After traveling around in a veggie oil and biodiesel powered “volksvegan” for most of last year, I was eager to have a garden again (not to mention an actual kitchen). It didn’t take long in our small town to find a wonderful non-profit organization teaching organic food production classes and get involved. Before long we were starting seeds in a greenhouse, not quite sure where we’d be planting them when they were sprouted. Luckily, the organization, Noyo Food Forest, was just breaking ground on a new community garden, and we jumped at the chance to get our hands dirty and grow some organic food.

Our gardening experience in coastal Northern California has been quite an experiment. After growing up in the hotter and dryer climate of Idaho, gardening on the coast took some getting used to. But we discovered that with some fertile soil, organic seeds, a few helpful people, and the labors of love, we could grow a bounty of fresh organic produce and community at the same time.

Community or neighborhood gardens are an ideal situation for people like my partner and I that don’t have ideal garden space at home. Our house in the redwood forest doesn’t get much sun, so renting an 8′ x 20′ plot in the community garden just down the road from us worked out perfectly. In addition, we planted kitchen herbs and a few veggies in pots in the few sunny spots in the yard. Seeds were started in Noyo Food Forest’s greenhouse and we used a desk under a south-facing window and a small plant light to keep the seedlings happy until May, when we could plant them outside.

Community gardens come in many forms and sizes, depending on the people who organize them. Luckily for us, the Noyo Come-Unity garden we became a part of was just getting started when we moved here, so we were able to be involved in the process from the beginning. Along with other gardeners, we cleared the land, had dead trees cut down, split up and hauled the wood, had a bonfire with the rest, put up fences and gates, planned out a garden design, built compost piles, and dug in. We all decided to have individual/family plots as well as community beds, where we could grow food for the food bank and other local organizations. We share tools, knowledge, ideas, and general garden chores and each maintain our own plots. Once a week, we have work days where we plan and work on the garden together.

We got involved in the process in February. By mid-May, plots had been assigned, and each family weeded and double-dug their beds to prepare the fertile soil. We learned about compost and organic soil amendments as we got ready to plant. I drew up a plan and bought organic seeds for our plot, and then the fun part began. We transplanted broccoli, mesclun greens, bush beans, spinach, and a few beneficial herbs we had started from seed into neat rows. We got other starts at the local farmer’s market: corn, cabbage, eggplant, squash, brussels sprouts, asian greens, tomatillo, lettuces, leeks, onions, fennel, and cauliflower. And we started zucchini, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, peas, and green onions from seeds. Using the guidelines of some organic gardening books and the back of seed packages, we filled in the garden, watered it, and waited to see what would happen.

As our garden grew, so did the community garden itself. A tool shed was built, and we dug and planted community beds full of herbs, flowers, beans, peas, squash, zucchini, and greens. We painted signs, laid out paths covered with wood chips, and cleared areas that would eventually be a community food forest. We met new people as more folks got involved, made plans to build a cob oven and kids’ play area at the garden, and started planning a drip irrigation system. The garden space went from a bare plot of weeds to a beautiful garden space full of organic food, hope, and love in a matter of months. As it evolves, we learn more and more about growing our own food as well as building community.

Our first harvest from our plot was a large handful of asian greens and a few huge leaves of bok choy. But it was more than a simple salad: it was our first homegrown, completely local, fresh from the garden meal of the spring. It symbolized a lot of hard work and dedication, and it was only the beginning. By June we were harvesting a large salad of mixed greens, spinach, bok choy and radishes every other day. We began re-seeding and filling in the few blank spots in the garden as we harvested. We mulched our plot to conserve water, weeded it every week, and picked fresh produce as we worked. We’re now planning for fall and winter crops. The best part was that none of this seemed like work, not even shoveling wheel barrel loads of compost and manure!

As food and transportation prices rise, more and more people are discovering the health and environmental benefits of organic and locally grown food. The natural progression of this awareness is to bring it back home. I am starting to see a resurgence in gardening, and am happy to witness an era when growing your own food is once again becoming popular and even hip. Whether you have a collection of pots on a sunny patio, a backyard, or a community garden to work with, all it takes to start growing your own food is curiosity, a willingness to experiment, and a bit of dirty work. Growing your own is not only a sustainable way to be more self-sufficient, it’s a lot of fun. There’s nothing quite like that first harvest of fresh veggies picked straight from the earth. So dig in!

