my friday night plans...

Looking forward to watching this 2006 eco-thriller, "The Last Winter," from director Larry Fessenden. Anyone seen it? 

autumn anticipation

Fall is almost here!  September 22 marks the autumnal equinox, and I plan on celebrating accordingly with my first season slice of pumpkin pie.

A return to posting post-LSAT coming soon, I promise.

can you hear me now? good.

In honor of this coming Labor Day, exercise some of those American rights by signing this petition from Credo Action, a green phone company and activist network, to have Verizon Wireless withdraw its support for a "pro-coal, anti-environment" rally co-sponsored by the dastardly dirty coal company, Massey Energy.  This so-called Friends of America rally is scheduled for Monday, September 7th, at a former surface mine in West Virginia. The event's conservative political agenda is buried underneath an ambiguous website; at first glance, the only information one can glean from its amateur red, white, and blue design is that it is a free event, no alcohol allowed, and will be headlined by Fox favorite radio host Sean Hannity and entertainers Ted Nugent and Hank Williams, Jr.  Only after probing around did I discover a link under "Register" that belies the rally's true intentions: "If you would like to sign a petition against the Waxman-Markey climate bill..."  If that is not enough to make you shake in your boots, watch this 18 second YouTube introduction from Massey Energy CEO, Don Blankenship.  He begins, blah blah, and then, hold on to your Stetson, "...we're also going to learn how environmental extremists and corporate America are both trying to destroy your jobs." 

Massey Energy is behind some of the most heinous violations of the Clean Water Act to date.

In 2000, a Massey Energy subsidiary company based in Martin County, Kentucky, accidentally released 306 million gallons of coal slurry waste into two mountain streams, a $50 million dollar disaster that wreaked havoc on the aquatic wildlife and contaminated the water supply for local residents.  The EPA has named the spill the worst ever environmental catastrophe to hit the southeastern United States.  Also, their practice of mountaintop removal, a destructive method of coal mining that involves blowing up mountain tops, has buried rivers and streams under rock debris  and caused epic eco-problems in the Mississippi region in terms of polluted water and flooding, and destruction to the biodiversity of the Appalachian Mountains [see image above] in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

I hope this has outraged you as much as it has me, and, if you are a Verizon customer you have an added impetus to sign this.  Takes less time than a text.

shout out from southside!

Southside CSA gave a "sparkly" shout out to my latest One-Earth article on their blog (see link to original story below). So show some support and get commenting!

southside csa: supporting local farmers through community shared agriculture

Check it out-- I just finished an article for One-Earth.com about Southside CSA, the latest CSA to open in the Williamsburg/Greenpoint area of Brooklyn. I explain how the CSA (Community Shared Agriculture) system works, along with some interesting things specific to Southside like, for example, as part of their belief in fresh food for all, leftover veggies and fruits are distributed to soup kitchens around Brooklyn. Sound good? You bet your beets.

nick jr: trying too hard or not trying the right way?

Ever since I began babysitting, I've been watching a lot of Noggin (the educational Nick Jr), and I don't know how I feel about the innundation of the subtle and not-so-subtle green tips for kids. Commercials for a new Nickelodeon project, The Big Green Help, run frequently. The ads are cute, featuring smiling, chubby-cheeked children enjoying eco-friendly activities like making new things out of their old jeans or planting in the backyard. While some of it can be over the top and/or out of touch with the target audience [for example, today's online suggestion is "Use paper products like napkins and paper towels made from recycled paper instead of right from trees." Sure that's a helpful, if not already evident, tip for adults who go grocery shopping and are in control of what they buy, but I think that's a little tough to ask of toddlers. Something younger ones might understand more readily could be using a towel to clean up messes.] Despite the little things, I still laud their efforts to get kids thinking about the environment at an earlier age.

