Conscious Living TV Goes Rooftop for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Uncommon Ground's Certified Organic Garden (the first in the U.S.)!

It was a gorgeous day when we shot our latest episode from the rooftop of the Uncommon Ground restaurant in Edgewater! We came to Uncommon Ground this past weekend, along with other members of the press (and Mayor Daley!), to cover the ribbon cutting ceremony of the nation’s first certified organic rooftop garden at Uncommon Ground.

Upon our arrival at Uncommon Ground restaurant (1401 W. Devon Ave), we climbed up the stairs to the roof, which houses a multitude of luscious, green plants that allow the restaurant to grow its own organic vegetables. Besides being gorgeous and green, the rooftop offers a beautiful view of the local Edgewater community and Loyola University.

Before the ceremony began, Bianca interviewed Uncommon Ground owners Mike and Helen Cameron. To catch this interview, look out for our upcoming episode on Conscious Living TV!

After our interview with Mike and Helen, Mayor Daley arrived! Chicago’s Commissioner on the Environment, Suzanne Malec-McKenna was also among the guests at the ceremony. After a brief period of schmoozing, the ceremony began. Natalie Pfister, Uncommon Ground’s Farm Director, was the first to speak. Natalie discussed the advantages of urban agriculture in making food more accessible, claiming, “There is nothing more local than climbing your own stairs and harvesting tomatoes.” Tomatoes, we soon found out, are the main crops grown in the garden along with other vegetables such as peas and squash.

The next to speak was Alderman Patrick O’Connor, who admitted that a feat such as the organic rooftop garden has been discussed as more of a novelty than a way of the future. For O’Connor, urban organic gardens represent a return to the basics, allowing us to grow, pick, and eat vegetables in a short time. O’Connor also praised Mayor Daley for his well-known efforts toward sustaining and beautifying the environment. “Not only have we beautified the city,” O’Connor said, “but we have also taken a little of the economy and are growing on our own.”

After O’Connor’s introduction, Mayor Daley spoke about his long-held belief that “nature can coexist in urban communities.” With the organic rooftop garden at Uncommon Ground as a precedent, Daley cited the plethora of flat roofs in Chicago as an “opportunity to bring nature back into our city.” By growing our own produce organically, we can cut down the costs of shipping as well as reduce pollution and congestion throughout the city. Daley sees Uncommon Ground as the future of restaurants in Chicago.

Next, Uncommon Ground owner Helen Cameron recalled a rush of excitement when she first climbed on the roof and told her partner and husband Michael, “We can grow food up here!” From that moment, Helen and Michael knew that they would build a farm on their roof. Before they could create the garden, the Camerons had to reinforce the building’s foundation with a lot more cement and traded wood beams for steel in order to support the weight of the farm. Helen cited an overall theme of “support on many levels” as tantamount to their success. In addition to the support of Mayor Daley, Helen thanked the city of Chicago and the surrounding Edgewater community for their help and support. She recalled how many of the restaurant’s neighbors devoted much time and work to installing the garden.

For Helen, the memories of helping with her family vegetable garden as a child served as an inspiration for her to become a chef and restaurant owner and gave her the knowledge of how to operate a garden. With this knowledge in place, Helen dedicated space to as much organic food as possible for both use in the restaurant and as an educational platform for urban agriculture. Once the farm was installed, she found out about becoming certified organic. As a result of her eventual success in becoming certified, Uncommon Ground now offers the community a number of green jobs, including those held by Farm Director Natalie Pfister and her seven interns.

After Helen spoke, we heard from Steven Walker, the Certification and Compliance Manager of the Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA), who reviewed Uncommon Ground’s application for organic certification. Walker emphasized the many standards that must be upheld in order for a farm to be organic. With the national organic program still being relatively new, Walker also stated that “regulatory boundaries continue to be defined.” Walker said, “The organic community has roots in thinking outside of the box, innovation and creativity.” Eco-preneurs like the Camerons are using just this kind of innovative thinking and hard work to help people understand the importance of eating organically grown, locally produced food.

Walker then spoke about the numerous advantages of organic food production in building safe and healthy communities. Organic food production transcends the “physical, mental, and emotional health” benefits of those who consume it. More than one billion pounds of pesticides are released in the United States each year due to non-organic practices, and conventionally produced agriculture is more likely to contain pesticide residues than organically produced food. With this in mind, Walker believes that Uncommon Ground is succeeding in its original promise and said he is proud to certify it organic!

