More Hip Than Hippie #71 - Good Fish, Bad Fish

It's a well known fact that the omega 3 essential fatty acids found in fish have a number of healthy benefits. However, the growing pollution problem is causing rising mercury levels in seafood. How do you know how much is too much when eating fish, and do the health benefits outweigh the risks? We'll help you nagivate these murky waters by giving you tips for making healthy choices and reducing your mercury intake.

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Oktoberfest from Joseph Brau Brewery, by Trader Joe's. You can't get it online, but if you're lucky you can find a Trader Joe's near you!

Chocolate: Java Truffle filled Dark Chocolate by Lake Champlain Chocolates. Thanks for hooking us up, Laura!

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• What can you do to make a difference? Saturday October 28 is Make A Difference Day, a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Take a look around your community and see how you can help make it a better place. By taking on one small project or deed to help out, you contribute to the big picture of making the world a better place!
• Get your organic on the run. A new restaurant and catering chain, Organic-To-Go, is tapping into a market that is often overlooked by traditional fast-food joints. Now you can have your favorite organic treats and eats, like organic roasted, herbed potatoes, while you're out running errands. Or if you're too busy to get out, you can have it delivered right to your doorstep in a recycled plastic bag. Why didn't someone think of this before?

 

News:

• Seeing red. Popular retail chain the Gap has launched a new clothing line called (Product) Red, with a percentage of sales going to The Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Pick yourself up a shirt, it will make you feel good inside and out.
• Who tops the list? The EPA just published its annual list of the best workplaces for commuters among the Fortune 500 companies.
• Have you had a ghostly experience? Since Halloween is just around the corner, we're asking you to share your otherworldly experiences with us. Have a good story? Skype us at "morehip" and leave us a message with your story. Don't have Skype? Get it here or you can call +1 530.554.2605 and leave a message.

 

Essential Oil

Pick up your Ginger essential oil at Greenfeet, it's great for treating a number of ailments. Here are just a few of its uses:

• Reduces motion sickness and morning sickness.
• A good preventative remedy for infectious illnesses.
• Treat arthritis, aching muscles, and poor circulation.

 

Good Fish, Bad Fish

Don't let fish leave a bad taste in your mouth! Despite the health benefits associated with eating fish, mercury levels in commercial fish and shellfish are raising concerns. Have no fear, with a few tips and a little knowledge, you can make healthy choices on your next trip to the market.

• Calculate your Mercury in-take at GotMercury.org.
• Make healthy choices when buying seafood with the Eat Smart Guide.
• Learn more at OceansAlive.org.
• Find out how mercury in fish is regulated at RealMercuryFacts.org.
• Check out the EPA's list of mercury levels in commercial fish and shellfish.
• Read some of these About.com articles on the health benefits and risks of eating seafood:
  • Mercury in Fish: Does Eating Seafood Help or Harm Your Health?
  • Good Fish, Bad Fish.

 

More Hip Book Club

We hope you're enjoying our first book, Fast Food Nation! We'll be talking about the first section "The American Way" on next week's show and look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Listener Emails

Once again, we have a bunch of great listener emails. Keep 'em rolling in at hip@greenfeet.com. And don't forget to post articles, links, and speak your mind at our MHTH forum!

• Golf anyone? Shayna found this article about how some people are turning to souped-up golf carts for their full-time ride. They are considered alternative-fuel vehicles, which means serious federal tax breaks for the drivers. Maybe you can spend the money you save on those expensive greens fees!
• Walk the line. Rebecca from Boston was looking for some information about line drying clothes. Check out LaundryList.org.
• Queue up for The Snailwell Gazette. Elizabeth just launched the new website for her publication The Snailwell Gazette. It's all about the antics of an American family living in jolly old England and is sure to have you laughing!
• Vroom Vroom. Paul wanted to let us know about Diesel Secret Energy, a kit that can have any diesel engine running on a vegetable oil based fuel in as quickly as one day. Sounds like a great idea to us!
• Wood is good. Aimee in San Francisco found Suissa Computers, a company that uses wood casings for their computers. They're cool looking and eco-friendly!
• Crazy for cacao! A listener found an article in The Seattle Times that gives chocolate lovers the lowdown on cacao content.
• Do you use CFL's? A thread in the forum was discussing the mercury content in the energy-efficient bulbs. To learn more, read this fact sheet.

