Archive for December, 2009
Dec
18
VerdeLifestyles Goes Mobile!Over the past couple of weeks, Brand Labs (official custom development and design firm for our site) has been working tirelessly to produce our first iPhone application. The new ap allows us to dynamically generate product from our site by simply adding new categories and assigning products to the iphone categories in our Volusion store administrator area. To add all of our products, it took about 10 minutes! This was of course after hours and hours of programming implemented by the Brand Labs team (thanks guys!).
To activate the ap, all you have to do is go to our homepage using your iPhone and it automatically defaults to the new setup. Once you’re there, click the + button and then hit “Add to home screen”. If you wait about 2 seconds, our iPhone avatar will popup in place of the site’s preview and then click “Add”. We haven’t included all the info to the ap that we want to yet, still have some additional pages like the contact us to add, but I just couldn’t wait any longer to release it to the public.
We’re looking for any and all feedback you have on your new shortcut to your VerdeLifestyles mobile purchasing power so feel free to post comments or contact us. A note about Brand Labs… First off, they designed and developed our online store! I’ve gotten nothing but good feedback from friends, family, BL clients, customers and even other store owners in the Volusion forums! As a long-standing employee of the firm, I’ve also been able to take advantage of new products or system upgrades sometimes even before their public release.
Our favorite two features they’ve setup so far are the iPhone ap detailed above and a Soft Add To Cart. The soft add to cart allows our customers to add items to their cart from category pages and product pages without being directed instantly to the shopping cart. A majority of our customers purchase multiple products at a time and we didn’t want to discourage them by sending them to the shopping cart every time they added an item. Customers receive a notification that their item or items have been added to their cart and can see the items by scrolling over the shopping bag link. What’s even better about this product is it has been customized to match the look and feel of our website! Feel free to test this product out on our accents page (just click add to cart). I’ll continue to write about cool new features we roll out and please offer any feedback you can on your Verde experience. -Ryan Total Read Time: 1.5 Minutes
You’ve probably seen stores like Whole Foods and Wal-Mart advertise lately their “local” produce. But what does “locally grown” really mean? The definition for one person, may be completely different for the next. Does local mean it was produced in the same state? How far does food have to travel before it’s no longer considered local? Even while researching the subject, there seems to be widespread confusion over the matter. Sometimes I feel like the “locally grown” label is just another marketing push by retailers. I can understand the family owned grocery store who buys produce from farmers that are within, say 100 miles as advertising themselves as local. But Wal-Mart? They are the nations largest retailer! Their official definition is if it’s grown in the same state as it’s sold. “Even if that’s a state as big as Texas and the food comes from a farm half the size of Manhattan”. While Whole Foods definition is “anything produced within seven hours of one of its stores”. Yet this begs another question, is local necessarily safer? “Consumers tend to think of local products — namely fruits and vegetables — as fresher because they’re grown “close to home” and they generally come from small farmers”. While it’s true that the less time food spends being transported from place to place that it’s fresher. But what if it was produced using harmful chemicals, that does not necessarily make it safer than, organic strawberries from California sold in Michigan. Unlike organic labels, there are no regulations for locally grown food. What’s marketed as local in one state, may also be available nationwide. The Hartman Group surveyed consumers and “showed that 52% said it was important for them to buy local goods whenever possible; vs. 23% who said the same for organic.” Which definitely shows the growing popularity of locally produced food. I’m a big foodie myself and it is hard to buy healthy food. There’s the issue of price and then whether or not I should wait till Friday for my local farmer’s market or go to Whole Foods to buy fresh produce. Hopefully the locally grown label will become more standardized to make it easier for consumers. But who knows how far off that might be. Just some food for thought! -Danielle- Are you following us on Twitter yet? Follow us here!
Dec
14
Recycle to the Max!Total Read Time: 1 Minute
RecycleMax, an almost 15 year old business has been providing areas all over North America with superior recycling services that amount to approximately 3,000,000 lbs per month in repurposed products and properly disposed waste. They generally cater to more industrial clients allowing them to provide a much larger scale solution for the community. Their solutions built on a long-term commitment of greening your operations while saving you on overhead costs for a less effective result.
Keith A. Zendler, one of the owners of RecycleMax is also the president of one of our favorite social sites calledhttp://www.peoplemovers.com/ . Keep an eye out for future posts on this exciting new site!
For our local fans who may know of a school, business, or other facility in need of a green makeover, checkouthttp://recyclemax.com/ for more information.
Follow us on Twitter here!
Dec
14
Out of The Ordinary BikesTotal Read Time: 2.5 Minutes I’ve really had the itch to go bike riding lately, the only problem is I don’t have one right now! What started the itch was all the great articles about bike sharing programs, transit systems, folding bikes, and other alternative designs I’ve come across. It seems like biking as a mode of transportation is really starting to catch on….. again! We all know how great bikes are for your health and of course, they are totally ecofriendly. Now lucky Bostonians will soon have the option to make the switch from cars to bikes. The city has announced plans to implement a brand new bike sharing program which will be the largest in America when completed. Riders can pick up bikes at one of the 290 stations with a swipe of a credit card, ride it wherever they need to go, and dock it at the station closest to their destination. Consider all of the benefits such as less congestion on the road, reduced dependence on gas, and keeping us healthy. Plus you don’t have to worry about having to leave your car somewhere in order to have a drink or two. Just bike to your favorite bar and ride, walk or hitch a ride back home! Coincidentally, you can still get pulled over for riding a bike drunk so be careful.
