Earth-Friendly Choices

Today marks the 38th anniversary of Earth Day. Bet you didn't know it was going on that long, did you? I know I wasn't fully aware of Earth Day until my 20's. I'm hoping that nobody else is that far behind, though, because this World could surely use a little attention, and not just on Earth Day.

Here are a few things I've come across this year that I think are right on when it comes to being Earth-Friendly.

360 Vodka - Alcohol!? Well, yeah. I don't usually drink, I mean I think I could count on two hands the drinks I've had since I got married, and I'm hypoglycemic so it's not exactly a smart choice for me, but I really enjoy cooking with wine and spirits. I like the flavor that alcohol imparts to certain foods and I'm not above a very weak mixed drink if the atmosphere is right.

360 Eco Luxury Vodka is totally earth-friendly. I was sent a bottle to check out and so I made a single cocktail to share with my mother-in-law when she came for lunch on Sunday and later, a recipe of penne with vodka sauce. The first thing I noticed was the envelope attached to the bottle with twine. When I opened it up it reminded me of the envelopes that come with printer ink cartridges; you know, the ones you recycle your old cartridge in. It's for the bottle top! It's called the "Close the Loop" program. You release it from the bottle when it's empty and pop it into the envelope and send it back. It's then reused to lid other bottles of 360.


All the labeling is recycled material, the bottle itself is 70% post-consumer glass and the distilling process they use saves tons of resources. Check it all out, including great recipes, HERE and I'll wait 'til you get back... Now, that's responsible drinking - in more ways than one.

Once that bottle was open, I made a pitcher of 360 Breezes - grapefruit juice, cranberry juice and 360 vodka. They were really good and light. I was surprised at how smooth it was, honestly. Vodka can be very strong to me, so this drink was perfect. After that I made a recipe of Lidia Bastianich's Penne Alla Vodka from Epicurious. Delicious!



Next up is Working Mother Magazine's 2008 Best Green Companies for Children. I am proud to say that The Walt Disney Company is on this year's list! They share billing with such companies as Hanna Andersson, Nike, Kohl's, Stonyfield Farm, UPS and Hewlett Packard to name a few.

Don't forget about Earthbound Farm. They were true pioneers in organic farming and shaped so much of what we now purchase as organic produce today. Myra Goodman's cookbook, Food to Live By, is a must-read, as well.

One last little thing (I could go on and on about what we all can do for our environment!) check out reusable grocery bags at GreenSak. One small step for man and all that.


Whatever you do today, make sure to do at least ONE THING to help our earth to help sustain us!