Heart of Green

Eco Med Spa Opens

Who can’t use a little bit of pampering in today’s modern life?   The only thing better than a spa is an eco-spa.

Tomorrow in San Francisco’s Union Square, the talk of the town will be the opening of the first green medical spa in the country – the Epi Center eco Med Spa. This oasis in the big city has actually been in existence for a remarkable 10 years, but the owner Margaret Mitchell decided she wanted to go green from the inside out. Hence, a complete LEED-certified green remodel and move to a suite filled with windows, light, organic beauty products, filtered water, and the works. Now you can have laser hair removal and clinical skin care in a place where beauty, modern science, and the environment join together to produce gorgeous results.

I love spas but occasionally it can be an unintended stressful experience for those of us with an active mind. Why are they tugging at my skin?  What chemicals are lurking in those products?  Ignorance was bliss but now knowledge is power.

The beauty of the new Epi Center eco Med Spa is that you can leave your worries behind and let the experts work their magic with organic tools in tow. Let the eco-pampering begin.  www.skinrejuv.com

As we know, beauty is truly skin deep. 70% or more of what we put on our skin gets absorbed into our body. Would we consider eating our face cream?  The good news is that companies are waking up and producing high-performance products without the baggage (parabens, polyethylene glycols, sodium lauryl & laureth sulfates, unnatural fragrances, yuck). Whole Foods has even gotten into the act with their excellent new Premium Body Care seal of approval. Look for the sign next to the healthiest products in the market. They did the testing for us so we can bathe in peace.

My other favorite eco-oriented spas in San Francisco to date are the ayurvedic Kamalaspa in Union Square and the zen International Orange spa and yoga lounge on Fillmore. Perhaps I'll see you in the waiting room.

Discarded To Divine Gala

You are invited to the dazzling and transformative Discarded To Divine Gala benefiting St. Vincent de Paul Society. See vintage couture gowns given a new life on the runway by the most talented fashion designers in San Francisco and inspired by the de Young Museum’s permanent collection. If you fancy one of them, try to snag it during the auction. Fashion legend Wilkes Bashford is the master of ceremonies. Now that is green, glamorous, and absolutely divine.

Discarded To Divine Gala
Fashion Show, Green Cocktail Party & Auction

WHEN:
Saturday April 26, 2008
7:00 pm to 9:30 pm

WHERE:
Academy of Art University
601 Brannan Street
San Francisco

TICKETS:
General  $45
VIP  $75 includes premier fashion show seating and VIP after party

RSVP:
Call 415.977.1270
Online at www.discardedtodivine.org

Happy Earth Holiday

Happy Earth Day everyone!  I don’t know about you, but I think we should make Earth Day into an Earth Holiday.

Let’s all get out of the office for some air and celebrate this beautiful blue planet we call home. Earth is our only address for now, and let’s cherish it and strive to leave it better off than we found it. This is becoming easier and more possible every day with the exciting wave of eco-innovation occurring in every sector. Bring on the hip eco-fashion, cool clean cars, high performance healthy products, and of course, the rocking green parties.

Green and blue are ultimately about life, distinguishing between what is life-enhancing and what is life-destroying. A green life can be filled with an abundance of fresh flavors, vibrant colors, clean air, clean water, variety, and pleasure just like in nature. And it can be free of pesticides, untested toxins, pollution, and short-sighted thinking.

Our collective goals are renewable energy independence from fossil fuels, high-style regenerative waste-free design, no more toxins, the slowdown of global warming, and the preservation of open space, forests, oceans, rivers, native seeds, endangered animal species, and all life on Earth. This is the dream. This is within our power.

We can rejoice in the incredible green renaissance experienced over the last year by enjoying some local organic foods, biodynamic wines, and a walk on the beach or through some spectacular trees and spring wildflowers. Thank you for going on this journey with me at Heart of Green. I couldn't do it without you. While acknowledging the work we still have to do (and we are not stopping), let’s take a moment to celebrate Earth Holiday and our fabulous planet. Let the one-day vacation begin!

Heart of Green's How To Go Green Guide

Green^100

G is for Green. G is also for Google. That is G squared or is that G^100?  To celebrate Earth Day, Google has released a nifty set of features that are cool, fun, and participatory. Check these out and join the party online and off.

Google Earth Day 08 Map: “I will walk to work.” “I will bike to work.” “I will plant a vegetable garden.” “I will try to save energy.” “I will get outside more.” “I will do an Earth Day project (from a 7th grader)”  There is something very heart-warming and hopeful about reading people’s submissions on the map. I love it. What struck me was the variety. Each story was different yet equally important. View the map and post your own thought. Then hit Refresh 10 times and see if it pops up. www.google.com/earthday08

Google Checkout for Non-Profits Donation Campaign: We can’t save the world by ourselves. That is where great environmental nonprofits come in. If you want to help out your favorite organization this Earth Day, do it through Google Checkout and something extraordinary will happen. You’ll be able to see your donation on a map. I just tried it out for CalCars (advocacy for plug-in hybrids), made a donation on behalf of my dad (a car lover) and ta da! I see my donation on the map. Their goal is to start a snowball of donations among family and friends that doesn’t melt.  checkout.google.com/earthday/

