The list of fun eco-friendly weekend events has been getting longer and longer. Email me at editor@theecozine.com if you don’t see your event. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, May 27
>Green Drinks Boca/Delray: Mingle with eco professionals and locals in this green happy hour. Taste organic wines and foods while you learn how you start your company’s green team. 6:30 p.m. at 4th Generation Organic Market, 75 SE 3rd Street
Boca Raton.
>Organic Thursdays at Escopazzo: Weekly food and wine tastings at the SoBe organic Italian restaurant. Stop by between 7-9 p.m. for “We Do It Thursdays” and try 4 wines and appetizers for $20. 1311 Washington Ave.

Friday, May 28
>Free medication class: To celebrate Meditation Month, Ayama Yoga Center is offering free meditation classes and discounted packages to newbies every Friday in May. Stop by at 6 p.m. for your free class at the Ayama Yoga Center, 2624 NE 118th St., North Miami Beach.

Saturday, May 29
>Replenishing the kitchen: Get your weekly raw, vegan or healthy food supplies, plus buy fresh produce at the Coconut Grove Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., 3300 Grand Ave.

>Learn all about sprouting at the monthly SaveEarth potluck: The pro-vegan organization SaveEarth presents “Sprouting For Health,” a lecture to get you started on sprouting these rich, living and high-enzyme foods. Bring a vegan dish for 8 people and your own utensils. Free for members, $5 non-members. 6:15 p.m. at the Coral Gables Congregational Church, Fellowship Hall at 3010 DeSoto Blvd. Coral Gables

Sunday, May 30
>Tea ’n Sanity Health Fair: Celebrate the new address with organic food vendors, jewelry, aromatherapy, astrology, crystals, oils, and teas, plus yoga demos, Reiki, tai chi, karate, and chair massages. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Tea n’ Sanity, 12011 SW 131st Ave. 786-462-4341.

Tuesday, June 1
>Vegan Drinks Night: Bring your business cards and leave your worries for this fun, apres-work networking event! Meets 1st Tuesday of every month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Sublime Restaurant & Bar 1431 N. Federal Hwy., Ft. Lauderdale, 954-615-1431

Image via audiinsperation

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

April is gone and with it all the cool Earth-Day related events that April brought us. However, there’s still a lot of fun and environmentally friendly things to do this week.

Wedneday, April 28
>Active lifestyle networking: Join Miami Active’s monthly meeting. The group encourages the free exchange of information and ideas to promote active lifestyles and business networks. Free. 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 28 at Whole Foods Coral Gables, 6701 Red Road. Meets in the Lifestyle Center,

>Hear environmentalist Bill McKibben discuss his new book, “Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet.” Believed to be one of the first to warn against climate change in his book “The End of Nature” 20 years ago, McKibben now insists that we need to acknowledge that we’ve waited too long, and that massive change is not only unavoidable but already under way. He’ll be at Books & Books in Coral Gables, 265 Aragon Ave. 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 28. Free.

>Stroll the gardens of Vizcaya under the moonlight: Don’t miss this romantic moonlight tour of the Vizcaya gardens. Enjoy live music, wine and delicious refreshments. 6:60 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, April 28. Tours leave at different intervals throughout the night. Vizcaya is located at 3251 South Miami Avenue Miami. Tickets: $15 for general admission, $10 for students, seniors and members.

Thursday, April 29
>Chilean food & wine tasting: Wanting to help Chile recover but can’t get on a plane? Support the country by supporting its cheese and wine at this free tasting. 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, April 29. Whole Foods South Beach, 1020 Alton Rd.

>’80’s themed free yoga: SoBe Pilates is having an ’80s-themed grand opening party with MC Miss Elaine Lancaster. Stop by for free fitness demos, refreshments and raffles. 7-9 p.m., Thursday April 29. Located on 950 Arthur Godfrey Rd., Miami Beach. 305-763-8878. continue

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to watch some of the best and latest food-related documentaries, which will be screened locally as part of the Earth Month film series Let’s Re-take our Plates, organized by Whole Foods.

I’m particularly excited about No Impact Man, the documentary based on the Brooklyn family that decided to reduce their waste to the minimum for a whole year (I couldn’t drop the book). Other films include Fast Food Nation, Food. Inc, What’s on Your Plate? and The Garden, all very politically-charged films making strong arguments against the state of the food industry.

