Slashfoodhttp://www.slashfood.comSlashfoodhttp://www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gifSlashfoodhttp://www.slashfood.comen-usCopyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Green-Certified Restaurants for Earth Day Dininghttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/22/green-certified-restaurants-for-earth-day-dining/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/22/green-certified-restaurants-for-earth-day-dining/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/22/green-certified-restaurants-for-earth-day-dining/#commentsFiled under: ,

Brasserie Jo restaurant (Boston)Brasserie Jo, Boston. Photo: colonnade, Flickr


If you're not celebrating Earth Day by dining at one of the many Earth Dinners we offered to you earlier this week, take comfort in one of these green-certified spots approved by the only non-profit that can: the Green Restaurant Association (GRA). This 20-year-old, nationally recognized program is backed by Energy Star and the Environmental Defense Fund. To get an approval from this group, your establishment needs to be Stryfoam-free, recycle-friendly (and compost, if available) and use sustainable food and water.

"The Green Restaurant Association is proud to have attracted scores of highly esteemed restaurants from across the United States," said Michael Oshman, founder and executive director of the GRA, in a statement. Most recognizable: Le Bernardin, Mario Batali's empire, Microsoft corporate cafés, Hyatt hotels, Panera and Jamba Juice. Not to leave anyone out, here's the full list.

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]]>green restaurant associationgreen restaurantsJessie CacciolaFri, 22 Apr 2011 14:00:00 ESTCelebrate Earth Day at a National Earth Dinner Near Youhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/19/earth-dinners-celebrate-earth-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/19/earth-dinners-celebrate-earth-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/04/19/earth-dinners-celebrate-earth-day/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Earth Dinner


We're all for putting things into the ground on Earth Day (April 22), but we also really love eating what comes out of it. For the third consecutive year, non-profit Chefs Collaborative is hosting fundraising Earth Dinners on dates surrounding Earth Day, where chefs from 65 restaurants (and counting) across the country will serve up the best that our early spring harvest has to offer -- think ramps, fiddleheads, and all your regional in-season produce.

Proceeds will benefit the national chefs' network Chefs Collaborative, which works to build education around sustainable practices through events like this. What's more, dairy conglomerate Organic Valley is sponsoring the events and will be matching donations up to $10,000.

"Chefs in cities and towns across the country have really stepped up to the plate to hold delicious dinners in celebration of Earth Day -- and in particular, to put a spotlight on sustainable and organic choices," said Melissa Kogut, executive director of Chefs Collaborative, in a statement.

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]]>Chefs Collaborativeearth day 2011Earth DinnerJessie CacciolaTue, 19 Apr 2011 15:00:00 ESTWould You Drive A Car Made From Bananas?http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/29/would-you-drive-a-car-made-from-bananas/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/29/would-you-drive-a-car-made-from-bananas/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/29/would-you-drive-a-car-made-from-bananas/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Arif Ali, AFP / Getty Images


Proving nature is, in fact, often better than anything coming off a conveyor belt, we may soon have cars made from pineapples, bananas and coconuts. All of these fruits have fibrous cellulose (nanocellulose) which rivals widely-used Kevlar in strength, reports Wired. Plus, the nanocellulose plastic is lighter than many widely used materials and also biodegradable.

The material would be renewable and decomposable (as long as it's not combined with petroleum-based plastics) -- and a lighter car means a lower gas bill. (Ford is already hoping to slim their vehicles by 250 to 750 pounds, notes Wired.) In a statement, Alcides Leão, a researcher at São Paulo State University, says the material is "30 percent lighter and three to four times stronger." That's because a plant's main cell wall, where cellulose is found, can be processed to yield fibers so tight that 50,000 fit within the diameter of a human hair.

Leão and his team are still working in small quantities in the lab so there's no telling yet how much nanocellulose plastic will cost, but it won't be cheap. Though if it takes off in the automotive world, high production would knock down the price. And it's cost-effective: A pound of nanocellulose yields 100 pounds of plastic.

Once this technology catches on, watch out -- Leão says he's working on steel and aluminum alternatives next.

