Confessions of a E-Shopaholic

My name is Andrew and I am a shopaholic. There, I said it. People often say that acceptance is the first step to recovery. I have no problem admitting to my addiction; stopping myself from typing www.blowyourmoneyhere.com, on the other hand, has proven to be rather difficult. Having gone to college in the middle of nowhere, I quickly fell victim to the lure of online shopping. First, it was a few special edition sneakers but as we all know, the problem with online shopping is that it makes you realize how meaningless your life is without those USB robots that dance to the music from your computer, or those beanbags shaped like puzzle pieces. However the benefit to e-shopping is that it allows me to research/ learn about products with ease, and there’s never a shortage of stores that are selling what I want for a cheaper price than the ones before them. And with the current economic downtown, I’ve come to favor discount codes more than ever. Before I finalize my order on the check out page, I search for all kinds of discount codes that might apply to my order to get that 5 or 6% off. And when I do locate a discount code that’s applicable to my order, not only do I feel smarter than Stephen Hawking, but I also pat myself on the back for my ‘advanced’ researching abilities. On the rare occasion that I find multiple discount codes available, I apply the one that offers the most discount to my order, and then write the rest of them down in the “Do you have a comment or a suggestion?” box, hoping that whoever is processing my order will take notice of my ingenuity, have a good chuckle to him/herself, and decide to apply all the discount codes to my order.

As Christmas season is fast approaching (or is it here already?), I thought I could talk about one of my favorite websites to shop for fun, quirky gifts. I wish this e-store were a ‘hidden gem’ that I could introduce to the world and people would awe at my discovery, but alas it is not. However, that does not mean it is a bad store by any means.

Lush is a store that sells fresh, handmade natural cosmetics and bath and body products. As an avid fan, I knew their handmade natural soaps, bath bombs, shampoos, lotions etc. were total crowd pleasers but only recently did I realize how ‘green’ their offerings are. According to the Lush website, you can purchase 70% of their products without any packaging, and with the products that require packaging, they use post-consumer recycled, recyclable and biodegradable materials. How commendable is that, considering that some stores feel obliged to tissue paper your purchase to death?

How bathbombs work (courtesy of Lush.com)

And these are some of my favorite bathbombs:

Big Blue Bath Bomb

Sakura Bath Bomb

Ickle Angel Bath Bomb

From Farm to Table?

There is a food phrase used in the media that always catches my attention: ‘From Farm to Table’. Sounds simple enough right? You collect the eggs to make your omelet, you pick the lettuce to the make your salad and you milk the goat to make your cheese? If only it were that pastoral... With the all too prevalent foodborne illness scares, the term has come to mean the governmental process of tracing a contaminated tomato back to its agricultural source; Or in Michael Pollan’s case, tracing a McDonald’s hamburger back to a commodity cornfield in Iowa; Or a rustic, familiar allusion to family-run, local ranching in The Niman Ranch Cookbook: From Farm to Table. While I feel it is admirable that the term is helping people really consider where their food comes from, for me personally, it alludes to the very literal sense of the phrase: From a farm to my table, with no extensive journey in between. In true investigative form, I set out immerse myself in my romantic perception of this phrase.

Camp Joy Camp Joy is a small non-profit organic farm operated for educational purposes and supported by Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes. The farm is 4.5 charming acres of organic fruit, vegetables, flowers, goats and chickens in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I just happen to visit at peak fruit time.

In addition to eating fresh peaches and plums right off the trees, I was treated to fresh eggs for breakfast and homemade herbed goat cheese made from Camp Joy's happy and productive goats. Camp Joy strives to educate others on how to live more sustainable lives, and after my amazing visit, I felt compelled to start immediately.

Country Flat Farm Country Flat Farm is one of the most endearing places I have ever been. And let me explain "endearing": The single family run farm sits atop a mountain overlooking the Big Sur coast. The views are absolutely spectacular. It is no wonder the energetic lemon trees and fruitful (ha) apples trees happily bask in the sun there. The home on the property is completely solar powered and built from materials that came from the land on which it stands. The farm is run by a remarkable family that doesn't take an inch of beautiful land for granted and through sustainable life practices, hope to make a difference. I spent the day digging out carrots, snipping off fresh bunches of lettuce and filling my shirt full of fresh meyer lemons (making sure I only took as many as I could consume.)

What did I learn? First of all, there is something kind of sexy about dirt under your fingernails at the end of the day on a farm. Also, food just tastes better when it comes directly from the farm to your table. There are many ways our population can easily be more conscientious eaters. Buy local. Look into starting a CSA box for your own home. For a great listing of Bay Area CSA box options check out this comprehensive list on Om Organics website.

Happy Eating!

Downsizing = Greensizing

When my husband and I made a move across the country to check out a new place and get a new perspective, little did we know that it would turn into a great exercise in greensizing.  In the process of downsizing and choosing a new community in which to live and work, we found ourselves inadvertently reducing our carbon footprint exponentially. I say inadvertently a bit tongue in cheek, as my husband and I have both been working in the green space for decades.  However, our initial choices of a town, apartment, and amenities were instigated by our desire to keep things simple and downsize financially, not to go uber green.  We achieved both in the process. Below is a list of choices we made, and the green benefits we gained along the way.

Location: Small town vs. Big City We like small towns and we like to be able to walk and bike everywhere. This was our desire to slow down the rat race, and maintain a high quality of life. We found a small town in the northwest in which to settle and explore.

Green benefits:  Small means that everything is close at hand.  Not only can we walk to dine and shop, but to do any errands necessary.

Small in our case also means a tight-knit community, one that supports local agriculture and business, and one which celebrates that every week with a farmers market featuring many delicious organic options. Boy we love berry season!

It turns out we also picked a town with great public transportation, a well established and extensive system of trails in a community that values greenspace and open space.  This means that our recreation opportunities are right outside our door as well.

An added benefit is that we are on an Amtrak route so travel to two big international cities for culture and entertainment is green, economical and efficient.

Housing: Apartment vs. House Due to the fact that we still own our home in another state, we wanted to rent while we check out our new location.  We chose an apartment over a house or townhome to keep our monthly cash commitment to a minimum. (It also didn’t hurt that it has killer views and is close to everything we needs from groceries to post office to great restaurants.)

Green benefits: An apartment means less area to heat than a house which means using less energy and lower utility bills!  We also chose one with western exposure and waterfront views.  This means we have great passive solar lighting and heating, again, reducing the bills.  Our bills are one quarter of what they were for our house.  It also helps that we moved to a slightly warmer climate, which in itself reduces the need for fossil fuels.

Additional unforeseen benefits of living in smaller quarters means that we have limited storage space so we buy less, spend less, consume less and waste less.  Less space also means we need less furniture so our moving costs and fuel cost to move it were small.  We did purchase a couple of items and were thrilled to be able to find furniture made in by local companies, thus supporting the economy and avoiding the fuel costs of products shipped from elsewhere.

Work:  Consulting vs. Corporate Life My husband and I are fortunate enough to have a few years of the working world under our respective belts so consulting is our current preferred mode of making a living. This has afforded us the flexibility to make a geographic move as we can live anywhere.

Green benefits:  With advanced technology, ie, email and phones, consulting is a breeze. No commuting except to the occasional client meeting is necessary for either of us, therefore, we are not polluting the planet every day to get to work.  We are also saving money and are not currently stressed out about gas prices.  Ok, I lied - I hate gas prices going up anyway.

A strange green benefit is that by working from home, we have smaller wardrobe requirements and therefore, consume less and do less laundry, thus saving energy.

Climate:  Consistent Temperate vs. Changing Alpine We moved from a seasonal alpine climate with potentially harsh winter conditions to a temperate coastline to experience a water-side lifestyle for a change.

Green benefits:  In addition to the aforementioned energy savings due to a milder climate, we are spending less on clothes.  One season fits all when it comes to what to wear.  The need for fewer clothes also means fewer shopping sprees which translates into less gas used.

Another benefit of a temperate climate is that we have shifted from a semi-arid climate with water restrictions, water scarcity, and limited agriculture, to one rich in water, agriculture and a great local food supply. Sustainability is inherent in such a location.

In addition to finding the fun in downsizing and greensizing and learning new ways to do it every day, we are thoroughly enjoying a fun, simplified new lifestyle in a new place.  Our biggest green vice is the occasional extra flight to see friends, family and clients.  But we can live with that knowing we have been able to make easy green changes in our every day life. Who knew going cheap would mean growing greener?

Charles Comm in Beijing!!

I've been excited to go back to China ever since I bought my tickets to the Olympics over a year ago. With all the extravagant rumors that we hear in the US media about China and their preparations for the Olympics, who wouldn't be? News stories like the one that said Beijing city planners were building not one, not two, but twelve new subway lines! Or stories that claimed Chinese authorities were testing ways to manipulate the weather such that clouds would rain before they even reached Beijing (WHAT? I thought only God could do that!!) I decided I had to go and see this first hand. You knew you were in for a treat as soon as you got off the airplane and stepped into the monumentally-huge new terminal in Beijing (actually, they built two new terminals since the last time I had been in Beijing a year ago with my father, when Olympic fever was just beginning to percolate). As you walked from the gate to baggage claim, not only were you bombarded by Olympic posters and ads celebrating the games, you were also welcomed by tables of volunteers there to help you with anything Beijing-related. Nearly 75,000 of these volunteers blanketed the city in an effort to help make the games run smoothly.

So let me just get the routine questions out of the way:

Did I see Michael Phelps? No. Were there a lot of people? Yes. Obviously. Was the air really that bad? Surprisingly not.

I saw four events while I was in Beijing: swimming (Womens 50M freestyle, Mens 4 x 100M Medley Relay), Men's water polo (Greece v. Canada, US v. Croatia), soccer (Italy v. Belgium) and track and field (110M hurdles, Men's triple jump). I got to go inside the Bird's Nest and the Swim Cube, and most important, I met the Today Show crew: Matt, Al, Meredith and Anne (of course the highlight of my trip would be meeting American news anchors!!).

