Many of our favorite eco-friendly brands incorporate cork into their shoes. Primarily, cork is incorporated in the sole of the shoe, for decorative or for functional purposes. The reason is that cork is light, durable and almost impermeable to liquids. The other cool thing about cork is that it is a natural substance that is also sustainable.

Cork comes from the Cork Oak tree, a special variety of tree that grows and lasts about 200 years. Every nine years, the cork is literally stripped from the trunk of the trees and then the raw materials are turned into all kinds of products. Most Cork Oak trees are in Portugal, with Spain coming in second as a cork producer.

Cork is highly recyclable and its elasticity and density are what make it so popular as wine stoppers and in things like buoys. Likewise, these characteristics of cork make them great for shoes. They can absorb shock, maintain the low weight of the shoe, resist water and moisture from your feet or from your environment and now the look of cork is also highly desirable as a contrasting texture in shoe design.

So which of our favorite shoe companies use cork in their shoes, and how?

• Patagonia – Patagonia often uses cork wrapped footbeds incorporated into Patagonia sandals because cork is comfortable against the skin and wicks away moisture to keep your feet comfortable even on the hottest days.
• Rafters – Rafters sandals use cork in a different way – they blend it with rubbers and other recycled materials to reduce the amount of man made and harder to get materials. For instance, you’ll often find cork and EVA midsoles in Rafters sandals, taking advantage of the natural benefits of cork.
• Rocket Dog – Rocket Dog’s Eco Luv collection incorporates cork in several styles, including their higher wedges to keep shoes light and sustainable!
• Simple Shoes – Simple Shoes uses cork and natural latex to add a soft and squishy, yet moisture resistant and sustainable softness to their great looks!
• Terrasoles – Terrasoles shoes, like many brands, uses cork in many of its midsoles, often blended with eco friendly latex for maximum comfort while taking advantage of all of Cork’s natural properties!
• The North Face – The North Face is a leading maker of eco-friendly active footwear and they also love using a blend of cork and EVA as their midsole to maximize sustainability and comfort!
• Zumfoot – Zumfoot shoes are innovative and interesting and they use cork and rubber to create a flexible and more sustainable outsole.

I read a great article a few weeks ago about greening your Thanksgiving by buying your ingredients from local producers. I was nervous but I felt up to the challenge. I didn’t require the same of my guests who were bringing dishes but I did manage to create a substantial, delicious, gluten free and vegetarian friendly meal with local products. Here is the breakdown!

First, the basics. It isn’t always easy to find local basics like olive oil, sea salt and even chicken stock, so I used what I had in the pantry. My chicken and vegetable stock are indeed my own – made faithfully after every roast chicken and because I prefer my own veggie stock.

I did manage to get fresh local butter, milk and cheese which were delicious and a real treat.

By Recipe:

Butternut Squash and Sage Soup:

I actually grew butternut squash this year in our community garden and we got some from our farm share. I put them aside since they last forever. The sage also came from my herb garden. We got a great tip from the cookbook Whole Foods Cooking all about flash freezing our herbs so the sage has been tucked away in my freezer all summer. We also grabbed onions and garlic from our favorite local farm stand. This made for a super delicious savory soup – made with veggie stock it became entirely vegetarian and it was a huge hit!

Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with Herbs:

This one was especially easy. We had a banner crop of carrots and parsnips from the farm share and the community garden this year and we stored them carefully and so effectively that I went out and found this dish so I could use them all up! Another hit – especially with my dad since roasted parsnips are his favorite!

Fresh Cranberry Relish:

I live up in Massachusetts, so finding local organic cranberries was a breeze! I’ve found a couple of great, small grocers that have relationships with local producers. I love this because minimal shipping means less carbon footprint and you know you’re truly supporting local commerce. In this case I was able to get 2 lbs of fresh cranberries. I will admit I went to the regular market for oranges but I’m considering doing canning next year – and candying orange rinds so I can go all out next fall!

Oven Roasted Turkey:

We followed a recipe for the brine, and again, were able to use mostly local ingredients including local apples from our favorite orchard, our own rosemary and sage as well as our own chicken stock. The turkey itself was also locally and organically raised. He cost a bit more – but the flavor was totally worth it!

