So, it's Earth Day. Do you know your carbon footprint? After you've taken the quiz, check out a few sites with ways to go green for today and from now on:
World Watch
Tree Hugger's Guides to Going Green (My favorite: How to Green Your Coffee and Tea)
AND
CNN's 22 Little Ways to Go Green (These ones are really easy)
If you're interested in making a change in your diet that is healthy for you AND the environment, read about reducing your carbon footprint by eliminating beef from your diet.
Take some time for yourself and the planet to drink some fair trade, organic tea and do a little something (or big something!) to lessen your environmental impact. Happy Earth Day!
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Local Food, Tea Plants
Local food co-ops have issued a challenge to their customers: eat local produce for 80% or more of your diet during the summer months. Excerpt from The Progressive Grocer:
Although "local" is a buzzword used by many retailers, the NCGA maintains that its member natural food co-ops cultivate "truly reciprocal, long-term relationships with local growers and producers."
Participating NCGA member stores will host Eat Local America challenges within their communities, encouraging individuals to visit their store, learn when their local challenge is taking place, commit to participate, and collect information on eating local foods. Because peak harvest time varies throughout the nation, the challenge duration may vary from a one-week to one-month period, according to NCGA.
Read more here.
Personally, I'll be getting most of my grocers from a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). As for my tea, I'll always love teamaster-made green tea from Japan, first flush black from Darjeeling, oolong from Taiwan, and white and green teas from China, but I'll also get to try some VERY local tea soon.
Soil from Darjeeling, kindly sent to me by a tea professional in India
Chinese-variety tea seeds, kindly sent to me my a tea educator in Japan
Planting of the tea seeds, for uber-local, "fresh from my apartment" tea
If anyone in the US would like a tea seed or two, email me with your address and one way you plan to go greener this year. Have a great Earth Day tomorrow!
Although "local" is a buzzword used by many retailers, the NCGA maintains that its member natural food co-ops cultivate "truly reciprocal, long-term relationships with local growers and producers."
Participating NCGA member stores will host Eat Local America challenges within their communities, encouraging individuals to visit their store, learn when their local challenge is taking place, commit to participate, and collect information on eating local foods. Because peak harvest time varies throughout the nation, the challenge duration may vary from a one-week to one-month period, according to NCGA.
Read more here.
Personally, I'll be getting most of my grocers from a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). As for my tea, I'll always love teamaster-made green tea from Japan, first flush black from Darjeeling, oolong from Taiwan, and white and green teas from China, but I'll also get to try some VERY local tea soon.
Soil from Darjeeling, kindly sent to me by a tea professional in India
Chinese-variety tea seeds, kindly sent to me my a tea educator in Japan
Planting of the tea seeds, for uber-local, "fresh from my apartment" tea
If anyone in the US would like a tea seed or two, email me with your address and one way you plan to go greener this year. Have a great Earth Day tomorrow!
Monday, February 25, 2008
England Goes Foodie, Tea Prices on the Rise?
England is following and surpassing the American trend of "going foodie." Acoording to a recent article on CNN, they are getting ahead of the American trend towards for organic, fair trade, and local: the British govenrment has even asked retailers to develop "eco-labels" that indicate the environmental impact of each product. The focus is much more on sustainability than on personal health. (It seems to me that most Americans are more interested in their own health than the planet's when it comes to organic food production.) The ethical treatment of animals (still a mojor taboo in the US, despite all of PETA's well-meaning efforts) has also gained some attention in the press on both sides of the issue.
I wonder how the foodie movement in one of the world's biggest tea-drinking nations will impact the tea market. Will more plantations and gardens go organic/biodynamic? Will packaging be altered to be more sustainable and will marketing begin to reflect the (in many cases, newfound) sustainability more? As tastes change in England, will the ubiquitous teabag be replaced more and more by loose leaf tea?
As for the prices, it is already predicted that tea prices will rise in 2008 due to civil unrest in Kenya. Of course, most tea production in Kenya is CTC at present, so it may not impact the prices of loose leaf. Perhaps a price increase in CTC black tea (Kenya's main tea product and England's favorite cuppa) will actually encourage a shift to loose leaf. We shall see!
EDITED TO ADD: A new article on the UK's efforts to make grocery stores more sustainable, ethical, and healthy. Yay!
I wonder how the foodie movement in one of the world's biggest tea-drinking nations will impact the tea market. Will more plantations and gardens go organic/biodynamic? Will packaging be altered to be more sustainable and will marketing begin to reflect the (in many cases, newfound) sustainability more? As tastes change in England, will the ubiquitous teabag be replaced more and more by loose leaf tea?
