We’ve known about Anna Getty’s work for quite some time. We’re proud to say that we interviewed her in Los Angeles Confidential Magazine when she first launched PAM (Pregnancy Awareness Month), a holistic and informative approach to pregnancy and birth. A leading green living expert, she works with Organic Center, Global Green, NRDC, and Seventh Generation (among others) and is the author of the upcoming, Easy Green Organic. In light of the approaching holidays, she decided to share with Eco-Adventurer her favorite eco-vacation spot and her new book, I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas.
My favorite eco-vacation spot would have to be San Francisco. I used to live in San Francisco and indeed left my heart there. From LA, where I currently reside, I can get there on one tank of gas and the rest of the time I’m there I can walk or use public transportation. The air is cleaner than in LA and it’s California’s greenest city. In fact, the mayor, Gavin Newsom, is so green that he recently made composting a law for all of the city’s residents. I spend time at Chrissy Field, The Japanese Tea Garden, Muir Woods, and the Ferry Building’s Farmer’s Market. One of my favorite restaurants is the raw and uber-green Cafe Gratitude (there are few of them in the city). www.cafegratitude.com
I also love The California Academy of Science in Goldengate Park where there’s a living rooftop.
As the website explains, “Assembling a 197,000-square-foot rooftop to accommodate a living tapestry of native plant species is challenging enough. Add to that the technical problems posed by the roof’s extreme slopes. Rana Creek, who worked with Renzo Piano to design the roof, developed and patented a solution called the BioTray®, so that plants and soil wouldn’t fall off. They used 50,000 porous, biodegradable trays made from tree sap and coconut husks as containers for the vegetation. These trays line the rooftop like tile, yet enable the roots to grow and interlock, binding the trays together like patchwork. To give you an idea: a standard black tar-and-asphalt building rooftop leads to a phenomenon called the “Urban Heat Island” effect. The endless swath of black rooftops and pavement trap heat, causing cities to be 6 to 10 degrees warmer than outlying greenbelt areas. One-sixth of all electricity consumed in the U.S. goes to cool buildings. The Academy’s green rooftop keeps the building’s interior an average of 10 degrees cooler than a standard roof would! The plants also transform carbon dioxide into oxygen, capture rainwater, and reduce energy needs for heating and cooling.”
The result? A fascinating and beautiful array of perennial plants and wildflowers… and one of my favorite spots to spend a relaxing afternoon.
This holiday season, pick up her new book, I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas, where Getty, organic living expert extraordinaire, helps families reduce their carbon footprint and save money without sacrificing style or tradition. In her book, Anna advises how to best choose a tree (real or fake?), mitigate the negative effects of necessary travel, recycle post-holiday, and more. She shares favorite holiday recipes for organic appetizers and homemade craft ideas such as pinecone wreaths and recycled sweater pillows. With inspiring photographs, extensive resources, and advice from the ‘Lazy Environmentalist’ Josh Dorfman, Seventh Generation’s Jeffrey Hollender, and other leading eco-experts, families might just find that these tips help them stay green all year long – the perfect New Year’s resolution!
Retails for $16.47
Talk about re-populating the world with greatness. Over eighteen years ago, the region Phinda Private Game Resort now occupies (57,000 acres to be precise), used to be almost barren. Ivory hunters, farmers, and the government had killed nearly all forms of wildlife. That is, until CCAfrica (Conservation Corporation Africa) bought the land and decided to do a little multiplying. Stocking the area with 2,000 once indigenous animals like white rhinos, elephants, cheetahs, and lions, it’s now a model for what conservation and preservation can look like. The animals have done so well we’re even told they’re mating. We’re also hear that CCAfrica is considering adding some (less glamourous, but just as important) smaller wildlife like servals and jackals.
Why is it still so hard to find high-quality carry-on shampoo and conditioner? We still haven’t figured out why every high-end brand isn’t catering to the freewheeling babe just yet. Lucky for us (and you), Frederic Fekkai is. Of course, that’s no surprise. Have you seen the man? He looks like he was born on a Lear Jet and bathed in champagne. We love him for it, but we love him even more for his:
ECO ADVENTURER 