Google Earth: The Ferrari, or is that Tesla, of software applications that showcase Earth’s beauty and power, Google Earth released its latest version last week. I love their eco-focused Global Awareness layers and their Google Earth Outreach Showcase. See Solar Eclipses, the work of Jane Goodall, American wilderness hot spots, the new ARKive project for Wildscreen (as in Noah's Ark), and much more in 3-D action. earth.google.com/outreach/

Google Transit: Let’s not forget the very handy Google Public Transit service. Want to leave your car at home? Just plug in your to and from addresses, and voila. Out pops the bus or train number you can take. I should be using this more instead of bugging my friend who has memorized the bus maps in his head. www.google.com/transit

Energy Saver Gadget for Google Desktop: G is also for Gadget, a useful tool that eco-optimizes the power on your PC so your computer and energy utility can rest while you are out and about.

Google is showing its green might in more revolutionary ways. Never content with the conventional and always striving to do the extraordinary, Google.org has launched a high-wattage RechargeIt program with plug-in cars that get 100+ miles to the gallon. Google also has the largest corporate campus solar panel installation to date with over 9,000 solar panels producing 1.6 Megawatts. Googlers can scoot through several green buildings thanks to a partnership with cradle to cradle design guru Bill McDonough.

Let's not forget perhaps the most important initiative of all, Google.org’s RE<C (Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal) initiative. Their goal is nothing short of 1 Gigawatt of clean renewable energy that costs less per watt than coal. High velocity wind, solar thermal, high velocity solar, and more breakthrough innovations are on the table. This is the holy grail and would change everything for the better. Thanks Google for being a role model and for making it easier to live the green life. Googling the word “green” yields 934,000,000 results. Now that keeps hope alive.

See the full scoop on Google's Earth Day initiatives on the Official Google Blog. Happy Earth Day! 

Plastic Takes The Heat

Just in time for Earth Day, a miracle has happened. Governments and retailers have woken up to the perils of Bisphenol A (BPA), a toxic chemical found in polycarbonate plastic bottles, and are taking action. Immediate and strong action.

95% of Americans have Bisphenol A in their bodies according to a 2004 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Bisphenol A is synthetic sex hormone that mimics estrogen. Too much exposure while growing up is carcinogenic. It can cause reproductive damage and may lead to prostate and breast cancer in adults. On Tuesday, the National Toxicology Program of the U.S. National Institutes of Health declared evidence of links to cancer from Bisphenol A. And this stuff is in baby bottles and the liners of baby food cans?

Bisphenol A can kiss our collective (fill in the blank). The Canadian government announced this week that Canada will be the first country to ban plastic baby bottles with Bisphenol A after concluding the chemical is toxic. On Friday April 18, Wal-Mart announced that it was immediately ceasing Canadian sales of food containers, water bottles, baby bottles, sippy cups, and pacifiers that contain Bisphenol A, and that it would phase out BPA baby bottles in U.S. stores by early 2009. Why do we have to wait? 

On the same day, Nalgene announced it would phase out Bisphenol A from its Outdoor line of products over the next few months. California State Senator Carole Migden has introduced a bill that would ban BPA from all toys and child care articles in California; it was just approved 4-3 by the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. The heat is on.

How You Can Protect Yourself

Safe Baby Bottles: If you have a baby, use glass bottles or BPA-free bottles. This is essential for newborns. Great sources are Born Free, Lamby or Evenflo glass baby bottles, Medela, and Green To Grow.

Glass or Metal Water Bottles: If you drink water, avoid plastic bottles that have become warm or hot as the chemicals leach out into your water. Use a glass or metal water bottle instead like a SIGG, a Klean Kanteen, or a new EarthLust. Fill up with filtered tap water, drink, rinse, and repeat. BYOB. Toxin-free blue is the new green.

No or New Nalgene: If you are using a Nalgene reusable plastic water bottle, throw it out or give it to someone you don’t like. Just kidding on the later. Replace with a new Nalgene BPA-free bottle from their Everyday line or a fashionable metal bottle in your favorite pattern like a SIGG.

Fresh, not Canned: Strive to eat fresh food over canned food. Nearly all can liners contain BPA.

Doing the above will not only improve your health, it will also save a ton of plastic, waste, and CO2 emissions. 99% of the time, what is good for us and our health is good for the planet and vice-versa. That is the beauty of the green movement. Everyone gets a healthier and longer-lasting planet to call home. As Earth Day approaches, let’s celebrate the victories and thank companies and elected officials for taking action. Let the singing and dancing begin.

p.s. Now that Bisphenol A is taking the heat, the poison plastic PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and phthalates (plasticizers for vinyl) are next. These carcinogens are found in everything from baby pacifiers, teething toys, and Barbie dolls to medical devices, “fragrance”, and Chilewich place mats (made out of a toxic woven vinyl called plynyl). Avoid vinyl at all costs. Just wait.

