The composting workshop I was so excited about was canceled because of the rain, but I still stopped by Little River Market Garden for the potluck and to tour this urban farm I had heard great things about. I was also interested in the possibility of getting a CSA from them.

Little River Market Garden, right off Biscayne and 82nd Street, is operated by Muriel Olivares, a young farmer who after doing a series of farming internships in Homestead and in New York, took on the challenge of starting her own organic CSA on this small plot next to Little River. So far she has 11 people signed up for the CSA, and hopes to open a few more places next year.

She showed us what she’s been growing so far -mostly beans she plans to chop and leave there to add oxygen and nitrogen to the soil.

She won’t start growing most veggies until the fall, when the growing season begins, but we did see some eggplants, banana trees, peppers and yucca.

I also counted about five different mushroom species, which Muriel says are proof of a complete ecosystem.

The tour and potluck was coordinated by the Urban Oasis Project, a group of edible garden enthusiasts who gather once a month to share seeds, seedlings and recipes, and who have been creating raised beds of edibles for low income families in Little Haiti and Mid-Town.

For more information on Little River Market Farm visit www.LittleRiverCSA.com

First things first: I’m sorry for taking a short hiatus, a few unpredictable things took control of my life for a couple of weeks but nothing to worry about.

Now back to business. Well, you see, although I wasn’t blogging these two weeks, I still kept an eye open to eco-friendlly products and happenings, and will be blogging about them within the next couple of days.

Today I want to focus on composting for two main reasons:

1-Gus and I recently got a composter.

2-Melissa Contreras from the Urban Oasis Project is giving a composting workshop this Saturday.

I had been asking you for recommendations for a short space/ balcony composter for some time (those worms I got last year at the Edible Garden Fest didn’t get too far) and we finally decided for one composter, which is happily recycling food scraps in our terrace.

We opted for the Garden Views E-Composter because it had good reviews and was in the low price range ($49.99). We actually first saw it in Target.com, but they don’t offer free shipping, so we ended up ordering it from Home Depot.

It ended up being a little bigger than we expected, but it was easy to assemble, and we don’t have to worry about it filling up too quickly.

For the last few weeks, we’ve been throwing in there all our food leftovers, as well as weeds and other unwanted plant matter, and there are all kinds of insects in there now. However, it’s been raining a lot lately, and the contents are starting to become sticky, almost like a paste. I’m not sure if this is how it’s supposed to be, so this brings us to the second reason why I’m writing about composting today.

If you’re interested in learning more about composting like I am, don’t miss this amazing workshop this Saturday at the Little River Market Garden. Learn all the basics for $15, plus get an exclusive tour of the Market Garden, an urban farm now offering organic CSAs. You can also stay for the Urban Oasis Project monthly vegetarian potluck following the workshop.

If you go:
What: Composting Workshop
Where: Little River Market Garden (rsvp for direcctions)
When: 5 p.m., Saturday, July 17.
How much: $15
More info: Visit the group’s facebook page or website for more information on how to sign up.

By Lourdes from Vice Beauty

I’ve been a fan of the ShiKai shower gels for quite some time now. ShiKai’s organic Moisturizing Shower Gels are great for sensitive and even baby skin. With no animal testing or animal ingredients, animal lovers will enjoy the product’s moisturizing lather and amazing scent selection. Created by chemist Dr. Dennis Sepp over 40 years ago, ShiKai provides over 50 natural products to get you fresh and clean.

Considering we’re in South Florida, you can enjoy the line’s tropical and natural fragrances. If you’re into florals, check out their amazing gardenia scent. Coconut is my favorite, providing the sweet and signature tropical scent you’ll find on the beach. Pomegranate and yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit, are great for those of you that favor fruit scents. With eight natural fragrances and a formula full of skin-friendly aloe vera and colloidal oatmeal, your skin will feel cleansed and soft.

You can find ShiKai at any Whole Foods or health foods store here in South Florida at $8.99 for a generous 12 oz bottle. A little bit goes a long way, and if you have finicky skin or are on a tight budget you’ll enjoy the luxurious but affordable ShiKai Moisturizing Shower Gel.

Green & Glamorous’ eco-beauty reviews are written by guest blogger Lourdes from the local beauty blog Vice Beauty. Follow her on Twitter at @vicebeautyblog to receive alerts on local beauty events, reviews and more.

