More Hip than Hippie - Green Weddings
This week we're talking green weddings, our weekly finds, and of course chocolate and beer. Rob's 40th/50th birthday is coming up soon. Val talks about being an Apple Blossom Princess and her tiara.

Weekly finds

• China slaps tax on chopsticks to help save trees - New charges also on yachts, cars in bid to save energy, environment - MSNBC.com
• Loremo debuts 150 mpg concept car in Geneva -
• From Real Simple - Less Power to them! Unplug items once the are charged - even your ipod!
• From Yahoo News - Colgate-Palmolive to Buy Tom's of Maine.

The Beer: Newcastle Brown Ale

 

The Chocolate: Karen hooked us up! Bare Bottom Truffles - Dark Chocolate Truffles. Thanks for the T-shirts and the Chocolate!

Green Weddings:

• Invitations:
  • Tisted Limb Paper Company
  • Of The Earth - Flower Seed Paper
  • Check out www.evite.com if your event is small or your attendees are tech savvy.
• Wardrobe - follow the rules of reduce, reuse, recycle, restore
  • Organic Weddings - Hemp Satin Dresses.
  • Visit http://www.makingmemories.org to purchase a once worn or sample gown to support Brides against Breast Cancer.
  • Visit http://www.bridalgarden.org is a non profit that sells donated couture and designer dresses at 50-75% off their retail price.
  • Donate Brides Maid Dresses to The Glass Slipper Project
• Candles - stick with beeswax or vegetable based candles.
• Gifts:
  • Consider http://www.idofoundation.org if you don't need many gifts to have guests donate to the charity of your choice.
  • Felicite.com - to register in many places at once, set up a honeymoon fund or partial gift plans.

 

Purchase a copy of Organic Weddings by Michelle Kozin for loads of tips, ideas and resources.

More tips can be found at Brides.com.

Listener Emails:

• Alison from hip NYC wants an eco-job. While we're planning a show on that topic, Alison also wanted to share an article she found on Ethanol fuel. What's your feedback listeners?
• Tom - Yes you can kill bugs with low impact - check these options out.
• Bonjour Aimee! She's got a recommendation for our listener who wants to Feng Shui her dorm room.
  It's called Dorm Room Feng Shui: Find Your Gua Free your Chi

   

  Aimee also recommends a book written by one of her college professors, Micheal Bess. It's called The Light-Green Society: Ecology and Technological Modernity in France, 1960-2000

• Tara wanted to know about Tupperware. We're happy to report they are mostly #1 PET or #5 Polypropylene - both considered non leaching. However, we still don't recommend heating anything in plastic, period. PS. The folks at Tupperware were very nice so if you have product questions - give them a call!
• Speaking of plastics, Val found this guide to plastics
• Doug emailed us this fantastic link to discover the ratings of organic dairy products. Val suggests printing it out and taking it with you when shopping.
• Here's the life expectancy that the girls took courtesy of Shayna http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/calcs/n_expect/main.asp Val's expected to live to torture Rob until she's 102 and Dori's expected to live to be 2,000 years old. Ok, she lied, but it was funny.
• Martin sent us this 'cheesy' website as he called it regarding Solar Guard plastic film. Make your own call at http://www.pacificcoastsolarfilm.com/2nd.html#RES

Vote for us at podcastalley.com and email us your thoughts at hip@greenfeet.com

 

More Hip than Hippie - Spring Cleaning
Spring has sprung - well, figuratively anyway. While most of the country is still in winter like conditions we're focusing this week on getting prepared for spring cleaning. It's a frame of mind and we're out to get you inspired and ready to attack those dust bunnies!!

Hip News, Hip News

• Val shared a story out of Plenty Magazine (April/May 2006 issue) about giant jellyfish that have invaded Tokyo. Freaky.
• On Yahoo! News Dori found an article linking green house gasses to global warming. Troubling news.
• Eco Recording artist Kellie Stoltz

 

Beer:
This week it's Purple Haze Raspberry Wheat Brew from Abita Brewing Company. Abita Springs, LA U.S.A.

Chocolate:
Hachez Orange Bar - Hachez's Cocoa D'Arriba 77% Cocoa Content- The mild chocolate enjoyment.

Spring Cleaning.
Don't let it be a daunting task. Dori and Val cover several ways to make it manageable, effective and even fun! (well, maybe that's going a bit too far).

