Organic In Chicago

Michael Pollan with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show

diane — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:05:01 +0000

Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, was on the Daily Show talking to Jon Stewart about his new book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual.

When asked for one basic rule readers will learn from the book, Pollan answered “This is going to sound weird, but it’s eat food.” Pollan and Stewart go on to discuss the difference between food and “edible, food-like substances.”

more about “Michael Pollan with Jon Stewart on Th…“, posted with vodpod

Work Out for Free at Chicago Parks

diane — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:27:35 +0000

The Chicago Parks District has an offer running this week to help get a head start on reducing that holiday gut (and kick starting your New Years resolution to exercise). January 2 – 10, you can work out for free at any of the Chicago Park District’s 66 fitness centers located throughout the city.

Patrons who extend the complimentary one-week period into a January-March 2010 winter-session membership will receive a free Nike cinch bag, while supplies last.

Check out the Chicago Parks District site for a complete list of fitness centers: www.chicagoparkdistrict.com.

Green Gift-Wrapping Bash in Andersonville

diane — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:14:55 +0000

Green Gift-Wrapping Bash – FREE EVENT!
Friday, December 18 6-10pm
George’s Ice Cream & Sweets, 5306 N Clark Street

Unleash your creativity – give the gift of green – and have fun! eco-Andersonville will host the 3rd annual green gift wrapping bash during Late-er Night Andersonville. The event is free; all you need to bring are your gifts and yourself! We’ll supply a bevy of re-purposed materials that make great gift wrap, plus crimpers, shredders, tape, glue, and lots more. Warm up with hot drinks and treats provided by George’s Ice Cream & Sweets.

Read the details here (PDF)

Brown is Better: The Scoop on Unbleached Coffee Filters

diane — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:50:46 +0000

I’m a huge coffee lover. I start my day with coffee, drink it throughout the morning, and occasionally have the after dinner mug with dessert. I’ve been buying only organic fair trade beans for awhile now. Thinking I was doing my part and doing what was best for my body, I didn’t reailze one crucial factor I was getting wrong: I was still using those white bleached coffee filters. I just didn’t know any better! Consider me schooled, so let me drop some knowledge on you as well.

PROBLEM:
Chlorine used to bleach coffee filters releases dioxin, a poisonous toxin, into your coffee. The EPA says that using bleached coffee filters alone can result in a lifetime exposure to dioxin that “exceeds acceptable levels.” (Yikes!)

SOLUTION:
Look for unbleached or recycled filters or switch to a permanent nylon, stainless steel or gold-plated metal filter to save paper. The good news is that simply choosing the brown filters over the white ones at the supermarket is easy and costs the same! Here are some good filter options:

If You Care Coffee Filters

Unbleached Paper Coffee Filters by Greenfeet

Medelco Permanent Coffee Filter

Organic Tees for Your Greenest Friends

diane — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:02:51 +0000

Need a last minute holiday gift idea for your eco-friendly buddies? Check out these tees, all made with 100% organic cotton and perfect for your “greenest” pals.

PopShops™ affiliate stores

Cupcakes for Cans

diane — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:27:51 +0000

This Thursday, December 17th, Chicago’s Southport Grocery is giving back with ‘Cupcakes for Cans’. Bring in non-perishable food items and get their wonderful, delicious, amazing gourmet cupcakes! One item gets you one cupcake, limit two per person.

All of Southport will be collecting donations for their charities that day. Southport Grocery’s donations are going to the Lakeview Pantry, where they will go to local families in need.

Southport Grocery map & directions

Cow Born With White Cross On Forehead (VIDEO)

diane — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:22:05 +0000

The Buttercup farm in Connecticut had a happy (perhaps divine?) surprise with the birth of their newest calf. The half Jersey, half Holstein calf at this dairy farm was born withs a white cross on its forehead.

His name? Moses.

Track Calories & Manage Meals for Free with Google

diane — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:58:26 +0000

One of the bazillion free services offered by Google, this handy little web-based application will keep track of the calories you eat. You can select from a list of common foods, or enter your own and save it to your Items list for easy retrieval later.

Just enter your desired calories per day, and the app will keep track of how far over or under you are as you enter the foods you’ve eaten. An easy and free calorie counter!

Google Calorie Counter

Andersonville Recycles! New Streetscape Program

diane — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:39:32 +0000

Starting November 1st the Andersonville neighborhood will launch Chicago’s first Streetscape Recycling Program!

The program will install 15 public recycling receptacles throughout the Clark Street corridor, stretching 5000 N. Winona to 5650 N. Olive.

Each receptacle will collect paper, glass, or plastic and aluminum. Recyclables will be picked up by the Chicago Resource Center, a not-for-profit hauling organization on Chicago’s South Side. The Chicago Resource Center guarantees a recycling
rate of 99%.

You can Recycle these materials at the following intersections:

GLASS

- Southeast corner of Clark & Foster
- Southeast corner of Clark & Berwyn

PAPER

- Northwest corner of Clark & Olive
- Southeast corner of Clark between Olive & Bryn Mawr
- Northeast corner of Clark & Balmoral
- Northwest corner of Clark & Berwyn
- Northwest corner of Clark & Foster
- Northwest corner of Clark & Winona

PLASTIC AND ALUMINUM

- Southwest corner of Clark & Bryn Mawr
- Northwest corner of Clark & Balmoral
- Northeast corner of Clark & Berwyn
- Southwest corner of Clark & Berwyn
- Northeast corner of Clark &Foster
- Southwest corner of Clark & Foster
- Northeast corner of Clark and Winona

The program is being implemented by the non-profit Andersonville Development Corporation (ADC).

More at Eco-Andersonville.org.

Easy Recipe Finder for Farmer’s Market Fall Produce

diane — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:06:48 +0000

Sadly the summer farmer’s markets have come to a close here in Chicago, but there are some year round markets like Green City where you can always go to find fresh produce. But what exactly can you make with the sometimes random assortment of this week’s freshest fruits and vegetables?

FRESHFARM Markets has created an online tool that lets you check off ingredients you have on hand and search for recipe suggestions. The page is currently divided into Fall and Year-Round ingredients to anticipate items most often sold at farmer’s markets during autumn.

I experimented with the page and found these tasty suggestions:

Risotto ai Funghi ~ Risotto of Wild Mushrooms ~
Dominic’s Pumpkin-Bread Pudding
Asparagus Soup

Use the FRESHFARMMarket.com recipe finder here.