However, I'm rethinking Nick's green makeover as I watch an episode of Max & Ruby with the twins (see Wellies post below). For the those uninstructed in the hottest 3-and-under television shows, Max is a mischievous little boy bunny looked after by Ruby, his older sister who is also a bunny. During a celebration of Max's birthday, while Max is excitedly begins tearing open his present, Ruby chides something to the effect of don't tear the wrapping paper, we can use it for a thank you card. While I think that's a pretty cool idea, I'm 21 years old and have gotten all of the animalistic urges to obliterate the packaging on my presents out of my system. That subtle green hint, which would probably be lost on the younger half of the show's preschool viewers and preoccupied parents anyway, just doesn't seem fair for kids. The point is to make helping the environment fun too, right? And if Nick wants to incorporate such suggestions even into their programming, why not make them count. I much would have prefered to see a suggestion for something to do with the wrapping after it's been ripped to shreds. Here's an easy one, colorful recycled confetti!

sevens good for your butt AND the environment?

Very excited for my first ever Nau purchase, a mid-weight merino jacket for brisk Fall runs. Nau is an eco-friendly clothier geared towards outfitting for the outdoors. All of their wool is Zque certified, which means that sheep are shorn in a way that is both environmentally and animal-y sustainable [Nau upholds certification standards through "independent audits" to verify "high standards of animal welfare, environmental health, and social values."]

But the big question is, why is the Nau model above wearing Seven For All Mankind jeans? Could it be that my favorite designer jeans are green? If so, I just moved up on a notch the karma scale. Stay tuned for the results of some further investigating...

invest in some wellies. right now.

What to do with twin two-year-old tireless tots on a rainy summer afternoon in New York City? I thought the question over in my head, knowing full well the natural, obvious answer, but imagining in some sort of impossible fantasy that yesterday's drizzly downer weather would miraculously clear up before I stepped outside. No ands, ifs, or buts about it, I needed to take them to splash around. So, begrudgingly, at their mother's behest, I suited the boys from head to toe in their rain gear, slipped on my wellies, and headed out to search for puddles along Central Park West.  

The rain and I are not friends.  Despite how cute the kids looked in their dinosaur and pirate-themed outfits, I was not buying it. To top things off, I had left my umbrella back at 91st and Amsterdam. Two kids, two hands, it just wouldn't have worked. As we slowly made our way up the avenues towards Central Park, no puddle was left unnoticed from the small pools collecting in the cracks between the sidewalks to the mini-lakes (no kidding).  After a few minutes of observing them as they played, I forgot about my hair frizzing and the chill I was beginning to feel from my damp clothes; they were happy like I had never seen them before. Pure, unadulterated joy. Then, all of a sudden, I, Caitlin O'Connell, the Scrooge of Stormy Weather, jumped in a puddle. First one, and then another. Then I had the boys follow me as we jumped together.  And, shockingly, I was happy too.

So I am advising everyone, if you don't already have them, to invest in a pair of wellies. It feels kind of like a secret to enjoy Central Park in such weather. Walking is a wonderful way to see the city when it rains, and the view is much better than you'd get from a taxi window.

[And despite what you may think, wellies can be green footwear! Check out Hunter brand for a stylish and practical pair that is made from 100% recycled material.]

stop the (coffee) presses.

Dunkin Donuts now has soy milk!  Or at least, the franchise located on Broadway between 88th and 87th street does. Despite the secret grudge I harbor against DD for forever ruining the sight of "doughnut" spelled correctly, I am rejoicing-- no more Starbucks coffees that I don't really like but only order because they have tasty vanilla soy milk. Yay!

[I apologize for the awful photo... I was trying not to look like a creepster idling outside the store as I surreptitiously snapped a picture of the sign with my iPhone while clutching my grande Starbucks cup. Unfortunately I failed on both counts.]

ack.

This is how a popular prom dress shopping site, edressme.com, feels inexplicably compelled to accessorize an organic dress (70% bamboo, 30% cotton) by eco-designer Kate D'Arcy, with an ugly, obnoxious, and oversized fake pink flower ::shudder::. Cause you know, nothing says green like a cheap and unnecessary outfit add-on. Lame.

rocks for sale?

