Eco-Friendly Traveling (Guest Blogger)

Cliff and Tiffany Barre write a blog called Peace, Love & Travel and they asked if my readers might be interested in some Green Travel tips, so since I'm in Paris, I thought you might want to read about some places on the East Coast of the States and some things you can do worldwide to be more eco-friendly when you travel:)

Some Tips for the Eco-Friendly Traveler

The earth is a limited resource. As such, it comes as no shock that many, from the individual all the way up to large companies, are trying to reduce their impact on the environment. The following are some tips to help you maintain your eco-friendly lifestyle while on the go.

Before You Go

Here are a couple ways you can do your part before you leave. One way is paperless booking. Instead of getting a paper ticket or itinerary at the cost of deforestation, book your tickets electronically. Not only can this reduce the fuss at check-in, it can help save the trees. Last year the International Air Transport Association went paperless, saving an estimated 50,000 trees.

Another way you can help is by unplugging unnecessary electronics in your house or apartment. Even when they’re off, they still draw a little bit of power. Additionally, you can lower your thermostat down to a level below where you normally keep it. Not only does this help the environment, it can also help you save some money.

During Your Trip

Just because you’re away from home doesn’t mean you can’t stay green during your trip. One way is in your choice of transportation, especially if you will be renting. Why not try a vehicle that is gas efficient or even a hybrid. Doing so has the added benefit of saving you a little bit of money – money you could spend better on enjoying your trip.

When it comes to shopping and dining, stay local. By doing this you will help support the local community while staying green. Avoiding purchases of products that are flown out of town or overseas reduces emissions.

Where to Go

Vermont

It’s difficult to not be green when you’re traveling to “the green mountain state.” Vermont is one of those destinations that holds scenic views in which you would see on post cards or calendars. In particular, the fall holds the best picture perfect views with the leaves changing colors, creating mountains of vibrant colors. While in Vermont don’t forget to check out the Ben and Jerry Ice Cream Factory, Killington Peak, Jenne Farm, and of course the beautiful Lake Champlain.

Upstate New York

Upstate New York has much to offer if you’re looking for a quick getaway or an alternative to a tropical vacation. The Finger lakes are some of the most beautiful and pristine lakes in the country. Many activities such as boating, fishing, and camping can be done while enjoying beautiful scenery. You will also find a number of wineries offering many great wines for the tasting!

If you’re the type that wants to preserve nature, but doesn't necessarily want to be in nature, why not try Syracuse’s Destiny USA. This is the world’s largest ‘green’ shopping mall and is the largest LEED certified shopping mall. Destiny USA offers many unique shopping, dining, and entertainment experiences.

Following these small tips can go a very long way. Being green is not exhausting or costly, in fact it is extremely easy to do and often times it will help save you money. Go green and keep your next vacation eco-friendly.

Lyfe in Southern California

Life in Los Angeles can be very good with a bit of advice. Double or triple the estimated drive time given by your map/direction/gps application. Don't drive too far during rush hour (1 mile may take 30 minutes by car at 5pm). Don't drive at all when it rains because even if you know how to drive in the rain, most other people who live here do not. Yes, all my advice has to do with driving, because even though I will travel for food, there are limits to the amount of stress I will endure. I would gladly swap going through TSA at LAX rather than be stuck in a car on the 405 heading to the Valley at 5pm.

Thankfully Lyfe (Love Your Food Everyday) just opened in Culver City, which means that I don't have to drive to Stanford in Northern California to eat their lovely food. Lyfe focuses on sustainability, community, and being eco-friendly. Their version of "fast food" is healthy, varied, and embraces those who are gluten intolerant or vegetarian.

Everyone I encountered at Lyfe did their best to be helpful from the moment I entered (or got into line to enter) the restaurant, explaining the availability of different menus (one for regular, one for gluten free, and one for vegetarian), and offering samples (the flatbread Margherita was superb).

I ate in the first few times and received a GPS table tracker after placing my order. This handy device lets the food runners know EXACTLY where you are in the restaurant so you are assured to get your order as soon as it is ready.

