FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Farmer’s Market Opens June 4, 2010 in Seaside Rowayton, Connecticut

The Rowayton Farmer’s Market was created to provide Rowayton’s residents and guests with an opportunity to have a diverse and interesting selection of seasonal foods drawn from the farms, fields and waters of Connecticut and nearby surrounding regions.  The Farmer’s Market also provides opportunities to experience and buy handicrafts and artwork created by local artisans and craftspeople.

Rowayton will continue its long tradition of Friday Market Days.  Opening day of this year’s Rowayton Farmer’s Market will be Friday, June 4, 2010.  The season is expected to run until the end of October.   This year the market will again be located right downtown in Rowayton’s historic Pinkney Park complete with sweeping views of the 5-mile River and Long Island Sound.  A true destination venue, the park is a big draw not only for Rowayton’s 3500 residents but also for the residents from nearby towns, and the many tourists that come to stay for weekends to enjoy the many events the town sponsors throughout the summer.   The goal of the market is to create an inviting experience each Friday for family and friends to come and enjoy together complete with demonstrations, entertainment, and picnicking.

The Rowayton Farmer’s Market will open at Noon and close at 5:00 p.m. Pinkney Park is located at 177 Rowayton Avenue.  Public parking will be available in the Ambler Municipal Lot on 140 Rowayton Avenue.  Over twenty vendors are expected and applications are still being accepted.

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CONTACT:

The Rowayton Farmer’s Market Managers

Regina Matson and Maggie Trujillo

203-286-6693/917-375-3617

203-831-0518/203-451-1750

Mpt3@optonline.net

Lpregina@aol.com

www.rowaytonct.com to learn more about Rowayton and for Farmers Market information

www.shoprowayton.com to learn about Rowayton’s local businesses

The Fairfield farmers’ market at the Promenade at the Brick Walk, located at  1189-1215 Post Road between the Jos. A. Bank and Trek stores, opens for the season on June 5, 2010. The market is open every Sat. from 9-12 through October and guests can relax to the music of folk guitar player Bern McWain as they shop for locally grown and produced food and other goods.

2010 Market Vendors

• Mitchell Farm
• Chaplin Farm
• Eagle Hill Farm
• Red Bee Honey
• Trudy & Sage Soap
• Moorefield Herb Farms
• Oronoque Farms
• El’s Kitchen
• Black Rose Gallery
• Amore Baking Company
• Sweets Gluten-free

Talk about an early opening! The Wilton Farmers’ Market opens on Wed.,  May 5, and runs from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the Wilton Library Parking Lot. Don’t miss the early organic veggies from Ambler Farm, the award-winning pies and other baked goods from Michele’s Pies, and award-winning artisan breads from Wave Hill.

Opening day news from the Market Master, Sally Gemmill:

Farm-fresh produce, granola, fresh-baked breads and pies, handmade soaps and body products, and organic teas are just some of the offerings that will be available to those who come to the Wilton Farmers’ Market beginning Wednesday, May 5th, in the back parking lot at Wilton Library and continuing on Wednesdays until the end of October. We’ll have a wide assortment of locally grown fruits, vegetables, free range eggs, homemade jams, herbs, and fresh cut flowers from Killam & Bassette Farmstead, Ambler Farm and Schulze Farm.  Other vendors include Wilton’s own Wave Hill Bread; Fork, Knife, Spoon Cooking; and Nod Hill Soaps; Duckylife Organic Teas; Calcutta Kitchens, Ola Granola; IzzyB’s Allergen Free Cupcakes; and award-winning Michelle’s Pies. We will let you know as additional vendors are added, so continue to come by and check us out or check the library website.

Sponsored by the Wilton Library and the Chamber of Commerce.  203-762-3950,  Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton.

There are two ways to purchase the beautiful, organic produce grown by Farmer Ben on Ambler Farm in Wilton. The on-farm stand at 257 Hurlbutt Street opens for the season on Saturday, May 29th  from 10:30am-5:00pm and runs through October. Ambler Farm also participates in the Wilton Farmers’ Market, which is located in the parking lot behind the Wilton Library, and runs on Wednesdays from 2-6 pm beginning May 5.

