>> The NRDC says we can cut US emissions by 1 billion tons per year (15% current annual emissions) via simple steps — like putting in CFL bulbs. Find out what they are by clicking over — then pat yourself on the back for already doing them, if you’re like the average green LA girl reader.

>> For good news about the environment in California, read Environment Now’s Top Achievements of the Environmental Community in California (PDF) to see what happy things happened in the last year. A ban on dirty trucks at the ports and a a new law to make existing plan more energy efficient are among the achievements. Unfortunately, land use, open space, and smart growth initiatives experienced more setbacks than successes.

Photo by Adam

Earlier this year, Nestle’s Kit Kat made green headlines by announcing its bars in the U.K. will be made with fair trade chocolate. Now, Kit Kats have been making headlines again, this time for combining that ethical chocolate with very environmentally destructive palm oil.

Greenpeace has launched a campaign, with an unsubtly altered Kit Kat logo that declares Nestle a “Killer.” Why? Nestle “uses palm oil from companies that are trashing Indonesian rainforests, threatening the livelihoods of local people and pushing orangutans towards extinction.” Those unethical palm oil companies includes Sinar Mas group, Indonesia’s largest producer of palm oil, whose practices are so destructive that even Kraft and Unilever have cut ties with the giant.

Nestle, however, has stuck with Sinar Mas, thus prompting the Greenpeace campaign. I’m guessing whatever inroads Kit Kat made into the eco-ethical chocolate market with its fair trade sourcing announcement will be derailed by Greenpeace’s efforts, which include a disturbing short video that shows one Kit Kat eater ending up with orangutan blood all over his face.

Have a break? from Greenpeace UK on Vimeo.

Kit Kats aren’t Nestle’s only products named and shamed. Nestlé’s Crunch, CoffeeMate, and PowerBar are among other products orangutan fans should avoid. And this isn’t the first time Nestle’s gotten in trouble for destroying rain forests in Indonesia. Back in 2007, World Wildlife Fund reported that Nestle — along with some other companies — was buying coffee illegally grown in habitat for endangered tigers, rhinos, and elephants.

Nestle’s penchant for using one attention getting green ingredient like fair trade chocolate for a few token products while continuously sourcing its many other ingredients with little regard to environmental or ethical concerns shows me that that ethical consumers make the best shopping decisions by looking at a company’s overall ethical sourcing practices, not just certification for an ingredient or two in a couple products.

Earlier:
>> Sweet Earth Chocolates: Decadent desserts with an eco-ethical center
>> LUSH gets orangutan-friendly with Jungle soap

Image via Greenpeace

I’m sad to learn about an online eco-fashion boutique only as it’s closing, but Camilla Boutique’s last sale will still be an eco-fashion treat. Plus, green LA girl readers can get free shipping on their fashion finds!

For spring parties, get a gorgeous blue Sublet Caitlin Dress — made of organic cotton and rayon from bamboo — for $100 (left, originally $210). Going on a spring safari? Try the organic cotton Loyale Thorpe Jumper, yours for $50 (middle, originally $152). Men can get the organic cotton perfect-for-a-beach-party Peligrosa Amalfi Short Sleeved Shirt for just $60 (right, originally $128).

Browse now, since deals on those items and other green brands like Linda Loudermilk, Olsen Haus, and Kate Quinn are limited. Use the code “FREESHIPPING” (minus the quotes) when you check out for free shipping.

Photos via Camilla Boutique

Your nearby community supported agriculture (CSA) program and farmers’ market let you enjoy fresh local eats while supporting your local economy. But if pickup times or market hours just don’t work with your schedule, an organic produce delivery service can fill the gap — and have you trying out new fruits and veggies too.

The Fruit Guys is one handy organic produce delivery service. I’ve written about the The Fruit Guys’ fruit delivery service — a healthy alternative for office snacks — a while back, but the company has since added a weekly home delivery service that brings California fruits, vegetables, and other yummy treats grown within 100 miles of San Francisco to the doorsteps of California residents!