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]]>banana carsnanocellulose plasticJessie CacciolaTue, 29 Mar 2011 15:00:00 ESTU.S. Food Industry To Trim Packaging Waste by 4 Billion Poundshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/u-s-food-industry-to-trim-packaging-waste-by-4-billion-pounds/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/u-s-food-industry-to-trim-packaging-waste-by-4-billion-pounds/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/24/u-s-food-industry-to-trim-packaging-waste-by-4-billion-pounds/#commentsFiled under: ,

plastic water bottlesPhoto: ntr23, Flickr


From thinning plastic bottles to decomposable potato chip bags, sustainable packaging has hit the marketplace in full force. In fact, from 2005 to 2010 more than 1.5 billion pounds of packaging was diverted from landfills, says a new survey from the Grocery Manufacturers Association. And for the next decade, the goal is to cut another 2.5 billion pounds off that "waste line."

The survey, titled Reducing Our Footprint, was done by McKinsely and Georgetown Economic Services, and details the poll of 14 top companies in the food, beverage and consumer products industries. They don't reveal specific company names, but their findings show that the industry at large is on track to reduce packaging weight by 19 percent, or 2.5 billion pounds, by 2020. That's the energy-saving equivalent of removing 363,000 homes or 815,000 gas-guzzlers.

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]]>eco-friendly packagingfeaturedgreen packagingGrocery Manufacturers AssociationJessie CacciolaThu, 24 Mar 2011 12:00:00 ESTMcDonald's Courts Sustainabilityhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/11/mcdonalds-courts-sustainability/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/11/mcdonalds-courts-sustainability/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/11/mcdonalds-courts-sustainability/#commentsFiled under: ,

McDonald'sPhoto: Rafa from Brazil, Flickr

Sustainability has become the go-to word for every corporation in the U.S.and McDonald's is no exception. The burger giant recently announced what it's calling its Sustainable Land Management Commitment (SLMC). In a press release that sounds a bit like a "Spider-Man" script, the company states that "McDonald's ... accept[s] the responsibility that comes with our global presence," by requiring that over a period of time, all agricultural raw materials will be supplied only from sustainably managed land. (McDonald's also admits that since it "does not actually produce any of the food we ultimately serve our customers, it's essential that we work with suppliers who share our values.")

What does that mean, exactly? If "sustainability" gives you images of a family farm sending their free-range chickens to a McDonald's supplier, think again. What it does mean is that McDonald's sat down with the World Wildlife Fund, and "other stakeholders" (including fellow corporate megaliths such as Walmart, as well as suppliers) and came up with five products to concentrate on making better: beef, poultry, coffee, palm oil, and food packaging. It is also joining various Global Roundtables (on beef, and responsible palm oil production).

See the details on McDonald's Sustainable Land Management Commitment, after the jump:

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]]>mcdonaldssustainabilitysustainable land management commitmentNanette MaximFri, 11 Mar 2011 14:00:00 ESTA Fee for Using Plastic Bags: Is Your State Next?http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/07/a-fee-for-using-plastic-bags-is-your-state-next/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/07/a-fee-for-using-plastic-bags-is-your-state-next/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/02/07/a-fee-for-using-plastic-bags-is-your-state-next/#commentsFiled under: ,

plastic bags being bannedPhoto: AlishaV, Flickr


Choosing not to bring a reusable bag to the grocery store might cost you in the near future. Lawmakers in Connecticut have proposed a bill that would charge 5 cents for plastic or paper bag use, with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. Plastic bags are already taxed in D.C., and Oregon has similar legislation in the works.

The 5-cent fee proposed by Connecticut lawmakers would be used for municipal recycling efforts, reports the Associated Press, but it also serves as a deterrent. Now that resuable totes are easy to come by (most grocery stores have them for sale), environmentalists want plastics done away with.

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]]>banning plastic bagsplastic bagsshopping bagsJessie CacciolaMon, 07 Feb 2011 14:00:00 ESTUSDA To Introduce "Biobased" Labelhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/20/usda-to-introduce-biobased-label/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/20/usda-to-introduce-biobased-label/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/20/usda-to-introduce-biobased-label/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

USDA sample label for new biobased packagingPhoto: USDAgov, Flickr

There's a new eco label coming out this spring to address products -- like water bottles and grocery bags -- made with bio-based ingredients (primarily corn), which decompose instead of requiring recycling: "USDA Certified Biobased Product."

Totally Green, for example, produces a corn-based water bottle that can be composted along with other food waste, and plans to use the label as soon as it is released, reports the Des Moines Register. Unfortunately, compostable chip bags never caught on thanks to their insanely loud crinkling, but these water bottles have no noise issues, so perhaps they'll have better luck.

Cotton and wool products won't apply because the program is intended to support the agricultural commodity market. That being corn, of course. Look for the label on anything from dish soap bottles to skin-care products. Will you make the switch?

