“Come On Over, Come On Over Baby” and please buy my car. Christina Aguilera is not only a singer any more, she is now also a car designer.

Christina Aguilera was asked by Chrysler to design an eco friendly car. She agreed and the finished product will be auctioned off and all of the proceeds will go to earthquake victims in Haiti.

The EcoStyle by Christina Aguilera was made with sustainable materials including water based vanilla, cactus-colored seat-inserts, and bamboo appliqué on the door trim and center console. Additionally the Christina Aguilera version of the Chrysler 300 will have an “economic engine”…not really sure what that means…but it is a nice looking vehicle and it comes with Christina Aguilera’s autograph.

This car seems more like a marketing technique to make Chrysler and Christina Aguilera look eco friendly, but it is a nice concept in the right direction and the proceeds go to a great cause.

Vegetariani Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS (As always, organic and local is better)

• 1 red pepper (chopped)
• 1 green peppers (chopped)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• Olive Oil
• 1 cup of chopped mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• 1 package of spaghetti noodles
• 1 to 2 cans of Spaghetti Sauce (Or 1 can of spaghetti sauce and 1 can of crushed tomatoes works great too)
• Frozen or fresh Spinach
• Frozen Sugar Snap Peas
• 1 Cup of Chopped Carrots
• 1 Can of Corn
• Parmesan Cheese (to sprinkle on at the end)

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of pil in a large sauce pot under medium heat. Add garlic and onions. Cook for one minute then add the red and green peppers.

Once softened add the mushrooms. Cook for about 3 more minutes.

Add the spaghetti sauce (if one container isn’t enough, add another), frozen spinach, carrots, corn, and snap peas.Follow the package instructions for the Spaghetti Noodles and get those started in another pot.

Once the Spaghetti sauce is simmering, leave it on low until the spaghetti nooodles are ready.

Serve by placing desired selection of cooked spaghetti noodles on a plate and top with spaghetti sauce mixture. Sprinkle on some parmesan cheese.

Yummy additions:

Add other vegetables or take away anything. We came up with this by just adding every vegetable we had one day and we loved the way it turned out.

Tip:

Want to cut the carbs or gluten? Leave out the spaghetti noodles. We have it this way all the time.

Leftovers:

We always have a lot of leftovers and we love to enjoy it the following lunch and/or dinner. Any leftovers you don’t want right away you can freeze. Heat it up anytime for another delicious
Enjoy and have a great Meatless Monday! If you try it, let us know and tell us any changes you made.

I love books. Unfortunately, I don’t read as much as I used to, but I always have a book (or ten) on my bedside table and a huge wish list of books I would like to read “some day.” If you’re a book lover too, you might find the following green tips for avid readers useful.

• Borrow instead of buying. Buying a new book feels so good. There’s something about the touch and the smell of a new book that I find irresistible. But buying new books encourages the printing of more books, which is hugely wasteful. Try to limit buying new books to special occasions. For your everyday reading, join the local library, an online book rental service such as BookSwim, and exchange books with friends.

• Buy used books. If you must own books, at least try to buy them used. This is not just better for the environment – it will also save you money. Used books tend to be ridiculously cheap.

• Read electronically. Instead of buying physical books, download books from the Internet directly to your computer or to a reading device such as Kindle. Many avid readers initially object to the notion of giving up physical books, but eventually get used to it and find that it helps them keep costs down and reduce clutter in their homes.

• Recycle your own books. When you’re done reading a book, instead of placing it on a shelf where it will basically sit unused and accumulate dust, offer the book to friends, or donate it to a local library or to a bookstore. As a last resort, place paperback books, and the inside pages of hardcover books, in the recycling bin. Never toss books in the trash!

We hope these Green tips have been helpful. Shoot us a reply if you have any questions, comments, or tips you would like to share! We get a lot of mail, but we read them all and are diligent about responding to as many as possible.

“I Got a Feeling, that tonight’s gonna be a good night…” those are the famous words of the number one selling track on iTunes of all time. That song is by the Black Eyed Peas, the newest fighters for a greener world.

The Black Eyed Peas started out last week by taking steps to encourage a climate and energy bill by partnering with the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) to spread awareness of the importance of climate change and an eco-friendly energy economy.

“From creating new sustainable products out of recycled bottles to capping harmful global warming pollution, the actions and policies that protect the planet for future generations are the same as those that create new jobs and economic opportunities. The Peas are proud to be getting the word out about these important efforts, and we hope everyone coming to the shows and visiting our website will get involved and take action,” said will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

The Black Eyed Peas tour started in Washington D.C. and the beginning of this tour was also the beginning of the Black Eyed Peas practicing a recycling initiative by asking all of their audience members to recycle any plastic bottles. The Black Eyed Peas have another partnership with the non-profit organization, Green For all, who will be encouraging recycling and talking about community outreach and educational events about climate change along the tour.

The recycled bottles will be sent to Rethink, a fabric apparel company that creates sustainable clothing from recycled materials, including plastic bottles. Rethink will create Black Eyed Peas merchandise with these recycled plastic bottles.

