Author Archives{mjv}

For freelance writer Matt Villano, cool things that are green include his Toyota Prius, Kermit the Frog and, of course, this weekly column. Villano has been writing about sustainability for the better part of the last decade, having covered the topic for publications including The New York Times, TIME magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle and others. He writes about other stuff, too, such as travel, science, business, technology, gambling and education. To learn more about Matt, visit his Web site, www.whalehead.com, or his blog, www.thedaddydispatch.com.
8-15-2011 9-34-36 AM

Petaluma vendor helps green backyard furniture one chair at a time

9 months ago in Green.0 Comments

So what if by the time you read this, the summer will be more than half over. That doesn’t mean you aren’t in the market for a great deal on durable backyard furniture that happens to be eco-friendly, too. This is where Green Frog Outdoor Furniture comes in. The Petaluma-based vendor specializes in products made from a variety of recycled {…}

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Jordan blog source of green inspiration

9 months ago in Green.0 Comments

We here at Green Sonoma have been a fan of Jordan for years; the Alexander Valley winery makes killer Cabernet Sauvignon and has a French-style chateau that is so exquisite, it makes you feel like you’ve teleported to France. Lately, however, we’ve been going ga-ga over “The Journey of Jordan,” the winery’s video blog. On these virtual pages, Communications Director {…}

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Fixing cars and saving the environment

9 months ago in Green.1 Comment

The slogan for Santa Rosa’s Green Tech Automotive says it all: “A clean approach to a dirty job.” Since it opened in 2009, the shop has been embracing eco-friendly approaches to auto care—an industry that is inherently dirty and traditionally has paid little attention to reducing, reusing and recycling. As owner Nathan Boemler explains it, Green Tech is conserving the {…}

The Art Boat race during the Petaluma River Revival is definetly a spectator favorite. Full of creativity and imagination. Photo courtesy Petaluma River Revival.

Green a big theme at upcoming Petaluma Rivertown Revival

10 months ago in Green.0 Comments

Next weekend’s free Rivertown Revival on the McNear Peninsula along the Petaluma River will raise money for the Petaluma River Heritage Center, a project of Friends of the Petaluma River. Naturally, then, the shindig will boast dozens of green and eco-conscious components, too. Organizers have implemented an aggressive zero-waste policy with all vendors; working with Sonoma County’s own Green Mary {…}

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County fair set to host ‘Sustainable Sonoma’ exhibit again

10 months ago in Green.0 Comments

Green-heads and conservationists alike agreed that the best exhibit at last year’s county Fair was the “Sustainable Sonoma” exhibit in a temporary bio-dome. Naturally, then, we are delighted to announce that the exhibit will be back for this year’s 2011 Sonoma County Fair, which starts July 27. The exhibit will comprise of a number of components, from daily lectures to {…}

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Zazu brings restaurant’s specialties to market

10 months ago in Green.0 Comments

It’s no secret that we here at Green Sonoma are fanatical about farmers’ markets. Naturally, then, we’re over-the-moon excited that the weekly Saturday market at Zazu restaurant in rural Santa Rosa is back in action. Yes, this is the same Zazu 2011 Grand Cochon winners Duskie Estes and (hubby) John Stewart have made famous, the same place that specializes in {…}

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Sonoma County’s Queen of Green

11 months ago in Green.0 Comments

Windsor’s Mary Munat, a.k.a. “Green Mary,” is a zero-waste advocate and leader of a campaign to ban plastic bags in Sonoma County. She also runs a garbage-greening business through which she helps local event organizers minimize their impact on the environment as a whole. After penning a profile of Munat for the Press-Democrat earlier this spring, yours truly sat down {…}

Clay oven for a recent client.

Green Design firm specializes in natural materials

12 months ago in Green.0 Comments

It’s no coincidence that Janine Bjornson named her West County company Clay, Bones and Stones. The five-year-old company—which specializes in green building and design—incorporates at least two of these materials (minus bones) in almost every project. Its name is, in a sense, a calling card. Even the “bones” part of the moniker has meaning—Bjornson says it refers to the ancient {…}

Get out and hike

1 year ago in Green.1 Comment

So what if it has been a rainy week here in Sonoma County? President Obama has proclaimed June to be National Great Outdoors Month, and we think that means it’s time to get out and explore. With that in mind (and with special thanks to Jane Huber at Bay Area Hiker) here are Green Sonoma’s four favorite hikes around the {…}

Starts and Apples at Flatland Farm in Sebastopol

1 year ago in Green.0 Comments

Just about everyone here at Inside Sonoma buys some form of produce at Sebastopol’s Flatland Farm, which means it’s time for this blog to share the love with you. The 11-acre farm on Tilton Road, started by Dan Lehrer and Joanne Kreuger in a Berkeley backyard in 1995, specializes in certified organic vegetable, herb and flower starters, as well as {…}