If you’ve gotten around to starting your seeds indoors, or want to easily add to what you’ve already begun, it’s not too late to pre-order transplants for pick up on May 29. Click here for information about pre-ordering herbs, flowers and a wide variety of organic vegetables.

Ambler Farm Stand Produce

Here’s a partial list of what Farmer Ben is growing this season. For the most up-to-date information, follow Farmer Ben on Twitter. This farmer really Tweets!

Ambler Farm's 2010 Produce Schedule

by Eileen Weber

According to Fairfield Green Food Guide's "Guide to Spring 2010 CSAs", Stoneledge farm has drop points for their spring/summer CSA in Stamford, Wilton and Southport. This past winter, the Southport location was home to Winter Sun Farm Shares, a winter CSA provided by a cooperative of Hudson Valley Farms, including Stoneledge.

A number of sites like LocalHarvest.org will list all the Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs) available in your area of the country. The Fairfield Green Food Guide recently published an online  Guide to Spring 2010 CSAs and lists CSAs in The Buying Guide. But what many people don’t realize is how rapidly CSAs have taken hold. Purchasing a share in a local farm in exchange for fresh produce, or in some cases meat, milk, and eggs, has essentially “gone viral.” More and more people are signing up for CSAs and many of them are sold out before the growing season starts. This is good news for the local farmer and one of the most economical ways for consumers to buy locally grown.

According to an article in The Hartford Courant dated April 8th, Shared Harvest CT, an upstart web site launched in March and a subsidiary of Edibles Advocates Alliance, helps connect farmers and the people looking for their produce. It essentially functions as an online classified ad. Like speed dating for crops. Consumers and restaurants can look online for what they want from what’s available, and the current listings include several CSAs.

“Shared Harvest creates a separate sales revenue stream for our producers and opens up that margin so that more people in Connecticut have the opportunity to participate and find their farmers,” Emily Brooks, CEO of Edibles Advocates Alliance, the parent organization for Shared Harvest CT, was quoted as saying.

Growing your own food and selling it is an age-old occupation. But with our societal focus shifting from processed foods, fresh produce is getting the spotlight. Farmers’ markets, CSAs, and farm stands are cropping up at an increasing rate. That’s because there is more demand for it.

For Stacia Monahan, who owns Stone Gardens Farm in Shelton with her husband Fred, her farm is in its third CSA growing season. As far as she’s concerned, CSAs provide her customers with new foods to try that they might not ordinarily pick up at the grocery store.

“There’s an investment in a farm, more than the value of the vegetables,” said Monahan. “By word of mouth, we’ve had more interest than last year. But there’s still plenty of room.”

Gazy Brothers Farm's prolific cauliflower from the 2009 growing season

Word of mouth is exactly what has helped CSAs grow across the country. According to Local Harvest’s January 2010 newsletter, they have nearly 400,000 shares from over 3,000 listings. That translates to 0.5% of all households in the U.S. who participate in CSAs. That might not seem like a lot, but it actually is. With that kind of growth, there could conceivably be close to 20,000 listings by 2020.

Growing your own food has expanded on a different horizon. According to an article on Change.org dated April 14th, prisoners in a Florida correctional facility are getting into the act. The state’s correction facility is working in conjunction with West Florida Research and Education Center to teach inmates how to farm. The article brought up three main points: Prisoners growing their own food meant a meal savings of $60,000; Farming is a sustainable job skill; With a link between nutrition and health, better food could lead to better behavior. That’s at least the hope for the latter statement.

For farmers offering CSAs, it gives them an opportunity to form a closer relationship with their consumers. For Dawn Allen, CSA manager for Gazy Brothers Farm in Oxford, the CSA means they can be more personally focused on the customer. “It’s not that we don’t like farmers’ markets,” said Allen. “But you see hundreds of people come and go. With a CSA, you can be very individual.”