Things like creating a plan, pacing yourself, setting goals and rewarding yourself for a job well done are covered. They also cover the basics and sustainable tools to get the job done.

Some Books to consider are:
Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan
Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd
Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold Bond
How Clean is Your House by Kim Woodburn and Aggie Mackenzie

Listener Emails

• Jon is on a mission! He's driving his Biodiesel VW Rabbit across the US to raise awareness and wanted to share this entry on his blog.
• Lee's dryer has balls! Wahoo! Actually, they're called dryer balls and they help fight static cling. Check them out at greenfeet.com
• Michael (who hates Priuses), shared this company who makes a bamboo bike. It's a bit pricey but cool nonetheless. http://www.calfeedesign.com/bamboo.htm. Here's the article he also wrote to us about regarding smart cars so Val can trade her Prius in on one http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1938884,00.asp
• Greetings to Craig in Durban, South Africa. Thanks for listening!
• Rob sent us an update on hemp legislation. Check out more details at http://www.votehemp.com
• Our buddy Tom in the U.K. sent us this great article from the BBC about a new biofuel pump at a U.K. supermarket. Hurrah!
• Michael wanted to know about some alternatives to Roundup. Here ya go:
  • Burn out II
  • Weed Prevention Plus
• Dennis defended Val as a fellow Prius owner (thanks, Dennis!). Actually, he brings up a good point. While a hybrid is not the ultimate solution, it does tend to get conversations started. We like that.
• Nancy had a concern as to whether emergency crews could use the "jaws of life" on a hybrid after an accident. According to the Toyota website, yes, you can. Several safety features are installed and training is available for all emergency personnel. Check out the website for more information.
• Howard gave us some more solid, green office tips. One was to donate unused cycles on your computer to BOINC projects that combine them to accomplish work that would normally require a super computer. It's worth checking out at http://boinc.berkeley.edu
• Kellie - our friend from San Francisco (ding ding). Check out a local publication called Bay Area Naturally http://www.naturalpages.com/ba.html to check out other green cleaning businesses for your MBA project.
• Joshua - our Aussie friend who typed slow so we could understand him (did we say smart ass?) turned us on to greenlagirl who has joined with others for the Starbucks challenge. Little did he know that Val already talked to her. Ha! Check out her blog at http://greenlagirl.com and City Hippy at http://cityhippy.blogspot.com
• Nathan who as a new listener had questions regarding our theme music gave us a great link to find out more information how eating a vegan diet is greener than driving a hybrid car. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg18825304.800.html

Email us at hip@greenfeet.com. Remember to vote for us at podcastalley.

More Hip Than Hippie - The Eco-friendly Office
Val attended the sustainability conference at Chico State. This week we do the usual finds, chocolate, beer and then we dive in to making the places your work and worship a bit more green.

The Beer: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - Made in Chico, CA.

The Chocolate: Scharffenberger (By the way I found out that while they are not organic or fair trade, this company is committed to sustainable farming. Find out more here.

The Finds:

• From about.com - Americans Would Support Higher Gas Tax to Reduce Global Warming - Economists Believe Raising Gasoline Prices Would Lower Consumption
• From CNN - Divers have discovered a new crustacean in the South Pacific that resembles a lobster and is covered with what looks like silky, blond fur, French researchers said Tuesday.
• From YahooNews - Wal-Mart doubling organic food offerings.
• Ideal Bite - Starbucks review - don't forget to read Starbuck's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Annual Report and judge for yourself.

 

Shout out: Podcasting Dallas with Larry (all by himself no Kevin - Kevin must be Val's imaginary friend). They featured us on their site this week.

Greening the office and the church
Dori and Val give a lot of great tips (to many for me to transcribe here) so I am going to be posting only the links they mention not the tips. I hope you find them helpful.

• Battery Recycling Kits
  • Earth Pro
  • Grainger
  • Good Mart
• Green Certificates - Green Energy
  • 3phases
  • Native Energy
  • EcoPower
  • Global wind energy capacity seen tripling by 2014
• Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
• Office Supplies
  • Dolphin Blue
  • Green Earth Office Supply
  • Sustainable Group

