Ha Schult, a German artists, is world renowned for his work with garbage.  He has made “trash people” that have been featured  in famous places throughout the world.  The “trash people” are life sized and are made from mostly recycled cans and old computer parts, but Shult incorporates anything and everything that he finds. These statues make a definite statement, however, the meaning of that statement is left to individual interpretation.

Dr. Evermor has created the world’s largest metal scrap sculpture as well as an entire park devoted to his creations. The park is located  in Wisconsin and it incorporates metal from as far back as the 1880’s.  Dr. Evermor’s work began nearly 30 years ago with just a simple exhibition. Evermor always liked collecting odd metals and other objects. As time went on he let his inner child free and decided to make something extraordinary out of his hobby.

Based in London, Tim Noble and Sue Webster have created multiple exhibitions that allow people to  see garbage in a beautiful way. They accomplish this by playing with light and shadow. They create  art pieces that look like nothing more tha a pile of trash, but all it takes it the  right amount of light to be able to see a shadows of the most amazing forms.

There are many other artists such as the ones described above. They all work to bring awareness to the growing problem of  pollution and the importance of recycling, reusing and re-purposing your old materials.  Along with conveying an important message, the artists are revolutionizing modern day art.

All the environmentally conscious people who like to enjoy a  martini or a bottle of beer from time to time, now have a reason to celebrate! Eco-friendly alcoholic beverages are on the rise, everything from wine to vodka now has an organic version.

What makes regular alcohol different from an eco friendly one?  “Green” alcohol is a broad term. This could me anything from the way the ingredients that the alcohol is made from are grown to how sustainable the actual brewery or distillery is.  

To be labeled USDA Organic, Spirits must be made from organic materials which are grown in soil that uses no pesticides and processed in an distillery that follows organic standards. Organic standards  go as far as restricting the cleaning products used inside the distillery.  The two brands that made eco friendly spirits a household product are Square One Vodka and Eco 360 Vodka.  These two companies go beyond just growing organic ingredients, but also incorporate  the “green” initiative to the way they do business.  Square One recognizes people in their community for their eco friendly efforts as well as reducing the amount of energy and gas consumption within their company.  360 Vodka has an environmental benefits statement that is posted on their website where consumers can see in what other ways the business is going “Green”. Another brand of Vodka that is worth mentioning is Tru Organic Vodka, which is promising to plant a tree for every bottle that is sold.  Besides this clever marketing technique, the company makes their bottles with 25% less glass, and uses recycled corks and soy ink.

But with Eco-friendly drinks come eco friendly bars!  These types of bars are becoming more popular and can be seen across the country. The very first organic bar/restaurant, Gustorganics, was opened in New York City in 2008.  The venue itself was built from recycled materials and  uses solar lighting and energy powered by only wind. A bar in Portland Oregon, called Hopworks Urban Brewery, has an unbelievably long list of ways that their building, surrounding area, brewery and food/drinks are eco friendly. They went as far as having water retention systems on the territory. There is also a bar that is not only incorporating “green” technique in their business but is also  reaching out to the local community. Uncommon Ground, located in Chicago hosts monthly mixers to bring people together and expose them to their rooftop garden and their free organic appetizers, while also getting them interested in supporting other causes. Along with mixers, Uncommon Ground has educational programs and the company partners with local business to bring more awareness to the “green” way of living.

So next time you are going out for a drink, or maybe two, pick organic alcohol and help preserve our environment.

A few years ago it was fairly difficult to find organic food in supermarkets and even harder to find restaurants that served organic meals. Nowadays there are whole stores devoted to just green/organic produce and restaurants are offering more diverse food choices made from all natural products. But are organic labeled foods really organic? There is now emerging a new way to experience fresh grown, organic food and it’s called Biodynamic dining.

Biodynamic dining is completely chemical free way to prepare all the food served at the restaurant. The vegetables and fruits are grown without using any harmful pesticides. The final product also does not contain any additives that are not found in nature.  To add to this, some restaurants also have their own gardens where they grow most of the produce that they use. The meat comes from animals that are living on biodynamic farms. This whole process ensures that the people, eating at biodynamic restaurants, receive fresh, completely organic and high quality food.

Biodynamic dining first starts with biodynamic farms where the chefs get most of their produce. The farmers begin this process even before the seeds are planted. To improve soil quality they use the manure from their animals as a natural fertilizer. Once the seeds are planted, each individual seed is cared for. There are two factors that separate organic farming from biodynamic farming. Biodynamic farms use horses to cultivate the land, instead of tractors, to ensure that no chemicals are absorbed by the soil and the food is harvested and grown according to the different lunar cycles. Many people say they can distinctly taste the difference between regularly grown food and food grown on biodynamic farms. This type of dedication to the land, and to every plant is what makes biodynamic farming such a unique and not widely practiced process.

