Alicia Silverstone's Blog, page 132

ten nature documentaries for earth day

A beautiful time-lapse video of Yosemite National Park:

For your viewing pleasure! A great documentary can be the best reminder of why we choose to maintain a kind lifestyle. In honor of Earth Day this Sunday here are ten must-see docs:

Flow – a film about the water crisis and the privatization of the world’s water supply. I watched this and it's so important to see. A truly great documentary and I wish everyone in the world would watch it. Please help me get people to see I by passing it along.


Ken Burns: The National Parks: America’s Best Idea – a look at the stunning natural beauty of America’s varied landscapes and the pioneering leaders who fought to preserve it. I haven't seen this one yet but I love Ken Burn's documentary about New York so I have no doubt that this one will be wonderful. I want to see it.


Planet Earth –I hear this BBC series is a beautifully shot must-see!


The Last Lions – This National Geographic documentary follows a pride of lions as they struggle to survive in an environment of dwindling resources. It made me cry a tad watching the promo. It looks wonderful.


No Impact Man – a New Yorker and his family attempt to live in Manhattan for a full year without leaving any impact on the environment.


March of the Penguins – beloved documentary following the lives of penguins in Antarctica. Kid-friendly!


Microcosmos – This looks like an amazing documentary about the lives of insects – incredible photography for all you film or photography fans out there! The little part I saw had an insect whose face looked like a wise old ape. It's amazing when we see up close how complicated and special they are.


Dolphins – Deep Thinkers – a BBC documentary examining the extraordinary intelligence of Dolphins


The Cove – an expose of the cruel practice of dolphin hunting in the waters around Japan. This is supposed to be an absolute must-see amazing one.


An Inconvenient Truth – Al Gore’s documentary about global warming. I think this had a very big impact on people's openness to making changes. It seemed to open a lot of minds.

What other nature & eco documentaries do you love? Share in the comments below!

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made just right introduces the spring to life recipe contest

Get excited all of you Kind Lifer chefs out there! The Made Just Right Spring to Life Recipe Contest has begun! 

Earth Balance and Made Just Right are celebrating the arrival of spring with our annual Spring to Life Recipe Contest. Share your original recipes for a chance to win exciting prizes!

One grand prize winner will receive a weekend trip for two to San Francisco 1000 in spending money a stay at the eco-friendly Orchard Garden Hotel a five-course dinner at Millennium plus some additional surprises!

Your recipes should be your own original creations and contain one or more
Earth Balance® products including any of the buttery spreads nut butters soymilk or MindfulMayo® Dressing & Sandwich Spread. The recipes must be plant-based vegan and free of any animal products no dairy eggs meat etc….

Our Earth Balance judges along with guest judge former model and author of Skinny Bitch Book of Vegan Swaps Kim Barnouin will evaluate recipes based on appeal 50 ease of preparation 25 and creativity 25. You can submit as many recipes as you like from now until May 6th in the following categories:

April 9th - April 15th: Appetizers & Side Dishes closed
April 16th - April 22nd: Beverages
April 23rd - April 29th: Entrées
April 30th - May 6th: Desserts

WEEKLY PRIZES – Made Just Right will select 2 recipes from each category for a total of 8 winners. Each winner will receive:

• A 1 year supply of Earth Balance® products
• An Earth Balance gift pack featuring Earth Balance gear
• A copy of the book Skinny Bitch Book of Vegan Swaps by Kim Barnouin

One of the 8 winners will be selected as the GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

GRAND PRIZE - In addition to the prizes above Made Just Right will select one lucky participant to also win:

• Roundtrip airfare for 2 to San Francisco
• A 2-night stay at the eco-friendly Orchard Garden Hotel
• 1000 in spending money
• Five-course dinner at Millennium

SPECIAL PRIZES – More opportunities to win! Made Just Right will also select 3 recipes from all submissions to win in the following categories:

• Best Photo
• Most Recipes Submitted
• Most Creative Recipe

Special Prize Winners will receive:

• A 1 year supply of Earth Balance® products

We will announce the 8 weekly winners the 3 Special Prize winners and the 1 grand prize winner the week of May 14th 2012! For complete contest rules visit SPRING TO LIFE CONTEST RULES. For specific questions about how to upload your recipe visit the MADE JUST RIGHT FAQ.

Hope to see you there with recipes to share!

- The Made Just Right Team

SUBMIT YOUR RECIPE HERE.

Today's post is brought to you by

GIVEAWAY: win a limited edition tote and 5-piece brush set from my ecotools collection!

I'm so excited to be featuring my EcoTools collection in my OpenSky store! This is the OpenSky Exclusive tote & 5-piece brush set.
 

