Is Your Hamburger Destroying the Amazon?

Beef is not the most environmentally friendly food, as meats go- but things potentially just got a whole lot worse in August of 2016. This is when the US opened up beef imports from Brazil following an earlier import ban after concerns over Mad Cow Disease in 2012. The Amazon Rainforest in Brazil has been taking a big hit- since …

Why We Should All Care About Food Labeling

A little war over food labeling has been going on in our food aisles, and it is much more important than you may think. You may be asking, “what’s the problem, isn’t everyone for the labeling of our foods?” Well, many conventional food producers contend that labeling will cause confusion and fear – and you don’t fear what you don’t …

Reusable Mesh Produce Bag – Bag Again

There are a lot of great choices out there for reusable grocery bags, but Bag Again has created a recycled plastic mesh bag perfect for produce and bulk foods. Not only does it hold it, but you can wash, rinse, and scrub your produce in the bag for even more convenience. Bag Again sent me a few samples to try …

Trader Joes Red Palm Oil – Is it Good or Bad

Trader Joe’s recently came out with an Organic Red Palm Oil (also known as African Palm Oil), which seems to have replaced their popular Organic Coconut oil, but it poses the question: is this a good thing? Palm oil has been under fire (and rightly so) for some time now because of the association with rainforest destruction, and by association …

Glenwood Garden Specialty Food Market

The other day I received a wonderful gift box from Glenwood Garden, a social issue focused market carrying local handmade and sustainably produced foods. Kind of like a modern and sustainable alternative to the Hickory Farms style gift baskets, except with small specialty produced artisan foods and goods. My gift box was a delightful collection of California and Bay Area …

Best 8 Bay Area CSA and Produce Delivery Services

Compare California Bay Area CSA and local produce delivery services hand selected from The Chic Ecologist editors. Having actually used these services ourselves, we have had great experiences with the following. Feel free to add your favorites in our comments so we can expand this list! Greenhearts Sourced from their own family farm, or partner farms within the Bay Area, …

Cricket Flour – A Sustainable Protein Source

Whether you are Paleo or just looking for a more sustainable protein source, insects can be the answer. Eating insects to supplement one’s protein is nothing new, many cultures have been doing it for centuries. In fact 80% of the world still eats insects on a regular basis. What makes insects sustainable? Lets answer that by first looking at our …

Local Organic Produce Delivery CSA Box

In an ever expanding world of home delivery, produce is making a comeback. It is a common occurrence here in the San Francisco Bay Area to see Amazon Fresh and Safeway delivery trucks. On top of that, there are many organic and local produce delivery services popping up in urban areas (see a previous review of SPUD delivery service), but …

Is Your Own Tap Water Cleaner than Bottled Water?

It’s possible. The fact is, cities and states have regulations for water quality, unlike bottled water, which can have higher levels of arsenic, bacteria, and other contaminants*. Recent studies of bottled water commissioned by EWG* have found high levels of disinfection byproducts, fertilizer residue, and pain medication, including 38 chemical pollutants altogether. “FDA Safety and Consumer Protections [for bottled water] …

Sustainable Sushi Resources

With an explosion in popularity over the last few decades, Sushi is quickly causing overfishing problems impacting several species to the brink of extinction. Bluefin Tuna (Kuromaguro or Toro) is the most dire of these, however, many others such as Yellowtail (Hamachi), eel (Unagi), and many other popular Sushi fish are experiencing major declines. With so many fisheries being impacted …