Wildlife Works DJ Party

April 23 is the day after Earth Day, but that doesn’t mean the eco-parties are over. On the contrary!  I’m beginning to think that Green is the new Internet. We can only hope. After you have meet Linda Loudermilk and partied at Spring at the Green Block Party on Polk, head on over to the nearby Wildlife Works Eco-Chic Boutique Earth Day blowout on Union Street and party for the lions, tigers, elephants, and yourself with organic hors d’oeuvres, organic libations and the famous DJ Josh Gabriel. What better way to celebrate Earth Month 2008 than by dancing among eco-fashionable clothes to the beats of a hip globe-trotting DJ. Appropriately, his current smash hit is titled Summit.

Wildlife Works Earth Day Party
Lions, Tigers and Elephants, Oh My

WHEN:
Wednesday April 23, 2008
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm +

WHERE:
Wildlife Works Eco-Chic Boutique
1849 Union Street at Laguna
San Francisco

FEATURING:

• Organic hors d’oeuvres
• Organic libations
• Hip eco-fashion labels including Wildlife Works, Del Forte, Kelly B., Deborah Lindquist, Sworn Virgins, Terra Plana, and Charmone shoes
• Purchases of $150 will receive a rare autographed single
• World-famous dance DJ Josh Gabriel of Gabriel & Dresden and Motorcycle

Inquiries:
store at wildlifeworks dot com
415.738.8544

About Wildlife Works:
Founded in 1997, Wildlife Works is an American pioneer of eco-clothing and the first fashion company to offer a designer label – and now store – dedicated to conserving endangered wildlife in the Earth’s most extraordinary places. From Wildlife Works’ Kenyan eco-factory where its styles are made to its 100% eco-chic retail store, proceeds go directly to preserving places such as the 80,000-acre Wildlife Works Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary.  www.wildlifeworks.co.uk and www.wildlifeworks.com

We will see you there for beautiful things as the rush comes. After all, summer is calling.

EcoLogiQue in Hayes Valley

An outing today yielded an exciting eco-find, a whole store in fact. The new EcoLogiQue boutique in Hayes Valley is chock full of unique, more unusual brands of eco-fashion and eco-beauty, with an emphasis on made in San Francisco and made in the USA. Hooray!

I was impressed with several green brands including Sustainable Collective by Convoy, the hip Livity from LA, Prophetik, Naked Cotton, GreenLabel Organic, and the more well-known eco-ganik and Under the Canopy. The items for women are a mix of modern casual eco-feminine and urban hippie-ster. The men’s clothes by Convoy were outstandingly cool.

Don’t miss the Earth Day Weekend Sale this Saturday and Sunday where all fashion and beauty products are 20% off. For starters, I scored an adorable hat by Livity in hemp/organic wool and a gorgeous corset-like black long-sleeve top in organic cotton from eco-ganik.

The new EarthLust water bottles are a must-see and are blowing out of the store. Plastic stands no chance now. In the back of the store is a cute baby section with Circles & Squares and the coming-in-soon inventive Scooter Bees shoes for children. The EcoGirl by Jennifer Jory bags were beautiful and stunning also, and they are made in San Francisco. Now that is what we want to hear. Speaking of, I liked the Glow soy candles which are homegrown in SF too.

EcoLogiQue is the only store carrying the Simply Organic hair care line, which apparently has a cult following in a few high-end salons across the nation. The secret is out. Another novelty is the Edelbio skin care from Switzerland with all Swiss-certified organic ingredients, and we know how strict the Swiss are.

While visiting the Green Festival two years ago, EcoLogiQue owner Lela Katz thought to herself, “Why isn’t there a store in San Francisco dedicated to all of this great green stuff?” Hence, the dream of EcoLogiQue was hatched. Let’s support our new green and friendly neighbor in Hayes Valley. I can’t wait to see what she finds next.

After eco-shopping, reward yourself with a side trip to Miette Confiserie on Octavia, the gourmet pastry and candy store that uses all organic ingredients including organic local unbleached flour, organic sugar, and more because “why use anything else?” was the direct quote. If you are cold or hungry for real food, warm up at the all-organic Modern Tea café on Hayes. Living the green life has never been more delicious.

EcoLogiQue, 141  Gough Street at Oak, San Francisco, CA 94102, 415-621-2431, www.ecologiquesf.com

Over a Barrel, not!

With gas hitting a nice round $4.00 per gallon, there has never been a better time to get even with the oil companies. Driving a car with the highest possible fuel economy is one of the best ways to fight back. It keeps more money in your pocket, and it puts less money in their pocket. Both are fun. As a neighbor’s license plate says on his Prius, “Exxon, Ha!” Walking, hybrid-cabbing, busing, and biking are also good take-that-big-oil strategies.

Oil companies are currently rich. Really rich. Consider that Exxon Mobil reported the largest corporate profit in history of $40 billion in 2007. They also fund research that tries to disprove global warming. Chevron has enjoyed 3 straight years of record profits and raked in $19 billion alone last year.