 
The tote is a very limited run and once they are gone on Open Sky they are gone forever. We made them just for the launch of the third collection event with beauty editors AND so I could offer them to my kind life friends. I use this little 5-piece brush set and bag when I'm going to meetings and going to be out all day and need to look all fancy and such. The on-the-go essentials live on one side and the other side holds your tools..without getting dirty. Brilliant if I do say so myself!
 
Also check out this Train Case & 3-piece brush set cup and this Hanging Valet & 5-piece brush set. All materials used in my EcoTools collection are earth-friendly and include tree-free paper a natural hemp blend recycled plastic lining as well as non-toxic inks. The brushes are made with recycled aluminum bamboo and super soft yummy feeling synthetic bristles.
 
To enter for a chance to win my exclusive tote and 5-piece brush set tell me what your 1 kind beauty essential is in the comments below!

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jumpstart your healthier spring with kaeng raeng cleanse

Spring has sprung Kind Lifers and summer is just around the corner! If your healthy diet took a backseat to spring treats and you're dreading swimsuit season there's no need to worry.  You can use Kaeng Raeng cleanse to get back on track!
 
For those of you who haven't yet heard of it yet: Kaeng Raeng is an all natural vegan gluten free meal replacement detox program designed to help jumpstart weight loss improve digestion bolster immunity remove toxins and reduce cravings.

You're gonna love it:

It's GENTLE. You have no need to worry! There are no laxatives stimulants or impossible-to-pronounce scary ingredients in Kaeng Raeng. Enjoy your daily kind life without interruption.
It's EASY.  Just drink one meal replacement pouch per meal for 3 to 6 days.  Mix each pouch with 24-32 oz of water juice or non-dairy milk and you've got a delicious and nutritious fruit smoothie.  You can also find recipes on our website!
It's FILLING.  Each serving of KR is packed with a full serving of fruit fiber lean protein probiotics and daily vitamins. But best of all you can eat as many raw fruits and veggies as your heart desires so you're getting healthy without sacrifice!  
It's VEGAN & SUSTAINABLE.  Kaeng Raeng is completely animal-free gluten-free peanut-free eco-friendly and sustainably made in CA with only local ingredients.  We donate a portion of every sale to the American Humane Society America's largest animal protection organization.
It's AFFORDABLE. Other luxury juice cleanses can cost 100/day and all you receive is juice!  Kaeng Raeng starts at just 16/day and you're getting real fruit fiber protein probiotics and natural vitamins all from local sustainable sources.  Now that's a value!

Kaeng Raeng also comes in three delicious flavors and three different levels designed specifically to fit your lifestyle and goals: the Beginner level for first-time users the Veteran level for those who have done at least one cleanse and our Master level for experienced cleansers and health nuts.  Don't know which one is best for you?  Take our detox quiz to find out!

Win it!
Enter to win a FREE 3-Day Beginner program! Just comment in the next 24 hours on why you want to try Kaeng Raeng. 

Can't wait? Use coupon code KINDLIFE15 to save 15 off at kaengraeng.com. Offer expires 11:59 PDT on April 18 2012.

Today's post is proudly sponsored by

bear on the set of suburgatory

Of course Bear joined mama every day on the set of "Suburgatory" with dad. Here he is listening to us filming through the headphones. This photo was taken on the first day on set while I was shooting the final scene of my first "Surburgatory" episode with Jeremy Sisto at the farmers market!

These were taken about three months ago so Bear is about 8 months in these pics.

Have you been watching this season? My first episode on "Suburgatory" --"Entering Eden"-- airs April 18th!

What do you think of "Suburgatory" so far this season?

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a cool film festival shines light on eco-friendly films

A friend of mine recently told me about the Going Green Film Festival and I wanted to share it here because it's really cool outlet for environmentally conscious filmmakers. The festival takes place in Miracle Mile a neighborhood of Los Angeles and it features films that lowered their carbon footprint through every stage of production. That means that filmmakers reduced the use of paper and plastic bottles they used reclaimed wood and non-toxic paint on their sets they filmed digitally and more. The festival takes place April 18-20th and will feature all genres with an emphasis on films about the environment developing countries animals food or alternative transportation. Here's a talk with two featured filmmakers from last year's festival:


You can find more information on the festival website here.

What's your favorite "green" film? Tell me about it in the comment section below.

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make your own laundry detergent!

