VIDEO: Higher Ground | Playing For Change

Here's another video from Playing For Change: Songs Around the World...

"http://playingforchange.com - "Higher Ground" is a song that speaks of the perseverance it takes to reach the higher consciousness. Let's all keep trying together, one heart and one song at a time, until we all reach the Higher Ground.

Follow the link below to order the new album and support Playing For Change by telling all your friends and family to join the movement at http://playingforchange.com"

Quote of the Week - 09.26.11

"You're happiest while you’re making the greatest contribution."

~Robert F. Kennedy

"We’re happiest while we’re eating Fair Trade chocolate."

~Coco-Zen

Stuff We Found Today - 09.18.11

Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls made with Fair Trade vanilla ice cream

Family, Kids & Health Stuff

• Hannah and the Talking Tree - Check out this children's environmental book that teaches the power of personal action.
• BPA Ban on Baby Bottles and Sippy Cups Approved in California - (Inhabitots) YEA!!
• Sunscreen pills form coral reefs? - (Mother Nature Network) "Scientists have discovered a natural compound that protects coral reefs from sunlight, opening the door to sunscreen pills and UV-resistant crops." Hmmm...eat your sunscreen??

Food Stuff

• 5 healthy slow cooker breakfasts - (Mother Nature Network) Some great ideas for getting the kids to school on time with a hot breakfast in their tummies...it cooks overnight so you don't have to wake up early to prep - genius!!
• Insect develops resistance to Monsanto's GM corn - (FoodNavigator-USA.com) Uh...maybe GMOs are not the answer?!!!
• Blueberries faked in cereals, muffins, bagels and other food products - Food Investigations [video] - (NaturalNews.tv) Watch this video and then go check the labels on the "blueberry" items in your pantry.
• Annual Report Card: Hershey, Trailing Behind Competitors, Gets 'F' For Failing to Remove Child Labor From Its Chocolate Production - (PR Newswire)
• Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls! - (Washington Times) Remember the SNL skit w/ Alec Baldwin - haha!! Ben & Jerry's newest flavor is made with Fair Trade vanilla ice cream...even better!
• Cooking with Chef A: Quinoa for breakfast [video & recipe] - (Mother Nature Network)

Home Stuff

• Sloan's Innovative AQUS Grey Water Toilet System Recycles Your Sink Water - (Inhabitat) Super great, especially if your toilet is next to your sink.

Beauty & Fashion Stuff

• Sierra Club Socks - Made from upcycled and organic fibers...these just look so warm and comfy.
• Toxic Tattoos - (Greenwala) Check this out if you have tattoos are are thinking of getting one.
• Eco Fashion Shows from New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 - (Inhabitat) Always fun to look at!

Tech & Science Stuff

• This Company Turns Plastic Bottles Back Into Crude Oil - (GOOD) "Ohio-based energy company, is taking even plastics that can't be recycled and reverting them to the material state from whence they came: crude oil." Hmmm...sounds interesting.

Work & Business Stuff

• LinkedIn adds new volunteer section - (Mother Nature Network) "Individuals who have donated their time to a nonprofit organization can better publicize this work on their LinkedIn profile."

School, College & Student Stuff

• America's Coolest Schools: Sierra's fifth annual ranking of the greenest colleges - (Sierra Club) Plus tidbits on all sorts of "green" goings on with schools and students across the country.
• 10 Eco-Friendly, DIY Projects for Back to School - (Greenwala) We're diggin' the Homemade Study Center and the Chalkboard Globe.

Nature & Environment Stuff

• Dolphin Fish-Eating Trick Catches On - (DiscoveryNews.com) "...a very clever group of bottlenose dolphins in Australia has created its own new combo tool that both captures fish and functions as a food bowl..." Some pretty smart animals!

Arts, Entertainment & Travel Stuff

• Sierra Club's Military Families Outdoors - Great outdoor adventure programs for families of those who serve our country.

Political, Social & Economy Stuff

• How would you spend $7 billion - (Mother Nature Network) "Two proposed energy projects (each with a $7 billion price tag) present two very different directions for America's future. Which would you choose?"
• The Climate Reality Project - "24 Hours of Reality will focus the world’s attention on the full truth, scope, scale and impact of the climate crisis. To remove the doubt. Reveal the deniers. And catalyze urgency around an issue that affects every one of us."
• Infographic: What's driving gas prices - (Mother Nature Network) This is kind of interesting.
• Why would a Hawaiian coffee ship import bananas? - (Mother Nature Network) "On Hawaii's Big Island, a Starbucks outlet sells Ecuadoran bananas. It's a trivial example of the way the twisted logic of global business creates its own unsustainable reality."
• Demand Facebook Remove Pages That Promote Sexual Violence - (Change.org)

Other Random Cool Stuff

• Bees have a home in Chicago airport - (Mother Nature Network) "At O'Hare International Airport, the open space is used for beekeeping and giving meaningful employment to felons"... helping planet & people... AWESOME!!
• VW: The Dark Side [video] - (Greenpeace) Check out this awesome video comeback to VW's "Star Wars" TV ad... "Despite its green image, Volkswagen is spending millions of Euros every year funding lobby groups who are trying to stop Europe increasing its commitment to greenhouse gas reductions..."
• World's First Functioning LEGO Greenhouse Unveiled at the London Design Festival - (Inhabitat) Ahhh...Legos.

Quote of the Week - 09.18.11

"Smile, breathe, and go slowly."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

"Smile, breathe, and eat Fair Trade chocolate."

~Coco-Zen

Coco-Zen Truffles featured in SF Weekly's Foodie Blog!

SF Weekly Foodie writer thinks our Truffles-To-Give will make great holiday gifts. Check out the article...

Coco-Zen Delivers Great Packaging, Very Good Truffles

Go green this Halloween by swapping costumes... National Costume Swap Day!

It may not quite be Halloween yet, but National Costume Swap Day is right around the corner! And it’s never too early to start thinking about how to make one of the best holidays of the year more eco-friendly. Check out this cute video from Green Halloween!

On October 8, people across the country will get together for costume swaps in their own cities and towns. Swaps are a great way to go green by exchanging gently used Halloween costumes for new-to-your-kids. You’ll save the money you would’ve spent on new costumes for your kids and help the environment. In fact, swapping half the costumes kids wear at Halloween would reduce annual landfill waste by 6,250 tons—about the weight of 2,500 midsize cars!

If you’ve got friends and neighbors or a school or community group for whom a costume swap would be a good project, we encourage you to host a swap yourself or join with others. It’s easy, fun and a great way to build community around this money-saving and planet-saving idea.

You can learn the simple steps to hosting a swap here.

And be sure to register your swap so everyone can find out about it.

Many neighborhoods and towns have already begun planning their swaps. Find one near you, then spread the word and help make it an eek-o-fabulous success!

National Costume Swap Day is sponsored by Green Halloween, KIWI magazine, and Swap.com.

Ready to get started? Find existing swaps—plus information to help you start your own at CostumeSwapDay.com.

Quote of the Week - 09.12.11

"Success is more permanent when you achieve it without destroying your principles."

~Walter Cronkite

"Chocolate is more delicious when you achieve it through Fair Trade."

~Coco-Zen

Coco-Zen included in group of "5 Chocolate Makers Doing It Right"

Coco-Zen was recently included in an article about a select group of chocolate companies "who are making the sweet stuff in a sustainable way." Check out the article (and cool infographic) on Halogen TV...

Happy World Chocolate Day!

Coco-Zen featured in Organic Soul...

We are so excited to have been recently featured on Organic Soul...check it out!

Coco-Zen: Scrumptious Sweets with Purpose