Visit Eat.Drink.Better. throughout the year for more adventures in community gardening.

Read more about community gardening

• Urban Agriculturalist: San Francisco Permaculture Guild’s Temporary Gardens on Eat.Drink.Better.
• Could Neighborhood Gardens Lead to More Sustainable Food? on Sustainablog
• Planting Patriotism: Recreating The Victory Gardens For Modern Times on Eat.Drink.Better.

Maybe I’m just a little paranoid, but I don’t tend to trust the megalithic corporations that have so much power and wealth today. So while I see many ad campaigns touting green promises and hear of many large corporations changing their ways, as much as I want to believe them, I have my doubts that many of these companies are truly committed to sustainability. The very nature of our economy leads companies to focus solely on profit and their own growth, at the expense of people and the environment.

Like it or not, we are a society dominated by corporate interests. Of the 100 largest economies, 51 are corporations; the other 49 are countries. Industry (and its lobbies) has an enormous sway on politics, public policy, the economy, our lives, and of course, the earth. As powerful forces in the world, companies are going to have to lead the shift to sustainability. Getting companies to do the right thing no matter what its effect on their bottom line is going to take a major paradigm shift. It’s time for change, and we certainly can’t count on the government to do anything very quickly, so we need business to lead the way.

As socially conscious business owners and ecopreneurs, we need to listen to Gandhi’s famous words and “be the change we wish to see in the world.” It’s time to take the reigns, define sustainability for our companies and boldly pursue it. We can set our own standards if we have to, and then go above and beyond them. We can bring ideas like true cost economics and the triple bottom line to the forefront of business thinking and practice. We can share sustainable ideas that have worked for us with other business owners. We can invest in making our businesses more sustainable and ethical, and we can find ways to make a living at the same time. We can support other sustainable businesses we believe in and purchase fair-trade, organic, sustainably made products. We can market our goods and services by telling the truth about being green, instead of greenwashing. We can run our businesses the way that all businesses should be run: with integrity, responsibility, human dignity, and sustainability.

We can change the world if only we believe that we can. And given the influence businesses have, it’s up to us to create this change. I’m not just talking about switching to recycled office paper, although that’s certainly a good start. The stakes are high and we need massive change to steer us on a path towards sustainability. We’ll have to rethink the way we do business, change minds, and transform society’s priorities. If anyone can pioneer this change, it’s those with entrepreneurial spirit and good hearts.

Calling all conscious ecopreneurs: the time for change is now. It starts with us. Let’s be the change.

Read more about sustainable business:

• Nobody’s Really Going Green – Most Companies Just Pay Lip Service on Ecopreneurist
• The Six Sins of Greenwash… and How to Repent on Sustainablog
• Good Eco Entrepreneurs Don’t Greenwash on Ecopreneurist

My favorite snacks often come from my local farmer’s market, the bulk bin at the co-op, or recently, from my own plot in my local organic community garden! I work from home and am always busy, so sometimes I make them ahead of time on weekends and stock the fridge and cupboards so that I have a quick stash of healthy snacks available to grab quickly. I’ve been known to crowd my desk with small plates of munchies while working. Hey, snacking happens, it might as well be good for you!

So, to the delight of green-minded grazers everywhere, I present my top ten favorite healthy sustainable snacks. As an added bonus, these recipes are all vegan. So dig in.

1. “Ants on a Log”

   No, I’m not advocating eating ants. This has been one of my favorite snacks since childhood. Simple, easy to make, and deliciously crunchy, the old celery + peanut butter + raisins standby can be spiced up a bit by trying different nut butters and other dried fruits, such as cranberries or blueberries.

2. Homemade energy bars

   I originally started making homemade energy bars using a recipe from my old Co-op. Basically, it involves mixing brown rice syrup with almond butter, and balancing those sticky wet ingredients with a sufficient amount of oats, nuts/seeds, and dried fruit. I spread out the mixture into a glass brownie pan, and store it in the fridge. It’s much cheaper and more sustainable than buying individually wrapped energy bars!

