DC Green Gift Guide

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

The holidays are upon us. And for many, that means a rush to the megastores to stock up on gifts. Why not zig while everyone else zags by buying from local businesses that offer eco-friendly goodies? By considering these gifts, you’re not only supporting small local businesses, you’re also contributing less to the environmental problems that go along with shipping goods from afar. Here are a few of our local faves:

Be a Soap Star
Stock up on handcrafted balms, salves, bath salts and massage oils made with natural and organic ingredients packaged in adorable recyclable containers from Herban Lifestyle. Owner Mary Kearns never uses chemicals, preservatives, synthetics, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, or GMOs in her products, and she donates 5% of gross sales to the Sierra Club and Herb Research Foundation. The Organic Holiday Cookie Sugar Scrub smells like a yummy dessert but won’t add to your waistline during the holidays, and lip balms in flavors like Tangerine Dreamsicle and Mint Chocolate Chip are all natural and (almost) good enough to eat. Products can be ordered directly from Herban Lifestyle or at Holeco Wellness Medi Spa.

Get Curdied Away
Who doesn’t love a hunk of creamy, tangy cheese? Luckily there are two great cheese shops in the area including Del Ray’s Cheesetique, where you can find Appalachian cheese with shitake mushrooms and leeks from Virginia, as well as selections from around the world. In Penn Quarter, saddle up to Cowgirl Creamery for a divine selection of artisanal cheese from small-scale producers around the country.

Strike a Pose
Infuse your favorite yogini’s practice with pizazz by giving her yoga wear from DC-based Even Keel Yoga. Founded by local yogini Liz Matthews, Even Keel is the place to find comfy, fashion-forward pants, shorts, and leggings made from organic cotton and bamboo in an array of styles and colors. Buy online or at local retail outlets such as Boundless Yoga, Flow Yoga, Caramel, and Inspired Yoga.

Choc Up
Give the chocoholics on your list a box of rich hand-crafted truffles from Alexandria-based Krishon Chocolates. Owner Eric Johnson makes decadent artisanal chocolates using high quality ingredients such as Michel Cluizel Chocolate and organic cream and butter. He can make anything from chocolate, including chocolate ruby slippers and a chocolate likeness of your, um, favorite body part. For traditionalists, a box of five truffles, in flavors like pomegranate and Fair Trade Latte, will set you back a mere $17.

Heel Yourself
Okay, chances are you’re not going to give the gift of shoes to anyone but yourself. And that’s fine….you deserve them. At newly opened Simply Soles in Columbia Heights, you’ll find some shoes that are made either with recycled materials or in a manufacturing method that uses vegetable oils and dyes, instead of petroleum based products.

Organic Tea Time

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

The cold beverage choices available today are astounding. You’ve got your old standbys (bottled water, fizzy water, seltzer, soda, and mass-marketed iced-teas like Snapple and Lipton) as well as a bevvy of “natural” options including juices, smoothies, and Kombucha. But rarely do you find a company in our very own backyard that makes 100% organic drinks. Enter Tizane, a DC-based company founded by Charlie and Nona Pucciariello a little less than a year ago.

After traveling to more than 90 countries, the Pucciariellos returned to the U.S. and were amazed to discover that they weren’t able to find botanical-infused beverages that were similar to what they had enjoyed during their travels. And so, a company was born.

The focus of the Tizane line is on purity, flavor, and balance. Each blend–Jasmine, Hibiscus, and Lemongrass–is slowly steeped in small batches to bring out the full flavor of high quality botanicals. In addition, the beverages are sweetened with blue agave nectar, which has a lower glycemic rating than sugar and doesn’t elevate insulin levels.

I tried the Hibiscus flavor and found it light and refreshing, as well as pleasantly, but not overly, sweet. At just 80 calories for 12 ounces, it’s also significantly better for the waistline than many other drinks in the non-diet bottled iced tea category.

You can stock up on Tizane at Cowgirl Creamery, Java Green, Sticky Fingers Bakery, and many other local cafes and food establishments in and around DC.

The Green Festival Arrives

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

Next weekend, November 8-9, the Green Festival returns to DC with 350 exhibits, green shopping, community networking, organic food and beer, live music and much more. The festival is a joint project of Global Exchange and Co-op America, and all exhibitors must meet the standards set by Co-op America.

There will be 125 speakers including Andy Shallal of Busboys & Poets, authors Marion Nestle and Barbara Ehrenreich, Honest Tea’s Seth Goldman, and Parin Shah (local policy director for Green Jobs for All). Festival attendees will be able to explore the latest in clean technology, green building, socially responsible investing, eco-fashion, renewable energy, green careers, natural foods, eco-tourism, and more.

Don’t forget to bring your yoga mat so you can participate in the 50-minute classes held over the two-day event, as well as free 10-minute one-on-one sessions with Boundless Yoga founder Kim Weeks and instructors from her studio.

Event Details

    Location: Washington DC Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place (Mount Vernon Metro stop).

    Time: Saturday 9 am-7 pm; Sunday 11 am-6 pm

    Cost: $15 per person all-access for one or both days

Cathal Armstrong’s Green Cuisine

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

Check out this article by Jane Black in the Washington Post’s Food section, which profiles the green efforts of Chef Cathal Armstrong, who, along with his wife Meshelle, run the acclaimed Restaurant Eve, the Majestic, Eamonn’s fish and chips shop, and PX.

Here’s are the highlights of the Armstrong’s eco-practices:

  • a wormery produces enough organic fertilizer for Restaurant Eve’s garden.
  • bottled water has been banned from the restaurants; instead, a water filtration system supplies fresh, filtered water for free to patrons.
  • tinted skylights cut the restaurant’s energy costs by 88%.
  • the seasonal menu showcases vegetables from the restaurant’s own garden.
  • a composter processes food refuse and other organic waste.
  • a company called Smarter Fuel picks up the kitchen grease and turns it into biofuel.
  • all cleansers used at the restaurant are non-toxic and biodegradable.

Looking for other dining destinations that make green a priority?  Check out this list of eco-friendly restaurants around DC.

Ellwood Thompson’s is Coming to Columbia Heights

Posted on by Sacha Cohen

Columbia Heights has gone through many dramatic changes over the last few years, not the least of which is the development of the DC USA complex at 14th and U. And while Target is all fine and good, I am far more excited by the recent news that Ellwood Thompson’s, Virginia’s largest independent natural grocery, will soon be my neighbor. Well, soon is a slight exaggeration. They are scheduled to open in fall/winter 2009.

Ellwood Thompson sets itself apart from other large grocery stores by not allowing products with trans-fats, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, or GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). Plus, during peak growing season, more than 1/3 of their produce is locally grown. ET Is also committed to stocking free-range and organic meat, fish, and poultry from nearby farms like Polyface, and its hotbar features fare from local ethnic restaurants.

There’s no guarantee that Ellwood Thompson’s will be any easier on the ‘ol wallet than Whole Paycheck, but one can hope.