Hopefully many other bands follow in the footsteps of the Black Eyed Peas, can you imagine how much waste would be saved if at every concert the artists encouraged recycling? It is always great to hear when a powerhouse group like the Black Eyed Peas is encouraging making a difference in this world.

As part of my green initiative and being totally influenced by the Food Inc movie, my husband and I  decided to be vegetarians  for the month of February. This led to us deciding to be  vegetarians for all of Lent.  (I can’t take credit really for either of these. They were actually both excellent ideas by my husband, but I happily obliged to the challenge.) We are both meat lovers, that is actually the name of our favorite specialty pizza…so this was definitely a great change for both of us. I am not saying that we will stay vegetarians, because that definitely won’t happen, but we want to be more considerate of where our meat comes from, which means we will be eating less of it. So, why not eat no meat for a while?

A while ago I posted that we were going to follow the Meatless Monday initiative that basically says everyone should eat meatless meals on Mondays, and their goal is to ” reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.” So I am going to give you my first vegetarian recipe that we tried out last Thursday and then made again on Saturday because it was so yummy. (Makes great leftovers too). Next time I will take pictures, and I will add them to this post.Here it is:

Vegetarian Tacos

I found this recipe: Veggie Tacos and decided to make it my own way. (These are the ingredients and steps I used.)

INGREDIENTS (the more organic, local, and home-grown, the better…)

• Olive oil
• 2 zucchinis
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can of whole kernel corn
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 large fresh mild green Anaheim chile (I used jalopeno also), seeds and stem discarded, chopped
• 1 half of a green or red pepper
• Goya Adobo All Purpose Seasoning (Not everyone has this, it is basically salt, garlic salt, oregano, black pepper, and turmeric)
• 1 small to medium tomato, chopped (I am not a huge tomato fan, so I just added salsa to my tacos at the end and skipped the tomato, but I am sure it would be a nice addition if you are a tomato fan)
• box of taco shells
• cheddar, pepper jack cheese, whatever you like shredded (I did about a cup of shredded cheese for every four tacos…kinda a  preference thing
• 1/4 cup crumbled Mexican cotija cheese (or feta, I tried both. Both are good.)
• A few sprigs of fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat  two tablespoons  of oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add zucchini, onion, peppers  to the pan.  Sprinkle with Goya Adobo seasoning and stir to coat the vegetables with the oil in the pan. Spread the veggies out in the pan and then stir only occasionally, add more Adobo as you prefer until the veggies are soft.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, black eyed peas, and corn.  Lower the heat to low.

Put the taco shells in the oven according to instructions (ok to throw the taco shells in the oven if the oven if it is not preheated.  Reduces the amount of time the oven is on which saves energy without hurting the taco shells.)

When the shells are done, add the feta or Mexican cheese to the vegetable mix and you are done!

Serve by putting the vegetable/cheese mix in the taco shells and top with the shredded cheese.

This serves four comfortably (or makes two great meals for couples.

Yummy additions:

Tortilla chips, queso, and salsa. You can dip the chips in the veggie mix, mix it up a bit with some salsa and queso. All very good.

Leftovers:

If you are planning for leftovers, don’t make all the shells or shred all the cheese. When having the leftovers,  throw the shells in the over and put  the veggie mix in the microwave. Have the shredded cheese ready for when both are done. (Takes about 5 minutes in my experience…)

Enjoy and have a great Meatless Monday! If you try it, let us know and tell us any changes you made.

Looking for ways to spice up your decor? Skip the fancy furniture showrooms of newly built pieces and opt in for something vintage and eco friendly instead. Purpose Restoration takes pieces of furniture and restores them with beautiful graffiti inspired designs.

Jason Fox started Purpose Restoration after spending time doing interior architecture for FRCH Design, The Phillips Group and construction project management for Brooks Brothers, L’Occitane, BCBG. Using his passion for sustainability, he realized there was a need for high end reclaimed customization and furniture restoration which led to him starting Purpose Restoration.

Dresser After Restoration and With Custom Design

Dresser Before Restoration

The great part about it is if you already own furniture that you are bored with, Purpose Restoration will restore it with you to create a unique and eco friendly new piece for your home. You can also choose from simple refurnished pieces he has available. Additionally there are beautiful custom painted pieces that will each become not only a useful piece of furniture but also a form of artwork in your home.

Jason Fox does an excellent job of reusing pieces of furniture to create something new to sell, adding something unique and beautiful to the green business community.

There is a new revelation in stylish women’s shoes…eco friendly. Although we love the attempts in eco friendly styles so far, and I definitely am willing to wear them…but they are not exactly what you would see on the runway. That is about to change.

Jean Paul Gaultier is teaming up with Brazilian eco friendly shoe designer, Melissa, to create a 100% recycled stylish and sexy shoe.

What does Jean Paul Gaultier say about his experience designing with Melissa? “Working with Melissa has been a coup de pied à la mode,” said Gaultier. “I’ve enjoyed the challenge of creating a high-heeled plastic shoe with all the values of my design ethos.”

