the java farm that mother goose built

imagine a farm where geese dot the landscape and in their own little way help the coffee beans grow as mother nature intended. such a place can be found on the big island at mother goose farms which uses sustainable farming techniques to grow their crops. the geese are free to wander the grounds and graze which not only keeps weeds at bay but fertilizes the earth.

so your morning cup o' joe is not only 100% kona coffee but certified organic to boot. mother goose has got you covered even if you prefer to roast your own beans with their certified organic green kona coffee beans.

welcome to muumuu heaven

in honor of earth day, i thought i would give a little shout out to muumuu heaven which recycles aloha wear and refashions them into skirts, tees and pillows. every design is one of a kind and when they can't bear to deconstruct a vintage piece they add it to their untouchables section. muumuu heaven continues their good for the earth mantra by participating in 1% for the planet as well as this weekend's kokua festival.

bio-beetle to the rescue

the folks on maui always seem to be one step ahead when it comes to earth friendly technology. case in point: maui-based bio-beetle which has a small fleet of rental cars that run solely on bio diesel, a.k.a. 100% recycled vegetable oil. bio diesel is a renewable source of energy that is cleaner burning compared to petroleum, and since hawaii is home to one of the most abundant eco-systems on the planet this is a very good thing for the islands. plus they're super cute!

for some reason, even though the rental car market on oahu is huge, bio-beetles are not yet available there (although the company has recently expanded to los angeles). let's hope there will be lots of demand for green rental cars in hawaii and bio-beetle will offer their eco-friendly alternative to the rest of the neighbor islands soon.

tea time

my mom and aunties always enjoy a nice cup of tea so i was happy to discover hawaiian natural tea which is an organic tea company from the islands. this means their tea is not only good for your body (full of all of those healthy antioxidants) but it's good for the earth too. what's not to love?

midweek has a nice story about the owners & their journey to bring organic tea to the islands. longs & daiai are just a few of the shops that stock hawaiian natural tea in tropical flavors like mango peach, passionfruit orange & pineapple strawberry. now if i could only find the perfect pitcher for iced tea.

alba hawaiian

occasionally, i'll come across a product that, while not created by someone with direct ties to the islands, there is no doubt that it has been inspired by hawaii. the alba hawaiian line by alba botanica fits the bill. alba's products incorporate 100% vegetarian ingredients (organic when possible) like coconut, kukui & macadamia nut oils, hibiscus/papaya/passion fruit/pineapple extracts & essential oils and they are cruelty-free.

one whiff of the yummy coconut, mango or papaya scents and i guarantee that you will be instantly reminded of the islands. it will be a little easier to find alba products in hawaii once whole foods arrives in honolulu next year. until then, thank the gods for online ordering.