2
3
AT CITY HALL By Heather Meaney
For Zoe Oxley of Green Street in Schenectady, shopping at the year-round Schenectady Greenmarket has been a welcome addition to her Sunday routine. She is looking forward to the outdoor farmer’s market. The market opened in Robb Alley and the Education Center at Proctors in November, and has now moved outdoors, adjacent to City Hall in downtown Schenectady. The outdoor summer market takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and now features nearly 50 vendors. It will be held rain or shine. The market will then move back indoors in November. “We've been going to the market ever since the first weekend that it opened and every Sunday that we're in town, we’re there,” she said. “We buy milk, eggs, apples, lettuce, bread, cheese, yogurt and vegetables when they're available, like carrots, peppers, broccoli, potatoes, garlic, and onions. I love my fresh tomatoes, my cinnamon rolls, and my fresh eggs. And of course, the fresh peanut butter! Once more produce returns, we will hopefully buy all of our vegetables at Schenectady Greenmarket and as much fruit as we can,” she said. “We’re all so excited because our summer market is bigger, having a lot more produce and many more products. Surrounding City Hall is the most beautiful outdoor location in the city,” said Barbara Blanchard, Chair of the Board of Directors for Schenectady Greenmarket. In addition to vendors of local foods and artisanal goods, the market features live music, cooking and gardening demonstrations from a community expert and children’s activities, a community table and special County bicentennial events. Visit wwwschenectadygreenmarket.org for an updated calendar, parking and vendor information.
4
On the Cover Meet Jane La Civita-Clemente and Diane Conroy-La Civita. These two women had the audacity to invest in downtown Cohoes, the former nineteenth century boomtown that had gone bust in the twentieth. Where others saw blight, Jane and Diane saw great potential, and an old milltown worth reinventing. Together, they have transformed a row of three townhouses into their vision of a locally made and locally grown marketplace. Their New York Wine Seller store sells New York wines exclusively the only one to do so in the entire State. The Harmony House Marketplace is a bakeshop and café that emphasizes homemade and locally crafted foods. Their next project in the center building is a Tapas bar that will feature locally sourced products and even fresh cheeses that will be made on-site. Jane and Diane have sown the seeds of a new downtown Cohoes, and their garden has attracted others to plant their seeds of entrepreneurialism there as well.We are proud to feature them as the Eco-localizers for this Sowing Edition.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE GREEN TEEN When Recycling is BAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 SOWING ECO-LOCALIZER Jane La Civita & Diane Conroy-La Civita . . . . . Page 8 KIM KLOPSTOCK Sustainable Restaurateur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 SUSTAINABLE LIVING AT THE GLEN . . . . . . . . Page 16 GREENER THAN GRASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20 SUSTAINABLE EATING For Health and Happiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 24 UP & OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 26 DRIVING The 2009 Green Car of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 28 Ecolocal Guide is published bi-monthly & distributed free of charge to over 300 locations within a 50 mile radius of Saratoga Springs, NY. The Ecolocal Guide does not guarantee nor warranty any products, services, of any advertisers nor will we be party to any legal or civil proceedings to do with any advertisers. We expect advertisers to honor any advertised claims or promises. The Ecolocal Guide will not knowingly accept any advertisement that is deemed misleading or fraudulent. We reserve the right to revise, edit and/or reject any and all advertising with or without issuing a reason or cause. We will not publish any article or advertisement that is contrary to the best interest of this publication. We reserve the right to edit articles if needed for content, clarity and relevance.
INTRODUCTION In this edition of the eco-local guide, we are celebrating the Sowing Season. Sowing typically refers the act of planting seeds to grow the food for our future sustenance. At this time of year, this activity is of paramount importance, because our very survival depends on what is sown. We are fortunate, then, to have the many dedicated farmers in region that carry out this seasonal ritual so that we can enjoy the fruits of their labor. May and June brings the opening of the outdoor farmers markets, where you’ll find the freshest vegetables and the highest quality meats, and you’ll know where they came from, because the producer is the person selling the products. It’s an opportunity to develop a relationship with your food and with the people who dedicates their lives to raising it for you. Sowing is not just about planting crops; it is often used a metaphor for actions and behavior. While the phrase “you reap what you sow” is a reminder of the karmic consequences of our behavior, it can also provide motivation for us to find new ways to create. If we choose to sow an idea into the world, feed it with inspiration, drive it with perspiration, and protect it through the storms of discontent, we can reap the reward of making something manifest that can change the world around us. An example of this intention to create is the dynamic duo known as Jane La Civita and Diane-La Civita, of the Harmony House Marketplace in Cohoes.They saw on Remsen Street, not abandonment and desolation, but the fertile ground of opportunity. Starting with a crazy idea of wanting a local product marketplace, the pair opened up a New York-only wine shop, then a bakery and cafe. Diane was a driving force behind the arrival of the Farmers Market on Fridays. The two are now opening their third enterprise and have inspired a host of others to remake Remsen Street into a place of hope. As cheerleaders for locally made, locally grown, and re-inventing local downtowns, Jane and Diane are our Sowing Ecolocalizers. The seeds of the new sustainability economy are being sown throughout the Upper Hudson Valley. To the north, in the Town of Thurman, numerous cottage industries have emerged that support the local economy and respect the environment that feeds it. Out on the back roads of Thurman you’ll find sustainable forestry, a thriving maple sugar industry, a free-range poultry farm, makers of world-class goat cheese, and a white water rafting outfitter that promises to rock your world. And there’s even a Taste of Poland making new digs in the former Northwoods Lodge – famous site of many a shin-dig and hoe-down! These folks all welcome you all up to their neck of the woods to see first hand how they’re living the dream and loving what they do. You’ll find in these people the rugged self-reliance of the Adirondacker, but also the warmth and caring of a connected community that takes care of each other. Sowing is really all about investing in the future It’s the combination of faith, hope and love in something that can become bigger than ourselves, so that it produces a bounty that can be shared with others. Sow a thought you reap an act. Sow an act, you reap a habit. Sow a habit, you reap a character. Sow a character, you reap a consequence. The more goodness you sow the greater rewards you’ll reap. So with that in mind, please support the local businesses that appear within these pages. They are all Sowers of goodness.