As for the prices, it is already predicted that tea prices will rise in 2008 due to civil unrest in Kenya. Of course, most tea production in Kenya is CTC at present, so it may not impact the prices of loose leaf. Perhaps a price increase in CTC black tea (Kenya's main tea product and England's favorite cuppa) will actually encourage a shift to loose leaf. We shall see!
EDITED TO ADD: A new article on the UK's efforts to make grocery stores more sustainable, ethical, and healthy. Yay!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Chic Tea Gifts
Looking for a chic tea gift? San Francicso-based Violet has some cute items including a flowering tea set, an American honey flight, and (my personal fave) The Teastick. Eco-minded folk will also love their sustainable gifts. Cool.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
V-Day Teas
It's one week to Valentines Day. Do you have a gift for your sweetheart? We all know that V-Day flowers are toxic to the environment and the humans who grow/harvest them (Right? You surely didn't think all those flowers bloomed on the same day naturally.), but what to get instead? If you're turning to tea to turn your partner's heart, here are a few Valentine's-related teas out there:
Adagio's Valentines Tea
Chocolate and strawberries and Ceylon! Oh, my!
Flowering Teas
There are a lot of them out there. More on flowering teas and their suppliers on Vee Tea.
Harney & Sons Rose Tea
One of my personal favorites. Very sophisticated.
Mariage Freres
Mariage Freres has Valentines Day covered. They have heart--shaped flowering teas, an aromatized tea called "Amore," a Kama Sutra tea gift box, and more. I guess the French really do get the whole "romance" thing.
Rishi's White Tea Rose Melange
Rumor has it that this tea was blended as an anniversary gift for the blender's wife. Tastes good, too.
Adagio's Valentines Tea
Chocolate and strawberries and Ceylon! Oh, my!
Flowering Teas
There are a lot of them out there. More on flowering teas and their suppliers on Vee Tea.
Harney & Sons Rose Tea
One of my personal favorites. Very sophisticated.
Mariage Freres
Mariage Freres has Valentines Day covered. They have heart--shaped flowering teas, an aromatized tea called "Amore," a Kama Sutra tea gift box, and more. I guess the French really do get the whole "romance" thing.
Rishi's White Tea Rose Melange
Rumor has it that this tea was blended as an anniversary gift for the blender's wife. Tastes good, too.
Monday, January 28, 2008
NYC recycling
Great news for New Yorkers and the environment! "In a bid to curb the environmental impact of nearly 1 billion plastic bags used by New York City consumers annually, the city's council passed a bill on Wednesday requiring large stores to set up recycling programs." Read the full article here.
In Darjeeling, there is a complete ban on plastic bags. Goods are wrapped in paper parcels and tied with twine. It's a very political issue there, as the environmental damage due to littering was very visually apparent. In NYC, the problem is not so much the littering, as the massive scale of consumption and the extremity of our particular brand of "culture of convenience." However, I'm very pleased to see that this type of recycling will become significantly easier for New Yorkers in the near future.
In Darjeeling, there is a complete ban on plastic bags. Goods are wrapped in paper parcels and tied with twine. It's a very political issue there, as the environmental damage due to littering was very visually apparent. In NYC, the problem is not so much the littering, as the massive scale of consumption and the extremity of our particular brand of "culture of convenience." However, I'm very pleased to see that this type of recycling will become significantly easier for New Yorkers in the near future.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Sustainability & Food Purchases
Lately, sustainability has become a much larger factor in food purchasing decisions. Organic, fair trade, biodynamic, low-waste/eco-friendly packaging, and local products are all receiving more and more attention from customers in their shopping habits. According to a recent survey "approximately 50 percent of U.S. consumers consider at least one sustainability factor in selecting consumer packaged goods (CPG) items and choosing where to shop for those products." That's quite a jump from ten years ago, when most people were just learning what organic produce even means. Possible implications for the tea world: more sustainable (reusable, recyclable, minimal, eco-friendly) packaging, more organic/biodynamic estates/gardens, more fair trade companies, and more local estates (which, sadly, goes along with global warming). Read more about the survey here. Have a good weekend!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Global Warming Teacup
OK, so everyone has seen this global warming mug already. But there's a new one out, and it is marketed specifically as a teacup. Interesting...
Read more on global warming and tea in one of my previous blog posts.
