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

Non-Plastic "Tupperware" — It Actually Exists

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by Ann Benoit · 04/07/06

Like many people, the idea of non-plastic “Tupperware” was until recently— an urban legend to me (much like inexpensive, attractive and comfy shoes). I’d heard of people who owned the fabled goods, but had never actually seen it myself or knew where to buy it.

On a mission to find out, I discovered that although not as ubiquitous as Tupperware, non-plastic food containers do exist! These products will long outlast their plastic counterparts and won’t warp, stain or absorb odors the way conventional plastic containers do. Plus the concerns many people have with plastic leaching into food isn’t an issue.

My favorite glass container set is Pyrex’s “10 Piece Storage Set with Lids”— the lids are really durable (think: no leaking of soup into your work bag) and since they’re Pyrex, they can go in the oven/microwave for reheating (although I’d remove the lids). Plus the set is pretty reasonably priced ($20 for 5 containers w/lids).

My other new non-plastic favorite for transporting leftovers/lunch is ReusableBags.com’s “Stainless Steel Vacuum Food Jars/Containers” which hold almost 2 cups liquid/food. They’re the perfect size to fit in a bag (less bulky than the glass ones) and keep the contents hot/cold for long periods of time. Plus they’re made of low nickel content stainless steel, which is safe for liquid/food exposure.

Amazon, bags, eating, Eco-Chick, Food, garden, Home, lunch, plastic, shoes, soup, sport, treehugger, urban

OBEN is OPEN (in Barcelona)

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by Jennifer Cross · 02/07/06

The 100% recyclable placemat at my table read: “El primer restaurant amb tots els plats 100% ecologics de Barcelona.” For those that don’t speak Catalan, that means: “First 100% organic restaurant in town”

Continuing with my series exposing every organic resource available to eco-chicks passing through Barcelona, today I lunched at OBEN (Organic, Biologic, Environmental, Natural). Based on my placemat, I was expecting an organic meal, though I wasn’t expecting the meal to be in the sleek, modern restaurant that it was. Further – and also surprisingly — the ambiance lacked toes peeking out from Birkenstocks, and instead featured ties peeking out from suits.

During lunch time in Spain, the menú reigns. Lunch is typically a meal consisting of a first and second dish, dessert, a bottle of wine and bread. An average menú in Barcelona is 8EUR. OBEN’s happened to be 9.95EUR — not exactly a price for those traveling on a shoestring.

El menú, however, was extensive, offering five choices for each dish (not all are vegetarian). I opted for the amanida d’ esparrecs (asparagus salad) to start, the spaguettis amb bolets (spaghetti and mushrooms) as my main dish and a very unimpressive crep d’ albercoc (crepe with jellied fruits). The portion sizes were small (to be expected in Spain), but the service was quick and attentive (not to be expected in Spain). The food was tasty and not too filling, making it a menú worth the extra few euros. (There are two locations for OBEN)

Go There: Restaurant OBEN ; Via Laietana, 28 08003 Barcelona
                                                                                      Call: +34 93 295 50 69

Go There: Restaurant OBEN Torrijos, 53 08012 Barcelona
                                                                                      Call: +34 93 237 37 13

Eco-Chick, Food, fruit, fur, lunch, Organic, restaurant, shoes, spa, style, Tea, travel, vegetarian, Wine

Droolworthy Shoes

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by Starre Vartan · 10/05/05

These shoes are hot.

And animal free, as are their bretheren.

According to the MINK site, “MINK Shoes are custom designed and hand crafted from only the finest quality non-animal products. By non-animal MINK Shoes means it uses materials found in nature but not rendered from any living thing. Rather, natural or scientifically engineered alternatives such as cork, pleather, denim, linen, faux fur and other animal friendly substitutes are employed. Leather, suede, pelts and skins are never used.”

Hot, but not cheap. These puppies cost between $500-$600 a pair.

denim, design, fur, leather, shoes, skin

Welcome to Eco-Chick!

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by Starre Vartan · 10/04/05

Eco-chick is design and style’s eco-home on the web. We are dedicated to finding the stuff that makes life fun and has a minimum impact on our mother Earth. While we have a woman’s perspective, all are welcome to contribute. We hope that you will find accessible ways to make your home and self fabulous, from source to finish. It’s a simple principle; every object has a life cycle, whether it be a bar of soap, a take-out container, an energy bar, a pair of shoes or a loveseat. It was somewhere before you got it, and it will go somewhere else when you’re done 0r gone. Just because you can’t see it before or after you buy it/use it/eat it/love it doesn’t mean you’re not responsible for it. We’ll show you how.

design, Eco-Chick, Energy, Home, shoes, soap, style