Eco-Travel Tip: Carbon Offsets

Our in-house Sustainablity Coach, Deborah, recommends that if you're traveling by air (or car, for that matter) this summer, consider funding projects what will help counter your emissions through a trusted service that provides carbon offsets.  

After all, in some cases travel is practically unavoidable--a business trip, an ailing relative, and in others, though we may choose to limit our trips, especially by air, a journey every few years can be an eye-opening, world-expanding experience that some folks with the explorer bug simply don't want to miss.

What exactly is a carbon offset?

Websites like Terrapass help you calculate how much carbon you will personally contribute to the atmosphere on a given trip and then let you buy a certificate to "offset" that amount.  The certificate is not just a piece of paper.  Instead, it's that company's promise to participate in a project that helps reduce emissions and combat climate change.  The whole idea is to do some good that will offset the footsteps we're leaving as we travel.

You can read more about how carbon offsets work from Terrapass here.

See the projects they help you fund here.

And, investigate how much carbon your upcoming airplane ride is going to contribute and learn how to offset it here.

Renewable Choice also has a lot to offer in terms of offsetting home energy use by purchasing a stake in wind power.  So, if you're staying home this summer but are using lights and air conditioning while you're there, you can do your part to help offset those emissions as well.

See what Renewable Choice has to offer in the way of renewable energy credits here.

Solar Gadget Charger

Just in time for Father's Day and summer traveling, we've got the Solio Classic universal solar charger in stock.

What's that?

It's a device that lets you charge all your handheld devices from cell phones to ipods to digital cameras and the like using only the  SUN.  

This is a marvelous way to get rid of all your many charging adaptors to de-clutter your life at home and stop burning electricity to charge your gadgets. Plus, it means you never run out of juice while you're on the go.

The specs:

*One hour in the sun = 20 minutes on your cell phone or 50 minutes of music.

*Fully charged, a Solio Classic gives you enough juice for 20 hours of music or enough power to charge your phone up twice.

*It has a rechargeable lithium battery that stores the energy and is good for about a year.

*It's compact, lightweight, and comes in silver, black, or white.

*You can also use the USB port on your computer to charge it if you're indoors without escape.

*Fold it up when you don't want to use it, and fan it out when you do.

Read more about this handy solar charger for yourself here.

Non-Toxic Home Workshop Tomorrow

Looking for some fresh air when you're at home?

We hope you or someone you know can join us for another of our Non-Toxic Home Workshops tomorrow morning.  It's the place to find out how to make your home or apartment as wholesome, natural, and healthy as possible so you can breathe free.  You can make changes to improve the health of your home for you and yours (some of which cost absolutely nothing)!

Here are the details:

The Non-Toxic Home
Saturday, June 14th

10:00 a.m. to noon
@ All Shades of Green
Price: $25

And, feel free to call the store for more information or to reserve your space: (323) 665 -7454.

Aquarium of the Pacific

Tomorrow, June 13th, the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach officially opens its 10th anniversary exhibition, "Ocean on the Edge."

I was lucky enough to see get a sneak peek of it today (along with a behind the scenes glimpse of Charlie the adorable sea otter--that's Troy, a harbor seal below).

This aquarium is always a wonderful venue to take out of town visitors, kids, and anyone else to marvel at electrifying sea nettles, pet bat rays, poke sea anemones, and admire swimming creatures of all kinds.  And now, you and your fellow visitors can learn all about the ten biggest threats to our oceans while there, from global warming to population growth to bleached coral reefs to overfishing.  After seeing the wonders of sea creatures in action, it's easier to make connections between our lives and theirs.

Just in time for the kick-off of beach season, we can go and find out what lies beneath and what lies ahead for our waters given human activities have an enormous effect on what covers 3/4 of our planet.  It will be up all year though, so if you don't make it 'til Thanksgiving, that'll work just fine, too.

Plan your visit to the Aquarium here.

And check out other events like Shark Lagoon nights, junior biologist programs, and guest lectures here.

Bags of All Kinds

For travel needs of all kind this summer and beyond, from biking, hiking, or much longer journeys, we've got the bag to bring your stuff in.  What trip, whether it be around the block or around the world, is complete without something to put your reusable water bottle, to-go food containers, organic cotton hat, and natural sunblock in?

