaris

Everyone in the world I know is either in the pursuit of peace or happiness or both.  Welcome to my post, dear readers, which is going to be all about the pursuit of sustainable happiness. 

I would like to give a brief synopsis of why and how I’m using the word sustainable in this context.  Just like green-related sustainability, it means a lifestyle that attempts to reduce our dependency on the Earth’s natural resources. Sustainability in relation to happiness here is used to denote something that is generative, something that will complete us and not deplete our energy levels, something that would inspire us to be better and, hence, more whole. 
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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:

St. Petersburg College’s new Natural Science, Mathematics and College of Education building is certified LEED® Gold- St. Petersburg College recently announced that for the second time in as many months, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded LEED Gold certification for one of its new campus buildings.

Best of the Bay of the Day: Best organic smoothie- Believe it or not, algae and bee pollen add up to a delicious drink called the Spirulina Power Buzz. Read this to find out where to get one.

Tips to improve gas mileage (and save some green)- Do you have a lead foot or drive an inefficient automobile?  Here are a few simple tips to improve gas mileage and save a bunch of green!

Living Sustainably in Tampa Bay: Darren Brinkley, owner of REAL Building- Brinkley is the owner of REAL Building and home that he built for his family in St. Petersburg is the first home in Florida to achieve the LEED for Homes Gold Rating.
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Having grown up on the beach, I learned that I could never completely shake the sand out of my shoes.  I am forever imprinted with a stong connection to a shoreline. I was thrilled to discover the lastest project of one of my favorite websites – Treehugger.com.  They have introduced Blue August – a month long dedication to the water on our planet.

With water covering more than 70 percent of the globe and yet drinkable water in precious short supply, this is a most timely topic to dive into. You will discover the magnificent beauty and horrifying destruction of the lifeblood of the oceans – coral reefs. They take us on an in-depth look at marine life, water purification, rivers, and everything associated with impacting our beloved beaches.
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When I seek out ingredients, I make an effort to find good-quality local items. Sometimes that means eggs and greens that travel fewer than 20 miles to get to me in the Florida panhandle. Other times, when something is not available on a truly local level, I try to find it regionally (usually Florida, Georgia and Alabama).

It isn’t always possible, but when I have a choice I buy local. That helps the local economy and uses fewer resources to go from farm to table. It also makes me focus on buying items that are in season, which is when they are the least expensive and taste the best.

For me, local buying is easy when it comes to seafood. It’s abundant in the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay. Local buying has also worked well with cheese, honey, vegetables and meats. One of the meats I buy are ranch-raised rabbits from Seely’s Ark in Ocala. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Living with the land: Florida’s first Earthship (video) – Eric Stewart gives a firsthand look at Florida’s first Earthship in Manatee County, and gets his hands dirty while helping out.

Not getting a million-dollar bonus this year? Think local stimulus- Scott Milinder shows us a real stimulus package that will work for us: we all commit to “Buying Local First.” According to recent economic studies, shifting your buying habits to locally owned businesses creates more circulation of money, more economic activity and more jobs in the local economy.

Eco-friendly summertime fashion accessories- Are you searching for a unique and beautiful purse to enhance your summer wardrobe? Then why not consider one of these recycled handbags that are made from recycled items that help to promote a cleaner and healthier world, reports Jen Meier.
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As you’ve seen from a post earlier this week in the Green Community, Florida is getting its first Earthship. But what exactly goes into making an Earthship and what makes it so energy efficient and eco-friendly?

Not only do Earthships utilize solar and wind energy (for heating, cooling, and electricity), they are made completely of natural and recycled items and are built to harvest their own water, have contained sewage treatment, and their own built-in gardens so inhabitants can harvest their own food.
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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:

Celebrating Independence Day or creating environmental disaster? – Kelly Rothwell looks at the littered aftermath of Fourth of July celebrations and wonder why, instead of giving back in celebration of their freedom, people decide to light off fireworks, leaving mass amounts of debris in the water and on the beach.

