When Chocoaltine first opened in 2004 on Thousand Oaks Blvd., I was pretty excited. I stopped in once, though, and was disappointed. I must’ve visited on a bad day or, perhaps, Chocolatine had rough patches when it first opened. But now, oh now, they’ve worked them out. I’ve been visiting regularly for the past 6 months and I’m never dissapointed. Yesterday, I stopped in for a decaf mocha and had to get a pistachio French macaron (couldn’t resist). It was so decadent, so delicious, it made me think to hell with the bad economy! Maybe we can’t take exotic Parisian vacations right now but we can have a taste of it right here. Chocolatine was doing a brisk business, so I believe others are thinking also along my lines. Coming from the city environment –where tea shops, bakeries and cafes line many streets — you won’t necessarily think Chocolatine is out of the usual. But it is for here! In fact, I believe it’s really one of the few places around that truly has the ambiance of a tiny cafe in a city. Check out their soups, quiches, salads, pastries and, of course, chocolates! It’s all made by local owners Hugo and Sabrina Barthe.

Chocolatine

2955 East Thousand Oaks Blvd.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Telephone (805) 557-0561

We just got a delivery of fruits and vegetables, including some gorgeous tomatoes. The small produce sticker said Houweling’s Hot House. They were so good we decided to look up this grower. To our amazement, Houweling’s Hot House, which is based nearby in Oxnard, has this incredible sustainable agriculture program. Watch the video. The technology they’re using to save water and electricity and reduce pests is pretty incredible. Our hats are off to our neighbors at Houwelings!

When we started Exurb, we looked at things that were a “must” for us. Must include interesting articles. Must be locally driven. One of the biggest “musts” was to be environmentally friendly. That’s why we are completely paperless. Even our drafts are saved on the computer, and not on paper.

We love other organizations that organically feel the same about saving the environment, one step at a time. Freecycle organizes a worldwide network of “gifting” groups, aiming to divert reusable goods from landfills.   We have a local Freecycle network, on Yahoo Groups, under ConejoValleyFreecycle. Check it out. You may be able to start “Changing the world one gift at a time” (the Freecycle Network’s official tagline).

It’s a place to give things to others. Things that you might have considered throwing away in the past. Remember,  ”one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” I don’t like to generalize here with ‘man,’ but I don’t take credit for that little treasure of writing…just here to reuse it for my purposes.

This weekend I attended the Go Green Expo at the convention center downtown. It was a grass roots show without a lot of flash. There was a Fitness Expo with a lot of body builders and “America’s Got Talent” auditions going on in other halls which made the restroom stop quite entertaining.

Here are some of the highlights.

1. ReGreet Greeting Card Kit. It is a fun way to re-use greeting cards that you love. You put a sticker on the old signature and resign it. The fun part is you are able to track the card’s journey. Plus, the people working the booth were super nice.

2. Further Hand Soap: Basically, the glycerin in this soap is a byproduct of restaurant grease converted into biofuel. It’s fragranced with essential oils of bergamot, olive, and grasses.  Here are some of the California restaurants that use Further Hand Soap:  Tavern, Comme Ca, Fig, Mozza, Houston’s Pasadena, Wood Ranch.

3. Vapur Water Bottle:  The coolest water bottle around. Flexible, freezable, loveable.

4. Eco Smart Fire: Clean, modern fireplaces that don’t need a flue or installation. They are fueled by denatured alchohol which makes them great for apartments, restaurants and offices.

5. Farm Fresh to You: Organic local, fruits and veggies delivered to your home or office. Prices range from $25 -$100. Try it, you have nothing to lose.

7. Amped Bikes: Easy to install kits that convert your plain bike into an electric bike. 20-30 mile range, 20 mph. Pretty cool!

We have some ideas for you on how to wrap your holiday gifts using things you have on hand in the eco/style section but I was so excited to receive some eco wrapped gifts that I had to show you. My friend Jenny used newspaper, oragami paper and dried flowers to wrap a candle, so clever!  She made an amazing tag with illustrations she copied from old books and some ice tea to age the paper. She topped the tag with glitter and they are better than any store bought tag! Debbie took the time to sew a bag out of funky left over fabric and tied it with a bow. She even used a piece of cardboard for the tag! Victoria put her gift in a reusable Trader Joe’s bag, awesome! Thank you so much for the inspiring ideas. Happy New Year!