My slim suitcase-sized box arrived with a burst of fresh produce — plus a bag each of California-grown beans and raisins! A one-sheet guide to the produce (also available online) let me know where all the produce came from. My meyer lemons, for example, came from Redwood City, navel oranges from Springville, and blood oranges from Pauma Valley. Most of the produce — including the rapini, curly parsley, and shallots — came from Coke Farm in San Juan Bautista, while the delicata squash were grown by Blue Moon Organics in Aptos.

The backside of the one-sheeter — made of post-consumer recycled materials, of course — had recipes for penne pasta and steamed artichokes and shallots that sounded delicious — though my lactose intolerant self couldn’t handle the creamy, cheesy dishes. But I made do, deliciously, by making baked delicata squash, parsley-heavy tabouli, and a garlicky rapini dish.

The delivery was delicious, relative locavore-friendly for me, and of course, convenient. The one downside, however, is the packaging waste. While The Fruit Guys will pick up the 75 – 100% post-consumer recycled content boxes for reuse in the San Francisco Bay area, Southern Californians aren’t so lucky, and have to toss them in the recycling bin along with the paper padding used to cushion the produce.

For this reason, I’ll personally stick to the L.A.-based delivery companies that will let me reuse my box — but will miss the yummy extras like the beans and raisins in The Fruit Guys’ deliveries, as well as the strong commitment to California-only produce. If you live in the Bay area — or in other California towns that don’t have local organic produce delivery services — I highly recommend trying The Fruit Guys.

A regular Fruit & Veggie Case delivery (pictured) from The Fruit Guys costs $32; a small case (16 servings) is also available for $24. You can also pick from all fruit and all veggie cases for the same prices. Set up a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly delivery — or just try out the service with a one-time delivery.

Earlier: Organic fruits and veggies, simplified.

Natural health guru Andrew Weil has many eco-foodie fans — myself among them, especially because of the tasty Chocolada Walnut Pure Fruit & Nut Bar from Weil by Nature’s Path Organic. And last weekend, I had a lucky opportunity to hear Andrew Weil speak at The Organic Center’s 7th Annual V.I.P. Dinner in Anaheim, Calif., sharing his thoughts on what we who care about organic agriculture should focus on to push the movement forward.

green LA girl readers already know many of the benefits of organic food — both for human health and the environment. Behind a lot of the scientific research that establishes the many scientific benefits of organics is The Organic Center, a nonprofit that works on peer reviewed scientific studies on the benefits of organic farming. Because of its valuable work, The Organic Center has many, many fans among eco-luminaries and green businesses — which is why everyone from Ken Cook, head of Environmental Working Group, to Margaret Wittenberg, global vice president of quality standards and public affairs at Whole Foods, to Gary Hirshberg, CE-Yo of Stonyfield Organic, came to the dinner to celebrate — and raise money for — the Center’s work.

Andrew Weil was the keynote speaker, who talked about how to address some of the misinformation and bad studies about organic farming that have been reported on the media — like a study that claimed organic foods aren’t any more nutritious than conventional foods:

I do in fact believe that plants grown organically do produce higher levels of key antioxidants and other phytonutrients. But the most important fact about organic food which was not addressed in that British medical journal article is what it’s not giving you. It’s not giving you toxic agrochemicals. And that’s what to focus on.

When you show a slide to the general audience showing the list of toxins found in the umbilical cord blood of average babies, that makes a strong impression on everyone. And when you can show research that, if you put babies and infants on organic foods, those levels come down in the tissues and the blood, that is very dramatic and powerful…. That’s what we should focus on….

So I would urge the people who are doing the scientific research in this area to work on documenting those differences rather than trying to focus on nutritional advantages of organic products at this stage of things…. That’s what will advance this movement at the present time.

Not everyone at the dinner agreed with Andrew Weil’s perspective. In fact, Charles Benbrook, chief scientist for The Organic Center (below) spoke later in the evening defending the Center’s scientific research into the nutritional benefits of organic food.