- David DeLozier, Publisher
5
OUR MISSION To gather and share reliable resources and information which will assist this and future generations to make conscious choices that will lead to healthful, sustainable lifestyles. To provide benefit to all those who seek a vibrant, living local economy by promoting our neighborhood businesses that are committed to whole ecology thinking and practices, and the healthy food options available by supporting our local farming community Sowing 2009 • Vol. 2, Issue 3 PUBLISHER / SALES / MARKETING David Delozier 518-858-6866 advertise@EcolocalGuide.com DESIGN / PRODUCTION Centerline Design 518-883-3872 CONTRIBUTORS Stacey Morris, Persis Granger, Wendy Haugh, Drew Monthie, Roger Fulton, Mike Carpenter, Mary Beth Mc Cue & Vanessa Baird ARTICLE / EVENT SUBMISSION submissions@EcolocalGuide.com ADDRESSES 38 Tamarack Trail Saratoga Springs, NY 12286 www.EcolocalGuide.com By reading and supporting Ecolocal you become part of our team - and help the greater community of the Upper Hudson Valley become a healthier place to live, work and play. Please tell our advertisers you saw them here. We use recycled-content paper and water-based ink. PLEASE RECYCLE!
6
GREEN TEEN
When recycling is BAD I know! I know! You're thinking that I'm crazy for saying that recycling is bad, I mean‌ people have been saying for years now that everyone needs to recycle, recycle, and recycle! But what if there was an alternative plan? Over the summer my mom worked for our local library; one of her first jobs was to take the magazines out of circulation that were outdated. Upon finding out that the library chucked the old ones to the curb for recycling, she instantly was thinking of a way to get more life out of them before they were to be recycled. We came up with the idea that I could go over to the library once a month and take care of the out-dated magazines. That way I could get community service hours for it and I would be helping out the environment by giving the magazines to an organization that could use them a little bit longer before they were recycled.
Healthy Green Mommies Green home, beauty and nutrition products Employment Opportunities
After some rejections, and with a little help from freecycle, I found a woman from BOCES who said that they would love to have the magazines. It turns out that BOCES does not have a library. The magazines were distributed to the different rooms where they might apply to what is being taught. It's cool because they get to read them and then they can be used after for an art project or recycled. Either way it's green,and now those kids have something to read! The library is happy to have the magazines taken care of, BOCES is thrilled to get them, and I have easy community service hours. Plus, it's pretty cool to find a way to be even greener than recycling!
Let's face it, the economy is changing. The environment is changing. Our health is changing. Would you like to see those three things change for the better?
They can. And it can all start with You. Contact Elizabeth Dean of healthygreenmommies.com for free, no obligation required information ph: 757-321-4973 fx: 757-351-0898 Or learn more at http://www.healthygreenmommies.com
About the Author: Vanessa Baird is a local teen living green. She thinks that's just great as long as having a green life doesn't mean giving up 'having a life.' She'd love to hear what other teens are doing to be green. You can email her at 1greenteen@gmail.com
7
Cancer: Do You Have It? Options You Might Not Even Know Exist By Lynn Monroe
When Cancer Diagnosis is made, most people are familiar with conventional treatment, i.e., surgery, chemo, and radiation - AKA slash, poison and burn. These methods, while seemingly the norm, are fast becoming outdated. There is growing moment towards holistic alternatives, especially in terms of survival and quality of life. Many cancer survivors have realizing the benefits of Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM). Most likely you will not hear this from your oncologist, surgeon or radiologist. It simply is not on their radar-for many reasons – no time or interest to learn the integrating alternative modalities often shown to work in the best interest of the patient. It’s called Choosing the Best of Whatever Works, be it botanical medicine, neutraceutical supplements, optimal nutrition, energy medicine, acupuncture, guided meditation, mind-bodyspirit support, healing circles, prayer, detoxification, regular and appropriate exercise, in addition to conventional treatment. Take heart, however, as there are many CAM practitioners who provide (in a team way- along with the physician) the aforementioned. By integrating CAM methods with traditional therapy, your chances for recovery are exponentially enhanced in many cases. Getting early intervention with said healing recommendations is preferable, and getting to the root cause of the illness is our objective. In time, with help, the body has the ability to heal itself. Conventional treatment is designed to kill cancer cells, and it does. CAM methods are designed to reverse that which causes the cancer - starting with genetic mutations resulting from over-all pollution: air, food, water, mind (yes, mind pollution). Along with stress (especially stress!), underwhelming lifestyles (junk food, poor choices, physical neglect, lack of life-support connections, negative emotional states, etc.), the human body has it’s limits and when push comes to shove and intuitive messages have not been heeded, illness may be the first sign that it’s time to make some serious changes.
8
The Sowing Eco-Localizer
Jane La Civita and Diane Conroy-La Civita By Stacey Morris, Contributing Writer Photos By Dave DeLozier
Jane LaCivita’s plan for her Golden Years was unfolding perfectly It included a newly purchased condo Thailand where she would spend her days kicking back after a career in nursing home administration. Then her cousin-in-law came to town. When Diane Conroy-LaCivita visited Jane LaCivita in 2005, she made the proposal that would change both their lives: become partners in a business venture located in a city in upstate New York that had been essentially stripped of its economic core and left for dead. Diane’s plan of action was to renovate three connecting buildings, turn them into retail and gallery space, and help ignite a trend that she foresaw happening to the Albany County city of Cohoes. To say the mission presented to her was daunting was an understatement, but Jane found herself saying yes to the idea, relocating to the Albany area, and subsequently grunting side by side with Diane as they gutted the buildings to the tune of 55 Dumpster loads of sheet rock,plaster, and other building debris. “I told Diane the only way I would come back to the states is if I did something different,” recalled Jane. Diane has a masters degree in historical preservation and initially spent several years canvassing the northeast in search of historic buildings to renovate. But when her husband Joe, who is a friend of Cohoes Mayor John T. McDonald III, told her about the rows of empty, semi-ancient buildings on Remsen Street, she got the idea to combine historic preservation with entrepreneurship “My family thought I was nuts. A lot of the buildings on the street were boarded up,” Diane recalled. “But when I found out how much history was here, I was sold. Originally I wasn’t looking for economic development, but the two go hand in hand in Cohoes.” When Diane was first beginning the project, she applied for and received six grants. But the total costs still required the partners to pour their life savings into the three buildings on Remsen Street. “It was a risk,” Diane admitted. “But we really believed in this.There have been good and bad days, but no days I was actually scared. Jane is very positive. Whenever one of us would hit our hand with a hammer or step on a nail, she’d say ‘There’s no crying on Remsen Street.’”