A few weekends ago, when my reclaimed bicycle was first ready, part of my inaugural ride included a trip out to the Ikea in Red Hook.  On my way through the store to check out, I stumbled across some shocking merchandise: rocks. Yes, rocks. A little bag full of small, polished, homogenous rocks. Not only would that purchase, no matter how cheap, be a gross waste of money (because, oh, rocks are only EVERYWHERE), but it's an egregious exploitation of the earth.  It's analogous to companies putting water in a bottle, and selling it as if it was anything different than what comes out of your sink. Rocks are rocks, and you don't need Ikea to entice you to buy them.  

And, injustice to nature aside (thank you, Majora Carter), would you really want all the rocks in your potted plant looking like cardboard cutouts? I think not, you consumerism harlot. Rocks are not supposed to look the same, and you wouldn't be fooling anyone with your store-bought eco-sin.

Photo courtesy of Nicholas Whitaker.

majora carter talks green for green-gowned graduates

Majora Carter, the Environmental Justice Activist and founder of Sustainable South Bronx, gave a rousing speech on sustainability this afternoon at the Bronx High School of Science graduation at Lincoln Center. Carter grew up in the South Bronx, where she first began her environmental efforts in the early 1990s.  The South Bronx faces significant pollution problems, especially in terms of industrial waste. In a 2008 interview with CNN (and in today's address), she listed among them: "The South Bronx Handles 40 percent of the city's commercial waste. We have a sewage treatment plant, a sewage sludge palletizing plant, four power plants and the diesel emissions from about 60,000 diesel truck trips each week. Those are not nice places to be around. They have a pretty severe health crisis associated with them."

Carter was revisiting her beginnings by agreeing to speak at the graduation; she is an alum of the Bronx Science Class of '84. [A somewhat unrelated but fittingly coincidental side note, green is the school color.] In my opinion she was the highlight of a congeries of Commencement speakers who took to the podium throughout the three-hour long ceremony, and it was the only time I perked up to attention aside from listening for my sister's name among the 600 or so students.  I was profoundly inspired by her impassioned, frank and funny words, which were spirited not sappy, informative but not condescending.  She planted a new idea beside my blossoming green interest, that an unsustainable lifestyle is not just harmful to the environment but an injustice to it. 

operation reclamation

I had been on the bicycle market for some quite some time, encountering great difficulty in finding a frame that would complement my petite size and babysitter's budget. As I had almost completely resigned myself to the idea of devoting a month's pay to finally just buy one, I was blessed by the benevolent bicycle fairy in the form of an unclaimed cruiser in the cellar of a Fort Greene apartment building.  Although upon discovery it was thickly coated with a layer of gray dust, its potential as the perfect pink bicycle (the exact color I had been looking for) was easily recognizable.

And so, after being absolutely certain that its owner was no longer a tenant, we set to work.  The first thing was to bring it to the local bike shop to see just what needed fixing. I don't know much about how bicycles work, but to have whatever needed tuning tuned it only cost $16. That same day, I took it for a test ride out and about Brooklyn. Aside from minor discomfort as the seat was a little too low for cozy cruising, it was a perfect fit.

Cleaning was the biggest task. Not only was it filthy, but there were stickers to be removed and dried plaster to be peeled. Three Swiffer cloths, countless paper towels, one ruined rag, and a chipped nail later, it was starting to look brand new. It was a mutual decision to retain the bike's "Operate Slowly" sticker, partly because removing it would leave a dark gray box where the pink paint used to be, and also because it's kind of cool.

Next was the adjusting; I needed some help with that. Gripping one screw in one wrench and the other haphazardly with another tool, Mr. Steven Matt, green guru and my assistant for the afternoon, successfully raised the seat to a snug sitting position for someone of my height. We also found that the handlebars could be adjusted, making the bicycle even more awesome.

One last quick dusting and voilà! My brand new reclaimed bicycle was finished.