Gazy Brothers has been doing farmers’ markets since 1995. The CSA is relatively new for them in comparison. Allen said that obviously farmers’ markets provide a financial return, but the goal will be to have the CSA as their mainstay. “You can tailor it more,” she said. “We’re really listening to what our customers want.”

Patty Popp, owner of Sport Hill Farm in Easton, expanded her Organic CSA shares this season and sold out quickly after they were announced on The Fairfield Green Food Guide. Word of mouth has migrated to listings on web sites like this guide to local and sustainable food resources.

With last year’s shares totaling 273, Gazy Brothers is now in their sixth season. Their ultimate goal is 600 shares. Overall, the CSA experience has been a good one for them. But, Allen said the one minor down side to the CSA is when customers don’t tell them there’s a problem until the end of the season. “When customers bite their tongues and don’t tell us they didn’t like something-maybe they got more radishes than they wanted-we’ll wish they said something earlier,” she said.

Each of the farms interviewed for this article said that CSAs were an added bonus to doing business. It not only supports their farms, but it brings them closer to the customer. Good produce. Good face time. Good profit. Now that’s a good business model.

Audubon Greenwich’s Events In Celebration of  “Earth Week” & The “Audubon At Home” Initiative Offer Something for Everyone

Sat.    4/17:  Healthier Foods, Healthier Families: With Chef & Health Counselor Rachel Khanna

Tues.   4/20:  Green Homes & Building Series Part 3: Water Harvesting & Rain Gardens in Landscape Design

Fri.            4/23: Tapped: The Movie: Screening, bottle exchange, and reception with the Director & Producer of the film. Please join me at this event! Replacing plastic water bottles with a reusable stainless steel thermos is one of my Green Food Tips for Earth Day. Don’t have a thermos yet? Bring your (last) plastic bottle and exchange it for a thermos, courtesy of the producer, while supplies last.

Sun.    4/25: Composting 202: Going Beyond The Outdoor Pile: With Wendy Bounds from the Wall Street Journal. If you don’t like messing with worms and compost piles, but still want to compost your food waste, this event is for you!

Event Details:

This Saturday, April 17

Healthier Foods, Healthier Families

With Chef Rachel Khanna

2:00-3:30 pm

Discover what it means to eat local, organic, seasonal and learn how to choose healthier foods. Did you know that roughly 70% of antibiotics in the U.S. are given to animals?  Or that there are now more overweight people in the world than starving people? Join Chef and Health Counselor Rachel Khanna as she explores some of the myths surrounding our food supply and discusses easy food ideas for everyone to enjoy. All ages. Suggested donation: $10. Free for youth.  RSVPs appreciated but not required. RSVP to jcordulack@audubon.org<mailto:jcordulack@audubon.org> or call 203-869-5272 x239.

Rachel Khanna is a Certified Health Counselor and a passionate advocate of organic and local food and a healthy lifestyle. She decided to become a health counselor to fulfill her passion of working with children and parents to improve their health and family life.  With a Master’s Degree from Columbia University, she subsequently completed a diploma in Culinary Arts from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, and received her training as a Health Counselor at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City and is currently completing certification in Food Therapy at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City.  Rachel owned and operated Tiffin Organic Dinner Delivery Service in Greenwich, CT.  Currently, she teaches cooking classes and holds workshops on eating for optimal health.  She also offers individual health and nutrition coaching to parents and families.  Rachel is the mother of four daughters and has lived in Greenwich since 2000.

Tuesday, April 20

WATER: Reducing Use & Harvesting Water for Landscaping Elements Part 3 of the Green Homes & Building Series 7:00-9:00 pm It may seem that the Northeast is water-rich, but this region often experiences drought and water shortages. Before your ‘well runs dry’ visit Audubon Greenwich and learn easy ways to reduce water use in homes and landscaping methods that collect and use the rain for use on-site. Topics will include rain garden design, practical rain harvesting methods for this region, and will feature a newly patented device for toilets that eliminates water waste, saving approx. 30% on each tank refill. The presenters for that event will include Peter Alexander and Keith Beaver. $10 suggested donation for adults. Youth and teens attend at no cost. Please RSVP to jcordulack@audubon.org or call 203-869-5272 x239 to save your seat. Please note: Advance questions for the presenters can be sent to the RSVP email address.

