eco-LOCAL Holiday 2011

Holiday 2011 Issue 23 • FREE

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

RADIATING WARMTH Terry Moag and The Radiant Store PLUS: Shift Your Shopping Gift Guide The Present of Being Present Covell’s Upholstery – Reclaiming the Past New World Bistro and Bar

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On the Cover As we head towards the Winter Solstice, the sun no longer seems to have much warmth, that is, unless you have a way of capturing its rays. Terry Moag and his team at the Radiant Store are doing just that, with their growing solar thermal business. With an idea and a credit card, Terry launched his business with the simple idea of helping people get free heat from the sun. And it’s working. Even in the a northeast winter, Radiant Store customers get there Btu’s from the sun’s energy. An idea whose time has come, hot water solar systems are the most efficient of the alternative energy technologies, and fortunately for Terry, New Yorkers are finally catching up to his vision of a free energy world. An eco-localizer tour-de-force, Terry is our shining star for this Holiday issue of eco-LOCAL Living.

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

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News and Views The Wellness Doc Money Matters Joys of Functional Living The Green Designer Life…Stylized!

Washington County EcoLocal People

Farm to Table New World Bistro and Bar 18 Local Sound Floodwood 20-22 Shift Your Shopping Buy-Local Gift Guide 26 Cover Story Radiating Warmth 30 The Present of Being Present 35 Covell’s Upholstery Renewing the Fabric of your Life

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Letter from the Publisher Eco-LOCAL Living is joining the national Shift Your Shopping campaign to help people choose local and independent merchants this Holiday Season. Instead of the big box shops and malls, try instead to find unique and valuable gifts from one of the Capital Region’s local downtown merchants. Travel to another town that you haven’t been to in awhile and find out what is going on. Discover something new. We have alot of excitement brewing in the region, and downtown is where it’s at. Within a 40 mile drive, we’ve got five eclectic and unique downtowns to explore - Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, Troy & Glens Falls - each with their own vibe and cool buylocal scene. Send us a Twitter message at #ecolocal or post something about your experience on our Facebook page at EcoLocalLiving. If we like what you say, we’ll give you a gift certificate redeemable for a pint of Rascher’s Maple Syrup (the world’s best!). So be creative!

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN MAKE AN IMPACT: Reading Locally: IndieBound - Shop Independent Booksellers online... www.indiebound.org Find and buy books and e-books online from your local independent booksellers.

Bank Locally, Support Community Banks and Credit Unions: Learn why and how to easily move your money from big banks to community banks and credit unions. Check out www.moveyourmoneyproject.org LOCAL HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN IDEAS - PICK AND CHOOSE : The Shift Your Shopping collaborative is about bringing together ideas from across North America so that local communities can pick and customize the ones that suit them… or just “steal” outright! See if your local community wants to participate in any of the following proven campaigns: Plaid Friday: November 25th Background, press, ideas, and downloadable files to participate in Plaid Friday: the creative, diverse, and joyful independent alternative to big box Black Friday. plaidfriday.com America Unchained! & Canada Unchained! Kicks off Saturday, November 19th AMIBA’s Annual Unchained! campaign provides tools to help you spread awareness that we collectively determine the future of our own communities and economy through action as citizens as well as consumers. Get a free campaign guide, downloadable graphics, templates for ads, banners, local proclamations and more! www.amiba.net/members/nationalcampaigns/unchained Buy Local Week: November 25th – December 4th Started by BALLE, Buy Local week is a reminder that we should all take a moment to think first about whether we can buy those gifts at local, independent businesses before heading to the malls and big box stores. Support these critical economic and community institutions first!! Get event ideas, downloadable files and more.

Occupy Main Street – Any day of the Week. The 99% will appreciate it!

-David DeLozier, Publisher Every effort has been made to avoid errors and misspellings; however, if you see an error, please accept our apologies.

We welcome your ideas, articles, and feedback so that we can give you the best service possible. Eco-LOCAL Living does not guarantee nor warrantee any products, services of any advertisers, nor will we be party to any legal or civil claims or promises. We expect advertisers to honor any claims or promises. We reserve the right to revise, edit and/or reject any and all advertising with or without cause. Liability is limited to the cost of the ad space in which it first appeared for printing errors of the publisher's responsibility or if the publisher fails to print an ad or article for any reason. We reserve the right to edit articles if needed for content, clarity and relevance. Unless otherwise noted, we use the Creative Commons License (in place of standard copyright), which allows anyone to freely copy, distribute, and transmit all content, although it must be attributed in the manner specified by the author or licensor, and no one may use it for commercial purposes, or alter, transform, or build upon it.

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eco LOCAL PUBLISHER / EDITOR / SALES David Delozier 518-858-6866 ecolocalliving.com DESIGN / PRODUCTION Centerline Design 518-883-3872 PHOTOGRAPHY StockStudiosPhotography.com, Johanna Sophia, David Delozier CONTRIBUTORS Nancy Muldoon, Johanna Sophia, Franesa Pyle, Harry Moran, Kathleen Quartararo, Dr. Michael Quartararo, Stacey Morris, Mary Beth McCue, Sophie Castro, Karen Carey SUBSCRIBE Eco-LOCAL Living is the free bi-monthly magazine for people choosing to lead sustainable, intentional lifestyles in New York's Upper Hudson Valley. It can be found throughout the region at independent retailers, shops, restaurants and other high traffic locales. Visit www.ecolocalliving.com to find a location near you. If you would like to receive a subscription, send $12 along with your name and address to: Eco-LOCAL Media 38 Tamarack Trail PO Box 621, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. If you would like updates and information by email, please sign up at our website.

SUPPORT We seek to transform this special region of upstate New York into a local living economyof vibrant towns, productive farmlands andhealthy open space. By reading eco-LOCAL, you become part of our cause. But more is needed - we need you to take an active role, by engaging in the commerce that will create the living economy of our future. This magazine is brought to you solely by the advertisers found within. Please tell them you appreciate their support of eco-LOCAL Living.

We are all in this together, and we must support each other. Thank you!

News and Views

By Kathleen Quartararo

I would love to. directed at me… My dear friend died last night, and we were all still in the process of “trying to find a day/time when everyone could get together”. When the service is planned we will all make it – and not one of the 4 of us will have any say in time or date. But to be there to see her, be with her, spend time with her while she was alive – couldn’t make that happen fast enough. We drop everything for a funeral though. Why? Because the “everything” is not as important as we make it out to be. Apparently we need death to remind us of the important things in life. When did cleaning trump lunches? Why are Holidays in so many cases, the only times we have family/friend get togethers?

How have our childrens’s sports schedules become the baseline around planning everything else?

When did bill paying and grocery shopping and dry cleaning stops come between us and spending time with important people? Or doing fun things?

I don’t remember ever missing a Friday Happy Hour for errands. My friend & family get togethers were more important than anything, often even work!

We need to plan a day! We should do lunch And don’t think for a minute I don’t hear the “I soon - Let’s get everyone together! I was going to have to take my kid(s) to practice, games, meetings, call - We haven’t seen each other in eons! I haven’t etc... And while I am on it, when did a 7 yr old’s talked to her in ages - I keep forgetting to call. I can game schedule become the royal flush of planning list all the excuses next, but you know them- we all family events?! “Oh, we can’t make it, Joey has a say them everyday. “What, could possibly, in the game!” Seriously, how many memories do we have scheme of life, in the scheme of happiness, in the surrounding the games we played while in school? scheme of memories, be so flipping important?!?!? I can’t remember one. Not even a little. I do have Everyday – tasks? REALLY? I know there are a vivid memories of playing “Blind Man’s Bluff” with lot of exclamation points, and really, they are my brother and sister and cousins in their

Gift the Adirondacks

The Adirondack Folk School in Lake Luzerne (51 Main Street) is holding their second annual "Gift the Adirondacks" Holiday gift fair on December 2nd & 3rd.

This is a chance to find that one-of-a-kind handmade original gift and support our local artisans and craftspeople. The Adirondack Folk School, is the only school of its kind in the

country dedicated to teaching the traditional arts, crafts and culture of the Adirondacks. Our "Gift the Adirondacks" is a great way for you to visit the school, see the beautiful and unique creations our instructors have made, find that perfect holiday gift and support the mission of the school by supporting local artists and craftspeople. Crafts representing fiber arts, woodworking, wood carving, tinsmithing, gourd art, calligraphy, painted floor clothes, ceramics, soap making, blacksmithing, broom making, basketry and more will be represented at the sale. There is a wide variety of price ranges too.

The "Gift the Adirondacks" will be open on December 2nd, from 6-8pm for members only (hint, a great reason to become a member and get first selection of these wonderful gifts) and open to the public December 3rd from 9am3pm. For more information or directions, please call the Adirondack Folk School at 518-6962400.

basement. The time I cut my lip on the train set controls, the time my sister laughed so hard she peed her pants, and the time my cousin farted and cleared the basement of all of us. (I just laughed hard remembering this and I think I even wet my pants a little… apparently you do that at 48) How is it that we so logically understand and accept the importance of spending time with the people we love, do the things that bring us such joy, and yet we continue to put never ending tasks ahead of so the things we really want to do?

Can you imagine hearing at your funeral... Boy, his car was waxed to perfection! What a clean house she had! Her file cabinet was so organized!

He played on 4 different teams at once! There was never any dust in her house! His car was always so clean! She could do 15 errands in an afternoon!

His closet was perfectly organized! She worked 3 jobs!

Or can you imagine hearing… Remember the time we…!

So, today, instead of filling in spreadsheets, doing online anything, baking extra cookies for the restaurant and cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen floor, I am going to be with people I love.

And I am going to stop saying, “Oh, I wish I could” and start saying, “I would love to!”

Kathleen is the Owner of Virgil’s House, 86 Henry Street in Saratoga Springs.

I would love to.

Plan your next get together at Virgil’s and we’ll treat you to any bakery treat with your breakfast or lunch order!

Or come in anytime for Happy Hour pricing!

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The Wellness Doc

By Dr. Michael Quartararo of Adirondack Advanced Chiropractic

The Flu Shot… in the Dark? based preservative), Aluminum, Phenol (carbolic acid), Borax (ant killer), Ethylene glycol (antifreeze), Disinfectant, Dye, Acetone (nail polish remover), Latex, MSG, Glycerol, Polysorbate 80/20, Neomycin and Streptomycin (antibiotics), and animal tissue to sustain the virus.

