One of my favorite companies is Equal Exchange.  Their coffee is superb*, their mission is amazing.  Since 1986, Equal Exchange has taken on the mission of creating a world where farmers are getting paid fairly for their work, farm families are able to support themselves financially, and sustainable farming methods are used to insure a healthy farming society, a healthy planet, and a healthy us!

Their products are more than coffee.  They have teas, chocolates, nuts and berries, and another favorite of mine: cocoa.  In fact, Marc and I are decking the halls tonight with Equal Exchange hot chocolate in our hands!  Yum!

So why, you ask of me, am I raving about Equal Exchange?

Equal Exchange is an awesome gift for the holidays. AND they have a great deal on a holiday gift basket until December 15th!**

Now, my families do not give presents for Christmas.  Not because we’re Jewish.  Not because we are holier-than-thou and snub the holiday.  In part because we decided to peel away the stress of what holiday gift-giving had become, and in part because nearly half of the people in my families have lost their jobs and been out of work for longer than a year.

Regardless, I like to bring coffee beans and treats with me for holiday fun.  Everyone gets to enjoy treats and company.

I always preach that no matter if you are struggling with money, or floating in money, each dollar you spend is a vote, each penny is a reflection of what you care about or disregard.  Coffee and chocolate are always two areas I feel guilty if I do not buy fair trade and sustainably grown.

The Equal Exchange holiday gift basket has all of these yummies in an awesome grass basket from Ten Thousand Villages:

• Organic French Roast Coffee – 10oz, drip grind
• Organic Hot Cocoa Mix – 12oz
• Organic Very Dark Chocolate – 3.5oz bar
• Organic Dark Chocolate with Almonds – 3.5oz bar
• Organic Milk Chocolate with a Hint of Hazelnut – 3.5oz bar
• Organic Tamari Roasted Almonds – 5oz
• Roasted Salted Pecans – 5oz

Hurry though.  Seriously, December 15th.  Twelve days.  Less than two weeks to order, which you need to be getting all the shopping you are going to do anyhow.  Trust me, remembering you do, indeed, need to buy something for someone and rushing out a couple days before Christmas is the perfect recipe to buying stuff from China that you do not even feel good about giving because it is a cheap, thoughtless crap.

The site has lots of other cool gifts and items as well, each with a full description and pic. 

Cheers to each of you, your holidays season, your family, great ethical companies, and a belly of yummy Equal Exchange!***

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

PS.  This cool company also offers educational materials to help you and your kids’ school groups share awareness that each penny we spend, each sip we take, each bite we enjoy, impacts many others than us.  How cool?!

*In case you’ve never read this blog, I have a bit of a coffee addiction.  I’ll even drink Maxwell House instant if I must… yck… of course, only if it is my only option for a long time to come, a situation which I try to avoid putting myself in.

***Sorry I sound like an advertisement recently.  I figure, for Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, birthdays or whatever, we all do give gifts out of love… and I can promote ethical, loving companies as where each of our dollars goes.  Cheers!

A little while back, Earth Fare asked if I wanted to give a $50 Earth Fare gift card to one lucky (Green)Grounded reader.  With a landslide of holidays coming, a $50 gift card is exactly the stimulus package we each could use!

A happy Earth Fare gift card, valued at $50, is waiting for your happy, warm wallet.  I would love for each of us (myself included) to receive one, but only one winner for this giveaway.

So how do you win?

1.)  Leave a comment with your favorite tip for living green in a grounded way.  You know… how do you live a little greener without feeling a tremendous pinch?  A tip that perhaps someone else could use as they and their families are heading into this holiday season.

Me?  I started buying hand soap in the refill pouches and bottles instead of always getting the pretty little container to go by the sink.  Now I just refill the cute soap bottle and keep the giant refill stash under the sink.  Less packaging is a great thing, plus it saves me money!

2.)  Want a second way to enter?  Twitter fans have the advantage here.  All you have to do is tweet this (or something similar):

Living greener & tastier is easy with a $50 @EarthFare gift card giveaway via @AshleySue at http://idek.net/eQa!

Then, come back and leave a second comment with your Twitter @ handle.

One comment on being green = one chance.

One comment on being green + one separate comment about your tweet (with @yourname) = two chances.