3. Soygurt with fresh berries and granola

   I love WholeSoy & Co’s Soy Yogurt. Often the large tubs only come in plain or vanilla, so I make it more exciting with a handful of granola and fresh seasonal berries. Organic raspberries and blueberries are my favorites.

4. A cold, frothy fruit smoothie

   Smoothies take a little bit of advance preparation, but are super-quick to make. I freeze berries and other fruit ahead of time for them (strawberries, raspberries, sliced peaches, blueberries, and bananas all freeze well). Then I add whatever juice I can find in the fridge, a splash of hemp milk or rice milk, a handful of hemp seeds and/or a scoop of hemp protein powder, and a banana. Frozen fruit makes for a very cool, creamy drink, but if you don’t have any frozen, you can add a few ice cubes.

5. Trail mix by the handful

   One of my favorite things about the bulk section of the co-op is all the different kinds of trail mixes. I love inventing my own mixes with different bulk ingredients. Unusual and healthy dried nuts, seeds, and fruit like pumpkin seeds, goji berries and pistachios make a great mix. And sometimes I throw some raw cocoa nibs in there to get my chocolate fix.

6. Fruit leather

   Another snack that requires some advance preparation is fruit leather. It’s basically just pureed fresh fruit flattened and dehydrated, but it tastes like candy. It’s easy to make in a home food dehydrator with fruit leather trays.

7. Freshly picked salad

   I have been lucky enough to start a plot in my local community garden this spring, so lately some of my favorite snacks involve greens and veggies I harvest from the garden. Spinach salad with strawberries and a strawberry vinaigrette is one of my favorite quick salads, and lately I’ve been harvesting and eating bok choy, romaine, arugula, and radishes.

8. Crackers with nut butter

   Crackers are truly one of the greatest foods invented - up there with pizza and the sandwich. They’re portable, crunchy, and completely versatile. I like topping mine with sunbutter (made of sunflower seeds), almond butter, or peanut butter. Sometimes a little jelly helps, too.

9. Tortilla chips and homemade salsa

   I hope to make lots of homemade salsa this summer with the bounty from our tomatillo, tomato, chile, and cilantro plants. My favorite tortilla chips to pair with any dip are the “no salt added” blue chips made by Garden of Eatin’. I’ve heard you can make tortilla chips at home, but so far I’ve been too lazy.

10. Spring rolls

    The other night I made a batch of spring rolls for an appetizer with our Asian-themed dinner. I had the leftovers for lunch today and I’m hooked. The beauty of spring rolls is that you can stuff them with just about anything. I prefer marinated tofu, mung bean sprouts, finely chopped cabbage, fresh mint and cilantro, grated carrots, and itty bitty broccoli florets in mine. If you need a recipe, this one looks yummy. Thai peanut sauce has got to be the best spring roll dipping sauce ever invented.

If you need some extra snacking inspiration, check out the adorable lunch box filler ideas at Vegan Lunch Box or a list of vegetarian snack ideas at iVillage. Happy Grazing!

Related Articles on the Green Options Media Network:

• Seven Eco-friendly Options for Less Junky Junk Food
  on Eat.Drink.Better.
• Green Eggs and Planet: Top 10 Healthy Snacks for Kids on Eco Child’s Play
• Eat Food. Not Too Much. Translated. on Eat.Drink.Better

Photo by jslander on flickr, under a Creative Commons license.

One of my favorite things about using the internet to promote my business is that it’s green and inexpensive (if not free). So online marketing and social networking is a great way to get your name out there without using any paper or creating any trash. A good way to start your foray into the world of online marketing is to first establish a web site for your business. This will often be your potential customers’ first impression of your company, so it will be an important investment in both time and money. Once you have a web site, networking through social media sites is a great way to promote it and drive traffic to your site. Online marketing is a strategy that’s becoming more and more popular among entrepreneurs, and thankfully it is one with minimal impact on the planet.

