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.

Green resolutions for 2011

1 year ago in Green.0 Comments

The year 2010 is almost over, which means it’s high time to make resolutions for 2011. Since this is Green Sonoma, we thought we’d suggest a few options of the eco-friendly variety. Of course these suggestions apply to readers in every community, all over the globe: • Use less vampire power Even if they’re not on, computers and other major {…}

Swanky Guerneville resort is all green

1 year ago in Green.1 Comment

Mid- to late-January is a great time to get good deals on lodging around Sonoma County, and for a green-filled getaway, there may be no better place than the swanky and exclusive Boon Hotel + Spa in Guerneville. This 14-room resort is located just off the Russian River, and incorporates sustainable products and amenities wherever possible. Some of the more {…}

Zip through the forest in Freestone

1 year ago in Green.1 Comment

There’s a new eco-friendly adventure to be had in the woods of West County: An adrenaline-inducing ride that enables visitors to shoot through the forest, hundreds of feet in mid-air. The outfitter, Sonoma Canopy Tours, opened this summer just outside of Freestone near Santa Rosa. Its main product: Ziplining, a fast-paced activity (up to 25 m.p.h.) during which participants harness {…}

Sonoma Institute finds green jobs for unemployed

1 year ago in Green.1 Comment

Sometimes the best way to perpetuate sustainability is to provide young people with jobs in it. Such is the mission of the North Bay Institute of Green Technology (NBIGT), based in Santa Rosa. The organization provides training and job placement for low-income, unemployed and underemployed young men (ages 18-24) for careers in green-collar jobs including technologies having to do with {…}

Choosing an eco-friendly Christmas Tree

1 year ago in Green.2 Comments

If you celebrate Christmas and you haven’t already purchased your Christmas Tree, chances are you probably will do so soon (if not this weekend). Before you head out to buy a tree imported from Oregon or somewhere even farther afield (most trees in California are from the Northwest), think about the carbon footprint, and purchase one that has been grown {…}

County’s first ‘green’ salon opens in Sonoma

1 year ago in Green.1 Comment

Heads up, eco-conscious beautiful people: Sonoma County now is home to a “green” hair and beauty salon. The business, fittingly (at least for a while) dubbed Salon Novo, opened earlier this month just blocks off the plaza in downtown Sonoma. Owners brag they’ll be using zero-VOC products, which are products that can release volatile chemicals when they are used or {…}

Sebastopol Web biz great for all-natural holiday gifts

1 year ago in Green.0 Comments

Friday marks the official start to the 2010 holiday shopping season, but there’s no reason you can’t start early by shopping online. Our pick for a vendor worth investigating: the Sebastopol-based e-commerce company, JustLiving.net. The Web site sells everything from bed and bath products to clothing and gifts. All of the products are organic, sustainable and renewable; they appeal those {…}

Explore Sonoma County on an EcoAdventure

1 year ago in Green.1 Comment

The awe-inspiring nonprofit Stewards of the Coast, an environmental interpretative organization that works to volunteer, education and stewardship programs in and around Sonoma County, has rolled out its list of Eco-Adventures trips for the Fall 2010 season, and the list is sure to blow you away. The two scheduled adventures include a number of Jenner Headlands hikes in partnership with {…}

Check mate at Sebastopol café

1 year ago in Green.1 Comment

You can’t order hard liquor at the Guayaki Mate Bar on Sebastopol Avenue, but you can order up a nice gourd of caffeinated tea, or any number of variations of the natural stimulant. The tea, dubbed yerba mate (pronounced yehr-ba mah-tay), is a South American tradition and delicacy.  Down there, mate is more prevalent than coffee, and is part of {…}

Green Sonoma farmhouse featured in USA Today

1 year ago in Green.0 Comments

Considering that USA Today has the biggest circulation of any daily newspaper, it’s big news when the paper gives a local story some ink (yes, they still use old-fashioned ink and paper there). Naturally, then, we were pretty geeked up earlier this month when the paper profiled Cathy O’Neill’s house in Sonoma County. Oneill’s home is one of only a {…}