Yep. The title says it all.  This was a great collaboration between a friend and I.  Everything was obtained via the trash except the mint, which I grew.  In case you were wondering, it tasted fantastic!

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Ingredient rundown: avocado, mango, mint, plum chutney, bliss, etc.

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…did I mention the addition of cayenne??  =)

Locally grown mixed organic greens. YUM!

So as of late, I have been the lucky recipient of some seriously sustainable catering.  I’m one for picking apart event hosting, exposing blatant hyprocracy, etc…. BUT I’m taken aback when I encounter something that is thoroughly accountable.

February 18th, I attended an open house at Green Spaces NY, a collective workspace for sustainability-oriented start up companies. I’ve had good experiences in this building before. The organization seems to be legit in its aspirations as well as actively working to grow its sustainability cred. (I’ve heard rumors of a permaculture design for their rooftop! Whoot!) This open house event is just another example of sustainable operations in action thanks to some deliciously serious and seriously delicious catering.

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Rabbit Maffia uses produce local to the New York area and supports small farms whenever possible. In addition, they provide creative menus that range from vegan and vegetarian, with consideration for wheat, dairy and nut allergies, to dishes using only the best grass-fed meats, free-range poultry and fresh fish. Rabbit Mafia supports food awareness and access and its their strong belief that everyone has the right to good food.

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Proactive Thinking Translates to More Environmentally Preferable Catering

“Part of creating seasonal and delicious food is learning to alter our way of thinking. In some cases, I use fruits and vegetables that have been stored from one season to another. Roasting and pickling are ways in which we can have peppers out of season without having to participate in the global food market.” -Sarah Pace, Rabbit Maffia

This philosophy can be seen in the salad photo (above right) where oil-cured yellow peppers help dress a salad of local, organic greens.

Carrot ginger potato soup with cheddar red pepper corn muffins!

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Sourcing in a nutshell:

• Locally grown & organic corn meal from Gray’s Grist Mill in RI
• Cheese from McCadams in the Adirondacks, NY
• Potatoes from Porter Farms in Alba, NY
• Apples from New York (no farm listed)
• Organic greens from Satur Farms
• Milk from RonnyBrook Farms in Ancramdale, NY

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For more info on catering by Rabbit Mafia, visit their website at www.rabbitmafia.com.

Thanks Ringling School of Art & Design!

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So in an effort to downsize my collection of art supplies, I am posting some for sale on craigslist.  I’d love to redistribute these goods to someone who will put them to good use.  Plus, it’d be great to make a little money on the side!

• 6 packs of FP-100C Polaroid Film + Camera Part

• Acrylic Paints

• 7 rolls of AGFA Film 100 & 400 speed

Out of production! Get it while it lasts!

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In the near future, I’ll also be selling my collection of oil paints on NYC craigslist. Heck, I’ll probably sell my old Pentax manual camera along with a damn fine 200mm Vivitar lens.  Interested?  Reply here or shoot an e-mail to wastenotwantgreen@gmail.com!   Make an offer b/c it’s gotta go!

Bakery/Cafe trash photographed from a freegan.info trash tour

To continue expounding upon yesterday’s bagel post, I’d like to stress the mind-blowing fruitfulness of dumpster diving in bakery trash.

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Locations of Bakeries & Subsequent Discarded Baked Goods: stand-alone neighborhood bakeries (BabyCakes), bakery/cafe hybrids (Panera Bread),  coffee shops (Starbucks), supermarkets (Food Emporium), specialty stores (Balduccis), distribution centers (J & J Bakery Distributors), commercial bakeries (Acme Cake Company), etc.

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I recommend befriending Google Maps, if you haven’t already.  By bringing up a map of my neighborhood and then searching for “bakeries,” I got to see not only a listing of bakeries in my area, but also a map of them in relation to where I live.  Every morning, I smell freshly baked goods. However, I had no idea that there were 11 bakeries within a six block radius of my apartment!!

Zucker's Bagels at 146 Chambers St

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New York City is known for its bagels.  What is typically not known is the vast amount of waste pouring out of bagel shops across the Big Apple.  From personal experience, I have found that each bagel outlet discards 1 to 4 trash bags of bagels each night!

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Dumpster Diving Tip: Don’t bother opening each bag to examine the contents. Just grope the outside and feel for round, bagel shapes.

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Actions & Experience:

• Whenever holding events where breakfast will be served/appropriate, grabbing a bag (or a good selection from the lot).
• A co-worker of mine who is attending the New School, snaggs as many as she can carry each night after work. Her dorm mates are always appreciative.
• Try working bagel DDing into your routine and route. Go for a late evening jog past your neighborhood cafe.  Keep a watchful eye when coming home from a closing shift at work. Search Google maps for bagel shops near your route.
• My favorite anecdote: Whenever I travel out of state, I try to pick up one of those discarded rolling suitcases  on the street. (People seem to always be throwing them away.) And then I fill it with a bag of bagels.  It’s totally a worthwhile gift for friends back home. Thanking me profusely, one friend of mine professed that he had been eating them for weeks after I left!