I understand that not everyone can be so fortunate as to find an adorable bicycle without an owner in a Brooklyn basement, so by way of One-Earth.com is a solution: Recycle-a-Bicycle.  Recycle-a-Bicycle is a retail shop specializing in reclaimed bicycles. While you're on One-Earth, you can read about other bicycle related transportation solutions as well.

edamame, wonder veggie

I am having trouble coming up with something intelligent to say about anything (bad case of rainy Monday laziness compounded with writer's block), and so, I am going to write about my lunch: edamame. I was first introduced to the soy snack my freshman year at NYU, when a night "out" meant heading to the local hole-in-the-wall Japanese eatery for sake bombs. Small plates of edamame were distributed by a wary waitress amidst rowdy cheers and table slams. One salty pod in, and I was hooked.

A half cup serving of edamame, only 120 Calories, packs a healthy dose of protein, minus the cholesterol and saturated fats often found in other protein sources, antioxidants, and 9 grams of fiber, roughly the equivalent of four slices of whole wheat bread. You can buy edamame frozen at the grocery store, and it only takes a few minutes in boiling water before you can start squeezing away. And if you're feeling your inner Martha Stewart: toss a little olive oil into two cups of cooked and shelled beans along with fresh parsley, tarragon, chervil, chives, and S&P to taste for an herbed edamame.

It's tasty and good for you, and there's even a small element of surprise as you never know where those wayward beans will fly.

the eco-ubiquity

On a recent search for Travel Scrabble in the Union Square Barnes & Noble, I was visually assaulted by book upon book claiming eco-this or that.  I was prompted to grumpily grumble when I passed by a Health and Wellness table showcasing a girly green diet book.  While I'm sure there is some merit to "The Gorgeously Green Diet: How to Live Lean and Green," I was annoyed by a glaringly obnoxious application of the ubiquitous "eco" prefix: "Nearly 100 Ecolicious Recipes."  Ecolicious? Stop for a second and think about it, and you'll quickly realize that it doesn't make sense at all.  Of course, you can figure out what the author was intending, but if they're sustainable recipes why didn't she just say so? It wouldn't be one word, but at least it wouldn't sound so silly.

This led me to question as I waited in line, under what circumstances is the eco-prefix acceptable?  Some over-used examples: eco-friendly. I'm torn on this one.  If it were to be used honestly, it's a simple way to signify to the consumer that this product can be used with minimal or no environmental impact. Unfortunately, there are no government standards to regulate the usage of "eco-friendly," so as it's slapped on to the labels of more and more services it's becoming meaningless. Eco-chic.  That's pushing it, but I like the way it sounds.  But ecolicious?  Absurd.

indulge your inner child

Designer Timothy Liles showcased his dual-purpose (and consequently sustainable) crayon rings at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in NYC two weeks ago. Each $50 box--hey, it's not Crayola-- comes with 8 crayon rings in the basic crayon colors. Who cares if you reached your artistic peak in kindergarten, coloring is fun.

take it easy, man

This past weekend, my family took an afternoon drive up to Woodstock, New York to grab some lunch and take in the sights.  While the town seems sleepier now than I imagine it was back in its hippie heyday, it has still retained bits and pieces of its storied past.  One can still spot a few stragglers, living relics from that golden era of peace and love. The hippies there today look like the ones from faded photographs commemorating the '69 concert only, well, faded: greasy gray hair tied back in a ponytail, Tie-Dye T-shirts, Birkenstocks with socks (stereotypes do carry some truth). Although I had been to Woodstock before, this was the first time I had visited since my eco-conversion, and I observed the town through green-tinted lenses.  Watching some of these burnt-out love children peddling their hippie paraphernalia raised a recurring thought.  When did hippie become synonymous with environmentalist?

I just don't see it.  A free association with the word "hippie" brings to mind many things, perhaps peace signs, promiscuity, or pot.  How many environmentalists do you know who a) make sand candles and distribute them as Christmas gifts , b) teach their dogs how to catch a frisbee, or c) milk goats?  Exactly. 