May is National Bike Month, the time of the year when cyclists speak up about the need for more bike-friendly roads.

During the recent years, Miami cyclists have been gaining a powerful voice behind groups such as Emerge Miami, a network of bike enthusiasts who advocate for more road safety. One of their most famous events is the monthly Miami Critical Mass, in which cyclists orderly bike around town to raise awareness about the lack of biker rights in the city.

But don’t be intimidated. You don’t have to be a professional cyclist to join the group. Many of their members are just looking for more environmentally-friendly transportation options. Increasingly, Emerge Miami has also put together hip outings, including a bike prom a few months back, and regular graffiti tours (see event list below for the next one).
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Remember when I planted my edible garden a few months ago? My first home-grown tomatoes are now ready to eat, so I decided to also pick some fresh basil from the garden and make a delicious Caprese salad.

Many people wonder what’s the difference between a regular and organic or homegrown tomato, and they are surprised to hear that regular tomatoes are picked green and ripen artificially with a gas called ethylene when they are closer to their point of sale location. Not only is that gas unnecessary in your food, but when tomatoes ripe naturally, they get to develop much more flavors thanks continue

Can you remember what you were up to when you were 16? Local high schooler Becca Medvin probably will: She started a vegan cupcake company and now distributes her delicate treats around town.

Vegan since she was 14, the only thing she missed from the omnivore life were the desserts, so voila!… after a few trials in her kitchen, Becca developed the perfect vegan cupcake recipe. Her chocolate and vanilla cupcakes are now available at the Bookstore in the Grove for $2.65 -yes, I know, but vegan desserts are famous for two things: they veer towards the pricey side and they are extremely delicious.
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Hope you had a fun Earth Day. I had a great evening enjoying the live beats of local fusion band Agape and mouthwatering organic vodka cocktails at The Palms Hotel. The South Beach event was put together by Green Drinks Miami, so I got to meet Franchesca and a few other members of the local Green Drinks chapter, it’s definitely an organization to check out if you haven’t yet.

I’m not a big vodka fan, but the cocktails this night were delicious. They were served courtesy of 360 Eco-Friendly Vodka, a Missouri-based distillery that uses more efficient methods for making the spirit that create no waste. They also use post-consumer packaging and use more efficient packaging designs. Unfortunately the closest retailer that carries it is in Miramar. The drinks came with organic raspberries, agave, lime and pineapple juice, giving it a well balanced fruity and sweet taste.

As I later learned, The Palms Hotel was chosen for the event because of its recent eco-friendly renovations, which earned recognition by Florida’s Green Lodging Program, as well as because of its involvement in educational programs such as Common Threads, which teaches young students how to prepare healthy foods. As part of the renovations, the restaurant and tiki bar are now serving organic and local, seasonal food which I’ll be stopping by to try soon.

The event was created in partnership of the Everglades Foundation, committed to protect the Everglades ecosystem. The beautiful Miss Florida was there as the organization’s spokesperson, and I was very happy to get a picture with her as she was about to leave.
How was your Earth Day?

I always keep an eye open for local green trends or eco-chic products, so I decided to start sharing what I find in the form of a regular post. Feel free to e-mail me your spottings to editor@theecozine.com.

Here are some of my weekend green spottings:

>Organic bamboo underwear at Touche Muah on Meridian Avenue:
The store was closed when I spotted this so I couldn’t get in for a better shot, but -as I later found out- Touche Muah is a line of organic bamboo fabric underwear created by Miami Beach resident Ivelin Giro. Check out their store on 1671 Meridian Ave, just off Lincoln Road.




>Organic sake at Sushi Siam: One of Miami’s favorite spots for sushi and Thai food, the restaurant is now selling Sho Chiku Bai Organic Nama (sorry for the terrible picture quality, long story).

>Recycling bins on Lincoln Road: They have been there for a few months now, but I’m so happy that we finally have them there that I wanted to share this pic with those who haven’t been to the beach in a while. While the City of Miami Beach could to a little more to encourage recycling, like putting the those bins all over the beach (including on the beach/ sand) and not only on Lincoln Road, this is a small step towards an eco-friendly SoBe.