These ingredients are where the side effects come from – the side effects don’t come from the virus. It’s the additives that are used to harbor and preserve the vaccine. These chemicals create a toxic combination that assaults the immune system and nervous system. It’s not a surprise that post vaccination reactions are so common. In fact, It’s Flu season again and that means shots! Lots According to the FDA and CDC, there has been an and lots of shots, approximately 180 million will be increase in febrile seizures among children made at a cost of 3.69 billion, a lot of shots, a lot younger than 2 who receive Fluzone, the trivalent of waste. 80 million shots were thrown out last inactivated influenza vaccine recommended for year. That’s 1.6 billion in waste. Why? Well when children 6-23 months of age. This is also the you search the research, 2010 was also one of the common method of vaccination in many local highest refusal rates on record. 70% of people elementary schools. Last year Fluzone, which is a refused the flu shot last year! Surprisingly last year vaccine mist sprayed up the nose of children, was was one of the best flu seasons on record, with the used in a local school. Instead of having this done lowest rate of flu deaths in years. This statistic in a controlled sterile environment, the school alone has raised many eyebrows in the scientific choose the school cafeteria! Really, the cafeteria field. This leaves us wondering, “Should we look was chosen to mist a vaccination which can potentially get into the air and onto surfaces? With deeper into vaccination and its efficacy?”

Here some facts you’ll find when investigating this the dangerous side effects known, I believe if question. - There is no single virus that causes the vaccination is done in schools a controlled, sealed, flu. Influenza is a group of symptoms used to environment should be chosen. Here are the most describe an illness that is caused by many viruses. common side effects of the flu vaccine, as reported - Viruses constantly change or mutate everyday to in medical journals:· Neurological disorders survive detection and destruction by immune cells. including paralysis, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, This makes it almost impossible for the CDC to Meningitis, Trigeminal neuralgia, Multiple guess the right virus strain because it may not sclerosis, Ataxia, Headache, Disorientation, exist yet. - In a single Year, the CDC identified 863 Unconsciousness, Bronchitis/Bronchopneumonia, DIFFERENT influenza viruses. - The flu shot is Impotence/Infertility, Vertigo, Death/Crib Death, trivalent and contains only three attenuated Ear Infections, Allergies, Eczema, Hay Fever, viruses. - The latest statistic from the National Asthma, Bowel Problems, Autism, ADD, ADHD, Institute of Health states “Giving young children Asperger’s, Dyslexia, Learning Difficulties.

Vaccines are also being related to the rise of flu shots appeared to have no impact on flu allergies in the population. Vaccines trigger related doctor visits or hospitalizations” Then there are the side effects of the vaccine. allergies by introducing large foreign protein “Side effects, but doctor it’s just a little bit of the molecules into your body that have not been flu?” That’s a common misconception. Here are properly broken down by your digestive tract (since the most up to date ingredients of the basic flu they are injected). Your body can respond to these vaccine: Formaldehyde, Thimerosal (a mercury- foreign particles in the form of an allergic reaction.

Do your doctors know this information? Well

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according to the ABC News Special, December 9, 2008 “Do Health Care Professionals Get Their Flu Shots?” 1600 health care professionals were surveyed and only 40% got the flu shot. In Britain it’s only 17% and other countries have even banned the flu shot. Australia, Finland, Sweden, and the UK have all banned the flu vaccine for children stating “the risks of the vaccine outweigh the possible benefits.”

What’s the bottom line? I didn’t write this article to scare people and make them not get vaccinated. I did write this article to make people aware that they need to ask questions and make an informed decision on vaccination for themselves and their family. According to the National Vaccine Information Center, here are the 8 questions you should ask before vaccination.

1. Am I or my child sick right now? 2. Have I or my child had a bad reaction to a vaccination before?

3. Do I or my child have a personal or family history of vaccine reactions, neurological disorders, severe allergies or immune system problems? 4. Do I know the disease and vaccine risks for myself or my child? 5. Do I have full information about the vaccine’s side effects? 6. Do I know how to identify and report a vaccine reaction? 7. Do I know I need to keep a written record, including the vaccine manufacturer’s name and lot number, for all vaccinations? 8. Do I know I have the right to make an informed choice?

Visit www.nvic.org, there you will find the latest vaccine information so you can make the best possible decision for you and your family. As always, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and visit us at www.aacfamilywellness.com. Our goal is to educate the community on all aspects of health and wellness so we can have a healthier planet! Until next time, Be Well!

Dr. Michael Quartararo has been a chiropractic wellness practitioner for 17 years in Saratoga. He is the CEO and founder of AAC Family Wellness Centers, a Milton family and pediatric wellness center. He is a member of the New York State Chiropractic Council, International Chiropractic Council, International Pediatric Chiropractic Council and World Chiropractic Alliance. He can be reached at www.aacfamilywellness.com or aacdocs@adirondackchiropractic.com.

Money Matters

By Harry Moran, CFP® AIF®

The Autumn of our Discontent overly concerned about the social and economic impact of their actions. These individuals and companies are acting exactly as would be expected in this type of system, though of course there are also some who completely “cross the line”. Years of deregulation have only exacerbated this situation.

So, where do we go from here? Rebuilding and strengthening our regulatory framework is certainly part of the answer. Most of the events that brought the greatest economy in the world to its knees a few years ago didn't involve the breaking of laws. In an environment where Well, it's certainly been an interesting time to immense profits can be reaped, oversight must be be in the financial business! Occupy Wall Street, a strong. With so much money at stake, it's just not series of protests and demonstrations based near realistic to think that a significant number of the Wall Street financial district, appears to be people won't be blinded by the temptation of easy continuing to gather momentum, and is spreading money. In order for effective regulation and to other cities. While the protesters are truly a enforcement to become a reality though, I believe diverse group, the key driver is clearly frustration there will need to be sweeping changes in and anger over the growing wealth disparity campaign financing rules. Until we have an between the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans and environment where politicians and regulators aren't beholden to powerful lobbies such as Wall “the other 99%”.

The wealth disparity statistics truly are Street, it will be very difficult to bring about strong stunning. As of 2007, the top 1% of households regulation and enforcement.

Expanding the mandate of corporations to owned 34.6% of private wealth, and the next 19% had 50.5%. With the top 20% of households include a fiduciary responsibility to protect the controlling 85% of the wealth in this country, and interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders, this disparity continuing to grow, it's hardly is another part of the solution. With this surprising that there is increasing alienation and broadening of responsibility, corporations wouldn't disenchantment, and that it's being directed at the be able to defend actions that are harmful to wealthiest Americans. I don't think anyone is people or planet by saying that their sole charge is looking for an economy where all jobs pay the to maximize quarterly profits for shareholders. same but the income inequality in the U.S. is far There is much exciting work being done in this more extreme than it is in most other developed space, including the development of the B nations and is undermining people's belief that Corporation. This new class of company is actually required to create a material positive impact on achieving the “American dream” is still possible.

With over half of Americans recently polled society and the environment and to meet higher indicating that they have a favorable opinion about standards of accountability and transparency. the protests, this sentiment is clearly resonating Companies such as First Affirmative Financial with a lot of people and its implications need to be Network, of which I'm a professional member, have taken seriously, rather than being trivialized and gone through the process of becoming certified as dismissed as the ranting of a small minority of B Corporations since it aligns so well with their unemployed radicals. This movement has brought mission.

The most direct remedy though still is to buy together people from all over the political spectrum who have grown tired of a system that favors large and invest locally. Consider investing some of your corporations over individuals; a system that puts a savings in local community financial institutions safety net under the mega-banks and deeming whose mission is to channel money back into your them “too big to fail”, allowing them to continue community, and whose success or failure is closely their high risk investment activities with relative linked to that of your community. Of course, it's impunity, but seemingly has little problem important that you do your homework to make watching scores of hard-working people fall deeper sure that you understand the risks and costs of each vehicle before committing any funds. into poverty.

While this has obviously been a very Wall Street, as the ultimate symbol of American wealth, greed and excess, makes a natural target challenging time for many people, I believe that the though in my view is not the root of the problem. Occupy Wall Street message is starting to be heard, The current financial system exists to generate which is encouraging. It's critical at this point profits for its clients and shareholders. As long as though for the movement be able to clearly they stay within the confines of current laws and articulate their vision and propose specific reforms. regulations, companies can doggedly pursue their The anger and frustration fueling this is the natural money-making mission, without having to be emotional core of this movement but, now that the

protesters have everyone's attention, it will be very interesting to see whether they can use this platform to put forth new ideas and start us down a path of reform, revitalization and greater economic opportunity for everyone.

Harry Moran helps socially conscious investors define and achieve their highest goals by aligning their money with their values. A 25-year veteran of the financial services profession, Mr. Moran has held the Certified Financial Planner® designation since 1991. He is a member of First Affirmative Financial Network, a national professional organization dedicated to meeting the needs of the socially conscious investing community, and a member of the Impact Investing Division of Portfolio Resources Advisor Group, a registered investment adviser.

Mr. Moran can be reached directly at Sustainable Wealth Advisors at hmoran@prg-group.net or 518-450-1755.

Mention of specific securities, funds, or companies should not be considered an offer or a recommendation to buy or sell the security, fund, or company. To determine the suitability of any particular investment, please consult with your investment adviser. Remember, past performance is no guarantee of future results and no investment strategy can assure success. The opinions expressed are those of the author and may change without notice. Securities offered through Portfolio Resources Group, Inc., member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, SIFMA.

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The Joy(s) of Functional Living

By Mary Beth McCue, RD, CDN, Dietitian in Integrative and Functional Medicine

Eat Local Year Round 1. Choose a dinner entrée recipe that uses many vegetables. ie: stew, soup, an Indian recipe, a stir-fry, a chili, an Italian recipe like vegetable lasagna or pasta primavera.

Completed: ________ Date: ________ 2. Go to a farmers market (or natural food co-op) and choose at least 3 vegetables that you can use in #1.

Completed: ________ Date: ________ 3. Make the recipe you chose in #1. At this point you have achieved 3 goals. Try to continue this process all winter every 2-3 weeks.

Completed: ________ Date: ________ 4. Watch a film on eating sustainable foods. ie: Food Inc., The Future of Foods, Food Matters, The Garden, Super Size Me, Killer at Large…

Completed: ________ Date: ________ 5. While at the market, talk to a farmer who grew your food - ask for a recipe.