If there is one thing I would agree upon as a common connection between the hippies of the '60s and 21st century environmentalists, it would be their penchant for idealism in the face of the most bleak situations.  For example, as the Vietnam War dragged on hippies tenaciously clung to their belief in the power of protest to end the war.  I would say that a comparable parallel would be the continuing efforts of environmentalists to change the world in the face of a growing natural crisis, even when no one seems to care.  

Maybe CSNY was on to something I can't get.  From "Woodstock": "And we got to get ourselves back to the garden."

to tom's

As I am currently incapacitated by a severe case of stiff neck, I decided to take the time to ponder life... and toothpaste. With my Tom's of Maine natural whole care gel getting down to its last squeeze, I can't help but think about my evolution from a mocking skeptic to an ardent fan.

Last February, at the behest of a trusted Tom's devotee, I switched my beloved Colgate Total for Tom's.  While many dismiss Tom's products as the weapons of choice for tree-hugging, granola-eating (btw-- what's with the environmentalist granola stereotype?  Who doesn't like granola?) hippies who shower once a week, they really do make you feel cleaner and healthier. Once you actually examine how many chemicals are in toothpaste, and how much toothpaste people inadvertently swallow every time they brush, you'd switch your tube faster than you can say "sodium hydroxide."

Back in 2007, Wired magazine ran an article investigating what's inside Colgate Whitening Oxygen Bubbles Brisk Mint toothpaste.  Here are some chemicals guaranteed to make you cringe (none of which are found in Tom's):

-Roasted Malt is what gives the paste's "brisk mint" flavor it's briskness.  It instructs the mouth's receptors to feel cool.  So you know how nice and clean you feel after brushing?  That ain't real.  

-Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: This is what gives the toothpaste it's lather when you brush; it's a detergent also used for the same purpose in shampoo.  This is why whenever you eat something after brushing your teeth, it has that funny taste: SLS temporarily numbs your tastebuds.

-Sodium Hydroxide, aka lye, aka drain cleaner.  Yeahhh.

sustainable salvatore

I absolutely had to interrupt an intense session of last-minute paper writing with this discovery: molto moda Florentine designer Salvatore Ferragamo has an environmentally friendly bag line called Eco Ferragamo. The leather used to make these biodegradable bags is dyed using tannins from tree bark, and the insides are lined with hand-woven hemp.

I don't know what's more jaw-dropping, that big-fashion Ferragamo is jumping on the green bandwagon or the line's $1,190 to $1,980 price tag.

I think for now I'll settle for the Marc by Marc Jacobs nylon Eco-tote for $9.  Hey, at least it comes in green.

nyc markets reviving tradition through sustainable symbiosis

Robert LaValva, the founder of the New Amsterdam Market, is a self-proclaimed New Netherlander.  "New Netherland," as he uses it, refers to a time when New York City was known as New Amsterdam, the capital of its surrounding territories that composed New Netherland (including LaValva's home state of New Jersey).  When the Dutch settlers first arrived in New York in 1624, they carried with them nostalgia for their homeland and the hope that they could recreate it abroad.  Hence, New Netherland was born, along with the inspiration for LaValva's current project: to recreate the public market of New York.

Although its concept has been reinvented for a modern society, the idea of the public market as a setting to encourage the exchange of locally produced goods dates back to the arrival of the first Dutch settlers on the island.  Even then, New York City was the commercial center of the surrounding region.  Its primary function was to support the agriculture outside of the city by serving as a venue for local goods.

"I was inspired by the idea of New Amsterdam supporting the region of New Netherland," LaValva explained.  "There is a very time-honored relationship between cities and the regions around them that has fallen apart in the last 100 years."

