My Organic Day » Marin

Save California State Parks! Governor threatens to shut down 200 parks

Christine — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:23:48 +0000

Can you imagine the Bay Area without Mount Tam, Half Moon Bay Beach, and Henry Coe? Well that’s what the Governor announced – a new proposal to eliminate state funding for our state park system – which will close more than 80% of the 279-unit state park system. His proposal to cut $143 million from our state parks is 10 times worse than last year’s proposal.

What can you do?

1. Sign the petition from the California State Parks Foundation

2. Donate to the California State Parks Foundation, the only non profit dedicated to advocating for the California State park system.

3. Learn more about the issues and the California state budget.

4. Spread the word!

Planning a green wedding? Hire Vibrant Events

Christine — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 22:59:26 +0000

Last year, during this time, I realized I couldn’t handle the day to day tasks of a wedding while at work. So I made the wise choice of hiring a wedding planner. I looked for a green, environmental wedding planner, and I was able to find one!

I worked with Corina Beczner of Vibrant Events. I liked her style, her background in sustainability, and her ideas. She worked with me for several months before the big day in Half Moon Bay to concoct a green wedding. My wedding had so many green elements in it that it has been filmed by Bloomberg, along with other green wedding vendors like Brilliant Earth. More photos and ideas from my wedding to come!

Stop the toxic spray in San Francisco Bay Area

Christine — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:17:58 +0000

California State and federal government officials plan to spray across the San Francisco Bay Area in order to eradicate the apple moth. According to a recent Chronicle article, “Hundreds of residents in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, where pheromone pesticides were aerially applied late last year, have reported health symptoms, including shortness of breath, muscle aches and sore throats.”

Read more about these issues through a local non profit dedicated against the spraying called Stop The Spray. I signed the petition to stop the spray on Care2 which already contains over 14,000 signatures.

The San Francisco Bay Area has over 90 farmer’s markets

Christine — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 05:06:00 +0000

With summer in full force, check out the San Francisco Bay Area’s 90 farmers market according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The picture above shows organic carrots and other veggies being sold by Calderon Organic Farms of Hollister.

Here is a list of resources from the San Francisco Chronicle to find a farmers market.

SFGate. www.sfgate.com/food/farmersmarkets. A list of Bay Area farmers’ markets.
Planet Drum. www.planetdrum.org/gc_farmers_markets.htm. Information about farmers’ markets and local agriculture.
Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. www.cuesa.org. Information about seasonality and the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
California Federation of Certified Farmers’ Markets. www.cafarmersmarkets.com/search. Information about markets throughout the state.
KQED. www.kqed.org/topics/home/cooking/farmers-markets.jsp. A market guide. =
The Green Gate. www.nrdc.org/greengate/guides/markets.asp. National Resources Defense Council’s Bay Area guide.

Whales in the Bay

Christine — Tue, 29 May 2007 22:50:00 +0000

You may have heard of the two whales that swam all the way from the Pacific ocean via the San Francisco Bay into the Sacramento River delta. Now scientists and crews are on a mission to make sure the two wayward whales are heading back to healthier ocean water in the Pacific. The whales have made some progress returning towards the ocean. Below is a map from the San Francisco Chronicle which details the whales’ journey. Let’s hope for their safe return back into the ocean!

Organic Express, home delievery of organic produce from San Francisco to Los Angeles

Christine — Fri, 11 May 2007 16:37:00 +0000

Yesterday, I received a flyer in the mail by Organic Express, a local organic food delivery service. I haven’t yet tried them, but I noticed some striking differences between them and a normal CSA like Capay Farms or Eatwell Farms. For one, I think Organic Express covers a much larger region, the whole San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles area, unlike the other CSAs I mentioned. This can be good and bad. There is much more selection in their fruits and vegetables than a standard CSA. All of Organic Express’ produce is organic and grown in California. If you are a stickler for local foods, unfortunately they do not tell you where exactly the produce comes from. But I thought pricing was reasonable at $29/box or $39/box per week and you can actually choose what you want in the box, unlike the other CSAs. I think it’s worth a try.

Hodo Soy, an organic, local soy company in the Bay Area

Christine — Tue, 01 May 2007 01:43:00 +0000

One of my friends from high school started a great food company, Hodo Soy Beanery. It’s an all organic, fresh, locally produced soy product company–from tofu, to soy milk, and special textures of soy that you typically can’t find at a market. They sell at farmers markets such as the Ferry Building in San Francisco, the Berkeley Farmers market, the Marin Farmers market and recently in Oakland and San Mateo. I’ve tried their tofu, soy milk and other products and it all tastes very fresh and light.

QUEST, a new KQED series about environmental and science issues in the Bay Area

Christine — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 03:01:00 +0000

I recently started to watch KQED’s new series, QUEST. I love this show–it’s all about the Bay Area and how we are dealing with different environmental and science issues. It’s in high definition and you can download free videos of previous episodes on their website. Some of the ones that I like include: plug-in modified hybrid cars that carry 100mpg, a biodiesel road trip from LA to San Francisco, Earth Day in the Bay Area, green building, and Silicon Valley’s investments in green technology. If you have high definition, definitely check this out. Disclaimer: I am a KQED member, but this is still an interesting show to watch.

Find a green hotel in the San Francisco Bay Area

Christine — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:18:00 +0000

Next time you visit or have visitors coming to the San Francisco Bay Area, stay at a green hotel. What makes a green hotel? Top ten green hotel practices include:

Good Housekeeping and Pollution Prevention
1. Monitor, record and post rates of energy and water use.

2. Evaluate cleaners, sanitizers, paints, pesticides and other chemicals used throughout your facility.

Solid Waste Reduction
3. Buy recycled-content products for the office, construction and remodeling projects.
4. Buy in bulk, whether it’s guest amenities or food for the kitchen.
5. Start a recycling program for trash from guest rooms, the kitchen and your business office.

Encourage Green Practices in both Employees and Guests
6. Provide incentives to encourage staff participation in efforts to “green” the establishment.
7. Institute a linen reuse program in guestrooms.

Conserve Energy and Water
8. Install energy efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs, heating and air conditioning, washers and dryers, and other electrical equipment.
9. Install water conserving showerheads and toilets in guestrooms.

Minimize Food Waste
10. Donate leftover food, amenities and other “extras” to local shelters or other recipients.

Scroll down to see recommendations in the Bay Area from the Bay Area Green Business Program. Some of these hotels also serve organic food.

San Francisco
Courtyard by Marriott
Hotel Carlton
Hotel Monaco
Orchard Hotel
Prescott Hotel
Tuscan Inn

Marin County
Mountain Home Inn, Mill Valley
West Point Inn, Mill Valley
Inn Marin, Novato
Bear Valley Inn, Olema
Embassy Suites, San Rafael
Marin Headlands Hostel, Sausalito

South Bay
Stanford Terrace Inn, Palo Alto
Hilton San Jose and Towers, San Jose

East Bay
Doubletree Hotel, Berkeley
Four Points by Sheraton, Emeryville
Fremont Marriott, Fremont
Courtyard by Marriott — Oakland Downtown
Oakland Marriott City Center
Wyndham Garden Hotel, Pleasanton

Eatwell Farms

Christine — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:09:00 +0000

I was at a book club last week discussion on Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma. One of the book club members was saying great things about Eatwell Farms CSA program after using them for a year, and especially their eggs. Apparently there is already a waitlist for their eggs for CSA members! I wanted to check them out, but they have pick up locations in the East Bay, San Francisco and Marin, but not yet in the Peninsula or South Bay. They also sell at the Ferry Market Farmer’s Market every Saturday. Give Eatwell Farms a try!