For to go orders, their utensils are biobased (made from potatoes).

You may add either free range chicken, Gardein "chicken", agave-lime tofu, grilled shrimp or grilled salmon to any salad for an additional $2-$4, so I added Gardein to the Farmer's market salad ($8.99) of organic winter greens, blackberries, agave pickled onions, spiced pecans, and goat cheese in a balsamic vinaigrette. The menu listed calorie counts and sodium counts beside every item, so I knew my meal came in at 428 calories and 649 mg of sodium. I didn't care about the counts as much as I cared about the flavor, so I was very happy to find that the low calorie count did not diminish the taste. The combination of fresh berries with the crunchy sweetness of the pecans, the creamy goat cheese, and the tartness of the vinaigrette worked very well together. I could eat this salad with a different protein combination all week.

I also tried the Gardein crispy chicken sandwich for $8.99 which came with a small side salad of kale and carrots. The sandwich had some very nice components, like shishito pepper relish, organic tomato and romaine lettuce, red onions, and chipotle aioli on multigrain bread. The quality of ingredients and the creativity of this sandwich recipe makes this a good choice for anyone who wants a healthier (and tastier) chicken sandwich than most places offer.

Seeing grilled Barramundi listed as one of their entree choices for only $12.99 surprised me in the best possible way. Barramundi is one of my favorite fishes and for those who like Sea Bass, it is a great alternative to the ubiquitous salmon found on nearly every menu. Served with edamame, napa cabbage, baby spinach, shittake mushrooms, and scallions in a spicy broth, you can choose the regular version with soba noodles, or the gluten free without (which is what I chose because I don't like soba noodles). It was not very spicy at all, but I enjoyed the broth, vegetable, and fish combination very much. The grilled Barramundi was a bit over cooked, but dipping it in the broth alleviated the minor dryness.

Yes, life and Lyfe are good in Southern California, especially when there are fresh and healthy choices in a pedestrian area close to home.

Easy Earth Day Ways to Save

Today is Earth Day and there are many ways to help the Earth with simple acts, some of which will get you free coffee and trees:

1) CREEDO is planting a tree in your honor if you simply click that you like them on your Facebook page by April 30, the more people click, the more trees get planted, so pass on the information and post it on your wall.

2) M Cafe is offering $1.00 off to all take out customers who bring in their own bag to take home their food, and if you bring in your own reusable mug they will give you a free coffee as well.

3) Lowe's is giving away one million trees today, stop by a store and pick one up.

4) Starbucks is giving away free coffee today when you bring in your own reusable mug.

5) Do what you can everyday to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle :)

Peace Day

Peace Day is being celebrated worldwide September 21 here in Los Angeles at the Santa Monica Pier. Please go and enjoy the events for adults and kids being organized by my good friends to help our planet live and thrive.

Dr Seuss & Catalina Zipline

Happy Earth Day!

Oceanhouse Media has a novel way to celebrate if you have an iPhone (it's also iPad compatible), just download the app Lorax Garden for $2.99 and you can plant (and design) you own plants and trees in a virtual world which you can then send as postcards, keeping it green from inception to reception. You can also download the book for $3.99 and use it either as a reading and teaching tool.

If you prefer your greenery to be actual rather than virtual, the first Zipline in Los Angeles or Orange County is now open on Catalina Island. You will be traveling at speeds of up to 45 miles an hour about 300 feet up in the air over nearly .75 of a mile through five connected platform stations that hover over various areas of Catalina. Each station will teach you something about the areas you are zipping through, so this is not only an exhilarating ride, it will be educational also. It takes about 2 hours and costs $92.50, but the experience will be priceless.

Three Free Ways to Help Others

Social Vibe helps feed people, fight cancer, preserve wildlife, educate, and provide clean drinking water, all you need to do is answer some questions that take about 5 minutes of your time for the cause of your choice.