I cannot wait to hear all the different ways you live greener and more grounded!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

(Contest runs Tuesday, 10th November 2009 at 930 A.M. EST until Monday, 16th November 2009 at 7 P.M. EST. Winner will be selected on Monday, 16th November 2009 at 7 P.M. EST.  Winner will be contacted via email.  Once winner acknowledges winning and replies with physical address, gift card will be sent via USPS.  Winning comment number will be selected via Random.org.

Also, many of your comments may be held for moderation.  Do not worry, I will daily approve comments, so they will appear within 24 hours, and in the order received.  Thank you for your patience as I fight spammers.)

Not literal rockstars, but Larry’s Beans Coffee is pretty close to stardom, and they are a crown jewel in the Triangle’s hip and green market.  Yesterday,  I noticed a full-time job opening at Larry’s Beans as an Account Manager.

Larry’s Beans coffee is organic, fair trade, kosher and a plethora of other fantastic certifications.  The beans are roasted here, they have a cool bus, and their coffee is as awesome tasting as their names are fantastically whimsical. Seriously, who can pass up a cup of “El Salvador Dali”, “Bean Martin”, “Frank Sumatra”, or my favorites, the “3 Moon Peru” and their holiday blends.

These coffee addicts and self-proclaimed fair trade mavericks are one of my favorite coffee brands, period.  Add to that their sustainability school, and you can see why I love this company.

By now you should be sold on why this company would be great to work with, but just in case, look at the awesome Rock Star characters you would work with in this small, kickbutt company.

So, if you feel like you could get stoked to be a full-time ambassador of fair trade, sustainable company ethic and coffee, click here to get a better look at the job and how to apply.

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

Funny to think that a few years ago, Marc and I regularly gorged ourselves on spray-cheese-in-a-can and prepackaged dinner packs, but the more we learned about how food effects us and our environments, our food philosophy changed dramatically.  Now grocers such as Earth Fare and Whole Foods are in on their own food philosophies.

Marc and I spend seemingly exorbitant amounts of money on our food in comparison to our days eating dry, crumbly, cheap ingredient foods out of boxes, but now we eat not only for today but for a long, healthy life.  I knew with the weight-gaining of the last decade – and by looking at my family – the health problems I have lurking ahead if I do not eat better now.  Further, I really hope to have a child one day.  I have to consider more than what I food habits I want to share with that child, but I also have to consider what I consume today that affects my health and fertility and can affect my (albeit hypothetical) fetus.

I happily began supporting (more…)

The list of companies claiming natural and green efforts grows every day, and often, unfortunately, these companies have little to offer.  Two national companies, however, showing progress in their sustainability practices are Reynolds and Kerr Drug.

What do these two companies have to offer?

Reynolds finally caught on to recycled foil.  For an Earth Day promotion, they gave away coupons for a free roll of their 100% recycled aluminum foil.  I am partly excited by this because I do think Reynolds foil is often better quality than many off-brand foils.  Plus, Aluminum, which can be recycled countless times, is a great way to practice your Rs.  When you finish with using foil, you can recycle it or reuse it yourself.  No matter what, make sure you clean off the foil.  Any foil with residual grease and oil cannot be used by recycling facilities, and you certainly do not want to reuse sticky foil.

Kerr Drug, which I never thought I would be giving thumbs-up, sent a “Naturally Kerr” flier in the mail this week.  Claiming to carry “over 3,000 natural and organic products for a healthy lifestyle”, I opened the paper and gave it a look.

Honestly, I was thrilled to see how many legit products they stock.  From organic groceries such as sugar, Late July brand crackers, FEED granola, JASON and Avalon Organics toiletries, natracare tampons and organic cotton pads, Seventh Generation products, Amy’s Organics, gluten-free foods, vegan foods, and even Pirate’s Booty snacks (I wonder if they carry Tings), Naturally Kerr by Kerr Drug is setting a standard for what a chain pharmacy/store can provide for their communities.  Who knows where this chain can go and where they are headed!