Completed: ________ Date: ________ Oct. 24th was National Food Day. The purpose of this day was to celebrate "healthy, affordable whole food produced in a sustainable and humane way." Now more than ever we are inundated with information directing us to these foods that provide a significant higher nutrient content and none of the toxicity values we see in chemically treated “industrial farmed foods”.

Extreme sounding to some - these facts are an important component to remaining healthy and feeling well throughout your life, &/or resolving virtually any chronic health condition. And eating healthy year round is key. Here is Saratoga County NY, we can eat local and sustainable foods during the colder months. If you have not implemented doing this into your life-style, try it for 1 month, and see how you feel. You will expand your health as well as your overall life.

Many foods such as beets, rutabagas, winter squash, potatoes, garlic, onions, kale, broccoli as well as organic eggs and even greenhouse grown fresh salad greens and carrots are available during the cooler months.

Establish positive habits this time of year that will leave you with more energy, and more productivity by choosing some ideas listed to the right as weekly goals. Cut out the goals and put them on your refrigerator door. Pick one or more a week and check it off and mark the date as you complete them.

Eat healthy foods that you Love and they will love you back by supporting your body in everyway you need. Stretch out of your comfort box and expand your life.

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6. Commit yourself. Plan a trip to the farmers market with a friend every other week or more, or plan to meet them there.

Completed: ________ Date: ________ 7. Taste food samples at the farmers market.

Completed: ________ Date: ________ 8. Shop share with a close friend. Maybe 1x/month you shop for yourself and a friend and they do the same in return the following month. Once you have gone to a market a couple times, it is easy to know where to go and be efficient with your time.

Completed: ________ Date: ________ 9. Take a child at least once to purchase sustainable whole foods.

Completed: ________ Date: ________ 10. In the Spring - consider joining a CSA, pretty much like buying a subscription to a local farm: You pay a fee in exchange for a share of fresh, locally nurtured fruits and vegetables - some farms even offer dairy, eggs, and meat, baked goods. Go to www.LocalHarvest.org for more information.

Completed: ________ Date: ________ 11. If needed, store foods in a dirt or sawdust-filled in a cold, dark part of your home, aka root cellar. Use green plastic bags for refrigerator storage to expand the shelf life there.

Completed: ________ Date: ________ 12. Watch a you-tube video such as “How to eat local in winter - wherever you live.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P1gjo2xXrs Completed: ________ Date: ________ Mary Beth McCue RD, LDN, CDN of Saratoga Nutrition is an Integrative Dietitian & certified Nutritionist in NY with more than 20 yrs experience in clinical, community, corporate, counseling, speaking and more. She has successfully assisted many people- including herself- to health and recovery. For more information: www.saratoganutrition.com, 257.6530 and see her Blog on Saratoga.com.

The Green Designer

By Sophie Castro & Karen Totino

Is your Mattress Making you Sick? retardants, such as PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers in use until banned in 2004), boric acid and antimony trioxide. If you hear that a mattress has been “treated for dust mites”, that means the materials have been sprayed or were soaked in an insecticide solution. Is this toxic blend truly designed for the body’s comfort and health?

One of the biggest concerns with petroleumbased chemicals found in mattresses is that they are highly flammable. Once again US labeling laws do not require mattress suppliers to disclose any chemical information to the consumer. Boric acid and PBDE’s (Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers) are the most common flame retardants used on foam and mattress padding, and studies have shown how they can affect the respiratory system and the brain, and provoke symptoms such as nausea, headaches, skin eruptions, red and itchy eyes, etc.

Whole foam mattresses are becoming more and more popular – made with either latex or memory foam, which contain no springs and therefore no steel. Keep in mind that there are In addition, adhesives and solvents are used to different types of latex, making a bed more or less bond together mattress layers to wood frames, healthy. releasing volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) and Most of the latex used in bed production is not toxic gases into the bedroom. natural – it is a synthetic type made from two Of course once asleep, you may no longer chemicals: styrene and butadiene, called styrenebutadiene rubber (used also in car tires, and shoe worry about what’s in your mattress. One of the heels and soles.) On the other hand, natural latex key elements in a mattress is that it feels is a plant-derived product, made from the rubber comfortable to your own body. However, what it is made of may slowly affect your health, or the tree sap. health of your newborn and children.

Although some manufacturers mix the two in So next time you go shopping for a new After meeting many people who complained order to create a less expensive product, they are of becoming sick after sleeping on their newly very different. The natural latex naturally repels mattress, or a mattress pad, ask questions, find purchased mattress, we wanted to share some dust mites, mold and mildew. It is hypo-allergenic out what’s in it. And consider natural latex, information regarding the conventional mattress and it is chemical-free foam that will not off-gas. certified organic cotton and wool as healthy The synthetic latex does not have these qualities alternatives. industry that readers may be unaware of. and needs to be sprayed with pesticides.

There are different types of mattresses Unfortunately, manufacturers in the US are not Karen Totino & Sophie Castro own Green Conscience available including innerspring, foam, air, water required, unlike in Europe, to specify on labels Home & Garden, 33 Church St, in Saratoga Springs (tel: 306--5196). Green Conscience is a retail showroom that bed and fiber mattresses. Let us compare what type of latex was used. offers a variety of nontoxic and eco-friendly home innerspring and foam mattresses, which make up improvement products. Sophie Castro is an interior Then there is memory foam – a visco-elastic designer who specializes in green and environmentally the lion share’s portion of sales. foam that has a slightly different formula than friendly solutions. For more info, email: Karen@greenConventional innerspring mattresses have two polyurethane but is not less toxic. conscience.com or dayaadesign@yahoo.com. main components: 1- A supporting core – mostly steel innersprings 2- A padding made of polyurethane foam and/or cotton.

A typical innerspring mattress contains between 250 and 1000 coil springs, foam layers and a quilted fabric cover. Manufacturers can vary the number of springs, the gauge of the coil, and they can wrap the coils as well. All of these techniques will affect how the mattress feels and its longevity.

The foam is usually a polyurethane foam, a petrochemical product that generally contains a combination of raw ingredients, such as crude oil, natural gas and sodium chloride, and various chemicals. These beds are covered with a fabric made of synthetic thermoplastic fibers: polyester, nylon, and acrylic.

In addition, a number of chemicals proven harmful to human health are widely used widely in mattress manufacturing today as flame ecolocalliving.com 11

Dealing out the best of Saratoga Springs

By Nancy Muldoon

Entrepreneur Jonathan Greene of Local Living Guide fame is about to launch his latest venture. It’s called Spa City Packs. It’s a deck of beautiful, colorful cards; each worth $8 or $5 to the best spots in Saratoga. Each pack also contains 8 bonus Wild Cards for 50% off or free deals.

There are two different packs: THE FOOD PACK for the all the foodies and the FUN AND ESSENTIALS PACK which includes recreation, entertainment, health and popular boutiques. Each Deck of cards costs $15 or both for $25.

Much like Greene’s Local Living Guide the Spa City Packs support locally owned and independently operated businesses. The Packs operate on a reward based system that is beneficial to both businesses and the locals who regularly patronize these establishments. The major difference between the deals of the Spa City Pack and the Local Living Guide is, “the set dollar figure, which simplifies it for both businesses and locals," said Greene. "It will also be abundantly clear to those who use it how much they saved."

SARATOGA DOWNTOWNER

...in the heart of Saratoga!

Where Family and Friends stay for the Holiday Season... and more!

You enjoy them!

We'll take care of them!!

Bring in this ad and receive

20% OFF your room rate!

Not valid with any other offers Expiration Date - March 31, 2012 413 Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 518-584-6160 www.saratogadowntowner.com

We support Ecolocal for encouraging family owned and local business patronage!

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What Jonathan is most excited about is the ‘Be the Carrot’ icon that is on approximately one-third of the businesses' cards. The idea is that a business offers to make either a change in their operations or a donation to a local community group, if a set number of cash cards are redeemed. For example: When Beekman Street Bistro collects twenty-five of their $8 cash cards, they will donate ten gallons of homemade soup (made with all local ingredients) to the E.O.C. Soup kitchen. The Local, also on Beekman Street, will commit to using only grass fed beef for their hamburgers if they receive 200 of their cash cards back.

The Be the Carrot program, as Greene describes it, "is a unique program that could have an interesting impact on the consumer/small business relationship.

This is a tool that brings both together in a mutually beneficial way to affect real measurable change."

Jonathan graduated from Skidmore College in 2007 with a degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in business which seems to suit him just fine. Originally from Seattle he feels right at home in Saratoga Springs. “I love the downtown area, it has an energy about it, there is always something going on,” said Greene.

Jonathan also plays the clarinet in a band called HEARD. They recently released a world jazz CD where it spent fourteen weeks in the top 50 World Jazz charts.

Jonathan also recently acquired thesaratogalife.com website that lists where to shop, dine, stay and include information on all the happenings that are relevant to the Saratoga area. The site will go through a major transition this winter.

The Packs will available mid November and will be sold at twenty-five retail outlets around town. You may also purchase them online at SpaCityPacks.com.

Life… Stylized!

By Karen Carey, Communication coach at lifestylized.com

Thanks for Giving - Christmas!

So how can we make the tradition, better, more fun and less stressful for everyone involved?

Step Number One - put a team together.

At this stage you need three people. One (that's you) is the organizer, two is in charge of accountability, and three is in charge of teamwork and things-to-do.

Step Number Two - you and your team need to brainstorm key activities and determine what is needed, when it is needed, where it needs to be and who is responsible.

If this is your first time breaking this activity down into written lists, don't worry. Start small and just focus on the meal, or the wine, or deserts, or seating arrangements, etc. Each event will get easier as you gain from the previous experience and add more detail.

“You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche One of the wonderful things about the fall season, is it bleeds a pallet of vibrant color into the celebration and anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is extraordinary how powerfully these holidays resonate with almost everyone. They play a singularly important role in our lives as normal day-to-day routine gives way to joyous connection and a cessation of restless complication.

OK, so much for the Currier and Ives traditional image of a blissful Thanksgiving celebration or an idealized Norman Rockwell painting of family and friends gathered around a table, weighed down with wonderful food and the prospect of a glorious meal.

Step Number Three - (helper three) allocate responsibilities and tasks to all the people attending. Solicit these people to help, write down their commitment and add it to the calendar.

