What's GOOD? I'll have the Plantagon.

Today RexArrow sent me a link to the GOOD website, where I found out (among a boatload of other ridiculously cool sh*t) about a super smart idea with a futuristic form. Plantagon is a company that is designing ginormous "vertical farming" greenhouses for urban spaces, in order to cut out the stocking costs, as well as the carbon footprints, of produce that is often shipped hundreds of miles before reaching its destination. With the help of their Swedish engineering partner SWECO, Plantagon came up with the model above (as seen on GOOD) , which would allow a 10,000 square meter space to produce 100,000 square meters worth of produce! Looks like it time for us to get what's really GOOD.

Flower Girl

Flowers: bringing me a lot of brightness on this rainy day. It really is the little things. I guess someone knows how to make me smile after all ;)

Hands of Gold

The best part of working in the organic essential oils world thus far has been meeting world famous masseur, Ricky Welch, creator of the Aurum Manus massage technique. I have had the pleasure (and I mean, REAL pleasure) of having several sessions with Ricky, who uses healing crystal spheres dipped in a warm blend of oils to stimulate acupressure points and meridians. Ricky has an intuition about the body that allows him to know just what type of pressure or crystal your body needs, and when I told him I was sick, and also had a pain in my sacrum from dancing, he set to work, in what always ends up being the best massage of my life. I felt completely relaxed afterward, without being drained- and what's more, my cough actually subsided a little, and I couldn't even remember the pain in my sacrum. It's no small wonder that the rock band The Scorpions took him on tour, or that some well known politicians prefer his services to any other massage therapist out there. For more info click here.

Fort Greene's Green Getdown: Habana Outpost

Photos By Rosalee C.

Wednesday night, despite the slight drizzle and the fact that I have bronchitis, I hopped on my bicycle and pedaled myself to Fort Greene (I was thrilled to find out its only a 10 minute ride from my place in Vinegar Hill!) Though I wasn’t feeling 100%, I made the excursion to meet some friends I haven’t seen all summer at a get together for Tara’s birthday at Habana Outpost. I’ve passed the lively looking outdoor eatery on my way to rehearsals at the Mark Morris Dance Center several times, and I’ve even seen it transformed into a tiny outdoor flea market on Saturdays. As if that’s not enough of a draw, Habana Outpost claims to be NYC’s FIRST eco- eatery, or restaurant that uses “earth-friendly practices in their design, construction, and day-to-day operations…to reduce wasteful consumption and promote sustainable solutions.” Not to mention my bacon cheesburger was fresh, affordable, and my margarita came in a biodegrable cornstarch cup! (Yes, I drank ONE margarita on antibiotics, go ahead, judge me!) Learn more about the innovative ways that Outpost keeps green here.

A Confession

I'm sitting in my apt. coughing and coughing and oh did I mention coughing, and trying to work even though I'm sickie and out of sorts :(

I just glanced at my Yogi Tea Throat Comfort tea bag label, which reads: "The universe is the stage on which you dance, guided by your heart".

And you know what? I freaking know it's a stupid marketing ploy aimed directly at me (green- blogging, dancing, balance-seeking, ME) so that I will buy Yogi Tea forever in my search for inner peace and harmony in everyday moments.

But I dig it. It made me feel just the tiniest bit better.

There, I said it.

Is This Stuff Really Legal?

I'm talking about Kava, people, what were you talking about?! I first learned about Kava from Dan, who I met a few weeks ago on the bus ride back from DC. By the second hour of our ride, as travel buddies often do, we were sharing our hopes, dreams, wishes, fears, and neuroses. That’s when I told Dan about my occasional anxious streaks, which I am pretty sure every New Yorker experiences after a few years. Dan recommended that I visit my local health food store, pick up some Kava root in powder form, brew a tea, and reap the benefits—which he described as “totally awesome, you just take what comes to you, but remain really clear headed at the same time.” SIIIICK. Well, next time I was at Pickles & Peas, my local green grocer, I picked up some Yogi Kava Tea. On Friday, I brewed myself one super strong cup, with three bags, and actually DID feel myself become more composed—a feat I had thought wouldn’t be possible on what was destined be an awful(ly stressful) day.

What the box says: “ Set your mind free with Kava Stress Relief.” So far so good. “Native to Oceania and the South Pacific Islands, Kava has traditionally been cultivated for its power to calm the body and mind and encourage a good night’s sleep. Kava is also recognized for its ability to promote a state of relaxed awareness without compromising mental functions” (unlike some other, less legal, “herbal” stress relievers!).

I bet the straight powder is even more effective, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about experimenting with this relaxing root!