At one point during the renovation process, they discovered that building No.184 had once been a residence for Irish immigrants who helped build the Erie Canal. “This area was once called Irish Hill.The original building at 184 was a shanty built in 1820,”said Diane. “The history of Cohoes is amazing. Houdini performed here, Mark Twain lectured here. The history actually goes back to the Native Americans and some of the roads here mirror their trail patterns.” “I feel that Cohoes is a bud that’s about to blossom,” said Jane. And she’s not alone. The women were named among Metroland’s Local Heroes of 2008 for being visionaries, looking at their project beyond the boundaries of a business plan and spearheading a renaissance in the city. And so far,their vision has materialized without a hitch. Under the umbrella of Harmony House Marketplace are the wine store, which opened two yeas ago, followed by the bakery a year later. The 188 Remsen Gallery opened on the second floor several months ago and in April, artisan cheese maker Shaun O’Connor began making cow, sheep, and goat cheese and yogurt on premises. Mayor McDonald said he couldn’t be happier with the life Jane and Diane’s project has brought to the city.” They have not only brought new business to our community, but new energy as well, which is spreading throughout our community. Their personal touch in how they run their business is consistent with many of the long time business owners that Cohoes has been fortunate to have,” he said. “Their creativity and striving to offer different venues is what attracts even more individuals to our community and is one of the reason why downtown Cohoes is seeing a revitalization. It’s a pleasure today to walk down Remsen Street and see a street with activity. Businesses such as Harmony House and many others, both retail and office, are the driving forces behind this success." Diane said the next phase of Harmony House Marketplace will include a tapas bar, also in the center structure, which they hope to have completed by late spring.
9
Cooking classes at the bakery encourage the use of local produce. Farmers and food producers at the Cohoes Farmers Market, held across from the bakery from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, teach many. “Our motto is local,” said Diane. “We use local and New York state products and ingredients at the bakery,including real whipped cream and butter cream frosting.” Jane and Diane, who both have full-time jobs, are assisted in the baking by their daughters Diane and Frances LaCivita and Corinne Clemente. “It’s been a family affair,” said Jane. “My husband’s relatives, Jay and Tommy Teta, and Vince Morrow, have all been great in helping us.” They also sponsor day trips to farms and wineries in the state. “Our trips and cooking classes usually sell out,” said Diane.
Discover Bountiful New York in Historic Downtown Cohoes
Their wine store sells only New York state wines and features a different wine purveyor from 5 to 7 p.m. every Friday. “We envisioned this as a multi-plex that would draw people from around the community,” said Diane. “We wanted to make Cohoes a destination place,”said Jane.“We both feel there’s so much potential here. In five years we see it blossoming into a Lark Street.” For more information on Harmony House at 184-190 Remsen St. in Cohoes, call (518) 238-2232, or visit www.harmonyhousemarketplace.com
"The NYS Exclusive Wine Seller" and "The Bake Shop" Cooking Classes • Educational Seminars Weekly Field Trips • Friday Evening Wine Tastings and much more...
THE COHOES FARMERS' MARKET Remsen Street • Every Friday 4:00-7:00pm June 5th - October 2nd Buy Local - Everyone Wins!
10
Denison Farm, Schaghticoke, N.Y., is welcoming new members for the 2009 season. Our Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA) offers a 22-week share of diverse, organically-grown vegetables delivered to Albany, Clifton Park, Delmar, Guilderland, Niskayuna, Round Lake, Saratoga,Troy, and Schaghticoke. We can also be found at the Troy and Saratoga Farmers' Markets. Take a step towards a more sustainable future by joining our family farm.
11
12
13
Pottery is one of the most primordial arts that combine design and function. It comes from a wide variety shapes and decorative techniques. Clay and art are natural partners. Just look at a small boy with a mud pie. Human beings have been associated with clay art from pre-history to modern times. Those who work with clay are part of the continuity of human culture through history. Clay sculptors come in many different disciplines, and you would be amazed at the diversity of clay artists. We are fortunate to have in our region a plethora of potters and clay artists. Many local potters’ studios are literally a hands-on experience, offering pottery instruction and classes. There’s a great opportunity to see some these talented artists’ work up close and personal on the Albany-Saratoga Pottery Trail Open House, Mothers Day Weekend, May 9th and 10th from 10a-6p. Visit www.AlbanySaratogaPotteryTrail.com for more information. If you miss the Open House, don’t worry. Most of the artists are glad to have you stop by anytime. Their work is their passion, and they are happy to share it with you!
JIM SANKOWSKI
MADELINE GALLO
NANCY NIEFIELD
14
KIM KLOPSTOCK Sustainable Restaurateur By Wendy Hobday Haugh
Imagine a restaurant that recycles its glass, cans, and paper products, uses biodegradable take-out containers, purchases all its green produce locally, composts every kitchen scrap imaginable, serves only fair-trade coffee and made-from-scratch, cooked-to-order food, uses no trans fats or chemical additives, delivers its customers’ plate-waste to families with pet pigs, gives its leftover bread to folks raising chickens, changes its cooking oil frequently, and donates its discarded oil to a local man who processes it and uses it as fuel – to power to his car! If you’re thinking a place like this only exists in a galaxy far, far away, think again because it’s all happening right here, right now, at Fifty South in Ballston Spa, NY. Chef Kim Klopstock, owner of Fifty South, runs her restaurant like she runs her home: in an ecologically responsible manner. To many, her modus operandi may seem nothing short of extraordinary. But to Kim, being a good steward and doing what she can to care for the earth is a no-brainer. She just wishes more people would take up the cause in earnest. "I’ve been recycling at home for the past thirty years," Kim reflects, "so it’s important to me that my restaurant recycles as well. If you take away from the amount of refuse that you have to pay to have removed, you’re doing something good for the environment – and it makes economic sense. All this talk today about ‘going green’ is great but the truth is, the concepts have been around for a long time." When asked her opinion about New York State’s failure to require restaurants to recycle, Kim grimaces: "Shame on us." Always researching alternative ways of living and eating, Kim learned about biodynamic farming and the principles of creating sustainable farms and gardens years ago when her two daughters attended the Waldorf School in Saratoga Springs. "I learned about the importance of taking care of the earth, of replenishing the soil... about the importance of the seasons and of eating foods of the season." Today, given the plethora of foods available year-round in grocery stores, Kim acknowledges that most people aren’t going to stick with seasonal, local foods. But she’d like to see more consumers think before purchasing foods from other countries where farming practices are questionable and farm worker conditions, inhumane. It costs more for Kim to purchase her restaurant’s coffee and sugar from fair trade companies. But in her mind, it is money well spent to guarantee quality product and quality of life for workers.