Of course, Andrew Weil did make it clear that he was talking about what types of research might be most beneficial for the organic movement at this moment. While there’s certainly room for research in all aspects of organic farming, I tend to agree that right now, those who haven’t yet embraced organic foods will be more likely to be convinced to do so by learning about the perils of pesticides than the pleasures of phytonutrients — making scientific research on the former a quicker and more effective way of getting people to switch to organic foods.

But perhaps some people are indeed more convinced by nutrition research than pesticide research. What made you decide to eat organic?

Today’s freebie is a copy of Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy, Non-Toxic Cleaning — a book written by Jeff Hollender, president and chief responsibility officer of Seventh Generation itself, along with Geoff Davis.

Lest you think Naturally Clean’s simply a bookish infomercial of sorts for Seventh Generation cleaning products, rest assured that the book’s really about cleaning green and keeping your home free of unnecessary environmental dangers. In fact, you’ll be happy to know that Naturally Clean provides a bunch of make-it-at-home-on-the-cheap cleaning product recipes!

You also get tips for cleaning up indoor air, learning which ingredients and products to avoid, and finding out what the 35 greenest cleaning products on the market are. Yes, many Seventh Generation products are on this creme de la creme list — as are products from Life Tree, Ecover, Bi-O-Kleen, Earth Friendly, and more. Unfortunately, the list’s rated only for safety, not effectiveness — but at least you’ll have a well curated list to begin your search for the greenest and most effective cleaners.

Longtime green LA girl readers already know green cleaning will improve your health; switching to green cleaners has certainly helped reduce my allergy attacks. Naturally Clean’s short chapters will give you a quick grasp of the history and current status of conventional cleaning products, and a handy glossary will give you definitions of chemicals and other ingredients you may have wondered about.

Comment by Tuesday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Wednesday (more info on freebies here). US addresses only.

Earlier: Green cleaning made cheap and easy

>> The fourth annual Green Lifestyle Film Festival promises a weekend of inspiring eco-themed films, healthy food, and creative entertainment. Experience it all from March 19 – 21 at the James Bridges Theater at the University of California, Los Angeles.

>> Come learn and talk about pedestrian-friendly streets, healthy livable communities, economic development, and more at the 2010 LA Street Summit: Biking, Walking and Beyond. The summit’s free, and happens Sat., March 20, 10:30 am – 5 pm at  L.A. Trade Tech College, 400 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles

>> Take a FREE tour of LEED Platinum certified homes in Santa Monica. Santa Monica has 6 of about 150 LEED Platinum homes in California. During this tour, the architect or owner of the homes will answer questions about sustainable features and the green building process. The tour happens Sat., March 20 from 10 am – 3 pm. RSVP required on Eventbrite to get a map of the homes.

>> See green fashions on the runway at the The Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show, which will benefit Green Youth Movement, a student-run organization with the goal of eco-educating teens. The show happens Sat., March 20 starting at 1 pm at Sunset Gower Studios, 1438 N. Gower, Los Angeles. Cost: $25.

>> TreeHugging Day II — with a public group tree hug and tree hugging march — happens Sat., March 20 from noon to 1 pm at Palisades Park at Ocean Ave. and Colorado Ave., Santa Monica.

>> Take a class called “The Native Plant Garden: An Artist’s View” with Andreas Hessing, artist and landscape designer, who’ll help you “explore a personal approach to landscape design that incorporates artistic expression and practicality with green construction strategies.” The class happens Sat., March 20 from 1 pm – 3 pm at The G2 Gallery, 1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice.. Cost: $30 ($25 for Theodore Payne Foundation members). Call 818.768.1802 to register.

>> Learn from a free seminar, Secrets of Growing Delicious Heirloom Tomatoes, in time for the tomato season. The free class happens Sun., March 21 from 9 am – 10 am at the Ocean View Farms Community Garden’s’ 6th Annual Tomato-bration in West L.A. on S. Centinela at Rose Ave.

>> See a free screening of Tapped, an eco-documentary about bottled water, preceded by a new film from Surfrider Foundation and followed by a presentation from Marcus Erikson of 5 Gyres. Part of the Venice Green Film Series, this event begins Sun., March 21 at 7:15 pm at Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Ave., Venice.