The Extraordinairies allows you to "micro volunteer" to help change the world for the better, whether it is helping log photos from Haiti so people can locate lost loved ones, catalog animal abuse photos for an archive, or inspire children with a message of encouragement. All that is required to be extraordinary is your time.

Free Rice is a game that you play and when you answer correctly, the game sponsors donate rice to feed people, one right answer provides 10 free grains, five right answers is 50 grains. This is one game that you can play to win obsessively that will result in something good for everyone.

Free Cove Screening Today

It's not often that you can go to a screening of an Oscar winning film for free, unless of course you are a member of the Academy and get free passes to all nominated films. Today is one of those rare days when the general public gets the privilege of being treated like an Academy member; fitting day for it since getting something free on a day when taxes are due is a nice perk.

Head over to the Custom Hotel's Hopscotch Pool Bar & Grill before 7pm to grab some free popcorn, order a drink (cash bar), and grab a seat for "The Cove", a film about how we humans are affecting the planet with our actions around the globe. After the film there will be a Q&A with a member of the Oceanic Preservation Society, so this promises to be an entertaining and educational evening under the stars.

Don't forget to file your taxes before you go because Uncle Sam will not take "I was busy watching a great film and I forgot" as a reason for tax return tardiness.

Earth Day in LA

April 22 is Earth Day and if you live in Los Angeles, you can enjoy it at the Wilshire Center located at 3700 Wilshire (at Oxford). Everyone is encourage to ride their bicycles to the event, they even have a bike valet for cyclists. If you don't have a bike or it's too far to ride, then please take public transportation, or at the very least car pool and lessen your carbon footprint.

Bring your old electronics to recycle, like old TVs, computer monitors, and small electronics. There will be live music, dancers performing traditional dances of Korea, El Salvador, and Bangladesh, food from the local farmer's market, gardening demonstrations, drumming lessons for kids, and you can adopt a tree (or two or three). All this will start at 11am and go until 3pm, so plan a play date while doing something good for the earth.

Recycle Today

Everyday is a good day to recycle, but if you are in Pacific Palisades today head over to Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church between 10-2pm and drop off any unwanted electronics FREE. The program is sponsored by California Recycles and Pacific Cares, who have a regular drop off station Monday through Friday in West Los Angeles, but some items require a disposal fee, so take advantage of this opportunity to do some Spring cleaning and start your Saturday off doing something good for the environment.

Peacekeeper Cause-Metics

A better way to buy lipsticks, gloss and nail polish is to shop for them at Peacekeeper, which combines great products with great causes to create the perfect win-win for everyone.This is a company which donates ALL of their after tax distributable profits to women's health and human rights advocacy groups. Peacekeeper is to "cause-metics" what Newman's Own is to food; a way to literally put your money where your mouth is (or in Peacekeeper's case, on your lips). Prices are all under $15 (except for kits/gift packages) and they are all available in a rainbow of shades for every skin type.

Not only are the products pretty, but they are also clean, and they explain the ingredients used as well as the toxicity of each product line (including the usually very toxic nail polish remover) here. With so many harmful chemicals used in cosmetics, it is refreshing to know that efforts have been made to use "no nasty" ingredients in all of their products.

The causes range from providing micro loans to women, to helping stop domestic violence and genital mutilation. Knowing that the products you buy all contribute to a solution may lead you to donating more directly to these great causes, so become a Peacekeeper partner in the quest for a cleaner, safer, more peaceful world.

Peacekeeper gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "a beautiful world".

Tiara Cafe

Dine LA week has me venturing out further than usual in my hunt for great places to eat and when I saw the menu at Tiara, I had to add it to my eating itinerary. The only downside was its' location downtown, so I made a 1:30 pm reservation figuring that was late enough to avoid the 12-1 pm downtown lunchtime crowd. Parking in the area wasn't difficult, especially now that the meters have been replaced by pay machines that accept credit cards and change. To use the parking machine, you punch in your space number from the sidewalk and pay, but there are drawbacks; the machines do not like Amex business credit cards and ate some of my change without applying it to my time. You can pay a garage if all this seems too daunting, but it's hard to beat $3 an hour street parking in that area.