15 Although Fifty South opened its doors less than two years ago, Kim Klopstock has been operating her own highly successful catering business, The Lily & The Rose, since 1994. Her decision to purchase the Ballston Spa eatery (known for decades as Leo’s Diner) was made the minute she saw its three kitchens. Finally, she’d found a place spacious enough to accommodate the needs of both her catering business and a restaurant.
"Please allow Fifty South to be your place to meet, eat and greet new and old friends as well as family," Kim writes on her website. "Open your taste buds, think outside the box, and join us on this great adventure."
Kim’s vision for Fifty South can be summed up in F-words: fun, friendly, family-oriented, financially feasible, and food – the very best around. "My catering business is work," Kim explains, "and my restaurant is all about fun. I keep my menu prices reasonable. I mean, if you’re going to do fair trade, you better do fair trade for your guests as well! I try to keep the margin as close as possible so that my restaurant is affordable to as many people as possible."
For more info - call (518) 884-2926 or visit www.fiftysouth.com
Fifty South is a work-in-progress, continually evolving. "Twenty-five years ago, I got kicked out of a restaurant because I was nursing," Kim says, still rankled by the memory. "My restaurant will always, always stand for children, old people, for people who have special needs, for tolerance... for all of humanity." An artist by nature, and an alumnus of Skidmore’s sculpture and pottery program, Kim credits the rise of her kitchen artistry to her upbringing. "Mostly I got into cooking because I loved to entertain. My family did a tremendous amount of entertaining with old-world charm... always with a variety of people, always a beautiful table, and always delicious homegrown foods." Her family frequently traveled around the world, so Kim was exposed early on to many different cultures and many exotic foods. Not surprisingly, the menu at Fifty South is marked by diversity, including vegan, vegetarian, organic, and biodynamically-farmed foods as well as top-notch burgers and freshly-breaded chicken fingers. The menu itself is a fascinating read. Highly-detailed, it gives credit to the creators of many distinctive dishes: KK’s Favorite, for example (an omelet made with chevre, caramelized onions, spinach, and roasted peppers) or Sierra’s poached pear salad. At Fifty South, diners can count on fresh foods, freshly-prepared and cookedto-order. Everything – salad dressings, soups, mac ‘n cheese – is homemade on site, using top quality foods from local purveyors and seasonally fresh organic produce whenever possible. Kim is detail-driven in both her restaurant and her catering business. "The little things mean a lot," she insists, "and make a big difference. What some people don’t understand is, how you treat everything effects everything. Take cooking oil. We change the oil regularly in our kitchen, and we strain it regularly as well. Oil is hugely expensive these days, but it makes or breaks the food that you’re serving. And it’s stupid not to strain it because it ruins your equipment! If I don’t strain my fryer, it makes my fryer work harder, effects the quality of my food and the life of my fryer. So it makes sense to be fastidious. It may be more expensive in the day to day operations, but in the long run, it is far better." Fifty South is worth a trip from anywhere. Kim Klopstock is forever tinkering with her restaurant, thinking up new ideas and implementing them for fun... just because she can. Some things work, others don’t, but that’s okay. With Kim, it’s all about the possibilities. On top of great food served in a bright and cheerful setting, Fifty South offers art exhibits, cooking classes, wine-tasting, dance lessons, a community table (commonplace in Europe), and a Gold Room for private parties and special occasions.
Fifty South is located at 2128 Doubleday Avenue (Route 50), just north of Ballston Spa.
16
Sustainable Living at The Glen:
Wild Waters Outdoor Center and The Glen Lodge & Market By By Persis Granger, Contributing Writer
Doug Azaert grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, and settled in the Adirondacks in 1982, teaching kayaking with some buddies. After a year or so, they realized that guiding rafters was more lucrative than teaching people how to paddle. Doug spoke of the early days of running the business with his friends.“The first two years they did all the guiding and I was just the chief cook and bottle-washer, and when I saw how much fun they were having, I knew I had to get in on that.”The third year, he had his guide’s license and joined the fun. That enterprise grew into Wild Waters Outdoor Center, a flourishing whitewater rafting business that also offers canoeing and kayaking. The business is headquartered at The Glen, a little settlement that spills over into Thurman, Johnsburg and Chestertown, where NY state route 28 crosses the Hudson. The business was first housed in an early 1900s hotel turned youth hostel known as The Glen House. Doug worked from season to season, enjoying the experience, but not sure where it would lead him. “I think it was not until the tenth year that I stopped mentally asking myself each fall what I’d be doing the next year.” He had found his niche, and in the 1990s, on a blind date with a friend of one of his guides, he also found Aimee Paquin. Aimee explains that an old friend of hers, who guided for Doug, was soon to be married, and he and his bride-to-be had thought it would be nice if Doug had a date - Aimee - for their wedding. Well, it turned out that there was more than one wedding in Doug and Aimee’s future. In 1997 they married, and she became an active participant in the business. Changes were occurring in whitewater rafting in our region. Gone were the days when the clientele was limited to groups of men who came in the spring, played hard, drank hard and went home happy. Rafting became a family activity, and rafting companies extended the sport’s season through fall, with summer becoming the most popular time. The weather is warmer, and rafters aren’t huddled around in cold wetsuits. But with summer comes lower water, and lower water makes for more difficult rafting. More rocks are exposed, creating greater challenges for the guides. But with the extended
season, which now runs from April to October, guides typically make eighty to one hundred trips downriver in a season, and have a chance to sharpen their skills.“People have found,” Doug says, “that a rafting trip is a memorable way to celebrate a graduation or birthday, and even makes an outstanding bachelor party. Everyone is engaged in the activity, enjoying the beautiful scenery.” In the rafting business, safety is always the key issue, as guests are immediately made aware. Guides are all certified, having passed rigorous training and tests, not only in rafting, but also CPR and first aid. More than just guides, Doug’s employees have learned that their role involves entertaining the guests, telling stories, sharing history and passing along information about the area. In November 2000, fate forced a change. The Glen House burned to the ground. By the following summer, a new log structure had arisen from the ashes, to become The Glen Lodge and Market, a bed and breakfast with gift store, a business that was to become primarily Aimee’s. The cozy riverside B&B, with its cedar log furniture, colorful quilts and private baths, boasts many amenities its predecessor could not offer—features Aimee had learned were important to the changing tourist clientele. About sixty percent of the guests are Wild Waters clients, but the Lodge added a fourth season to the Azaerts’ offering, serving as a perfect haven for skiers after a day on the slopes or cross country trails. Guests of Doug and Aimee are often surprised and usually appreciative of the fact that they operate “green” businesses. “For starters,” Doug says,“rafting, canoeing and kayaking are themselves ‘green,’ using no fuel. We use the beautiful rivers of our areas, and it is important to us in many ways to protect them and the rest of our environment.” The buses used to transport their patrons to the designated launch and