Consider Google Docs and Google Calendar on any computer, which is free, easy to use, and everyone involved can have access to the schedule, see what they need to do and when they need to do it, at any time from any computer. Or use the good old fashion pen and paper.

Step Number Four - (helper two) you have the responsibility of monitoring tasks and commitments, checking on the calendar and following up with each person. And of course a little gentle hazing may be necessary!

Step Number Five - (organizer) work with your team to monitor everything, and have a contingency plan in place for the inevitable Successful organizing of holiday events is misstep. challenging and complex. It requires a significant amount of pre-planning and preparation and while Because you have divided as many tasks amongst it is easy to just focus on the meal…the as many people as possible no one has a complex coordination of all the activities necessary to meet assignment and completion, particularly with the our standards of this tradition is a huge amount of vigilant accountability team member, should be a breeze. work.

Clearly someone has to organize everything and you know who that someone is! Mom or the matriarch of the family has to over-compensate like a demented wedding planner, organize like a mindreading clairvoyant, and coordinate like a rabid sheep dog, while presenting a sweet, relaxed and in-control hostess act to the world!

As she rapidly switches roles between an adept concierge, short order cook, entertainment director, maitre d', sommelier, mediator, therapist, conversationalist and of course… an over-worked waitress - you could be forgiven if she wonders when her vacation begins?

You will also find that everyone will be delighted to help - as they have always wanted to - but it was your one woman show, and perhaps they were unsure how to contribute? In addition, to everyone feeling good about their participation, the event and the team will get better and the tradition will become everything everyone has always looked forward to.

“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.”

- W. J. Cameron

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Farm to Table NEW WORLD BISTRO AND BAR LOCAL FOOD - GLOBAL FLAVOR STORY BY STACEY MORRIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY STOCKSTUDIOSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

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Chef Ric Orlando and manager Jessica Evans

Chef Ric Orlando’s cooking and inventive menus have been lauded by both the media and a loyal clientele, but don’t call what he does fine dining. It’s a category he’s reluctant to be lumped into.

“My philosophy about the industry is there are fun places and there are fine dining places. They’re separate,” he explained. “Fine dining gives you good quality food but it’s somewhat pompous. I want people to have a good time when they go out to eat.”

What Orlando came up with was New World Bistro, which opened in 2009 on Delaware Avenue, an outpost of the flagship restaurant he began in Woodstock 18 years ago. For the Albany location, he partnered with Spectrum 8 Theatre owners Annette Nanes and Scott Meyer.

“I came in as a consultant in 2008 then we agreed that the best thing to do would be to bring my name and New World Bistro to Albany,” said Orlando. “Scott and Annette own the restaurant but it’s licensed to me to run, oversee the menu and wine lists, create recipes, and do the marketing plan.”

And for Orlando, the plan included sticking to his philosophy of food and fun going hand in hand.

“I wanted to provide an atmosphere of a New York City Margarita bar with a sense of seriousness behind the product,” he said.

“New World Bistro offers high quality ingredients with the fun of a ‘come as you are’ atmosphere. Our food is fabulous, not precious.”

Other elements of Orlando’s philosophy include using plenty of locally sourced ingredients, creating menu items that fall under the category of ‘clean’ eating, and taking customers on a world cruise via their taste buds.

“I came up with the name New World because the menu is my version of food from around the world,” he said. “The dishes on the menu reflect the food of the immigrants of America and how they celebrate their food, whether it’s Armenian, Jewish, or Asian. I cater everything from Passover seders to Buddhist weddings.”

Orlando doesn’t just peruse cookbooks or Food Network shows for his research, he’s passionate about what he calls “R&D missions,” many of which take place in the outer boroughs of New York City.

“I don’t just want recipes…I want to learn how their grandmothers cooked,” he

explained. “Queens is statistically the most ethnically diverse county the country. There are all kinds of mom and pop places to eat, from Argentinian to Afghan. This little hole in the wall place called the Ali Kabab Café is where I hung out with the owner to learn the art of the Egyptian-Style Sweetbreads that are on my menu.”

And sometimes, Orlando’s simple life experiences end up transforming his menu.

The popular No Crash Brown Rice Risotto was born when his father-in-law’s doctor ordered a healthier way of eating to stave off diabetes.

“It’s a blood sugar reference,” he said of the dish’s title. “But even I’ve found I feel better eating complex carbs. I seldom eat white rice anymore.”

Clean eating has resonated with his clientele as well. Items like Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Blackened String Beans, Local Pumpkin Hummus, and Olive-Encrusted Ahi Tuna Steak have struck a chord. As has Orlando’s famed gluten-free menu.

“The Woodstock market is very progressive; I started getting asked about gluten-free items in 1993,” he remembered.

“When my wife, Liz, was diagnosed with gluten-intolerance in 1998, I began to think ecolocalliving.com 15

about using less wheat products in the cooking as a matter of course. I developed a cooking style that dozen’t rely on gluten. I use different options now, like potatoes to thicken soup and rice flour for coating the calamari.”

Orlando admits that his menu reflects a way of eating that the body grows accustomed to….in a good way.

“I know when I eat gluten whenever I want, I feel bloated,” he said. “But what really gets me are trans fats. I had a donut from Dunkin’ Donuts the other day and within a minute I felt like I’d eaten lava and then I got heartburn. It fascinates me that people can eat like that all time and not feel like hell. Then I see all the ads for drugs and realize that’s how they do it.”

Orlando’s Woodstock clientele have developed an ardor for his signature “Hudson Valley classic world home cooking,” and in 1998, had to move the restaurant to a significantly larger location in nearby Saugerties.

“We started in a little stone house in 1993 and now we’re in a big converted chicken

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barn,” he said. “Part of what drove me here is the local food movement. The Hudson Valley chefs were always doing things ahead of the curve.”

Not that the eating local was a new concept to Orlando, even back in the early ‘90s. He’d gotten start at Harvest, a Cambridge, Mass. Restaurant that prided itself on being the Chez Panisse of the East.

When he relocated to Albany to work at the now-closed four-star Yates Street Restaurant, and later, Justin’s on Lark Street, Orlando began getting to know area farmers in earnest.

“I moved to Albany in 1989 and began traveling the Berkshires and Hudson Valley to get game birds, cheese, and produce. It really inspired me. Laurie Goodhart, who founded Nettle Meadows Farm (makers of chevre) was my first customer.

Orlando has been actively in the local food movement for more than 20 years now. In Woodstock, he said that selling the customers on paying a little more for a more quality product was a slam dunk. But the Capital District has been equally embracing of the movement.

“When using locally sourced items, it’s hard to throw them in the pantry and use them anonymously. It’s better to brand them on the menu, name the farm they’re from, and make them the star,” he said.

New World Bistro Bar is located at 300 Delaware Avenue, Albany. Call (518) 694-0520 for more information or visit newworldbistrobar.com.

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Local Sound

FLOODWOOD A PROGRESSIVE BLUEGRASS STRING BAND STORY BY FRANESA PYLE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAY BLAKESBERG

Being so close to the Adirondacks lends us special access to Gods Country and all of its plenty. Hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, winter recreation and whatever calls to us from our woodland surroundings is just a stone's throw away. Living in this area gives us something to be grateful for, and the energy and beauty here drives the passions of many, from amazing artists to inspiring the hearts of our native musicians.

Fresh off the presses and hailing from the foothills of the Adirondacks comes the band Floodwood, a new progressive string band fusing traditional bluegrass with a jam band sensibility, conjuring enough picking power to capture the essence of good ole Upstate New York living.

Even though Floodwood is newly formed, the band totes seasoned music professionals, guitarist Al Schnier and drummer Vinnie Amico from the legendary rock band moe., Jason Barady and bass player Zachary Fleitz both of the Bluegrass group Woodenspoon, and Nick Piccininni, an award winning banjo and fiddle player known for his energetic picking on the Bluegrass festival circuit.

After having heard the band's first ever performance at this Summer's moe.down Festival, I was surprised with Floodwood's musical chemistry and how their cohesive compositions seemed like the band had been performing for ages with the music being tight, timeless and spirited.

Curious about the direction of the band, I recently chatted with Vinnie Amico and his moe. co-hort Al Schnier who gave me the scoop about how Floodwood came together and where they see the project heading.

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THE FOOTHILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC F.P.: How did Floodwood come about and how did all of the collaborators join the project?

Vinnie Amico: Well we all have known Jay (Jason) Barady for years and he and I do a holiday Jazz project every year and the idea of the project started when Al sent out an email asking Jay and me to work on an Eastern-regional Bluegrass project. We were game, and Jay knew of a couple of talented musicians out of the Utica area, Nick Puccininni, in particular, who is a great banjo and fiddle player and a Bluegrass purest.

F.P.: How did you come up with the name Floodwood?

V.A.: It comes from a road out of Saranac, New York, which is a beautiful road between some of the high peaks. It's a good peeper road where people can go and see the turning of the leaves in the fall, and we chose the name from Floodwood Road.

F.P. How did the music both unfold and mesh coming from the traditional Bluegrass backgrounds of Jay and Nick and the background of you and Al? V.A.: It's a good combination of all of our backgrounds. On the jam front, we have a number of original songs, which aren't strictly Bluegrass so you will hear some of our influences coming through on those songs, plus there's a couple that we stretch out and do extended jamming in, and with that kind of stuff there's the influence of jamming and it's how the player is listening and playing their own style.

Neither Jay, Zachary or Nick ever played in moe., so when we are improvising and doing those jam pieces, their ears are keyed in and their influences are coming through as well. We are doing a lot of traditional stuff, and we tend stick to the traditional form of the song and the traditional way of how it was played.

F.P. I like the idea of Bluegrass Jam music, it is definitely something you do not hear very often in our area.

V.A.: We are trying to set ourselves apart and come through with a little more drive, because traditional Bluegrass doesn't have drums. We cross over a little.

We aren't playing rock or jam rock by any means, but it's a little less traditional, let's say, and a little more progressive.

F.P. What kind of projects do you have coming up?

V.A.: For now we are getting the music out there and getting a buzz going and a feel for each other, but there will be a release in the near future. We are playing several shows in between touring for moe.,

and when we come back from touring we will be playing more around the Northeast again.

F.P. Do you guys have any mp3 releases that we can share with our EcoLocal readers?

V.A.: There are a few songs on the Floodwood Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Floodwood, and we do have a place where people can go and download our shows for free: www.archive.org/details/Floodwood. Al will be uploading all of our upcoming live shows on Archive for people to download.