Email us at hip@greenfeet.com. Don't forget to vote for us at podcastalley.com and podcastpickle.com. Send us a voice message at our Skype address "morehip" or +1 530.554.2605. Don't have Skype ? Get it - it's free!

More Hip Than Hippie #70 - Green Pest Control

As Winter approaches, we find ourselves staying closer to home and sharing the warmth of a crackling fire with family. The only problem is that as the temperature drops, humans are not the only ones heading for shelter. Before long, you'll find the yourself in the unwelcome company of common pests such as ants, roaches, and moths as they begin to seek refuge from the harsh weather.

Have no fear! We've got some simple 'recipes' for natural pest control that will have you giving those pests a run for their money.

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Freak Out Ale by The Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, CA.

Chocolate: West Africa 73% Cacao Dark Chocolate from Neuhaus.

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Political humor heats up. Forget jokes about elephants and donkeys, late-night television humor has global warming in its sights. You'll have your environmentalist friends in stitches with some of these one-liners from Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, and David Letterman.
• Apple crisp, anyone? This holiday season your friends and family will be blown away at your cooking prowess when you serve up this delicious apple crisp.
• Get crafty with your kids. All you need is an old cd and your imagination to make this fun flashy fish disk. You'll love making it as much as your kids do!
• Drink beer and save the world? Sign us up! Find out more in the book Fermenting Revolution.
• Be kind to the planet, one load of laundry at a time. Check out LaundryList.org and get your own clothes drying rack. You will help save the planet by saving energy!
• Listen to John Romano's new album "Evolution" here!

News:

• It keeps growing and growing... The U.S. population has hit the 300 million mark and is raising concerns among environmentalists. Americans are consuming more food, energy, and natural resources than ever before, leaving environmentalists wondering how much longer the planet can handle the growth.
• Health officials have found cow manure from a ranch in California that carries a strain of E. Coli that matches the strain found in the recent outbreak in bagged spinach. Officials are still attempting to determine the connection between the infected cattle and the contamination of the spinach.

More Hip Book Club

We hope you've gotten your copy of Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, the first selection of the More Hip Book Club. For the slightly younger set (13 years old +) you'll want to check out Chew On This by Eric Schlosser, a toned down version of Fast Food Nation that is perfect for the teenager in your life.

Green Pest Control

Don't let pesky pests put a damper on your holiday season! Keep roaches, ants, and moths at a distance this winter with some simple, natural recipes and tips for pest control.

• Recipes
  • DoItYourself.com
  • Pest Control Hawaiian Style
  • Earth Share of Washington
  • The Helpful Gardener
  • The Invisible Gardener
  • Safe Pest Control Tips
  • Purchase Hedgeapples
• Natural Pest Control Services
  • Florida - Orange Pest Control
  • Jacksonville, Florida - Green Frog Pest Prevention
  • California and Texas - Greenbuilder.com
• Useful books about natural pest control:
  • The Organic Pest Control Handbook by Tom Roberts
  • Outwitting Ants by Cheryl Kimball
  • Squirrel Wars by George H. Harrison.
• Check out these helpful products available at Greenfeet
  • Pantry Pest Trap
  • Clothes Moth Alert
  • Smart Mouse Trap
  • Terro Ant Killer II
  • Fresh Cab Scent Pouches
  • Aphid Chaser

 

Listener Emails

Once again, we have a bunch of great listener emails. Keep 'em rolling in at hip@greenfeet.com. And don't forget to post articles, links, and speak your mind at our MHTH forum!

