Group Fund Anything: Crowdtilt

Planning a group trip can be a stressful task, especially if you’re the one collecting the money for travel and accommodations, trust us. We recently coordinated a trip to St. Barths for July and it felt like a full time job.

Well, that’s where Crowdtilt.com comes in.  A new ‘groupfunding’ website, it allows groups of people (friends, co-workers, family, neighbors) to easily pool money online, with no one’s credit card being charged until the trip has tilted or reached its tilting limit.  Once a campaign has raised the money, all the funds will be sent via direct deposit or check, eliminating the problem of waiting on people to pay the organizer. Crowdtilt can help fund bus trips, hotel rooms, group flights, a car service, concert tickets and other events/activities at your destination.

We think it’s brill.

The Eco-Awesome Pomar Junction Vineyard and Winery

Pomar Junction

All aboard the green train…

Check this piece of eco-fun out! We heard about Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery back in April when they hosted the Earth Day Food & Wine Festival. This beautiful eco-friendly vineyard is in the heart of California’s Central Coast Wine Country with a history that harkens back to Templeton at the turn of the century, when the El Pomar District was known for almond and fruit orchards, along with a few wine grapes.

The View of the Vineyards

The story goes something like this. With coastal railway lines the eventually built the town, the Southern Pacific Railroad reached Templeton. It was here that Marsha Merrill’s grandfather, George Grigg, was a longtime Southern Pacific Engineer. To honor their heritage, the Merrills, have relocated a boxcar and cupola Caboose adjacent to the tasting room. History meets sustainability with their added commitment to the earth. The history of the winery is tightly intertwined with that of the Central Coast Vineyard Team (CCVT), of which Owner Dana Merrill is a charter member. Their mission? To identify and promote the most environmentally safe, viticulturally and economically sustainable farming methods, while maintaining or improving quality and flavor of wine grapes. We adore.

How beautiful is this place??

Pomar Junction is also one of the first vineyards to be SIP-certified (Sustainability In Practice), a program whose standards include: habitat conservation, energy efficiency, pest management, water conservation, economic stability, and social responsibility. What’s more, Dana Merrill was critical to the development of the SIP Certification standards, which looks at the farm in its entirety: the worker, soil fertility, cover crops, wildlife, native plants, irrigation, and more. All of this comes to life during Pomar Junction’s agricultural wine tours (where you can even live up some fun on a tractor-pulled gondola ride throughout the vineyard, hosted by Dana Merrill himself). With picturesque vistas of sustainably-farmed vines as far as the eye can see, an olive grove and ancient oak trees over an large central lawn, and sustainably-produced wine…can you really ask for more?

Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery

www.PomarJunction.com

Tasting Room Open Daily 11:00-5:00PM

5036 S. El Pomar Road

Templeton, CA 93465

Compostable Toothbrushes

Did you know that every year in the United States some 450 million plastic toothbrushes make their way to landfills nationally? Pretty rank, if you ask us. So, World Centric has unveiled a line of compostable toothbrushes that are made from a plant based resin called Ingeo and are designed to fully compost within 3 to 6 six months when sent to a commercial composting facility. Cool, no? World Centric will even provide a prepaid envelope that customers can use return the toothbrush and case. World Centric will then send the returned product to a composting facility for biodegradation.

Retails for $4.55 and are available at natural grocery stores, some Whole Foods stores nationwide and online at:

www.worldcentric.org

Toxin-Free Shampoo and Conditioner: Sebamed

 

Most of us don’t think twice when we shampoo and shower our bodies in an attempt to get clean. In fact, we’re not even aware that the majority of the time we’re actually bathing in toxic chemicals. Check this list out and you’ll see just how many toxic chemicals you’re putting onto your precious body: List of Toxic Chemicals Found in Beauty Products.

So, in an effort to stay pure when we travel, we like to find botanically-based products. One such product, Sebamed, gently washed our hair and scalp with a mild formula that helps preserve the scalp’s natural oils, cutting down the irritation that can come from the use of soap-based shampoos.  Maintaining a 5.5 pH, Sebamed Everyday Shampoo treats normal, sensitive and problematic scalp conditions. Formulated with a new generation surfactant blend to protect the hair and scalp from dryness, the shampoo’s moisture retaining properties penetrate the structure of the hair shaft, adding volume and shine.

Let’s face it, a healthy scalp helps promote healthier looking hair. Sebamed Repair Conditioner combines science and nature to help feel soft and smooth. Active plant extracts penetrate the hair shaft restoring its structure and elasticity, while natural moisturizers and silk protein boost volume and shine.  Additionally, the pH value of 5.5 in all Sebamed hair care products helps to provide protection against dehydration and frizz. Critical for my curly mop.

Suitable for all hair types, Sebamed Everyday Shampoo and Sebamed Hair Repair Conditioner are 100 percent soap and paraben-free, and biodegradable.

Sebamed® Everyday Shampoo – 6.8 oz. SRP – $12.99

Sebamed® Repair Conditioner – 6.8 oz. SRP – $12.99

Available at Costco, CVS and online at Drugstore.com and www.sebamedusa.com