If you’re concerned about bisphenol A — a.k.a. BPA, a chemical lining linked to everything from sexual dysfunction to heart disease to reproductive problems — you’ve probably opted for a BPA-free reusable water bottle. What many would-be healthy environmentalists aren’t as aware of, however, is the fact that BPA’s in pretty much all canned foods. Even green-thinking companies have a hard time getting BPA out of their cans — which is why for now, I’ve just learned to avoid canned food altogether.

Now, I know banning the can sounds daunting to many who’ve relied on canned beans and dolphin-safe tuna as greener alternatives to factory farmed beef and overprocessed veg meats — but once you get a few simple habits in place, I’ve found de-canning’s actually fairly simple — and less troublesome than relying on canned food! Here’s how I do it:

1. Shop light. Buy beans in bulk, and you’ll save a lot of energy — that you used to spend lugging those heavy cans from the store. In fact, if buying heavy canned and packaged foods are what’s forcing you to drive to the store to bring everything home, simply de-canning could lighten your load enough to consider making the trip by bike or on foot.

After all, if you’ve been eating local to reduce the huge carbon footprint associated with food miles, then shopping car-free should be part of your locavoring strategy. Even when food’s locally grown, driving long distances to buy the stuff is less green than getting less local groceries delivered.

I really enjoy walking to my local co-op to get my groceries — especially since I get to pass a fig tree that, when in season, yields free dessert! Go can free and get back on the streets.

2. Go bulk. I eat almost all organic and local — and still spend less money on food than most people. How? In addition to being mostly vegetarian, I make use of the bulk bins at my co-op, where I can get fair trade, organic coffee for $7.99 a pound, organic rolled oats on sale, and — more relevantly in terms of this de-canning issue — all sorts of beans on the cheap!

Do the math, and we’re talking serious money savings on beans. According to the California Dry Bean Board (yes, there is such a board), a pound of dry beans will yield 5 to 6 cups of cooked beans, while a 15-ounce can equals about a cup and 2/3 of cooked beans. A pound of dry organic black beans at Co-opportunity costs $1.69 — or about 28 to 38 cents a cooked cup. A can of organic black beans costs between 99 cents (when on sale in a can that contains BPA) and $2.19 (for Eden Organics’ BPA-free can) — or 59 cents to $1.31 a cooked cup. Why pay double or more for the same stuff?

3. Cook simply. Of course, dry beans require that you cook them. This is much simpler to do than most people believe the task to be — especially if they’ve cooked them incorrectly before and felt the process took forever!

The main bean cooking tip: Soak them first, for 6 to 8 hours. Post-soak, they’ll cook up pretty fast — between 60 to 90 minutes. I like to soak them overnight, then put them on the stove in the morning. By the time I’ve finished journaling and caffeinating, the beans are done!

4. Save energy. Once cooked up, let the beans cool to avoid heating up your freezer with still-hot beans. Then put a half to one-cup of cooked beans in small, individual containers. This way, you can simply take out one or two containers as you need them — instead of having to thaw a vat of beans whenever you decide to make something.

How does storing beans in the freezer save energy? In addition to saving you the energy and space used by a can opener — or your own arm strength struggling with manual can openers (I never really mastered those), a full freezer will retain its coldness better and run more efficiently. Plus, once you’re ready to use the beans, you can move the containers from the freezer to the fridge the night before — and the beans will keep your fridge cooler as they dethaw.

5. Eat yummier soup. If beans aren’t so much the issue as an addiction to canned soup, I strongly recommend a Hipcooks class to cure this costly addiction. Make your own yummy fresh soup!

6. Feel healthy. Going can-free for beans and soup will help you dramatically reduce your exposure to BPA. And if you decide to take it easy on the canned tuna too, you’ll cut your mercury consumption. Did you know that if you’re a woman who weighs less than 200 lbs, eating just one can of albacore tuna a week puts you over the FDA’s recommended limit for mercury?
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Got additional tips for canned food addicts? Share them in the comments.

Photo by pinwheel

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Shopping for spring sandals? Strap on a classic, stylish pair from soleRebels, a shoe company that’s merging eco-friendly fashion with fair trade business.

