PLAYgreen

Coming soon, to a Bear's Lair near you!

When you get hungry before class, after a workout or just while studying on campus it's good to know where to grab a bite to eat. Now, one of your options is going green. The ASUC Senate passed a bill Wednesday night which will provide for the Bear's Lair restaurants to undergo green-certification within three years.

The bill will bring student group Bay-Area Environmentally Aware Consulting Network and Bear's Lair restaurants together to make the necessary changes for certification. The pub already strives to meet green standards. Its policies include recycling all glass, using only fluorescent lights and abstaining from electric heating.

Haitham Alloun, owner of The Coffee Spot, said that his businesses are also already doing their best to comply with green standards and would welcome certification.

For more information, check out the Daily Cal.

Be an I Heart Tap Water Video Star

Hydrating your body with water is probably one of the best things you can do for it. Sometimes that means buying a bottle of water at our ProShop or drinking from our water fountains during your workout. Currently, bottled water backlash is stirring on campuses across the country. Whether it’s the health concerns surrounding lenient regulations on bottled water, or the myth that consumers are getting more bang for their buck; students, faculty and staff are working together to take back the tap. You don't have to stop buying bottled water to make a difference though, simply refill the ones you buy!

Food & Water Watch is challenging college students from around the US to declare their love for tap water –– and get it on film. Breaking the bottled water habit means not only recognizing the health, environmental and economic costs of bottled water but also building renewed confidence in tap water that is safe and affordable. Show your love for tap water by participating in the I Heart Tap Water Video Contest!

Delare your love for tap water here.

Source: Food and Water Watch, viewed February 25, 2008

An Eco-friendly & Healthy Valentine's treat

As someone who loves to eat healthy and work out, I know that chocolate may be the last thing you'd think of as a healthy treat, but surprisingly eating chocolate in moderation does have its benefits. Not only does chocolate today come in many organic and fair trade varieties, but studies show that it can help your heart and cholesterol.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reminds us that chocolate might be a calorie-dense food (a small snack-size candy bar is typically in the 40 to 100 calorie range), but the fat found in chocolate is stearic acid. The paper cites a study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1997 that found stearic acid could increase levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol) and people who eat milk chocolate had lower than expected levels of LDL (the "bad" cholesterol). In addition, University of California-Davis researchers established that chocolate contains high amounts of phenolic compounds, which are antioxidants and so may help reduce the risk of heart disease.

If you want to surprise your Valentine with a treat that's good for them and good for the planet, check out a few of the yummy chocolate treats that are eco-friendly too!

Endangered Species
Dagoba Organic Chocolate

Source: The Daily Green, February 12, 2008