Local Food: Dinner in, and from, the garden at Gateway Organic Farm – Chef Gui Alinat gives information about Gateway Organic Farm’s next “Dinner in the Garden” event, an incredible local foods experience featuring nine Bay area chefs.

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St. Petersburg College now offers a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Sustainability Management. The program provides relevant and specialized training in:

- Energy and environmental management
- Sustainable enterprise planning
- Sustainable business strategies
- Triple bottom line management
- Resource management
- Sustainability in the natural environment
- Green construction and urban planning
- Legal aspects of sustainability
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Quivira Vineyards and Winery in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley is not only an organic vineyard and farm, but also a biodynamic one as well, producing sustainable vineyards and crops. They specialize in varietals known to excel in the Dry Creek Valley, such as Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc and small lots of Rhone Varietals. Quivira also has their own farm, where they supply local markets with fresh, organic food. “Biodynamic farming practices help create healthy porous soils which allow water, gases and nutrients to penetrate deep into the soil strata. This fosters strong, wide, deep root growth that enables the vines to absorb elements from the soil and transfer them as flavors to the fruit.”
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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:

Steps to becoming greener: Reducing your waste, reusing and recycling: Joshua Poll gives some useful tips for ways to start reducing, reusing, and recycling things you thought you could just throw away.

Genetically engineering cows that will produce less methane, reducing greenhouse gases: Geneticists in Canada are trying to engineer a cow that produces less methane, resulting in less greenhouse gases, reports Brian Roberts.
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This article started out as a way to explore pollution caused by the fashion and textile industry, but quickly became focused um, er…elsewhere…

TheDailyGreen is (gratuitously, fortunately) rounding up a list of designers and companies that are using sustainable business models and practices to help reduce the very large impact the textile industry has on the environment.

More natural materials such as chiffon, hemp, and organic cotton are being used, along with unexpected items such as bamboo and recycled materials like rubber from tennis shoes are all being made into hot, hot, sexy lingerie by designers all over the world.  All in the name of saving the planet, of course.
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This post is partially a retraction and a correction. I have reported previously on how cow farts are filling up the atmosphere with greenhouse gas emissions in the form of methane. Apparently, its not the gas from the tail end of the cow that’s the problem. Its the belching. My bad.

Either way, it sounds like a premise for a bad episode of Captain Planet and a chain of visual images that eventually ruins lunch.
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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:

The Derby Darlins have a successful first green event with T.R.E.E. at Little Bayou Park- Michelle Schenck reports on the roller girls from the Tampa Bay Derby Darlins‘ tree planting event last Saturday in St. Petersburg, an effort to offset all of the carbon emissions from their travels.

Let’s transform this ‘domination culture’ into a ‘partnership culture’ (Videos) – Eric Stewart asks: Is this the America we are handing over to our children? One thats main concern is violence and domination of the world? This government was put in place for the people: do the people want 60% of our taxes going to support defense? Why can’t 60% of our taxes go towards supporting education, renewable energy, as well as redoing the social net so that every human being in our country has their needs taken care of?
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As we look back on the traditional wedding month of June, many couples are extending their lifestyle commitment of sustainability to their day of exchanging vows. As we know from experience, weddings can be an extremely wasteful event. There are certainly different shades of green but here are some wonderful ways committed partners are lessening their impact on our battered earth.

Invitations are sent via e-mail. This reduces transportation costs and the raw material to make the paper.

Attendees are asked to dress casually so that the temperature of the facility can be set degrees warmer, or the ceremony and reception are planned outdoors in a tree-filled park.
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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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The greening of our community starts with you. Here is a brief outline of 12 things you can do immediately to live smarter:

1. Turn your food scraps and yard waste into compost to replenish your starving soil.

2. Start a worm bin, worms eat food waste (garbage) and turn it into nutrient rich, organic soil.

3. Collecting and use rainwater, graywater and air conditioning runoff to water your plants.  Also, conserve the water you use by being conscious when you have the water running. Read the rest of this entry »

Nowdays, everyone is jumping on the ‘Green’ bandwagon, including the sex toy industry. More and more adult stores are offering eco-friendly relationship enhancement products” to help Mother Earth and offer non-harmful product alternatives(and probably boost sales by following the trend).