Here is the schedule:

Fast Food Nation
4:45 p.m, April 17
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

King Corn/ Big River
2:30 p.m. April 17
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

Food Inc.
2 p.m., April 18
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

The Garden
12 p.m., April 18
Cinema Paradiso
503 SE 6th Street, Ft. Lauderdale
$7

Food Inc.
5 p.m., April 19
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

No Impact Man
7 p.m., April 19
Coral Gables Congregational Church
3010 De Soto Blvd., Coral Gables
$5

What’s on Your Plate?
5 p.m. April 20
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

Fast Food Nation
5 p.m., April 21
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

The Garden
8 p.m., April 21
Miami Beach Cinematheque
512 Espanola Way, Miami Beach
$10

End of the Line
5 p.m. April 22,
Cobb Theater
11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Avenue, Palm Beach Gardens
$5

Food Inc.
7:30 p.m., April 23
Temple Bet Shira
7500 SW 120th Street, Miami
$5

Visit the Let’s Re-take our Plates site for more information

After hearing much talk about Lifefood Gourmet in Coral Gables, Ecozine made a lunch stop to try the restaurant’s raw vegan cuisine at its new location on Coral Way.

Followed for its cellular enrichment and rejuvenation attributes, the raw food diet is based on the idea that if you cook foods at more than 116 degrees, the enzimes and other nutrients will begin to degrade, losing its nutritional value. Raw foodists use instead dehydration, sprouting and other techniques to cook their meals (living foodists use the same concept, but use more sprouting to bring nutrients from a dormant to an active state).

Lifefood Gourmet owner and raw food chef John Schott, who studied with raw food guru Dr. David Jubb in New York, has a passion for living food and its qualities, which shows in the restaurant’s extensive menu: lasagna, burgers, burritos, nori rolls, four types of pizzas, wraps, pesto Alfredo, tomato and Mexican soups, and a variety of salads.

I ordered one of the most popular dishes, the All Veggie Pizza ($14), and loved every bite of it.

The pizza comes on a dehydrated sprouted quinoa and flaxseed bread topped with spinach, creamy homemade vegan cheese, tomatoes, raw tomato herb sauce, onions, nutmeg sauce and oregano (you can see the delicate layering in the picture).

The pie is preheated in a dehydrator before served to make it a little warm while conserving the freshness of its ingredients, a key to the raw diet.

To drink, I had a spicy and sweet ginger juice.

I was too full after the pizza but couldn’t leave without trying a dessert. I originally went for the cupcakes but there weren’t any left, so I ended up getting a blissful chocolate fudge crepe with fresh strawberries and redberries to go ($9). The wafer was made of apricot flax, and had a crispy yet soft texture, which surprised me considering it was dehydrated. I have to say the chocolate fudge was the best I had in a long time. I later found out they make if from pure cacao beans, which gives the fudge a rich grainy texture and a spicy and bitter flavor.

The menu and flavors is so extensive that I plan to come back and try more things. I specially regret not getting some of their prepackaged apple fries ($6) or Life Chips ($6) to go.


Following what seems to be the norm in the raw food world, prices are in the medium price range, which I attribute to how time consuming preparing raw foods is. I ended up paying a little over $30 (I then realized my pizza was among the priciest menu items). Appetizers, which includes nachos and zucchini rolls sell, for $9-11, entrees for $10-15, soups for $6, desserts for $8-$9 and natural drinks for $4-$10.

Chef Schott, who began his raw food endeavors at the Coconut Grove Farmers Market, is expanding the restaurant into an education center with kitchen apprentice programs, video teachings and other instructive tools, and he’s putting together a lifefood nutrition manual. His menu actually features a human body showing what body part is nourished by each dish. He’s definitely up to something, so stay tuned!

Have you been there? What did you order?

If you go:
Lifefood Gourmet
Opens Mon-Sat, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
1248 SW 22 Street
Miami, Fl 33145
305-856-6767

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

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

After a little hesitation, I finally joined a produce buying club called the Organic Produce Buying Club of South Florida (read below for a complete list of CSA’s and buying clubs in South Florida). I got my first box of organic and locally-grown produce yesterday and I’m so pleased with my shipment!

Although a produce buying club is a little different than a Community Supported Agriculture group, they share a similar concept: you support local farmers and get cheaper organic produce.