Have you had any green spotting lately? E-mail you pics along with a description to editor@theecozine.com.

I just lost my 3-year-old reusable bottle, which it’s statistically far longer than what most people keep a reusable bottle for. Now I’m looking for a new one and decided to share my research as I find the perfect trendy and BPA-free reusable bottle.

Ideally, I’d like to get it from a local store, so I’ve been asking Facebook and Twitter friends for suggestions on where to get a cool bottle. Here’s a reusable bottle 101:


Regular plastic bottle: This is the worst type of bottle there is. It’s not good for the environment and it’s not good for you. Millions of plastic bottles end up in landfills every year, which release all kinds of chemicals into the atmosphere. Now, for those of you who don’t care about recycling -and I can point a few- you should know that plastic bottles also release DEHP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate)) into the water, which is extremely toxic and carcinogen. Release of this chemical is accelerated when the bottle is left under the sun or kept at warm temperatures, or when the bottle is reused -yes, even if you try to be green by reusing your plastic bottle, you’re getting exposed to toxic chemicals. The best thing to do is to forgo these bottles all together. If you must: recycle it!



Reusable plastic bottle: Although not the best option, this bottle is a step ahead of the regular plastic bottle because it’s reused. However, they are not recommended because they are made of polycarbonate, the same plastic that does into CD’s, sunglasses and computer shells. Imagine chewing your sunglasses? Polycarbonate has been linked to bisphenol-A, or BPA, a synthetic hormone that can cause prostate cancer. Surprisingly, many baby bottles are made of polycarbonate as well.


Aluminum water bottle: They are extremely light, 100 percent recyclable, dishwasher safe and come in very cool designs. However Siggs, the largest maker of aluminum bottles, admitted last year that bottles purchased before August 2008 had traces of BPA. Sigg guarantees the bottles are safe now, but then there is the issue of the leaching: aluminum can leach if the linen is scratched. Another cons is in the price: $17-50 or more depending on the design.


Stainless steel bottle: They are less expensive than aluminum bottles, non-toxic, very difficult to crack or break, recyclable and will not stain or acquire odor from your drink.They won’t leach into the water like aluminum cans. They are a little more heavy that aluminum cans though. There are a few makers, including KleanKanteen, Earthlust, Guyot and Innate.

Conclusion: I think I’m going to get a stainless steel bottle. Yes, aluminum bottles are lighter and come in more colors and designs, but there’s no reason to spend more. Plus, if there are small chances of the water getting contaminated, I don’t want to take the risk.

What do you think? What reusable bottle type do you use?

The Fertile Earth Foundation has been doing a lot lately, including starting a composting program with the City of Miami and getting some South Beach hotels to participate in it and compost their food waste.

The non-profits’ latest endeavor: a beer making class in collaboration with the Earth N’ Us Farm, which will take place this weekend at the farm.

“From Seeds to Suds, an Introduction to Homebrewing” is the best way for beer lovers who were always curious about brewing to get down and dirty. The class is also great for Miami’s locavores who sometimes wonder how to live the lifestyle without sacrificing the taste.

The class will cover many things, including:

• What equipment do I need in order to brew my own beer from home?
• What ingredients do I use to make beer?
o What other flavors can I add to my beer?
• How long does fermentation really take?
• Why and how is beer carbonated?

If you go:

WHAT: Beer making class
WHERE: Earth N’ US, 7630 NE 1st Ave
WHEN: Sunday, March 21, 2010 from 1to 5 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $45 now through March 20, $55 thereafter.
MORE INFO: Fertile Earth Foundation events

Photo courtesy of Trico741

If experienced farmers across Florida had a hard time protecting their crops , you’d probably guessed there was little us rookie home gardeners could do to protect our plants. Gone are my peppers, tomatoes, herbs, jalapenos, radishes, carrots, lettuce… Within days they were all frozen.

After mourning for a few weeks, last weekend we finally spent time fixing what was left and planting new crops.

I stopped by Home Depot and discovered that they are doing a great job with Bonnie Plants to promote edible gardens. I had seen this a few months ago, but the edibles selection is getting bigger and bigger, which means more people are opting for edibles instead of ornamental plants.