Peter Alexander is a Landscape Architect and Planner with 30 years of practical experience. He has degrees in Biology and History from the University of Denver and degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture from the Rhode School of Design. He also holds a Wetland Delineation Certification from Rutgers University and is currently involved with post-graduate work at the Harvard Graduate School of Design that focuses on ‘experiencing architecture’. His expertise includes fine landscape design for residences, sporting venues, and coastal planning projects that protect natural resources from runoff polluted by golf courses and development projects. Peter’s presentation will focus on how landowners and designers can capture runoff for groundwater recharge and use on-site in water features and rain gardens. He will describe the principles of rain garden location, design approaches and specify the plants that are well suited to such gardens.

Keith Beaver is a partner and Sr. Associate with Didona Associates - Landscape Architects, LLC in Danbury, Connecticut and has been with the firm for 15 years.  Keith has been a Landscape Architect for 20+ years and a LEED AP for 1 1/2 years.  Keith has incorporated sustainable design techniques into projects for many years and has extensive knowledge of public sector projects including state and federal multi-family and elderly housing projects, streetscape design, and public school site planning,  At Didona Associates, his responsibilities include team leadership for sustainable design and development, land use analysis, preparing construction documents, and presenting to local land use commissions. Keith’s presentation will describe a project recently finished in Ridgefield that was awarded a LEED Platinum certification. The project’s many sustainable aspects included native plants and rain gardens in the landscaping, two 1,000 gallon cisterns for water harvesting, pervious pavers, and a fountain fed by roof runoff.

Friday, April 23

“Tapped: The Movie”

A film about bottled water with the film’s Director & Producer on-site 7:00 pm: Reception with Bottle Exchange 8:00 pm: Movie Screening Audubon Greenwich is pleased to host the final event for the “Get Off The Bottle Tour” with Stephanie Soechtig and her team’s award-winning film. From the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car, this unflinching documentary about the bottled water business is a timely behind-the-scenes look into the un-regulated and little known world of the water industry. From pumping the water, to plastic production, to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this film trails the path of the bottled water industry and communities where the water is drawn.

Join us for a wine & cheese reception and a ‘bottle exchange’ at 7:00 pm, followed by the movie at 8:00 pm. For the bottle exchange, bring an empty plastic water bottle (… hopefully your last) and get a brand-new steel water bottle from the film’s producers (while supplies last). As a special bonus, Stephanie Soechtig (the Director) and Sarah Olson (the Producer) will be on-site to field questions from the audience. All the details & information about the film is posted to our website: http://greenwich.audubon.org/Programs_SpecialEvents.html.

Space is limited. Advance tickets recommend. Tickets are $10/person online (+ a $2 service charge) or $15.00 at the door (if space permits).

To buy tickets online, visit: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/106957. To pay at the door, please RSVP to Jeff Cordulack at 203-869-5272 x239.

Director Stephanie Soechtig’s says:  “Not only are we in a water crisis in which 2/3 of the planet will be without drinkable water in just 11 years, but multinational corporations are literally pillaging communities around the country for this precious resource and bottling into the very bottles, which contribute the plastic soup in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  … Tapped is a story of how one person really can make a difference. Each section of the film tells the story of a David and Goliath battle in which a regular person, like you or me, goes up against a big corporation in order to initiate change in the world, and I want people to walk away from this film knowing that they can make a difference.”

