It's Easy Being Green

On Sunday, we attended the SF Green Festival (www.greenfestivals.org), an event which promotes and celebrates green, safe, healthy communities as well as local economies. This is the largest Green gathering in the nation (there are three in the US, the other two are held in Washington, DC and Chicago, IL), featuring over 200 speakers and 400 green businesses, green how-to workshops, green films, green career sessions, and best of all, green food.

It was amazing to see how much improvement and acceptance green living has achieved in recent years. Hemp products used to be harsh and rough; now, there are many hemp products that are smooth and actually wearable. Chris bought a beautiful messenger (see image on right) bag made of hemp & rubber from Amazonia Designs (with all profits going back to the people in the Amazon). One of our favorite products was clothing made of 100% bamboo which felt softer than cotton. We ate a raw, organic lunch with friends, sampled many delicious and nutritious snacks, spoke with vendors about their products, and learned a lot about conscious living and green living.

Among our favorite booths were:

Branch – Sustainable design for living. Branch donates 10% of its annual profits to organizations that promote environmental responsibility. Check out the chaise lounges! (http://www.branchhome.com/)

g diapers – A single Pampers or Huggies diaper takes over 500 years to biodegrade, one g diaper takes 5 days to biodegrade. FIVE DAYS. ‘nuff said. (www.gdiapers.com)

Goddess Gear – Comfortable clothing that’s easy on your conscience. All of their garments are hemp or other natural fibers -- including bamboo. (www.goddessgear.net/)

Alive! – Raw cuisine, using only organic ingredients and everything in their menu is dairy-free, animal-free, wheat-free, and gluten-free…and everything is delicious. (www.aliveveggie.com/)

Fernyn’s Grove Sustainables – Exotic corsets, bridal & couture clothing all mindfully made from organic, sustainable, and traceable textiles. (www.mycorset.com)

Method – A San Francisco-based green merchant whose products we did not see at the festival but which we’ve been purchasing since our arrival. Good smelling and good for the environment! (www.methodhome.com/)

It was wonderful to see how many people gathered to support green living. Think green!