22 Days of Green Gift Giving: Gift Idea #15

Fair Trade/Organic Foods Gift Sampler

• One 1 lb. bag organic Peace Coffee
• Two 3.5 oz. organic chocolate bars
• One box organic tea
• One 12 oz. can of organic hot cocoa
• Equal Exchange brochure on Fair Trade products
• Customized "from and to" card on recycled paper

$39.95 (basket not included)

Free shipping to anywhere in the continental United States (UPS ground).  Allow one week for delivery from time of order if West Coast destination.  Rush shipping available for extra charge.

From Greenline Paper Company.   Order item #930.

22 Days of Green Gift Giving: Gift Idea #14

Organic, Locally Roasted Coffee

Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company Coffee offers 5 varieties of coffee -- all of which taste amazing!  From  beginning to end, their entire process is top notch and good for the Earth.  They source only the best coffee beans and then produce all of their great coffees with one of the most eco-friendly roasters in the world which has nearly 80% reduced emissions. 

But the best part is that 2% of gross sales on every product they sell goes back in support of community organizations and groups that are helping make a measurable impact to the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

$12 to $13 each

Available for purchase online or through retailers in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  

Hold Your Next Event at a Green Venue on the Chesapeake Bay

About 15 years ago, when I listened to mainstream radio (before I discovered NPR), I remembered hearing commercials for a venue called Herrington on the Bay. It sounded like it was somewhere in Jamaica, but it is just about an hour from me, down the road in Rose Haven, on the western shore of Maryland.

When I recently visited the venue, owner/operator Anna Chaney Willman laughed when I recalled their very memorable commercials. They have since moved away from that image and have successfully become a resort that keeps its eye on protecting the environment.

I’m a sucker for any venue on the water, and Herrington sits on the Most Environmentally Sensitive Marina, Herrington Harbour South, as awarded by the National Marine Manufacturers Association in 1999 as well as Boating Industry Magazine in 2006. Whether you are holding a business retreat or a wedding, you can hold your event along the water or inside the main building. Regardless, the views are stunning.

Noted for lusciously landscaped lawns with clear views of the Chesapeake Bay, miles of natural marshes inhabited by native wildlife, 600+ acres of preserved wooded walking trails, quaint waterfront Inn accommodations, private beaches, and phenomenalsunrises and sunsets, Herrington is the perfect eco setting for all occasions.

And they take being green seriously. Below is just a taste of their long list of green initiatives:

- They participate in Anne Arundel County’s recycling program
- Their chefs are committed to offer the best in sustainable Chesapeake cuisine and they purchase products from Maryland and regional farmers, watermen, and vendors who offer sustainably-raised and harvested produce, beef, oysters, crabmeat, shrimp, fish, eggs, and more
- Breads and desserts are prepared in-house with organic and natural ingredients
- Organic herbs are grown on-site, and used in food preparation
- Coffee is provided by Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company, an eco-friendly, local roaster (we are HUGE fans here at lori hill event productions)
- Wine and beer lists include sustainable and organic options
- Reverse osmosis filtered water is offered and proceeds benefit the Chesapeake Bay Trust
- That evil Styrofoam is prohibited. Cornstarch-based plastic ware or biodegradable and/or
recyclable plasticware is used when china is not an option

So go visit Anna and her team and discover the beauty of this very eco-friendly venue.

lhep Helps Green the Plunge ... and Raises Over $1,100

I did it! Thanks to my generous contributors, I exceeded my $1,000 fundraising goal and raised $1,100 for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. We had a beautiful, sunny day with temperatures in the high 30s and a comparable water temperature. Quite frankly, I could have stayed outside in my bathing suit, basking in the sun for a bit longer than I did.

lori hill event productions helped make this NO BUDGET event a GREEN event with the assistance of several generous sponsors:

Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company provided organic, fair trade, locally roasted coffee for all the plungers and watchers. They pledge 2% of every can of coffee we sell to go back to support the Watershed Preservation Fund which supports the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

New Leaf Vegan Society provided delicious vegan cookies and muffins and showed us that eating vegan can not only be tasty, but it is also better for the planet, the animals and our own health.

Perfect Settings, a very eco conscious party rental company, provided us with beautiful linens to make our Plunge look polished. If you rent linens from Perfect Settings, just return their hangers (they will reuse them) and bale and recycle the plastic used to protect the linens. They also rent recycle bins for your event!

Waste Neutral Group helped us make this a zero waste (or nearly zero waste) by recycling and composting our waste. Our biggest bin was the compost bin, followed by the recycle bin and then the SMALLEST container of them all was the evil landfill bin.

Thanks again for your support! Now go out and support CCAN and our generous sponsors at your next event!