This event is co-sponsored by:

Fairfield Green Food Guide (www.FairfieldGreenFoodGuide.com) Natural Awakenings Fairfield County (www.NaturalAwakeningsFFC.com) Connecticut Fund for the Environment & Save The Sound (www.cfenv.org) Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment (www.citizenscampaign.org)

Sunday, April 25

Composting 202: Going Beyond The Outdoor Pile With Wendy Bounds from the Wall Street Journal 2:30-3:30 pm Audubon Greenwich is pleased to host an acclaimed author and journalist from the Wall Street Journal, Gwendolyn Bounds, for discussion on the many ways to create compost without a traditional outdoor compost pile. Since investigating this topic as a journalist, she has experimented with several methods and had great success turning her spoils into soils. During the presentation, she will discuss results of several methods she tested including worm composting, the “Nature Mill” automatic, indoor plug-in model, a bokashi-based method and a ball-shaped composter called the “e-composter”. She welcomes questions from the audience and will bring in examples of these methods so guests can see various methods for themselves. All ages. Suggested donation: $5. RSVPs are appreciated. To sign up, send an email to jcordulack@audubon.org<mailto:jcordulack@audubon.org>.

Gwendolyn (Wendy) Bounds writes and creates video content about home improvement and housing for The Wall Street Journal with a focus on energy efficiency and green building science. Wendy is also a contributor to ABC’s “Good Morning America” and CNBC. Wendy previously wrote about fashion, publishing, manufacturing and was WSJ’s small business editor from 2004 to 2008. Wendy’s non-fiction book, “Little Chapel on the River,” chronicling her experiences behind the bar at an Irish pub in New York’s Hudson River Valley, was published by William Morrow in 2005. She is a native of North Carolina and graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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These events will be held at:

Audubon Greenwich

613 Riversville Road

Greenwich, CT 06831

203-869-5272 x239

http://greenwich.audubon.org

For directions, visit: http://greenwich.audubon.org/AboutUs_Directions.html

To learn more about the “Audubon At Home” Initiative, visit: http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/index.html

To access Audubon Greenwich’s Nature Program Calendar with many other walks, hikes and programs, visit: http://greenwich.audubon.org/Programs_Calendar.html

FAIRFIELD CHEESE COMPANY TO HOST MARK GILMAN

OF CATO CORNER FARM

MAKER OF CELEBRATED AMERICAN FARMSTEAD AND ARTISANAL CHEESES

Cato Corner Farm's Holligan, an award-winning local cheese

FAIRFIELD, CT-09 April, 2010-Award-winning cheesemaker and farmer, Mark Gilman, of Cato Corner Farm in nearby Colchester, CT will be appearing at Fairfield Cheese Company on Thursday, April 22^nd from 6:30-8pm

Gilman, whose cheese Hooligan has been named by both Saveur Magazine and Wine Spectator Magazine as one of America’s top cheeses, will be the guest speaker at a class held at Fairfield Cheese Company, part of an ongoing educational series offered through their Cheese School.

Meet the Maker: an Evening with Cato Corner Farm will be an evening of discussion and cheese tasting.  Mark will guide the class through his cheeses and speak about his farm and the current happenings in the American artisanal cheese movement. The cheeses will be expertly paired with wines from Harry’s Wine & Liquor.  The cost of this special tasting and pairing is $30.00 per person.  Please call Fairfield Cheese Company at 203.292.8194 to make a reservation as space is limited.

Located at 2090 Post Road (adjacent to Harry’s), Fairfield Cheese Company has quickly become Fairfield’s premier source for artisanal and farmstead cheese, charcuterie and fine foods. The shop offers regular tastings and an ongoing educational series, and also designs custom cheese platters and gift baskets.

For More Information, Contact:

Laura Downey or Chris Palumbo: (203) 292-8194

laura@fairfieldcheese.com

www.fairfieldcheese.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Larry Kaley, Fairfield Earth Day Committee Chair

E-mail: FfldEarthDay@aol.com

Phone: 203-255-4132

March 23, 2010

Come Celebrate Fairfield’s Earth Day on Saturday, May 8^th!

