More Hip Than Hippie #269 - Meeting Mr. Wright

Charter Hipster Bob Wright made the trek to Chico to talk about his work at a food bank.

Dori and Val welcome longtime listener Bob Wright to the show this week! Does his name sound familiar? Bob provided those cheesy tiaras and Disneyland antenna balls back in the early days. He was inspired by a previous show to tell us about the efforts food banks make to rescue groceries for the hungry. He also introduces the Hipsters to the concept of the secondary porn star name.

Beer: The sustainable geniuses at New Belgium Brewing cooked up an ancient beer recipe and dubbed it 1554 Enlightened Black Ale. We think it would be fantastic with a hearty meal. Those medieval monks knew how to brew!

Chocolate: Val's FedEx rep went to Europe and brought us back some chocolate! Kinder Maxi is a German treat for milk chocolate lovers, a bit too sweet and gooey for snobs like us. But Leonard, thanks for being our chocolate mule.

Finds:

• Pawesome! Val has launched Operation Greenpaws to help a local animal santuary raise funds for their upcoming relocation. Donate just $5 and you'll receive a pile of great coupons!
• We're so sari. Eco-fashionistas will love the upcycled silk sari scarves and wraps from GreenSewn. Bonus: they plant 10 trees for every purchase.

• We got the beet. A federal judge has overturned approval of Monsanto 's biotech sugar beets, pending further study.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

Catch some air! It's been a long, hot summer. Have you changed the filter on your air conditioner or swamp cooler lately? Saves energy, saves you money!

Charter Hipster Bob Wright made the trek to Chico to talk about one of his passions--feeding the hungry. As Agency Relations Manager at the Second Harvest Food Bank in Orange County, CA, Bob builds bridges between those with too much food, and those with too little. He thinks of it as a form of recycling.

• Is there a difference between a food bank and a soup kitchen? Yep!
• To find a food bank near you or learn more about domestic hunger relief, check out Feeding America.
• Here are some guidelines for starting a local food pantry.
• By the way, Bob's other passion is his Baseball History Podcast.

Attention lurkers: we want to hear from you! Drop us a line just to let us know you're out there. Of course, feel free to add comments, questions and links..we love to get your input at hip@greenfeet.com. Check out our blog!

• Karen in Colorado doesn't like cleaning baby toys with bleach. Try OdoBan or Steramine instead...or, how about a UV Sanitizing Wand?
• Lisa in Chicago loves Intelligentsia Coffee and their Direct Trade program.
• Jessica in Pittsburgh wonders what we think about Vogue Italia's oil-spill fashion shoot. Share your opinion!
• Greg in New Hampshire (Live Free or Die!) shares some tempting ideas from Komforte Chockolates. Yes, your wife rocks and so do you!
• Shout-Out!! A big Hipster Howdy to Meaghan in Canada, who mentions us on her vlog.

More Hip Than Hippie #268 - Here Comes the Sun

As the solar energy industry evolves, more homes and businesses take advantage of incentives to "go solar".

Thanks to government rebates, it seems easier than ever to afford an array of PV panels on your roof. Does solar energy make sense for your home or business? What is the "trifecta of disaster"? Dori and Val seek enlightenment from Tim Hamor, co-owner of a solar system installation company in Chico. (Tim previously appeared in show #65, Going Solar.) Also, the Hipsters encounter a Beer Pimp and Val goes ape for Adam-12.

Beer and Chocolate:

Beer: Our new Favorite Listener is Megan in Arizona, who introduced us to the complicated pleasures of Bourbon County Brand Stout from Goose Island Brewery. What started as a potential malt-face mishap, turned into a positively passionate pairing!

Chocolate: Luckily, the simple goodness of Ghirardelli's Twilight Delight complemented the beer perfectly. And this Twilight contained no whiny vampires.

Hip News and Finds

Finds:

• Are you gonna use that teabag? A London fashion student creates compostable clothing from tubs of tea and yeast. BioCouture jackets, t-shirts and dresses go back to nature when they go out of style.
• Changing channels. Val's family has cut the cord on cable TV, opting instead for low-cost Boxee and Netflix. Savings=Beer Money!