Another ingenious idea is a combination of a bike sharing program and public transit system. Designer Chiyu Chen has developed a transit system that encourages the use of sustainable transportation by crediting people for renting and riding bicycles. His Hybrid2 system consists of a fleet of rent-able bicycles that are capable of generating and storing kinetic energy, which is then used to power the city’s hybrid electric buses. Simply rent a bike, your pedal power charges it up with kinetic energy and once returned to a kiosk, the station feeds energy into the city’s smart grid. You then receive a credit towards your next bus pass! How cool is that? There’s a reason you don’t see too many people carrying around folding bikes; many have small wheels that make for an uncomfortable ride or are too clunky when folded up. But then there’s the Contortionist, a sleek folding bike that uses full-size wheels. Designed by Dominic Hargreaves, a student at the Royal College of Art in London, the bike contains pivots in its frame that let it roll up to fit within the width of its wheels!
Another folding bike of sorts is the Bergmönch, a bike that can be folded up and worn as a backpack! Perfect for camping and hiking, the backpack converts into a bike capable of conquering roads and rough trails alike. Not only is the bike light enough to carry on your back, it also features a storage compartment capable of carrying up to 12 liters of supplies.
One of my favorite’s is the Madsen Bucket bicycles, which are designed to transport groceries, laundry, surfboards or kids. You name it, you can haul it! “After hauling six neighbor kids around in a wheel barrow bucket bolted to the front of our first prototype, we started to realize what a bicycle can really do,” say the folks behind the development of the bike. Their end product is stylish and functional, perfect for green minded parents on the go!
-Danielle- You should follow us on Twitter here! Total Read Time: 1 Minute The past year has been hard for a lot of people, especially here in Michigan. There has been so much going on lately that I just want to clean house and begin anew! Even if it isn’t the end of the year when you traditionally take stock of your life. So if your feeling the need to clear out the cob webs, here are a couple of tips on decluttering and removing negative energy in your home.
-Danielle- You should follow us on Twitter here!
Dec
14
Eco-Tourism In ItalyAfter my initial post on green travel, I thought I would write about eco-tourism at my favorite travel destination – Italy. I’ve always wanted to travel to Italy because of it’s natural beauty, my Grandmother’s Italian heritage, and my passion for Italian cuisine (although I’m sure my experience of Italian cuisine is quite different from a locals!). So what can an eco-conscious traveler do in Italy? There are organic farms galore, quaint eco-villages, walking tours, and plenty of volunteer opportunities as a starting point. Organic Farms
Part of Tuscany’s Riserva Naturale Alto Merse, this 1,100-acre organic estate includes managed forests, vegetable gardens, and hiking trails. The estate is dedicated to preserving the region’s cultural and agricultural heritage. Parts of the property are used to raise endangered breeds of livestock, others for sustainably harvested wood which is used for heating. Rooms are tucked into original stone houses that are restored with a rustic simplicity exemplifying the farm’s philosophy. Not only is the Spannocchia a working organic farm, it is also a center for education focused on both ecological and cultural history driven from its multinational community. With hiking paths, farm animals, gardens, cooking classes, beautiful vistas, eight centuries of rural history, friendly people, and great food and wine, how could you go wrong? In the beautiful Siena province of Tuscany, the San Martino organic farm practices biodynamic/homeopathic agriculture along side its farmhouse bed and breakfast. The Villa has been recently restored using the rules of bioarchitecture, which uses exclusively natural and ecological materials such as lime, wood and stone, natural earth and beeswax for finishings. Morning breakfast is prepared only with home made or local organic products. Outside, guests can enjoy a Biolake (bio-swimming pool), free of chemicals. The farm produces saffron, extra virgin olive oil, honey, cereals and grass. The Agriturismo Antico Uliveto is in the heart of Chianti, between the city of Siena and the medieval fortress of Monteriggioni. The Agriturismo is part of the Gardinia Organic Farmhouse (Azienda Agricola Biologica Gardinina), where the Taddei family has been using organic methods for its production of wine, olive oil, honey and grains for the past ten years. Activities include hand made pasta, painting, tennis lessons or a trip in a hot-air balloon. They even have a “Wellness Nest” that offers massages! A recently restored 14th century farmhouse, once believed to have been a monastery, is situated on a 500 acre organic teaching farm, in the Pietralunga Forest of Upper Umbria. “Here, life in accordance with Nature is a philosophy: the tree is not an inert shadow dispenser, while the spider hanging down from the beam is not an inconvenience, nor a rainy day is a bore.” The eco-policies they’ve adopted include: Energy saving measures such as insulating houses and using high efficiency rated appliances and energy saving light bulbs. Water conservation in the form of low flush toilets and low pressure showers. They also ask guests to reuse towels and sheets more than once. They recycle glass, metal, paper, plastic, and feed food scraps to the animals. Plus they use the Internet to cut down on paper-based advertising and print marketing material such as brochures on recycled paper. Eco-Villages Frustrated with Sicily’s