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]]>biodegradablecompostableecoUSDAJessie CacciolaThu, 20 Jan 2011 17:00:00 ESTGordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver Accused of Fish Hypocrisyhttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/18/gordon-ramsay-and-jamie-oliver-accused-of-fish-hypocrisy/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/18/gordon-ramsay-and-jamie-oliver-accused-of-fish-hypocrisy/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/18/gordon-ramsay-and-jamie-oliver-accused-of-fish-hypocrisy/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay served endangered eelPhotos: BAUER-GRIFFIN.COM; George Pimentel / WireImage.com


Chefs Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver talk the talk about sustainable fishing, and even appear on the BBC show "The Big Fish Fight," where they go to the source, and supposedly walk the walk. But, report the editors at TheStir, both chefs have been caught red-handed serving unstainable fish at their restaurants. What were the two star chefs putting on the plate that caused the ruckus? Find out at TheStir.

Watch episodes of BBC's "The Big Fish Fight" online.

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]]>featuredgordon ramsayjamie oliverSustainable fishthe Editors at TheStirTue, 18 Jan 2011 12:00:00 ESTIntroducing Jelloware: Edible Cupshttp://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/14/jelloware-edible-gelatin-cups/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/14/jelloware-edible-gelatin-cups/http://www.slashfood.com/2011/01/14/jelloware-edible-gelatin-cups/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: The Way We See The World


We couldn't help but do a double-take when we stumbled upon these edible Jell-O cups over on The Kitchn. "Jelloware" started out as an entry in a Jell-O mold competition and now the ladies behind this clever invention are all over the internet.

The cups come in different flavors -- lemon-basil, ginger-mint, or rosemary-beet -- and are made of a gelatin substitute. They're also an environmentally friendly option to their less-tasty counterpart, the plastic cup.

Continue reading (and for more photos): Jelloware edible cups (P.S. They're vegan!)

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]]>jellojello cupsJelloCupsjellowareSlashfood EditorFri, 14 Jan 2011 15:00:00 ESTThe Greenest Restaurant in Americahttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/16/the-greenest-restaurant-in-america/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/16/the-greenest-restaurant-in-america/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/16/the-greenest-restaurant-in-america/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: The Grey Plume


Move over Portland, Seattle and Boston, you bastions of tree-hugging, earth-friendly eco-action. It's official. The greenest restaurant in America is in Omaha, Nebraska. That's right...Omaha.

The restaurant, The Grey Plume, was crowned by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) after they broke two GRA records. It's the first restaurant in the country to meet the association's SustainaBuild standard, and has accumulated the most GRA points to-date of the nearly 315 restaurants participating in the certification program.

According to chef Clayton Chapman, those greening efforts included specifics like the installation of energy efficient lighting, construction of the bar, booths, doors, flooring and more from renewable or reclaimed wood; using compostable or recycled material in to-go packaging; integrating a full-scale recycling and composting program, and much more.

While some green-facility advocates say the greenest building is one that's already in existence, Chapman says the restaurant's initiatives were made possible because they're part of Omaha's new Midtown Crossing project.

"In order to do what we did, you have to start from scratch," says Chapman. "Our sustainability efforts were things we were going to do whether we were certified or not, but certification keeps everyone honest, and helped us implement all these green initiatives -- everything from sourcing things like soda to recycled drywall."

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]]>chefsgreen diningGreen Restaurant AssociationOmaharestaurantsClare Leschin-HoarThu, 16 Dec 2010 16:00:00 ESTRoasted Squash Seed Oil: The Newest Alternative to Olive Oilhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/09/roasted-squash-seed-oil-the-newest-alternative-to-olive-oil/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/09/roasted-squash-seed-oil-the-newest-alternative-to-olive-oil/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/12/09/roasted-squash-seed-oil-the-newest-alternative-to-olive-oil/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Roasted Squash seed oilsPhoto Courtesy: Stony Brook WholeHeartedFoods


Way before it's time to peel back the skins from the mushy goodness of steaming, roasted squash, the first step is removing those slimy seeds and, if you're a good recycler, dumping them in a compost bin. But to Greg Woodworth, saving those seeds is step one in producing a deep amber-colored, aromatically nutty, squash seed oil, a no-waste answer to upstate New York's abundant fall crop and an American alternative to olive oil.