Basically, a farmer will offer a number of “shares” or memberships to the public at a fixed price, and in turn, customers will receive a weekly -or bi-weekly- shipment of seasonal organic veggies and fruits. Prices are lower than at farmers markets because buyers, as a group, are buying in bulk. Another advantage is that most produce is picked up about 24 hours before the shipment, so you get incredibly fresh food.

This is as close as growing your own organic produce as you can get, even better than a farmer’s market.

The reason I didn’t join a CSA is because of you have to pay for the whole season in advance (about $600) whereas you pay-as-you-go in the buying club.

I have to admit my first shipment exceeded my expectations. I was hesitant because of the price: $49 per box, shipped to a local pickup location twice a month. They explained the box would be enough for a family of three or four who eat four home-prepared meals a week. We’re two at home, and I’m a working-from-home vegetarian who loves to cook, meaning I eat about eight or nine veggie-packed meals at home per week. My worry was that the produce might not be enough and that I would end up paying too much for it.

I decided to still give it a try, and I’m glad I did. This is what I got yesterday:

This is the detailed list:
7 bananas
4 yellow nectarines
7 Valencia oranges
13 ginger gold apples
cilantro
spinach
a red-tip leaf lettuce
an orange cauliflower
a red cabbage
a bag of Cremini mushrooms
baby tomatoes
3 yellow onions
2 garlic heads
11 carrots
2 acorn squashes
4 Russet potatoes

If you don’t like anything in the box, you can always exchange it, but it wasn’t my case.

I also loved the surprise factor à la Iron Chef. I drove back home thinking what would go good with what, what would be the best way to cook those squashes (any suggestions? I never cooked them before), and how I’d use the orange cauliflower to try an Indian recipe with curry that I found a while ago.

Anyway, I compiled a list of local CSAs and buying clubs:
Let me know if you don’t see your CSA here. Also, I’d like to hear your experience with CSAs, tips, which one has worked best for you?

ORGANIC PRODUCE BUYING CLUB OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Area served: Central pickup location in Bal Harbor Islands, satellite locations throughout SoFla.
Cost: $20 membership fee, $49 per shipment, which must be pre-paid during the previous pick-up.
Frequency: Every two weeks
Box size: 25-35 lbs of fruits and veggies.
Notes: Additional produce is available with prior notice. You can request half a shipment too, and they’ll help you find someone to split your share. Volunteer some hours and get a $10-$30 discount from your next share.
More info: Visit www.organicbuyingclubsofla.com

REDLAND ORGANICS
Area served: Located three miles north of Homestead, with additional pickup sites scattered between the Lower Keys and Pompano Beach.
Cost: As a CSA, you pay in advance for the five-month season, $630 for the full share, $375 for half, for 19 to 20 pickups, resulting in $31-$34 per share. Delivery at a pickup location has an additional fee: $40 for pickup in Miami-Dade, $60 in Broward, $100 in the Keys.
Frequency:Weekly
Box size: According to their site, a weekly full share is enough for a family of up to four.
Notes: The season runs for about 22 weeks from mid-November through mid-April. Four-week trial for $170. Additional produce available for purchase.
More info: Visit www.redlandorganics.com

FARM FRESH MIAMI
Area served: Pickups throughout Miami-Dade.
Cost: $50 per box, $30 for half a share, paid in advance during the previous pick-up. There is also a $30 one-time membership fee, and you must pay for your last share when joining to avoid “stand ups.”
Frequency: Every two weeks
Box size: 25-30lbs of produce in the full box, 15+lbs in the split share.
Notes: They are currently offering free one-week trials.
More info: Visit www.farmfreshmiami.com

GREEN CAY PRODUCE
Area served: Located in Boynton Beach, with additional pickup locations in central and southern Palm Beach County
Cost: $34 for a large box ($40 if delivered to a pickup site), $22 for the small box ($28 with delivery). Pay for the 34-week season in advance and get a free box at the end of the season.
Frequency: Either weekly or every other week.
Box size: Large box measures: 13″h x 12″w x 15″l, with eight to 10 items. Small box is 7″h x 11″w x 14″l, with six to eight items.
Notes: Different payment plans available.
More info: Visit Green Cay Produce of Farming Systems Research

WORDEN FARM
Area served: located in Punta Gorda, serves with pickup locations throughout Southwest Florida.
Cost:As a CSA, you pay $600 in advance for the 20-week season, resulting in $30 per share. Additional $60 fee for delivery at a pickup site.
Frequency: Weekly
Box size: According to their site, each shipment has eight or more items, enough for two people.
Notes:Currently open for enrollment. Season runs from the first week of December to the middle of April. Additional produce is available for purchase.
More info: Visit www.wordenfarm.com