Listener Emails

• Kmpollock - Greening the Cube, by Joel Makower. Eco-friendly furniture meets the cubicle culture.
• Amanda - discovered a brand of reusable furnace filters called Web. You can trim them to any size and once a month you just remove the pad, rinse, and allow to dry.
• Chuck - Found this tidbit on digg.com about recycling styrofoam via bacteria! Read it here.
• Barry - Told us about an industrial cleaner manufacturer we can all check out named (no kidding) Beaver Research Company.
• Matt - attached a link from a UK site called the Eden project. I went there last year and bought a mouse mat made from recycled tyres which is great. So I thought more hip than hippy mouse mats would be cool!
• BJK - The mystery is over! It's a she!
• Mrs. B - Just wanted you to know that I won a contest at Podcast Pickle and get to pick the featured podcast of the day for a week. Today, I chose your show.
• Bob in Tulsa - found a company in Texas ( SOS From Texas ) that you might like. They make clothes from organic cotton grown there in Texas and woven there in the same way.

 

Don't forget to email us at hip@greenfeet.com and vote for us at podcastalley.com (and anywhere else you can), and review us at podcastpickle and itunes.

 

More Hip Than Hippie - Green Machines
We move indoors - the weather is cruddy! This week we talk all about cars. Val goes on a couple of rants - one about a coffee chain and the ever annoying plastic bags.

This weeks finds

• Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Here's the low-down based on the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) information. It's considered non-toxic although we have reason to be somewhat concerned. The Hazardous Decomposition/By Products include: Oxides of carbon, oxides of nitrogen, oxides of sulfur, aromatic compounds, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide. Hmmm. It can also cause gastrointestinal blockages in children and pets. We suggest you use it sparingly in desperate situations only.
• Static Cling anyone? Here's a simple solution to this nasty little problem. Tip courtesy of www.care2.com.
• From Real Simple Magazine: Val brought to light a great project to identify contents in pantry storage containers. Simply create an area of chalk board (using chalk board paint available at any hardware store) on your glass or stainless containers. Use to label contents, date of entry (to maintain freshness) and cooking tips. When switching contents, simply erase and poof! you're done!
• Also From Real Simple Magazine - Free ice cream! Wha? Where? On April 25th Ben & Jerry's (synonymous with YUM) is offering free ice cream cones at their scoop shops. Visit www.benjerry.com and click on "scoop shops". Thanks for the tip Real Simple Magazine!
• From ABC News: North Pole Meets South Pole: Both Ends of Earth Are Melting

The Beer: Carmel Wheat HefeWeizen by Carmel Brewing Company

 

The Chocolate: Valrhona Chocolat Noir

All About Cars

• Dori stumbled on this great article on how General Motors Derailed Public Transportation to Sell More Cars (really - that's the name of the piece). You can read more here.
• This week we discussed the various areas of cars. First up is the idea of community car sharing. If you live in an urban area, need a car only once in a while or only occasionally need a second car this may be the perfect service for you. Here are some sites to check out. You can find car sharing programs around the world!
  • To find locations around the globe (including US cities): http://www.carsharing.net/where.html
  • Here is the U.S. - www.flexcar.com
  • www.zipcar.com
• There are a lot of other companies located in major cities. Here are a few:
  • San Francisco
    1. www.citycarshare.org
    2. www.zipcar.com
  • Madison
    1. www.communitycar.com
  • Toronto (eh?)
    1. www.autoshare.com
  • Philadelphia
    1. www.phillycarshare.org
• Here's the top picks of Consumer Reports Annual Vehicle Guide (note that news links may appear dead after time)
• Dori shared the Top 10 Ways to Equip Your Car for a Greener Planet. She found this at Edmunds.com

 

Listener Emails Wow. Once again we have tons of email - thank you! While we do our best to comment on every message, please note that we appreciate each and every one we get and yes, we do read them.

• Karen inquired as to sources for natural hair dyes. Here are a few to get you started: (please note that we have not used these products ourselves so use your due diligence as a consumer and ask questions, check guarantee, etc). Many of these can be found in your natural health food store or online.
  100% Henna. Simply Google "henna natural hair dyes" and boatloads will appear.
  Naturtints
  Other Links:
  • www.herbatint.co.uk
  • www.naturcolor.com
  • www.rainbowresearch.com
  • www.toccomagico.it
• Tara inquired as to an ADA approved toothpaste. The only one we could find is Toms of Maine Dori uses it - Val's not such a fan due to the content of sodium lauryl sulfate.
• Listener Michael provided a link to an interesting article on Mitsubishi Motors development of a plant-based resin for use in interiors. Good read.
• Sarabeth is all about cloth diapers and wanted to tell everyone there are cloth "pull-up" out there. Bloody Brilliant! Visit www.kellyscloset.com for all things diaper related.
• Liisa (with two eyes - oh, I get it. Two I'sâ�¦..) wanted to shout the joys of Allterrain a great company that manufactures effective, DEET free insect repellents. We're proud to say that Greenfeet carries the repellent and is bringing on new products (like their repellent wipes) in a matter of a few days. greenfeet.com It's good stuff!
• Danny is moving and needs lots of good stuff for his kitchen. Oh, Danny. We can't help but blush with pride. Check out Greenfeet.com's great selection of kitchen products! Greenfeet's Kitchen Products