Once a cookie factory in Boston, Woodworth's now repurposed, renamed, relocated Stony Brook WholeHeartedFoods in Geneva, NY -- co-owned with partner Kelly Coughlin, a public health advocate for water quality -- bottles 20 cases of spent seed oil each week from acorn, delicata, butternut and buttercup squash (and soon, pumpkin) to be shipped to culinary boutique shops, restaurants and grocery stores across the country, like Formaggio Kitchen in Boston and even Whole Foods Market in Dedham, Mass. and Portland, Maine.

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]]>cooking oilsquash seed oilJessie CacciolaThu, 09 Dec 2010 11:00:00 ESTEspresso Served in the Bike Lanehttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/28/Bike-caffe-food-trucks-for-coffee/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/28/Bike-caffe-food-trucks-for-coffee/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/28/Bike-caffe-food-trucks-for-coffee/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Bike CaffePhoto: BikeCaffe


The trend in gourmet food trucks may still be going strong, with mobile units serving everything from tapas to dim sum. But wait! What do we spy? Is it the next generation in the mobilization of food?Get ready for BikeCaffe. That's right; as Mother Nature Network reports, the U.K.-based company is looking to unleash an army of its pedaling baristas on U.S. shores, with at least one BikeCaffe operating in Denver already and others planned for Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and (of all places) Phoenix. (Not sure we'd want to commit to trying to hawk hot coffee in the desert from the seat of a bike, but okay.)

The fancy, three-wheeled contraptions are outfitted with a full-service coffee bar in front, which serves 100-percent fair-trade coffee, Italian-style espresso, and most other coffeehouse staples. And as the fact that the story was picked up by MNN suggests, the company is billing itself as ultra-eco-friendly. (After all, this is a bike we're talking about -- no worries about global-warming emissions here.)

There would seem to be another side benefit of operating a BikeCaffe: after a few months of pedaling that thing uphill, you're pretty much guaranteed to be able to eat all the biscotti you can manage and never pack on a pound.

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]]>baristaBicyclescoffee shopfood trucksJason BestThu, 28 Oct 2010 13:00:00 ESTTake-Out Menus Turned Into Arthttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/20/the-art-of-the-take-out-menu-starts-by-trading-them-in/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/20/the-art-of-the-take-out-menu-starts-by-trading-them-in/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/20/the-art-of-the-take-out-menu-starts-by-trading-them-in/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Truck and sculpture model. Photos Courtesy SeamlessWeb, Kevin O'Callaghan

This weekend, there's going to be a 10-foot pastrami sandwich at the Brooklyn Flea, but, despite the fast-food bigger-is-better craze, no one will dare you to eat it. This inedible behemoth is the latest structure from New York artist and School of Visual Arts professor Kevin O'Callaghan, and that meat is all rubber. That tooth-pick tassel? It's made from old menus. Your old take-out menus, in fact.

The unveiling of the large-scale piece, along with a 10-foot packet of take-out essentials (utensils, condiments, napkin), is the end of a week-long press run for SeamlessWeb.com, the international online food-delivery and takeout site. Their new campaign involves the slogan "(Less Paper) More Eat," and a big red truck circling the city to collect consumers' old menus. In exchange, you get a fortune cookie with a redemption code to use on the site's 5,000 featured restaurants in 27 cities across the U.S, as well as in London. And they've enlisted O'Callaghan to turn those paper menus into a piece of art. (FYI, he also designed the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards and is the subject of the newly released book, Monumental: The Reimagined World of Kevin O'Callaghan, which chronicles his long career.)

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]]>artonline orderingpaperlessrestaurantsstreet arttake-outtake-out menuJessie CacciolaWed, 20 Oct 2010 15:00:00 ESTFast-Food Restaurants That Are the Real Green Dealhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/20/fast-food-restaurants-that-are-the-real-green-deal/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/20/fast-food-restaurants-that-are-the-real-green-deal/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/20/fast-food-restaurants-that-are-the-real-green-deal/#commentsFiled under: , ,

LEED certificate on buildingPhoto: eng1ne, Flickr

Despite all the hullaballoo over carbon footprints and "green" building design, The DailyGreen recently pointed out that there are only 38 restaurants in the U.S. that have so far received LEED certification (an internationally recognized certification that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Thirty-eight in the whole country? That's a pretty paltry amount, given that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than a half-million eating and drinking places in the country. Even more surprising is that 40 percent of those LEED-certified establishments are chain restaurants. Who made the list? Sandwich chain Subway currently has one LEED-certified restaurant in Chapel Hill, N.C; and burger-meister Arby's has a green building in Magnolia, Texas.