Like cooking your own food making your own household products is the best way to ensure that all ingredients are as eco-friendly as possible. There are a lot of household products that we can make ourselves saving trees and money in the process. Today I want to share a recipe for laundry detergent that I found on The Simple Dollar. It takes just four ingredients and four tools that you likely have already – check it out

Ingredients

1 cup washing soda Arm & Hammer makes one
1 cup borax optional - 20 Mule Team is one brand
1 bar soap whatever eco-friendly soap you choose is fine!
3 gallons water 

Tools

A container to store it in a five-gallon bucket with a lid will do - try to find one that's not made of plastic though!
A large wooden spoon for stiiring
Put to boil soapy water
Grater or other tool to cut up the soap


Steps

1.  Pour four cups of water into the pot and bring it to a boil.
2.  While it's heating up cut or shave the soap into pieces with your grater
3.  When the water is boiling throw in the soap a bit at a time stirring until dissolved
4.  Lower heat until water is simmering
5.  Stir the soapy water with a spoon until all of the soap is dissolved
6.  Eventually the water will take on the color of the soap you added but a little bit paler.
7.  You should end up with some very warm soapy water
8.  Next get out your large bucket and add three gallons of warm tap water to it.
9.  To this bucket add a cup of the washing soda
10.  Add the soap solution you made and stir.
11.  Stir in half a cup of borax if you've chosen to use it
12.  Put a lid on the bucket and let the mixture sit for 24 hours.

When you take off the lid you'll find a number of things depending on the type of soap and water you used. It could be firm or watery – just stir it up a bit and it's ready to be used. Use one cup of detergent per load of laundry. This DIY laundry detergent has no expiration date and lasts for 52 loads. I haven't tried this yet – I need to!
That's it – all for around 10! What other household product recipes would you like to see? 

borax tends to get clothes feeling extra clean and fresh smelling – you can experiment and see which recipe you like better borax or no borax.

Have you tried to make any other household cleaners? Tell me how in the comments!

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calling all cooking newbies!

I while back I was working nights. This means I go to set at bedtime and work until the sun comes up...not the easiest in general but especially with baby! Recently I was feeling a little overwhelmed so I just scrapped everything for a day held my baby breastfed him all day and cooked! Cooking just four dishes made me sooo happy. Then I took Bear out in the Ergo and went for a walk. And I was good as new!

MY diet keeps me feeling pretty darn great and making time to cook really relaxes me. So for all you cooking newbies I wanted to share some tips for falling in love with your kind kitchen. If you're new to cooking or just don't have time to buy new ingredients start by picking one or two recipes from my book the kind recipe gallery or wherever you like to find groovy veg recipes. Make these dishes once or twice a week and have fun. It will relax you and can be like a game. Cooking is very therapeutic and of course you get nourishing food at the end.

If you liked the recipes you chose make them again with your leftover ingredients. For example I bought some lemongrass and enoki mushrooms because I wanted to make a special soup. Then a few days later I made it again because I had the ingredients lying around.
 
Anywho I hope this helps! Is there a recipe that you love to make when you feel like relaxing?

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kind classics: happy easter everyone!!

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Wishing you all a great holiday this weekend with your family and friends.  Easter marks the end of the fasting season of Lent and the death on Good Friday and resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.   The egg is seen as a sign of renewed life or resurrected life by breaking out of it.... hence the whole eggs and Easter deal. 

The Easter bunny and rabbit connection is a bit more involved.  It comes from the hare an ancient pre-Christian symbol of fertility associated with Spring.  But then there is something in mythology about how someone changed her pet bird into a rabbit to entertain a bunch of kids and the rabbit laid colorful eggs for them.  There are lots of stories about how all this came to be out there.  The chocolate bunny inspiration and chocolate eggs though were inspired by 18th and 19th century mid-European traditions. 

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What I love the most about this time of year is all of the Sweet Jasmine pictured above that is blooming in Los Angeles right now.  It's my favorite thing about this time of year.  It only blooms for a short time and it smells insane!!!! I can not wait to get home to LA to the the Sweet Jasmine that we have planted at our house!  I haven't seen any of this in New York it might be something that only blooms in California and I'm dying to get home and smell it!  It's the most gorgeous smell.

I want to share with you some alternatives to dying Easter eggs.  I know it's synonymous with the holiday... but exercise kindness to the animals and the planet!  There are other ways to get that holiday feeling.

Get the little colorful plastic eggs... and reuse them every year!!  If you must buy them new buy them new but you can put an ad on Craigslist to hunt down some used ones or check out your neighborhood thrift stores.  I've done a search to find ones made from recycled plastic but didn't have any luck.  If any of you know about these existing in the world please let me know.  Anyhow go the plastic-egg route for Easter egg hunts Easter baskets etc.  Fill them with candy see some kinder-to-your-body treat options below coins trinkets...get creative!!

And here are some cute upcycled eggs from etsy.com upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value. This process allows for the reduction of waste and use of virgin materials. they are not real eggs....they are made from plastic eggs You could get something like this or use inspiration to make your very own with scraps of wrapping paper and other crafty things you probably have in your house already.  Have a little arts and crafts gathering with friends maybe bring wine and go nuts!