Finding the entrance to Tiara was a bit of a challenge since the front door of the cafe is actually also the door to their market, but it is evident once you walk in the door that this is a fashionable, eclectic place buzzing with energy and fun. The hostess was the only negative part of my dining experience; she seemed annoyed that I had made a reservation, seated me facing a huge column (I switched my seat so my back was to the column), and "forgot" to give me the Dine LA $16 menu until I asked for it (she was also annoyed to find one to give to me). The restaurant was full so it took a good 10 minutes before anyone came by my table, but once my waiter Arturo arrived, everything took a wonderful turn for the better. He was obviously happy to be there, to talk to customers, and he was thoughtful beyond belief (I will explain later).

For my appetizer I chose the Thai Cobb Salette, made with grilled spice marinated chicken (which can be replaced by seitan for the vegetarians), spinach, spicy mixed greens, green papaya, eggs, Nuskes apple smoked bacon served with a spicy Thai dressing. It was as delicious as it looks. Other choices were the house smoked spicy salmon fresh'wich, made with the house smoked & grilled salmon (seitan can be substituted), Persian cucumbers, chiffonade of lettuce, avocado, all wrapped in a thin rice paper and served with an avocado dipping sauce, or for beef eaters, the smoked brisket chili, made with 3 different organic locally grown roasted chillies, all cooked with organic heirloom tomatoes, spices, and served with corn bread muffins.


For my main course I choose the Burrata pizzette because I wanted to taste the dough that they allow to rise for 24 hours. The menu said the pizzette is made with heirloom tomato confit, locally made fresh burrata cheese, greens, and caramelized onions, but mine had mushrooms instead of greens and peppers instead of onions. Other entree options were the grilled chicken and tamale, made with achiote marinated chicken breast grilled, a fresh corn tamale with roasted poblano chilies, grilled zucchini, red beans & dirty rice served with a yellow tomato habanero sauce (they will replace the chicken with grilled vegetables and make it perfect for vegetarians & vegans), or a grilled ahi tuna, made with Japanese togarashi spice marinated sushi grade tuna, scarlet quinoa, grilled fall farmer's market vegetables with a light curry sauce (they can use seitan to replace the tuna or change the tuna for curry grilled shrimp).


Details aside it was delicious and the dough was fantastic. I could only eat two of the six slices after polishing off the entire salette, so my wonderful waiter Arturo suggested I take my desert home along with my uneaten pizzette slices. I chose the Key Lime with vanilla bean meringue and caramel sea salt ice cream. Other choices were peach cobbler , with a brown butter custard bottom, last of the season fresh peaches, topped with a crumbly cobbler crust & served with a 50/50 peach sorbet & vanilla ice cream, or a chocolate molten cake, a warm chocolate cake filled with an oozing ganache, served with a 50/50 chocolate & vanilla ice cream. Arturo even packed the key lime dessert container saying that it would have ruined it if he had tried to take it out, and sorry no baked vanilla bean meringue & caramel sea salt ice cream, becasue it would melt to a mess as I was taking it to go.

It's wonderful to find a place that uses organic and local ingredients, offers vegan substitutions, and thoughtful service, even if it is downtown.

Day of Peace

My friends Darlene & John Zavalney have been working on Roots and Shoots Day of Peace since its' inception 7 years ago and this year they are bringing it to the Santa Monica Pier Sunday September 20th from 11am-4pm. This is one way we can all do something if we would like World Peace to be more than a perfunctory answer to a beauty pageant query about our wishes for the future.

Kids and pets are welcome at this free event; everyone is invited to enjoy the entertainment and the education on how to make this a better world both in sustainability and in coexistence between people, plants, and animals on this planet. Bring along non-perishable food for humans or pets, and you will be entered into a raffle to win a cruiser (the type of bike, not car). I also highly recommend bringing along a camera for the 75 Peace Dove parade (like the one pictured above being held up by Jane Goodall and John Zavalney).

