This week we celebrated the 41st Earth Day and learned about where our raw food comes from, why Michael Pollan thinks we should obsess less about “nutritionism” and what foods promote happiness. We’re intrigued by bug types and happy that 25 states now have smoking bans. Big retailers highlight sustainability initiatives and others track sustainable consumer purchasing behaviors. Sustainable style took over a floor at Bloomie’s and we looked at the wilder side of conscious fashion.
FOOD & WELLNESS: Where does your raw food come from?
Café Gratitude, a small California chain of raw food and vegan cafes and restaurants, gets much of its organic “live food” menu items from Be Love Farm near Vacaville. Matthew and Terces Engelhart, who own the restaurants and the farm, reside on the 21-acre property, nurturing abundant produce for their expanding franchise.
Be Love Farm, by Hank Pellissier, The New York Times
FOOD & WELLNESS: Michael Pollan discusses our unhealthy obsession with “nutritionism.”
What relation do we have to the food we eat? As a society, we talk a lot about what we put in our bodies – Is it processed? Is it organic? Where did it come from? – but we talk far less about food and food habits as an integral part of culture. Often, we eat because we need to; because we need sustenance. When we view food as a commodity instead of a cultural good, we head down an unhealthy path.
Foodie Underground: It’s Not What We Eat, It’s How We Eat It, by Anna Brones, EcoSalon
FOOD & WELLNESS: Happiness Foods
We medicate our bodies three times a day with the foods we eat. The cleaner your diet, the better you feel. If you choose high quality whole foods you’re less likely to endure the ups and downs of a high sugar, high fat diet. But beyond choosing healthy foods, we can make marked changes in our moods with the foods we eat. From too much caffeine to not enough whole grains, your diet impacts your mood.
7 Mood Foods To Change Your Outlook With Every Bite, by Sara Novak, Planet Green
HEALTH & SCIENCE: Blood type, meet bug type
In the early 1900s, scientists discovered that each person belonged to one of four blood types. Now they have discovered a new way to classify humanity: by bacteria. Each human being is host to thousands of different species of microbes. Yet a group of scientists now report just three distinct ecosystems in the guts of people they have studied. Blood type, meet bug type.
Bacterial Ecosystems Divide People Into 3 Groups, Scientists Say, by Carl Zimmer, The New York Times
SUSTAINABILITY: Sustainability highlights at Safeway, Whole Foods & Mattel
With the arrival of Earth Day each year, most leading companies and consumer facing brands make the effort to communicate their sustainability accomplishments, goals for the coming years and new projects that are getting underway. Here are a few highlights from Safeway, Whole Foods, and Mattel from 2011.
Sustainable Brands Earth Day Round-up 2011: Safeway, Whole Foods & Mattel, by Thomas Miner, Sustainable Life Media
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS: Tracking Sustainable Consumer Purchasing
Amazon.com has used a sales analytics program to pinpoint which states are purchasing the most environmentally friendly products. The study showed that California, New Hampshire, and Vermont residents purchase the most sustainable products (excluding books) across all categories, compared to the national average.
Amazon.com Tracks Sustainable Consumer Purchasing, by Bart King, Sustainable Life Media
HEALTH & WELLNESS: 25 States Now Ban Smoking in Public Places
We’re halfway there, say those who advocate state bans on smoking in public spaces. According to a report out this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 states have passed laws banning smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars during the past 10 years. If the trend continues, the entire nation could have similar bans by 2020, the report stated.
25 states now ban smoking in public places, CDC report says, by Marni Jameson, Orlando Sentinel (via The LA Times)
SUSTAINABLE STYLE: The Wilder Side of Conscious Fashion
I am not an animal print sort of gal, but I really like these exotic digital prints generated by Juma Studio for their Spring/Summer 2011 collection. I spied the ‘Juma Jumper’ at Kaight NYC a weekend or so ago, and the art/fashion artistry was totally wild. If a full-on outfit is not your thing, consider one of their laser-printed silk scarves. Gorgeous enough to frame and add to your art collection.
Juma SS 2011: The Wilder Side of Conscious Fashion, by Abigail Doan, ecco*eco
SUSTAINABLE STYLE: Eco-designers take over the 5th Floor of Bloomingdale’s SoHo
The GreenShows Spring Ecolux Designer Pop-up Shop at Bloomingdale’s SoHo is in full swing and today’s your last chance–for now at least–to shop the collections of some of our favorite ethical fashion and accessory designers, including STUDY NY by Tara St James, Samantha Pleet, Suzanne Rae, and more.
The GreenShows at Bloomingdale’s, Luis Valenzuala at Swarovski, and More (Photos), by Emma Grady, Treehugger