F.P. That is a nice holiday gift: Giving the gift of music! Anything else that you would like to share with EcoLocal readers about Floodwood?

V.A.: Absolutely! If you like good Bluegrass music at all, come check us out. Look for our name, because we are a regional project and we will be playing quite a bit in the Northeast.

F.P. I wish you well on your tour and have fun out there.

V.A.: Appreciate it!

Get all of the latest updates about Floodwood, including tour dates and live music downloads at: www.facebook.com/Floodwood

At Capriccio Saratoga we are committed to serving homemade, homegrown, local, fresh, and seasonal ingredients. We make our own bread, cured meats, cheeses, sausage, and grow much of our own produce; and we work with the finest purveyors locally and internationally to bring the finest food to our Neapolitan table.

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Let’s strengthen our local economies by shopping at local independents this Holiday Season.

Presented here are some suggestions provided by our advertisers. Go local, have a relaxed, fun, and rewarding gift-buying experience.

In-laws coming over for the holidays? Get a gift certificate from the Saratoga Downtowner and treat them to an overnight stay at the Capital Region’s best address. You enjoy them, we’ll take care of them. 413 Broadway, Saratoga Springs.

Visit www.saratogadowntowner.com for more information or call us at 518-5846160.

Raschers Sugarhouse Maple Syrup

Green Conscience Natural Pillows

Simply the world’s best maple syrup… use it as a topping, use it in baking, and of course, on pancakes and waffles. Certified Organic and produced in a state of the art evaporator from 100% local maple trees! We ship anywhere – call 854-3770 or stop by at 347 Perry Hill Road, in Shushan, Washington County or visit us online at www.worldsbestmaple.com

You’re eating better, choosing all natural and organic foods, right? But what about your sleep? Chances are, the pillow you lay your head on every night is made from plastics and other artificial stuff. Ewww! Improve your sleep with the all natural fiber pillows at Green Conscience Home & Garden 33 Church St., Saratoga Springs. You won’t believe the difference! www.green-conscience.com

Saratoga Zymurgist Wine Making Kit

Battenkill Books Will Moses Puzzle

Beat cabin fever this winter and take up a new hobby - wine making! It’s easier than you think. Stop by the Saratoga Zymurgist at 112 Excelsior Ave. in Saratoga Springs (next to EBI Beverage), and find a huge selection of wine kits and accessories. Make your own fine wine for about $3 per bottle. Homemade wine makes a great gift, too! Call 580-9785 or on the web at www.saratogaz.com

The folk art images of Will Moses are now available as a puzzle. Buy them at Battenkill Books and double your local impact. Local art, local bookseller, all in the great local Village of Cambridge! www.battenkillbooks.com 15 East Main St. Cambridge, NY 12816 (518) 677-2515

Saratoga Downtowner

Sororia Organics Hand Made Soaps

Cambridge Co-op Gift Certificate We are Washington County’s one-stop shop for all things local, organic and fair trade. There’s so much to choose from,a gift certificate is the best way to show somebody your local love. Come see us soon! 1 West Main St., Cambridge 677-5731 or online at www.cambridgefoodcoop.com

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Locally made hand crafted organic soaps made in small batches. Each bar is hand beveled and hand wrapped in beautiful 10x10 inch quilt squares that can be creatively recycled. Find us at the Schenectady Greenmarket Farmer’s Market and online at www.purenaturaliving.com, or call us at 381-4663.

Tough Traveler Tetra Bag

Hoop Mob Hula Hooping is back and bigger than ever! And the research is out...Hula Hooping helps to get you fit! Hoop Mob creates one of a kind custom hula hoops, holds hooping workshops and can even host your next party! A locally owned business based out of Saratoga Springs, NY. Visit the Hoop Mob online at www.thehoopmob.com

Rt 67 Café Truffles Chocolate Expressions made easy... create yours.

Using only the finest ingredients, we hand-dip all of our chocolates right here. We are 4 miles west of Ballston Spa on Route 67, Charlton Visit www.rt67cafe.com

A small, slim pouch, to carry swinging by shoulder strap across to the opposite hip, the Tetra Bag has three zippered small pockets, plus on the back side two small clear vinyl pockets. Good looking, very convenient, and made sustainably by Tough Traveler Ltd. in Schenectady, NY. We are one of the few remaining USA manufacturers of luggage, bags, and packs. Shop our retail store at 1012 State Street in Schenectady, or online at www.toughtraveler.com. 800-GO-TOUGH

Covell’s Upholstery Re-Upholster Grandma’s Chair Don’t throw out that old chair! Give to Rich Covell and he’ll rebuild it to better than new!

Old furniture never dies, it just gets a new life at Covell’s Upholstery, where old world craftsmanship is our pride! Stop by and see us at 4285 Route 50 in Wilton, or online at www.impressiveinteriors.hdspd.com

Saratoga Beads How about a necklace for your mom or for your sister? Or just come to the bead store to make a gift!! You can make earrings, key chains, anklets, eyeglass holders, zipper pulls, bookmarks, necklaces or bracelets!! Let your creativity go wild at Saratoga Beads, located at 80 Henry Street, in Saratoga Springs (just down from Virgil’s House). Call us at 584-7733.

Saratoga Peanut Butter A locally made gift that you’ll go nuts over!

Hand crafted in small batches, Saratoga Peanut Butter comes in a variety of fun flavors sure to please any palette. It’s all natural and does not have the trans-fat and other synthetic ingredients of the national brands. Get a jar for everyone on your list. Available at the farmers markets or at many local shops. For more information visit www.yopeanut.com.

Rathbun’s Maple Sugarhouse Restaurant Christmas is a good time to be thinking about gift boxes full of our maple delights and old fashioned pancake mix. Come choose and cut your own Christmas tree, or pick out your favorite one from our fine selection of fresh-cut Fraser or Douglas Fir and Spruce trees. We are on 1208 Hatch Hill Road, north of Middle Granville in Washington County. Call 642.1799 or visit rathbunsmaple.com for directions.

Willard Mountain $25/Day Ski Tickets Looking for some fun over the Christmas Holiday week? Come to Willard Mountain and ski cheap!

Mention ecolocal and you pay just $25/person for a full day lift pass Dec 25-31. Bring the whole family and find out why we are NY’s coolest little ski areaFamily owned and operated for over 50 years! Less than an hour from anywhere in the Capital Region.

77 Intervale Rd. in the town of Easton. Call 6927737 or visit www.willardmountain.com.

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Green Grocer Tibetan Singing Bowls Singing Bowls are popular these days world wide, used for meditation, sound therapy, sound massage, feng shui tools and as aids in holistic healing. These bowls produce a wonderful singing & rimming sound when they are hit, tapped, struck or rubbed by a singing bowl wooden striker/mallet or dowel. These and many other green gifts can be found at the Green Grocer, located at 1505 Route 9, Clifton Park. Call 383-1613 or visit www.thegreengrocer.com

Anderson Diamond Puzzle The ultimate game and gift for your friends, family and co-workers! With over 300 different ways to assemble the puzzle - you'll never get bored!

Fun for all ages, The Anderson Diamond puzzle will delight, frustrate and challenge you and your family and your guests forever! Leave it on the coffee table and see how people are automatically drawn to it! Made in Glenville, NY. Buy it online at www.andersongames.com.

Mildred’s Meadows Christmas Trees Mildred’s Meadows will be offering local-cut Fraser fir Christmas trees this holiday season. These trees have been grown without chemical fertilizers, insecticides or fungicides.Fraser firs are known for their excellent needle retention, fragrance, and blue-green color. Unlike the fake plastic trees, a real tree is 100% renewable, recyclable or compostable, supports the local economy and our environment. Store hours for Christmas tree sales will be Th-Su, 11am -5pm. We are located at 6560 Duanesburg Rd. (Rt. 7), Duanesburg, call (518)231-2946 or jessica@mildredsmeadows.com

Panacea Day Spa Organic Hair Color For the woman in your life, give her an Organic Hair color Treatment at Panacea Day Spa.Beauty lies in a healthy mind, body and spirit. So when you need a place to escape from the ordinary – visit Panacea Day Spa! We are located in the heart of beautiful historic Schuylerville - just minutes from Saratoga Springs, Greenwich, and Cambridge. Located at 31 Ferry Street, Schuylerville. Call us 695-6474!

Adirondack Chandler Adirondack Chandler tapers candles are high quality, hand-dipped candles created in pairs in the studio in the Shirt Factory, 21 Cooper Street,Glens Falls,NY. Using a hand-turned carrousel,120 pairs of candles are created over a 2-1/2 to 3 hour period. Adirondack Chandler candles are hand-dipped, slow burning, smokeless, moderately scented or unscented and drip-less. We have candles in True Bayberry,Paraffin,Palm Wax, Beeswax and Soy. 22 ecolocalliving.com

Pixies Preserves Jams and Jellies What could be better than a jarful of jam made the way your grandma did? Try Pixies Preserves – local, homemade, and delicious! Just don’t tell grandma www.pixiespreserves.com

Spa City Packs Food Pack & The Fun & Essentials Pack The NEW Spa City Packs combines two powerful ideas: saving money at the best spots in town & using your dollar to affect real community change. The Food Pack and The Fun & Essentials Pack are sold separately or as a set online and at retail outlets throughout Saratoga. See our Wild Card on page 33 in this magazine to save $5 on your Pack purchase.

Natural Selection Winery Artfully Hand-Crafted Wines from locally grown grapes. Natural Selection Farm Winery, LLC located at 85 Darwin Rd. Cambridge, NY 12816 Call us at 518-6775208 or find us on facebook.

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maple

WORLD’S

W E L C O M E

BEST

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Radiating Warmth

LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR FINDS HIS PLACE IN THE SUN STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID DELOZIER

Achieving success in business is not an easy task today, and often times what appears to be a smooth sailing ship is the result of a steadfast captain who has been through the raging storms, the rocky shoals, and stuck in the water with no wind, but continues to press on.

Terry Moag, owner of the Radiant Store, Inc. of Malta is such a captain. His enterprise is leading the charge toward a clean energy future that captures the power of the sun that hits our planet every day. The Radiant Store specializes in solar thermal energy for domestic hot water and radiant space heating applications. Anybody who has followed the solar industry knows that it’s been a business of ups and downs. It’s a ride that Terry Moag knows all too well, but just like the roller coaster, it’s been worthwhile ride.