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If you can find one of these distro centers, I have heard countless stories of dumpster goldmines.  Several college roommates of mine used borrow their mom’s car while back home in DC. These were not automobile-oriented folks, so I inquired “why the car??”  They told me that they got so much Odwalla (and Naked juice too) that they FILLED THE CAR!!

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So returning to the Odwalla find… With years of dumpster diving under my belt, I have NEVER come across Odwalla.  Is this perhaps indicative of an energy-saving manuver on the distributor’s part? No longer will fuel be wasted (on the trucker’s part) to drag valueless product back to the distribution center?  Is this a corporate decision?  Will there be more widely-distributed Odwalla access in our trash picking future?  I’m dying to know, & I’ll keep ya’ll posted on any more finds.

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As for the mushrooms… I have lately taken to cutting mushroom prints out of cardboard boxes from supermarkets.  You’d be surpised just how many there are… and how cute they can be!  Someday, I’ll take some more detailed photos of them to post on here.

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Lastly, the walls are painted a lovely shade of pale green.   Often, when I see paint cans lying around on the street, I drag them home with me.  I mixed a darker green with a pastel yellow base to make this custom shade for the kitchen!  Can you believe that I had enough to cover a kitchen with 12 foot ceilings?!

I’m at it again, as always, making my own earrings out of things found in New York City trash.  Sometimes, I even my hardware (findings, earring posts, that kind of stuff) comes from the street.  More often than not, the french hooks, the part that goes through your ear, are purchased from a local independent craft store.

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Because I rarely wear more than one earring, I shy away from making pairs.  But this time, these two matched enough to be considered a set.

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In Other News:  While we’re on the subject of earrings, I actually made a pair of gorgeous bohemian blue glass beaded earrings for my roommate.  I attached them to a the bottom of a picture frame with little eyelets and blue ribbon.  I wish that I photographed it b/c it was quite cute!

Everything but the CFL was found in NYC trash.  And yes folks, that IS a giant, industrial whisk.  Hooray for reuse and repurposing!

PS It’s for sale. Make me an offer!

My workspace with baby brassica plants.

Why do we always dream of an office with a view?

Why not bring the beauty of nature indoors?

Conceptually, it may seem a bit backwards or strange, but in the concrete jungle of New York City, growing plants indoors is no new news.  Additionally, the importance of green space has been discussed from a plethora of vantage points, from being psychologically beneficial to improving nearby air quality.  I’d go off on a rant about this, but this sort of thing has been moving into the media spotlight as of late. If you’re unaware of the importance of greenery in your life, I wholeheartedly recommend a google search (or five), sitting down, making a good cup of coffee, and taking a moment to educate yourself a bit.

Ooh. Aloe is an awesome medicinal!

Now with this article, I don’t intend to imply that the Big Apple’s landscape is environmentally bleak.  In fact, there is an enormous amount of energy in motion improving green spaces in the city.  Examples range from NYU’s Room to Grow, a night of speakers & visioning session, to PlaNYC’s Million Trees initiative, a large-scale project already underway.

One of the most important attributes of the sustainability movement is that it is the kind of paradigm shift that potentially includes everyone.  The very foundation of sustainability lies in taking a holistic approach to addressing issues. Therefore, regardless of stature (individual, company), numbers, industry, etc. everyone has the ability to participate in making the world more sustainable.
So this leads me to ask:

Why not take an active role in making your work environment a greener place?

Working in a tree’s shade is John Hodges of Sun One Solutions.  He has a desk at Green Spaces, a collaborative workspace focused on incubating small sustainability-oriented businesses.  This past fall,  Jennie Nevin, the founder, led me on a tour of the space.  I must say, the building is simply beautiful. Plants are everywhere. Desks are arranged in a variety of patterns to suit individual companies’ needs.  Reclaimed furniture and natural materials breathe additional warmth and life into what is all too commonly a sterile and cold cubicle-laden landscape.   One of the first things Jennie showed me were their large windows.  “Look! Look! Not only do we have lots of natural light, but these windows actually open!” She says, demonstrating, “Not only that, we actually do open them!”  In the summers, they open windows on the east and west sides, making use of natural cross breezes to cool the office.

Think about how such a work environment affects your mood, your productivity, your mental and physical health.   Reevaluate your workspace.  I challege you to take an active role in where you work. Introducing plants is an easy first step.

And heck, if you’re in New York City, consider making these dreams a reality by moving to Green Spaces. PSST! I heard that they’re having an open house on Febuary 18th.