Green Options

I must admit, I spend most of my time drooling over clothing, pondering the possibilities of how to achieve the perfect eco-style. Recently, I came across Olsenhaus and my mind has wandered from high-waisted skirts and rock-star dresses to shoes. Not just shoes, mind you, but vegan, sexy, eye-bulging, stomach-fluttering shoes that gave me a kick in my- you know where- pushing me into an unknown territory. A world of shoe obsession.

Let’s not lie to ourselves, you can obviously see the photo above and understand why my heart is swooning.

Summer brings out life’s busy side for all of us, from garden duties to a packed outdoor agenda to sunny social gatherings. But don’t solely blame our modern lifestyle for the jammed summer schedule. Living a busy, abundant lifestyle during the warmer months is completely in flow with living seasonally; the key right now is to recognize and embrace the signs of fall and slow things down.

“Summer signifies a time of high energy, spending time in the outdoors and strong creative and social output,” explains Charlene Torchia, co-owner of Journey Inn, a green bed and breakfast in west central Wisconsin where she and her husband, John Huffaker, lead workshops helping folks connect with seasonal living. “Fall ushers in a time of slowing down, building our energy reserves, reflection and renewal.”

Our food choices play an important role in embracing this seasonal lifestyle. “Eating local and fresh directly connects you with the season,” explains Torchia. “In the peak of summer, our menus focus on raw, fresh items like salad greens or outdoor grilling. The fall crops naturally bring our cooking indoors, with soups and stews simmering on the stove.”

But in today’s 24/7 world, such natural, seasonal transitions can often be neglected. Between the busy, advertising-hyped “back to school” season and the bustle of the holidays around the corner, our fall schedules are often no different than the peak of summer. Here are some tips from Journey Inn to embrace the autumn season and savor the inspiration of fall:

1. Show Gratitude
“Draw inspiration from this harvest time of year and express gratitude, especially for the abundance of food and flavors we’ve enjoyed all summer long,” suggests Torchia.

As a young girl, I was in love with Nancy Drew. Being inspired in sixth grade by Nancy’s sleuth skills I wrote my own mystery (starring myself) and called it, “The Mystery of the Purple Polka Dot Pajamas.” Lizz Wasserman, owner/designer of popomomo, herself inspired, created a fall fashion line with Miss Drew in mind. For some reason, and please correct me if I’m wrong, I think popomomo’s fall line will kick my sixth grade book’s buttocks.

With the Thanksgiving Holiday just a few days away, you are probably focusing on how to have a green Thanksgiving. I have enjoyed reading tips and ideas from around the Green Options network and the blogosphere. Here are some of my favorite green Thanksgiving posts.

There are plenty of ways in which you can get the kids involved in helping you with your Green Thanksgiving plans. I sent mine off to the park with instructions to collect whatever would look great on the table. Watch this video to see what they came up with.

VOTING NOW, is more important than ever, can’t you see? Do you disagree with some of the ads we’ve been viewing? Want to see YOUR voice matter? Learn the issues, and VOTE!

OK, enough shouting, here are some places around the ecosphere to get psyched up about getting to the polls yourself (shown above top to bottom) ~

Alright, when your organization name sounds like poetry about nature you’ve caught my attention, and fall never sounded so lovely:

“Mountains of the Moon clothing is created with the conscious fashionista in mind - those of us who care about the environment and fair labor practices who also want to look good in what we wear. From start to finish, our garments are designed, patterned, manufactured, dyed and tagged (using eco-friendly materials) in the USA in small, 100% sweatshop-free facilities that are family owned and operated. We choose to use eco-friendly materials like hemp, tencel and organic cotton that are known for durability and long-life..”

How do they accomplish such eco-style and sophistication?

Happy Halloween! As you celebrate the holiday with your best eco-friendly costumes, don’t forget to enter the Green Halloween Costume Contest — Deadline: Midnight Tonight!

Though you may not be able to celebrate like Heidi Klum and Seal (above as Eve and the apple), who threw their yearly bash earlier this month, you can still party hard with some last minute D.I.Y environmental Halloween costumes.

This past spring we featured an exclusive interview with Nau, only to discover a week later, to our surprise and theirs, that they would be going out of business… Luckily now, with the backing of Horny Toad, Nau has completely revived its business as unusual! Climbing into fall with functional and fashionable styles, Nau continues to be an inspiration. Their admirable redesigned site highlights the library of collective stories about sustainability, “thought kitchen” blog, “grey matters” and Partners for Change initiatives.

As mentioned by Emma earlier this month Coco Eco is here!

The online preview is amazing. Read more about the launch details over at Organic Beauty View. With cityscape sunsets as the back drop and gorgeously staged styles, the look of the fashion spreads are spectacular. The make-up features courtesy of Future Natural are stunning and vibrant. The ads

As summer rolls into fall and fall goes screaming into winter, one’s culinary palate yearns for the muted flavors of  braises and stews, the consoling warmth of roasts and for me, the comfort of fried chicken. Yes, I said Fried Chicken.

This isn’t your aunt Flo’s fried chicken. Call it Uncle Thomas’ fried chicken - Thomas Keller, that is.

I’ve adapted a Lemon-Brined, Buttermilk Fried Chicken recipe originally published in the October 2007 Food & Wine magazine from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc restaurant in Yountville, California.