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]]>arbyseco-friendlyGreen livingrestaurantssubwaySlashfood EditorWed, 20 Oct 2010 13:00:00 ESTPepsiCo Not Giving Up on Finding Eco-Friendly Chip Bagshttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/14/pepsico-not-giving-up-on-finding-eco-friendly-chip-bags/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/14/pepsico-not-giving-up-on-finding-eco-friendly-chip-bags/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/14/pepsico-not-giving-up-on-finding-eco-friendly-chip-bags/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Watt_Dabney, Flickr


PepsiCo has announced that it is developing a new biodegradable bag for its potato chips, and hopefully this time you won't need to put in earplugs before reaching for your favorite salty snack.

The company's most recent efforts to make its packaging more eco-friendly came to a dismal end just last week when PepsiCo's chip maker in the U.S., Frito-Lay, announced that it was ditching biodegradable bags for most varieties of its SunChips and switching back to conventional plastic-based bags.

The move came after a growing chorus of consumer complaints about the bags being ridiculously loud, inspiring Facebook pages with titles like "I wanted SunChips but my roommate was sleeping..." One Air Force pilot measured the crackly crunch of the bags at 95 decibels, or about as loud as a motorcycle.

But PepsiCo hasn't given up on trying to perfect the compostable chip bag, according to BusinessGreen.com. The president of the company's UK division recently said that they're now looking into making biodegradable bags from potato peelings (which seems logical for a potato chip company). He expects that the new bags might be used for some of the company's smaller chip brands (marketed under the name Walkers in Britain) within the next 18 months.

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]]>eco-friendlypepsicopotato chip bagssunchipsJason BestThu, 14 Oct 2010 14:00:00 ESTCompost, The New Recyclinghttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/05/compost-the-new-recycling/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/05/compost-the-new-recycling/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/05/compost-the-new-recycling/#commentsFiled under: ,

food compost bucketPhoto: elaine faith, Flickr


The meal is done: Dishes hit the sink; plastic bottles and tin cans go into the recycling bin. But the scraps from dinner and cooking prep -- egg shells, garlic skins, vegetable stems and cheese rinds? A few counties in California have come up with a simple, smart solution for utilizing those, too.

"You put a small bin on your kitchen counter, divert all your organic waste into it, and then just dump it in the larger bin outside when it's full. The rest is taken care of," says Sarah Rich, co-founder of Foodprint Project, a traveling advocacy group and educational panel on urban agricultural. The larger bin is picked up at the end of the week during regular garbage collection. "You don't need to be a gardener yourself in order to make good use of your food scraps," she says. Foodprint Project was formed early this year to evaluate the viability and potential of local food in urban areas. So far, they've hosted panels in New York City and Toronto, and this coming January, they're headed for Los Angeles.

If you look at a landfill, most of the waste is food -- it'll decompose, sure, but then what? Where does all that nutrient-rich soil go? That was the thinking behind the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority's new Food Scrap Recycling Program, which started in September 2007 and is expanding this month to California's Walnut Creek area, along with existing areas: Lafayette, Orinda, and Moraga in Contra Costa County.

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]]>compostcompost-bincompostingcomposting-food-scrapsenvironmentalrecyclingsustainableurban agricultureJessie CacciolaTue, 05 Oct 2010 11:00:00 ESTIt's World Vegetarian Day!http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/01/its-world-vegetarian-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/01/its-world-vegetarian-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/10/01/its-world-vegetarian-day/#commentsFiled under: ,

Vegetables Vegetarian DietPhoto: A.Rud.Beth, Flickr

Happy World Vegetarian Day!

According to a recent study by Vegetarian Times, vegetarianism in America is booming: 7.3 million Americans are vegetarian, while an even higher amount -- 22.8 million -- follow "vegetarian-inclined" diets. And it's no surprise that vegetarianism is on the rise, as consumers shy away from the increasing prominence of processed foods -- the vast majority of vegetarians name health as their incentive, closely followed by environmental concerns.