Read more on global warming and tea in one of my previous blog posts.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Tea & Global Warming
I know I normally end the week with a positive note, but... not this week. Today I'd like to talk about how global warming is changing the world of tea. This approach may sound somewhat trivial, but I feel that narrowing your focus can allow you to see the potential impact of such a large problem much more clearly. It's an important issue and, maybe, you can take some small steps toward reducing your own carbon footprint with a little effort over the weekend.
Tea and Global Warming
Sri Lankan tea growers are dealing with extreme weather conditions, such as abnormally heavy monsoons, which are causing the deaths of large numbers of young tea plants. Droughts and floods are expected, as are problems with inequity between rice farmers (who work as family units on small farms) and tea workers (who are assured of set wages despite occasional low selling prices).
Erosion and landslides due to heavy rains are already major problems in the areas of Darjeeling I visited this summer. According to Rajah Banerjee of Makaibari Tea Estate, the seasons are becoming unpredictable in terms of temperature (stiflingly hot when it should be warm) and rainfall (torrential when it should be drizzling), which stymies tea growth. Invasive pests such as mosquitoes have appeared with the change in climate. Increased mortality rates due to pest-related disease and landslides have decreased worker morale. Very soon, Indian tea producers in Assam and Darjeeling are going to have to figure out what happens when the glacial runoff from the Himalayas dries up. Some are predicting civil war, which makes sense given the already brittle political situation in Assam. All the obvious consequences of this potential tragedy aside, tea would surely take the back burner at best in these circumstances.
Kenya (one of the world's largest tea producers) suffered a major drought last year that caused its tea production to drop by 19%, in a record-setting decline. It is estimated that id the average world temperature rises by as little as 2 degrees C, then large areas of Kenya's tea-growing region will no longer be able to produce tea. Tea comprises about 1/4 of Kenya's current export earnings, and is, at present, essential to the economic growth of this fragile developing nation.
Meanwhile, one of the few tea plantations in the US is in the middle of a major drought. So much for buying local.
The change in climate has caused the beginning of harvest for first flush teas in China to shift from March 10th (when it has begun for hundreds of years) to March 5th, but that's about it. This means that (as the world's top tea exporter) China would actually BENEFIT (financially) from global warming's damage to other tea exporting nations. Not much of an impetus to ratify the Kyoto Protocol...
Of course, England is LOVING the climate change. Hey, at least they can decrease their carbon footprint by buying tea locally. Too bad it had to some to this before most people even knew what a carbon footprint is.
Soon other countries, including Canada, may have increased food production due to climate change. Right in line with Jared Diamond's brilliant Guns, Germs, and Steel, most of the countries that will be hit the hardest are the ones that are already struggling financially. Could those happen to, oh, I don't know... be some of the same ones tht have low enough labor costs to make tea production profitable? Hmm...
And, of course, some of the major tea companies are getting into the game. Lipton came up with this as a quick fix for a Romanian heat wave (brought on by global warming, no doubt). Gee, that's a long-term solution.
In better news, organic tea production is on the rise in India and elsewhere. Still feeling depressed? Read this article on how to "green" your tea and then follow these simple steps for making your life greener. When you're done making all the immediate changes you can, have a nice cup of tea, and then keep making daily decisions with the environment in mind. I promise you'll feel much better.
Tea and Global Warming
Sri Lankan tea growers are dealing with extreme weather conditions, such as abnormally heavy monsoons, which are causing the deaths of large numbers of young tea plants. Droughts and floods are expected, as are problems with inequity between rice farmers (who work as family units on small farms) and tea workers (who are assured of set wages despite occasional low selling prices).
Erosion and landslides due to heavy rains are already major problems in the areas of Darjeeling I visited this summer. According to Rajah Banerjee of Makaibari Tea Estate, the seasons are becoming unpredictable in terms of temperature (stiflingly hot when it should be warm) and rainfall (torrential when it should be drizzling), which stymies tea growth. Invasive pests such as mosquitoes have appeared with the change in climate. Increased mortality rates due to pest-related disease and landslides have decreased worker morale. Very soon, Indian tea producers in Assam and Darjeeling are going to have to figure out what happens when the glacial runoff from the Himalayas dries up. Some are predicting civil war, which makes sense given the already brittle political situation in Assam. All the obvious consequences of this potential tragedy aside, tea would surely take the back burner at best in these circumstances.
Kenya (one of the world's largest tea producers) suffered a major drought last year that caused its tea production to drop by 19%, in a record-setting decline. It is estimated that id the average world temperature rises by as little as 2 degrees C, then large areas of Kenya's tea-growing region will no longer be able to produce tea. Tea comprises about 1/4 of Kenya's current export earnings, and is, at present, essential to the economic growth of this fragile developing nation.