Would-be ethical consumers in the U.S. like to support green-minded companies with a mission to help less privileged countries — whether it’s through fair trade, community projects, or charitable donations. Many of those do-gooder companies are led by American entrepreneurs; less common are similar companies led by entrepreneurs in those so-called third world countries. SoleRebels is one of the latter, founded by an Ethiopian entrepreneur called Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu — along with her husband and brother — to create jobs in their village Zenabwork in in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

And soleRebel’s cute shoes are making big strides into the American and European markets! These eco-friendly kicks are made by local artisans in Ethiopia who upcycle used car tires and vintage camouflage fabrics, handloom organic cotton fabrics, and prepare greener shoe leathers through an artisan process and vegetable tanning — all to create fashion-friendly styles designed after traditional Ethiopian footwear.

soleRebels is a brand of Bostex, which stands for “By Our-selves Textiles,” emphasizing the company’s commitment to preserving traditional heritage and creating its own economic successes. Bostex is the first registered Ethiopian member of the World Fair Trade Organization, and is committed to fair trade practices like sustainable production, healthy working conditions, and better wages for workers.

Though purchasing directly through soleRebel’s website’s cumbersome, American shoppers can browse and buy with soleRebel shoes with ease at Endless and Amazon. Some Urban Outfitters and Whole Foods also carry soleRebel designs. Prices range from about $15 for some slip-ons and flipflops to $60 for sturdy lace-up sneakers.

Photos via SoleRebels

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This post was originally written July 20, 2007 and last updated March 11, 2010.

Calm your caffeinated panic attack — We’re not talking about quitting coffee. This is a 7-step program for drinking better coffee — for the environment, society, and you and your java addiction.

If all the coffee chatter about triple certification labels or the Make Trade Fair campaign gives you nervous heart palpitations and jitters, just follow these half-dozen steps to get on a sustainable, alert-but-not-wigged-out caffeine high.

1. Say bye-bye to yucky coffee. This means a big adieu to Kraft, Nestle, Sara Lee, and Procter & Gamble — AKA the “big four.” These coffee biggies helped engineer a huge overproduction of coffee that made coffee farmers dirt poor — a situation dubbed the coffee crisis. The four also got the American public used to drinking swill. If you’re drinking canned Folgers coffee, you’re probably downing twigs, dust and floor sweepings.

2. Get a local roast. Brew coffee at home? Then get to know your local coffee roaster — You can get a quick list of fair trade coffee roasters in your state here to start. Not only will you support local business, you’ll also get tastier, freshly roasted coffee. Plus, you won’t incur more food travel miles by having your coffee shipped to you from, say, Seattle. Unless you live in Seattle, in which case you might try Pura Vida or Cafe Humana.

3. Opt for organic and fair trade. Why organic? So people don’t have to pick coffee amid pesticides, and so you don’t have to drink pesticides. Why fair trade? Fair trade coffee ensures that farmer co-ops receive fairer compensation for their work. Finding double-certified (both organic and fair trade) coffee isn’t hard — And in fact, it’s a fast-growing niche! Chances are, if your coffee roaster offers fair trade, it also offers double-certified coffee; about 80% of the fair trade certified coffee coming into the US is also organic. And if you’re up for a challenge, you might look for triple-certification (organic, fair trade, and shade grown).

4. Step away from that Starbucks. Why support a huge corporate chain when we’ve got local coffee shops all over L.A.? After a lot of activist pressure, Starbucks has made some fair trade strides — but has yet to offer a single blend that’s both fair trade AND organic. If you must go to a Starbucks, take the Starbucks Challenge.

5. Check out your local indie coffee shop, especially if they offer organic or fair trade options. If you had a big Starbucks habit, you’ll be in for a shock, because each indie coffee shop will be — gasp — different! It’ll be a thrilling coffee adventure that will keep your money in the local economy. Plus, indie coffee shops usually come with a lot of little privileges, like free wifi, locally baked goods, and friendly owners who listen to what you want — and might change things up for you (again, amenities will depend on location). Which brings us to –

6. Convert your coffeehouse. Dilemma: Your coffee shop’s cute and local, but it doesn’t brew anything organic or fair trade. What’s a coffee addict to do? If you’re feeling up to it, have a little chat with the owner or other people working there, starting with, “Hey, I love your coffee shop, and I was wondering….” Not that brave? Then send your coffee shop an email: “Hi! My name is [insert name] and I love your coffee shop, and I would bike over with all my friends every morning if you offered organic, fair trade coffee….”

7. Relax with your coffee. Resist the temptation to freak out because you can’t find a triple-certified, solar-power-roasted coffee from a local cafe that composts and uses only CFL bulbs. That kind of all-or nothing thinking will only lead to a sad, Nescafe overdose! There is no “perfect” cup of coffee. Plus, each of our situations has its weird quirks. Maybe you’re in a town where the only indie coffee shop’s owned by a Hummer-loving oil magnate — in which case your best option might be to get the closest Cooperative Coffees company to ship some java over to you, ASAP….

