East Boston Library Awarded LEED Gold

On Tuesday, Mayor Walsh announced that the East Boston Branch of the Boston Public Library earned LEED Gold certification! Established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute, LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is the world's foremost certification program for the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of green buildings.

“The City of Boston is committed to green design practices and eco-friendly development,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “By earning LEED Gold certification, the state-of-the art East Boston branch demonstrates how a successful architectural addition to a community can also be a sustainable one.”

The East Boston Branch, a 15,000 square foot building at 365 Bremen Street. The library building earned LEED certification for green design and construction in the areas of energy use, lighting, water, and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. These features include: water conservation through storm water management, rainwater collection, underground recharge tanks, and low-flow bathroom fixtures; sustainably harvested and certified wood; underfloor ventilation and conditioning; a reflective roof; high-performance glass; daylight harvesting/dimming and occupancy sensors; 75 percent of construction waste was recycled; and use of low emitting materials and materials with recycled content.

“This building will not only have a long lasting impact on learning, but also on the City of Boston’s environmental footprint,” said Brian Swett, Chief of Environment, Energy and Open space. “Developing new municipal buildings in a sustainable way demonstrates the City’s commitment to building healthier buildings for our citizens and to reaching our goal of reducing municipal greenhouse gases 25 percent by 2020.”

Recap: The Future of Nature, Event 1: The Future of Food

On Earth Day, The Nature Conservancy and WBUR hosted a discussion panel on what the future of our food system will look like. Attendees gathered at the Artists for Humanity center in South Boston and mingled and grabbed some freebees from sponsors before hitting the appetizer table for an assortment of cheeses.

Eventually we took our seats and our moderator, Sacha Pfieffer of All Things Considered, took the stage. (Which, as NPR fan, was quite exciting!). The panel contained an interesting set of scientists, chefs, and agriculture specialists ready to share their thoughts on the current food system and what will need to change in order for future generations to get proper nourishment after the population reaches 9 Billion in 2050. Then, each panelists shared their thoughts:

Michael Leviton, Chef, Lumiere Restaurant, Area Four Restaurant, Chef’s Collaborative

-Not only do we need to think about feeding a population of 9 billion people, we need to think about how we will feed them well.

-To do this, we need to learn as a nation to eat less meat - not have meat be “the center of the plate.”

-Local food in certain regions can be extremely expensive which is not sustainable because businesses will have trouble making a profit.

-The best thing you can do as a consumer is to support businesses that are doing the right thing. 

David Cleary, Agriculture Strategy Director, The Nature Conservancy

-As China and India move into the “middle class” they are going to require more complex diets.

-Many of the environmental issues that negatively affect our food sources are man made. 

-To have a healthy agriculture system, we will need to abide by 4 principles: 

     1) manage soils properly 

     2) have natural habitats in and around farms 

     3) manage your imputs properly (water, fertilizers, etc.) 

     4) we need to build agriculture systems that will be resilient to climate change.

Paul Greenberg, Author, Four Fish: The Last Wild Food
-What we must do to ensure we have enough food in the future, is mostly a result of what we have already done to damage natural food systems.
-70% of all seafood Americans eat is in restaurants, so we need to learn to ask questions about our food.
-50% of all seafood we eat is farmed.
-Eat local seafood, not too much, mostly bivalves (good news for me, I LOVE oysters!)


Oran Hesterman, Author of Fair Food and Founder of the Fair Food Network
-Health problems and rampant obesity are caused by a broken food system.
-There are many great initiatives popping up all over the country to address this issue which gives us great hope for the future.
-Individuals and institutions need to make changes.
-The most important thing you can do is put pressure on the government to pass the Farm Bill

After each panelist gave their presentation, the audience was invited to ask questions. The resulting conversation spoke volumes - a majority of the questions were about GMOs. It seems as though the future of food will definitely involve biotechnology! Though the future of food presents some daunting tasks, I left the event that night feeling hopeful and empowered. I look forward to the rest of The Nature Conservancy’s Future of Nature Series. 

"Just Us Gals Boston" Launch

I am very excited to announce my new project: Just Us Gals. I've teamed up with my friends Suzanne (web designer & DIY expert) and Meredith (real estate broker & stylista) to create a new blog designed for specifically for the ladies of Boston. I hope to be the green voice of the blog, while also writing about some of my other passions like art, books, and cultural events. So if you ever get tired of reading my green living tips, definitely go check out Just Us Gals for some fun and feminine posts!

If you like it, follow us on the following platforms:
Twitter: JustUsGalsBos
Pinterest: JustUsGalsBos
Instagram: JustUsGalsBos

I'd love to hear any comments, suggestions, or questions about the new blog!

Green Gift Ideas Continued: Treehugger Guides

Only 14 days left until Christmas! So far Boston Green Blog has featured eco-friendly gift ideas from
The Nature Conservancy, The New England Aquarium, Lauren Conrad, and Jess Rizzuti  . But if you need a more comprehensive guide, take a look at TreeHugger's 2012 Gift Guide. TreeHugger composes the best  gift guides on the web, so you're sure to find something for everyone on your list!

Some of my favs that I found through TreeHugger are:

Agate Plates & Coasters from VivaTerra

Earrings from Lulu Frost

Upcycled Clutch Made from Books from Conduit Press

Green Reading

While visiting my alma mater for homecoming last weekend, I was thrilled to find a green reading section in the book store! I was definitely flipping pages and making notes of titles for quite a while. I hope this is a trend at many schools. See anything you recognize or have any green book suggestions?