>> Volunteer for the Orange Line bike study, happening March 24 and 27. According to Metro’s blog The Source, “Volunteers will survey bike riders, walkers and car drivers who utilize Orange Line park-and-ride lots. Volunteers also will count bike and pedestrian trips on the Orange Line’s bikeway.”

Photo by swanksalot

1. Ban the can. Already got a reusable water bottle free of bisphenol A — a.k.a. BPA, a chemical lining linked to everything from sexual dysfunction to heart disease to reproductive problems? Then you’ll want to avoid canned foods — since almost all cans are lined with BPA. Here’s how to get the cans out of your kitchen without making grocery shopping or cooking more difficult.

2. Don’t nuke plastics. Even plastic containers labeled “microwave safe” have been shown to leach chemicals, so stick to glass and ceramic containers when using the microwave.

3. Avoid toxic Teflon. Teflon offgases toxic particulates — including carcinogens and two global pollutants — at high temperatures. In fact, Dupont — maker of Teflon — has  agreed to pay a $10.25 million settlement to the U.S. EPA and to virtually eliminate perfluorinated chemicals — a.k.a. PFOA, or the stuff used to make Teflon — but not until 2015. For now, it’s up to you to eliminate Teflon from your kitchen.

4. Nix the wrappers. Guess what — PFOAs are found in fast food wrappers too, from pizza boxes to burger wrappers to popcorn bags. Cook more to avoid these disposable, potentially cancer-causing food encasers — and you’ll create less waste too.

5. Know your syrup. Think high fructose corn syrup gets a bad rap, considering it’s not all that much worse, health-wise, than sugar? Well, aside from generally being made from genetically-modified corn and unnecessarily sweetening up pretty much every kind of food you can think of on the cheap, a lot of high fructose corn syrup’s tainted with mercury.

6. De-process. Do partially hydrogenated soybean oil and corn syrup solids make you drool — especially when packed together with imitation mozzarella cheese and artificial butter flavor — and spiked with distilled monoglycerides and L-Cysteine hydrochloride? You’ve eaten all that — if you’ve nibbled on Hot Pockets. Get frightened into eating better by reading ingredient lists.

7. Eat not ammonia. If you’ve watched Food, Inc., you know that a lot of factory farmed beef  gets treated with ammonia in an effort to kill the E.coli that gets into these cheapo meats. Unfortunately, this ammonia treatment isn’t actually all that great at getting rid of E.coli. So stop eating factory farmed beef.

8. Drink not pus milk. If you’ve seen The Corporation, you know many cows get treated with rBGH to produce more milk — milk with pus and blood swirled in, since rBGH causes udder infections and other illnesses. Plus, the hormone’s linked to birth defects in cows — and even worse, facts about the hormone’s effect on human health have often been suppressed and massaged. Avoid these risks by opting for organic and local milk — whether from cows or beans or grains.

9. Say no to drugs. Thoughts of putrid meat and pus milk making you feel ill? Then you can understand why the factory farmed cows and other animals used to make these products  often are ill, literally. Yet instead of improving living conditions for these animals so they get better (or don’t get sick in the first place), big ag companies pump future food full of antibiotics — a practice that’s helping to create new, super bugs resistant to antibiotics. For your own health, only eat meat you know to be free of antibiotics.

I actually tend not to be motivated by fear — especially long, daunting lists of fears. In fact, I fear that long lists like these can make people give up on eating better or living greener and head over to their nearest chain fast food joint to eat burgers tainted with ammonia, hormones, and antibiotics — doused with mercury-tainted high fructose corn syrup-sweetened ketchup — all handily encased in a carcinogenic wrapper.

Which is to say: If you’re about to declare pollution nihilism, take a deep breath and simply go towards what you do want to eat instead of worrying about what you shouldn’t. The list of chemicals and scary stuff above is frightening — but most can be avoided simply by supporting your local farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture programs, and nearby health co-ops.

Of course, if the list above makes you feel empowered to take actions to improve your health, by all means, make use of the list. In fact, you may want to read a whole book that’s kind of scary, but empowering for environmental health advocates: Slow Death By Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things. Eat well this spring!

