Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

ICI NYC Party!

2 Comments

by Starre Vartan · 01/29/06

I had a fabulous time at the first ICI NYC party last Wednesday, Jan. 25th at Libation. Everyone from the Manhattan green scene was there, from magazine editors and publishers to designers, stand-up comedians with a green schtick, models and PR flacks. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves immensely, and it was fantastic to see that eco-conscious green lifestyle products (and thinking) are hot and getting hotter. This was definitely not a sandals and patchouli crowd:

There was free Organic Vintners wine, organic Orange V vodka, and Green and Black’s chocolates.

There will be future events, so add yourself to the mailing list at ICI NYC so you don’t miss the next one! See more pics of the party here.

Thanks to Remy C. for linked images.

design, designer, designers, Eco-Chick, Events, magazine, Manhattan, media, model, models, NYC, Organic, party, style, summer, Wine

Attention Caffeine Junkies!

5 Comments

by Starre Vartan · 12/28/05

If you drink coffee (about 50% of Americans drink it every day, and 80% quaff it sometimes) you should know where it comes from. (and hey, now it’s good for you, so go ahead!)

The exhaustively researched cover story for the Nov/Dec Issue of E/The Environmental Magazine, “Grounds For Change” covers the coffee industry, from small fair trade outfits to Starbucks.

There’s three labels to be concerned with if you care about people, birds and the health of the earth: organic, fair trade and song-bird friendly. To make your life easier, if your coffee is organic, chances are it’s fair-trade and good bird habitat, so you don’t need to go nuts looking for triple-certified brew. Besides the labelling, organic coffee just tastes better. For the last few weeks I’ve been sipping on Equal Exchange’s decaf and it is the best decaf I’ve ever had! (I know, I know, decaf, I ‘m a weenie).

This is why: “Coffee grows best in tropical highlands,” explains Chris Wille, the Costa Rica-based chief of the Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Agriculture Program. The bushy plants are maintained at a height of six to eight feet. After the seeds are dried and hulled, they become green coffee beans. A mature coffee plant generally yields about a pound of roasted beans per year. According to Connecticut-based roaster Coffee-Tea-Etc., “Every step in the process from climate and growing conditions, genetics of the tree, to the final brewing methods affect these natural chemicals. Each of these factors affects the distinct taste of the final brew.”

‘This is what shade-grown coffee looks like. Integrated with the forest, it makes a better tasting coffee.’

‘This is what coffee that\'s grown in the sun looks like. Monoculture alert!’

There are also some excellent sidebars to the article, including one on where to find this good-for-us-all brew.

agriculture, birds, Bush, car, coffee, Fair Trade, habitat, health, junk, magazine, Organic, Plants, rainforest, Starbucks, sustainable, Tea