Out of Adversity, Hope Springs Eternal Moag’s leap into the solar industry came rather reluctantly, when the company he was working for got bought out by a larger firm.

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He didn’t like where things were going with the new company. He wanted to be part of something new, something that made a difference. He saw that other countries were embracing the solar thermal technology, and he thought, why not here in upstate New York. Only thing was, there were no companies doing anything in solar hot water.

So with leverage from credit cards and his small 401K savings, The Radiant Store, Inc. was born in 2005. “I risked everything to start this business,” recalls Terry.

Why? “It’s a product that has presence all over the world, except for the US,” he said. “We need to make it part of our culture and a part of our sensibilities. I feel that it’s damn important for someone to figure out how to utilize these alternative energy technologies.

There’s a lot of talk but very little action. You can make a really big difference when you organize a group of people to do what needs to be done, and that’s what I think I’ve done with this.”

Heating Water with the Sun Solar energy is an unlimited resource, and by using the sun to heat the water in your home you can reduce both your monthly utility bill and your family’s energy consumption. Solar energy does not produce harmful emissions and is delivered every day to your home by the sun, regardless of how cold it is outside.

This means a solar water heating system can perform effectively even here in the northeast.

• Solar energy does not produce harmful emissions or rely on transportation, pipelines, or coal like electric energy does.

• Solar water heating systems installed in the U.S. help reduce our household energy consumption and the nation's reliance on fossil fuels.

• Solar water heating systems will work anywhere in the U.S.- not just in sunny states.

If your household relies on a traditional electric or gas water heater, you’re paying hundreds of dollars a year on energy that a solar water heater would provide for free.

The relatively simple process has significant economic and environmental benefits: • Lowers your utility bills year-round • Payback can be realized in as little as three years, thanks to generous federal, state, and local tax credits and incentives, • Reduces your share of harmful greenhouse gas emissions • Lets you enjoy greater energy independence and peace of mind • Works in all climates The average American household uses a lot of hot water. In fact, between two 10-minute showers, a load of laundry, a dishwasher cycle and four minutes of running the hot water faucet, a family of just two can use over 60 gallons of hot water every day. With a solar water heating system, the amount of energy consumption of heating water can be reduced up to 80 percent.

The technology behind Solar Water Heating is simple, effective and reliable. The Sun’s free light energy is converted to heat energy and transferred into the water. This process will

continue to deliver economical Hot Water year round. Obviously these Solar systems work on hot summer days, but they are also designed to work effectively on a cold, but sunny winter day. Outside the temperature may be below freezing, but a properly designed system will provide 100 plus degree water.

Going Green with Solar is Expensive, Right?

It’s a common misconception that solar power is a luxury technology. Installing a solar-thermal system in your home may deliver significant savings in the long-term, but at what initial cost? Terry Moag breaks it down very simply: For New York residents, installing a new solar-thermal system usually costs less than $4,000.

Thanks to current federal and state tax incentives, prospective solar customers can expect to pay about 1/3 of the initial cost for a new system. For example, take a 2-panel system costing $10,000.

NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research & Development Authority – offers both a tax rebate and a tax credit to residential solar customers. The rebate is good for $1.50 per kWh displaced annually, up to a maximum of $4,000. Because the Radiant Store only installs top-quality, highly efficient systems, their customers are almost always eligible for the full amount. Right away, we can reduce the effective cost of the system by 40%, to $6,000.

Now let’s consider the NYSERDA tax credit, distinct from the rebate, which is good for 25% of the cost of the system (after the rebate has been applied). Combined with the 30% federal tax credit, we can further reduce the cost of the system by 55%.

So, to recap: $10,000 (initial cost) - $ 4,000 (NYSERDA rebate) $6,000 - 55% (NYSERDA & federal tax credits) $2700 total

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Solar-thermal systems are the most efficient way to harness the power of the sun, and tend to pay for themselves within 5 years.

After that the system pays you!

Commercial Applications – Saving Energy is Good for Business Any commercial application can benefit from solar heating system.

The new NYSERDA incentives almost make it a no-brainer, says lead sales technician, Gabe Stinson.. “If they’re zoned commercially, they can get up to $25,000 from the state incentives.”

One of the first to see this potential was the Vischer Ferry Fire District.

Having just built a new fire house with a radiant heated slab, Gabe was able to show them how installing a solar thermal system on their roof would be able to offset their traditional gas boiler system so that they could get free heat. Being funded by the taxpayers of Clifton Park, the Board quickly saw that the system, with its generous incentives, would pay for itself in about three years, and after that, the savings would become a cost reduction to the taxpayers. A nobrainer, indeed.

Gabe said these kinds of savings are available to most any type of business that uses hot water. Hotels and Motels, Restaurants, Schools…the possibilities are endless. And many commercial building have flat roofs and unobstructed southern aspects – perfect for a solar thermal installation. “We are working with several businesses in Saratoga Springs right now,” said Gabe. “We’ve even got someone who doesn’t own the building, but sees the benefit over the long run, so is requesting permission from the landlord to have a system installed on the roof.”

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Farming the Sun in more ways than one Beatrice Berle has a dairy farm in the town of Hoosick in eastern Rensselaer County that recently had a hot water system installed by the Radiant Store. She had already taken the leap into photovoltaic solar for electricity, so when the new incentives for solar thermal became available, she jumped at the chance. As a farmstead cheese and yogurt maker, the Berle Farm had some unique challenges as well as opportunities for the Radiant Store team. Lots of hot water is used, not only for cleaning and sterilization of the equipment, but it is also used to bring the milk up to the proper temperature for cheese and yogurt making. The oil-fired system was retrofitted and several efficiency tweaks were integrated into the solar heating application. Beatrice was thrilled with the completed job. Working with Terry and his team made the whole project fun. “They were professional and clean, and wonderful to work with,” she exclaimed.

“I think that the folks at the Radiant Store have such creativity – they were able to work with my very complex plumbing and put in an amazing system.”

Beatrice is looking forward to not having the regular oil deliveries.

“Fossil fuels are inconvenient,” she explained. “It’s a big mess.” The weight of the trucks required her access road to need special maintenance. The oil fired boilers are dirty and leave a persistent odor in the air. She is so happy to have all that behind her now, and the solar hot water is opening up new possibilities that were not an option with oil. We’ve wanted to move towards re-useable glass jars for our yogurt, but we resisted because of the huge cost of heating -Continued on Page 37

WINTER FARMERS MARKETS Photo courtesy of stockstudiosphotography.com

Ballston Spa Indoor Farmers' Market Open one Saturday a Month • 9-Noon December 3, January 7, February 4, March 17, April 7, and May 5 Cornell Cooperative Extension Auditorium, 50 West High Street, Ballston Spa • www.ballston.org

Glens Falls Winter Farmers' Market Saturdays • 9-Noon Christ Church United, 54 Bay Street, Glens Falls www.glensfallsfarmersmarket.org

Saratoga Springs Winter Market Saturdays • 9am-1pm Division Street School, 220 Division Street, Saratoga Springs www.saratogafarmersmarket.org

Schenectady Greenmarket Sundays • 10am-2pm Inside Proctors, State St, Schenectady www.schenectadygreenmarket.org

Troy Winter Farmers' Market Saturdays • 9am-1pm Uncle Sam Atrium, Broadway at 3rd & 4th Streets, Downtown Troy www.troymarket.org

November-April

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The Season of Giving THE PRESENT OF BEING PRESENT STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY PROF. JOHANNA SOPHIA

“Come NOW, please,” Fiona's husband said. “I had planned for next week,” Josie replied. “It may be too late.” - “Oh -- I'll fly tomorrow then.” And immediately Josie packed her bags. Memories flashed through her mind. A whole childhood, youth, young adult adventures unthinkable without Fiona! Where was that picture of the two of them in pajamas making kissy mouths to the camera that night in the old cloister hotel in the South of France, roses from the curtain call stuck in their disheveled hair the night after their best performance ever on tour with the London youth symphony, where was that again? was it in the famous city of Cannes? They were so full of butterflies, first for the performance and then for the French boys who had insisted on kissing them… oh what glorious times at the age of 15!

And now she was dying. Where was that picture??

One more time Josie wanted to relive those moments with Fiona - there! The picture was in the old album! How young they were! But then again, sometimes she still felt so young - yet, at 34, Fiona was dying.

Not for a moment did Josie consider just mailing the album or getting on Skype, she needed to be there in person. She would spend thousands of dollars for that one more look into each other's eyes seeing that unique smile, holding hands, hugging. Why? Why is it so important to be there in person? Don't we have all the technology to be 'virtually' present in sound and image?

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Great Aunt Bee Great aunt Beatrice Green is 94 and just decided to avail herself of my life-coaching services. “I learn so much from you,” she tells me repeatedly, as I prepare her dinners. Tonight we'll have butternut squash soup, sunflower seed crackers, and a veggie-burger on greens. She always loved salads, but the prepared meals she gets delivered from her care service are lacking in fresh, vitamin and mineral rich foods. She loves my organic raw vegan dishes! In my life-coaching work, I have learned to appreciate the importance of family in peoples' lives, may they be blood relations or families of friends. Families who collaborate and appreciate each other will enhance wellness, and families who are critical or antagonistic will stop the wellness progression of someone who has decided to gain in health and longevity. Beatrice represents a 'modern' woman of the 20th century who has made the most of her years and is continuing to do so: she studied, when women rarely did, had a career in administration, traveled the world, learned to appreciate other cultures and cuisines, and learned that learning never ends.

Though she is the one who never had children, she is the one who brought a wind of sophistication to her cousins, nieces, grand nieces, and nephews and the great grand generation. Around her, they have formed a family structure spanning four generations. 'Great Aunt Bee' knows much of that extraordinary century and she is sharp as a whistle.

“She remembers everything,” they say. Her mother owned a 'Model T' Ford, the first mass produced car, she tells me, that any family member could drive without license - “the boys just jumped in without bothering to open the doors, and I had to crank it by myself, if I wanted to go for a ride!” She was there for the first general fashion of trousers for women, she experienced the sense of importance bestowed upon female office workers when she was elevated to 'Government Representative,' and she decided to travel around the globe by herself when her beloved husband suddenly died at the young age of 75. She stood on the Chinese Wall and walked to the Taj-Mahal, she sat on the stone steps of the Colosseum, and swam with the whales in the South Pacific.