If preserving the planet is something you care about, stop by Fairfield Warde High School on May 8^th for Fairfield’s annual Earth Day Celebration. From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., there will be exhibits, lectures, lots of music, and activities for the kids.

Are you a bee lover? Have we got something for you! There will be a demonstration from the Backyard Beekeeper’s Association. Learn fun facts about honey, beeswax, pollination, and more.

Fairfield’s own Catch A Healthy Habit as well as Easton-based Skinny Pines and their portable wood-brick oven will be there to offer wholesome goodies made from local and organic ingredients. The Home Depot, one of our biggest supporters to date, will have free give aways.

Exhibitors this year will include Fairfield Green Food Guide, Fairfield Green Drinks, General Motors, Honda of Westport, and the Smart Center along with many others. Visit our web site if you’d like to be an exhibitor this year!

Fairfield’s Earth Day Committee is made up of a cross-section of those who live and work in Fairfield: town government, members of the Department of Public Works, the Board of Education, teachers, students, and interested citizens from the immediate and neighboring communities.

With a growing awareness of global warming and its associated environmental, health, financial and moral issues, we could not think of a better time to join us.

Fairfield’s Earth Day Celebration began in 1999 to observe environmental issues and solutions, just like the first Earth Day in 1970. Made possible by contributions from The Home Depot Foundation, Piaggio Vespa, Maritime Motors, Star 99.9 and other green businesses and volunteers, Fairfield is a leader in action and advocacy for a happier, healthier community.

For more information about Fairfield’s Earth Day Celebration or to participate as an exhibitor, visit www.fairfieldearthday.wordpress.com for details and a downloadable application or contact us at FfldEarthDay@aol.com.

The Farmer’s Cow has just announced the winners of their ice creaming naming contest. The ice cream should be in stores by Memorial day.

“The winning names and those who came up with them for our “Name the Ice Cream” contest. We had winners throughout the state and they ranged in age from a high schooler to a person in their 90s! Way to go everyone!

The winners are:

“Hay! Hay! Hay! Vanilla” - Tracy Shortell, Wallingford
“Cow Barn Chocolate” - Sebastian Tonewo, Franklin
“Farm Stand Cherry Vanilla” - Karen Provoncha, Storrs
“Summer Meadow Strawberry” - Kip Kolesinskas, Manchester
“Up Early Coffee” - Jim Orffitelli, Manchester
“Heifer Nutter Peanut Butter Cup” - Sam Hinckley, Windsor
“Fields of Mint Chocolate Chip” - Jennifer Gaskins, Newtown
“Milking Time Cookies & Cream” - Marc Sanchez, Manchester
“Black Raspberry Moo Chocolate Chip” - Barbara Hambach, Broad Brook
“Muddy Boots Chocolate Chocolate Chip” - Zak Nadeau, Moosup

Additionally, one name was picked at random from all of the entrants. That person was Allen Patenaude of Torrington.”

I can’t wait to taste this premium, local ice cream!

April 11, 2010

Analiese Paik of the Fairfield Green Food Guide was interviewed by Matt Scott on News Ch. 8’s Good Morning Connecticut Show about green food for Earth Day.

One of the easiest ways to make Earth Day every day is to green your kitchen. Here are some delicious and fun ways to reduce your family’s “foodprint” while eating well.

Buy locally grown food from a farmers’ market and learn to cook with the seasons.

Michel Nischan's latest cookbook is perfect for anyone looking for inspirational ways to cook with the seasons

Best-selling author, restaurateur and Wholesome Wave Foundation founder Michel Nischan’s new cookbook, Sustainably Delicious, presents over 100 recipes for home cooks looking for delicious and nutritious ways to prepare seasonal food that is good for the environment, for animals, for farm workers, and for our tables. Michel advises us to “Eat what’s available in season, celebrate variety, respect the land and eschew waste”. His mission is to show that choosing local and sustainably grown food offers innumerable rewards, including some of the very best flavors Mother Nature has to offer. Who thought a humble parsnip could be this delicious?

Choose locally produced food from specialty or grocery stores.