 

Email us at hip@greenfeet.com and don't forget to vote for us at podcastalley, review us on itunes, and podcastpickle.com

More Hip than Hippie - Feng Shui
Dori's finally moved back into her house. We take a look at Feng Shui, taste some beer, eat some chocolate, and check out some listener emails.

 

Martha's New Magazine
Blueprint - Design Your Life - Expected to come out May and August 2006.

The Beer: The Chocolate: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Truffle. (Sorry no direct link to the chocolate).

The Beer: Eel River's Organic Porter from the Eel River Brewing Company.

In the News:

• Seventh Grade Science Project - Student finds toilet water cleaner than ice at fast food restaurants.
• From Rob: The Flying Luxury Hotel - Tomorrow's cruise ship will sail through the air, not the water - From Popular Science
• Smart Homeowner Magazine - Val's really enjoying this one.
• Val tells a joke!

Feng Shui - location, location, location
Feng Shue has been used by Donald Trump, Virgin Airlines, the Bank of Englad and the United Nations. It's even been used on TV sets such as Big Brother.

 

Feng Shui teaches us how to create harmony and balance around us by considering the effect of our environment on individual health and well being. It's the integration of the outside world and our internal environment and this philosophy is being employed by a growing number of architects and decorators that are integrating 3000 year old ideas into their contemporary building designs.

Nutshell - concept is to attract positive energy. What you put out, you get back. Nothing granola about it. Feng Shui is a philosophy - a way of seeing the world.

There are 8 key factors in Feng Shui Analysis.

• Ch'I of the land
• Shape of the lot
• Shape of the house
• Traffic and Road Influences
• Entrances
• Room arrangement
• Stairways
• General condition and level of upkeep

There are a variety of tools used in Feng Shui - Here are a few examples

• Paint Color
• The Bagua (map of general area/building)
• Crystals
• Wind Chimes
• Flutes
• Mirrors

Here are some links for more information on Feng Shui:
http://chineseculture.about.com/library/picks/aatp_fengshui_bk.htm
http://www.fastfengshui.com/fast_fengshui_book.htm

 

Listener Emails

• Nancy - Full Plate Nutrition - What's up Girls! I finally listened to all the shows, so I've allowed myself to write. I have a few questions for you: What should I be telling people to freeze food in? Glass Storage has an advantage - doesn't need replacing. Stainless steel is good (Jill couldn't find a link - if you know where to get some- let her know). Non-PVC plastic. Aluminum foil. What can we use for garbage bags? I tried the Seven Generations bags but they tear and leak and they're too big to fit down the chute. Val recommended reexamining purchases to see if any alternatives exist to reduce packaging that is ultimately thrown away. There's Bio Bags from Greenfeet.com that come in trash and food waste size bags. They're made from corn so they won't be quite as sturdy as thick plastic, but they do the job.
• Lindsey from Athens, GA (one fo the 10 greenest cities in the U.S.) mentioned how San Francisco is looking into ways of turning their dog doo into methane fuel. Oh, poo! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060222/ap_on_sc/dog_waste_power
• Jennifer found us via Red Jellyfish (who we love) and suggested that we check out Yesterday's News - an environmentall friendly cat litter. Jennifer says that its less tracking than Feline Pine. So there you go.
• Scott in Connecticut wanted to give us a heads up on a couple of good sites for green products: www.unpluggedliving.com and www.treehugger.com Of course, because we enjoy shameless self promotion, check out www.greenfeet.com because it rocks.
• Michael from Huntersville, North Carolina send us a very informative link to EFF - The Electronic Frontier Foundation regarding a code of conduct for Internet companies in authoritarian regimes. Good and interesting reading.
• Andrea - joined a CSA!

Email us at hip@greenfeet.com and don't forget to vote for us at podcastalley, review us on itunes, and podcastpickle.com