I like when simple things are rethought. Like why has the umbrella not changed much over the years?

France just released a series of not so pretty chocolate stamps that smell like chocolate (their smell can last up to two years). They wanted to retrace the history of chocolate. I love you France but you come 7 years after your Swiss counterpart and their chocolate stamps series from 2001. These had at least a bit of the taste.

My favorite looking chocolate stamps are the concept ones designed by Toby Ng and pictured above. They look like chocolate squares and come in three flavors: dark, milk and white chocolate.

I don’t mind licking stamps. Others do so here is a fun solution.

A little late since it is from March… Cara and I went to France. I took her to Praz de Lys, that alpine city I would visit every February growing up. One of my favorite place on earth.

This is a fun video of Cara sledding while I was filming.

Before heading to the register, I noticed some organic beers: Peak Organic. We know that “by 2009, the European and US organic food and drinks market will be worth at least $49.2bn” (Source: Food Science Central). Organic alcohol, hum why not. Are alcohol companies also embracing the organic revolution? According to many sources, the Organic Beverages market has increased of 13% from 2006 to 2007.

Definition of “Organic”: Involving the use of fertilizers or pesticides that are strictly of animal or vegetable origin. Raised or conducted without the use of drugs, hormones, or synthetic chemicals.
Source: Answers.com

I am from France, and from 14 years old to my 18 years and a half birthday, I was living in Bordeaux; the best wine region in the whole world. Pardon my chauvinism… So what about these awesome wines I know? Are they organic, or grown with pesticides and other disgusting chemicals? Let’s look at Château Margaux, one of the finest wines in the world.

According to their website, until the 80s, they were in fact using chemicals, but starting from that time, they decided to change things around and to care about the environment.

“After a number of years of patient work and calculated risks, we have come back to a stable situation in which all these populations live together and self-regulate, without it almost ever being necessary for us to intervene, and if we do so, then an environmentally-friendly solution is used. Nature is indulgent, provided we show it a little respect …”
Source: Chateau-Margaux.com

When looking at organic viticulture, there are 3 ways of going about it. I am going to translate and paraphrase from a French website:

The Reasoned Viticulture
The Objective is to limit interventions by choosing the right time, limiting used molecules to the most ecologic ones and to reduce doses. Here, you can use any product available on the market.

The Organic Viticulture
No chemical molecule can be used. The objective is to push for a balance between the different diseases and insects from the vineyard.

The Biodynamic Viticulture
In addition to the notions related to organic viticulture, the idea is to boost the vineyard helping it to resist by itself to outside aggressions (diseases, insects, etc) through natural products used at homeopathic doses, such as nettle or horsetail, while choosing the right time for each action made on the vineyard.

For more information on organic wines, you can check The Organic Wine Journal.

I hope by now you are getting thirsty for some organic alcohols. So let’s go have a good time, drink healthy beverages and protect our little planet. Below, some ideas for you to get local organic beverages. Hum I said local? Chateau Margaux was an horrible example in regards to carbon footprint. We are very limited with alcohols: Beers, Spirit and especially Wines and Champagnes. I will never find a local Chateau Margaux like wine in New York… as it involves not only the making techniques, the age of the vineyard but also the ground and weather :(

Organic Beers

• Click here to find local beer makers.
• Learn how to brew your own beer at Brew Organic!
• Beer Brands: Anheuser Busch, Butte Creek Brewing Co., Goose Island Beer Co., Peak Organic, Wolavers.
• West Coast Beer Brands: Bison Brewing, Crannog Ales, Eel River, Fish Brewing Company, Hawk’s Brewery, Pacific Western Brewing.
• Midwest Beer Brands: Kraftbrau Brewery, Lakefront Brewery.

Organic Spirits / Liquors

• Cognac: Organic Spirit.
• Gin: CapRock, Juniper Green.
• Tequila: 4 Copas Tequila, Purus.
• Vodka: CapRock, Orange V, Rain Vodka, Square One Vodka.
• Whiskey: Benromach Organic.

And if you happen to be in the Bay Area, you can try Elixir, a green bar serving only organic cocktails.

Well let’s take a first step back. In order to optimize the recycling process, you should completely separate elements from each other. For instance, if you are recycling a pet food can, you want to separate the aluminum part from the paper part.

Now, let’s take a second step back. Yes I am moon-walking!! :P A couple of months ago, after we moved into this apartment, I became quickly frustrated with the recycling downstairs. There was 4 or 5 recycling bins but you could not know which was what. So we decided to make some small signs to differentiate them (see pic below), hoping our neighbors would follow our guidelines. They did and now, no more morning headaches such as “Ok i see more aluminum here, this must be the aluminum bin… uh wait, i see a plastic bottle and some newspapers… no!!”; and the recycling is just more efficient.

Let’s go back to Siggi’s Skyr. I was talking about smart packaging, in fact, when you look closer, there is a vertical sleeve on the paper packaging of the yogurt. You can pull this sleeve and HOP, the paper is disassembled from the plastic yogurt cup. Now you have the aluminum lid, the paper packaging and the plastic cup (see picture below). Easy to recycle! Love it.

Siggi’s is also made in the state of New York and uses local farms. Therefore, low carbon footprint for New Yorkers. That’s another positive thing about it.

Now at this time, I was still seeing Siggi’s as just another healthy yogurt. It is actually quite unique. Below the words of Siggi (the CEO of The Icelandic Milk and Skyr Corporation), taken from the inside part of the yogurt paper packaging:

Now that you know what it is all about, you must inquire about the taste. Well, our feelings were mixed. This is an heavy yogurt and you might want to eat it as a breakfast instead of just a yogurt in the flow of a complete meal. As we talk, Cara is making her first homemade yogurts with her new yogurt machine so we will probably not have any new opportunity for a taste of Siggi’s. I highly recommend it and I wish Yop, by Yoplait, my all times favorite yogurt, was as natural and as green as Siggi’s.