Required Reading: Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano

Not unlike Starre Vartan's Eco Chick Guide to Life, Gorgeously Green is a fun, girly, and informative guidebook to making your daily life as sustainable as possible without giving up style or little luxuries. The 8-step guide is a great resource, I want to carry a copy with me whenever I go shopping! It has lists of chemicals and products to avoid, product recommendations, and even recipes. The book also corresponds with Sophie's website Gorgeously Green - which has countless more green lifestyle ideas. The book and the website have checklists and quizzes to test your progress (like a girls-only version of Practically Green). 

Gorgeously Green is a New York Times Bestseller and has been recommended by many of the world's most stylish women (I mean, come on, the foreword is written by Julia Roberts!). Its easy to see why people love this book - it is super user friendly. I highly recommend checking out a copy from the Boston Public Library or surfing the website. 

Easy Urban Homesteading

Urban homesteading can be an intimidating word - not all of us are ready to raise chickens in downtown Boston, but in all reality, there are many ways to add small bits of the urban homesteading lifestyle into your everyday routine. I recently read The Complete Idiot's Guide to Urban Homesteading which has some great tips for how to grow edible plants (including an entire how-to guide for growing mushrooms in your closet...woah!).

After reading the book, I decided to grow some herbs in my window sill. Since my herb box is indoors, I'll be able to have fresh herbs all year round. My basil plant is doing particularly well, which is great for making pesto, bruschetta, pasta dishes, and pizza.

Naked Fashion - A New Must Read!

Naked Fashion by Safia Minney is a new must-read for eco fashionistas. The book also collaborates with sustainable fashion spokespeople such as Livia Firth and Emma Watson. I obviously haven't read the book yet (it JUST came out) but I am definitely putting it on my list. It looks inspirational, saying that  "fashion is a tool, a media for anyone who wants to change the world."

Beach Bag Essentials

Memorial Day weekend starts tomorrow (finally!) and I, for one, will be hitting the beach on Martha's Vineyard. I simply couldn't be more excited for the start of summer.

Tonight I'll be packing my beach bags with a few green chic essentials:

 Badger Balm is amazing smelling and organic! I love the Lavender Orange flavor.







The beach is my favorite place to read, and I can't wait to get started on "Green is the New Black".















Organic cotton beach towel! (The ones pictured to the left are only 30% organic, but that is better than nothing.)

      A refillable water is a summer staple. I am  
      obsessed with my Bobble Bottle because it
     filters the water as you drink it!

Sunglasses are important for protecting your eyes, but these Juicy Couture shades go a step further because they are made from eco-friendly materials like bamboo.

 

                                                                      Sunscreen! I prefer Burt's Bees Chemical-Free Sunscreen. It is perfect for my new paraben-free lifestyle.

Get a Clue

Alicia Silverstone, most famous for her epic role as Cher in Clueless, has become the epitome of Green Fame. She is well known for being a vegan and she designs eco-friendly makeup bags for Eco Tools. But what I most admire about Silverstone is her blog: The Kind Life. It is updated very frequently with green living tips, recipes, and news - and it gives the actress a unique way to engage with her fans.

Her blog (screen shot above) is updated everyday even though she just gave birth on May 9!

She has graced the cover of my favorite e-zine: COCO ECO

She, like many celebs, went naked for PETA.

And she authored her own Earth-friendly cookbook!

Now More Eco-Chick Than Ever

If finally finished reading The Eco Chick Guide to Life. Yes, I know I am a slow reader. I thought I'd share what I thought were the most memorable peices of the book:

1. The average woman will ingest about 4 lbs of libstick in her lifetime. Check labels before purchasing lipsticks and balm so that you don't end up eating petroleum, parabens, and synthetic dyes.

2. Do NOT reuse takeout containers in the microwave. These containers are not microwave safe and will leach chmicals into your food.

3. Alpaca wool is the next big eco-fiber.

4. Sun-drying clothes kills bacteria naturally while also whitening whites.

5. On average, eating meat contributes more to a person's carbon footprint than driving.

6. Shaving with a reusable razor is usually the most eco-friendly hair removal option for women.

7. Cat nip deters cockroaches ...weird

8. Herbs and spices pack an insane amount of antioxidants.

Spring Reading

Forget spring cleaning, with warm weather just around the corner, spring is the perfect time to sit outside in a park and just read and enjoy the fresh air.
While I was in LA, I went to this fun book store in Los Feliz called Wacko (I mean, who can resist that?!) and I found some books that I have to add to my spring reading list:

 This Green Homes book looked particularly interesting because it includes both photos and FLOOR PLANS of green homes, check it out:

Leavin on a Jet Plane

Next week I am making my first ever trip to the west coast! Obviously, traveling by plane is probably going to practically double my carbon footprint for the year, but, I don't have time for a roadtrip, and I need to visit my brobro and my bffs in LA and San Diego!

Here is my eco-chic packing list thus far:

1. Sunglasses - I know they are soooo 2008, but I am still obsessed with my wayfarers.

2. Sunscreen (preferably one that has less chemicals, like Burt's Bees)

3.  Water Bottle - traveling always makes me thirsty so I'm bringing my empty reusable water bottle to fill up on-the-go.

4. Travel Coffee Mug - there is no such thing as a vacation from caffeine.

5. Hair Elastics - won't have space/time for carbon intensive hair styling (like with blow dryers or flat irons).

6. Book - Just took out 2 books from the Boston Public Library: Twenties Girl and Eco Chick Guide to Life. Looking forward to reading these on the plane and at the beach!

7. Gum - I am one of those people that has an awful time with ear popping on planes, plus I've recently discovered this eco-friendly brand of chewing gum:

Reading List

I just reserved my copy of Sophie Kinsella's Twenties Girl from the Boston Public Library because that is my book club's next read. After I finish that, however, I really want to read the Eco Chick Guide to Life by Starre Vartan. Since I am going on vaca later this month, I'm planning on doing lots of reading, so I will let you know how it is!