The new Jean Paul Gautlier eco friendly shoe will come in several colors including black, caramel, tangerine, lime and beige. If you want to strut your stuff runway style and still be eco friendly with this new shoe, you can in June for about $320…pricey, but that’s fashion.

Whatever your feelings about giant Google, and we do acknowledge that seeing Google EVERYWHERE and involved in everything is sometimes a bit disturbing, the company’s fierce commitment to renewable energy is quite admirable.

Google’s stated goal: Making renewable energy cheaper than coal. The company is working towards accomplishing that goal through a mix of internal research and external investments in renewable energy companies.

Since 2007, Google has invested more than $45 million in this project. According to Bill Weihl, who’s in charge of the project, Google is viewing these efforts as charitable efforts rather than as long-term moneymaking initiatives.

We’re fairly confident, though, that Google’s green efforts are not just philanthropic – it looks as if the company is viewing these as long-term investments in something that will one day be HUGE. Weihl recently said in a NY Times interview, “I’ve seen many companies make the mistake of [focusing] everything on their core business, the stuff that’s relevant for the next two quarters or the next year… I think that it’s really important to invest for the long term and it’s important to invest some percentage for the world.”

We’re happy to see Google so heavily involved, and invested, in green energy. The company certainly has deep pockets, and – as Weihl points out – can offer something extra to the renewable energy field, namely innovation and willingness to take risks that other companies, with less resources, would not be able, or willing, to take.

Google’s ambitious goal, to make renewable energy cheaper than coal, is not as crazy as it might sound. The company’s huge success has taught its management that “a small team of smart people with basic technical expertise and the freedom to really innovate can do something quite remarkable… we wanted to see if that really could be true for alternative energies.”

We certainly hope so.

The current winter is shaping up to be a harsh, bitter-cold winter in many areas of the United States and in most of Europe. Harsh winters with extra low temperatures often produce lots of snow. Here are a few tips for saving and conserving even when it’s cold and snowy outside.

• If you use a de-icer on your sidewalk or driveway, use products made from magnesium chloride instead of sodium chloride (salt) or calcium chloride. While salt stops working at 15 degrees above zero, magnesium chloride melts ice at temperatures as low as minus 17 degrees and is less damaging to concrete, to your car and to surrounding plants. You might also want to try replacing chemical de-icers with non-toxic alternatives such as clean clay cat litter, sand, or fireplace ash. Chemical de-icers are hazardous to pets, to trees and to shrubs. They can also pollute surface waters and groundwater.

• Use electric snow removal products instead of gasoline-powered ones. No solution is perfect of course – electric products do consume energy after all, but they do not emit greenhouse gases. Of course, you can always opt for getting some healthy exercise and shovel snow manually using snow shovels!

• Buy recycled winter gear. More and more winter clothing and gear, including jackets, scarves, gloves, and boots, are now made from recycled materials. When it’s time to buy new winter gear, make sure you support green manufacturers by buying their products.

• Make snow sports greener. Trail grooming, ski lift operations and snowmaking are extremely energy-intensive and are harmful to natural resources and to wildlife. Try to choose ski resorts that are committed to reducing their effects on the environment – before you go, find out if they adhere to the National Ski Areas Association Sustainable Slopes Environment Charter. Consider cross-country skiing or snow-shoeing instead of downhill skiing, as these sports do not require graded slopes and ski lifts, and so have lower environmental impact.

The Olympic Games have always been an opportunity for athletes to showcase their talent, and for the hosting city to showcase its beauty. But this year, Vancouver, who will host the 2010 Winter Olympics from February 12-28, has added another ambitious goal: to create carbon neutral Olympic Games.

Olympic Games obviously tend to leave a large carbon footprint – the current forecast for Vancouver 2010 is for 268,000 tons of carbon emissions in fact — 118,000 tons from direct emissions and 150,000 tons from indirect emissions resulting from Games-time travel by participants and spectators. So making the 2010 Olympics carbon neutral is quite an ambitious task.

The organizing committee has put a lot of effort into reducing the carbon footprint of the Winter Games by designing more sustainable game venues, improving energy management systems, and increasing operational efficiency.

Still, given the scope of the Games, the only way to make them truly carbon neutral is to have participants purchase carbon offsets. That’s why we were excited to learn that 25 partners of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games have agreed to invest in clean energy technology projects in order to help offset the carbon emissions related to the Games.

We think this initiative is especially important, because it goes beyond offsetting carbon footprint for the current Games and establishes a carbon neutral legacy for future Games.

If you’re an individual who’s planning to ravel to Vancouver to watch the Games, you too are encouraged to offset emissions from your travel. The Winter Games organizing committee has selected Offsetters.ca as the official Carbon Offsetter for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. Offsetters supports renewable and energy efficiency projects in Canada and internationally to create its CO2 offsets. Visit www.offsetters.ca to calculate your own carbon footprint and to purchase carbon credits online.