There are countless social networking web sites out there. The tricky part is narrowing them down to just the ones you’ll actually be able to keep up to date on and those that fits your company’s target market the best. When creating a business profile on any social media site, be sure to share only information you want the entire world to see, and avoid making your profile too personal. You can always create a personal profile as well, just keep the two separate. Once you’ve found a few sites you like, spend some time on the sites and get to know the community before posting anything. Many times, straight marketing pitches don’t do well on social media sites (you don’t want to be labeled a spammer), so keep your marketing subtle and stay relevant to the topics discussed. I find all I really need is to add my web site links to my profile and my signature. Be careful, some sites become quite addicting!

Here’s a brief list of some social media sites that I’ve found useful for networking, bringing in visits to my site, and meeting others in my field or the green market niche.

• StumbleUpon is the granddaddy of social media sites. Install the toolbar to “stumble” around the web, keep track of your favorite sites, and build a following of stumblers. Submitting links to StumbleUpon is a great way to drive traffic to your site.
• LinkedIn is a professional networking site that business owners will find especially helpful. It’s a way to manage and make connections, rub elbows with other professionals, and even find jobs or employees. There are groups within LinkedIn such as Sustainability Working Group that cater to various niches.
• Responsible World Citizen is a niche online network dedicated to promoting social responsibility and sustainability. It’s a community for conscious business owners and ecopreneurs, so I’m sure you’ll fit right in!
• Ning is not really a social networking site, but it allows you to create your own social network, or join one that others have created. So it acts as a hub for themed social networks. A search for “green business” on Ning turned up a bunch of results worth checking out.
• Hugg is the Digg of green. It’s a collection of green news, articles and web sites submitted by the community, so it’s a great place to post your most recent green-themed article from your business blog. Brought to you by the folks at TreeHugger, it’s a great networking tool (and source of green news) for sustainable businesses.
• Co-op America’s Green Business Network is a useful site for connecting with other green businesses. Co-op America offers many additional benefits, such as green certification, a listing in their directory, and many other useful resources, to businesses that become members.
• Don’t forget the Green Options network! From advertising options to the discussion forum, there are a lot of great opportunities to network with like-minded greenies.

There are many more social media sites, from Facebook to MySpace to Digg, that can help you network and bring in traffic to your web site. Many offer groups you can join on specific topics and can be a great place to find potential customers, clients, and vendors. Be sure to look for groups that fit your market niche and industry, as well as those promoting green living and sustainability. With online marketing, it’s helpful to cast a wide net so that links to your company site are all over the web. But as with anything, the more time and effort you put into each social media site, the more you’ll get out of it. So it may be wise to pick a few sites to focus your efforts on. There are definitely enough to keep you busy, the hard part is choosing just a handful and not becoming a complete internet junkie. For some of us, it’s far too late for that!

Related Articles on the Green Options Network:

• Times They Are a Changing: Green Marketing Tips for Eco Entrepreneurs in 2008 on Ecopreneurist.
• Ten Ways to Change the World Through Social Media on Sustainablog.
• PR Tips For Green Entrepreneurs on Ecopreneurist.

I’m not the only one who has noticed this overlap, of course. And rarely have I encountered such a thorough examination of the connections between animal welfare and just about every other issue that concerns me than in the book Why Animals Matter by Erin E. Williams and Margo DeMello.

This well-organized book examines all the areas in which animals are exploited: the meat, hunting, clothing, vivisection, pet, and entertainment industries. Each section of the book offers a detailed look at the history of each industry, how animals are abused, current laws regulating them, corrupt practices each one uses, and what we can each do to help. Interspersed in the book are pictures and stories of animals that have been rescued from the horrible fates these industries had in store for them, offering welcome reprieve from otherwise somber content. Although it’s sad and difficult to get through, Why Animals Matter ends on a positive note, highlighting recent victories for animal welfare and shining light on the road ahead.