Our next stop is the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador visited recently by celebrities Daryl Hannah, Stuart Townsend, David De Rothschild, Trudie Styler, and Q’orianka Kilcher. They trekked to see the site where Texaco (now owned by Chevron) drilled and dumped 18 Billion gallons of oil contamination into the once-pristine rainforest and indigenous peoples’ homes. This is 30 times worse than Exxon Valdez. This is not an oil spill. This is an oil flood. It is a big black smelly toxic mess the size of Rhode Island for 1,700 square miles. It poisoned all of the air and water the people and animals live on, and Chevron-Texaco refuses to clean it up. Chevron, boo.

Imagine if a company dumped crude oil into the entire Golden Gate Park or Central Park?  I think there might a protest fit for a torch or more. The ah-ha for me was that Chevron-Texaco’s drilling system was designed to pollute from the start. No reinjection technology and no liners for the oil pits. This essentially guaranteed one of the greatest human rights and environmental disasters in the history of the world.

A high-profile lawsuit of 30,000 Ecuadorians versus Chevron-Texaco has been brewing for decades and is reaching the boiling point. The head lawyer Pablo Fajardo and community leader Luis Yanza just won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for their unwavering crusade for justice. The applause was boisterous. In a pivotal moment last week, the court estimated that Chevron-Texaco owes $7 billion - $16 billion in potential damages. Note that $9 billion of this is how much extra profit Texaco made by installing outdated technology designed to destroy life of all sizes and colors in the Amazon. Chevron even tried going to the top of a hill to take soil samples that they hoped were pure, but no such luck. Oil contamination is still everywhere and will be until they clean it up.

Chevron just hired the infamous Sam Singer to attempt to spin its way out of this, but let’s just say, that Mr. Singer is on the wrong side of this issue.

 

Last night, I had the privilege of seeing the premiere of the film Justicia Now. In one great scene, we see Daryl Hannah traipsing around the rainforest and getting down and dirty with the oil. Thanks to the wonders of the web and the visionary filmmakers Martin O'Brien and Robbie Proctor of MoFilms, you can download this short film for free. Over 200,000 downloads have occurred so far. I thought the film was going to be depressing and brought lots of recycled tissue paper with me. But it wasn’t. Justicia Now was riveting and enlightening because you go on a journey with the indigenous people as they protest and with the lawyers as they fight for justice. “Justicia Ya!” the people chant. I felt like chanting too.

A companion photo book called Crude Reflections: Oil, Ruin and Resistance in the Amazon Rainforest by Lou Dematteis is also being released. 

For more scoop or to help, please see Amazon Watch led by the amazing Atossa Soltani, and consider joining one of their upcoming activities. Just released is their new animated YouTube video spoof by cartoonist Mark Fiore. See www.chevrontoxico.com and www.amazonwatch.org

All I can say for now is, thank goodness I finally got that Prius, which has gone 90 mph on the freeway so far without a shake. My average fuel economy is 43 mpg. And just wait until we can buy 100+ mpg plug-in hybrids. Chevron, Ha!

Green Block Party on Polk

You are invited to the Green Block Party on Polk Street featuring the best of eco fashion, home, and more. Come and enjoy the fun in Russian Hill, the emerging green gulch district of San Francisco, and party like it’s Earth Day 2008.

Green Block Party on Polk Street

 

WHEN:
Wednesday April 23, 2008
3:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Luxury Eco Trunk Show with designer Linda Loudermilk
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Eco Citizen Boutique
1488 Vallejo Street at Polk
San Francisco

Healthy Child Healthy World Book Signing Party
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Spring Store (one-stop eco home shopping)
2162 Polk Street at Vallejo
San Francisco

Other Participating Stores include:

Green Home Center and Eco-Terric
1812 Polk Street

Swallowtail Interiors & Antiques
2217 Polk Street

FEATURING:

• Festive block party with hors d'oeuvres and VeeV cocktails
• Healthy Child Healthy World book signing at Spring
• Linda Loudermilk Luxury Eco Trunk Show at Eco Citizen
• Meet the designer Linda Loudermilk
• LIVE Organic Energy Drinks
• Green goodies silent auction from Polk Street stores

RSVP:
Please email:  events at 7x7mag dot com

Getting There:
Some parking on Polk and surrounding streets is available. Driving a hybrid may induce better parking karma.
Carpool, walk or bus!  Polk 19 or Van Ness 47 and 49
Call SF Green Cab at 415-626-GREEN

HOST COMMITTEE:
Zem Joaquin (ecofabulous), Nadine Weil, Christopher Gavigan, Lucas Heldfond, Joslin Van Arsdale

Media Sponsor:  7x7 Magazine

Healthy Child Healthy World:
10% of proceeds from sales during the evening will go to Healthy Child Healthy World, who is dedicated to protecting people's health from harmful environmental exposures and has a full list of eco-celebrity spokespeople including Laura Dern, Olivia Newton-John, Roger & Sloan Barnett, Erin Brockovich Ellis, Brooke Shields, and Meryl Streep. www.healthychild.org

