Urban · Eco-Chick

Browsing all posts tagged with urban

The Business of Green

The New York Times rocks out a special section on “The Business of Green” today. From climate change to cleantech investing to sustainable design to urban planning, there is 7 pages of articles and approximately 5 pages of eco-advertisments, (including Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth). Turn to the back and lo-and-behold, you have a Wal-Mart advert on “We’re Headed in a New Direction.” Don’t discredit the biggest discount retailer yet. I’ve heard from those working in the belly of the beast some hush-hush eco operations that will be going down in the next few years (outside of the organic food)…

Looks as if the business of going green is in the mainstream. Tune back into Eco-Chick for a special on the future of green investment. An Eco-Chick exclusive!

business, climate change, design, Eco-Chick, Food, mainstream, New York Times, NYTimes, Organic, organic food, sustainable, urban

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

A Coat Check—For Your Bike!

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by Ann Benoit · 03/27/06

As a new Berkeley resident, I’m slowly discovering all the cool things the town has to offer. Just recently I came across Bikestation, a “non-profit organization that seeks to improve the quality of life in urban communities through the development and operation of bike-transit centers and related infrastructure.”

Modeled after European and Japanese examples, Bikestations offer bike services to the community to promote bicycle riding as a clean transportation option. Some of the services include: free attended bicycle-parking, bicyle repairs, bike-sharing, bicycle rentals, and 24-hour bicycle parking depending on the station. Membership is free at most stations, although some charge a minimal fee of $20 a year for all of these great benefits.

Currently there are Bikestations in Berkeley (CA), Embarcadero (CA), Long Beach (CA), Palo Alto (CA), and Seatlle (WA) with plans to open others in Washington DC and Santa Barbara (CA).

bikes, community, Eco-Chick, epa, Europe, Home, model, sport, transportation, urban

Rural Tourism in Catalonia– Not Quite There Yet

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by Jennifer Cross · 03/23/06

Being such a slave to metropolises, I rarely consider entertaining the idea of any type of rural tourism. In fact, I know little about anything rural. According to Planeta.com, an online global journal of practical ecotourism, rural tourism can be defined as a type of travel that “allows travelers to visit areas outside of urban areas.” With that definition in mind, I began exploring what kind of rural tourism exists in Catalonia, the region of Spain where I reside.

I was surprised when I started my research to find that there aren’t a terrible amount of resources available for those hankering to spend some time breathing in the pre-Pyrenees air in a house made of stone while livestock graze outside the window.

John Erceg is the Director General of Engrande, an online booking site of hotels, hostels and apartments including Ruralsi, a site that specializes in rentals of rural houses in Catalonia that start at as low as 10 EUR/ night. John explained that rural tourism has a much stronger presence in France than in Spain.

According to John, following WWII the French government poured resources into marketing rural tourism to help the impoverished French countryside. Spain, unfortunately, never followed suit.

There is no reason, however, why Catalonia, which is attached to Southern France, can’t also have a stronghold on the rural tourism sector. This site focuses exclusively on eco and rural tourism in Spain, although it leaves a lot to be desired. Another site called Top Rural does not offer as many options as Ruralsi. It is a shame, since surely there are travelers out there that would opt for a night listening to cow bells rather than the merrymaking of boisterous tourists on the calles below.

book, Eco-Chick, resources, spa, travel, urban

Karma’s Gonna Get You

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by Starre Vartan · 03/23/06

Since Bush has decided that America is addicted to oil (hmmm…wonder where he got that idea?) his administration is considering a requirement that some of the biggest SUVs meet fuel economy standards for the first time.

According to NPR, “Vehicles weighing between 8,500 and 10,000 pounds have been exempt from the standards. If regulators change the rules, automakers would likely have until 2011 to meet the new targets.”

Cheerleaders (Heart) Hummers!!

Currently, Hummers,Yukons and others are so big that they are not required to follow the pretty lame fuel economy standards that currently exist because they are too big. I guess the original idea was that people would only use vehicles like this for hauling and for businesses. Apparently the geniuses looked out the window and realized that every suburban housewife now has one too. (And there’s even a song on iTunes about the diminutive devil-drivers.)

Interestingly, it is American car companies that will be hardest hit by making the modifications, since they make the greatest percentage of giant SUV’s. The forward-thinking (ha ha) GM is downsizing like crazy in order to stay afloat already. Karma’s a bitch, GM! I, for one, won’t be sorry to see you and your behemoth cars die.