17
take-out sites run on “green diesel,” a combination of cooking oil recycled from Gore Mountain Ski Area and diesel fuel. In warmer weather a higher proportion of vegetable oil may be used. Aimee says,“When the buses are idling outside, waiting for passengers to board, there are no unpleasant petroleum fumes—perhaps a hint of French fries or shrimp, but no petroleum.” Fuel for the buses is just the tip of this green iceberg. From kitchen to bathroom, bedroom to market, The Glen Lodge’s household and laundry cleaning products are environmentally friendly, and recycling is a regular part of their day-to-day operation. Aimee says their customers - if they are aware - like the idea, and many of them comment that they would like to “green up” their own homes a bit. She feels she gave up no advantages making the change to green products. The Azaerts participate in National Grid’s “GreenUp Program,” buying exclusively electricity that is produced by wind power. “I think everyone should belong to the GreenUp Program,” Doug says.“It costs a little bit more, but it is worth it. I would rather pay a little more for wind power than know that some of my power bill payment is going to pay for coal.Who wouldn’t?” The Azaerts’ two sons, Brent, aged ten, and Weston, eight, help out with the businesses. Brent regularly sets the tables for breakfast and helps serve dinner. Both boys like to be around when the rafters are suiting up,making sure they have helmets, life jackets and booties.They are comfortable and poised way beyond their years, at ease talking with guests. Neither Doug nor Aimee trained for the businesses they run so effectively today, but the attention to detail they exhibit
shows enormous dedication. Doug will quickly admit that he just stumbled into the rafting business, learning as he went along. In addition to his state-mandated training, he quickly grasped the essentials of his trade.“It’s not easy. It’s important for a guide to always remember to stay focused on the job and the safety of the clients, and to be in good physical shape.” He stresses that if someone wants to be a whitewater guide, he can’t go into it expecting to just go out for a good time. “It’s physically demanding, because you are lifting and loading heavy boats, and sometimes pulling passengers out of the boats or out of the water.” Aimee, trained in accounting but with some experience in the hospitality trade, mentioned that many people tell her they have dreamed of running a B&B. Although she loves her role as innkeeper, she explains that the job entails a lot more than a casual observer might realize. “The B&B owner is housekeeper, a cook, a concierge and a sales clerk, on duty twenty-four hours a day.You shouldn’t attempt it if you aren’t a ‘people person,’ someone who is very customer oriented.” It’s clear that both Aimee and Doug are “people people,” as well as entrepreneurs who understand the value of hard work and the importance of guarding the beautiful Adirondack environment in which they live. About the author: Persis (“Perky”) Granger is a thirty-three year resident of Thurman. She has written two historical novels, “Adirondack Gold,” and its sequel, “A Summer of Strangers,” both set in Thurman in the 1890s and presents programs for adults and kids. She hosts the Adirondack Mountain Writers’ Retreat, August 20-23, 2009. Learn more: www.PersisGranger.com
18
7 8
9B
6
5
4
9A
2 1 3
1 Whitefield's Farm 2 Adirondack Gold Maple Farm 3 The Northwoods Lodge/Taste of Poland & Adirondacks Restaurant 4 Martin's Lumber 5 The Adirondack Mountain Writers' Retreat 6 Nettle Meadow Goat Farm 7 The Glen Lodge & Market 8 Wild Waters Outdoor Center 9A+B Eddy Enterprises Log Homes
19
20
GREENER
than Grass
By Drew Monthie
I have never been a fan of turf grass. For starters I hate mowing and on top of that all 3 species of grasses used in lawns (Bluegrass, Rye and Fescue) are native to Europe. They are cool-season grasses which means that they look their best when temperatures are cool and conditions moist. This is why your lawn looks nice in spring and fall, but not so hot in summer. In their native habitat these grasses go dormant during the hot months of summer. Here in North America to keep turf grass looking good when it's supposed to be resting we waste phenomenal amounts of water: 30 to 60% percent of residential water used outside is used on grass which amounts to more 7 billion gallons of water used per day for lawn irrigation. To fertilize all of this grass and kill the pests common to the unhealthy practice of growing monocultures we use 3 million tons of fertilizers annually. Over 30 thousand tons of synthetic pesticides are used on lawns annually. $2.2 billion (2002) or more is spent annually on pesticides for home and garden use. The average homeowner per acre uses 10 times the amount of pesticides that farmers do (Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, 2008). Many (if not all) non-organic fertilizers and pesticides are organo-phosphates or carbamates meaning they are made from petroleum further increasing our dependence on foreign oil. All of these stats alone should be enough to make us starting thinking of ways to reduce or eliminate lawn area for the sake of our own health and that of our children or pets. What if you could eliminate these grassy areas and grow your own food. This would reduce your grocery bill and cut down on the greenhouse gases created by the transport of food from far off places. You can do this fairly easily! Using a no dig method you can kill the grass and turn the area into a productive garden that will supply your household with fruits, vegetables and herbs. The best spot to grow food is an area that receives between 6 and 8 hours per day, south or southwest facing. Locate this area in your yard and decide how large your garden will be. A 20x20 plot can grow quite a bit of food. You can lay out the area using a garden hose or rope to mark the boundaries or if you are lucky your garden will be located where it is defined by sidewalks or a driveway. Don't be afraid to use your front yard if that's where the sun is-you may inspire some of your neighbors to do the same. Once you have marked out the area cover it with layers of newspapers (5-10 sheets thick) or cardboard. Cover the newspaper or cardboard with 4�-6� of compost, humus or well composted cow manure. Well composted means that it has composted for at least a year to kill weed seeds. Once the area is covered you can begin planting. The advantages to this method are that you don't break your back digging up grass and that the grass decomposes underneath and turns into soil. One further advantage to this method over tilling is that you are not turning up weed seeds from underneath the grass. Seeds can remain viable for years or decades waiting for their chance to grow- a 2000 year old date palm seed discovered in the ancient fortress of Masada in Israel recently sprouted for scientists after its long dormancy.