Order a copy of the new book Healthy Child Healthy World – Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home at www.healthychild.org/book

Linda Loudermilk:
Meet the creator of the Luxury Eco revolution, Linda Loudermilk, who designs the most gorgeous clothes for women and now men too. Her inspiration is nature meets rock star. She uses innovative and luxurious fabrics like woven bamboo, sasawashi from Japan, ingeo, soy, organic cotton, organic wool, recycled denim, and sea cell. Her 2008 collections are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Luxury Eco fashion can be edgy, sexy, fun, playful, and hyper-cool.  www.lindaloudermilk.com

Update:
Thank you all for coming out to the Green Block Party on Polk Street for Earth Day. We had a fabulous time celebrating the Luxury Eco fashions of Linda Loudermilk with Linda herself and the new Healthy Child Healthy World book at Spring with Zem and Christopher. Linda's full collection is still at the Eco Citizen boutique for a few more weeks so head on over there before I buy everything.

Check out the array of Party Photos by Drew Altizer at 7x7 Magazine.

      

Eco-Chic Shoe Party

If the eco-shoe fits and is glamorous, wear it. ELLE Magazine invites you to a party in Santa Monica celebrating Taryn Rose’s new Verde footwear collection.

Shoe Party with ELLE, Taryn Rose Verde & Global Green

WHEN:
Thursday, April 17, 2008
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

WHERE:
Livinghomes – the first LEED Platinum home ever
2914 Highland Avenue
Santa Monica, CA

FEATURING:

• Hosted by ELLE West Coast Fashion Editor Lilah Schechner
• Enjoy organic foods and organic cocktails
• Get green and glam with eco-friendly makeup and skincare touchups
• See the amazing livinghomes home
• Try on shoes from the new Verde line!

RSVP:
Please call 1-888-367-3553

What is Green about Verde:
Let’s go deep. Taryn Rose’s new line of eco-stylish shoes have soles made from vegetable oil, rather than petroleum. Leather uppers are tanned with vegetable dyes and no heavy metals like chromium (very important). Non-toxic, water-soluble adhesives keep the shoes in one place. The Taryn Rose Verde bags are also vegetable-tanned and lined with organic linens. These are truly bags and shoes with a soul.  www.tarynrose.com

A portion of the proceeds from this eco-chic shoe party will go to Global Green who is working to build a more sustainable world.

Greens Party, Forks Provided

You are invited to Greens to enjoy the spectacular view of the Bay and celebrate local organic food and the planting of over 40,000 trees to date in San Francisco. What do Greens and Friends of the Urban Forest have in common?  Just about everything.  These two green pioneers are throwing a party together at last on Sunday April 27, and it is guaranteed to be good. We won't be eating any trees, but get your fork ready.

San Francisco Grown
A Party at Greens for Local Food & Forests

WHEN:
Sunday, April 27, 2008
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

WHERE:
Greens Restaurant
Building A, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco

FEATURING:

• Farm-to-fork organic delicacies by Greens Chef Annie Somerville sourced from Green Gulch Farm
• Top wines
• Katrina Heron, Board Chair of Slow Food Nation and Chez Panisse Foundation
• A festive party for local food and street trees
• Acoustic songs by my favorite Chris Clouse
• Sweeping views of the water
• Mingling with the who’s who of green and local food

HOST COMMITTEE:
Chef Annie Somerville, Christopher and Amber Marie Bently, Penelope Douglas, CR Lipton, Ann and Karl Ludwig, Monica Maduro, Damion Matthews, Marina McDougall, Lena Miller, Kelly Quirke, Cassandra Richardson, Claudia Ross, Mireille Schwartz and Cameron Noble, Amaryll Schwertner and Lori Regis, Elizabeth Westover, Nadine Weil

TICKETS:
Proceeds benefit the charity Friends of the Urban Forest
Attendance is limited
$175

RSVP:
To Ryan Teller at 415-561-6890, ext. 104
or RSVP online here

Sponsorship Levels:
Become a sponsor and be showered with a cornucopia of benefits including tickets, full page ads, event signage, on-stage thank yous, recognition on the web site, in the program, in the FUF newsletters, and in press releases.

ABOUT FUF & GREENS:
For more than 25 years, the nonprofit Friends of the Urban Forest and the restaurant Greens have shared the common vision of a sustainable San Francisco. Whether stimulating a movement to produce high-end vegetarian cuisine (Greens) or enabling residents to live in a healthier more beautiful city by planting 42,000 street trees to date (FUF), these homegrown institutions have led the way in helping to further San Francisco’s infamous green lifestyle.

You can even plant a FUF tree in someone’s honor – a tree tribute. I absolutely love this!

Don’t miss this historic party with the green fooderati in honor of Earth Day.
www.fuf.net

Earth Day Fete in Green Valley

I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be on Earth Day weekend than at the Iron Horse Vineyards winery in Sebastopol for their fabulous, fun, and imaginative Green Festival. The wine country is magical in the Spring. The wildflowers are blooming, the harvested wine is flowing, the natural hot springs are extra hot, and the green parties are on.