If you have not noticed, I rarely give chains a shout-out, so this post is a big deal for me.  Naturally Kerr, which is located at Harvest Plaza, 9650 Strickland Road, Suite 105, Raleigh, and 1124 Patton Ave. in Asheville, even had an Earth Day celebration today.  They gave away free reusable tote bags filled with natural and organic goodies.  The store also had drawings for a free mountain bike, as well as gift certificates to my absolute favorite Raleigh restaurant Irregardless Cafe and Flying Biscuit (never been).  I love the local aspect of this.

So, Kerr and Reynolds, cheers.  Keep up the amazing progress and set even higher standards.  Ready, set, go!

Sustainably yours, Ashley Sue

After my quick post questioning Costco as being a blessing or a blight to the communities it serves, I intended to write on more general levels for follow-up posts.  Which will happen…

Then, however, Jo commented regarding a Costco proposal for New Brunswick.  The Costco in question could be destroying wetlands in order to bring forth their mega-store.  Many residents are rallying to defeat the giant from entering their community.  On the other side, some citizens support the expansion.  From the previously linked articles to a Facebook group regarding the controversy, comments show support both for and against Costco.  Philip Lee is chronicling the advances and debate within the community (like here, here and here).  The comments section from the Daily Gleaner article chronicles those that simply hate Costco, those that blindly love it, and those that think it will be good for their community, but not at that location.  Anywhich way, this is certainly of major concern for environmentalists.

It is hard to label a company as leading corporate America in sustainability if they build a gasoline bar in a wetlands lot.  On the contrary, perhaps that is a sign of corporate America… not perfect, but progressing.

Turns out, Costco alone seems to deserve a thorough look-over on Green Grounded.

To be fair, I am starting with support of Costco because I feel like positive is the natural start in a compare and contrast.  Maybe that is just me, but I am not apologizing for it.

The Good of Costco (through my perspective):

~ Rwanda’s President recently thanked Starbucks for using Rwandan coffee and boosting the farm community there.  Starbucks became involved with Rwandan coffee farms upon suggestion and coordination from Costco’s CEO Jim Sinegal.

~ Costco is a big fan of solar energy, both using and selling.

~ Costco CEO Jim Sinegal works to put transparency in his company.  Huge.  Pays their employees well with great benefits. Some stakeholders aren’t impressed.  Yet, Costco, unlike one of their major competitors, is known for taking good care of their staff, even encouraging “van pools” to reduce gas use and price-effect for employees.

~ Though most produce and florals are not local, many are still supporting great environmental causes.

~ Costco takes your unwanted electronics, and even pays for some, for recycling.

~ My personal joys:  they have many biodegradable soaps and products from great Triple-Bottom Line companies, they carry a large variety of hormone-and-antibiotic-free meats for Marc, they have organic juices and fairtrade chocolates I can get for gifts or for our home, and, yes, I like things being cheaper there… meaning…

~ Many people in the lower-rung of the middle-class are upon very difficult times.  People are out of jobs, people who have jobs are taking pay and benefit cuts, yet we still have to pay all of our bills and buy groceries and buy gas to get to work.  These are real issues, right now, for a growing sector of our society.

Now with the bad of Costco:

~ Mega-box chains do perpetuate suburban sprawl.  Lots of people still do not mind sprawl, but it is inherently bad for a community.  The chain is always more concerned with making money than protecting that individual community, meaning location choice can be quite damaging.  Such as with the Fredericton, New Brunswick case.

~ For every item Costco sells that is eco-friendly and sustainably-oriented, they also continue to sell “a totally unnecessary product with extraordinarily bad consequences”, such as air-in-a-can convenience office-cleaning product.

~ As with today’s greenwashing trends, Costco, like many other retailers, does carry some products that market themselves as “green” but are highly skeptic, if not disproved, by the environmental community.

~ Costco carries plastic bottled water.  I get it, people like their plastic-bottled water.  Regardless, it bites.

~ Costco carries a large number of “individually packaged” products.  Drinks bottles, cheezy poofella pouches, etc. for easy lunch-box packing or for mass crowds.  These items have their use, but that does not make them environmentally sound.

~ Even buying a major national pharmaceutical product there (like we do ~ as it is much cheaper) hurts a local business owner who you could be buying from.