loss of traditions from when she was a child, Carmelina Ricciardello resolved to preserve its way of life. In the village of Sant’Ambrogio, she’s now creating Sicily’s first eco-village, by preserving traditions threatened by emigration, unemployment and mass tourism. Tucked behind the city of Cefalù on the north coast of Sicily where life continues much as it has for the past 500 years. “Old men still sit in rows on the benches in the little piazza, while their wives gossip on the doorsteps.” Damanhur is an eco-village based on ethical and spiritual values. It has around 1,000 citizens and extends over 500 (5 million metres) at the foothills of the Piedmont Alps. Founded in 1975, the Federation of Damanhur is more of an an eco-society with their own social and political structure . “The Federation of Damanhur is a centre for spiritual, artistic and social research” with a world renown reputation. Courses and events are offered all year round and visitors are welcome for longer visits as well for study or relaxation. Walking Tours Country Walkers is a walking tour company that operates in Europe, Asia, Africa, the South Pacific, North America, Latin America, and even Antarctica. Guided, private, and custom tours are offered, but they may not be your least expensive option for seeing Italy by foot. Their tours include The French and Italian Alps, Amalfi Coast & Isle of Capri, Cinque Terre, Italian Lakes, Signature Tuscany, Sicily & The Aeolian Islands, and the Piedmont. The one advantage to Country Walkers is that you have a tour guide who will give you additional insight to the history and culture of a region and will assure that you stay on the path. Losing your way in a foreign country is not something most people enjoy. Even though it might turn out to be an adventure of a lifetime. Via Francigena If your looking for a more cost effective way to travel by foot, the Via Francigena is another option known as a pilgrimage to Rome. The ancient pilgrimage route starts in Canterbury in England and was the main route for Christian pilgrims in Europe. While not as well maintained as other pilgrimage routes such as the Santiago de Compostela in Spain, the Via Francigena can still be traveled through Italy to Rome. You can find sites dedicated to the pilgrimage route such as Walk for Italy or sites that have information on the route under the category of religion such as Life in Italy. Volunteer Opportunities Opportunities to volunteer abroad are endless, you can volunteer for a couple of days, weeks, or even 6 months to a year. You can assist the elderly or the disabled, stay with a family to teach them english, research whales in the Ligurian Sea, assist in the historic preservation of buildings, maintain beaches, and even work in exchange for food and accommodation. Most programs have a cost associated with them and will arrange lodgings for you whether in a dormitory or with a local family. Volunteering abroad offers a different perspective of a country from the traditional tourists attractions. Whether you have the option to volunteer through a program or plan on making your own arrangements once in a country, you can start your research at Volunteer in Italy or Transition Abroad. Now that everyone has the itch to travel, feel free to share your plans or experiences! When I decided to write about green travel, I was thinking of highlighting various green destinations. But the more I read about it, the more I realized how broad the topic of green travel is. As far as definitions of green travel, I had no idea there was a distinction between eco-conscious travel, eco-friendly travel, eco-tourism, responsible travel, and green travel. There are so many great topics to chose from that I’ve decided to make this a two part post. This week I’ll be focusing on green travel and eco-tourism: Green travel can be defined as:
Eco-tourism can be defined as:
Another interesting way to categorize green travel is by extremeness. There are those that would hardly go out of there way to make greener travel decisions and the extremists that won’t fly in planes, only eat organic foods, and camp out in their own tents rather than stay in a hotel. Whether you prefer luxury hotels or camping, what drew me to the topic was the destinations: Top eco-tourism destinations include Belize, Dubai, Brazil, Kenya, Gabon, Laos, Canada, and Ireland. These destinations were chosen for their biodiversity as well as local commitment to sustainability. They were also ranked by established destinations, destinations making progress, and countries on a watch list. Those that were considered established eco-tourist destinations included Brazil’s wetlands, Northern Ireland, Belize’s barrier reef (the largest in the Western Hemisphere), and safaris in Kenya through local ranchers (allows them to supplement their income with eco-tourism). Or for those traveling in luxury there is the Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa on Dubai’s Desert Conservation Reserve. The resort recycles 100% of its water and has an impressive seed bank of 6,000 indigenous plants.
If your interested in going to the world’s greenest countries, in general Norwegian and Eastern European countries ranked the highest. A recent Yale repost ranked countries based on “an environmental performance index (EPI)–a weighting of carbon and sulfur emissions, water purity and conservation practices.” The top five were Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Costa Rica. If your wondering how the US ranked, we were 39.
There are so many options for green travel, be it your choice of travel, lodgings, or activities. As I mentioned, since this is such a broad topic, I’ll be writing about my favorite eco-friendly destination next time. Feel free to mention yours! |
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