 

• From recycling to riches. Tim sent us an article about Chinese billionaire Zhang Yin, who has surpassed both Oprah and J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame, as the richest self-made woman in the world. The source of Zhang's wealth? She is the founder of Nine Dragons Paper, a company that recycles scrap paper from the U.S. for use in China.
• Did you know? Marketing Assistant Rachel stumbled upon a great source of random facts at AskMen.com. For example, did you know it is estimated that any one time, .7% of the world's population is drunk? Fascinating.
• Could it get any better? Several listeners wanted to tell us about a new chocolate beer from Miller Brewing called Miller Classic Chocolate Lager. We can't wait to get our hands on this one!
• Halloween gets green. Ruth found some great tips for having a green Halloween. With a few simple changes, you can reduce waste and make a positive impact on the planet this October 31.
• Light up your life. Shayna found this video clip about lighting your home with Hybrid Solar Lighting.
• The chocolate that wasn't. Nancy wanted to send us a bar of Venchi 85% cacao chocolate, unfortunately her son beat us to it! It's the thought that counts!
• Say Adios to fleas. Leslie Beth is in search of a healthy alternative to traditional flea control treatments for her cats. Try Spotted Dog Aromatherapy Spray.

 

Email us at hip@greenfeet.com. Don't forget to vote for us at podcastalley.com and podcastpickle.com. Send us a voice message at our Skype address "morehip" or +1 530.554.2605. Don't have Skype ? Get it - it's free!

More Hip Than Hippie #69 - Breast Cancer Awareness

It's Breast Cancer Awareness month, so we're going to be chatting about some great resources for information on risk factors, prevention, and cancer research. Also, we introduce the first book we will be reading for the More Hip Book Club.

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Old Slugger Pale Ale and Benchwarmer Porter from Cooperstown Brewing.

Chocolate: Swiss Dark Chocolate with Coconut Art Bar by Ithaca Fine Chocolates, sent to us from Texas by 'Green neck' Hipster Laura. Thanks!

Hip News and Finds:

Finds:

• Find more great projects and articles like the ones Jillicious chatted about in ReadyMade Magazine.
• Chasing Zero. This great article in Good Magazine is 'An Experiment in Extreme Urban Environmentalism'. New York has one of the smallest per capita ecological footprints in the country, and one reporter set out on a month-long experiment to discover how much more the footprint could shrink.
• Tired of all the gas-guzzling cars out there? You'll want to check out 40MPG.org, a website that is working to make 40 miles per gallon the standard for all cars in the United States.
• Dogs are people too! Well not really, but you love them like family and now you can share your love of beer with your favorite four-legged friend!

  Happy Tail Ale is a non-alcoholic beer for dogs, and we put it to the test with a panel of six pooches very close to our hearts. Val's Labradors Sam, Zoey, and Daisy, Rachel's black lab Kirin Ichiban, and Greenfeet employee Erin's Artemis and Raya were all very eager taste-testing participants.

  The results? A whopping 5 out of 6 happy tails!

  Why Happy Tail Ale and not regular human beer? Dogs can't metabolize alcohol, so your favorite brew isn't a healthy choice for your furry friend. Happy Tail Ale uses all human grade ingredients tailored for a dogs tastes. There's no carbonation or alcohol, and it's brewed with malted barley, filtered water, natural beef flavor, and fortified with Glucosamine and Vitamin E. Trust us, they love this stuff!

News:

• Beer turns men into women? Guys will definitely want to read more about this humorous study!
• Wine isn't the only thing that gets better with age. The Supercentenarian Research Foundation hopes to discover why some people reach supercentenarian status, that's 110 years and older, and to develop strategies that combat the effects of aging.
• Don't drink the carrot juice! Four people have been poisoned by botulism in carrot juice in the Southeast. Three people in Georgia and one woman in Tampa, FL have experienced respiratory failure and paralyzation and remain hospitalized since drinking the bottled carrot juice.
• Winter's tale. A baby bottlenose dolphin named Winter, who lost her tail after getting caught in the buoy line of a crab trap, might be getting a new lease on life. Though Winter has learned to swim without her tail, marine scientist Steve McCulloch is hoping that a prosthetic tail can make life a little easier for the resilient dolphin.
• U.S. Senators seek investigation of Bush. Fourteen Senators are calling for an investigation into allegations that the Bush administration repeatedly tried to silence scientists from speaking out about the dangers of global warming.