Uncommon Ground owner Michael Cameron spoke shortly before Mayor Daley took questions from attendees. Mayor Daley said that Chicago is in the process of building a solar field on the South Side. He also emphasized that more help from the federal government and the Department of Energy will be necessary to furthering the city's green initiatives.

At this point, Mayor Daley cut the apple green ribbon and the ceremony was complete!

At the conclusion of the ribbon cutting ceremony, Bianca got an exclusive interview with Mayor Daley! To catch this interview, check out the home page of Conscious Living TV.

Afterwards, guests were invited to move downstairs to the restaurant to mingle with the Camerons while eating a delicious organic champagne brunch, including a menu of organic bellinis, fresh baked melt-in-your mouth banana bread, fresh seasonable seedling farms raspberries, blueberries and cherries, and a summer egg scramble of organic rooftop peas, summer squash, market onions, tomatoes, capriole goat cheese and fresh basil. We were so excited to have been present at this huge moment for Uncommon Ground and for organic urban farming, and we can’t wait to see how other Chicago businesses follow suit. To dine at Uncommon Ground, go to 1401 W. Devon Ave (just off the Loyola stop on the Red Line), or to visit their Farmer’s Market, visit the restaurant on Fridays from 4pm-8pm until October 30.

Special thanks to our crew for doing a bang-up job at the event, including Shu Ling Yong and Karl Geweniger, and Morgan Greenwald for reporting and live tweeting @Conscious TV.

For more tips on organic cuisine and healthy living, watch Conscious Living TV.

Eco-Trippin’ on the Green Dot

By Bianca Alexander

I can’t tell you how psyched I was when I first heard that the Discovery Channel was launching Planet Green, the first and only network-tv channel dedicated to “all things green”. Even though I’ve sworn off of network TV (except for Oprah, of course), I’ve always loved Discovery for being one of the few networks that offered conscious programming, like the now-defunct Discovery Health and the humanitarian-oriented Animal Planet. And then, on a recent trip, I actually got the chance to sit back and watch the channel for a couple of hours. (Though we’re tv producers, we don’t actually own a TV set. With literally thousands of channels on broadband TV, why bother?).

In any event, I was even more psyched when I learned that eco-celebs like Adrien Grenier, Ludacris and Tommy Lee would be working overtime as on-air personalities to help convert the masses to “going green”. And for the most part, I like their current line-up. But shortly after surfing my way to what I now affectionately call “the green dot channel”, I noticed something audaciously un-green: their sponsors. The first is Proctor & Gamble, a multi-billion dollar company whose personal care products are full of toxic chemicals that are polluting our planet and have been linked to cancer and a number of degenerative diseases in humans. Among a host of earth-damaging company practices, they regularly test their products on animals.

The second is GM, a Fortune 50 company whose Vice Chairman Bob Lutz recently commented that “global warming is a crock of sh#%t”. Moreover, GM has a long track record for spending billions of dollars to keep automotive mpg’s as low as possible—which makes it more expensive for consumers like you and me at the pump. Although they have made small strides to introduce several low-mpg “hybrid” vehicles and gas-guzzling SUVs into the market, the way I see it, these efforts are less about “going green”, and more about what many would call greenwashing.

But who am I to judge? As an independently-funded producer of Conscious TV programming, I understand all too well the challenges inherent in broadcasting positive messages to the masses without pandering to corporate interests which can ultimately compromise the integrity of one’s overarching mission. But perhaps naively, I expected more from a media juggernaut like Discovery Communications, and their 50 million dollar green dot channel, which combined should have the talent and resources to pursue more sustainable advertisers.

Ultimately, I have to ask myself: if GM offered to pay me a whopping $10 Million to advertise on our media platform, would I turn them down? I’d like to think so.

Conscious Consumerism: Power to the People

by Michael & Bianca Alexander

We live in a Supersize Me society where over-consumption and instant gratification are the norm. We have become accustomed to indulging ourselves by buying whatever makes us feel good from one moment to the next. For the most part, we are unconscious consumers. We consume unconsciously for a myriad of reasons: to fill our bellies, to fill the void in our lives, to pass the time, or just to keep up with the ‘Joneses’. We consume without giving thought to where our products are produced or where they go after we “throw them away.” As a result, obesity and disease rates are higher than ever, our landfills are overflowing, and the planet is slowly but surely warming up.

So what can we do about it? It’s as simple as supply and demand. We can become informed consumers and use our spending power as a force for positive change. The more we purchase eco-friendly products sold by conscious companies that value people and the planet as much they value profits, the more we support ourselves, our world, and our society at large. This is conscious consumption at work. Conversely, each time we go to the store and buy something without considering its long-term impact on our bodies, our communities, and on the environment, we send a message to big business—and out to the Universe--that we just don’t care.