Throughout the book, the authors mention not just animal industries’ abuses of animals, but also of people and the environment. The ties between animal welfare, human rights, and the environment—and why anyone who is concerned about one should be concerned about the others—were highlighted again and again. Even though I’ve read several books about animal rights, I learned a lot from Why Animals Matter. I learned about the state of modern hunting, which isn’t so much about conservation as canned hunts, ego-boosting exotic trophies, and throwing ecosystems into imbalace. I read about the age old practice of stealing baby animals from the wild (and often killing their families) for human entertainment in circuses, zoos, and films. I found out the dirty secrets of the meat, dairy, and egg industries. And I learned way more than I ever wanted to know about the horrible abuses of animal testing, breeding, racing and fighting. But what I really came away with from this book was, of course, the idea that animals matter. Not just because they can feel pain and pleasure just like we can, but because their issues are our issues, and they are an integral part of the natural world that we share and rely on.

What follows are some key quotes from Why Animals Matter concerning the overlap between animal issues and environmental ones.

Regarding the environmental damage caused by factory farming: “The Worldwatch institute explains that industrialized agribusiness is a driving force behind virtually every major category of environmental damage now threatening the human future—deforestation, erosion, fresh water scarcity, air and water pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice, the destabilization of communities, and the spread of disease.”

On the meat industry’s impact on global warming: “…the evidence is stronger than ever that animal agribusiness and its use of ever-increasing numbers of animals is among the most serious causes of environmental degradation. A 2006 United Natins Food and Agriculture Organizaton (FAO) report detailed the overwhelming destruction that animal agribusiness poses to the environment…. concluding that farm animal production is a greater contributor to global warming than automobiles and other forms of transportation.”

On wasted resources: “A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that meat production takes 6 to 17 times more land, 4.4 to 26 times more water, 6 to 20 times more fossil fuel, and uses 6 times more biocides than processed soy protein…. We have succeeded in industrializing the beef calf, transforming what was once a solar-powered ruminant into the very last thing we need: another fossil-fuel machine.”

Regarding the pollutants that come along with using animals for clothing: “In addition to the cruelty involved in factory farming and slaughter, leather production has its own environmental problems and public health hazards. The tanning process uses a veritable broth of toxins to prevent skins from rotting…. For every pound of leather, a pound of waste is produced, which can contaminate the air, water, and ground.”

About the connections between animal welfare and other issues: “Whether it’s factory farming, the exotic animal pet trade, hunting of endangered species, or a legion of other kinds of animal exploitation, there are very real consequences to both the environment and other people…. Animal welfare is not only consistent with social justice and environmental concerns, but in many cases, caring about animals actually furthers advancement on these important issues. These movements have so much in common, and so much to fight for.”

While the facts about how we treat animals can be depressing and daunting, Why Animals Matter does not leave the reader in a hopeless state of depression. After exposing the dirty deeds of animal-exploiting industries, each chapter ends with a section on what you can do and offers ideas for creating change. The last section of the book, called “A New Relationship with Animals,” is uplifting and motivating. It focuses on the many advances made recently in the animal welfare movement, and on how we can make choices that have a positive impact on animals, people, and the earth. We do have a choice, and this book makes a case for making compassionate, animal and environment friendly choices without being preachy.

If you’re concerned about the environment, you should be concerned about animal welfare as well. The two issues are very much intertwined, as Why Animals Matter clearly illustrates. While not an easy read at times, it is an enlightening one. This book will allow you to learn the dirty secrets animal exploiting industries don’t want you to know about and start making informed, compassionate choices. You can read more about the book on its web site, read Alternet’s in-depth review for a closer look, or order the book at Amazon.com.

Related Articles on the Green Options Network:

• A Downer Question: Should Food Safety and Livestock Welfare Be Separate Issues? on Eat. Drink. Better.
• Other Books on Food Production: From My Bookshelf on Eco Child’s Play.
• Consider Cutting the Meat Out on Eat. Drink. Better.

Sustainable business models are a rather new phenomenon - there aren’t exactly a slew of entrepreneurs out there concerned with a triple bottom line. So although there are many places you could turn to find a checklist for greening your business, you probably won’t find one that’s an exact fit for your company. The best solution is to define for yourself what it means to be a sustainable business, and make your own checklist of actions and standards to hold yourself to.

