viva verde

Still do not have the AC in, and although we have not entered the peak summer days yet, there have been a couple of distgustingly hot days that have really tested my abilities to remain cool at work.

Over the past couple of weeks i have been looking up and trying ways to remain cool until i find someone to hook-up my new Energy Star AC unit. Here are some of the low-cost and alternative things i have been trying out here.

1. good-old fresh, cold water: everyday i have been putting out a large pitcher of iced water with a variety of citrus from our CSA basket at the front door for customers to sip on while shopping.  Now it is not as good as the AC, but it is a courtesy that customers really appreciate. Honesetly though, oftentimes just the water and a fan can carry you a majority of the time.

(i use a cute vintage pitcher and biodegradable cups)

2.  Clothing:  ever heard of the guayabera??  it is a type of shirt from South America, Asia…basically everywhere it is hot all the time. It is an open-necked, loose-fitting shirt made from linen, many of them in light colors .  Even if the guayabera is not your thing, use the ideas of it and translate that to your clothing.  Also choose fabrics like hemp, bamboo and linen as they allow air to pass and your skin to breath (plus they do not hold in the stink that you build from sweating all the time!)

(basic guayabera)

3. food: back on learning from those who live in the tropics, have you ever noticed one common thing among them? They all have some super spicy eats!  Scientists believe that this might have something to do with spicy food making you sweat (and cooling the skin) without raising your temperature.  I have been trying this at work by eating spicy mango slices from the fruit cart guy that stops by the store every afternoon.

(prepping the mango with lime juice & other tasty fruits to buy)

on the subject of eating, make sure you eat smaller portions and more fruits and veggies.  Proteins and large meals make more for digestion and that means more heat produced.

4. Use your pulse point:   areas where you can feel your pulse are also areas where temperature can be felt quickly.  Apply a bag of ice or run cool  water over these places I always suggest this practice to people especially when they are at outdoor events, but i have also been doing this at the store with my Klean Kanteen filled with a cold drink.

Ahh, summer that glorious time of year when school’s out, days are long and travel.

Times are changin’ a little bit though for most of us in this country. Record gas prices have really put a damper on the plane situ, that also goes for the seasonal “road-trip” across the country which costs double what it used to…all that and the dollar’s pitiful stance in the world, make the “bang-for-the-buck” not really happening when it comes to one of our beloved activities. What’s a person to do?

Don’t give up just yet and resort to the couch and watching reruns of every TV show ever made…have you thought of the Staycation?

According to the Urban Dictionary, a Staycation is: ” A vacation that is spent at one’s home enjoying all that home and one’s home environs have to offer.” That’s right, explore your home!

Now don’t be peeved or think i am being cheap (well i am), but i think this is a really great concept. Think about what we do where we live: wake-up, rush to work, rush to fave lunch place, rush home/rush to same place to hang with friends/people, rush to various places to run errands…wash, repeat.

Do we really “experience” where we live? take a moment to ponder this concept. You obviously live in your designated area for a reason, because you like it or tolerate it enough to be there a majority of you time. Well, what exactly do you like about it? More importantly: what do you want to love about it?

here are some tips if you decide to embark on a staycation:

• if you were raised in the area, take trip down memory lane: visit your old home, grade school, HS, college, library, neighborhood…what do you think about? use this as a way to write about the history of you.
• know the history of where you live: most places, with a little searching, has a tour of the area (of us in So Cal, there are a ton of strange and unique tours around LA), watch movies that are located in your area to learn more or gain another’s perspective.
• do you know the great places to eat where you live? bet you don’t (unless you are a food critic). This will serve invaluable later in conversations, advice and being a foodie!
• on the food topic: try to go “around the world” in food stores, eateries & even specialty stores in your area, learn about the region/country on the side via your local library or movies or the trusty computer. Again, you will have invaluable info to discuss, make it into a weekly event!
• hike it: do all the local hiking or even camping destinations in your area, shed some pounds and enjoy the nature where you live, it’s cheap!
• break up your routine: change how you do things for the summer-attempt the 100 mile diet for the summer, join a book club or better…
• volunteer for a local organization in your area: teach others to read, clean up a filthy beach or build a home for someone who can’t take a staycation!
• learn: the downtime in summer is the perfect time to take a class. Learn to throw pottery, salsa dance, speak Spanish, paint a picture, public speak, make a meal for 20! Learn about something you have always wanted to know about.
• is there a neighboring city/town that you still don’t know much about? take a visit and stay there for the weekend or even the day.
• redecorate: sometimes we need to “get out” because the home has become stagnate. Move the furniture around, paint a wall, fix all of those “i’ll do it when i have the time” things…this leads to…
• plan weekly brunches for friends or a monthly get-together for people…that will keep you busy! show off those salsa moves, the veggie dish that you just learned or that bright blue wall you painted in the dining room.

Took in the evening at Avanti cafe, sipping on my favorite margie and reading the latest issue of CRAFT magazine-you heard of it?

the latest issue has a great DIY tiddy on herbal tinctures.  in case you don’t know:

an herbal preparation made with alcohol or distilled water and dried or fresh herbs.

it can be as simple as chewing on some mint after a stinky meal or having some chamomile tea when you have an upset tummy.  Creating a tincture is basically harvesting the true potential of a natural herb without any of the BS that the big pharmaceutical companies getting in the way-very old-school.

