Green Options

With an increasing proportion of the American food dollar going to restaurant fare, no wonder we’re complaining about the high cost of food. Paying someone else to grow, harvest, pack, repackage, ship, distribute, prepare, cook, serve, and clean up adds up to pricey fare. Convenience now ranks the motivator to eat out: I don’t have enough time to cook or eat at home. Talk about a double whammy: We’re paying more and enjoying our [...]

I must admit, I’ve never been much of a fashionista. In fact, if Garanimals came in adult sizes, I’d probably check them out. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but you get my point.

However, I do find the innovations in green clothing fascinating, and for that reason I plan on attending EcoNouveau this Saturday. Billed as LA’s definitive EcoLifestyle experience, the event is a precursor to LA Fashion Week, which begins October 14th.

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Editor’s note: Football season is almost here, so Lighter Footstep’s Chris Baskind shares some tips for greening your tailgate party before the big game. Originally published on August 24, 2007.

Labor Day Weekend is just around the corner — and with it, the football and tailgating season in the United States.

It’s an annual ritual: head out to the game, break out the barbecue, and enjoy an afternoon with friends and family.

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There are several ways you can start drinking green, if you don’t already (chances are you already do.) The next time you sidle up to the bar, ask for a draught beer or a local brew.

Choose draught beer. When you opt for a pint over a bottle, you’re saving on packaging. Draught beers are pulled from kegs and each keg contains around 124 pints, which are normally served in glasses.

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Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls… come right in for another edition of the Greenest Show on the Web: the Carnival of the Green! Fresh off of a stellar performance at Ms. Malaprop, the Carnival’s here at Green Options this week to amaze and delight you. But don’t wait around — the show has a limited engagement here, and then it’s moving on for a stint with our friends at Greener Magazine.

What’s

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Hands up, all who enjoy a good beer from time to time! But what about the energy consumed making and transporting all of those glass bottles and (for the rest of us—who are we kidding?) aluminum cans? Mining the aluminum used for cans is an even more environmentally-dubious endeavor. Sure, everyone who’s anyone recycles. But you can do one better than recycling your beer bottles and cans: reduce the bottles you need and reuse

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Ever since the French monk Dom Perignon searched for the perfect closure for his new sparking wine in the early 16oos, the cork stopper has been a cultural staple that is synonymous with the celebration of opening a new bottle of wine. Since the new millennium, worldwide wine production has become a larger and more popular industry. New wine producing regions are moving towards alternative wine closures, therefore putting the

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If you steer clear of Styrofoam, crave non-disposable cutlery, and believe that beer in plastic cups is a discredit to your pursuit of fizzy-cool hoppiness, never fear. Become a garbage-free gourmand, and even improve your city with a daily dose of activism.

Why avoid disposables? Try getting an Italian to enjoy his espresso from the ridged lip of a Styrofoam cup and he’ll tell you all about the importance of real cups

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What would a trip to France be without that symbol of national identity, that beacon of cultural pride, that epitome of paradox, the very quintessence of French – what would your visit be without wine? Be you a neophyte or a connoisseur, there are countless possibilities for drinking and tasting, relishing and savoring, a great variety of wines from the different winegrowing regions of the country. But how many of them will be organic?

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What’s the connection between dinner parties and polar bears? No, we’re not suggesting that you serve bear. Cooking one large meal with a small group of friends is more energy efficient than cooking several individual meals in different houses. This reduces the greenhouse gasses responsible for Global Warming, a threat to arctic ecosystems.

Interested? Great, let’s get cooking! First, choose your menu options: something delicious that’s easy to make, like spaghetti and (vegan?)

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Are you too cool for school? Do you admire the panache of Dean Martin? Or maybe Carrie Bradshaw is more your style? Either way, Cocktails 101: Sustainable Sips might be for you.

Presented by “nationally-renowned cocktail specialist” Natalie Bovis-Nelsen (who wouldn’t want that job?), Sustainable Sips offers expertise in more than just sustainable ingredients…it’s a primer in alcoholic concoctions. To be held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza’s über-cool X bar,

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