Being a conscious consumer means letting go of the “me-first” mentality and using our individual and collective spending power to make choices that work for everyone. We know from personal experience that this is sometimes easier said that done. For example, we love our Starbuck’s green tea-no melon-soy-lattes. But we don’t love the fact that less than 4% of Starbuck’s coffee is fair trade imported. Each time we give in to our taste buds and buy a drink from Starbuck’s, we deny farmers in developing countries their fair wages.

So now when we need a green tea-no melon-soy-latte fix, we try to take the higher road. Instead of giving our $3.65 a day to Starbuck’s, we invest our spending dollars in local coffee houses that serve our community—and fair trade coffee. Over the course of a lifetime, our measly little $3.65 a day adds up to about $65,000.00 each. Imagine if 10, 100 or even 1,000 of our friends did the same. It could add up to millions of dollars—sufficient consumer demand to send a message to Starbuck’s that paying fair wages to all of their farmers is just the right thing to do.

If we all worked together to cultivate our collective buying power, and consume more consciously, the world would be a better place. Organic food would be affordable to the masses, so our bodies would be healthier. Our planet would be greener because we would only buy products from companies that cleaned up after themselves. And maybe, just maybe, Starbucks would start selling fair trade-green tea-no melon-soy lattes.

Power to the people.







© 2007 Conscious Planet Media. All rights reserved.

B's Cool List: It's Easy Being Green When You Travel

by Bianca Alexander

Did you know that CO2 emission from travel is one of the largest contributors to global warming? Before you hit the road or jump on a plane, train or automobile, think about being more conscious of minimizing--or at least offsetting--your environmental footprint on the planet. From the latest in green transportation to and from the airport, eco-friendly water bottles, and even luxury green hotels, this week's Cool List will help you travel green all year long.

1. Go Green to the Airport
Why take a gas-guzzling taxi or limo to the airport or train station when you can reserve door to door service in one of Planet Tran's eco-friendly Priuses? And for those of you that like to stay connected wherever you go, each of their cars is booted up with wireless internet so you can check your e-mails from the road.

2. Green Accommodations

Who says traveling green means you have to give up the luxury you've grown accustomed to? Instead of staying at the W on your next vacation, try booking a four-star suite at a local green B&B or at a green hotel chain, like The Fairmont or Kimpton Hotels. With recycling in each hotel room, energy and water efficient appliances, and a commitment to serving local and organic produce, these hotels are setting the bar high for hotels worldwide.

3. Eco-Friendly Water Bottles

Staying hydrated is great for your health, especially when you travel. Unfortunately, plastic water bottles leach nasty chemicals into your drinking water, your body, and the planet. And have you heard about the mass of discarded plastic bottles and waste twice the size of Texas that's floating in the Pacific? LINK). Since most plastic water bottles wind up in landfills, try Klean Kanteen's stainless steel, non-leaching water bottles. They're also recyclable, and the water just tastes better. Or, try our new favorite, Wellness Water H2.O's individual water bottles that come with built-in filters that clean up water from any tap while you're on the road. Their state-of-the-art filtration technology produces nourishing, "enhanced" water that hydrates and heals your body better than bottled water without the extra cost or landfill waste.


4. Green Grooming on the Road

No need to skimp on healthy skin care when you're on the go.
Dr. Hauschka Daily Face Care Travel Kit includes the basics for pampering your skin the holistic way while you travel (for as long as two weeks!) All of their personal care products are made from bio dynamic ingredients, which are better for your body and will keep your skin looking and feeling great. So go ahead and toss those drugstore trial size cosmetics. Besides, who needs all of the toxic chemicals?

5. And when all else fails--offset your CO2 emissions

Consume consciously when you travel by choosing to reduce your personal carbon dioxide pollution through the purchase of carbon offset credits. You can calculate your pollution and purchase offset credits online with Carbon Fund, a non-profit organization that lets you choose from renewal energy, reforestation or energy efficiency to offset your carbon footprint created from your personal travel and day to day energy use. Each credit you purchase is used to fund clean energy projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

For more tips on eco-friendly living, watch www.ConsciousLivingTV.com.

Meat-Y Reasons for Global Warming

By Michael Alexander

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” --Albert Einstein

Did you know that animal agriculture is the number 1 polluter of our planet and that it wastes much of our natural resources?

Unfortunately, no one wants to talk about this...why?