Meanwhile, one of the few tea plantations in the US is in the middle of a major drought. So much for buying local.
The change in climate has caused the beginning of harvest for first flush teas in China to shift from March 10th (when it has begun for hundreds of years) to March 5th, but that's about it. This means that (as the world's top tea exporter) China would actually BENEFIT (financially) from global warming's damage to other tea exporting nations. Not much of an impetus to ratify the Kyoto Protocol...
Of course, England is LOVING the climate change. Hey, at least they can decrease their carbon footprint by buying tea locally. Too bad it had to some to this before most people even knew what a carbon footprint is.
Soon other countries, including Canada, may have increased food production due to climate change. Right in line with Jared Diamond's brilliant Guns, Germs, and Steel, most of the countries that will be hit the hardest are the ones that are already struggling financially. Could those happen to, oh, I don't know... be some of the same ones tht have low enough labor costs to make tea production profitable? Hmm...
And, of course, some of the major tea companies are getting into the game. Lipton came up with this as a quick fix for a Romanian heat wave (brought on by global warming, no doubt). Gee, that's a long-term solution.
In better news, organic tea production is on the rise in India and elsewhere. Still feeling depressed? Read this article on how to "green" your tea and then follow these simple steps for making your life greener. When you're done making all the immediate changes you can, have a nice cup of tea, and then keep making daily decisions with the environment in mind. I promise you'll feel much better.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Honey for Tea & Colony Collapse Disorder
If you haven't heard already, I adore Tupelo Honey as a sweetener for tea (especially iced tea). For that reason (and for general environmental concern), I've been reading up on a recent phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder, which causes worker bees to abandon their hives (including the queen and larvae). It has been blamed on everything from global warming to cell phone signals, but what may be the real reason has recently surfaced.
Tests on US bees with and without the infection revealed the presence of a honeybee virus from Israel in the infected bees. However, the effect is much stronger on the American honeybees than their Israeli counterparts. The reason may be that US bees are already suffering from parasitic mite infestations (which damage their lungs and eventually kill them) and fungal attacks on their hives. More on NPR.
I'm headed down South today to edit my India footage for a tea event. Check y'all latah!
Tests on US bees with and without the infection revealed the presence of a honeybee virus from Israel in the infected bees. However, the effect is much stronger on the American honeybees than their Israeli counterparts. The reason may be that US bees are already suffering from parasitic mite infestations (which damage their lungs and eventually kill them) and fungal attacks on their hives. More on NPR.
I'm headed down South today to edit my India footage for a tea event. Check y'all latah!
Friday, September 21, 2007
"Green"
NPR tackles the topic of green politics and purchases. How Green is Green? Check it out, and have a great weekend!
PS--I've been filling in the missing blog entries from August. Since the internet connection in India is spotty at best, I kept a journal while I was there. The journal entries are being rewritten as blog posts and added to VeeTea. Start with my trip to London or my arrival in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) or my journey up to Darjeeling or my visit to Makaibari Tea Estate (or where ever else you want to start) and see where it takes you!
PS--I've been filling in the missing blog entries from August. Since the internet connection in India is spotty at best, I kept a journal while I was there. The journal entries are being rewritten as blog posts and added to VeeTea. Start with my trip to London or my arrival in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) or my journey up to Darjeeling or my visit to Makaibari Tea Estate (or where ever else you want to start) and see where it takes you!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
More of Kolkata
Kolkata is such a fascinating place. I think I'm getting the hang of everything but the pollution. (It's very smoggy here.) Walking in the streets, talking with people, navigation, and making purchases are all getting much easier.
Natalia and I have both bought some salwar kameez (salwar=pants, kameez=tunic/long shirt, a salwar kameez also has a dupatti, or scarf), which are being hand-tailored for us. The fabrics are exquisite! Similar garments would cost so much more in the US, and they wouldn't be custom-made. As someone with a textile design background and love for textiles, I am in heaven.
We tried some of the food and explored a bit. The local markets (which we visited yesterday, too) are now easily navigable. We checked out Park Street, ehich is a "cool" part of town. We tried some IndoChinese fusion cuisine (amazing, filling, and about $3 for the two of us--we had crispy fried tofu, spring rolls, gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian, vegetarian Thai curry, and jasmine tea) in a hidden-away, air-conditioned restaurant, then headed over to Flurry's ("Kolkata's only tearoom") to find that they are actually a restaurant. We bought some sweets (for which they are famous, we chose a dark chocolate torte slice and am almond cake "cube" (really a rectangular prism)) and headed over to Chinatown ("Tangra"), then explored the local market some more, and made friend with a few people in the para (neighborhood), including the chai wallah (tea vendor).