Costco shopping round up:

Buying from the local coop, or even the local Earthfare / Wholefoods just is not a realistic option for many Americans right now.  I blew through money buying local organic fairtrade in 2008.  Some of those products came from Costco.  Now, Marc and I are really having to decide where and what we can buy.  Basically, we are having to decide on a case-by-case basis, every day, what our priorities are in accordance to what we can afford.  That is unfortunate and true.

I am not advocating throwing one’s hands up at spending more for local / organic / fairtrade, but we each have to find the balance we (individually) can afford with the reality of today.

Today, I heard a coworker saying he does not support Wholefoods because they carry produce from Chile.  While that environmentally is a valid energy concern, I feel we cannot hang Wholefoods’ Chilean produce as hypocritical to the green movement if we consumers are drinking coffee or tea in our daily routine.  Or consuming chocolate.  Those products are grown down the road.

I argue the answer lies in finding the balance.

If you can afford to buy only local / organic / fairtrade, kudos.  Further, advocating conscientious buying habits amidst your peers is always Rockstar.  Questioning corporations and demanding transparency, promoting progressive goals, and striving for triple bottom line standards is necessary.

Whether or not you can afford to buy only local /organic / fairtrade, considering our fellow humans, both those working on farms, and those living two blocks over, is the most important part of community.  My organic coffee helps workers not be exposed to poisons and gives them a decent wage to live on.  The fact that my in-laws (both jobless due to unavoidable circumstances) cannot afford to indulge in such things as $10 lb. coffee is also something I refuse to hold against them.  I do what I can, and they do what they can. 

…and what I “can do” is becoming increasingly less during this time of my life.

I, for one, will continue my Costco love/hate membership for a third year.

I will do my best with what they offer and what I can afford to buy elsewhere.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

Tonight for Tasty Tuesday, Asheville offers the opportunity to support any of over 50 local restaurants and cafes for dinner ~ and 10% of all proceeds go to the Animal Compassion Network to spay and neuter animals.  I found out through Blog Asheville.

Supporting local establishments, in your own community, is the best way to weather these economic times.  By buying local, you support local business owners, who can then employ local residents.  If these businesses are not supported, people lose their jobs. 

Buying local gives you a say in their business practices.  Most of my favorite eateries in Asheville use organic ingredients, many of which are from local WNC farms, fair trade coffees, and even carry art from local creative minds.  Beautiful settings, locals with jobs they enjoy, family farm being supported, and tasty foods?  What is NOT to love about buying local?

And for tonight, by eating at one of the locations, you help prevent more animals from roaming the streets, from adding to the pet population, from being euthanized here in our municipalities.  When our cities have to spend their government money on housing an overwhelming amount of homeless and stray animals, money is taken away from other local government funding, such as for conservation efforts.  Then, many of the animals are never adopted… and with only so much space for caging these sweet creatures, many are euthanized with toxins, gas, etc. every week, just to keep them moving.

Do us all a favor:  If you live in WNC, spend your Fat Tuesday eating somewhere great and locally-owned… and know that a bit of your money is going to a fantastic cause.  You’ve got great options, including:

Bone-a-Fide Bakery

Cats & Dawgs

Doc Chey’s Noodle House

Filo

Laughing Seed Cafe

Perk’s Coffee Shop & Deli

Pomodoros

Scratch

Sunny Point Cafe (an absolute FAV of mine)

Thai Basil

Urban Burrito

West End Bakery and Cafe

12 Bones Smokehouse (WILDLY popular)

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue Allen

In case you are not attending what may be one of the most environmentally-unfriendly Super Bowl parties you know, like I will, you may be wondering how a Super Bowl party can be green and eco-friendly.  At least greener than the disposable plates, cups, lack of recycling, and meat-oriented everything that normally goes with these events.

In fact, if you are lucky enough to be hosting your own shindig, and you are curious in this short notice how to make your party have more splash with your friends but less impact with the environment, I have rounded up some great links to check out for your pursuit:

Lighter Footstep advises you on grilling (oh, tasty!). 

Green Diva Mom writer shares a full-out healthy menu plan.

Trey of Earth911 has got the eight best tips, from menu, to toilets, to gambling, and souvenirs.

Last year, I posted these tips on buying bulk, beer, and links I liked.

