Eat. Drink. Better.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is once again breaking from the fast-food model.

The Denver-based chain known for its clean flavors and burly burritos is pledging to use a set amount of local produce at each of its more than 730 restaurants around the country — when produce is in season.

This summer, Chipotle is purchasing twenty-five percent of at least one produce item for each of its stores from small and midsize farms situated within 200 miles of the store. Read the rest of this entry »

The folks behind Carrotmob continue to demonstrate the power of using your dollars to vote for environmental change, and they’re starting to get some press as well.

The first Carrotmob “reverse boycott” started with a convenience store in San Francisco.  The store owner out-competed a few dozen other businesses by pledging to use 22% of the profits from one day to make his store greener (in this case by installing energy efficient lighting and other green improvements).  Carrotmobbers flooded his store on the appointed day and left the store owner with $9,200, enough to make multiple energy efficient improvements as well as having the best sales day all year.

Carrotmob and their “reverse boycott” system works like this:

• Businesses are contacted and asked how much they would like to bid in order to win over consumers during one massive shopping day.
• Using social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter, and other fancy technology, members are asked to vote which store they would like to select.
• One day is selected and the store is “mobbed” with consumers who show up and buy goods they would have purchased anyways - food, beverages, hardware, etc.
• The store is mobbed with consumers who in the process of flexing their food (or goods & services) dollars, bring the store lots of money.
• The store uses the percentage of those sales they pledged to make their business greener and more environmentally friendly, while helping their bottom line AND gaining significant goodwill in the community.

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A recent study by Whole Foods Market estimates that reusable bag usage has increased by 300% in the year since it eliminated plastic bags at all of its stores.  The company estimated that 150 million bags have been kept out of landfills over the twelve month period.

Whole Foods Market made the announcement last year that they would stop using plastic bags company-wide starting on Earth Day 2008.  Since this announcement, public sentiment has been moving in the direction of eventual elimination of plastic bags at all grocery and retail stores, and municipalities (including the city of San Francisco) have begun outlawing or taxing plastic bag usage within city limits.

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The economy may be in the toilet but ones things for sure this time of year the Girl Scouts will be out in whatever city or rural town selling their cookies. Yes, they have expanded their selection from the basic chocolate chip to such flavors as Dulce de Leche but for $4 a box the economy would have to get real bad for people not to support the Girl Scouts and buy a box or two.

Here’s the thing that gets us. What then heck are these baked goods made from? These little morsels hardly come from just flour and sugar like cookies should be. Instead these little baked treats contain ingredients that would make Michael Pollen cringe. When little girls (or boys for that matter) hardly learn to bake they hardly reach for Palm Oil and TBHQ or Anhydrous Dextrose. Read the rest of this entry »

With the ever increasing number of craft brews hitting shelves in recent years, choosing an ale can be a difficult decision. Each crafty label seems coded somehow to project the underlying character traits of the person indulging. Unibroue, for swarthy Francophiles. Brooklyn, for the hip crowd harkening their home borrough. New Belgium for outdoorsy sorts who prefer to pedal and paddle. And Full Sail, for those beer enthusiasts who are simply paying attention.

This week, Oregon’s Full Sail Brewing Company received the Governor’s Sustainability Award for small business in recognition of the company’s ever increasing commitment to the community and the environment.

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Question: What does organic olive oil, the environment, love songs, Tsunami relief and adventures on the high seas all have in common?

Answer: One extraordinary man.

And his name is Jeremy Meltzer, philanthropist-adventurer-musician turned entrepreneur-olive farmer who found passion, purpose and prosperity in a 100% recyclable cask of extra virgin olive oil.

So, when Divya Gugnani of Behind the Burner told me about Jeremy — and that I would have the amazing opportunity to follow media divas like Martha Stewart in interviewing him – I was beyond thrilled.  Before I even connected with him, I was already moved by his unique story and the countless ways in which his endeavors are helping women, orphans and the environment.  But I had no idea how far-reaching his efforts actually go and the life-changing experiences that have led him here.  For Jeremy, it’s not just about eating and drinking better — it’s about living better and his main goal is to help others do just that.  From small gestures to grand scale initiatives, Jeremy is a beacon of hope, bottled and direct shipped to you from Australia.

He also happens to be very easy on the eyes with a voice that has the smooth enchantment of Michael Buble mixed with the depth of Andrea Bocelli.  Needless to say, I’m kicking myself for conducting a phone interview instead of meeting him in person while he was in New York City meeting with The Food Network.  I am, however, listening to him croon love songs as I write this for added infatuation inspiration.

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