09/16/09 update: I found a few more local CSAs I’d like to include in the list:

ANNIE’S ORGANIC PRODUCE BUYING CLUB OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Area served: Pickup locations throughout the tri-county area and the keys.
Cost: $45 per box, half share available for $35.
Frequency: Weekly or bi-weekly
Box size: Up to 35 lbs.
Notes: You can choose among different types of boxes: Florida-grown produce only, more veggies than fruits, veggies for juices only, etc. Also sells organic dairy, meats, nuts, prepared foods like hummus and more.
More info: Visit: www.anniesbuyingclub.com

Not that us Floridians pay much attention to the seasons, but you can’t ignore that Labor Day brings the summer to an end. Before you know it, time light savings will make days shorter, nights longer, and in few weeks you’ll find yourself undusting your jackets and making plans for the winter holidays.

The end of the summer also means something else: cooler days make many of the state parks more endurable, specially the ones with no river or beach to dip in. And just around this time many state parks re-open their free tours and bird watching programs, which are not to be missed.

So it’s no surprise that in September, the State Parks Service celebrates Literacy Month, the time of the year when the state’s 160 parks proudly open their doors with all kinds of educational programs, guest appearances, lectures, workshops, book exchanges and more to bring two joys together: reading and being outdoors

This weekend, the Florida Park Service is offering free entrance to any of the 160 state parks for visitors who bring a library card, library book, or who donate a new or gently used family book.

If you go:
WHAT: State Park Literacy Month
WHEN: Sept. 11-13
MORE INFO: Visit www.floridastateparks.org

Photo by stig nygaard

Some good and bad news here: I got an e-mail today about a new sustainability report by FPL highlighting the company as a national leader in clean energy.

The report recognizes FPL as the number one producer of wind and solar power in the US, and goes on talking about how FPL plans to make Florida the second state in solar energy generation, how FPL generates more power from its wind farm than from its largest nuclear plant, and how FPL owns the largest wind farm in the world, located in Texas.

I was happy to hear this, not only because finally so much heat will be used for something other than attracting tourists (who consume and leave a lot of waste behind, but that should be another topic), but because I always felt that Florida was a little behind compared to other more energy efficient states.

Well, what does it matter now? Not even an hour later, breaking news about our favorite energy company pop up on the web again, this time pointing out how FPL is trying to expand its nuclear plants and not only pass on the costs to its customers- $67 million next year-, but -and this is the real bummer- how FPL told the Public Service Commission that nuclear power is key to Florida’s future energy plans.

“Nuclear power continues to be more economical than the latest state-of-the-art natural gas power plant. Our analysis indicates that the new nuclear units would save our customers more than $1 billion a year in fuel,” FPL spokesman Mayco Villafana told the Sun Sentinel.

Now I don’t know what to think. Was FPL’s sustainability report released a day before the hearings at the Public Service Commission intentionally? What do you think? Is the company trying to fool us?

The PSC hearings will continue Wednesday and Thursday, with a vote expected Oct. 16.

09/10/09 update: More disappointing news: Two top Public Service Commission staffers resigned yesterday and two others went on administrative leave after a Miami Herald investigation revealed that the employees had given their Blackberry codes to FPL’s lawyer, letting them text message eachother without leaving any paper trail. It seems that there will be new hires at FPL’s pr office.

Photo by afloresm

Some good and bad news here: I got an e-mail today about a new sustainability report by FPL highlighting the company as a national leader in clean energy.

The report recognizes FPL as the number one producer of wind and solar power in the US, and goes on talking about how FPL plans to make Florida the second state in solar energy generation, how FPL generates more power from its wind farm than from its largest nuclear plant, and how FPL owns the largest wind farm in the world, located in Texas.

I was happy to hear this, not only because finally so much heat will be used for something other than attracting tourists (who consume and leave a lot of waste behind, but that should be another topic), but because I always felt that Florida was a little behind compared to other more energy efficient states.

Well, what does it matter now? Not even an hour later, breaking news about our favorite energy company pop up on the web again, this time pointing out how FPL is trying to expand its nuclear plants and not only pass on the costs to its customers- $67 million next year-, but -and this is the real bummer- how FPL told the Public Service Commission that nuclear power is key to Florida’s future energy plans.