More Hip Book Club

The first selection for the fabulous More Hip Book Club will be Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. Buy your copy at Amazon.com or Half.com.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we've decided to do our part in raising the awareness.

• Are you at risk? Find out at these sites:
  • American Cancer Society
  • Risk Assessment Tool
• Early detection is your best defense.
  • American Cancer Society recommendations for early detection.
  • Download steps to Breast Self-Examination or visit an interactive, audiovisual BSE tool at Komen.org.
• Lower your risk.
  • Sheryl Crow, a breast cancer survivor, posted some excellent tips to lower your risk on her website entitled "Battling Cancer (and how to)".
  • Soybeans in Miso Soup might help lower breast cancer risk.
• Women aren't the only ones at risk. Even though the risk is much lower, development of male breast cancer is a possibility.
• Find out more. Here are some sites that are great resources for more information about breast cancer.
  • TheBreastCancerSite.com
  • BreastCancer.org
  • Komen.org
  • WebMD.com
• Help the cause. When you buy the Betsy Bar or Betsy Shea Butter Body Lotion money is donated to Turning Point the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Listener Emails

Once again, we have a bunch of great listener emails. Keep 'em rolling in at hip@greenfeet.com. And don't forget to post articles, links, and speak your mind at our MHTH forum!

• Correction! Eileen sent us a correction to an article we talked about last week. It turns out that 'Governator' Arnold Schwarzenegger has not actually sold all of his Hummers. A media representive from his office said that Schwarzenegger still owns four of his hummers. Thanks for the update!
• Celebrate Fair Trade Month. Jean, who works for TransFair USA suggested that we do a show on Fair Trade Month. Great idea! You'll also want to check out DiscoverFairTrade.org.
• Is there such a thing as a 'greener' war? Melissa sent us an article about how one of the world's largest arms manufacturers, BAE systems, is introducing more 'environmentally friendly' weapons in an effort to minimize harm to the environment and people. These 'environmentally friendly' weapons include bullets with a lower lead content to reduce risk to to humans. Maybe this is an obvious question, but even with a lower lead content, won't the bullets still be harmful to those that get shot with them?
• Forget green thumbs, we've got green toes! Dee sent us a link to Plants For A Future, a resource for unusual and rare plants. She also a great photo of some artsy green feet!

Email us at hip@greenfeet.com. Don't forget to vote for us at podcastalley.com and podcastpickle.com. Send us a voice message at our Skype address "morehip" or +1 530.554.2605. Don't have Skype ? Get it - it's free!

More Hip Than Hippie #68 - Interview with an Eco-Warrior

She's back from vacation and better than ever! Val makes her triumphant return to the patio this week to tell us all about her East Coast adventure. We also spend a few minutes chatting up our favorite Eco-lawyer. There will be beer. There will be chocolate. There will be many listener emails. It's going to be an exciting show, you don't want to miss out!

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Big Al IPA from Smuttynose Brewery - Thanks again Smartchick Sara!

Chocolate:Dolfin Chocolat Noir Au The Earl Grey. That's French for yummy dark chocolate with earl grey!

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• This is a picture of the restaurant Val and Rob went to on their East Coast Tour. It looks like Friendly's is taking food service to the next level!
• Jillicious found SustainLane Government, a website that hopes to help cities improve their sustainability. Access is free and it works by connecting city officials to practices and programs that have worked in other cities. You can help by telling your city officials about the site.
• Get serious about chocolate tasting. By following a few easy steps, you can learn how to taste dark chocolate - the right way. Apparently, just stuffing your face isn't proper. Hmph.