21 What should your planting strategy be? Your vegetable garden, no matter the size, should have as many different types of plants in it as possible. Be sure to plant plenty of flowers to encourage beneficial insects such as pollinators. Many small pollinating wasps (who are not interested in stinging you unless you try to handle them) have offspring that prey on garden pests such as cutworms and other caterpillars. Diversity in the garden is the key limiting factor in preventing disease or insect problems. Each species of plant has its own complex chemistry. This chemistry can be utilized by some pests, but not others. The diversity ensures predators that will eat pests visit your garden as well as including plants that certain pests cannot eat or won't because they are distasteful. Use heirloom vegetable seeds or plants whenever possible. Many heirloom plants came into existence before the availability of petroleum based pesticides and are naturally resistant to insects and disease. They are also open pollinated meaning that you can save the seeds and plant again the following year. The advantage to this is not just saving money, but also preventing big agribusiness like Monsanto from controlling the food supply and sources of seeds. Another method of reducing the likelihood of pests is to plant in natural patterns not rows. In a monoculture (only one type of crop, like a lawn) if a pest shows up that likes to eat that particular species, there is nothing to limit its spread. Planting a row of vegetables is like creating a runway for bad insects to hone in on: their favorite food spread out for them in easy to follow pattern. If you plan on planting several different varieties of tomatoes for example don't put them all next to each other in the garden, spread them out with other plants like flowers between. The goal is to utilize nature to make your own job easier. Encourage beneficial insects with flowers and try to encourage birds near the garden. Birds may eat some of the fruit in your garden if you have fruiting shrubs or trees, but they more than earn their keep by eating insects. During the breeding season most songbirds have a diet that consists of 70%-90% insects to supply their protein needs and raise their young. Bluebirds, Wrens and Phoebes and many other birds visit my vegetable garden every day to eat insects and I have placed houses nearby to encourage them. Last year I turned a small southwest facing lawn area between my house and garage into a vegetable garden. My old vegetable garden had been further from the house where I was more prone to neglect it. The new garden is in a spot I have to walk past each day from either the front or back doors. Using boxes from a flooring renovation project I covered the area in cardboard and then covered the cardboard with well rotted manure. Then I planted it with corn, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, basil, scarlet runner beans and lots of flowering annuals like nasturtium, salvia, African blue basil and leonotis . When laying out the beds I thought about how I usually walked through this patch of turf-these areas became the paths which I left as grass walkways between the garden beds. All season right up until October I continued to harvest from this small garden. In the fall I shredded leaves as they fell and top dressed the garden for the next growing season. Not only was I able to reduce the amount of lawn I have to mow, but also to grow more of my own food, knowing it had not been treated with chemicals. -continued on Page 23
22
23 -continued from Page 21
I also was able to enjoy the bird life that the garden encouraged. The location of the garden closer to the house meant that I spent more time in it. I could also see it from inside the house making a previously boring lawn area into an attractive focal point. Best of all I was helping encourage diversity and doing my part to fight global climate change. A few tips for new vegetable gardeners: 1.Use a no dig method to save your back, prevent weed seeds in the soil from germinating, recycle old newspapers or cardboard and convert the turfgrass into soil 2. Work with nature by using the natural chemistry of a diverse garden of different plant species to limit insect and disease problems 3. Encourage birds in your garden to feed on harmful insects 4. Don't use petroleum based pesticides- they are harmful to you, your children and pets and also kill beneficial insects and birds 5. Use open source pollinated species such as heirloom varieties of flowers and vegetables 6. Keep adding organics each year to maintain fertility levels in the soil and rotate where in the garden you grow each species to prevent depletion of nutrients (Some plants are very heavy feeders such as corn, cabbage, lettuce, onions, potatoes and tomatoes) and limit insect and disease problems. Drew Monthie is the owner of Ecologic Consulting, specializing in native plant species and ecologically based, plant driven garden design. He can be reached at 518-792-9557 or online at www.ecologicconsulting.net
24
SUSTAINABLE EATING By Mary Beth McCue RD, LDN, CDN, Integrative Nutritionist
There are many methods and opportunities to eat healthy while being penny-wise and “green” during this time of positive reflection on how we impact our environment, our pocketbooks, and our health. Convenient and instant foods are normally more expensive, always less nutritious and leave you feeling tired and lifeless. Many have no whole foods and therefore natural nutrients; many contain non-food items. You will begin to be healthier, happier, more energetic, and more capable of living your life to your fullest potential by practicing the suggestions below. Eating a plant based whole foods diet from local organic or sustainable sources is widely recommended by experts in Integrative Medicine for prevention, wellness and recovery from any health condition. Try to choose one of the items below every week or every other week, so you gradually have tried them all and have incorporated what works for you as an ongoing life-style practice.
DRINK WATER.
This is the best way to hydrate the body. Use your own reusable container and carry it with you throughout the day to try to ingest a total of at least 8 – 10 cups /day, mostly between meals. Have your water source tested for purity harder plastic #7 or higher, stainless steel, or glass. If you like to flavor your water, put 10 % of a beverage in your water. Or ginger, fresh mints, or fruit wedges.
PURCHASE LOCAL/SUSTAINABLE WHOLE FOODS; LOOK FOR SALE ITEMS.
Purchasing and Eating with the seasonal food changes is the healthiest way to eat, incorporates ongoing variety, and should be the most economical. Join your local food co-op to purchase at bulk prices. Consider a membership at a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm or one that is sustainable practices, and consider a fun adventure at a local farmers market. Find purveyors of local and organic foods through eatwellguide.org.