The CRAFT magazine article gives the basic recipe for 3 kinds of tinctures: vinegar, alcohol and glycerin.  They use dandelion for their tinctures, however, there are a number of herbs and combinations of herbs that you can develop. *caution:  learn about what the herbs do/their properties.  You don’t want to make something to ease muscle pain and end up with a diuretic-no fun.

i see a workshop coming on!

for more info on remedies

We were profiled in this month’s Riviera Magazine by journalist Victoria Namkung. I am usually not one to say anything, but this article is really too sweet.

(yes, that’s me sitting on the Loll- armless double)

Thank you Victoria!

Please read-Page 74

just read this interesting tiddy on the “5 reasons to not buy American“, and ugg! i am embarrassed!

I know i mentioned this earlier with the whole GM closing plants deal, buy i have to admit that to buy an American vehicle is totally and completely pointless. I feel like screaming into my pillow, “haven’t you learned A SINGLE THING from the 70’s?!?”

besides the “poor design choices” that are now so completely obvious (and if you cannot see them, take a look at your wallet, that might have something to do with it), i can’t help but think about how the current situ with “the big 3″ reflects greater themes/ideas in American consumption/culture:

1. marketing for the upper-class/well off people or wanting everyone to behave like they are
2. creating products with the mind-frame that supplies (aka FUEL, but also more than that) will last forever
3. designing product for now instead of “built to last” in the REAL essence of lasting in the WORLD-i think big corps need to consult with a dictionary, not bank account
4. thinking of a product as what i like to call it: its bare-necessity. In the case of the car, my definition is as follows:

CAR: a thing that can take a small group of people or single person from point A to point B at a faster rate than what they could do with physical effort. (i know a car takes physical effort, you know what i mean)

I, like so many others wants to “buy American”, but honestly, why should you when you are wasting natural resources and buying an inefficient product that will not stand the test of time? What ever happened to American Innovation? We have the best schools in the world and this is what we get?

somebody step up!  we should be leading design not dragging out heels 10 years later!

The CAMP in Costa Mesa launched its Sustainable Cinema Series on Sunday with the help of you-know-who to show thought-provoking and socially conscious films with great discussion after.

The first film on the summer line-up: Black Gold. This wonderful film takes a look at the one of the most traded commodities in the world’s marketplace: your morning cup of Joe. The film concentrates on Ethiopia, the “birthplace of coffee” and how an unregulated market has drastically altered the livelihood of so many farmers who depend on coffee prices to afford the most basic of necessities.

(film watchers enjoying the film and awesome weather)

I have to say, i was super excited to be sitting next to Mr. Martin Diedrich (yes from the beloved Diedrich Coffeehouse and now LOVED Kean Coffee). Raised in Guatemala and in the essence of coffee-culture, Martin knows the ins-and-outs of what is means to grow, roast, sell and market the bean through and through. I cannot think of a better person of talk to after such a film.

(our panel-hey, that’s me!)

Martin did make some interesting points: from his perspective, fair-trade coffee has suffered in quality and that the film only examines coffee trade in the form of the BIG players (think bigger than Starbucks even-they are the fifth largest!) like Nestle & Proctor and Gamble-types.  His solution: buy from small-indie outfits that give a damn about quality, beans, roasting and creating an end-product that respects the environment, people & palate…a coffee triple-bottom-line!

read more about coffee growers

I am still recovering my old-bones from a few events that i participated in this past weekend. One of which was on Saturday: the Tree Huggers Ball.

The 4th-annual installment of this locals-only-eco-community-event is located in Baker Canyon, in the absolutely GORGEOUS Santiago Mountains by locals who live in the area.  I must say that the location was simply wonderful, but a bit of a trek to get out there.

(the view above from where we were stationed!)

This was my first year to the event, and i had no idea what to expect, however one i did at least think of was the extreme HEAT that was a result of a heatwave that made the situation one that was less than comfortable.  I dont know how someone could combat this while planning an event, we still were not in the main hot-weather month to really see this, but still, it was pretty intense.  My advice: bring your own ice and a spritzer bottle to pamper yourself in the shade.

The event, overall was fun; my cohort for the day, Lisa a water conservation specialist  was so great with the temp and everything, thank you Lisa for your help!

(that’s Lisa workin’ the booth! go Lisa!!)

i do however, have some tips for next year, just from my observation with green events and just general green-living:

1. always serve a vegetarian meal as the main course: BBQ was the fair by-in-large and that didnt seem to make sense with being “eco”

(love tie-dye, but these would ROCK as flags for the event)

2. with such a large natural space, a large compost pile would have been key to making the event as low impact as possible.

3. the port-o-potties after 7pm where in the dark!  yeah, try doing your business in one of those with no lights, not fun!

4. there needed to be more small-group activities to get folks in the “mood” for staying longer and participating.

5. keep the corn cups out of the sun cause the melt!

(good thing: THE LOST BEAN- these guys rock!)