 

News:

• Calling all satisfied customers! Greenfeet is up for Co-op America's 2006 Green Business of the Year and voting wraps up October 5. Show Greenfeet your appreciation by voting now!
• Can they do that? New York City is proposing a ban on trans fats in restaurant food. If enacted, all restaurants using trans fats would be forced to switch to healthier oils within six months or risk being fined. Good for our waistline, bad for when you just need a french fry.
• A new Olympic sport? Probably not, but border volleyball has become quite a hit at a small beach along the US-Mexico border in Southern California. Players and spectators alike gather on their respective sides of the 20-foot metal pylons that mark the border and a game ensues.
• Governator says, "Hasta la vista, baby" to his collection of Hummers. A British newspaper reported that CA Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has sold his eight Hummers to prove his commitment to 'terminate' (hehe) global warming. The sale of his Hummers, which get a dismal 10 mpg, happened shortly after California announced that it is suing six major auto makers over their vehicles' greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Interview with an Eco-Warrior:

Here are some of the links our lawyer, William Morris, discusses during the interview:

• EnviroClicks.com is a website where every click works to save the environment.
• Eaton Corp. is a great green company to invest in.
• William found this article about how the recent E. Coli outbreak was not organic.

 

Listener Emails

Once again, we have a bunch of great listener emails. Keep 'em rolling in at hip@greenfeet.com. And don't forget to post articles, links, and speak your mind at our MHTH forum!

• Image of Hope. Laurie sent us this beautiful picture! Thanks Laurie!
• What is a single gal to do? Sometimes it can be hard to find fresh, organic produce when you're living in a big city. Laura in NYC uses Urban Organics, a service that delivers organic goods right to your door step. She was having trouble making those organic goodies last long enough to enjoy in a household of one until she discovered Evert Fresh Produce Bags on Greenfeet.com. Glad we could help, Laura!
• A different kind of chocolate bar. Mary Ellen sent us an email about an Israeli restaurateur who has opened a chocolate bar off New York's Union Square called Chocolate By The Bald Man. Let's make sure we've got this straight: it's a restaurant that serves only chocolate? Why didn't someone think of this sooner?!
• Girl Scouts make good by recycling. Lorre's Girl Scout troop in rural Minnesota made headlines by leading the nation in recycling plastic soda bottles. They receive five cents for each bottle, which goes toward funding a trip for the girls in 2009. Lorre got the idea after hearing about the company TerraCycle and their fund-raising projects on a past episode of MHTH. Keep up the good work girls!
• $50 french fries? Brian sent us this article about how the increased use of biodiesel might drive up the price of cooking oil. The silver lining of this cloud is that if the price of french fries rises, we'd buy less and get skinnier! We'll take that trade off, thank you very much!
• Pollution within our bodies? Not a pleasant thought. Eileen found an interview on NPR with science writer David Ewing Duncan, who set out to learn more about the pollution within our bodies and where it comes from. You can read more about his findings in the October issue of National Geographic.
• A brush with benefits! Sarah wanted to let us know about a hairbrush that will make you beautiful on the outside and inside. Not only is Aveda's ceramic round brush made from 100% post-consumer waste, but sales help support victims of Hurricane Katrina. Thanks for the tip Sarah!
• Concerns over going green. Melissa sent us a post from TerraBlog about an article in Forbes that claims buying green causes more harm than help. We're always up for a good debate!
• It's all about the pets. William sent us a bunch of great links with products for our furry friends.
  • Wellness cat food
  • Pet Promise pet food
  • Purrlicious organic cat treats
  • Steve's Real Food raw dog and cat food
  • Karma organic dog food
  • Doctors Foster and Smith elevated pet feeders
  • World's Best Cat Litter natural, corn based litter
  • The Cat Locator tracking collar
  • Help the pet population in Puerto Rico

 

Email us at hip@greenfeet.com. Don't forget to vote for us at podcastalley.com and podcastpickle.com. Send us a voice message at our Skype address "morehip" or +1 530.554.2605. Don't have Skype ? Get it - it's free!