25
for Health, Happiness and Less Costs USE FRUIT & NUTS FOR SNACKS.
Buy fresh and local fruits. Look for sale items. Place in refrigerator in a bowl and place a container of nuts next to it. Avoid buying juice, snack items, candy, ice cream, etc. Have these on a special occasion. Fruit is more nutrient dense, more satisfying and less calorie dense.
COOK WHOLE OATS, COLORED RICE OR QUINOA FOR BREAKFAST.
Purchasing these dry products are far less cheaper and much more nutritious than cereals. Add salt and a fat medium like flax or coconut oil to increase refrigerator shelf life. In the morning, scoop in a bowl. To balance more nutritionally, add fresh fruit, nuts or seed, flax meal, spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice mix, stevia, or small drips of honey or maple syrup.
PLAN MENUS AND SHOPPING LIST.
This will avoid purchasing more than you need. Purchase only what you need and try to use some items for more than one meal or snack. For example, you purchase carrots on sale and you use them for snacks, soups, salads and sides of cooked carrots.
COOK HOMEMADE SOUP OR STEW.
Maybe a week you have purchased produce you have accumulated a variety of vegetables cooked or raw. Toss in a large soup pot. Add your favorite spices or a dry soup mix, water and you favorite bullion flavors, and a protein source such as ground turkey breast, chicken, dry Total Vegetable Protein (TVP), even left over sliced meats. Cooked pasta or rice and add as you use the soup. Freeze some for later use as you eat the soup for a couple days.
FIND SUPPORT TO HELP MAKE THESE CHANGES.
Change is more fun and easier to obtain when you engage with others. There are many ways to create this. Join a CSA and split the membership with someone else; find people in your neighborhood - church - exercise group - that may be interested in doing a very small garden. Create a variety amongst a group and exchange your crops as they grow. Create a community garden. Take turns with pot-luck dinners at friends house once a month and exchange dishes, recipes, success stories, etc. Go to www.VeggieTrader.com. This is a site to trade, buy or sell local homegrown produce.
TAKE HOMEMADE FOODS TO WORK, SCHOOL, TRIPS, ETC.
You will save on costs and be assured you will have healthy choices. Use leftovers, sandwiches, soups, salads, nuts, fruits, and much more.
TRY A SIMPLE NEW RECIPE ONCE EVERY WEEK OR TWO.
This is very helpful to get back to more whole foods cooking. Ask at the farmers market, your food co-op, or go on-line. There are many sites with great recipes, try www.whfoods.com.
GROW A COUPLE HERB PLANTS ON A SUNNY WINDOWSILL OR OUTSIDE.
Pinch off what you need and the plant will continue to grow. This is much more convenient, healthier and less expensive than purchasing fresh herbs. Mary Beth McCue RD, LDN, CDN is an Integrative dietitian recognized for her work in Holistic and Functional Nutrition. She is a certified and licensed Nutritionist in NY and MA., and is certified in Functional Nutrition & Medicine by the Institute for Functional Medicine. With more than 20 yrs experience in clinical, wellness and integrative/holistic nutrition, she offers Corporate, and Community programs, and consults with individuals at the Roosevelt Baths and Spa in Saratoga Springs. Mary Beth has successfully assisted everyone she works with to health recovery, including herself. For more information: www.SIPN.edu. To schedule a consultation: SaratogaNutrition@earthlink.net or 518.257.6530.
26
By Roger Fulton and Mike Carpenter Too many of us overlook great outdoor activities because they are so close to home that we take them for granted. Or they are just far away enough that we don't even know about them. Well, we're going to change that for you! In this regular column we will provide you with a fun and seasonal activity, a place to do it and we'll even give you explicit directions on how to get there. Then it's up to you to get your spouse, family or friends to get “up and out” and join you for a great morning, afternoon, or an all day adventure. LAKE GEORGE BIKE TRAIL # 2 LOWER FEEDER CANAL TRAIL NEAREST TOWN: Hudson Falls, NY GENERAL DESCRIPTION: An interesting down and back trail; total distance 3.5 miles. This trail follows the Feeder Canal from Hudson Falls down to the remnants of the Old Champlain Canal. It is a relatively easy trail on the way down, but what goes down must come back up. So the return trip will be a little more difficult, but you can walk back up the main hill.
WHAT YOU MAY SEE: The first part of this ride is a gradual, almost flat section. The Feeder Canal gently flows along this stretch through residential areas of Hudson Falls. About .75 miles down the trail, the slope descends at a greater rate and you will start to encounter old locks and faster and faster water. When you reach the five combines at the one mile mark, the canal drops quickly on down through several locks to the Old Champlain Canal. Enjoy this nice ride through history by reading the interpretive markers. Picture as many as 100 canal boats a week working their way up and down the canal and locks. HOW TO GET THERE: From I-87 take Exit 19 and follow Route 254 north for approximately 4.4 miles and turn left onto Route 32 toward Hudson Falls. Follow Route 32 about 2 miles to the intersection with Route 4. At the light turn right and follow Route 4 about 1 mile and turn right into Murray Park. Park in the small parking area. GPS READING MURRAY PARK PARKING AREA: N 43° 18.452' W 073° 34.947' 5 COMBINES LOCKS: N 43° 17.824' W 073° 34.155'' CAUTIONS: Be careful of crossing automobile traffic at trail intersections.
27 SEASON-HOURS-FEES-PARKING: This is a three season biking trail open during daylight hours.There are no fees and there is adequate parking at both ends of Murray Park. FACILITIES: You will find picnic facilities at Murray Park, at the 5 Combines and a lone picnic table at the end of the Feeder Canal at the bridge. Otherwise there are no other facilities. WHAT WE FOUND: To begin this segment of the trail you must cross Route 4. (Grab an orange pedestrian flag and carry it across if you want.) Once across Route 4, cross the bridge and immediately turn right onto Lower Feeder Street and follow the road and path along the canal. The trail will lead you down to the 5 Combines. From there continue down the hill for another .7 miles to Lock 1 and a bridge. That it where the Feeder Canal meets the Old Champlain Canal and that is the end of this segment. At the one mile mark you will encounter an impressive series of old locks known as the 5 Combines. Today the water flows freely down them, but when the Feeder Canal was in operation each of the five locks raised or lowered a canal boat eleven feet, for a total of 55 feet. Stop and read the interpretive markers along the locks and enjoy the overlook bridges. You will find out how high 55 feet really is when you begin to come back up the trail from below the 5 combines.