We had some more masala chai. It's still delicious! (You see, we have to check several times a day, just to make sure.) It comes in tiny, unfired, red clay cups, which you throw on the ground when you are done with your drink. If you live in the west, you are probably put off by that. (It seems like littering, right?) Don't worry-- the clay is smashed by pedestrians, rickshaws, jeeps, and taxis, then mixed back into the earth by the rain. If it's the dry season, then the chipped and broken cups become a temporary part of the sidewalk or road (which is often made up of stones, broken cement, and such). The local red clay deposits are later used to make the cups all over again. It's natural recycling.
I spoke with the owner of Makaibari Tea Estate today. I'm so excited about the visit! They were the first biodynamic (a step beyond organic) tea estate in the world, all the way back in the 70s (before it was trendy). There is so much to learn there. I can't wait!
More soon. Check back again.
~Vee
If you're reading this on Vee Tea, the post order may be funny. Try my Vee Tea Blogger page instead.
Natalia and I have both bought some salwar kameez (salwar=pants, kameez=tunic/long shirt, a salwar kameez also has a dupatti, or scarf), which are being hand-tailored for us. The fabrics are exquisite! Similar garments would cost so much more in the US, and they wouldn't be custom-made. As someone with a textile design background and love for textiles, I am in heaven.
We tried some of the food and explored a bit. The local markets (which we visited yesterday, too) are now easily navigable. We checked out Park Street, ehich is a "cool" part of town. We tried some IndoChinese fusion cuisine (amazing, filling, and about $3 for the two of us--we had crispy fried tofu, spring rolls, gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian, vegetarian Thai curry, and jasmine tea) in a hidden-away, air-conditioned restaurant, then headed over to Flurry's ("Kolkata's only tearoom") to find that they are actually a restaurant. We bought some sweets (for which they are famous, we chose a dark chocolate torte slice and am almond cake "cube" (really a rectangular prism)) and headed over to Chinatown ("Tangra"), then explored the local market some more, and made friend with a few people in the para (neighborhood), including the chai wallah (tea vendor).
We had some more masala chai. It's still delicious! (You see, we have to check several times a day, just to make sure.) It comes in tiny, unfired, red clay cups, which you throw on the ground when you are done with your drink. If you live in the west, you are probably put off by that. (It seems like littering, right?) Don't worry-- the clay is smashed by pedestrians, rickshaws, jeeps, and taxis, then mixed back into the earth by the rain. If it's the dry season, then the chipped and broken cups become a temporary part of the sidewalk or road (which is often made up of stones, broken cement, and such). The local red clay deposits are later used to make the cups all over again. It's natural recycling.
I spoke with the owner of Makaibari Tea Estate today. I'm so excited about the visit! They were the first biodynamic (a step beyond organic) tea estate in the world, all the way back in the 70s (before it was trendy). There is so much to learn there. I can't wait!
More soon. Check back again.
~Vee
If you're reading this on Vee Tea, the post order may be funny. Try my Vee Tea Blogger page instead.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tap Water
It's awfully hot outside today, and NPR has a few things to say about NYC and tap water:
NYC urges residents (and, one would guess, tourists) to drink tap water
NPR talks about bottled water ethics
Personally, I use bamboo-charcoal filtered tap water for regular drinking and for tea. It tastes great and I can use a Nalgene or Platypus water bottle (my favorite, because it collapses as it empties) to carry it wherever I need it without having to send more plastic to the "recycling plant" (read: landfill--very little of your "recycling is actually recycled). In India, I will be drinking bottled water and using purification tablets (with my Platypus) to avoid "Delhi Belly." I'll let you know how that goes.
For more on selecting the best water for yourself and your tea, read Water for Tea.
NYC urges residents (and, one would guess, tourists) to drink tap water
NPR talks about bottled water ethics
Personally, I use bamboo-charcoal filtered tap water for regular drinking and for tea. It tastes great and I can use a Nalgene or Platypus water bottle (my favorite, because it collapses as it empties) to carry it wherever I need it without having to send more plastic to the "recycling plant" (read: landfill--very little of your "recycling is actually recycled). In India, I will be drinking bottled water and using purification tablets (with my Platypus) to avoid "Delhi Belly." I'll let you know how that goes.
For more on selecting the best water for yourself and your tea, read Water for Tea.
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