Because the fact of the matter is that we love our meat, especially here in the U.S. In fact, it is simply un-American not to love meat, hamburgers, hot dogs, and Thanksgiving Turkey. I'm sure there are many cities in the U.S. where being a vegetarian is grounds for being shot. Bush country anyone?

But the facts are the facts.

I too, used to love eating meat. At breakfast with my eggs. At lunch in my sandwiches. And at night, a dinner without meat just wasn’t a meal! Then I heard that each time I ate meat, it lowered my vibration to the vibration of death. With each satisfying chew, the energy that the animal died with was going straight into my system. Whether I was aware of it or not, the suffering the animal I was eating felt when they died now became my suffering. In fact, I was ingesting death every single time I ate meat. Finally, had to confront my own hypocrisy as a carnivore—I was living my life to raise the consciousness of the planet, to encourage life in all of its forms, but enthusiastically ingesting death on a regular basis?

So I stopped cold turkey. I became a vegetarian and eliminated meat from my diet two years ago and have never felt better. I know what you’re thinking: where do I get my protein? From a variety of sources. I still eat plenty of organic eggs and cheese (so I’m far from vegan), unprocessed soy, peanut butter, beans and even greens, all of which are highly nutritional live sources of protein that don’t require the needless slaughter of a helpless animal.

In case you need more incentive, here are some facts that may be worth considering the next time you saddle up to a burger*:

Water Pollution: According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the runoff from factory farms pollutes our rivers and lakes more than all other industries combined. Animals raised for food produce 130 times more excrement than the entire human population — 86,000 pounds per second. A typical pig factory farm generates as much raw waste as a city of 50,000 people. Chicken, hog, and cattle excrement have polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states.

Land: Of all agricultural land in the U. S., nearly 80 percent is used to raise animals for food. More than 260 million acres of U.S. forest have been cleared to create cropland to grow grain to feed farmed animals. Twenty times more land is required to feed a meat-eater than a vegetarian. (A meat-eater requires 3 and ¼ acres of land to feed him/herself per year, whereas vegetarians require only 1/6 of an acre.)

Rainforest: 214,000 acres, an area greater than that of New York City, is destroyed every day by the meat industry. Some of this is so “beef” cattle can graze, while some of it is to grow crops to feed factory farmed animals. More than 2.9 million acres of rainforest were destroyed in the 2004-2005 crop season in order to grow crops that feed chickens and other animals in factory farms.

Water: Raising animals for food consumes nearly half the water used in the United States. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef, but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat. A single individual’s carnivorous diet requires a whopping 4,200 gallons of water per day. A vegetarian diet requires just 300 gallons of water per day.

Global Warming: Meat production exacerbates global warming by emitting both carbon dioxide and methane: In “Diet, Energy and Global Warming” (http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~gidon/papers/nutri/nutriEI.pdf ), scientists at the University of Chicago calculate that switching from the average carnivorous American diet to a vegetarian one will cause a 50% greater reduction in climate warming than switching from the average gas-guzzling car to a Prius, thus suggesting that a shift toward a plant-based diet should be at least as high a priority as advocating improved fuel economy.

Animal burps, flatulence, and feces are the largest sources of airborne methane. According to the EPA, methane is 21 times more effective than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere. In “A New Global Warming Strategy” (http://www.earthsave.org/globalwarming.htm), Noam Mohr, a physicist graduated from Yale and Penn (and a former lobbyist on global warming with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group), demonstrates that methane from the billions of animals raised on factory farms will be the most significant source of climate change over the next half-century, not cars and power plants.

Energy: Raising animals for food requires more than one-third of all the raw materials and fossil fuels used in the United States. The processes that bring meat to the table (tilling grains, corn, and soy, transporting these to feed factories, transporting the feed to factory farms, operating the factory farms, transporting the animals to slaughter, operating the slaughterhouses, transporting the sliced up animals to processing factories and then onto grocery stores, restaurants, etc.) are wasteful and pollute our environment more than anything else human beings do, including driving automobiles.

Frightening as the thought of global warming can be, the good news is, there’s plenty you and I can do about it. Question is, are you ready to give up some of the things you think you can’t live without to ensure our survival as a species? That’s the same question I ask myself each day. And though some days are better than others, I’m trying my best to do my part.

“If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is stop eating meat. That’s the single most important thing you can do.” —Sir Paul McCartney

*For more sources on the facts contained in this article, as well as a plethora of info on how to go veg, visit www.goveg.com (click on “The Issues” and then on “The Environment”).
*Special Thanks to Benay Vynerib and Bart Potenza of the amazingly delicious
Candle 79 & Candle Cafe in NYC (http://www.candlecafe.com/) for putting these facts together!