“Nuclear power continues to be more economical than the latest state-of-the-art natural gas power plant. Our analysis indicates that the new nuclear units would save our customers more than $1 billion a year in fuel,” FPL spokesman Mayco Villafana told the Sun Sentinel.

Now I don’t know what to think. Was FPL’s sustainability report released a day before the hearings at the Public Service Commission intentionally? What do you think? Is the company trying to fool us?

The PSC hearings will continue Wednesday and Thursday, with a vote expected Oct. 16.

09/10/09 update: More disappointing news: Two top Public Service Commission staffers resigned yesterday and two others went on administrative leave after a Miami Herald investigation revealed that the employees had given their Blackberry codes to FPL’s lawyer, letting them text message eachother without leaving any paper trail. It seems that there will be new hires at FPL’s pr office.

Photo by afloresm

Ever wonder what the future will be like if we continue sabotaging earth like this? Not that great, according to ‘The Age of Stupid’ director Franny Armstrong.

That’s what she explores in her sci-fi-documentary-drama which will be released simultaneously in more than 500 theaters across the US on Sept. 21 ( on the eve of the UN General Assembly’s climate session) in an event that will include live appearances from Kofi Annan, Thom Yorke and other activists.

The film is set in 2055, and revolves around a fictional “last man on Earth” (Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite) who watches “archive” footage from 2008 and asks “why didn’t we stop climate change while we had the chance?”

We get to see interviews with a Hurricane Katrina victim, a British wind farm developer, an aspiring Nigerian doctor, an elderly French mountain guide, a wealthy Indian entrepreneur and an 8-year-old Iraq war refugee – whose lives have all been affected by some aspect of the global warming phenomenon.

Although the film has a futuristic dystopian tone, it will hopefully send enough chills down our spines to inspire us to do more.

The nationwide release and live appearances will screen at a handful of theaters across South Florida, so get your tickets early.

If you go:
What: The Age of Stupid screening and live Q&A
When: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 21, 2009.
Where: Screenings throughout the tri-county area, including at Sunset Place 24, Cypress Creek Station 16, Movies at the Falls 12, Dolphin 19 Cinemas, and South Beach Stadium 18.
For locations and tickets visit: http://www.ageofstupid.net/screenings/country/united_states and click on Florida.

Ever wonder what the future will be like if we continue sabotaging earth like this? Not that great, according to ‘The Age of Stupid’ director Franny Armstrong.

That’s what she explores in her sci-fi-documentary-drama which will be released simultaneously in more than 500 theaters across the US on Sept. 21 ( on the eve of the UN General Assembly’s climate session) in an event that will include live appearances from Kofi Annan, Thom Yorke and other activists.

The film is set in 2055, and revolves around a fictional “last man on Earth” (Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite) who watches “archive” footage from 2008 and asks “why didn’t we stop climate change while we had the chance?”

We get to see interviews with a Hurricane Katrina victim, a British wind farm developer, an aspiring Nigerian doctor, an elderly French mountain guide, a wealthy Indian entrepreneur and an 8-year-old Iraq war refugee – whose lives have all been affected by some aspect of the global warming phenomenon.

Although the film has a futuristic dystopian tone, it will hopefully send enough chills down our spines to inspire us to do more.

The nationwide release and live appearances will screen at a handful of theaters across South Florida, so get your tickets early.

If you go:
What: The Age of Stupid screening and live Q&A
When: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 21, 2009.
Where: Screenings throughout the tri-county area, including at Sunset Place 24, Cypress Creek Station 16, Movies at the Falls 12, Dolphin 19 Cinemas, and South Beach Stadium 18.
For locations and tickets visit: http://www.ageofstupid.net/screenings/country/united_states and click on Florida.

Feeling guilty about throwing away burned music CDs with hits you now have in your mp3 player?

Of maybe getting rid of that CD with and old presentation you don’t want to ever think about?

Every year, millions of CDs and CD cases end up in landfills, and this is why the CD Recycling Center of America was founded in 2006. They try to recycle as many CDs as they can, and the best thing is they do it at no cost (ok, just a suggested donation but there is no obligation).

They work with individuals, but also encourage people to create CD recycling centers (boxes) at their jobs or schools. Their site has a lot of tips on how to get your coworkers thinking about CD recycling.

All they ask is for you to separate CDs, cases and booklets inside a box and ship it to them.

Visit their site for more information