The New Amsterdam Market is not the same as, but rather an addition to, the City's thriving Greenmarkets, which are really a farmer's market-- about 99% of the vendors at any of the Greenmarket's 46 locations are farmers.  The New Amsterdam Market is a purveyor's market, a place where the butchers, the bakers, and the candlestick makers can sell their wares.  All local businesses within 500 miles of New York City are invited to participate.  LaValva believes that his market is an inevitable next step as the Greenmarket model evolves to incorporate more local businesses.

"As more and more people want to support local agriculture, you can't just have farmers," he said. "As a purveyor's market, New Amsterdam Market will add greater depth, reach, and complexity to the alternative food system so many of us are striving to create, which must also include farmer's markets."

The first market was held in October 2005 at the New York City Municipal Building by Brooklyn Bridge.  Since then two markets (one in December 2007 and June 2008) were held at the Seaport.  LaValva considers his choice of this symbolic site a "project within a project," bringing New Yorkers back to the downtown Manhattan area.  The most recent market in June was the most successful, attracting more than 65 vendors and about 8,000 people out into the summer heat.  Crowds included New Yorkers from all over the five boroughs, as well as curious out-of-towners.

people's popsicles, a NYC-based company that makes their pops from local produce, was one of the vendors offered a stand at the 2008 market.  Nathalie Jordi, one of the company's three popsicle-makers, also sees the need for a new market not just exclusive to farmers.

"Our company is delighted to use Greenmarket produce because it's fresh, local, and sustainably sourced, but we can't have a stand on the Greenmarket because we don't grow our own fruit," Jordi said.  "New Amsterdam and Greenmarket are different, but both necessary and fully coexistable in New York City."

Although preserving the environment and presenting another sustainable solution for New Yorkers is at the forefront of the New Amsterdam Market project, La Valva is reluctant to put a green label on his efforts.

"Sustainability is a dangerous word," LaValva cautioned.  Anyone aware of pop culture can understand what he means by "dangerous." Society has become so inundated with so-called "green" products and services that the environmentalist vernacular has lost its meaning, an effect called "greenwashing."  Big companies are so eager to associate themselves with the positive energy of the green movement that they often brand their unsustainable products as environmentally sound alternatives.

LaValva has his own take on sustainable.  While the first aspect of his definition is in line with the traditional concept of sustainability, summarized in the question of how do we produce what we need without contaminating the environment, depleting resources, and compromising diversity, the second part is all his own.  He believes that the earth's inhabitants should look to nature on how to live life because nature is the only thing that has remained unchanged since the earth's infancy.  As an example, he points to German painter Albrect Dürer's "The Great Piece of Turf."  The grass depicted in Dürer's painting from 1503 is no different from the grass now in Central Park.  LaValva asks, have we (i.e. the entire human population, ever) been able to make something to last 506 years without changing?

The New Amsterdam Market is scheduled to commence its monthly meetings on June 28, however the exact location of the market is still unknown.  It has been an ongoing goal for the organization to secure a permanent, covered, and public venue.  LaValva held a successful fundraiser last February, Founded on Oyster Shells, in a gallery space in Hell's Kitchen, which brought in over $28,000. Patrons sipped local brews while snacking on artisan bread and butter.  The star attraction of the evening was the bountiful oyster buffet, with oysters hailing from all regions of New Netherland.

Chris Quartuccio, the founder of the Blue Point Oyster Company, was in attendance to supervise the shucking and slurping of his South Bay pride and joy, the Blue Point Oyster.  Native only to Long Island's Blue Point Bay, the name "Blue Point" was trademarked by a New York state law enacted in 1908.  While Quartuccio distributes his product to Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, and locally in New York City, he feels that a market such as New Amsterdam would open up business.  He supports the idea of "bringing all these artisan producers under one roof."

Despite the need to raise funds to secure a permanent home for the market, the fundraiser had an added significance for the director and his company.  The year 2009 marks the Quadricentenntial Anniversary of the founding of New Amsterdam, beginning with Henry Hudson's discovery of the new York Harbor in September 1609.