Drink happy, stay caffeinated –

Photo by javaturtle; Fair trade certification logo via TransFair USA

[Crossposted at Treehugger]

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>> Santa Monica’s celeb-studded sushi spot The Hump could be shut down for serving endangered Sei whale meat, after Heal the Bay president Mark Gold called them out. The restaurant’s on city property, which means the city can terminate its lease if restaurant owners commit a crime. More in two weeks, after the city investigates the issue.

>> Love Tender Greens‘ local, organic produce paired with organic wines? A new Tender Greens location opens at Sunset and Vine in Hollywood today.

>> Grace restaurant will move to downtown L.A. later this year — and plans to get up to a quarter of its produce from its own garden. to the rectory of St. Vibiana’s later this year, Owner Neal Fraser “has an idea for taking diners into the garden to pick, say, five ingredients for a tasting menu.” This feature article from the L.A. Times also highlights the green efforts of many other local restaurants, including Tender Greens, York, Comme Ca, Napa Valley Grille, and Mixt Greens.

>> The City of L.A.’s growing gardeners with a green gardener training course intended to give eco-friendly and marketable skills to lower-income residents:

Thirty-one gardeners participated in the pilot training program that began late last year, and 89 are expected to be trained soon through the program, which was funded with $250,000 in federal stimulus money, through the city’s Community Development Department, and conducted in partnership with the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California, an immigrant education group.

Earlier: A Green landscape design contest — and 6 free green garden events

Photo by Jory .

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Jewelry made from upcycled glass bottles isn’t exactly new. Kathleen Plate’s turned beer bottles into everything from simple hoop earrings to fragile dresses, and Beca Designs gave Kahlua and Belvedere bottles a new life as chunky necklaces. But Earth Glass Project’s delicate accessories still made me take a second look — because of their smart use of liquor bottle designs.

Wanted to wear a piece of Van Gogh’s art — in upcycled style? Pick up a Van Gogh Vodka pendant from Earth Glass Project, a company self described as “a funky family of Re-claim artists.” I mean, I didn’t even know that a line of Van Gogh Vodkas existed until I found out I could wear a chunk of it, fashionably.

Earth Glass Project’s clever use of liquor bottles’ printed labels is similar to Beca Designs’ work — but the former’s pieces tend to be less chunky and beady, which works better for my own more minimalist style. Earth Glass Project also makes smart use of existing designs in the bottles, cutting off the mouthpiece to create ridged rings, for example. “We use all parts of the bottle from base to neck,” says Kat Ludlow of Earth Glass Project.

Want to wear Earth Glass jewelry? Get them online at Earth Glass Project’s web store, which also sells upcycled glassware and soy wax candles. Simple rings cost just $14.99 each, while earrings-and-pendant sets will run you about $50.

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Last year’s LA Bike Summit brought together an impressive number of cyclists from all over the city — and this year the event’s expanded to become 2010 LA Street Summit: Biking, Walking and Beyond!

Come learn and talk about pedestrian-friendly streets, healthy livable communities, economic development, and more — all with like minded Angelenos. The summit’s free, but if you pre-register by Mon., March 15, you get a free lunch!

When: Sat., March 20, 10:30 am – 5 pm
Where: L.A. Trade Tech College, 400 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles
Cost: FREE — with free lunch if you pre-register by Mon., March 15

I was on the “Bike Blogs and More: Electronic Communications Panel” panel at LA Bike Summit last year, and wish I’d gotten up early to make the morning sessions too. This year, I will! Morning speakers include Carl Anthony, founder of Urban Habitat, and Charlie Gandy, the Mobility Coordinator for the City of Long Beach.

The afternoon features 3 sessions, each with lots of different workshops to pick from. Foodies might want to go to “Moving People to Good Food and Good Food to People,” pedestrian advocates to “Changing Communities Through Walkability Assessments,” environmental health activists to “Making the Health Connection.” Many workshops address specific neighborhoods — like Thai Town or Glendale — or very specific issues — like taco trucks or bike racks.

The main summit happens all day on Saturday, but a pre-summit event featuring Janette Sadik-Khan, New York City’s Commissioner of Transportation, will kick things off on Thurs., March 18 at 7:30pm at Keck Theater at Occidental College.

See you at the Summit!

Photo by Lisa Newton

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Nearly 10% of L.A. County residents need food assistance — yet perfectly good food gets thrown in dumpsters around our city every day — which has environmentalists and freebie seekers alike dumpster diving for free food.