Green Bean Casserole:

How do you make green bean casserole local when the traditional version calls for frozen and canned everything? You make it from scratch! We found a local producer s for as many ingredients as possible and I made this dish from scratch, entirely vegetarian and gluten free! I just used quinoa flour instead of wheat flour and while I didn’t get that from a local producer – I did buy it from a local organic store so I don’t feel too guilty for breaking the rules. I also grabbed green beans and mushrooms from the same place and we made our own fresh onion strings!

We had other folks bring potato dishes, pies and a couple of excellent vegetable dishes. All in all, the dinner was superb and plentiful and our gluten free and vegetarian folks felt spoiled and very full. Best of all, I know the carbon footprint was much lower than years past. We weren’t perfect – but we were sure close!

Now, onto the Christmas Holiday and local organic prime rib!

One of the best aspects of the new focus on renewable energy are the terrific tax breaks, rebates and other incentives available to you as you make your home more efficient. Making your home more energy efficient is the right thing to do, not only for the earth but also for your wallet!

These incentives can be as small as getting a rebate for purchasing and installing a programmable thermostat or as large as a significant, interest free loan, to improve the efficiency of your home heating or home water heating system.

Although these incentives are fairly well publicized, there is a terrific website relating to state renewable energy programs.

The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency gives state by state listings of programs. This includes programs for production and development, corporate and residential conversion to renewable and improvement of home efficiency.

Additionally, they have links to all federal programs relating to renewable energy.

So if you’re ready to go green, check out dsireusa.org and find out if you can expand your project with the help of local or federal incentives!

Gardening is one of the easiest ways to make an immediate impact on your own environment while giving back to the earth. Many people think of mowing their lawn or creating artful “grounds” but if you take a couple of tips from relaxed and organic gardeners you can help the bee colonies, support native plant growth and enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors.

First of all, make sure you are ready to garden.

• Wear comfortable, breathable clothing – and we recommend long sleeves if you aren’t yet savvy about poison ivy, oak or sumac.
• Pick up a great hat – baseball cap or wide brimmed for gardening to protect your face (and neck) and to keep you cool.
• Choose fun and functional gardening clogs or some great rubber boots for autumn and spring. These will keep your feet dry and stand up to cut grass, dirt, water and the like – we washable and super comfortable.
• Check out Bogs Boots for garden clogs or great insulated rubber boots for gardening in all weather conditions.
• Cloggens has an amazing variety of clogs perfect for the garden – vented, slip resistant and made with anti-bacterial and anti-macrobial odor resistant materials.
• Get one of those kneeling pads unless you just don’t care about getting dirty. They might seem frivolous until you’ve been bent over your bed weeding with your knees in mud, mulch or wet grass.
• Grab a couple of portable tubs with simple handles. They will be more useful than you know!

Once you are dressed and ready to rock, consider your style and choices.

For example, say you are a fan of hummingbirds or that, as someone environmentally aware, you want to make sure you have lots of bee friendly plants. Menarda (or bee balm) is a great choice from the mint family. Great color, incredible fragrance and it spreads like mad and blooms for a long time.

Flox, Echinacea and Daisy’s are some other wonderful choices for the simple and easy to maintain cottage garden. The idea being that you plant large clumps of wildflowers and let them flourish – weeding occasionally but keeping them pesticide free to encourage pollination and a more natural landscape.

One of the next great tips is to not go crazy on your lawn. Honestly, the golf course is beautiful but did you know one of the leading causes of the death of bees is actually pesticides? It isn’t a disease as much as it is poison. Additionally, you are deterring the natural order of bugs, frogs, toads and the like that flourish in a more natural lawn environment. Keep the natural order going and relax a little bit on your lawn!

Additionally, did you know that gas powered lawn mowers make up 5% of the U.S. air pollution? According to the EPA we spill more that 17 million gallons of gasoline onto the ground filling up our lawnmowers every summer in the US alone. This is a great reason to cultivate a wildflower garden – just so you use your lawnmower less!