"This year is an important year for New Netherland because 400 years ago the Dutch came to New World," he said.  "It's the birth of the idea of New Netherland, the year people remember this region."

green and "glama"rous

While it may forever remain a mystery what chemical concoction gave your mother's face-mask its green color back in the day, Wink Eco Beauty Bar in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, can honestly say that its facials are green, in every sense of the word.  Even in the few weeks that the spa has been open, the Green Glama facial has been a noticeable favorite among clients. Described as "the facial for the Eco-Fabulous," the signature 60-minute service includes deep cleansing, exfoliation, herbal steam, detox mask, and massage.  The mask is made from all-natural ingredients-- green clay, an absorbing clay mineral that gives the mask its color namesake, purified water, herbs, and oils-- and targets accumulated pore-clogging sebum that causes whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples.  The products leave no residuals aside from a gorgeous glow. There's also a Green Glama Express sans the sebum extraction process and massage for those tight on time.

Brooklyn local Tani Chambers founded Wink and was inspired to bring sustainability to her spa after an abrupt decision to change her life for the greener.  "I changed my personal lifestyle.  I became a vegetarian. I was obsessed with the labels on what I was eating and on cleaning products, but I never thought about beauty," recalled Chambers. "I started finding out how toxic beauty was."

Wink uses vegan makeup by stript, a cosmetic line "stripped" of nasty chemicals like the synthetic preservative, paraben. stript substitutes plant-derived preservatives, or "plantservitives," for their chemical counterpart. The beauty bar offers 40 standard spa services with an environmental spin, including manicure/pedicure, waxing/threading/sugaring, make-up application, and massage therapy.  The Eco Mani/Pedi can be waterless; customers who opt out of using water are treated with hot, damp towels instead.  Above the polish area is an Apothecary bar for mixing customizable and affordable body scrubs and lotions to stay or to go.  Chambers hopes to add all-natural fragrances to the shelf in the next few months.

Wink Eco Beauty Bar is located at 602 Vanderbilt Avenue (between St. Mark's Avenue and Prospect Place) in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn; (718) 230-3443.

keep it simple, stupid

After I slipped on my first pair of Simple Shoes, I realized just how complicated my footwear had been until now.  Simple Shoes, put simply, are 100% sustainable.  That means that all of the company's sneakers and sandals are made from natural fibers like hemp or cotton and recycled materials.  By repurposing old inner tubes to create rubber soles, Simple Shoes is fulfilling the definition of sustainability at its heart by making something from the streets, for the streets. It's a beautiful Zen thought.

According to Dominique Camacho, the owner and founder of Sustainable NYC, her eco-chic boutique boasts the "biggest selection" of Simple Shoes in New York.  The women's shoes are priced between $55 and $70, and come in a variety of colors and styles.

There is more to Sustainable NYC than its Simple Shoes collection.  At the same time that Camacho was transitioning her retail business from T-shirts to environmentally friendly products in March 2008, she was in the midst of a "green renovation" of her home, a former synagogue on East Seventh Street.  [The history of the synagogue and the stages of renovation are the subject of a New York Times article, which you can read here.]  She was so deeply involved in the process that she became LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) accredited, a professional environmental accreditation awarded by the Green Building Certification Institute.  All of the sustainable building methods she learned during her home renovation, she applied to the renovation of her store.  If you ask her exactly what is so sustainable about Sustainable NYC, be prepared for a laundry list that includes the entire space from floor to ceiling: local biodegradable wallpaper, reclaimed lumber from 300-year-old New York City buildings, found furniture, and eco-friendly paint to name a few.

And if you're the kind of girl who mentally equates all forms of eco-friendly footwear with fashion-unfriendly Birkenstocks (like myself), fear not.  Wearing heels, and even flats, day-in and day-out on the city streets will come back to haunt you one day.  Once I acquired my Simple sneaks, I realized that I no longer had to resign to the life of orthopedic footwear I envisioned for myself later on.  They're comfy, cute, and cotton; you feet (and, like, the planet) will thank you.