Being present in Bee's antique-filled home and partaking in her elegant lifestyle provides examples. Aspiring to her standards may at times seem hard for the young ones, but just by embracing her, they share in some of her energy, her love for life and culture, and her appreciation of beauty. When conflicts arise between generations or different interests of family members, Aunt Bee calls them together and discusses the resolve “in congeniality.”

Hugs and Kisses So many families walk in and out of each other's lives every day and are not really present to and for each other. Parents don't listen to their teenagers

and children don't know (yet) how to break into their parents' physical presence to get their ear or at least more hugs. I once knew a family where the parents never hugged their children. They felt they had no right to do so, or that it was inappropriate or that there was no need for physical affection since the children were adopted. Talk about misconstrued “respect for privacy;� to this day I cannot fathom it.

All I know is that their children loved, loved, and sought sitting on my lap, just as my children could at any time, hugging, tugging or quietly being there when their parents were not looking. The 12 year old daughter wrote me a love letter, calling me 'Mama' like my children do. I did not have the heart to show it to her mom or to discuss it. Their father was particularly adamant about us having the wrong approach to parenting. So they removed their children from our influence. Oh dear Linka and Danny, I do hope that you'll find wonderful love partners one day with whom to make up for all the lost hugs and kisses in your childhood!

Science has shown that babies' brains develop slower and with delays when physical contact with humans is insufficient. We send huggers, gentle strokers, and soft singers into intensive care units because we know it will help premature or injured infants to survive. In fact, we need physical expressions of love at all ages. My daughter Soraya shared her hugs and cuddles recently with the

children of an orphanage in Ethiopia.

16-year old Mystique, a Rwanda massacre survivor saved by her father from the machetes that erased the rest of her family, her father carrying the 3-year old on his shoulders while running for days to the next border, missed gentle, healing touch all her childhood. Her father, an awesome artist, became an alcoholic, and she was sullen and considered withdrawn and even 'retarded;' that is until we came along and 'adopted' her for the few weeks we were there. Not only did she now laugh and speak, she also performed brilliantly in the 10th grade play I staged at the Waldorf School of Windhoek, in Namibia. And suddenly her classmates could embrace her, too. Needless to say, her academic performance took an immediate upswing as well.

Matter over Mind?

We are used to giving things. This is the Season of Giving, we say. We give many, many things. We use some, throw away some, but mostly we hoard. We pile up the things we were given, we stack things we OWN, we hoard memorabilia, we hold on and on and onto items for dear life until we lose our own life - why? Why does it feel that it makes our life worth more? Why do we actually feel better when we look at, touch, or just think of all those THINGS we have?

And I know I am no exception, I too love those items that carry memories. I love the knowledge of items I

own somewhere in different cities, in other countries, on far away continents. Is it because we don't have anything else to make us feel we belong with the people who gave them to us?

Yet, we may realize that it's not really the things, it's the awareness of our existence of those who gave them that we crave. It's the thought that tells us that we exist in other people's consciousness that sustains us and that we need for our own sanity.

So how did we get so stuck in this cycle of more and more material presents instead of Presence at the time of giving?

My parents believed in ceremony and solemn celebration. We sat cradled in their arms on the floor before the hand-carved little family in the mossy arrangement under the branches. They told fairy-tale stories, sang songs in harmony with each other and lit the REAL bee's wax candles on our REAL tree decorated with REAL red apples. The room smelled of cinnamon and spice because the cookies were laid out on open plates behind us and you were not allowed to touch them until tomorrow... there were no material presents in sight the first night. But my parents' present of being present in that space was so thick and satisfying for all our senses, you could never forget it. The cookies lasted until the kings had come. But often we kept them much longer, for they were unique and only for this season of the year. ecolocalliving.com 31

The Power of our Presence “Sometimes my history is not based on logic,” one of my friends says. “It's just that my mother taught me and she was taught by her mother and by her grandmother and so on.” ALL of our history and our existence is based on culture and “Culture is always stronger than reason.” Until we make a change.

And only at the moment of that change do we experience progress and do we realize our individual power. “And that's a good thing,” my friend says. “Not necessarily,” I say. “We can also use that realization of our power for the oppression or destruction of others. As soon as we have consciousness of it, we can say, I want more of that sense of power of changing others into submission or of changing my circumstances toward superiority, and I can use logic to get me there: I can say logic tells me that when I give people a sense of fear, or even a sense of gratitude for an imagined benefit that I sell them, it will make me richer, it will place me in the position of superiority in their lives and I will have more than they, because fear and or dependence will allow me to take from them or they will give 'voluntarily' because they believe that inferiority is their place on this planet. They will hand over responsibility to me, the maker of their cosmetics, their medications, their fashions or their enemies. And they will surrender their own sense of self so I can have a grander sense of self, a larger than life persona, who in their minds never sits on the toilet and lets out a loud fart. Think about it. We allow the 'reverence' we should have for all life and all beings on our planet to be so misconstrued that we allow this victimization. We have done so for generations, for centuries and for millennia. Maybe we have done so for eons. But now is the time that many of us are waking up and realizing that we indeed have choices. Not just the choices in the supermarkets and dollar stores. We have real choices. We can be present in our own lives.

We can understand that what is driving our need for dependency is our longing for appreciation, our longing for love; or, phrased differently, our longing for existing in the other beings' consciousness. We may realize that we are longing for the exchange of positive thoughts that we have about each other. We hope and work for having others think good thoughts about us. We hope that someone on the road thinks we are looking fine or beautiful or strong as they

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are passing and throwing a fleeting glance at us, never to see us again. But that one thought a total stranger may have about us, feeds our self-esteem, our soul, our sense of being, our 'raison d'ĂŞtre.'

That thought, the feelings accompanying it, and those millions of thoughts of others about any aspect of ourselves, may indeed be what sustains and nourishes us.

The Science Our physical and emotional body and our thoughts are represented in the energy field around us. The magnetic energy field is measurable not just by lie detectors but by all sorts of scientific instruments.

Consequently, our thoughts have a different impact depending on whether we are far away or in the same room or physically touching. Never can we be quite as enthralled with a musical performance, a laughing crowd, a smiling face as when we're in a live performance. There's that magic - no longer just a mystery because we can actually measure it in heart beats and in adrenalin rushes - that only happens when we are in the physical presence, breathing the same sweat in the air, so to speak, out of your lungs and into mine!

Yes, we are breathing each other's air when we're in the same room! Indeed sharing the air you exhaled, inhaling it into my physical existence and vice versa. Throw out your germo-phobic paranoia! it is a wonderful thing that we indeed all share the same thin layer of breathable oxygen air on our planet. And the closer we get to each other, the more of that energy carried within the air, that communal, that shared existence can be experienced.

When there is no fear in that presence with each other, there is no negativity but rather reinvigorating joy. We increase our sense of existence when we allow ourselves to experience it as a gift: Being present with each other in the same room, in the same spirit with love for each other becomes the greatest of all gifts on planet Earth.

Presence as the Essence of Existence The incredible gift that is to be fully consciously present as a person, as a human being, as a relative, as a friend, as a consciously and emotionally being with each other in the same space, or, to a lesser extent via voice lines, phone lines, Skype lines, but being there intently for each other and understanding that this presence of human existence on planet Earth is THE gift per se to humanity, in fact, has given us humanity, has given us all that is life on Earth and therefore is a quintessential gift of all times to ourselves and to each other. So, the present of being present becomes the core of all gift giving.

In so many ways we extend material gifts as an extension of ourselves, giving to the other person of ourselves may have been the original concept of gift giving; sharing what we have, letting the other person know that we care, that we indeed want to share, want them to feel happy, valued and more appreciated. And we ourselves feel enriched by our giving of a present to them. And yet it all would not be possible in the first place, were we not present in their lives.

In conclusion, let us be more aware of the importance of Being Present. On invitation cards to my children's birthday parties, I used to write: Presence is more important than presents. I herewith reiterate that thought and wish you all a wonderful holiday season full of human presence!

Johanna Sophia and her learning center can be reached at 607-229-2308 or SILC@SophiasCenter.com.

Being 'in Touch' and Localism What does this all have to do with Localism?

'Local' is where you've settled and spend the majority of your time, not necessarily where you were born, then again often both. In local suburbia, however, we often see hundreds of people at the supermarket or in the mall and don't know or greet a single person during a half hour visit, even though they live in your 'neighborhood.'

What our new Localism is seeking is that we make an effort to know our farmer, our grocer, our weaver, our tailor, and our family members again.

However, this time, in this new era of conscious Localism, we make the connections intentionally, not just following family and village traditions.

And that again makes all the difference: we are intentionally present. This intention of ours renders our present of being present a true gift to each other.

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Renewing the Fabric of Your Life The Covell Family RECLAIMING THE PAST, CUSTOMIZING THE FUTURE STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID DELOZIER

In today’s world of commodity and mass production, quality and craftsmanship seem to have become a memory of the past. The old saying “They don’t make things like they used to” is the sad-but-true reality. No place is that more relevant than in the furniture industry. American made furniture was the realm of true craftsmen, whose legacy is the heirloom pieces that can be found at antique stores and grandma’s estate sale.

But like much of everything else, furniture companies have moved operations overseas, and price and production have trumped quality and longevity. “We stack ‘em deep and sell ‘em cheap” is the pitch heard from the many a modern-day furniture dealer. Sadly, the thrill of cheap is often followed by the disappointment of shoddy construction and short life span. We’ve all seen the broken down sofa or a damaged chair left by the roadside – the litter of a society that values consumption over substance.

For those seeking furniture that will have a lasting legacy, the easiest thing to do is find the stuff from the past, and re-claim it for the future. Estate and garage sales are great sources to acquire the old, well-made items. The hard part is finding someone with that old-world skill that can take that old worn-out piece and make it new again.

Actually, we are fortunate to have that very someone in our midst – a fourth generation upholsterer, by the name of Richard Covell, who has been quietly re-purposing and renewing great furniture at his shop in Wilton for nearly forty years.

Covell’s Upholstery Shop began humbly in 1974, carrying on the legacy of the Covell Family.

Furniture building and reconditioning came easy for Richard – it was after all, the family business.