Your green checklist will be something that’s unique to your business and industry. Once you have a working list of actions you will take to green your business, green standards for every purchase or decision, and steps you can take to be more sustainable, you’ll have a road map towards a green future.

Start your list by thinking about what it means for your business to be green, which largely depends on your industry and operations. Coming up with a mission statement defining what sustainability means for your business will give you a good jumping off point for your list. Next, think about taking actions in the following areas: compliance with environmental laws and regulations, waste reduction, resource conservation, pollution prevention, and environmental advocacy.

You may want to divide your list into these sections, or into sections based on what you can reasonably accomplish in a given time period, with more sustainable actions to accomplish later on as your level of commitment deepens and you have the resources to try new things. Structure your list in a way that makes sense for your business: as a to-do list, a step-by-step plan for reaching your goals, or as a checklist of questions to ask yourself before making major purchases or decisions. Every item in your list should refer back to your definition of a sustainable business, and help you work towards that goal.

So, for the graphic & web design studio that I am planning to start, I may define being sustainable as not only reducing waste and resource usage in my office, but as communicating about sustainability through my work, and spreading the message through the media that I create and the people I work with. My ultimate goal as a designer is not just to change the way I do business, but to inspire change in others through my work. My definition of being a sustainable business has a lot to do with the type of work that I do. As a communicator, I am in a unique position to create messages that speak to people, spread ideas, and change minds. So my business will focus not only on the usual green business principles, but also on working with clients and vendors with a similar vision, so that together we can create change.

My checklist of actions may include: conserving energy in my home office, hosting my company web site and clients’ sites that I design with a sustainable web hosting company, using recycled or tree-free paper in the office and for printed projects, finding green vendors to work with, seeking like-minded green clients, recycling or disposing of any hazardous materials and electronics sustainably, reducing my use of resources like paper and water, composting all organic materials and food waste, using green cleaning products in the office, offsetting my business travel with carbon offsets, replacing office furniture and equipment with greener options, seeking projects that will allow me to communicate green ideas to the public, and developing a workflow that incorporates sustainable practices. The list can be as long and detailed as you like, but the idea is to make it unique to your business and your goals.

Your list will be a living document, a constant work in progress, and something you use for every business decision, so it’s important that it fits your company well. Once you have a checklist in place, you may want to compare it to checklists prepared by the various green certification agencies. Having your own green checklist in place is one way to get you one step closer to certification, if you choose to go that route. Whether you choose to certify your business as green or not, a customized sustainability checklist will not only show your customers and clients how committed you are to the environment, but it will define your path towards a truly green business. Be sure to share your list and use it as a marketing tool - a well-defined commitment to sustainability can certainly set you apart from the competition.

This article is the twelfth in a series called Green Dreams following my journey starting a green design business. You can learn along with me: read the series introduction, see some green business resources, get inspired, learn how to write a business plan, find out how to name your business, learn why sustainability should be a part of your planning from the beginning, avoid commuting by working from home, build green business practices into your daily workflow, work towards a paperless office, get certified green, and stock your green office! Stay tuned for more every other week on starting a green business!

Related Posts on Ecopreneurst:

• 10 Business Practices that Reduce Your Footprint
• Desperately Seeking Certification
• Times They Are a Changing: Green Marketing Tips

Photo credit: I took this picture on a recent trip to MacKerricher State Park.

Redwood Sorrel, not to be confused with the also edible garden sorrel, has a tangy, lemony flavor that is a great accent to salads. One thing to note, however, is that is should only be eaten in small quantities, because it contains oxalic acid that can disrupt digestion in large amounts. Since it’s a bit on the sour side, you probably won’t be tempted to overdo it anyway.

Wild harvesting has deep historical roots but is rarely practiced today. There are many wild plants that can be eaten, but be sure to consult a book such as The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America or Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants for proper identification and tips on where to find and how to use your wild harvest. Harvesting wild plants from your own neighborhood is about as local as you can get, so it’s a very sustainable practice. Just be sure to do your homework to find out if the plants you seek are threatened or endangered before harvesting, and leave plenty of the plant behind, taking only what you will use right away. Don’t gather plants near roads or other possible sources of contamination. In the case of Redwood Sorrel, the stuff literally covers the ground under the redwood trees in my yard, so it was certainly easy to get a small and sustainable harvest.