Aside from the ingenious Soma Fabrications cycling basket/bag, we've got a couple handy ones from Simple (they make more than shoes!).

The Overdue Bag is a do-it-yourself number that demonstrates how far we can go in our quest to reuse.  It's made from wool, recycled PET plastic bottles, coconuts for the buttons, and discarded bike tires.  

Simple also makes a laptop bag from eco-friendly materials for when you can't leave home without projects or email.

And, for that smallest of carrying items, we have some olive wallets from ecolution made entirely out of hemp.  They're only 6.50 so they travel light in all kinds of ways.

Green Label Tees

We've got a few men's Green Label t-shirts in stock for your watching or wearing pleasure.

Green Label makes its sustainable threads using 100% organic cotton and low-impact dyes in a sweatshop-free environment in the U.S.

If you want to know some facts behind the buzz about organic cotton, its website has useful information about the difference between conventional and organic methods here.

For instance, farmers have only been using pesticides and insecticides since World War II--before that, what we now call organic farming was just called, well, farming.

25% of the world's use of insecticides is in agriculture; nine of the most common chemicals used are highly toxic and likely carcinogenic.  That's a problem beyond soil, air, and water and one that humans are dealing with as even though we may not eat cotton, the chemicals sprayed on the crop can drift away to other fields affecting both farmworkers and produce-eaters.  On top of that, pesticide-laden cottonseed oil is used in many a packaged food.

So, by only buying organic cotton and supporting companies like Green Label, you can support healthy crops, soil, air, water, and, most importantly, people.

Wednesday Workshop: Tips for the Eco-Traveler

If you're planning on traveling this summer but want to limit your footprint as you journey, this is the workshop for you.

World traveler and sustainable guru, Deborah, will share how to travel in a way that stays mindful of the planet while still exploring and enjoying what it has to offer.

Tips for the Eco-Traveler
Wednesday, June 11th
7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
@ All Shades of Green
Donations only!

Please call the store at (323) 665 -7454 for more information or to reserve your space.  

Peace Coffee

Peace Coffee= a company practicing peace, 100% fair trade, and planet-friendly principles.

This coffee brand goes beyond providing a good cup of brew to supporting coffee-growing coops all over the world, guaranteeing that growers receive a fair, living wage for their work.  It also has a "green" office with its twelve employees in Minneapolis, and delivers by bike all around town to save fuels and make a statement.

You can ride your bike over to All Shades to grab some organic Peace Coffee (11.99)--we've got an organic Sumatran Italian that delivers a syrupy, berry-infused cup and a Yeti Cold Press Blend for iced or cool coffee drinks this summer.  Could be just the thing for a dad who doesn't need anything but a good, honest cup of joe. 

You can read more about P.C.'s fair trade practices and peruse its other good deeds here. 

Bike Chain Frames

Our Resource Revival bicycle chain frames are 20% off for Father's Day.

Made of, you guessed it, discarded bike chains, they're a closed-loop use of resources along with being industrial, unique ways to display a beloved photo on a desk or wall.

Resource Revival has been cleaning up discarded bike parts and making them into useful stuff and creative gifts for well over a decade--it feels good to support creative, eco-conscious minds at work.

Filmore Grocery Pannier

This fancy-named cycling bag fits the bill for both our themes this month: DADS and TRAVEL.

It's a genius bike bag that hooks onto a rear rack via sturdy hooks.  So, it's great to put stuff in while you're riding.  Even better, it detaches easily and has a strap should you need to bring it into a store with you for safekeeping or no-waste shopping.  

It's 1,005 cubic inches, so it's large enough to fit the equivalent of at least one fully-loaded paper grocery bag.

And finally, it's made of mostly hemp, that plant that has a short growing period (100-120 days), making it highly sustainable.  It's also long-lasting, durable, and biodegradable while being super convenient for real world cyclists.

June Workshops

We've got a new workshop roundup for you this month at All Shades.  

We hope you can join us for one!

Tips for the Eco-Traveler

Wednesday, June 11th

7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

@ All Shades of Green

Donations only!