Hip News

• Frankenfish. A very special variety of salmon is coming to a market near you, courtesy of AquaBounty. It'll be loaded with Vitamin GMO, but don't worry, the FDA says you don't need to know that.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

From Listener Alex in Cleveland: Be mindful of your water usage! Turn off the tap while you scrub your hands, then turn it back on to rinse.

From Listener Megan in Arizona: Invest in a reusable mug for your visits to the coffee shop! You'll keep paper cups out of the landfill while saving yourself a bit of change.

Here Comes the Sun

Our friend Tim Hamor of Alternative Energy Systems sheds some light on going solar!

• First, the nuts and bolts: how a solar cell works.
• Get an energy profile to determine if solar works for you. Use this calculator to get a rough idea.
• Learn about rebates and incentives to help you get into a solar energy system: DSIRE and SEIA are great resources.
• The 2006 California Solar Initiative serves as a model for the new 10 Million Solar Roofs initiative put forward by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
• Remote monitoring of your home's solar energy usage? There's an app for that!

Listener E-mails

Attention lurkers: we want to hear from you! Drop us a line just to let us know you're out there. Of course, feel free to add comments, questions and links..we love to get your input at hip@greenfeet.com. Check out our blog!

• Sarah is traumatized after reading her toothpaste tube. Uncle Harry's Tooth Powder to the rescue!
• Barb in Colorado suggests Greener Photography as a resource for eco-friendly brides-to-be.
• Alex in Cleveland has a cool tip for Midwesterners: splurge on Jeni's Ice Creams. They deliver!
• Dolores in Cleveland loves her local Blackout Stout. Hey, hire Alex as an intern at Earth Day Coalition!

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Charter Hipster Doug Hilton in Lancaster, PA has been diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. He's undergoing chemotherapy and needs some Hipster Mojo to keep his spirits up! Send him some love on his Facebook page and keep him in your thoughts while he kicks some cancer ass. You can also send him a nice email through us, at hip@greenfeet.com.

More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com. Check out our new blog.

More Hip Than Hippie #267 - Pimp My Shrimp!

Shrimp trawling accounts for one third of global seafood bycatch.

Shrimp is the world's most valuable seafood, but many other creatures die in the process of getting it to our dinner plates. Poor practices by fisheries and farms take an unacceptable toll. Dori and Val dive into the effects of bycatch and what consumers can do to protect sea life.

Beer: The angels sing! Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has released their fall offering, Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale. Rich with light malty smoothness, this brew will pair nicely with those warm soups and hearty meals that we can't bear to think about in July.

Chocolate: Val forgot the chocolate. And the angels wept.

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Thing! For fans of the farmer's market, ChicoBag presents the new Produce Stand collection. The starter kit includes 3 easy-to-tote reusable bags, each designed to optimize freshness.
• Cold comfort. Do you leave the ceiling fan on when you're not in the room? FAIL! Here are 5 air-conditioning myths, busted.
• Roadkill swill. A Scottish brewer is selling 12 bottles of the world's strongest beer...inside the bodies of dead animals. Hare of the dog, anyone?

• Hot, fat and crowded. Due to climate change, squirrels are getting fatter and having more babies. And probably watching more daytime TV.
• Sea change. President Obama has established a new national ocean policy, which will provide a framework for "eco-system based" stewardship of our waterways.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

Show off your six-pack! When you finish off that sixth bottled beverage, don't throw out the cardboard carrier--use it as a handy tote for condiments! Fill each compartment with fixin's for burgers and hot dogs, or with spoons and forks wrapped in napkins. Val got this idea from a brewery (surprise!).

Listener Amy in San Diego writes:

I've been reading books about the food system lately, and right now I'm working my way through Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. I wanted to share an interesting tibdit I learned about "bycatch." Bycatch is actually a euphemism for sea creatures that are caught by commercial fisherman that they don't want.

• Fish, turtles, seabirds and other animals suffer the effects of bycatch.
• Concerned scientists are designing fishing gear to reduce seafood bycatch.
• The Monterey Bay Aquarium points you to sustainable choices with their downloadable Seafood Watch pocket guide. Check out their app for your iPhone.
• Speaking of the Aquarium, Dori found her new favorite sea creature there: the Leafy Sea Dragon!

