The New York Times recently had an article about London Develops a Taste for Eco-Friendly Fare. One of the restaurants mentioned was The Duke of Cambridge, an upscale London “gastro-pub.” It’s standard blackboard usually reserved with names of ales at other pubs- reveals instead a list of the restaurants ethical business practices, including a promise that 80 percent of its fresh produce comes from the “Home Counties.” In place of of a printed menu on each table, diners find a flier providing yet another two pages of Eco-facts about Britain’s first certified organic pub.

There is a new crop of green restaurants around London, run by chefs who may may want to be at one with the environment but also don’t want to limit their customers to vegan fare. We would like to offer a big shout out to these Eco-friendly chefs who are not only working to reduce their carbon footprint but are also trying to expand their business by teaching customers that eating green does not have to be a culinary sacrifice!

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Many  more corporations have green plans in their blueprints! In new Wal-Mart stores, the baseboards and moldings are made of plastic left over from diaper manufacturing. Chipolte, has installed an energy producing wind turbine outside a new store in the Chicago suburbs. A Florida pizza chain called Pizza Fusion reuses the draft from its ovens to heat water!

Another recent participant in the Going Green movement is McDonald’s. A newly rebuilt restaurant in Chicago is crammed with energy and water saving gadgets as varied as high-efficiency appliances, pavement that filters rainwater, and tables and chairs made out of recycled material-it even has a garden on the roof!

We salute all these companies for their Going Green efforts!

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Don’t throw away those Christmas Cards-they can come in handy next year. Here are a few ideas that you might consider:

On the cards where there is no picture-cut them into name tags for presents next year

Cut out pieces of the cards that have great pictures. You can then assemble this collage into Christmas signs for next year-such as making a hanging sign that says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. This is a great family project!

You can make some really great looking bookmarks with your old Christmas cards.

Consider our green Christmas cards for next year or some of our great bookmarks

Hope you all had a great Holiday Season and Happy New Year!!

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Have you heard about the Governments $25 billion dollar auto industry loan program, set up by the Department of Energy to quicken the development of fuel efficient cars? Because it is open to any company with a promise and a plan to make more fuel-efficient cars, it has set off something of a gold rush as firms rush to get a piece of the program.

I’m happy to let you know that we have been selling green products and Eco-friendly products for years and will not be participating in the Government’s $25 billion dollar hand out!

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Low Impact Living has a winner in their Fair Trade Recipe Contest. The contest was to honor Fair Trade Month in October. Check out the recipe for Spiced Cranberry Coffee Cookies and some other tempting recipes. Hope this helps you in your Holiday efforts and feel free to send some of your best samples my way:)

Happy Holidays
Ilan Shamir

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I came across a website called Low Impact Living- a site that focuses on the environment. The site is filled with tips on green projects and products and services. Check out their site and get some great living green tips.

Happy Hanukah and have a great Holiday Season! Now is a great time to check out our selection of green greeting cards! You can help promote green living and help sustainability efforts.

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Reuters has a timely article out on Cutting down consumption at Christmas. Here are some of their suggestions:

Get together as a family, talk to each other about what Christmas means to you, and then design your own holiday.
One of the interesting things about the recession, will be how it might encourage sustainable or responsible consumption” according to Martin Sorrell, boss of WPP advertising.
Re-using old wrapping paper, “re-gifting” unwanted present, and making cards, decorations or presents together with the children are all great ways to celebrate and help the environment.
Greeting cards can be emailed and don’t forget our green greeting cards.
Turn off some of the lights so you can actually see the darkness and the stars.

These are just a few suggestions for you to consider in your going green efforts and sustainability!

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President elect Obama  disclosed his green team on Monday. Dr. Steven Chu was named energy secretary. Obama said his energy appointees will aim to make public buildings more efficient, modernize the electricity grid, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and preserve natural resources. Wow, what an agenda and talk about going green!

We salute the efforts of the new administration and fully support their going green initiative and being good stewards of our environment.

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Many of our customers have concerns about pesticide free foods and now, trees. The New York Times ran an article recently on this subject. Many customers wonder if they can decorate their Fraser fir without getting pesticide residue in their lungs and on their skin. The Times article points out that you are safe if the tree in certified organic by the Departmental of Agriculture. Or if it is certified Naturally grown tree. Here are a few resources for you to consider:

Local Harvest-a national network of local products lists both organic and conventionally grown trees.

Toxic Free North Carolina-lists sources for sustainably grown trees in the state.

Beyond Pesticides-provides sources for organic and naturally grown trees

 Green Promise-a group in Pingree Grove, Ill., that distributes information about sustainable products.

Others, like Yule Tree Farms in Oregon use sustainable practices like planting buffer zones near wetlands and streams and keeping records of pest, diseases and pesticide application!

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