CT Green Scene

Pop Goes The Green Bubbly

by Eileen Weber

‘Tis the season to be jolly with a glass of bubbly to celebrate the holidays. So why not make that a glass of organic bubbly?

Not surprisingly, there are a number of European wineries that farm sustainably and only grow organic grapes. You can get some fine selections of Prosecco and Asti Spumante from Italy and champagne from France and parts of Spain as well as some sections of England. But let’s just stick to our home turf, shall we?

California has produced some outstanding wines, sparkling wines among them. And for some vineyards, a sparkling wine made from organic grapes is that much better.

Two California vineyards stand out: Domaine Carneros and Korbel. In September, Korbel announced the launch of its latest Brut Champagne made with organic grapes.

“As more consumers are looking for foods and beverages produced organically, we felt there was an opportunity for Korbel to offer a unique product where there currently isn’t something widely available,” said Gary Heck, owner and president of Korbel Champagne Cellars, in a company press release dated September 15th. “We found that organic practices yield fruit with new and exciting flavors for us to work with. It has been an exciting new development for Korbel.”

As Close to the Cow Without Milking It Yourself

by Eileen Weber

For those with a bovine sense of humor, here’s a cow joke for you: Why did the cow jump over the moon? The farmer had cold hands.

If you’re a dairy farmer, you’ve probably heard that one before. And there are enough dairy farmers in this state to get a chuckle out of it. In Connecticut, there is a $2 billion agriculture industry with dairy farmers a good percentage of it.

Some of those dairy farmers decided to go into business together. The Farmer’s Cow, based in Lebanon, has been spreading the word about the value of supporting your local dairy farmer.

Four years ago, six family-owned farms joined together to provide milk for parts of New York and Massachusetts and most of Connecticut. Between them, they milk 2,300 cows on nearly 7,000 acres of land. They’ve been so successful with milk they decided to try other products. They have half and half, eggs, and cider. In November, they launched their newest product: Heavy cream. With the holidays upon us, it’s just in the nick of time.

Some, however, have already sampled the heavy cream as a holiday treat. The Unquowa School in Fairfield got the jump on The Farmer’s Cow early on.

“Unquowa has been with us since Day One,” said Robin Chesmer, Managing Director at The Farmer’s Cow. “They buy our milk because they liked our concept.” Last month, the school made a Thanksgiving meal made in part by The Farmer’s Cow product.

But heavy cream is only one stop on their way to a world of lactose domination. The company is looking to include farm-fresh ice cream as part of their upcoming product line. With an April launch, they are planning for six flavors. Besides the usual kinds like chocolate and vanilla, they’re thinking a little outside the box with chocolate mint chip and cookies and cream.

Starbucks Wins! (Crap.)

by James Simpkins

I moved to Connecticut’s Farmington River Valley about two and a half years ago and am still looking for a good cup of coffee. Check that—an amazing cup of coffee. Spare me the Dunkin’ Donuts angle; I’m tired, and their coffee couldn’t hold a candle to what I’m talking about. Here, go to this website so you’ll have a frame of reference. Honestly, Equator Coffee is the best cup o’ joe I’ve ever had, which is backed up by them winning Roaster of the Year for 2009 in Roast Magazine to add to their growing list of accolades. To top it off, they all drive hybrids or bio-diesel, recycle everything, compost their waste, just purchased their own farm in Panama where they are sustainably growing coffee with Panamanians at the helm, AND they are owned by women.

How’s that Dunkin’ Donuts tastin’ about now?

This upper echelon of coffee is what's missing in my locale. And while it may sound over the top for some of you, once you try it, you will at least appreciate the gross difference between what Equator and DD are selling--it's like finding out your butter is margarine.

UNO-Versity

by Eileen Weber

There's a new kid in town at Fairfield University and he's green. Not too long after the school year began, new recycling machines were installed in the on-campus town houses. This year, staff, students and faculty alike can recycle with ease using the UNO reverse vending machines manufactured by a U.S. subsidiary of TOMRA Systems ASA.

The UNOs can handle a combination of plastic, glass, and cans. The receptacles can hold up to approximately 500 containers with containers redeemable for five cents each. Students get a credit on their “Stag” card, or school debit card, that can be used toward other campus expenses like the cafeteria and the school’s bookstore.