“Old is good,” he said. “It’s not made of cardboard and I love bringing the old stuff back to life,” Richard looks at custom upholstery as an art form. He can take what some may consider junk and completely rebuild to better than new condition. “I had a customer who had an old broken down chair that he was going to burn for firewood,” commented Richard. “I gave him five bucks for it and tore the thing apart. Underneath all the stuffing was solid wood – very well made,” he went on. “I built it up from that foundation with anew, and it’s now worth over two hundred dollars!”

Richard Covell sees himself as one of the last of the old world craftsman. As a result, he has many repeat customers. Even with the current recession,

Richard has a steady stream of furniture that people want renewed. “If I wasn’t doing this, a lot of this furniture would end up in the dump,” he said. He said that his work is the fourth “R” in the green theme - reduce, reuse, recycle, reupholster.

“We’ve been green long before it became trendy.

People are finally catching up to what we’ve been doing all along,” he remarked.

It’s this attention to detail that has carried over to the other side of the business, which Richard’s wife Lea runs. An interior design and custom window treatment service, Lea creates impressive interiors for her clients. Now called Impressive Interiors by Covell’s Upholstery, Richard and Lea offer complimenting design services that can turn any no-place into a show place. It all begins with a home or office consultation, where Lea and her design team discover the structure of the space, its lighting assets and the personality of the client.

The information they gather is integrated into a remodel that transforms the space into a personal expression of the client’s taste and style.

Impressive Interiors is a Hunter Douglas Centurion Dealer of window treatments, which allows them to offer the newest and most advanced window treatments on the market today. They’ve got books with thousands of fabric choices, lamps and ecolocalliving.com 35

lighting options, floor coverings… the combinations are endless. Whatever the client wants, they can create a custom look that is truly original. Justine, co-designer alongside Lea, commented “You won’t find the same thing at a neighbors or your girlfriend’s house.” Being able to distill all those choices into a signature style for each client is what the Covell team takes great prides in.

We are all unique individuals, and the work that the Covell’s do exemplifies that individuality.

Whatever past style a furniture piece represents, Richard can rebuild it to reflect the current owner’s desires. From the density of the foam, to trim embellishments, each component can is custom tailored to the client’s specifications. With the interior design services, Lea and her team take the time to listen to each client’s needs and wants, and are able to create a design that is as unique as the clients own signature. In a world of sameness and mass marketing, this attention to individuality 36 ecolocalliving.com

and customization is rare, and it’s what Impressive Interiors has built its reputation on for all these years.

Something old, something new… Covell’s Upholstery and Impressive Interiors has found a way bring together the past and the present into suite of design services that make each client’s job a one-of-a-kind result. And it’s that attention to detail that continues to drive the business forward, even in a recessionary economy. It’s proof that, for those with a strong work ethic and dedication to service, there is never a recession.

The Covell’s understand that their joy comes from continuing to provide value to their community, and keeping the tradition of hand-crafted workmanship alive and well.

Impressive Interiors is located 4285 Route 50 in the town of Wilton, Saratoga County. For more information, call them at 518-583-4871 or go online to www.impressiveinteriors.hdspd.com

- Radiating Warmth, continued from Page 28 water with oil for sanitization. “Now with solar hot water, we are thrilled to be able to heat the water for basically free,” she said. “I can’t wait to see the results of the system after the first year!”

The whole oil economy is something that the Berle Farm is trying to get away from. They see themselves and the Radiant Store as the model of what sustainability can be. Everybody is talking about the down economy, but these businesses are the leading new economy that we have been wanting - the one that utilizes the natural resources all around to create sustainable abundance.

“These are the folks that we want to support,’ exclaimed Beatrice of the Radiant Store. “We all need to jump in. This in the new energy wave.” She added, “We are soil surfers, riding the energy wave of photosynthesis and converting it to high value food. The folks at the Radiant Store are surfers, too, riding the heat energy wave to capture the power of the sun.”

Whether you choose to go solar for yourself or not, chances are, you are paying for it already, in a way. New York has created a dedicated fund called PON 2149, which comes from money that all customers pay in their utility bills. It’s designed to get New York more energy efficient over the next few years, and $25 million has been set aside for the incentives. It’s a huge opportunity for the Radiant Store, which has the team and expertise already in place to capitalize on it. “The commercial business is about to explode,” said Terry. “All my struggling to keep this business going up to this point is about to payoff.” His persistence in the face of adversity, knowing he is doing the right thing...it’s a lesson we could all learn from.

The Radiant Store, Inc. is located in the Saratoga Technology and Energy Park in Malta. Call them at 1-888-767-5309, 518-899-2791 or find them online at www.theradiantstoreinc.com

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Redox Signaling Molecules are naturally created within every living cell of the body. They are so essential to life that without them you would die. In fact,as we grow older we produce fewer and fewer of these molecules, resulting in a process we call aging. For the first time science has stabilized these molecules in a solution outside the body that when taken internally allow us to replenish and increase our cellular efficiency. ASEA increases ones endurance,boosts the immune system and strives to balance the body's cellular makeup.

We live and die at the cellular level.

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www.thegreengrocer.com

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CROSSROADS GALLERY Gifts & Wellness for the Mind, Body, Spirit & Senses Local Gifts & Holistic Bodywork Therapies Intuitive Readings~Spiritual Items

WELCOMES For the Fall & Winter Months!

Providing Fresh, All-Natural & Local Food Products

4956 Western Turnpike Duanesburg Monday-Saturday 11-5 & Thursday ‘til 7pm • Also by Appointment

895.2950 www.crossroadsgallery.com FIND US ON FACEBOOK!

Now sharpening reel lawn mowers.

Pumpkin Butter

Put a dollop on or in pancakes, on plain yogurt, or on whole grain toast • 1 Organic Sugar Pumpkin from a local farmer • 1⁄4 cup Lakanto (all natural sweetener) or raw sugar • 1⁄4 cup Organic Brown Sugar • 1⁄4 teaspoon of salt In pot combine pumpkin flesh, Lakanto, brown sugar, and salt. Cook on a low heat for 20 minutes, or until flesh softens. Remove from heat and blend in a blender until smooth. Return to pot and cook on low heat until the consistency is thick like a softer butter. Place in small Mason jar and refrigerate. You can use your pumpkin butter on homemade breads and muffins. Look for Lakanto locally or on-line @ www.bodyecology.com ecolocalliving.com 41

Eco-LOCAL People

Nick & Britin Foster Meet Nick & Britin Foster, the husband-wife dynamic duo of All Good Bakers, located at 160A Quail St. in Albany

This little bakeshop is setting the bar to a whole new level when it comes to operating a sustainable business. Conscious of the impact of their purchases, they buy as much as they can from close to home. They source much of there flour from New York producers.

Far away products like coffee is purchased under fair trade guidelines. And speaking of coffee, you had better bring your refillable mug, because there are no paper cups provided. You can take a mug from the selection at the counter “to go,” just bring it back next time you’re in. Don’t sweat it - it’s all good!

Eco-LOCAL Living: How long have you been in business and what inspired you to get started?

Nick & Britin: We have been working in restaurants since we were 15 years old, and spent a lot of time in the kitchen (and garden) with our families growing up. Both of our maternal grandmothers were avid bakers (his of breads, mine of sweets). We dreamed of opening our own restaurant since virtually the day we met in NC in 2003. Shortly after, we moved to Albany. In 2004, we were both working in food-service and still couldn't 42 ecolocalliving.com

resist cooking/baking at home so we began baking loaves for the tiny St. James Farmers Market on Delware Ave. in Albany, and eventually moved to the farmers market in New Baltimore. In 2009, we changed our name to All Good Bakers and began baking for the Saturday Delmar Farmers Market where our business took off! We started a Community Supported Bakery Share Program in November of 2009, rented a commercial kitchen and acquired equipment. The kitchen "came with" a small retail space and we opened our Farm to Bakery/Cafe in April of 2010 where we prepare small-batch artisan loaves, from-scratch baked goods and desserts, and affordable lunch specials based the produce we get from our farming partners each week.

ELL: What's the best part about your job?

N & B: Preparing Real Food for our community with fresh, local, sustainably produced ingredients! And connecting with our community in a wide variety of ways.

ELL: Why do you choose to operate your business in Albany as opposed to somewhere else?

N & B: We live in Albany and love it here there was never any question of opening our shop elsewhere!

ELL: Why do you think it’s important to keep it local?

N & B: There is such an amazing abundance of small, local food producers here in Upstate NY - it makes sense to support our neighbors and their families, and less resources are used to transport everything!

ELL: What locally owned business (other than your own) could you not live without?

N & B: We partner with so many wonderful, local suppliers of dairy, eggs, maple syrup, flour, produce and cheeses - our products wouldn't be the same without any of them!

If we had to name just one, it would be Farmer Jon's Produce - our farmers, Jon & DJ, have provided our family and our bakery customers with an amazing array of sustainably produced vegetables all year.

ELL: What are some of the things you do to help make the world a little bit better?

N & B: We donate as much as we can to local hunger programs and social and

envionmental justice groups, we get involved with our community and local causes, we use as few paper products as possible and compost our food scraps with the Radix Center of Albany, we wrap our loaves in biodegradable parchment and use environmentally-safe cleaners, and we help raise funds/awareness for local farmers and other small-food producers.

ELL: What do you like to do in your free time?

N & B: We like to go to Phish shows, play music, read, hike and camp with friends, and find fun activities to do with our daughter.

ELL: What's the best advice you've ever received?

N & B: Be persistent and utilize all the resources at your disposal in order to reach your goals!

ELL: Our Facebook fans want to know: What is it that sets you apart from the national chains and promotes loyal, repeat customers?

N & B: We are intimately involved with our community and really care about our customers (who seem more like friends to us). Because we are such a small operation, we are able to obtain better, fresher ingredients than a large chain might; we prepare everything from scratch, in small batches and we are able respond more quickly and effectively to customer feedback.

When someone patronizes a small business more often than not, one of the owners is behind the counter which we think facilitates stronger community relationships!

ELL: Our Twitter followers want to know: What drives you to keep doing what you do?

N & B: There aren't many options for affordable, casual restaurants in Albany that serve Real Food, sourced locally and responsibly. News reports surface daily of the illnesses that are caused by "Big Ag's" lab-produced food-ingredients. We feel a responsiblity to offer our skills, matched with healthy, un-processed foods, to our community.

All Good Bakers 518-463-1349 160 A. Quail St. Albany, NY 12203 Fridays 11-6 • Saturdays 11-4 Sundays 10-2 (light brunch menu)