Redwood Sorrel makes a great ground cover for shaded areas. It produces beautiful clover-like leaves with three heart-shaped sections and white to pink flowers in spring. It grows wild on the Pacific coast from central California to British Columbia, and here in Mendocino county, California, it’s definitely in season and in abundance!

With a handful or two of Redwood Sorrel collected, I invented a tangy salad with a variety of contrasting textures and flavors. I used all organic ingredients (of course!) and look forward to making more of this salad soon with the spinach I recently planted in my community garden plot. This salad is extra green and nutritious since it’s vegan, but if you’re not up for the adventure of homemade vegan “feta,” regular feta cheese will work as well. Enjoy, and happy harvesting!

Tangy Redwood Sorrel Spring Salad

• 2 to 4 cups spinach or other greens (depending on how many people you’re serving)
• 1 ripe organic mango, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 1/3 cup or so of tofu “feta”
• handful of sprouts of your choice
• handful of wild harvested Redwood Sorrel (rinsed well)
• 1/4 cup or so of pine nuts, cashews, or any nuts you fancy
• For the dressing: 2 parts lemon juice, 2 parts olive oil, and 1 part pure agave nectar

Make the tofu “feta”. You may want to do this ahead of time, as it will keep for several weeks. Rinse the Redwood Sorrel and greens, and allow to dry.

In a large bowl, combine spinach, diced mango, “feta,” sprouts, nuts, and Redwood Sorrel. Gently mix.

This salad is really good on its own, but if you’d like, you can make a simple dressing by combining lemon juice, oil, and agave nectar in a jar with a lid. Shake dressing ingredients to mix, and serve with the salad.

Related Posts:

• Lovin’ Fresh: Fiddlehead Ferns
• Seasonal Blogroll: Ramp Recipes
• Lovin’ Fresh: Eggless Sorrel Quiche Recipe

Whether you’re working from home or from a downtown high-rise, you can conserve paper, reduce energy use, and produce less waste by keeping the environment in mind for all your office purchases. In this article, I’ll share ideas for stocking your green office and sources of green office products.

Sustainable Paper Options

After trying to reduce your company’s use of paper as much as possible, it’s still inevitable that you’ll need paper to keep on hand at the office. Thankfully there are many green paper options available that don’t involve cutting down a single tree. Even your local office or stationery store probably carries recycled paper. Don’t forget to look for recycled or tree-free envelopes, notebooks, file folders, and even post-it notes as well as your standard copy paper. There’s just no excuse for using virgin paper when there are so many tree-friendly types available. You can order bulk supplies online from many retailers as well. My favorite source for everything a green office might need is The Green Office. In addition to extensive paper choices, they offer all kinds of green office products from furniture to phones to ink.

Office Furniture

When it comes to furnishing a new office, it’s a good idea to start with what you already have. Do you have any old furniture collecting dust that could be re-purposed into a desk or filing cabinet? It’s economical and eco-friendly to buy used whenever possible, so hit up your local yard sales! A coat of low-VOC paint can turn any old piece of furniture into a new fixture color-coordinated to your office. A DIY project can also be a great way to make your office a little more “you.”

If DIY is not your thing or you’re just not finding what you need second-hand, there are many green furniture companies to fit your office needs. Check out The Green Office’s furniture section, IKEA (many of their products are surprisingly green), or modular, 95% recycled pieces designed by Ecowork. And while it may look professional, I don’t recommend a plush leather office chair. There’s some pretty nasty chemicals that go into making leather, not to mention a considerable amount of cruelty.

For ideas on green building materials and inspiration for the interior design of your new office, head on over to Green Building Elements.

Clean and Green

Every office needs to stay clean, and it’s easy to be green and clean with sustainable cleaning products. Seventh Generation and Ecover make a wide variety of cleaners for any purpose, but it’s even easier (and much cheaper) to make your own cleaning products. Green cleaners help maintain a healthy indoor air quality, which is better for you and the planet. Another way to green your office cleaning is to use re-usable rather than disposable cleaning products. Instead of one-use wipes or dust cloths, keep a stock of organic cotton cloths or even old rags for wiping counters and dusting. They can be washed and re-used over and over, saving landfill space and trees.