They also have neat home garden handouts in English and Spanish with information on creating your own raised bed and on how to grow your own container edible garden when you don’t have a lot of space.

They also have a pile of organic soil bags next to the veggies, making people opt for the healthier soil.

I also noticed new plants this trip, including strawberries and yellow peppers, which makes me excited about what they’ll continue adding to the selection.

Home depot can be a little expensive if you are easily tempted like me, but here are a few tips:

-Broken soil bags sell at a discount, sometimes up to more than 50% off, so just ask where they keep them (and be sure to bring tarp or something to protect your car).

-When selecting plants, carefully inspect them. Pick the ones that have two or more plants in the same pot… you are actually getting one or two free plants.

-Cashiers are allowed to give a 10% discount for ceramic and plastic pots that are damaged, even if it’s minimal. Just ask for it, and if the damage is more severe, don’t be afraid to ask for a higher discount.

-Don’t buy seeds or seedlings for things that are easy to grow from home leftovers. It’s really easy to grow tomatoes, peas and peppers from the seeds of the veggies you already have in the fridge.

-Compost. You save on soil, fertilizers, and recycle our resources.

Halloween can be scary, really scary.

Think about all the candy wrappers ending up in landfills and the flashy costumes bought and tossed the next day.

Think about all the calories that you’ll put on before, during and after Halloween -yes, Halloween candy bowls tend to stay around for days after Halloween.

Doing the right thing doesn’t mean you have to miss on the fun.

Here are some tips for a green Halloween:

1-Costume: Instead of buying a $20 synthetic outfit shipped from China, get creative and come out with the same outfit with things you already have at home. The most common outfits are easy to recreate: a pirate, a nurse, a witch. Use old clothes or stop by a nearby Goodwill Store, where you could even find a used costume. Check out this site for inspiration. This site also has good ideas for home-made outfits for children, although some require some preparation.

2-Office candy: You can’t stop co-workers from bringing in candy, but you can try talking to them about having a healthy Halloween this year. There are tons of tasty snacks that won’t disappoint their taste buds. If no one sounds very exited about the idea, still bring some healthy snacks for them to try. It might change their minds, and it will keep you away from their candy bowl. Nuts and dried fruits are my favorite. Reduce your waste by looking for stores that sell the snacks by weight. Fruits and a few dips will also keep co-workers hanging around your desk (think yogurt, chocolate, peanut butter, just to name a few). Read labels and watch out for calorie-filled dips.

3-Pumpkin carving: Forget about this wasteful activity unless you plan to eat the pumpkin filling. Check out www.pumpkinrecipes.us for recipes and ideas. Make sure the pumpkin is later composted.

4-Education: Talk to your child about healthy and unhealthy candy. The site Greenhalloween.org suggests setting up a point system: they get points for every piece of candy they collect (and don’t eat), and then they get to trade their points for a new toy. If you have small children, you can also agree with other parents to only give out healthy candy, then take your kids only to their homes.

5-Treats: Most children are told not to eat unwrapped candy, so they might not eat dried fruits and nuts. Instead, give out small toys such as playing cards, books or crayons. You can buy certain amount of small toys, wrap each in magazine paper and put them in a tray or bowl. Have each trick-or-treating child pick one prize. They’ll love the surprise factor.

6-More candy: If nuts and dried fruit won’t do, you can always shop at health food stores for granola bars, chocolate-covered fruits and nuts, and organic and nutritious snacks. Make sure that all boxes, wraps and bags are recyclable. Buy bags of loose candy as opposed of individually wrapped candy. You can also make your own granola or chocolate dipped snacks.

7-The day after: Take your time to separate recyclables in their respective containers. Candy can be composted, so just toss away all the candy you don’t plan to eat or you’ll end up eating it. If you got a used costume from a Goodwill Store, plan to take it back. You won’t use it again and someone else could.

8-Share ideas: What do you do to make your Halloween green? Comment below! I’d love to hear what do you.

Image by jeffk

You pour some Sauvignon Blanc for your date only to realize there were a few drops left. You keep it cool, there is another bottle chilling in the fridge. You know what to do: the bottle goes in the recycling bin and the cork…

If you’ve been there, you know what the dilemma is: can you compost a cork? In that case, should you be getting wines with a natural cork as opposed to a synthetic one? What about the tress chopped down to make natural corks?