For Easter baskets again I would suggest thrift stores... any place you could find a cute used one. They are perfect for taking to the farmer's market year round!


For filler for the baskets try for recycled paper shreds - instead of the shiny faux grass plasticy stuff.  Or better yet forgo paper all together and use leaves from your backyard or other cute things from nature.



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If you are craving Peeps... check out these Vegan Easter Marshmallows from sweetandsara.com.  They aren't superhero just FYI but they are super cute and super yum. 

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Lagusta's Luscious makes awesome bonbons and treats in general.  Check them out here:  lagustaslucious.com. 


Allison's Gourmet has a great selection of Easter goodies as well.  The little chocolate eggs would be perfect to put inside little plastic eggs!

And Rose City Chocolates has an assortment of Easter chocolates too.

I would love to hear about how you make your egg-free Easter.  How do you make yours happen?  And any other kind practices that you take part in during this time of year?

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kind classics: passover 

kind classics: passover

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Happy almost Passover!

Passover is the day we commemorate the Hebrews' escape from enslavement in Egypt.  I wouldn't call myself a super Jew so it's good to have a little reminder of what we're celebrating before we make it to the Seder.  Every year on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan Jews commemorate the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt by celebrating Passover.  The story is that after 410 years of slavery in Egypt Moses told Pharaoh that he must "Let My People Go." Each time Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites God brought another plague upon the Egyptians. After 10 plagues the Pharoah let the Jews go.  They left Egypt so fast that they didn't have time for their bread to rise which is why they ate matzo and Passover commemorates the Jews being released from slavery.  Granted the exodus from Egypt is a whole different bag but it's a good reminder to think about how forms of slavery are still happening today like human trafficking forced labor etc. and to find ways to help if we can.  People are in a form of slavery everyday when they are not living their truths or when they are doing things they don't really want to and not believing there is a way out.

So many animals are enslaved too the ones being raised for food ones being sold and traded as if they are products and not Godly creatures horses who are pulling carriages in New York City animals in all the zoos....all these situations come to mind along with all the ways we can end their suffering and make their own exodus happen.

I'm not going to a Seder this year and actually can't remember the last time I went.  Most of the Seders I have been to have been at my friend Guy Oseary's house.  They were so great!  When I was little we used to go to the Synagogue as a family.  I remember the charoset the matzo the 4 questions the gefilte fish.  I used to love gefilte fish!  How weird is that?

Here are some great ways to make your Passover more planet-friendly:

Go for organic wine. If you're going the traditional kosher route the grapes in kosher wines are picked like every other wine but once they reach the winery the process is under strict rabbinal supervision. From crushing through bottling the wine is handled and processed by Sabbath-observing Jews. Barrels and tanks are deemed kosher for use. The rabbi or Kashrut trained supervisor oversees the whole process and no work can be done on the Sabbath. I think this is a silly process though....sorry! Jewish police?! There are many "kosher" meats out there and they are all so barbaric. I will do a blog on this soon but just knowing how terrible the kosher meat deal is makes me feel it is silly and not spiritual as it is intended to be. I think a great kosher wine definition would be one that is eco and vegan that way it is spiritual in that it is kind to our fellow creatures and kind to the planet.

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I love all of the great veggie temples that have been bursting through. They get it that our desire to be good spiritual Jews must include being respectful of the Earth each other and ALL creatures.  It's really beautiful.  Do a little search to see what veg temples are in your area. Ikar is one in the LA area. 

Get these Veg-friendly Passover books from Micah Publications.  They have a Haggadah for the Vegetarian Family and a Vegetarian Pesach Cookbook that has recipes with no animal products.

Go organic. Grab organic matzo organic horseradish organic parsley etc. and make your own charoset with organic ingredients.  There are lots of charoset recipes out there.  It's so yummy!

Always try for reusable plates cups and utensils but if you're going to use disposable ones go for recycled or biodegradable ones.  You can usually grab these from specialty stores like Whole Foods and if you don't live near a Whole Foods Market ask your local grocery store to start carrying these types of products! You can also order biodegradable supplies from greenpartysupply.com.  I like these EATware plates. They are reasonably priced here and you can buy in bulk if you need to. 

Check out Debra Jill Mazer!  I want to play with her she seems awesome!  See her blog post here and check out the recipe for raw vegan gefilte "wish" haven't tried it but it's worth a shot!. Also read her book Open-Eyed Heart-Wide Haggadah that has a progressive ritual guide for Passover which includes a recipe for Vegan Matzah Ball Soup!

Please share your veg-friendly recipes and stories with me! Happy Passover everyone!

Some Recipes You Might Want to Try:

Jelly Donut Cupcakes
Cherry Noodle Kugel
Chocolate and Cinnamon Rugelach
Quick and Easy Knishes