Ever taken a good look at your heating or cooling bill and wanted to do something about it? Well, even if you have and bought a smart programmable thermostat, you may be spending more than without one. A recent study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that “as many as 50 percent of residential programmable thermostats are in permanent …
Green Driveway Path Options
Create a green space on your driveway- Do it yourself or professionally installed with so many options! A while back, I wrote about Green Driveways and Paths, which ended up being a pretty popular article. I figured that it would be helpful to see your options when it comes to porous surfaces, permeable paths and eco-friendly driveways. Green driveways not …
Fearless Raw Organic Chocolate
The folks over at Fearless Chocolate sent us over a friendly care package filled with delicious chocolate treats from their latest batch. Fearless organic raw chocolate is just that, unroasted and minimally processed at temperatures below 118 degrees to preserve the antioxidants, minerals and nutrients naturally found in cacao. It is also better than fair-trade, it’s direct trade. Collaborating directly …
All About: Seattle, Washington
Washington State has a reputation (along with the rest of the Pacific Northwest) as being a green, eco-friendly region. Given the natural beauty, active outdoorsy residents and connection with nature, its really no wonder. Here at The Chic Ecologist, we have done several articles and features of Seattle based sustainable businesses, green events and manufacturers, so we decided to compile …
Great White Shark on Display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
As of August 31st, 2011, the sixth live great white shark to ever go on display made it’s debut in the Open Sea tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. This is one of the things that makes the Monterey Bay Aquarium great in my opinion, sharing this beautiful creature with the world, alive and magnificent. I visited the …
Sustainable Sushi in Seattle – Mashiko
I am a true sushi lover, but getting information about the fish I am eating can be a difficult ordeal. Most sushi places aren’t very forthcoming on where they get their fish, or even what kind of fish it is you are actually eating (Hamachi is often labeled as yellowtail when it actually should be Amberjack, although it can vary …
Local Seattle Vodka & Gin – Sound Spirits
It’s pretty amazing what you can find just leisurely walking around Seattle. Case in point, the other day I decided to take a walk down 15th near the Interbay area and ran into Sound Spirits, a Seattle craft distillery producing primarily Vodka and Gin (with an Aquavit coming soon!) under the label Ebb+Flow. Billed as Seattle’s first distillery since prohibition, …
DIY and Homeopathic Cold and Flu Home Remedies
I recently had a really bad cold or flu which lasted forever. During that time I found myself dreading taking another Advil, aspirin, NyQuil, cough syrup or throat lozenge. Was I just prolonging the sickness, and what kind of damaging effects could all of this harsh medicine have on my body? Near the end I found myself replacing the cough …
The Story Behind Ethical Diamonds
Even today, many people still don’t know about the contentious issues that surround diamond production. Most people’s first experience of buying a diamond is when they plan to get married, and when caught up in all the excitement that brings, unless you have prior knowledge of the blood diamond issue, it may not be something that’s on your agenda. Blood …
Northwest EcoBuilding Guild Building Slam! 2011
Ten projects. Ten slides. Ten minutes. Emceed by Patti Southard, of the King County Green Tools Program, this year’s Annual Green Building Slam! put on by the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild is sure to be interesting. What: Annual Green Building Slam! Where: Bastyr University Auditorium When: Saturday, September 10, 2011 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Cost: $20 Advance (before 9/8)/ …