Photo by celeste343

Better public transit usually means earlier Transportation Freedom Days — which made me wonder why Orange County celebrated its day on March 5. The reason: Modeling transportation costs is complicated. Here’s the methodology.

>> L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa’s 30/10 plan seeks to fast track transit projects, building projects currently scheduled to take 30 years in 10 years — by getting money to build faster. Explains Metro’s The Source:

His 30/10 plan seeks to build a dozen transit projects in the next decade by supplementing the Measure R money with a federal loan guarantee or other finance mechanism. A loan would be paid back with Measure R revenues.

Here’s the 2-page document outlining the 30-10 plan and the projects included in it. The plan hasn’t been approved by the Metro Board yet, but all projects in the plan were approved by the Board in the Long Range Transportation Plan in October. According to LA Daily, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer is behind the plan. So is Treepeople founder Andy Lipkis, who often takes the bus.

>> As expected, a group called Neighbors for Smart Rail sued the Expo Construction Authority, claiming more environmental studies need to be done before proceeding with extending the Expo line from Culver City to Santa Monica. Streetsblog LA has the group’s full 26-page petition; the more Expo-friendly group Friends 4 Expo says the the lawsuit “seems broad-brush and unsubstantiated.” Expo Construction Authority’s responded with a statement, which basically says its environmental study’s just fine and the project will be defended. Earlier: Expo Line project rolls forward to connect Culver City to Santa Monica.

>> Bikeside LA’s mapped LAPD’s bike-car collision data! The blog only has a few preview pieces of the map up now, but invites you to visit next week for more. (via Metblogs LA)

>> In other bicycle news: A big group of Angelenos attempted to cycle up Fargo Street’s 33% incline. Many succeeded. Also, blocking bike lanes with cars and trash cans is illegal.

Image via calpirg.org

I’m really a coffee girl, but lately, I’ve started drinking a cup of tea at noon as a pick me up — and have come to realize I’ve been missing out! For the eco-ethical tea drinkers in search of a new brew, here are my favorites:

For the gourmet tea snob

Zhena’s Gypsy Tea’s line of biodynamic green teas are about the tastiest teas out there — and are organic, fair trade, and biodynamic certified to boot! I recommend the rich and fruity Caramelized Pear blend.

More locally, Beverly Hills’ Art of Tea offers delicious and beautiful loose leaf, bagged, and blooming teas. I enjoyed a tasting a few years back. Most are organic and many are fair trade certified (some blends just don’t make use of ingredients available through fair trade) — and come in scrumptious flavors like Banana Dulce and Blueberry Cheesecake. Find them at SoCal Whole Foods — or pick from a bigger selection online.

For bargain seekers

Choice, Equal Exchange, Numi, Zhena, and Traditional Medicinals all make affordable fair trade, organic teas. Co-opportunity has good selection from these brands, but many can also be found at Whole Foods and other stores.

Taste-wise, my favorites are Numi’s Puerh teas and Zhena’s herbal teas — but keep in mind that these teas, while yummy, don’t compare to the more expensive luxe teas mentioned above.

For mate drinkers:

Guayaki Yerba Mate makes rainforest-expanding tea — since the company’s business model allows for sustainable agriculture that maintains and restores rain forests.

Guayaki’s a member of the Fair Trade Federation, and its yerba mate products are all organic certified. Get it by the bag at the Co-op or Whole Foods — or invest in a whole pound of loose leaf yerba mate for just $12.

For cool thirst quenchers:

Fair trade and organic bottled tea’s now easy to find, since Honest Tea got bought by Coca-Cola and started popping up even at gas stations. I like Honest Tea, but love the taste of Numi organic bottled Puerh teas even better — and also recommend Steaz Teaz (to get caffeinated), Guayaki Lemon Elation (to get mate’d), and Adina Holistics (to not get wired) — all reviewed here.
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Last but not least for eco-friendly tea drinkers on the go: Libretea’s a handy reusable tea infuser-mug that lets you enjoy loose leaf tea wherever you go.

Photo by mat.teo