Sustainable NYC is located at 139 Avenue A (between 9th and 10th streets) in Manhattan's East Village; (212) 254-5400.

faux-meat: a vegan faux (food) pas?

Chicken parmesan.  Philly cheesesteak.  Barbeque buffalo wings.  While the mere mention of these three classic meat meals in enough to tantalize the tastebuds of any meat lover, they have found an unexpected home in the culinary culture of New York City: the dining tables of vegan/vegetarian restaurants.  Perhaps even more interesting than how chefs create chicken from soy is how restaurant patrons react to their faux-meat concoctions.

At first glance, the menu at Red Bamboo Soul Café (with locations off the New York University campus on West 4th Street and Sixth Avenue and in Fort Greene, Brooklyn) would cause any vegan visitor to do a double-take.  It's only after one reads the fine print under each dish's name that it becomes clear that all of the items are made form soy or wheat-based products.  While ex-carnivores trying to kick their cravings may flock to such a restaurant lusting for soy pork chops or ocean-flavored soy fish cakes, some vegans shy away from anything reminiscent of meat.

Alexis Eaves, a native Brooklynite who has been working at the Red Bamboo on Dekalb Avenue in Fort Greene for two years, classifies the restaurant's customers into three categories: authentic vegans and vegetarians, recent converts, and "a lot of customers that are trying it out for the first time."  While she has head complaints that the menu is too faux-meat-heavy, she points out that vegans and vegetarians still comprise their primary revenue base because "they like it as a treat."  

Erik Sutch, a junior at New York University and veteran vegetarian and dedicated vegan of one year, has mixed feelings on "mock meat." "The reason I went vegan was to get away from greasy, unhealthy food," said Sutch.  He feels that faux meat meals detract from a true vegan experience because they are often prepared in the same unwholesome ways meat can be cooked.  For example, take Red Bamboo's trademark (literally) and most popular Soul Chicken sandwich, which is meant to imitate a fried chicken sandwich.  A fried meat substitute, albeit a soy product, is still fried.

Vegans have three main options when it comes to meat substitutes: tofu, tempeh, and seitan.  Anyone who has ever gone grocery shopping would recognize tofu as the squishy white blocks in veggie or dairy aisles.  Tofu is a soybean curd with a cheese-like texture.  Tempeh, another soy product, is fermented soybeans made in cake form.  It often comes prepared with various seeds or grains, and is much firmer than tofu.  Of all these substitutes, seitan is the most similar to actual meat (hence its nickname, "the wheat meat").  Although it is made from wheat, when it's prepared seitan takes on the look and feel of cooked meat.  It is very high in protein, and it's the most versatile of the mock meats.

While Sutch himself avoids faux-meat (with the exception of Tofurky lunch meat), he sees the silver lining in red bamboo's seitan in disguise.  "A lot of the reason they do that is to appeal to non-vegan eaters," said Sutch.  "It's good in a sense because it will make veganism apply to non-vegan eaters."  Because of its mainly faux-meat menu, Red Bamboo is a restaurant where he brings his meat-eating friends when they come to the city to visit, but he rarely goes there on his own.

For vegan restaurant-goers who prefer their soy not to look or taste like a duck, there are some purist options.  Zen Palate, a vegan/vegetarian venue with locations in midtown and the financial district, has a menu with faux-meat-free options.  Also, Angelica's Kitchen on 11th street and Second Avenue serves up seitan as-is.

For some, faux-meat never even factors into the vegan equation.  One of the greatest benefits of giving up meat and dairy products is ensuring a better future for the environment.  Steven Matt is the founder of One-earth.com, a website geared towards putting sustainability within reach by categorizing environmentally-friendly resources on a local level.  Matt first became a vegetarian when he graduated from Brooklyn's Pratt Institute in 2007.  In January, he made the switch to veganism, sacrificing his love of steak for his life's work.  "The vegan lifestyle is one of the most effective chocies one can make to reduce their negative impact on the environment," explained Matt.  "It encourages consumers to use an amount of resources less than or equal to the amount we have on earth."