View Poll



Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

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]]>vegetarianworld vegetarian dayWorldVegetarianDayAlexa WeibelFri, 01 Oct 2010 13:15:00 ESTGreen Refrigeration for Supermarketshttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/09/10/eco-friendly-refrigeration-with-co2/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/09/10/eco-friendly-refrigeration-with-co2/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/09/10/eco-friendly-refrigeration-with-co2/#commentsFiled under: ,

dairy section of the grocery storePhoto: cafenut, Flickr


Back in July, we reported on supermarkets using solar panels, something Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market was early to adopt; now they've got yet another cool tool up their green sleeves: CO2 refrigeration. We know, CO2 hardly screams "good for the ozone," but the technology actually earned the chain a GreenChill certification from The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Here's why: Compared to standard refrigeration units, the system is estimated to drastically reduce the store's carbon footprint. That's because standard units are made with a potent greenhouse gas, hydrofluorocarbons (HCFC) -- 1,400 times more damaging to the environment than naturally occurring CO2. The EPA says that most refrigeration units in the U.S. use HCFCs in "direct expansion systems," which are typically "charged with 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of refrigerant and can leak in excess of 20 percent each year."

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]]>carbon footprintCarbonFootprintCO2co2 emissionsCo2Emissionsepagreen technologygreenhouse gasesGreenhouseGasesGreenTechnologyhydroflourocarbonrefrigerationsupermarketJessie CacciolaFri, 10 Sep 2010 14:00:00 ESTThe "Dirty Dozen" Fishhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/09/10/the-dirty-dozen-fish/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/09/10/the-dirty-dozen-fish/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/09/10/the-dirty-dozen-fish/#commentsFiled under: ,

seafood counterPhoto: Mr. T in DC, Flickr


You've seen the "dirty dozen" list for produce -- fruits and vegetables that are laden with pesticides, making it worth the cost of buying organic. But did you know there's also a dirty dozen list for fish? Food & Water Watch -- a non-profit group that works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced -- publishes an annual "do not eat" list.

Why is it noteworthy? As Barry Estabrook, writer at The Atlantic, explains in a recent article, "Seafood guides tend to focus either on species that should be avoided for reasons related to environmental health (overfishing) or species that should be avoided for reasons related to human health (their flesh is contaminated with chemicals). Food and Water Watch publishes a useful guide that takes both concerns into account."

The below fish fail at least two of their criteria for safe and sustainable seafood. The five criteria are: contaminants; status of the stock; catch method or farming method; economic/social/cultural significance (a community predominantly fishes for this species and depends on it); and key species (it's a primary food source for other wildlife or does it create critical habitat for other wildlife).

o. Imported catfish
o. Caviar from wild-caught sturgeon
o. Atlantic cod
o. American eel
o. Atlantic flounder, sole, and halibut
o. Imported king crab
o. Imported shrimp
o. Farmed salmon
o. Chilean seabass
o. Shark
o. Atlantic bluefin tuna

The good news? Food & Water Watch offers a downloadable wallet-size guide to "smart" seafood, and also has resources on the site to help you find sustainable alternatives based on your fish tastes (mild, thick and flavorful, etc.).

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]]>bluefin tunaBluefinTunacatfishcodDirty DozenDirtyDozeneelfarmed salmonFarmedSalmonhalibutking crabKingCrabSeaBasssharksturgeonsustainableSustainable fishsustainable fishingSustainableFishSustainableFishingSlashfood EditorFri, 10 Sep 2010 13:00:00 ESTHottest Woman in NASCAR is a Vegetarianhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/09/09/hottest-woman-in-nascar-is-a-vegetarian/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/09/09/hottest-woman-in-nascar-is-a-vegetarian/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/09/09/hottest-woman-in-nascar-is-a-vegetarian/#commentsFiled under: ,

Leilani Munter NASCAR driverPhoto: Jason Merritt / Getty Images for Global Green

Tofurky has gotten racy.

"The blare of revving engines, the squeal of tires leaving pit row, it's not an atmosphere where you'd expect someone to be touting the benefits of vegetables, recycling, composting and canvas bags. And that's exactly what makes rising star race car driver Leilani Munter so interesting," says HuffPo writer (and program director of Meatless Mondays) Chris Elam.

A biology graduate turned race car driver, Munter began racing stock cars 10 years ago, and now competes in both NASCAR and IndyCar. She's been voted "the hottest woman in NASCAR," and is only the fourth woman in history to compete in the Indy Pro Series.

Read Elam's full interview with Munter, and hear how she manages her ironic dual identity of race car driver and environmentalist.

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]]>chris elamChrisElamfeaturedindycarleilani munterLeilaniMuntermeatless mondaysMeatlessMondaysnascarvegetarianSlashfood EditorThu, 09 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST