Central Florida Green Guide

One of the perks to my job as chair of the “Green Team” is that I get to do really fun stuff once in a while. And I’m event coordinating these days for a music/arts fest type shindig over at the church.

It’s a non-profit community service project to help promote local artists / performers / musicians/ groups/ businesses. We don’t charge them any kind of “exhibitor” fee. We just want to help them broadcast “LOCAL” to Orlando!

As a perk to my readers who like the square foot gardening front and other eco-bits I broadcast here….

The Green Team VIP Ticket! (Click pix for larger version)

Good for up to 4 people and valued at $60 total. Knock yourselves out! Just print this article and bring it in.

The “Evening Entertainment Escape” is on May 17th, 2008.

First Unitarian Church of Orlando

1901 E. Robinson St.

Orlando FL 32803

Doors open at 6 PM so you can browse the tables and get snacks and drinks. Concert starts at 7 PM.

The concert line up is looking hot with local talent:

And the tall drink of water in the Tuesday Nite Band on guitar/bass with the blond bangs falling in his face is my hunny bunny. Yay!

Enjoy!

Last month we were pleased to report that Timmy’s Toy Chest would begin stocking earth-friendly options in it’s Lake Mary toy store.  Owner Lin Hanzelko just announced that they are taking their green initiative a few steps further:

“In an effort to go green we have come up with some new ideas at Timmy’s.  We started thinking green in the store by reusing scraps of wrapping paper and old faxes as note paper.  We then brainstormed ways we can encourage our customers to help in our effort.  We would like you to think about if you really “need” a bag to take your purchase home.  If you don’t, please refuse.  If you do need a bag we encourage you to reuse it!!  Bring your bag back on your next visit to Timmy’s Toy Chest and receive a 25 cent credit per bag towards your next purchase.  It may seem like a small thing, but every little effort can make a difference!”

Congrats to Lin and Timmy’s Toy Chest for making this a priority in their business!

Timmy’s Toy Chest
407-804-9877
1120 TownPark Avenue, Suite 1032
Lake Mary, FL 32746

Source: Timmy’s Toy Chest newsletter

The Bush Administration has until May 15 to decide whether to place the polar bear on the Endangered Species list. Tell Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne that the polar bear, and its fragile Arctic habitat, requires protection from the effects of global warming. Sign the petition today.

If you are in the Fashion Square Mall area later today you might want to pop in the Drunken Monkey over on Bumby for Orlando’s 3rd Annual World Fair Trade Day.

The event is family friendly and features local musicians and artists as well as fair trade, local, and organic vendors, and special guest speakers.

“Fair Trade” is a certification that allows consumers to choose products that are produced under conditions of environmental sustainability and fair labor practices.

Dr. Lynne Whitson-Rosemellia of Hands On Family Chiropractic is hosting a Spring Fling to benefit the Orlando Area Chapter of the Holistic Moms Network. The event will take place from 11-2 on Saturday, May 10th at 2876 S. Alafaya Trail in Orlando.

There will be plantings and paintings for the kids, a photographer to get pictures of Mom with the kids since she always seems to be behind the camera, Our Vital Earth with their worms, music, storytellers, organic snow cones, vendors, and more!

For more information please call Dr. Lynne’s office at 407.340.1293. To learn more about the Holistic Moms Network, please visit their website at www.holisticmoms.org.

On the way home the other day, we stopped at Debbie’s Health Foods to get some organic eggs since we were out.  We drove up to find a large sign saying that it had moved to the other end of the shopping center.  I was pleasantly surprised when we got to the new location!  Debbie’s Health Foods is no longer a small health food store; it’s on its way to becoming a fully stocked grocery store with just about everything the health food enthusiast could need or want! 

In addition to natural remedies and supplements, they’ve got dry goods, organic produce, frozen foods, and all natural personal care and cleaning products.  I noticed that they have a pretty good selection of natural pet food as well!  I commented on the new location and was told they’re adding new items and products everyday!

Debbie’s Health Foods is a great option for those of us who live in or around Orange City.  I was only there for a few minutes, so I can’t comment on the prices.  I’ll add to this review if I get to visit sometime in the near future.  I hope to check it out again on the first Tuesday of the month since that’s when everything in the store is 20% off! 

Are you a regular customer?  Please take a moment to comment so others can benefit from your experience!

If you liked the Behind the Beans preview of Seven Sisters Coffee house, you can catch another taste of the yummy organic, fair trade joe at the May 17th “Evening Entertainment Escape!”

Alisha Kearns is taking Seven Sisters Coffeehouse over to be one of the tables at the crazy celebration of “creative spirit” held at First Unitarian Church of Orlando.

First Unitarian is “keeping it local” by putting on the event as a community service project to offer artists, musicians, small businesses and groups a platform to broadcast and promote themselves to Greater Orlando. They don’t even charge a booth fee — so if you are interested in participating, email audioteam@orlandouu.org for more info.

The audience shows it’s support of the local talent, local groups, and helps to celebrate “creative spirit” by coming to watch!

Billed as a sort of “wacky music and arts” festival, the Evening Entertainment Escape is shaping up to feature a lot of cool performers:

• The Forefathers
• Black Ship Sky
  
• Lost Soul Tribe
• Tuesday Nite Band
• Doug Halper, dulcimer player
• Old Guys on the Porch
• Dances of Universal Peace, Orlando group

…and more!