VibratorShopping.com, a reputable online retailer of adult products, now features an entire green line, and claim to be “one of the industry’s pioneers in the ‘Go Green!’ initiative.” Not only are they selling ‘eco-friendly’ vibrating and non-vibrating toys, they also offer a glass collection, natural lubricants, and 100% phthalate free (a harmful type of plastic) products. “Phthalates are currently being investigated for causing cancer, harming the reproductive system as well as harming the planet.” (Associated Content) Read the rest of this entry »

If Magnus Larsson, a student of the Architectural Association in London, has his way, he’ll combat the encroaching Sahara desert and provide green refugee housing simultaneously. The ambitious plan turns sand into sandstone by using microbes to eat the sand and output a solid surface that can be shaped into any structure needed.

While there is already a plan being carried out to plant more vegetation in the soil, Larsson’s proposal provides much more than just a simple green line. It will serve as more of a structure with the purpose of creating not only a habitat for the trees and vegetation, but for the humans who could live and take care of them. This seems to be a win-win scenario for many of the African nations involved, not only in preventing their nations from turning into Sahara sand, but also providing a more comprehensive solution than simply planting migratory trees.

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The first time I visited Urban Oasis Hydroponic Farm was about a month ago, right at the tail end of a tiring and grueling semester at culinary school. The class load had been light, but the “real life” load hadn’t. The air was warm and already feeling like the first hints of summer. In Florida, it seems, we only have two seasons: summer or fall, maybe a week of winter occasionally. It was that unusual time of year when the nights are cold and the days are hot. Just a few more hours and it would be the weekend. My mind was thinking about other things, most certainly not a farm.

My classmates and I were going to the farm as part of a field trip for one of my culinary classes. The last one, technically. I am wrapping up my time at The Art Institute of Tampa and this was the final class in which I would be cooking in a lab setting. The instructor was Chef Paul Kennedy and the class was called “Art Culinare’,” which focused on the finer points of executing presentation and the study of great chefs. We also discussed the value of insisting on fresh, quality ingredients.  Each week, Chef Kennedy reminded us of these ideas as they were reflected in the theories of chefs such as Alice Waters, Charlie Trotter, and Thomas Keller, just to name a few. The theme was evident in each discussion, lecture, and suggestion the chef made to us. Read the rest of this entry »

Broccoli here, aka John K. I am not going to start a rant with my first blog, but I can’t take CNN anymore (or FoxNews, for my righteous right wing friends out there). Frankly, they both constantly blather on about more jobs lost and how politicians can’t figure out where to stimulate the economy (anywhere, please).

So, my partner, Eggplant and I feel the crunch. We are in the hospitality industry and yup, it is tough right now. I will NOT give any of my money to a commercial fast food operation though.  It is inconceivable to me that in this downturn Mc (insert expletive here) Donalds is posting a profit. Read the rest of this entry »

Argentina used to be one of the world’s final outposts of incredible beef, largely raised in the pampas grasslands and herded by those colorful gauchos. Not any more. Where have all the cowboys gone?

Like many South American countries, the rise in grain prices — particularly soybeans — due to bio-fuel demand, has caused Argentina to start converting it’s arable land into industrialized farms.

According to Reuters: Read the rest of this entry »

I love Alice Waters as much as the next worshipper of good food and local ingredients, but she’s best as an inspiration. An icon of a movement. Whenever she gets her hands dirty trying to foment grassroots change in the way America eats, Waters comes off a bit lofty.

She’s in DC this week with a cornucopia of big name chefs to try to get the word out about keeping it local. How? $500 dinners cooked by the chefs in the homes of Washington’s power elite: Read the rest of this entry »