• Emily in Tennessee knows that the one thing missing from your martini is...seafood! No problem, thanks to Alaska Distillery's Smoked Salmon Vodka. Go ahead, drink like a fish.
• Meredith in New Orleans wants PJ's for her teenie weenie greenie, but doesn't want flame-retardant chemicals. Check out Carter's, or just stick with t-shirts and sweats!
• Gabrielle in Oregon needs ideas for inexpensive trinkets for her summer camp. Try making necklaces from recycled wine corks or recycled wood blocks. Send pics!
• Elizabeth in St. Paul, MN shares another side of the raw milk debate.
• Brigid in Chicago watched Fast Food Nation and now wonders where her organic grass-fed beef is processed. Organic meat is processed separately; ask your farmer for details.
• Katie in Toronto (eh!) wants to feel good about eating bananas, and hopes this article will help.
• Amy in Massachusetts cuts her sugar usage by mixing it with a bit of stevia. Her fave tea recipe: 5 bags of Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea, 2 bags of Peppermint tea, a little stevia. Amy, look at this!
• Suzana in Canada (eh!) is looking for tips on green entertaining. Try some of Trystan's Tips, and stayed tuned for an upcoming show on that topic.

More Hip Than Hippie #266 - Fair Trade Coffee

Do we pay a fair price for fair trade goods?

Consumers don't pay enough for coffee. That's according to Amy Louis, a wholesale coffee distributor who has experienced life at the origin of our cuppa joe. Amy makes the case for fair trade while explaining the difference between good coffee and great coffee.

Beer: Val's hubby returned from a roadtrip to the coast with a selection of beers from Six Rivers Brewery. We sampled their India Pale Ale this week, finding it pleasant but unremarkable. Rob swears it tasted better on tap.

Chocolate: Keeping with our coffee theme this week, we revisited Sweet Riot Flavor 65 dark cacao nibs dunked in dark chocolate. We like how you get loads of crunchy sweet caffeine in a cute reusable tin.

Finds:

• If it makes you hippie... Greenie Sheryl Crow releases her latest album on July 20th, followed by an eco-friendly tour. We played a clip of her new single, "Summer Day".
• Eggscellent. Slug bait? Face mask? Learn about 12 things you can do with eggshells.
• Viva Val! The Green Diva treated her pals to a decadent Chocolate Chile Cake a la Viva Daisy.

• Ray of Flight. In Switzerland, a solar-powered plane successfully completed a 24-hour flight last week. It won't replace conventional planes yet, because it landed on time and no luggage was lost.
• Yes they can! Congrats to the Washington couple who set out to pay for their wedding by recycling aluminum cans. Peter Geyer and Andrea Parrish collected 400,000 cans and now have $3800 to spend on their DIY green wedding. That's uncanny!

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

Trim your waste! According to the EPA, "yard trimmings and food scraps result in 26% of the US municipal solid waste stream." So make the committment to compost those scraps, whether it's in a pile in your yard or in a worm bin under the sink.

Do you think Fair Trade coffee is too expensive? Meet Amy Louis of Six Degrees Coffee Service, who makes the case that we're not paying enough! After visiting Nicaragua and seeing the benefits of fair trade for herself, Amy believes that a grass-roots campaign to educate consumers will make a world of difference. She also gives the Hipsters her take on beans, baristas and "cupping". (No, it isn't naughty.)

• The coffee we drink comes from two types of beans: Arabica and Robusta.
• Amy believes we'll agree to pay more for coffee when we get the facts about Fair Trade. Transfair USA is a great resource.
• Starbucks Coffee has developed its own set of standards called C.A.F.E. Practices.
• Amy's favorite coffee roasters include Thanksgiving, Equator and Peet's.
• Want to know more about coffee? Contact the Specialty Coffee Association of America, or SCAA.
• Just don't ask about the civet poop coffee.