Celebrate Earth Day in Green Valley
Eat, Drink & Be Green Festival

WHEN:
Sunday April 20, 2008
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

WHERE:
Iron Horse Vineyards
Green Valley in Sonoma County’s Russian River area
9786 Ross Station Road
Sebastopol, CA 95472
707-887-1507
Directions

FEATURING:

• Wine Tasting of spring releases from Iron Horse Vineyards, DeLoach Vineyards, Dutton-Goldfield, Freeman Winery, Hartford Family Winery, Lynmar, Marimar Estate, Orogeny, Patz & Hall
• Festive wine country party
• Iron Horse Chef Christopher Greenwald’s delicious culinary creations with all ingredients either homegrown or from farms within 100 miles
• Keynote speaker Gil Grosvenor, Chairman of National Geographic
• The very fast, sexy Tesla electric roadster
• Green showcase including the Calfee Bamboo Bike
• Raffle for planet-chic prizes
• Live solar-powered reggae band

Eco-Friendly & Carbon Neutral:
Iron Horse is taking extra care to make its Earth Day celebration an eco-friendly lover's paradise. Iron Horse is purchasing Renewable Energy Credits from Village Green Energy to offset the travel of every guest. Carpooling, hybrids, and biking are encouraged of course. Water will be served out of pitchers with sprigs of homegrown rosemary. They are incorporating Riedel Crystal wine glasses, cloth napkins instead of paper, recycling, composting, natural cleaning, and a green chandelier with sparkling CFLs and LEDs.

Benefiting the Charities:
Laguna de Santa Rosa, the National Geographic Society, the Leakey Foundation, and the Solar Living Institute

TICKETS:
Attendance is limited to 300 people
$50 for General Admission (selling out quickly)
$250 VIP includes all-access pass to private reception at the Victorian home of Iron Horse founders Audrey & Barry Sterling, five raffle tickets, and VIP gift bag.

RSVP Required:
www.ironhorsevineyards.com/events/

Sponsored By: PG&E, Riedel Crystal, Dwell Magazine, The Charmer Sunbelt Group, Glazer’s Wholesale Distributors, and Sonoma Mountain Village

About Iron Horse:
Led by Joy Sterling, Iron Horse Vineyards in the Green Valley appellation is known for their top-rated sparkling wines, Chardonnays, and Pinot Noirs. www.ironhorsevineyards.com

Eco Best of SF Film Fest

Hold onto your straw hat, the Earth Day events are near. Over the next few days, I will be reporting on the Best of Earth Day Week, or rather Month. While Earth Day is officially April 22, there is an amazing agenda throughout the entire month of April for the green at heart.

We begin with my favorite happy meal combo - movies and after parties. The San Francisco International Film Festival from April 24 through May 8 is gearing up to release one of the best feats of environmental programming ever. Here are my picks for don’t miss eco movies of the festival.

FLOW: A movie for the love of water, this must-see documentary won rave reviews at Sundance and is sure to get the conservation flowing. Blue is the new green.

Ice People: Get up close and personal with Antarctica and its inhabitants and experience a time when this frozen sheet of ice was warm and lush. A film that will melt your mind and your heart.

Sleep Dealer: The sci-fi movie counterpart to Flow, festival insiders say this is the film to watch. It sounds like an eco-version of the Matrix.

Up The Yangtze: Yowzers, the Three Gorges Dam being built in China makes for a film subject that is larger than life. See this phenomenon through the eyes of two teenagers and the eyes of the world.

Dust: A story that has never been told, hopefully not for good reason, this documentary gets down and dirty with the thing we all love to hate, dust. Apparently the portrayed beauty of dust bunnies and the origin of the universe will help us see this nuisance in a new light.

Vanity Fair Reel Relief After Party at Temple: What better way to celebrate all of the outstanding eco films than by partying late into the night at the most sustainable nightclub around, Temple. Vanity Fair is hosting a green VIP blow out on the festival’s closing night on May 8. The event doubles as a Reel Relief charity event benefiting the enviro-powerhouse organization NRDC. Organic cocktails will be in abundance.

For tickets to these films and events, please visit the SF Film Festival web site.

The festival home is the new green-remodeled Sundance Kabuki Theatre where I just saw a preview of season two of the fabulous Robert Redford's Sundance Channel The Green series Big Ideas for a Small Planet on TV now. The Lexus Hybrid Living after party next door was drop dead gorgeous. Lights, camera, eco-action.  www.sffs.org

Rickshaw Bags Rock

Some people create the future they want to see. Mark Dwight is one of those people. Mark is the ultimate green bag man. After a year-long break from his previous bag venture (Timbuk2) and inspired by the eco-ethos of Bill McDonough's Cradle-to-Cradle manifesto, Mark set out to create the most stylish, sustainable, and useful bags around. By the signs of his first models, Mark has knocked it out of the park. If you know Mark, you know that this is his only mode. Home run or bust.