“I do know the students really like them,” said Meg McCaffrey, Director of Media Relations. “I had seen [some of] the students with three garbage bags full of bottles.”

Organic Wines: Are They Any Good?

by Eileen Weber

A few of my neighborhood buddies gathered at my house this past weekend for a wine tasting. While it’s not unusual for my neighbors to be seen huddling around my kitchen counter for a glass or two, this time the wine was organic.

I picked a few bottles up at Mo’s Wine & Spirits on Post Road in Fairfield. I spoke with Sharon Kardos who writes for the store’s blog. She was rather knowledgeable about the merchandise and said she has a number of customers who inquire about organic wines.

The wines we tasted ranged from around $12 to $30. Kardos suggested two whites and two reds. My neighbor Charles Gill, our resident “wine guy”, brought over another bottle of white making five bottles in all.

New Bottle Bill Considered: Increase Deposit to 10¢

Posted by the Connecticut Post, January 26, 2009

HARTFORD -- The nickel deposit on cans and bottles would increase to 10 cents under legislation that would expand the recycling law to include water and sports drinks.

But industry officials warned that such a cost hike would result in a huge wave of illegal containers purchased in neighboring states and result in higher consumer prices.

Legislative leaders predicted Monday that some kind of widening of the law will finally occur this year because one of the chief opponents, former Speaker of the House James A. Amann, has left the General Assembly.

"I do believe that the House does have a kinder view of this bill now," said. Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, co-chairman of the Environment Committee. "As much as I love the previous speaker --he's my mentor out of Milford -- he was one of the people who did not like this bill, overall." Proposals to include water bottles, sports, drinks and iced teas in recent years have passed the Senate, but died awaiting action on the House calendar.

Easy CFL Recycling

By Elizabeth G. Howard

OK, as good and decent greens, we try our hardest to hate the BIG BOX STORES that swallow up our open spaces and cause massive globalization and needless consumerism.

However, occasionally they do something useful that I encourage. In June of 2008, Home Depot, the nation's second largest retailer (behind guess who) launched a nationwide CFL recycling program at their stores.

Unlike other ridiculously complicated and antiquated Connecticut recycling programs, there are no restrictions on the return of CFLs to Home Depot, except that they must not be broken.

The program has been in effect for over 6 months, but it isn't likely to see a huge impact until 2009, since CFLs (which last a long time!) were not widely available or in use before 2008.

True Colors?

I am sure there are heaps of people who might argue that anything a BIG BOX STORE does to seem environmental is "greenwashing," however I feel that we can draw the line with a free recycling program. After all, customers do not need to buy anything from the store in order to leave their bulbs at customer service.

I am following up on what happens to the recycled CFLs after they leave the store and I'll let you know. Meanwhile, tell me what you think? Home Depot's recycling program another corporate evil, or useful community service?

My Cup of (Green Organic) Tea

by Elizabeth G. Howard

I have a real problem with the perennially-peppy, "EVOO"-chugging hypocrite Rachel Ray, which might explain why I have never become a true convert to Dunkin Donuts coffee.

That doesn't mean I don't appreciate DD and their brilliant re-branding strategy that saved them from a deadly one-two punch of healthier eating and viral spread of the Starbucks experience.

However, whether you are clinging to your cup of Joe at the moment, or, like me, huddling around a mug of green tea, there is something about the hot beverage that instills true loyalty and keep us focused and motivated, especially in the mornings.

Bring It!

There's a bit of a problem with these delightful hot (or iced double-half-caf with a twist) drinks, naturally, as they are never going to be local for us Westerners.

Tea is grown primarily in India and China, and coffee beans, my friends, grow around the world like a belt -- at the equator, ideally with temperatures of 60-70F and rainfall of about six inches per month or more.

So, like almost everything green we do, we have to compromise. Here's some options:

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Beer Brewed by the Sun

If you enjoy a cold brew with your favorite meal yet want to do your part for the planet, there is a new "green" beer. The Lucky Labrador brewing company installed their solar panels in December of 2007 and began production of the Sun Beer in February of 2008. They are the first brewing company to use the sun in quite this manner. Unlike other companies like Sierra Nevada, who use the sun hitting photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, Lucky Lab's solar hot water system installed by Ra Energy , heats the brewpub's water.

Although Lucky Lab uses the sun for the brewing, they still use natural gas to create the final product. The finishing product is a light summer ale and was released in the summer of 2008.