• Margie in California is lactose-intolerant, but she and her hubby can enjoy dairy products again since they switched to raw milk.
• Elizabeth in St. Paul, MN is following the story of an e-coli outbreak linked to raw milk.
• Eileen in Dominica completely disagrees about the safety of raw milk. Val recommends reading this article by the Nourishing Gourmet. And congrats on the upcoming Teenie Weenie Greenie!
• Melanie in Lansdale. PA is full of questions! A few answers: for cars, look into the new Nissan LEAF; for pressure cookers, anodized aluminum seems to be safe; for beeswax candles, see your friends at Greenfeet!
• Greg in Lancaster, PA has advice for taking caffeine out of your tea, courtesy of the New Tea Lover's Treasury.
• Julie thinks Hipsters will enjoy the Nourished Kitchen blog, which has a page devoted to dark chocolate!
• Jenny in Ontario, Canada (eh!) fears we've fallen victim to greenwashing by Haagen Dazs. Au contraire! We just think it's a darn tasty treat.

Proponents of raw milk believe that we should reap the health benefits of drinking milk in its natural state.

Did you know that drinking a glass of raw cow's milk could put you on the wrong side of the law? The Chicken Chick, Carol Albrecht, spills the facts about this controversial subject. Also, as the Chico summer starts to sizzle, Val's talkin' trash and Dori's waiting for an egg.

Beer: As summer heats up, go Rogue with a mild, unfiltered Somer Orange Honey Ale. It's a big-ass bottle of sunshine.

Chocolate: If you require dairy-free, gluten-free treats, here's your Dream come true! The Dark Chocolate Raspberry Dream bar is creamy and smooth enough to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Finds:

• Val's Favorite Thing! Your perfect pie deserves a Perfect Pie Plate, right? Bake up a bounty of berries in this old-school enamelware pan, available in 3 marbled colors.
• Spamalot. Until the end of August, Chipotle wants you to forward your junk emails to them; in return, they'll donate cash to The Lunch Box. And they'll order Ciali$ with their winnings from the Nigerian lottery.

• Moby Sick. Scientists report stunningly high levels of toxic heavy metals in whales all over the world.
• Brown goes green. Eight major US cities will soon see hybrid gas-electric UPS trucks on the streets, as the delivery company makes plans to add 200 of the vehicles to its fleet.

Teenie Weenie Greenie™

From Listener Carrie in Rockledge, FL: When you are cleaning your microwave, just use a large glass Pyrex and fill it with 1/4 cup of vinegar and a cup of water. Nuke it for 2 minutes and it will steam and loosen all the gunk on the inside of the oven. Wipe away with an old cloth. No more chemical sprays or wasted paper towels!

Have you ever tried raw milk? Chances are, you've grown up with homogenized, pasteurized milk from the supermarket. Proponents of raw milk, like Carol Albrecht of Chaffin Family Orchards, argue that you should reap the health benefits of drinking milk in its natural state...trouble is, that mouthful of moo-juice might put you on the wrong side of the law!

• First, we need to understand what homogenization and pasteurization do to milk.
• Carol recommends reading Dr. Weston A. Price's classic book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, to learn about the dangers of processed food.
• The Campaign for Real Milk helps you find local sources for raw milk, as well as a summary of laws in your state governing raw milk consumption.
• You can follow the legal battles of raw milk advocates Max Kane and Michael Schmidt.
• To learn more, Carol suggests viewing the upcoming documentary film "Farmageddon".
• Get cooking with a copy of Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions!

Tell No Impact Man you'd love to hear him chat with the Hipsters! Send him a nice email. Don't forget us...we love to hear your questions and compliments at hip@greenfeet.com. Check out our new blog!

• Shanan in New Hampshire (live free or die!) needs some tips for recycling canning lids. She also found family fun on a potty break in Vermont.
• Jenn in North Carolina shares an idea to help Coca-Cola become EcoCoke.
• Sarah in NYC has more baby-related tips: read Growing Up Green by Deirdre Imus and find an eco-friendly baby registry.
• Alex in Cleveland, OH recommends that Hipsters read "Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future" by Jeff Goodell. Anyone up for a new Book Club?
• Kate in Wisconsin sent a link about high levels of lead found in children's juices.
• E. W. in Kentucky wants to see More Hip t-shirts in size "jumbo petite" (2X) to accomodate his curves. We'll work on that, because we love Hipsters of all shapes and sizes!

Show the world you're More Hip Than Hippie! Grab some merch for Independence Day or any day!

More Hip Than Hippie is sponsored by Greenfeet.com.