Feel free to leave some habitat untouched! This year we left the back quarter of our lawn to grow as it would. I admit I kept the bittersweet under control, but otherwise we let it run wild and the number of animals making their homes back there, and the wonderful wild flowers we got accidentally was charming and fun.

So get out there in your garden, get some fresh air, look fabulous while you do it and watch your garden come to life with color, insects and animals.

College is right around the corner and I came across a really great article at Care2.com which gives some great tips.  Living in a dorm can be a really great time but you need to remember to been as Greeen as possible.

By Annie B. Bond, Executive Producer of Care2’s Green Living

Old Paradigm: Plastic water bottles.
Easy Greening: Tabletop filter; pretty stainless steel water bottle (find these online or at stores such as Whole Foods).

Old Paradigm: Plastic electric kettle.
Easy Greening: Stainless steel electric kettle.

Old Paradigm: Air freshener plug-ins.
Easy Greening: Natural air freshener using essential oils (or better yet, clean up the mess causing the odors).

Old Paradigm: Scented candles made of paraffin and synthetic fragrance.
Easy Greening: Beeswax candles (these are natural air cleaners in their own right).

Old Paradigm: Permanent press sheets made with polyester blend.
Easy Greening: Natural fiber, preferably organic.

Old Paradigm: Synthetic pillows.
Easy Greening: Pillow made with natural materials.

Old Paradigm: Polyester-filled comforter.
Easy Greening: Organic wool or organic cotton-filled duvet; wool or cotton blankets.

And here’s a great link:  Make your own bathroom cleaners!

I posted this on the PlanetShoes Twitter page a few weeks ago, but it’s such useful info I think it’s worth blogging about now that we have a blog.

I had a huge pile of phone books sitting on a bookshelf because I didn’t know what to do with them. I knew they were traditionally unrecyclable, but I get several a year! We get a few full-sized ones and then little phone book supplements throughout the year. It was insane. All of this wasted paper for phone books I seldom even used.

After a little Google sleuthing, I found this: YellowPagesGoesGreen.Org You can opt out of receiving phone books! Perfecto.

From their website, here are some startling statistics about the eco-effect of printing phone books:

To produce 500 million books:
Over 500 million of these directories are printed every year. That is nearly two books for every person in the country! These directories produce a staggering amount of waste, not only in terms of misused natural resources but also in filling of valuable landfill space.

* 19 million trees need to be harvested
* 1.6 billion pounds of paper are wasted
* 7.2 million barrels of oil are misspent in their processing (not including the wasted gas used for their delivery to your doorstep)
* 268,000 cubic yards of landfill are taken up
* 3.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity are squandered

YIKES!!

Trying to make your workplace a little bit greener? Here are 10 handy tips to help you out.

1. Bring your own reusable cups for coffee/tea and water. It will tremendously cut down on waste! It’s also great to have a work lunchroom stocked with reusable flatware and plates.

2. Recycle, recycle, recycle! And reuse paper in the printer…print on both sides!

3. Find some coworkers to carpool with, if biking, walking, or taking public transportation to work is not an option.

4. Don’t print stuff unless it’s absolutely necessary.

5. Bring your own lunch, and pack it in reusable containers instead of plastic bags. I’m a fan of Pyrex because it’s safe to microwave in.

6. Talk to your boss about telecommuting, even if it’s only a few days a week. (There’s a great article about telecommuting on Green Living Tips.) One employee telecommuting just once a week can reduce emissions by 400 pounds per year!! WOW!

7. Only use lights when necessary. If your desk is by a window, do you need all the lights on? And sometimes a small lamp will suffice instead of the overhead lighting. (And use eco-friendly bulbs…ya know, the ones that look like coils.)

8. Get rid of old machinery. Newer machinery in general uses less power. Look for EnergyStar.

9. Shut your computer down when it’s time to go home.

10. Try to encourage video-conferencing whenever it’s possible instead of traveling.

These tips are so easy and they’re often quite cost efficient as well. Using less resources is eco-friendly AND friendly on the pocket-book.