There will also be various info tables, concessions, kirigami crafts, thrift store shopping, movie shorts, and “whatever other crazy creative thing we can squeeze in!”

And of course, our favorite Black Bear dark roast!

WHEN:

May 17, 2008

Doors open at 6 PM

Concert starts at 7 PM and runs through 10 or 11 PM!

WHERE:

First Unitarian Church of Orlando

1901 E. Robinsons St

Orlando, FL 32803

COST:

You may purchase advance tickets in advance on Sundays from Noon to 1 PM at the church or just at the door.

• $10 in advance/$15 at door for adults
• $5 in advance / $8 at door for kids 12 and under

That is a direct quote from my husband when he tried Cupcake Coutoure’s “Cupcake Noir” (dark chocolate cake with bittersweet chocolate frosting). Cupcake Coutoure is a new bakery located at 2795 Old Winter Garden Road, Ocoee and they specialize in organic… yep, you guessed it, CUPCAKES! Tony and Rachel Mariotto, and Tony’s sister, Gena Baker, opened the 11,050-sq foot bakery in the Maguire Crossing Plaza in January and use only organic ingredients and real eggs, butter and sugar.

Every day they serve a variety of 8 flavors, which are made up of 4 core flavors and 4 additional flavors.  So far they have come up with about 23 flavors that are rotated every day.  The core flavors are:

• Cupcake Noir (dark chocolate cake with bittersweet chocolate frosting)
• Off the Rack (yellow cake with rich chocolate frosting)
• Strawberry Fields (strawberry scented cake with fresh strawberry frosting)
• Vanilla Bean (vanilla infused cake with vanilla bean frosting)

A sample of their “additional” flavors are:

• Brown Velvet (red velvet without the dye!  Light cocoa cake with cream cheese frosting)
• Caramel Apple (cinnamon apple cake with caramel frosting)
• Lemon Drop (lemon scented cake with lemon frosting)
• Peanut Butter Cookie (dense peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting)
• The Beach (rich pineapple cake with pineapple coconut frosting)

You can buy them as a single, 1/2 dozen or dozen… even as mini cupcakes, if you pre-order.  There is limited seating available and you can purchase coffee, tea, water and milk to go along with your cupcake.

You won’t find cupcake “cakes” here.  According to their brochure, “because we don’t use any dyes or chemicals in our products, it would be difficult to create a themed pull away cupcake cake that many of the commercial grocery store bakeries offer.”  Instead, they offer disposable cupcake towers that can be decorated to “capture any theme imaginable.”

Best of all, they do offer deliveries in their area for a fee and/or minimum requirement.

Why do I love Cupcake Coutoure? 

• I love that everything is organic!
• I love that there are no artificial dyes or chemicals!
• I love that it is a family-owned business!
• I love that their cupcakes are amazing tasting!

So, if you are out in the Ocoee area, be sure to stop by and grab a delicious snack!  They don’t have a website yet, but you can contact them at 407-656-8338 (fax: 407-654-3583).

Okay, now most of you probably haven’t had your child yell this out to you… but it is one of my son’s favorite drinks! I have been juicing for about 9 years now. I started when my daughter was born. A friend of mine who just had her 5th child started talking to me about the benefits of juicing. She shared that as a nursing mom it was easier for her to get all those wonderful vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies into her diet which then went into her breast milk. So, I decided to give it a go and have been hooked since. After researching the various juicers out there, I decided on a Champion Juicer.

The Champion Juicer is a heavy-duty machine that utilizes the mastication process, which basically means it chews up the fibers and breaks up the cell of the fruits and veggies. By masticating the produce, you end up with more fiber, vitamins, enzymes, and trace minerals.

One of the benefits of juicing for children is that they can help you do it! My children love to cut up the fruit and/or veggies and then push them through the juicer. My son will taste-test the juice and then tell me if it is ready to drink or if we need to add more produce. By helping out from the beginning, they are more inclined to drink the final product. I love knowing that they are getting such a boost of all-natural goodness with no added sugar, food dyes, and other ingredients found in bottled juices on the shelves.

Since we have been juicing for such a long time, my kids are used to me handing them lettuce juice (1 head of lettuce plus about 3 apples) at dinner and telling them to drink their salad. On hot days, we love to make carrot lemonade, which is 1 whole lemon (peeled), 1 pound of carrots, and about 3-4 apples.

My husband, although not an avid juicer, will juice apples and garlic when he feels he is getting sick. It really helps him to fight off the illness! Juicing is also an excellent way to use up produce before it goes bad. Have extra spinach… juice it with some apples! A benefit of the Champion is that it can be used for more than just juicing. Freeze some bananas, run them through the juicer and voila! You have soft serve ice cream that tastes delicious! You can get the grinder attachment and make your own nut butter or grind your own flour. It is so versatile!

So if you are looking for ways to get fresh fruits and veggies into your kids diets (and yours too!), think about giving juicing a try. You may soon be hearing “more lettuce juice, please!”

International Midwives Day  is actually on May 5th, but the Heart 2 Heart Birth Center will be celebrating on May 3rd to get media coverage out to the birth center.  Their local Chamber of Commerce will be out at 11:00am for an official ribbon cutting ceremony. There will be tours of the birth center, and a viewing of The Business of Being Born begining at 1:00 for any one who wishes to join in on the festivities.  Snacks and refreshments will be served. Come out and join us, and show your support to local midwives. The birth center is located at 1301 South Park Avenue, Sanford, FL 32771