The Farmer’s Cow milk is humanely-produced in Connecticut by a cooperative of six family-owned dairies and is free of artificial growth hormones (rBST). When you choose this fresh milk you support local farms, lower your carbon footprint by reducing food miles, support the local economy and ensure farmland preservation.

Choose organic where it matters most.

Download the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides or iphone app from Environmental Working Group, familiarize yourself with the worst offenders (the Dirty Dozen), and commit to buying organic instead. Lettuce is a among the worst so choose organic from 2 Guys, a hydroponic greenhouse farm that produces year-round gorgeous vegetables for chefs, retailers and consumers. They are at many area farmers’ markets.

Choose eco-friendly wines.

Parducci Wine Cellars, America’s greenest winery, uses farming practices that result in healthier soil, balanced grapes and higher quality wines. Try their Sustainable White and Paul Dolan Vineyard’s Pinot Noir, made from organic and Biodynamic® grapes grown in certified vineyards. A vineyard that is certified biodynamic meets and typically exceeds the standards and regulations for organic certified farming. Biodynamic agriculture began in the 1920s, predating organic agriculture by 20 years.

Choose organic, fair trade chocolate, coffee and tea.

Kallari single origin, USDA organic, Rainforest Alliance certified chocolate is truly a chocolate lover’s dream and possibly the greenest chocolate available. 100% of the proceeds go to the Kichwa farmers in Ecuadorean Amazon who both grow the cacao and manufacture the chocolate. Available online and at Whole Foods Markets.

Use reusable lunch bags instead of single use plastic lunch and snack bags.

Lunch Skins are a completely food and dishwasher safe alternative to single use plastic lunch and snack bags. Use this coupon code for a 10% discount off your online purchase of Lunch Skins: FGFGED10. They’re a hit with the kids and you’ll love knowing that every time you use them, you’re avoiding throwing away a plastic bag.  LunchSkins has an attractive co-branded fundraiser program perfect for any school or organization.

Swear off bottled water.

Plastic water bottles are made from petroleum and are designed to be used once, resulting in a product that is thousands of times more expensive than tap water and no safer, according to a report by Food & Water Watch. Most of these bottles wind up in landfills where they take hundreds of years to break down and can leach harmful chemicals into the ground. Carry a stainless steel thermos instead. I love this wide mouthed one from Thermos that lets you guzzle the water and keeps the water cold even in blistering heat.

On Friday, April 23, Audubon Greenwich is pleased to host a very special screen of  “Tapped“ an unflinching, award-winning documentary about the bottled water business. As a special bonus, Stephanie Soechtig (the Director) and Sarah Olson (the Producer) will be there to field questions from the audience. Reception at 7:00 pm / Movie at 8:00 pm. There will be a bottle exchange during the reception so bring an empty plastic water bottle (… hopefully your last) and get a brand-new steel water bottle from the film’s producers (while supplies last) Click here to RSVP.

Grow at least some of your own food.

Buy a potted herb or vegetable plants to start an edible container garden and invite your children to join in the care and harvesting. The one show here is from Moorefield Herb Garden, a vendor at the Fairfield farmers’ market at the Fairfield Theater Company. One easy and inexpensive way to grow what you love is to buy organic vegetable bouquets from Two Guys from Woodbridge at a local farmers’ market and give them a second life. After removing the edible portion of the vegetable, plant the root ball in a raised bed or container where it will produce a second harvest.

Choose sustainable seafood.

Download the Sustainable Seafood Guide or iphone app from Seafood Watch and commit to limiting your consumption to sustainable seafood choices under the Best Choices and Good Alternatives categories. You call learn all about sustainable seafood in a fabulous new exhibit called Go Fish! at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk. Pick up one of Seafood Watch’s pocket guides to take home and don’t miss the movie  in the sustainable seafood theater, sustainable seafood “cafe”,  and the tank of LI fish including cod, striped bass, Atlantic salmon and wolfish. It’s perfect for adults and children.