The NFL consistently works to progress their sustainability initiatives and reduce their environmental impact.  The NFL as an organization and the Tampa Bay Super Bowl are only a small part of the picture:  we fans are accountable for our impact, and it adds up.

We are not pushing to provide only organic, fair-trade, and locally-grown foods, or to use solar power to fuel your party, because as great as those choices are, many of us and our friends are just “getting our feet wet” with being more environmentally-friendly (if they care at all).  So do what you can, and be proud of that.

So, in whatever effort you can, make that difference, and go have fun!  

Sustainably Steelers,

Ashley Sue

I adore Global Village Coffeehouse in Raleigh.  It is, and has been, my favorite hideaway anywhere, ever, for five years.  And Mike Ritchie has been my favorite business owner.

But now I find myself on the other side of North Carolina, holed up in the mountains of Asheville without the comfort of my Marc (for a few months, nothing permanent) or a Global Village.
 

Due to a lack of strong internet connection chez familia, I hijacked their laptop and decided to find my Westside Global Village.  And unlike Raleigh and Durham, which have relatively limited coffee house options that offer proper ambiance, lack of pretention, organic fairtrade brew that is locally roasted, with a great staff to boot, Asheville supposedly has a plethora.  Throw a reuseable coffee mug, and you’re bound to hit one.

The options were plenty, I am sure, but I am unfamiliar with this city.  I have seen Green Sage repeatedly as I get lost in downtown, so I went to get lost and find it again.

Eureka.  Instantly, I enjoy the warm, hardwood floors, beautiful bakery case with organic carrot cake and vegan ginger snaps, a recycle and compost center, and a display of Larry’s Beans for your homebrewing needs (yay, Larry’s Beans!  A little taste of Raleigh here in Asheville!). So I’m spending some time in a place that feels like a sophisticated friend’s downtown penthouse loft (on the ground floor), and I’m spending that time with ten of my closest strangers who seem to be having a dinner party (furthering the friend’s sweet pad vibe). This group is obnoxiously loud, which would not be the case at GV, but the music playing is a great eclectic mix, and the furniture is pleasing to the eye as well as comfortable.

It’s too early to tell if I’ll like Green Sage… much less love it like I love Global Village.  But I have dozens of other coffeehouses to try.  Frankly, I doubt I’ll find another Global Village.  Green Sage impresses me instantly, however, and I know when I need somewhere comfortable downtown, this place has promise.  The ambiance is a little polished and impersonal, but again, it’s an easy find.  And I’m sure to like it more without ten cackling women deafening me.  Honestly, they are so loud, they’ve made me completely regret coming here.

In a city where I still feel lost, and honestly, a little trapped too, I’m letting her introduce herself to me as I introduce myself to her… and in time, hope to love her like I love Durham.  And that means trying new coffeehouses to find a homebase.  Better luck next time.

Cheers to new chapters, new promise, and a great internet connection.

Sustainably yours,  Ashley Sue

They die.  We shop.

A friend of mine made a beautiful video a couple months back.  Her words and her art have stuck with me for the entire time, and I want to share with her video you.

Consumerism is dirty. 
I do not mean that all buying and the concept of gift-giving is wrong.  I adore stuff. Beautiful luxurious stuff. And I adore giving gifts. Ask anyone about either of them.

I am saying I believe we, as a society, are in a thoughtless rut of going to buy stuff instead of actually feeling anything… Maybe it’s too real to cherish a single moment to be with ourselves, or to share laughter and deep thoughts with a beloved friend, or heaven forbid, take the time to reflect on something that may be uncomfortable…

… say, people suffering through the devastation that was Katrina.

… or the families who had to relive losing family in the 9/11 attacks.

… or dealing with the trust issues you have deep inside but try to hide from even yourself.

… or being older with health problems, but laid off from your job and without health care, and still trying to take care of yourself, your family, and your bills.

… or in Jane’s case, saving Shelter Dogs from the attrocities of careless bureaucracy.

Instead, we take on a gluttonous perspective to buy, throw away, replace.  Something new is here!  Throw away, buy, replace.

And the cycle spins, the poor and the third-world suffers, the waste grows, and the indulgences leave us empty.

… at least without conscientious living and consumption habits.

Sustainably yours,

Ashley Sue