Don’t worry. ABC Fine Wine & Spirits is here to help by setting up 1,500 cork collection boxes across its Florida stores.

Two recycling companies will turn the collected wood and synthetic corks into floor and wall tiles, car engine gaskets, fishing rod handles and other things that will later be sold at stores like Target.

In addition, ABC will donate 2 pennies per cork to several charities it works with (mention this to your date for extra points).

Sure, there might be some marketing and sales incentive here, but you have to give them credit for doing something about the corks. If all the other wine sellers follow, even better! Find an ABC location close to you here.

Photo by stewart

Vegan Miamians rejoice. The animal-free food movement has been picking up so much in Miami that there will actually be two politically-charged vegan potlucks this weekend at almost the same time.

The topic of each vegan meetup is different, so whether you are in it for the animals of for the health benefits, you’re covered. Traffic is not that bad on Sundays, so wishfully thinking, you might be able to attend both events:

Progressive Vegan Potluck Social at The Wallflower Gallery
Sun., Oct. 18, 4 p.m.
Discussion of local and global animal rights issues. Meet people from various activist groups and learn about community issues, all while checking out an assortment of creative visual art pieces and listening to a selection of local music CDs.
Where: Wallflower Gallery, 10 N.E. 3rd Street, Downtown Miami. 305-579-0069
Cost: Free, bring a dish to share.

Vegan Potluck Dinner at the Save the Earth Eco Center
Sun., Oct. 18, 5:30 p.m.
Topic : Living Healthy in a Toxic World: How arsenic, mercury and plastics become part of our biology. How can we stay younger longer? How can we avoid disease and improve our chances for a healthy life? Dr. David Newman, who has an extensive background in alternative and progressive healthcare, will lecture on environmental issues that affect your health.
Where: Save the Earth Eco Center, 12399 W. Dixie Hwy. 305-228-1116
Cost: Free to members and children under 12; non-members pay $5. You must also bring a vegan dish for at least eight people, and your own utensils and plate.

Are you a vegan Miamian? How easy or difficult is it to find fellow vegans here? Would you like to see more vegan events?

Photo by striatic

If you are taking global warming seriously, chances are you changed your light bulbs for the more energy efficient fluorescent ones, which can last up to 10 years and produce less carbon emissions.

But do you know what’s the environmentally-friendly thing to do when these bulbs stop working?

It’s easy: Drop them off at a local chemical collection center.

Why you can’t just put them in the recyclables bin? Fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, which can be an environmental hazard if not properly dispossed.

Below is a list of locations throughout South Florida that take and recycle your unbroken coiled compact fluorescent lights -known as CFLs- and the long-tube type fluorescent bulbs. Plus, the centers also take chemicals such as pesticides and pool chemicals, so you can save the trip until you accumulate a few things to drop off.

>>Note: If you can’t get to any drop-off site below, check here a list of local Home Depot stores that accept used CFLs too.

Have you been properly disposing your fluorescent bulbs? Let us know your story!

Drop-off locations in Miami:
West Miami-Dade:
8831 NW 58th St.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wed. through Sun.

South Miami-Dade:
23707 SW 97th Ave., Gate-B.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wed. through Sun.

Drop-off locations in in Broward:
Pompano Beach
2780 N. Powerline Rd. (north of Copans Rd.)
Hours: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fri. and Sat.

West Park
5601 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd. (east of US 441)
Hours: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fri. and Sat.

Drop-off locations in West Palm Beach:
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility
6161 North Jog Road, West Palm Beach
Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon-Fri; 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
(Saturday is self-serve drop-off containers only)

Delray Beach
South County Transfer Station (unattended)
1901 SW 4th Avenue
Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon-Fri; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Jupiter
North County Transfer Station (unattended)
14185 Military Trail (SWA Road)
Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon-Fri; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Royal Palm Beach
West Central Transfer Station (unattended)
9743 Process Drive (previously Fairgrounds Road)
Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon-Fri; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Belle Glade
Glades Regional Transfer Station (unattended)
1701 State Road 15
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mon-Fri; 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturdays.

Lantana
Central County Transfer Station (unattended)
1810 Lantana Rd., Lantana,
Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon-Fri; 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturdays.

Photo by Dano