With all the energy we spend on defense, why not spend some on peace?

Green Away & At Home

The Marquis Los Cabos is one of those resorts that can boast about providing the double benefits of being both green and generous. Not only is this luxurious resort, with a 15,000 square foot holistic spa & fitness center, and three restaurants on site, offering discounts for a fourth or seventh night free, but it is conscious about energy use; they use candlelight instead of electricity at night! Their local economy consciousness extends to the uniforms being made in Mexico City, and since they opened in 2003, they have provided a free university (free includes all books as well as classes) to their employees. They give back 5% of their annual revenue to their employees in health and educational benefits. All this for about $240 a night.

If you would like to make your own green fuel with leftover waste at home, then check out the E-Fuel MicroFueler. All you do is feed it leftover beer, wine, or other waste like lawn clippings, dairy products, or rotten apples, and you can make your own ethanol for about $2 a gallon. The only by-product in the process is water. The fuel can also be used for a home generator, and with a $5,000 federal tax credit, Greenhouse estimates cost payback for a household is approximately 2 years.

As Kermit would say, "It's good to be green."

PeaPod Car

It's called a Peapod, and I want one! At $12,500, it is not only cute and green, it is actually an affordable neighborhood vehicle to drive when you run your errands around town. It only cost 2 cents a mile to run and it has ZERO emissions! The seats have mesh backs like an office chair so they are light and comfrotable, conforming to your body as it moves when you drive. For the geeks, the amazing thing about this vehicle is that your iPod can be your ignition key and your navigation system! It's made from 95% recycled and recyclable materials, like bamboo, so it was made as cleanly as it runs! After a 6-8 hour charge it can go 30 miles, and the batteries are maintenance free and run for about three years!

They will be shipping the first model in October with two other models due out soon. Can't wait to be green in a Peapod!

Alila Villas Hadahaa Maldives 65% off

There are some places in the world which are so remote that they are expensive to fly to and to stay in because getting services to a place so far removed from civilization costs money. BoraBora comes to mind as the atolls which make up the "island" include one that serves as the airport, meaning that to get to any of the other atolls there is a required boat trip (yes a boat trip from the airport to the main island and some other hotels located on other atolls).

Another remote island location that is equally famous and expensive is the Maldives. The lowest priced room at the Alila Villas Hadahaa costs $1,183 a night, but with so few people travelling these days, they are offering a rate of $790 a night, including all taxes & fees, with every other night free. If you do the math that works out to $395 a night or 65% off the rack rate. This rate is available from this August (the resort is due to open August 16th) through December.

To make you feel even better about spending your money here, they are an environmentally conscientious resort, where environmental protection and awareness are key (they preserve the natural vegetation to minimize the footprint of the resort's 50 island and aqua villas).

If you are going to spend your green somewhere, spend it where they believe in preserving the green.

E-Road

If you like to ride bikes, but are not willing to train like Lance Armstrong to navigate miles or hills, the new electric bike E-Road may be perfect for you. Just like any other bicycle, you don't need any gas, any license, insurance or registration, and because it is an electric bike, there are no CO emissions either.

If you want a bike you can pedal, this bike works with pedal power or electric, so you can get a workout if you want one, or just cruise up to 25 miles per hour on the battery power. It comes in eight colors ranging from classic black to pink, blue and red, and at $899, it is reasonably priced for a mode of transport that does nothing bad to the environment. It also comes with a 30 day bumper to bumper warranty (but you can buy a 90 day warranty) and the batteries are all covered for 6 months. If you don't happen to live in Los Angeles and want one, they will ship to all the contiguous 48 states for only $95 (and they will ship to AK, HI & Canada for an additional amount).

Finally, a fun way to ride out the traffic in Los Angeles!