When it comes to office supplies, there’s no shortage of green choices. And they may be as close as your nearest office supply store. Just make sure to look for a high percentage of post-consumer content in recycled materials, or the use of rapidly renewable materials such as bamboo in office furniture. And if the store doesn’t have many eco-friendly options available, bring it up and let them know that discerning customers demand greener products.

Happy shopping!

This article is the eleventh in a series called Green Dreams following my journey starting a green design business. You can learn along with me: read the series introduction, see some green business resources, get inspired, learn how to write a business plan, find out how to name your business, learn why sustainability should be a part of your planning from the beginning, avoid commuting by working from home, build green business practices into your daily workflow, work towards a paperless office, and get certified green! Stay tuned for more each week on starting a green business!

Photo credit: K Christner, via Flickr and Creative Commons.

Since I’m trying to start a graphic design studio, I started by searching for a green certification agency that specialized in creative services. It seems that many of the certifiers lack standards for service-based businesses, as most focus on products. The only design specific green “certification” that I found was the Design Can Change Pledge, a voluntary pledge for designers who commit to move towards sustainable practices. The site includes many ideas for going green as well as a great introduction to what sustainability in graphic design means, but doesn’t offer certification for green design businesses. As of yet, there’s no LEED for the graphic design industry.

I broadened my search and found several options for green business certification. Many of the certifiers listed focus more on products or specific industries, but as green business certification gains momentum, I’m sure that their focus will be broadened. In addition to certifying businesses, many also offer directories for consumers wanting to shop green and other opportunities to promote member businesses to consumers. Here’s a run down of several certification options for green businesses:

• Green Seal is an independent non-profit offering certification for green businesses according to scientifically tested standards that they have created for different industries. Currently their standards are limited to several product categories, but more are in development.
• Co-op America is a non-profit membership organization that offers a Green Business Seal of Approval for green businesses and a green business directory for consumers. They certify businesses from any industry that complete a screening process to determine their commitment to social and environmental responsibility.
• Bay Area Green Business Program is a partnership of local government agencies and utilities that recognize green businesses in San Francisco and nine surrounding counties. They consult with a wide variety of businesses to help them go green by following environmental regulations, meeting organization’s standards, and committing to conservation and green business practices.
• MBDC Cradle to Cradle Certification certifies products on varying levels of sustainability and environmentally intelligent “cradle to cradle” design. Certification is limited to products based on the tenets outlined in the book Cradle to Cradle.
• National Environmental Performance Track is a member program offered by the US EPA. It is a private-public partnership recognizing facilities with environmental management systems and continuous improvement in sustainability. It is geared mainly towards the manufacturing industry.
• Green Business Alliance helps businesses integrate environmental stewardship into their everyday business practices. Businesses recognized in their program “greenify” their operations according to a list of guidelines. A portion of their profits from this program are donated to green causes.

Certification by any of these agencies usually involves meeting their idea of green as defined in their standards. Member businesses gain the credibility of being certified by an independent agency, and many programs offer placement in their consumer directories and other advertising opportunities. Usually certification comes with some cost, and many are geared towards specific industries and business types. So it may not be a good option for all businesses. Whether you decide to certify your business as green or not, it is always a good idea to back up your claims of being green with your own definition of what it means to be a green business, as well as a list of actions you are taking to become sustainable. Consumers are increasingly demanding accountability for green claims, so even if you don’t have certification to prove your commitment to sustainability, it’s a good idea to clearly define green standards for your business.

This article is the tenth in a series called Green Dreams following my journey starting a green design business. You can learn along with me: read the series introduction, see some green business resources, get inspired, learn how to write a business plan, find out how to name your business, learn why sustainability should be a part of your planning from the beginning, avoid commuting by working from home, build green business practices into your daily workflow, and work towards a paperless office. Stay tuned for more on starting a green business!