Further Along The Green Path

Last week one of our readers (Sarah) made a comment re: my Building A Green Dream Home post, and reminded me about a fantastic sustainable living resource that I was familiar with but had never fully explored.

Well thankfully this time I did spend some quality time on the site and of course ended up kicking myself for not doing so earlier!

No surprises here - the site I’m talking about is Path to Freedom, a site I’m sure many (if not most) greenies would be familiar with.

I’ve talked before about inspirational websites featuring folks who are further along the ‘green path’ than us - and this is certainly another prime example.

For those of you who are not familiar with the site:

At Path to Freedom, the Dervaes family has steadily transformed their ordinary city lot in Pasadena, California, into an integral urban homestead. And, along the way, they are striving to become earth stewards, taking care of the precious gift we all have been given.

These eco-pioneers regard their 1/5 acre urban homestead as a sustainable living resource center where they are setting out to live by example while also inspiring others to “just do it!”

Their objective is to live as sustainably and self-sufficiently as possible in an urban environment in harmony with nature and each other, while also inspiring others to “think globally, act locally.” Their homestead supports four adults, who live and work full time on a 66’ x 132’ city lot (1/5 acre).

Just that brief description alone totally inspires me, and really emphasizes the point that Sarah (mentioned above) was trying to make - ie. don’t hold back your green plans/ideas while you wait for your dreams to come to fruition. I totally agree, and while I do love to dream about my ultimate eco-farm property, I’m also pretty excited about the idea of really greening up my suburban lot this year!

I’m sure I must have close to 1/5 of an acre myself so there are certainly lots of possibilities.

The Path To Freedom website is an absolute treasure trove of great information, covering many different aspects of the journey towards sustainable living. You will find a wide assortment of different features, including a newsletter, message board, videos - even a green product store! I’m a very visual person, so I certainly appreciate the many photos sprinkled throughout - not to mention the extensive photo gallery.

Bottom-line, I highly recommend you spend some time on this site if you are at all interested in sustainable living. It’s definitely one of my new favourites!

Technorati Tags: path to freedom, sustainable living, homestead, homesteading, organic gardening, biodiesel, solar power, green living, independent living, alternative energy, self sufficiency

Written by Bentley on January 29th, 2007 with no comments.
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Acorn House – A Green Experience!

I came across an article this morning that really caught my attention. The article is about Acorn House, a restaurant in London that has its sights on becoming carbon neutral. Their goal is to operate the restaurant as greenly as possible and offset their carbon emissions by planting trees, cultivating flowers, and recycling waste.

From the sounds of things, Acorn House is not just talking the talk. Here are some of their green initiatives:

• The tap water they serve is purified on the premises
• All the fresh produce is sustainable and locally sourced
• Food waste is thrown on the compost heap
• The tables and benches are made from reclaimed wood
• Restaurant vehicles run on biodiesel
• Restaurant has been built to maximise natural light
• Imported produce comes by ship or rail

I did a bit of digging and found the Acorn House website and the following statement:

Acorn House is an exciting new restaurant venture offering exceptional quality food with a fresh, seasonally evolving menu. Every aspect from design through to delivery aims to be environmentally conscious and sustainable.

Writing this article is making me hungry. I had a look at their current dinner menu and it was nice to see a menu that is simple and not confusing; Stilton & walnut risotto, Pan fired salmon and pear barley broth, and Char-grilled porkchop with honey and thyme. Here is a restaurant that gets it! I think people want simplicity when they go out for dinner and being able to read and understand the menu is the start of a great culinary adventure. Congrats Acorn House, you are well on your way to securing a foothold in the London culinary landscape.

Have you been to Acorn House? If so, we would love to hear about your experience and post your comments on our website. The next time Bentley and I are in London, we will be sure to stop at Acorn House for a green epicurean experience!

To read more about Acorn House, here is the original article.

Technorati Tags: Acorn House, green restaurants, local produce, eating green, London, carbon neutral, eco business, eco restaurants

Written by steve on January 29th, 2007 with no comments.
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