Rickshaw Bagworks is Mark’s new venture that is raising the bar high. It is named for the rickshaw, the iconic Japanese human-powered vehicle. Mark himself is an avid bicycle man, riding his red bike to work every day with his own legs. Mark is also a rockstar, or is that rickstar, professional who is typically the best-dressed man in the room. He is not afraid of paisley. His keen sense of style has translated over to the stunning Rickshaw bags. Design awards are sure to follow. You read it here first.

The Rickshaw Bags are a marvel of engineering and eco-friendliness. They are made of high-end recycled water bottle DesignTex fabrics in gorgeous colors and patterns. I have fallen in love with several. The liners are PVC-free, and cradle to cradle certification is coming. The bags are modular and have nifty sections that can be moved around. Rickshaws make the perfect computer bag, messenger bag, baby bag, work bag, shopping bag, anything bag.

Want to order a new bag?  Starting in mid-May, peruse online at the Rickshaw Bagworks web site, or stop by the Rickshaw storefront at the HQ on 22nd Street in the Dogpatch, pick out your favorite fabric, and watch your bag be crafted on site. Mark has invented an ingenious chassis model. The base of the bag is pre-made in Mark’s heavily-scrutinized factory in Asia. The full bag is then assembled and stitched at the Rickshaw factory in San Francisco. This represents the best of both worlds. The result is that fans get their preferred design, and there is never any waste or excess inventory to fire-sale as is standard practice in the retail industry.

Rickshaw Bags are built to last, built to repair, and built to repurpose and rejuvenate. Rip your bag?  Potentially difficult because the fabric seems so durable, but Rickshaw will repair it. Want to change your original color? Bring the bag back and have your pattern swapped out.

Rickshaw debuted its lifestyle bags at Gorgeous & Green and then at the esteemed TED conference this February. They had the 1,600 Tedsters buzzing, searching for their one and only handsome bag twin. Look out for several Rickshaw Collections to launch soon including the Best of TED Collection and an ingenious eco-chic WeeGeneration baby bag with removable compartments. And the new Raise A Reader bag. You are not going to believe the story of this one when you hear it in the press. Can you say Rickshaw Bags to the rescue?  www.rickshawbags.com

Real Men Save Tall Trees

We take a quick break from sexy sustainable fashion and eco-celebrities to get back to our greenhugger roots for 2 minutes. Redwood roots to be exact.

Consider for a moment the Bohemian Club, a secret all-male society. They have the privilege of owning a pristine forest of 1,500 year old redwood trees called the Bohemian Grove near the wine country in California. And they want to cut it down. Log it for profit.

Redwoods are the tallest living things on Earth. The Bohemian Grove is Sonoma County's largest remnant of unprotected ancient redwood forests. At 2,700 acres, it is five times larger than Muir Woods. I traveled the Bohemian Highway recently, and let me tell you, it is a magical place. I encourage everyone to drive this gorgeous stretch of highway between Freestone, Occidental and Monte Rio. Ok, maybe not everyone at once because the road is two lanes. The towering redwoods and scenery were so beautiful, I almost drove off the road.

The Bohemian Club is up to some un-green tricks to get an accelerated logging permit from California. They are trying for an end-around, filing for a non-industrial timber management plan and giving away acres (a misuse of a conservation easement) to get just below the 2,500 acre threshold. Check out this article entitled Bohemian Club tries new tactic to log grove.

The Bohemian Club logs some redwoods on their property now for the sale and manufacture of redwood furniture. They want to log more trees at a faster rate. If approved, the Club’s timber-harvesting plan would allow logging the entire redwood property every 15 years in perpetuity with no further public review ever. The club wants to log 1.1 million - 1.6 million board feet per year.   

This could easily turn into a green scandal. The Bohemian Club has some very prestigious members and annual guests like Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger - all of whom want to be seen as green in the limelight. The Club's stepped-up logging plan seems like an unnecessary political risk for these elected officials, not to mention an environmental tragedy. It turns out that the members have the money, but the Club itself is short on funds. Why not join forces to create a win win?

Let's not be fooled either. A little bit of logging is needed for fire protection but not nearly as much as Club President Jay Mancini is requesting.

The most ironic thing of all just might be that the mascot of the Bohemian Club is the owl. The very owl that would lose its green home if the club gets its way. How do I know about the owl?  I happen to have in my possession the official Bohemian Club key chain. Don’t ask me how I got it.

If a tree falls in the forest, the planet feels it. Old-growth forests store more carbon dioxide than once thought. Traditional textbooks said the peak was at 50-70 years. Just in is landmark research showing ancient forests continuing to absorb carbon for 800 years and beyond. See The Giving Trees. If we want to smack down global warming, preserving redwood forests like the Bohemian Grove is a strong move.

