http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents Where it Pays To Buy Green. http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/332 Welcome to my beauty column! We will devote this space to a different product category for the month, be it body wash, nail polish or bath salts. We’ll let you know which brand outshined the rest in the categories of safety, environmental responsiveness, packaging, practicality and results, so that you can make informed choices about what you slather on, dust on and lather up with. This month we review exfoliators… Green Living http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/331 As the New Year is well underway now, some New Year’s resolutions are slowly dissipating from people’s plans, as others are taking permanent residence.If hitting the gym six days a week didn’t work out for you – no pun intended – why not vow to be greener instead, and re-vamp your house into a more efficient, green machine? It’s possible, even if you just change some little things, from room to room. Green Living http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/330 What do Ryan Gosling, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Deschanel, Alicia Silverstone and Ed Begley Jr. all have in common? No, they aren’t starring in a new movie together. They all sent a letter to the CEO of McDonald's, Jim Skinner, asking the company to establish a 100 percent cage-free purchasing policy for their egg suppliers. Entertainment and Media http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/329 It’s the little things we so often toss away that have true, meaningful and lasting value. Things like glass; shards of waste that, when turned anew, bring new splendor to the world. General http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/328 Big news and a decision materialized on Wednesday in Washington D.C.! After months of protests, petitions and people exercising their rights to free speech, the State Department recommended that President Obama decline the Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. Finally, in the face of favoritism, the subtle-as-a-sledgehammer rhetoric from Stephen Harper and Big Oil, President Obama has made one strong leap into a future for clean energy, and for now ensured that the tar sands stay where the are – buried deep in the earth in Alberta, Canada. Bill McKibben, the driver behind 350.org and the White House Tar Sands Protests from late summer, likens Obama’s actions as David vs. Goliath. But when you look a little closer, this decision looks less like winning a fight with punches, and more like a technicality. Green Living http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/327 If you’re passionate about sustainability, how about taking the first step…in your kitchen? Around Thanksgiving, the Accidental Locavore read an interesting Op-Ed piece in the New York Times, Thanksgiving Thrift: the Holiday as a Model for Sustainable Cooking. The focus of the piece was to emphasize that the one thing we look forward to the most during the holiday season, are the leftovers. Food and Dining http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/326 Last month, in the first of this two-part series we learned about the evolution of ”Field To Fork,” a model Public-Private Partnership in Charlotte, North Carolina among Fuel Pizza ,the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, the Mecklenburg County Health Department, and Charlotte Green. Field to Fork started in the 2009/10 school year with five pilot schools and has since expanded. Lucky classes are selected to plant “pizza gardens” including tomatoes, bell peppers, spinach, basil, and oregano, and receive nutrition, gardening and cooking lessons from the project team members. Plants are started in a greenhouse in January and transplanted to the school gardens in March. The culmination of the program is a field trip to the local Fuel Pizza restaurant where pre-conceived notions of what vegetables taste like are shattered. Food and Dining http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/325 Generally within cities in the United States, the built environment is responsible for 1/3 of greenhouse gas emissions. In New York City specifically, buildings create 75 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions and are responsible for 85 percent of water consumption. Environmental Regulation and Policy http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/323 Good ol’ Kris Kringle did his magic again 'last' year and brought me all that could fit under the tree. But not everything I wished for was so fitting. Instead, during this time of reflection and hope for a happier new year, I’m going for the big stuff – intangibles. Let’s see how well 2012 will top 2011 if these come true.. Green Living http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/322 Make a New Years Resolution for your home and update your wall décor to reflect the life you want to lead in 2012! Wall art is to a room what lipstick is to an outfit: It's the finishing touch that adds that ever-so-important dash of personality and pizzazz. There's no better place than the walls to infuse a bit of your personality and a little drama into a room -- the opportunity for creativity and experimentation is endless. The best part about wall art is that it can evolve and change over time! You can switch it up, and play around with size, scale, color and placement until you find a look that works for you and your home. And most importantly, you often don’t need to go out and buy new products…you can “shop at home” for items to repurpose as aspirational wall art. A few things to keep in mind when creating a new plan of action for your walls: Green Living http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/321 This month we review mineral eye shadow… If you haven’t at least tried a mineral cosmetic, you have got to get to a makeup counter pronto! They are hot. And there is good reason. “Mineral makeup absorbs oil and allows the skin to breathe,” explains Marnie Godfrey, Manager of Aesthetic Services for Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Plastic Surgery. Personal Care Products http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/320 This is Part I of a two-part article on a model Public-Private Partnership among a small independent chain of pizzerias, a school district, a county health department, and a local greening organization, all working together to make learning about healthy eating more fun. Congress was the butt of late night jokes last month when headlines reported that tomato paste on frozen pizza counted as a serving of vegetables in federally subsidized school lunches. But what if pizza, one of the favorite lunchtime foods of the American youth, could really be made healthy, and deliver an education in nutrition at the same time? Food and Dining http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/319 In honor of this celebrated season of gift giving (and the time when, in the U.S., we generate an extra one million tons of waste each week compared to the rest of the year), we’re diving deep into trash and its more fashionable sides. Trash, after all, doesn’t have to be trashy. Clothing and Accessories http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/318 Each year, in the U.S., annual trash from gift-wrap and shopping bags totals 4 million tons. From Thanksgiving to New Years Day, household waste increases by more than 25 percent. Added food waste, packaging, shopping bags, bows, ribbons and holiday cards - it all adds up to an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfills. It’s pretty clear that something needs to be done to reduce this extra holiday waste. Green Living http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/317 Which one of these are not what they seem? A: honey B: apple juice C: fish D: all of the above*. In recent weeks the Accidental Locavore has been surprised, but not shocked (too cynical?) to read that fish are commonly mis-labeled, honey is filtered so no pollen remains and apple juice contains arsenic (and not the um, good kind). The culprit with apple juice and honey seems to be China, and the FDA doesn’t have the means to enforce regulations on any of these three products. Food and Dining http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/316 Hugh Jackman may be starring in “Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway” on the Great White Way, but he’s shining in a green way as well. Hugh Jackman is partnering up with Barry Steingard and his son, David Steingard, to launch Laughing Man Worldwide, a charitable coffee brand. That’s right! The man everyone knows as Wolverine, now wants to be known for fair-trade coffee and his charitable super powers. Green Living http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/315 Full kitchen renovations are glorious, but laborious, processes. Before taking the first steps to clean out the existing space, many things must be considered. Do you hire a company to rip out the existing cabinetry, countertops and appliances? Do you do it yourself? What do you do with everything when it’s pulled out? Green Living http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/314 Festive, fabulous and fashion meet in three simple holiday looks. Whatever your style, your budget or your day (and night), we’ve hand picked pieces for spreading good conscious and good cheer, in style. Green Living http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/313 DIY is not as inexpensive as some might think, and the truth is that it's often not as easy. Please don’t let this first sentence deter you. A structural engineer and a former professor of mine at the University of Florida used to say, “Many people are scared to learn new things, new programs, new technologies, but I am not.” Not the wittiest quote ever, but a valid statement nonetheless. Green Living http://www.ecoplum.com/gcontents/view/312 The Keystone XL pipeline, TransCanada’s proposed 1,700 mile pipeline from the Alberta Tar Sands to the Gulf of Mexico, got a little kick in the pants from President Obama last Thursday. Obama said that not only will he make the final decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, but he also is personally going to examine the route, especially because of the public outcry in Nebraska. Hurrah for the President (and hurrah for Nebraska)! This statement came right after the State Department Inspector General announced an investigation of the State Department’s conduct and motives during the environmental review. Environmental Regulation and Policy