Stillness Is The Move

"on top of every mountain
there was a great longing
for another even higher mountain
in each city longing for a bigger city"

A new take on the classic "grass is greener" motif that is seriously working for me in this song. I'm trying to sit still, be focused, and get some day-job work done as I listen to it, but thinking about my amazing dance class this morning and the way the gnarly vibe of this track makes me want to slink and bop around my apartment, I have to ask myself— is stillness really the move?

Brooklyn Laundry: Escape to Thailand

Photo by Adam Cathro

For my hot mama’s birthday this year, my brother Nick and I decided to take her out for dinner—while taking her out of her element. I’ve known about Brooklyn Laundry for a few years, but I knew this occasion would be the perfect time to try it out. My (all too) frequent visits to my favorite bar, Botanica, resulted in a nice friendship with bartender/ creative culinary master/ Americana folk musician, Fiore Tedesco, who started BL with the intention of creating a “spirited farm to table catering service, specializing in seasonal and sustainable food and events”. When I received the invitation to the BL dinner inspired by Fiore’s honeymoon in Thailand, hosted in a beautiful apartment with a roof-deck on the Lower East Side, I knew my worldly eco-chic mother would be as excited about it as much as I was.

Two words: Great Success!

The food. Was. Unbelievable. Tomato salad in red curry sauce, local blue crab and coconut gelée ravioli, a twist on spicy peanut noodles, and a sticky rice desert with coconut gelato were my favorite parts of the 6 course meal, paired all the way through with organic wines.

And lets not forget about the company; the dinner party had 15 guests, a perfect number for my brother, mom, and me to mingle and engage in intimate conversation. I was thrilled to meet Ben Flanner, the Brooklyn rooftop farmer I recently read about in New York Magazine (whose farm supplied the fresh produce for the evening), Abena Koomson, currently performing in Bill T Jones’ broadway show Fela, and Gabrielle Mendola, owner of the Inizii boutique in Brooklyn.

Nick, mama, and I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner- as an alternative social and culinary experience. I recommend Brooklyn Laundry to anyone who has something special to celebrate, or to those who are simply looking for a different kind of dinner. I am anxiously awaiting the next invite… I’ve heard it’s inspired by Hemmingway’s A Moveable Feast!

Read more about BL in Daily Candy's review!

Private Pilates

Hmmm... I guess that sounds a little dirty, but aside from having to lay on my grimy living room floor, there's not really anything kinky about it! At rehearsal yesterday I found out that my friend and company member Mandy, is getting certified to teach Pilates. To get the teaching hours required for certification, Mandy, who has training in Reiki and massage therapy, is giving private Pilates sessions for the price of...get this, $12 bucks, or a BARTER! Now that's a price most recent grads can get down with. It's cheaper than seeing a movie in Manhattan, and its better for you too! I had my first session with Mandy this morning, and even though I've done it before, the one on one training is already kicking my butt. 20 minutes in and I was saying, "Woman, I didn't even know I HAD muscles there!" which, believe it or not, is a good thing. Besides, look how much much fun Joseph Pilates looks like he's having in the photograph above!

Craving: Pink Grapefruit Ice Cream

pink ice-cream truck
Originally uploaded by -l.i.l.l.i.a.n-

Last week I talked about ice cream for maybe four days straight before I actually went after some (not a will power-related delay). I was with Ian, standing outside of the IFC, when he told me the time had come. Yes, I know there is ice cream in the West Village, but Ian assured me that THE SPOT for us lay in the East Village. As it turned out, he was right. Sundaes & Cones is no new kid on the block, but after living at school on the UWS all this time, I seem to have overlooked it. With homemade ice-cream flavors like Wasabi, Ginger, Corn, Tiramisu and Black Sesame, along with all the classics- this definitely was definitely the right place. Obviously-- I am literally drooling remembering the refreshing Pink Grapefruit ice cream I chose...perfection on a muggy New York night.

Oh Hey!

I can’t not blog for another minute. Since graduating, I have become an employee of Amala, started working with Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, taken a side job writing for a law blog (no, not Bob Loblaw’s) and subsequently moved to Dumbo, Brooklyn. To my pleasure, this new mosaic of activities has served to expand my knowledge and increase my access to findings of the “green” and “very awesome” variety. On one hand, I never realized how paranoid I would become, selling the most pure organic skincare in the world, while simultaneously writing articles for the law blog about groundwater contamination, loose FDA regulations, and carcinogens in beauty products. On the other hand, I do feel like now more than ever, I am armed with the information I need to make the lifestyle choices that are right for me as I start my post-grad life. I’m not going vegan, or even practicing yoga everyday (shocker!) but, I am trying to make healthy affordable choices concerning what I eat, what I put on my skin, and how I treat my mind, body and the environment everyday. I look forward to sharing some of my recent summer adventures in addition to any tidbits of “greenery” I acquire along the way!

ps. above is a mosaic (teehee) of some of my latest flickr posts that I made at collagr.com