Frysmith

Do you love French Fries? Do you love your fries topped with your favorite foods? Ok, most people have had chili cheese fries with all the messy gooey goodness that they entail, but how about vegan fries made with organic tomato and mixed beans with soy chorizo and smoked paprika, with or without cheese? How about an Asian twist with kimchi fries, made with kimchi with Kurobuta pork belly, onions and cheddar cheese? For meat lovers, the Rajas fries with fire-roasted poblano chiles, caramelized onions and shawarma-marinated steak with Jack cheese, would be an obvious choice. You have choices between sweet potatoes and regular, so you can decide which way you want to go on the savory sweet debate.

Where can you get all these? Frysmith. It's one of those roving vendors like the Korean/Mexican fusion Kogi trucks that will start roaming the streets of Los Angeles this August, so if any of the descriptions sound good to you, let them know where you want them so they can put a stop on their itinerary to be near you. You can follow them on Twitter or Facebook for the latest updates.

One thing I love about this company before even tasting their food is the fact that they are building their own trucks to run on diesel so they can RECYCLE the fry oil and use it to run the truck! Talk about literally putting money where your mouth was!

Love on Sale, Car Rentals, and Lingerie

The Cirque du Soleil show LOVE at the Mirage has a number of limited seats available at 50% off if you book through it with your hotel stay online; this deal includes 20-30% off your room at the Mirage, so take advantage of the offer if you want to see the show. I saw LOVE twice in two months and now it looks like I will be seeing it again!

If you are planning to drive to Las Vegas, why not rent a car rather than put miles on yours? There is a website called Vroom Vroom Vroom which allows you to compare prices from all the major car rental companies in one place for your dates and destination; it's like Hotels.com but for cars. The beauty of the site is they list the cars available through the different companies with pictures that come up as you scroll so you can see what the cars look like if you are unfamiliar with the model offered. As a bonus, this is a company that actually puts money towards climate and environmental causes to offset the emissions of cars they rent.

And if you do go to the show in your rented car and need some clothes for the trip, stop by Lulu's (see my previous post for more about this great store) in Manhattan Beach today for their annual summer sale with items 50-80% off. I love the Cosabella dress I bought at the sale last year, and I will most likely wear it to Las Vegas when I go in September, so yes, I actually DO what I recommend!

Good News Tonic

Ever wish there was a place where you could get inspired by the news and events without having to sift through the tragedies and gossip of the day? Tonic is one site that gives good and inspiration news without one iota of fear mongering or focus on misery.

The site also promotes charities and some good green things; if you follow them on Twitter or Facebook, they will plant a tree for your follow. Their features range from the new Tesla to a documentary style film, so you will find something of interest to you as you peruse the site, no matter what your preferences.

They are a for profit company because as they explain themselves, as they generate more money, they can do more good, so spend your time with them if you would like a little tonic that is good for your heart and soul.

Chuao Chocolates

Happy Earth Day!

Chuao Chocolates are one of the few who responsibly source chocolate and then add their own unique flavors from Earl Grey to their spicy Maya signature flavor of dark chocolate infused with pasilla chile, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. They can be found in three San Diego locations and in Coral Gables, Florida, but if you don't live in any of those areas, they will also ship their chocolates to you.

If your favorite chocolate is hot chocolate, like Rue in Chocolat, then this is the place to get your choice of mixes, from the classic Abuela to the more exotic Maya dark hot chocolate mix with pasilla chile, cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Want something special? They have a unique Firecracker dark chocolate bar with chipotle, salt and popping candy that literally pops in your mouth. How dark do you like yours? You can choose from 41-74% (health experts say the darker the better, but your taste buds will decide which is best for you). If you want to bake something with quality cocoa, they also sell baking chocolate, cookbooks and wine.

When you are ready to make your Earth Day meal, you might want to go to Nutrition Data to find all the details on everything you might want to eat or cook. Think of this site as the place to get your own personalized nutrition label for your recipes. You can put in the ingredients in your dish and they will calculate all the rest from the calories to the fat and the sugars. It's a great way to learn about the actual nutrition you are getting in everything you make.

Make this a great Earth Day by doing something good for Mother Earth, even if it is as simple as walking to an errand instead of driving to it.