To experience this exceptionally grown food for yourself, try these restaurants.  Bon Appétit!

1. Manresa in Los Gatos California

2.  Aziza in San Francisco

3. Terre à Terre in Brighton, UK

4. D-Tox-Me  in  Adelaide, Australia

 ”Green” theaters are showing up all over the country. The Henry Miller and the Wild Project  are two theaters on the front line of environmental architecture. What exactly is a “green” theater? Its a regular theater built with recycled and/or organic materials, and incorporates features that are environmentally safe.

The Henry Miller  is a newly rebuilt 1918 theater. During the construction 85% of old debris from the remodeling was recycled. The finished building has the preserved  original facade, as well as new features such as carbon dioxide filters, to maximize french air throughout the theater, and waterless urinals, in order to reduce water consumption. The Henry Miller officially became the first Broadway theater to “go green”.

The Wild Project is a smaller theater that was redesigned to be more environmentally friendly.Once a bottle factory, it is now a 99 seat theater and art gallery. The most impressive feature is it’s green roof, that includes solar panels and is covered with soil and various wild flowers. Inside you can see recycled glass, bamboo wood, clear doors, to provide natural light, and low flush toilets. They also offer organic beer, wine and other green refreshments at their concession stand.

So when you’re in the mood to see a show, check out a “green” theater for a truly unique experience.

There’s been a lot of buzz recently about sustainable, eco-friendly packaging and beverage containers. Whatever you’re eating or drinking, the following collection of innovations and news on sustainable packaging should interest you:

Papier Mache Milk Bottles

Environmentally Friendly Coffee Cups : so many to choose from! Have you seen any of these out and about?

Should Water Bottles Be Biodegradable, or Recyclable?

Portland, OR Schools Still Serving School Lunches on Styrofoam Trays

The 2010 Greener Package Awards

What’s your approach to containers and packaging that you use every day? Do you use a reusable coffee mug or water bottle? Do you brown-bag your lunch?

All of these new bamboo rugs, part of the Villager Collection, are made from Anji mountain bamboo, harvested from the Zhejiang Province in China. They come in vibrant colors and patterns that you won’t see in your typical bamboo rug, like deep crimson and key lime shades. In addition to the traditional, woven thin slats style, you’ll also find less conventional variations in color and width of bamboo slats. Though these new rugs differ aesthetically from the older ones, they are just as easy to clean and maintain, and are just as durable. In other words, everything that you already loved about our bamboo rugs, you will love about these as well! Stop by to check them out!

Would you prefer to read news or order food from an iPad or would you stick with your traditional newspaper and menu?

1. First, a move toward intimate, more personal decor: “Ready for your home to look oh-so 2011? It shouldn’t be too hard because the on-the-horizon trends are all about making it more optimistic, functional and personal.” This bodes well for the green movement, which is all about functional, eco-friendly products and looking toward the future.

2. Good news for those who craft, repurpose, and/or recycle: “The ‘who knew?’ factor of upcycled house goods will be even bigger in 2011, according to those at Etsy, the online marketplace for handcrafts. Look for plastic bags turned into bowls and bike parts into clocks.”

3. Not such great news: “Victorian, Edison-style and squirrel-cage bulbs are surprisingly hot little numbers despite the shift toward CFLs and LEDs. No, not for all your lighting needs but perhaps for your decorative clear-glass and bare-bulb fixtures so that you can really see the filament.” Would you be willing to sacrifice your more eco friendly bulbs to return to “Victorian”-style lighting? According to the article, “New carbon-filament bulbs offer 1/3 of the light at 10 times the price.”

The Living Christmas company in California, near L.A., is renting out live, potted trees that customers can decorate and keep in their homes for the holidays, and then return to the company once their celebrations are over. The company then stores them and cares for the trees for the rest of the year, and the tree is again available for rent the next Christmas. They also deliver and pick up the tree for you!

This is all well and good, but what if you don’t live somewhere where this service is provided? You can always consider buying a Christmas tree and caring for it all year round, or making your own creation with trimmings and branches.

Local Harvest hooks you up with a variety of local food resources in your area. You can search for online stores, farms, farmer’s markets, restaurants, specific foods and more on this website!

If you’re a die-hard organic foodie, The Organic Consumers Association website has everything you need to educate yourself on buying and eating organic, from food sources to nutrition information.

Sustainable Table is a great place to find recipes and other information about cooking sustainably.

Eco Harvest Gourmet is another website dedicated to providing gourmet recipes that are perfect for the ethically-minded sustainable eater.