Freeganism’s not new news anymore — but a film about freeganism is! It’s called Dive!. Watch the preview’s below (via MNN):

Dive! is screening in L.A.-area venues this month:

>> Thurs., March 11 at 7 pm Conscientious Projector screening at Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. FREE.

>> Sat., March 13, 6:15 pm at the 15th Annual International Family Film Festival, Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. Tickets cost $10 each.

>> Mon., March 15 at 7:30 pm as part of 7 Dudley Cinema at The Talking Stick, 1411 Lincoln Blvd., Venice. FREE.

More screenings will happen in April and May, if you can’t make these. I like the idea of freeganing, but I tend to be very afraid of food-borne illnesses, since recalls even on food still on supermarket shelves seem to happen every month. The L.A. Times recently reported that food-borne illnesses really cost you:

A new consumer research report released Wednesday has found that the health-related costs of food-borne illnesses total $152 billion a year, including the costs of medical bills, lost wages and lost productivity.

Get ill and you could end up spending a lot more than you saved on your freegan food. So to freegan more safely, read Leah Koenig’s dos and don’ts of dumpster diving.

Freeganing not adventurous enough for you? Try being a frugan — a frugal vegan, according to one Katherine Fairfax Wright, who dumpster dives for her animal-product-free eats and resells salvaged trashed goods at a profit. She blogs at Frugal Living.

Earlier:
>> Dumpsters get popular: Freegans and junk yard tours
>> Book Review: The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved

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>> Why you should read the back of the package. The FDA sent warning letters to 17 food companies for “Front-of-Package Violations” that make food sound healthier than they actually are. The most common issue: Companies touted that their products were trans fat free — without mentioning high saturated fat content.

In addition to the usual suspects like Nestle, a couple organic companies made the list — including one of my favorite cereals, Nature’s Path Organic Flax Plus Multibran Cereal. Why? Apparently the claim “excellent source of Omega-3+” is not approved for use on food products.

>> Why I haven’t bought any canned food this year: BPA-free canned food’s hard to come by — even for green food companies that want to make their containers BPA-free. Both Eden Foods and Vital Choice are struggling to — but not yet succeeding at — keeping BPA out of their products due to both the ubiquity of the chemical and lack of alternatives.

>> Did you know Meryl Streep started working as an environmental foodie activist with the NRDC back in the late 1980s? In an in-depth interview with Wendy Gordon at NRDC’s Simple Steps, Meryl Streep talks in detail about food, health, and the environment — very candidly and honestly, even critiquing her own habits on eco-standards.

Photo by dmoola

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>> Take a FREE Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Garden Class on Wed., March 10 from 6 pm – 9 pm at Hostelling International Santa Monica, 1436 Second St., Santa Monica. RSVP required; contact oceanfriendlygardens@surfriderwlam.org or 310.694.8351 with first and last name, phone number and email address.

>> Co-opportunity’s also having a Free Gardening Event featuring Darren Butler and Margaret Oakley on Thurs., March 11 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the Santa Monica Main Public Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.

>> Just in time for World Water Day, catch a free screening of Tapped — a film that “examines the role of the bottled water industry and its’ effects on our health, climate change, and our reliance on oil” — on Thurs., March 11 from 7 pm – 11 pm at Santa Monica College’s AET campus, Room 235, 1660 Steward St., Santa Monica. Here’s L.A. Creek Freak Joe Linton’s review. (via The Daily Ocean)

>> Join me at The Organic Center’s 7th Annual VIP Benefit Dinner — themed “Dirt + Water + Sun” — featuring Andrew Weil and other eco-foodie luminaries. The Organic Center’s a fantastic nonprofit that does scientific research and education about organic food and farming — and this party will feature a cocktail reception with organic hors d’oeuvres, live jazz from Mattson Two, and an organic family-style dinner from Pace Restaurant. The party begins Fri., March 12 at 7 pm at the Platinum Ballroom of the Anaheim Mariott Hotel in Anaheim. Cost: $175 per person.

>> Celebrate World Water Day a few days early at World Water Day Los Angeles, a FREE all-day event happening Sun., March 14 from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm at the Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles.

>> Tour the L.A. River with Friends of the Los Angeles River! See the waterway up close, find out about its revitalization plans, and get a lesson on L.A. eco-history. Meet up Sun. March 14, at 9:30 am at the River Center, 570 W Ave. 26, Los Angeles to form carpools and caravan around until 4 pm. Cost: $25, or $20 for FoLAR members. RSVP required to Shelly at mail@folar.org or 323-223-0585.