All in all, I'm really glad I made the trek! I think that anytime a country spends $48 billion welcoming the world, you might as well take them up on their offer!

Questions and Answers with Philip Shaw

Our firm Charles Communications Associates from whence comes the input of the All the Swirl blog has a great group of friends that we work with and whose stories make for something inspirational...from time to time, we'll do our "Inside the Actor's Studio" version of a sit down with people in the food and beverage business who are making cool things happen. Our inaugural post features Philip Shaw, a veteran of the Australian wine business who took an entrepreneurial turn at the age of 60 with his own winery in Orange, Australia...his Koomooloo Vineyard has been known to get snow on occasion, not something one expects in Oz, but it's Oz, anything can happen... QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH PHILIP SHAW: What book are you currently reading?

Ernest Hemingway - A Farewell to Arms

Do you have a nickname? What is it

I don’t have a nickname. I have worked hard to rid myself of the ones of my youth.

Is there a favorite rascal perched in your family tree? Who?

There isn’t a family tree. It’s something my family discusses (it must have been bad).

Name your most memorable bottle of wine, who you were with and where were you when you drank it.

A 1945 Chateau Latour. It was in Hunter Valley with a group of 10 colleagues. This was an amazing night as the Chateau Latour was only one of large number of superb old wines.

What's the most unusual item in your sock drawer?

A camera but no socks. And it isn’t actually a drawer, it is a basket.

As a child did you ever want to run away to join the circus?

No. Even as young child I realized I was not elegant.

What was your favorite movie then?

Walt Disney cartoons.

What is it now?

The Shawshank Redemption.

Do you still enjoy the circus?

Yes.

Name an Australian region Americans should visit more but don’t?

Kimberleys in the NW part of Western Australia or Orange.

What's the most beautiful language to your ear?

Italian, and to my eyes, body language.

Pick one of each pair: mountains or ocean; fog or rain; spring or autumn; love or valor.

Mountains; rain (particularly now we are currently in a wicked drought); spring; love.

What is your proudest accomplishment?

To work against the tide and be successful.

Which deep thinker has influenced your business?

My family: Diana, Damian & Daniel.

What one trait do you look for in employees?

To think.

Which of your virtues has winemaking honed?

Persistence.

What wine web site do you recommend?

Philip Shaw or Cumulus. I rarely use the Web; it is too time consuming.

Bottle of wine you'd like to drink with your last meal?

A Philip Shaw which I have not made yet. Perhaps next year’s or maybe it’s a dream!

Speak, Write, Eat Green

In the fall, a case study submitted by Charles Communications will be part of a Green Business Case Study book, more details forthcoming. As Charles Communications Associates continues to hone its speciality in helping businesses, here's a small essay on helping small businesses take the first step to go and grow green... Even Small Companies Can Make BIG Change

As a small business, CCA believes in the mantra, “Even small business can think big and make big changes. As a smaller group, decisions can be made and implemented immediately. While Charles commends businesses of all sizes that join the green wagon, she believes that smaller companies like hers have some major advantages. “Changes made today can be seen tomorrow,” says Charles, “which is instant gratification for the team, and instant gratification for the company as a whole.”

A perfect example of this happened three years ago when Charles moved into a new office space. The building did not support a recycling program, so Charles initiated one on the floor she shares with two other businesses. The building now provides bins in the basement for the entire building to recycle paper and cardboard materials. As a small business owner, Charles has the ability to decide where financial investments are placed. All CCA investments are assigned to socially conscious stock.

The Value of a Mentor

A piece of advice Charles passes on to other business owners (or anyone attempting to conduct greener business practices) is to garner a mentor. “Having someone as a mentor or inspiration was pivotal in my development as a small business owner moving into the green space,” says the communications company owner, referring to longtime friend and colleague, Susan Holden Walsh. Walsh, who currently works as CCA’s Senior Public Relations Advisor, encouraged Charles to pursue her goals of creating a sustainable business. Walsh was an early advocate of a socially responsible lifestyle with her move to Boulder, CO. “She represented many cool natural products in Colorado, and for me, her friend, still stuck in Manhattan, talking to Susan was like aromatherapy,” Charles reminisces. “I envisioned a world and purpose beyond my scope. When I moved to California I would call Susan during road trips and talk about best practices and the burgeoning green movement that we witnessed in the early 90s in pockets of the U.S. I credit her with inspiring me to think ahead of the curve when it came to my life practices as well as business practices that would flourish once I started my own business...and here we are today, witnessing a dramatically changed world with lots of awareness and dialogue about the environment. We all still have lots to learn, but at least we're collectively talking.”

Looking ahead, Charles is hoping to truly author the green movement in her company literature and establish a more formal manifesto to relay to current and future clients. One way she plans on tackling this in the short-term is to dedicate an upcoming quarterly newsletter (electronic, of course) to CCA and its clients’ green efforts. “The ultimate goal is to be a completely green business,” Charles says. This would include making CCA’s office space green certified. “Ideally, we’d like to see all of our clients making some effort to be socially responsible, whether in their farming practices or supporting a cause. We hope that our clients, present and future, will recognize our leadership as a socially responsible business and join us in our efforts.”