There seems to be an opportunity to create a natural legacy and improve, not degrade, the Bohemian Club's public image. Consider the Hewlett and Packard families who donated the rights to their 28,000-acre San Felipe Ranch to the Nature Conservancy to protect it from development. In May 2007, HP also sold a 534-acre redwood forest in Santa Cruz to two land trusts for the Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Another great success story is the Armstrong Redwood Grove (a great place for a hike!) saved by lumberman Colonel James Armstrong in the 1870s. Perhaps the Colonel was the first official treehugger, and a non-girly-man one at that.

Cutting down trees is easy. Saving them is hard. Real men save trees. Let’s recognize the people and organizations who have saved the most open space in the world. Imagine a Saved The Planet list with a race to get to the top.

Join me in attending the upcoming public meeting about the Bohemian Grove logging permit on Thursday April 10 at 10:00 am at the Department of Forestry, 135 Ridgeway Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA, 707-576-2959. Call this number to express your views. The trees can’t speak English, so we have to speak for them. I might be there in an eco-chic dress and vegan stilettos, but I will be there.

Update:  Watch the CBS Channel 5 News story on the Bohemian Club's logging plans for the Bohemian Grove, complete with aerial photos from a helicopter. Exposed!

LIVE Energy Goes Live

Some people think you have to be a billionaire to change the world. Wilson Ling begs to differ. “I want to help the planet now,” says the twenty-something hip social entrepreneur “I don’t want to have to wait until I become a billionaire.”  We like his confidence.

His vehicle of choice is the ever-popular energy drink. This is not your average Red Bull. This is LIVE, the energy drink with organic ingredients on the verge of landing its official USDA Organic seal.

Wilson Ling is donating a whopping 50% of LIVE’s profits to charity including youth programs, health, and the environment. This is not a gimmick. This is the real deal. As a result of energy drinks’ notorious high profit margins, LIVE and its fans will make a difference for the planet from day one.

LIVE Energy Drinks went live at the Global Green Oscar Party in Los Angeles. I made the mistake, or the smart move depending on your viewpoint, of drinking one at 11:00 pm. The Green Tea - Global Warming one in the green-colored can of course. At 3:00 am, I was wide awake in the eco-zen Ambrose Hotel contemplating the universe. An organic energy drink that contributes half of its proceeds to charity?  Now that is worth staying up all night for.

Catch LIVE at the upcoming Green Block Party on Polk Street on Wednesday April 23 in honor of Earth Day and in an array of enlightened venues and stores soon.  www.drinklive.org

Ecolicious at the W

You’ve heard of bootylicious and del.icio.us. Now there is ecolicious, the organic cocktail hour at the W San Francisco’s XYZ bar every night Monday through Friday from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. 

Organic cocktails with Square One Vodka, biodynamic wines, and organic farm-to-table bites from Executive Chef Paul Piscopo await you and your fabulous eco-party friends.

I attended the launch event on Wednesday night and can confirm that the organically chic cocktails were delicious, the seafood was actually sustainable, the potatoes were in the shape of the planet (a ball), the beats were rocking, and the new nightly happy hour was truly ecolicious. A portion of the proceeds even benefit Save The Bay. Green has never tasted so good or been so much fun.

ecolicious, XYZ Bar, W San Francisco, 181 Third Street at Howard, San Francisco  www.xyz-sf.com

The Lorax Wants You

Do you have an idea to help the planet?  Are you between the ages of 12 and 20?

Ok, if you are reading this, you are probably not 16, but maybe you know someone who is. A little sister or brother, a niece or nephew, your own son or daughter, the students at a local school. A budding Hayden Panettiere (pictured here saving the whales) or Ed Begley, Jr. They can enter their idea in the Lorax Challenge presented by Ashoka Youth Venture, the NEA, and the Earth Island’s Brower Youth Awards and potentially win $1,000 in seed money each to start their planet-chic ventures. The grand prize winners will go on an all-expenses-paid trip to the University of Florida for a weekend of learning and fun in the sun.

Heart of Green is proud to be supporting the Lorax Challenge and young social entrepreneurs with ideas and passion to help the planet. A funny story: a good friend told me that I reminded him of the Lorax. “Thanks!” I said, having no idea what he was talking about. I later admitted my naiveté, and he responded with a gift of The Lorax book by Dr. Seuss. So he was saying I was a cartoon character? Hmmm...Delving into the book, I found my animated soul mate in the book’s leading man, the Lorax.

“I am the Lorax who speaks for the trees, which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please...Plant a new seed. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.” This is a short and colorful book filled with universal wisdom. The trees get cut down, the factories go up, the air becomes polluted, the people move away, yet one seed remains. The seed is planted and the cycle of life is renewed.

The green doctor is in, and he is serving green eggs and ham and $50,000 worth of scholarships to the brightest young environmental entrepreneurs out there. Encourage all the aspiring green teens you know to apply for the Lorax Challenge prizes before the deadline of May 30, 2008. All you need is a good green idea and an action plan, and the Lorax could help you realize your dreams of becoming the next Cameron Diaz or Al Gore. Speaking of, check out Al’s new We campaign. The first ads air this Wednesday night during American Idol and will feature famous people who are likely to disagree on just about everything but global warming. Now that should be good.  Lorax Challenge