>> Come hear me speak on BREATHE LA Green Salon panel — “AB 32.0 and the Rise of Green Digital Media” — on Tues., March 16, 9 am – 10:30 am at the California Endowment Center, 1000 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles. Free with RSVP.

>> Did you win tickets to see a free screening of LIFE? Then I’ll see on on Tues., March 16 at The Landmark!

>> Catch a free sneak preview of Dirt! The Movie on Tues., March 16 in the Silver Screen Room of the Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood. The event will kick off with an organic reception at 7 pm, followed by a screening at 7:30 pm and a Q&A with the filmmakers. RSVP’s required at KCET.

>> Happy St. Patrick’s Day on March 17! Here are 11 green ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Los Angeles.

>> Weigh in on Metro Westside Subway Extension’s Optional Crenshaw Station. Should the purple line have a stop at Crenshaw or not? Weigh in while the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report’s underway. The meeting happens on St. Patrick’s Day, Wed., March 17 from 6 pm – 8 pm at Wilshire United Methodist Church, 4350 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

>> Fight the threat of offshore oil drilling with Surfrider Foundation and Environment California. Get to an educational meeting where staff from Surfrider Foundation and Environment California, as well as environmental activists and local community members, will come together to discuss what the threats associated with drilling are, and how communities can fight them. The meeting happens on St. Patrick’s Day, Wed., March 17 from 7 pm – 8 pm at Santa Monica Library – Fairview Branch, 2101 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica.

Image via tappedthemovie.com and kcet.org

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Do you dream of sustainable urban landscapes when you sleep? Then I hope you don’t live in Orange County, which is just waking up to the fact that maybe mandating gas-guzzling lawns isn’t the best idea when we’ve got water shortages. Other SoCal cities are more water-wise, however, and want your help to get wiser yet. So enter the City of Santa Monica Landscape Design Contest and turn your dream into reality!

The city wants to install 3 new demonstration gardens at 3200 Airport Ave., across from Airport Park — and is crowdsourcing the design. According to the city press release:

These landscape designs must be simple to recreate, yet sustainable water-efficient garden design templates. Participating designers are encouraged to base their layouts on local neighborhood communities in Santa Monica, i.e., Ocean Park, Sunset, North of Montana, and incorporate outdoor living room features, elements from Mediterranean and shade gardens, climate appropriate plants, as well as permeable paving options. Recommendations for scaling up or down the garden design template to match appropriate neighborhood lot sizes should also be included.

Get your design in by Mon., March 15 for a chance to see your dream grow — literally.

Don’t feel confident enough to tackle a landscape design challenge? Maybe you will, after a couple free gardening classes — both happening next week before the contest deadline:

>> Take a FREE Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Garden Class and learn about sustainable landscaping practices that will curb urban runoff and ocean pollution. The class — featuring light snacks — happens Wed., March 10 from 6 pm – 9 pm at Hostelling International Santa Monica, 1436 Second St., Santa Monica. RSVP required; contact oceanfriendlygardens@surfriderwlam.org or 310.694.8351 with first and last name, phone number and email address.

>> Co-opportunity’s also having a Free Gardening Event featuring Darren Butler and Margaret Oakley that will teach you about techniques for sustainable and edible gardening. Be there on Thurs., March 11 from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the Santa Monica Main Public Library’s Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.

Gardening goodness doesn’t end there. Put these yummy events into your calendar for the Spring:

>> Learn from a free seminar, Secrets of Growing Delicious Heirloom Tomatoes, in time for the tomato season. The free class happens Sun., March 21 from 9 am – 10 am at the Ocean View Farms Community Garden’s’ 6th Annual Tomato-bration in West L.A. on S. Centinela at Rose Ave.

>> Take the 100 Gardens Challenge and pledge to plant your own edible garden during the weekend of April 24 and 25! I took this challenge last year — and I’m proud to say that my year-old chard plants are still going strong (though the basil died really fast and the lettuce barely grew). Help transform L.A. into an edible oasis over just one weekend by planting that garden — or get involved now with the Westside Permaculture Group, the organization behind this challenge, and help organize the big event.

>> Then head over to the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase and take a self-guided tour on foot or by bike to see pretty, eco-friendly gardens that save water — and money on utility bills. The free event happens on Sun., April 25 and is open to all; a map will be posted closer to date.

Earlier:
>> Book Review: Fresh Food From Small Spaces – Balcony gardens, simplified
>> Urban lawn garden in Santa Monica

Photo by Anika Malone

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