There is more green than just green tea at Joy’s Teaspoon, a family-owned, environmentally responsible distributor of delicious loose leaf teas.  As a loose leaf tea enthusiast, I was very excited to try the eight samples of tea generously provided by Joy’s Teaspoon for this Tried and True Green Product Review.

For many, the joy of drinking tea often depends on the process and presentation just as much as the taste of the tea itself.  For us environmentalists, the process by which the tea comes to us can be an important part of that experience.  Joy’s teaspoon is on a mission to bring you “quality, full bodied loose-leaf teas and aromatic, savory spices,” while being kind to Mother Nature.

So how did the tea measure up?  First, if you’re not yet sold on the merits of loose-leaf tea, I strongly suggest you try a few ounces (I must warn you, though, that once you’ve had great tea there is no turning back).  Avoid discarding individually packaged tea bags, invest in a good infuser, and find out just how flavorful tea can be.

From Joy’s Teaspoon, I got to sample Creamsicle, Emperor’s 7 Treasures, Japanese Cherry, Genmaicha, Cinnamon Roll, Margaret’s Hope, Perfect World, and Moroccan Mint.  Opening up this package of beautiful little sample tins came with wonderful aromas, and the accompanying flavors I sampled over the (more…)

Ahh…an alternative to that stodgy old library you slaved away in, studying til all hours – hopped up on speed and coffee…I digress…This concept for a modern, green library is based on a series of elegant gardens instead of the Dewey Decimal System.

The building, as designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), envisions the structure as a living component of its community – a series of hanging gardens connecting both public and private spaces.

Outdoor gardens would feature restaurants, performance spaces and reading areas.  Indoors one would find a series of vertical gardens and ledges consisting of spaces for research, reading and meetings – all culminating in a beautiful roof garden.

Submitted for consideration in a competition to design the new library in Urtecht, Netherlands.

As I sit here this morning overlooking pristine Sarasota Bay watching the pelicans and seabirds take up their daily feeding positions I can’t help but ponder the potential success, or failure, of this morning’s attempt by BP to cap their gushing oil geyser in the Gulf of Mexico.  One can only hope the undertaking is an unmitigated success.

The spill has brought many things into focus – our total lack of preparedness, our corrupt and antiquated Federal regulatory system, and, as the Deepwater Horizon well continues to pump death and destruction into the Gulf,  our overwhelming need to examine our century-old dependence on fossil fuels.  This tragedy can only serve as a harsh reminder of our need to transition to a cleaner, more environmentally sound energy policy.

But this transition won’t be easy.  Our schizophrenic country is currently torn by divisions between Tea Party supporters advocating deregulation and smaller government versus the the growing public realization – driven by the oil spill disaster – that we need more oversight of both big oil and Wall Street.  The cry “drill baby, drill” isn’t being uttered on many political (more…)