The Non-Toxic Home
Saturday, June 14th

10:00 a.m. to noon 

@ All Shades of Green
Price: $25

How To Live Water-Wise in L.A. (in the heat of summer)

with Deborah Tull and Gabrielle Newmark of Swamp Pink

Wednesday, June 18th

7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

@ All Shades of Green

Price: $25

How To Raise Healthy Kids in a Toxic World

Wednesday, June 25th

7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
@ All Shades of Green
Price: $25

Cycles of Continuance: A Bicycle Workshop

with Rick Risemberg of Bicycle Fixation

Saturday, June 28th

10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

@ All Shades of Green

Price: $20

With optional bike maintenance and accessorizing following the workshop

Parking Lot Makeover

Last month, All Shades was proud to hold a series of stormwater workshops in our space: "Slow It, Spread It, Sink It," put on by the Silver Lake Chamber of Commerce, the City of Los Angeles, and Materials and Applications.

This month, we want to show the results. With the expertise of Jenna Didier, Freya Bardell, and Glen Drake, our parking lot that we share with the nail salon next door was transformed.

It now has a perimeter of real, live dirt with growing things in it including a fig tree, loquat tree, delectable pineapple sage, and a number of other food-bearing and/or native plants.  

Not only will these plants beautify the space and provide fruits to share with the community, but now a portion of the rainwater that falls will be slowed, spread, and sunk into the ground versus running off the asphalt into catch basins and out to sea.  The systems in place (like the "gravel burrito") will even clean some of the oil and debris from water that flows to the dirt from the parking lot before it goes down deep below the surface.

And, the biggest new addition  you'll notice is our new rain barrel, a giant that will collect rainwater for us to use to water the plants--pretty smart and simple.

We're honored to have had the tremendous help we did from our experts and other attendees in pulling off this project and hope that it will inspire other business owners to do their own creative projects for community-building, stormwater catchment, and property improvement that benefit everybody while assisting our patch of earth in Los Angeles.

If you'd like help being directed to the folks who can help you do it, visit links of their names above or call the store and have Natalie point you in the right direction. (323) 664- 7454.

Los Feliz Village Street Fair

This Sunday is the Los Feliz Village Street Fair.

You'll find us in the "Green Scene" section from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

See you there!

Pampering Dad

Father's Day is just around the corner (Sunday, June 15th).  We'll be featuring a handful of gifts that may just fit the bill for yours in the coming days.  

So, for starters, if yours is a dad who likes (0r needs) some pampering, consider a couple of all-natural items we've got that are suitable for guys like:

John Masters Organics Hair Pomade

John Masters Organics is committed to natural hair and body care without harsh chemicals, petroleum products or anything genetically modified.  Its products are also vegan and, usually, contain certified organic natural ingredients.

As for the pomade, this shiny stuff has beeswax and essential oils for all-natural calming and slicking.  It's super stuff that moisturizes as it styles.

and

Nettie Scrub Cedar Spice Body Balm

Nettie Davis has been making natural body care for years and has been doing it right here in Los Angeles for the last four. As a manicurist, she needed to soothe and slather delicate skin. So, she whipped up some natural ingredients and Nettie Scrub was born.

Handmade in California, Cedar Spice Body Balm combines cedarwood, cinnamon, shea butter, and other good things to make a spicy, soothing balm that's perfect for dad to slather on after shaving, working with his hands, or being out in the sun.

Worm Factory

If you want to compost, but you a.) have limited space; b.) have limited time; or c.) want the easiest possible method, you may want to consider vermicomposting (worm composting).

We've got Worm Factories in the store to help you do it.  Then, all you need are some worms.  You make the bedding, set up the trays, and then begin putting your food and yard waste in the worm bin.  It's a lot like feeding a pet.

And in return, you get worm tea, the richest, best stuff for plants, and nutrient-rich compost to add to your soil.  And pretty fast, too as worm populations double in a month and the more of them, the more they eat and excrete.

Vermicomposting really is easy, doesn't take a whole lot of effort, and reaps huge benefits.  Not only that, you'll no longer be sending banana peels, apple cores, egg shells, and used tea to the landfill.

You can read all about the process of using worms to compost here.

And, look for future composting workshops at All Shades or come in and talk to one of our knowledgeable staff members about any composting questions you may have.