SPECIAL TALE: In our research on the Feeder Canal we ran across information on the Feeder Canal Letterbox. The website for it gave explicit directions as to where the Letterbox was, but we had no idea WHAT it was. So we followed the directions and we found the Letterbox. It was a small container with a rubber stamp and a log book. It also included a fact sheet all about Letterboxing. Letterboxing is a fun game that incorporates some navigational skills with a bit of treasure hunting. You generally find clues on the Internet and off you go to find the Letterbox, usually placed somewhere on public land.Once you find it you log in with your own unique rubberstamp (or just write in a note) and use the Letterbox rubber stamp to stamp your own ongoing journal.In some cases you can contact the owner of the Letterbox. It's all good fun and another excuse to spend time with the family outdoors.For more information go to www.Letterboxing.org and happy hunting! This mini-adventure is excerpted from the recently released book, 25 Interesting Bicycle Trails in the Lake George, NY Region by Roger Fulton and Mike Carpenter.“Outdoor books for ordinary people� is their theme for several regional outdoor books for this area, and more on the way.You can access all of their titles at www.RogerFulton.com or www.commonmanbooks.com or ask for them at your local bookstore.
28
DRIVING THE 2009
Green Car of the Year By David Delozier
With the memory of gas prices at record highs just months ago and credit increasingly tight, many people are looking for a vehicle that won't break the bank at the showroom or at the pump. For nearly a million people in recent years, the only answer has been the Toyota Prius. But before you go and join the ranks of the numerous Prius owners, ask yourself, "Do you like to drive?" Well do you? For many Americans, the answer to that question is a resounding "No!" And there's nothing wrong with that. Most people just want to get from one place to another in the shortest possible time with the least amount of stress. They want their driving time to be peaceful and uneventful. For those people, there are cars like the Toyota Prius and Camry, Honda Accord and Ford Taurus. Then there are the rest of us who like to get in a car and find a route to our destination that does not minimize the directional changes, or the distance between the origin and terminus. For those of you in this group, Volkswagen now offers the Jetta TDI. The Jetta TDI has been named the 2009 Green Car of the Year, which is the diesel engine version of the popular VW sedan I know what you're thinking - diesel and green don't usually go together in the same sentence. Mention “Green Cars,� and the hybrid drivetrain comes to mind. Mention diesel, and black smoke spewing out of a dump truck is the image that arises. Actually, VW has been making diesel cars for years, and has developed quite a following of fans.
29 twisty, turny roads a real joy.The back roads of Warren County will put any car to the test and the Jetta comes away with high marks. Since the TDI is considered to be a high mileage vehicle, I decided to find out how much driving style affected the mileage. I didn't do any jack rabbit starts or race down the straights, but knowing that VW aims for fun to drive, I decided to see how much driving for fun would cost. I made no real attempt to maximize fuel efficiency, instead focusing on the fun. Nonetheless, even after a couple of stretches totaling 15 miles of going mostly uphill and squirting from one turn to the next, the mileage according to the trip computer just barely dipped below 27 mpg. By the time we returned to the home, a glance at the dashboard mpg monitor showed an averaged 32.7 mpg. Not bad for non-highway driving over hill and dale! Some of these older models have become coveted for their conversion to biodiesel veggie fuel. But with the advent of stringent clean air standards adopted by California and here in New York in the last few years, VW could not sell their diesel cars. So the engineers at VW went back to the drawing board, and have retooled the engine so that it now passes the emissions regulations for all 50 states. So now the VW Jetta TDI joins the ranks the other so-called “green” cars. The most obvious competitors for the Jetta TDI in terms of size, price and fuel efficiency are the Prius and Civic Hybrid. The Jetta TDI lags behind its Japanese rivals in terms of official EPA numbers with the German being rated at 29/40 mpg with a 6-speed DSG transmission and 1 mpg more with a manually-operated clutch. The Prius scores 48/45 and the Civic Hybrid rates 40/45. AJ Thurber, the sales consultant for Langan VW in Schenectady, told me that the EPA's new test cycle underestimates real world mileage by 15-20 percent. He said,“VW knew the TDI would perform better, so they contracted an independent testing company called AMCI to run some real world driving tests, and they yielded 38 mpg in the city and 44 on the highway.”That puts the actual mpg in the range of the hybrid cars The good folks at Langan VW gave me an opportunity to take it for a spin, so I jumped at the chance. I took the car up to the Thurman Maple Festival in Warren County, knowing that it would be the perfect proving ground. No highways, just county roads winding through Corinth, Hadley, Stoney Creek and finally Thurman. On the road, the Jetta TDI is a pleasure to drive. The car I was driving was equipped with a Sport transmission, which responded to acceleration and deceleration like a manual gearbox. When descending hills, there was no upshifting that is common in automatics, so the engine provided braking, not acceleration. For cornering and steering, letting up on the gas and applying the brakes triggers the transmission to downshift for you. That feature, coupled with the Jetta's tight suspension, makes driving the
With a starting price tag for the sedan of just $22,270 (minus a $1,300 tax credit) for a well-equipped model and $23,870 for the TDI Sportwagen, this car is a great deal for those of you looking for excellent fuel economy and a fun to drive car. Even with the current $0.49 / gallon premium for diesel compared to regular gas, you'll still come out well ahead. It seems to be the perfect choice for those who want an efficient fuelsipping “green” car but don't want to look like they're driving one. And on the off chance you decide to check out a little Fahrvergnügen, it's right there below your right foot.
30
Satchel - Remsen Street 720-0050 Purses and handbags. DNIPRO - Remsen Street 378-4240. Ukranian Deli and Polish Food Emporium. Cohoes Music Hall - 58 Remsen Street 237-5858 www.cohoesmusichall.com. Live theater and cabaret year round. Marvelous Things - 100 Remsen Street 588-6361 www.shopmarvelousthings.com Clothing and accessories boutique. Bread and Jam CafĂŠ - 130 Remsen Street 326-2275 www.breadandjamcafe.com Coffee house, eatery, and live entertainment venue. Lingualinx - 122 Remsen Street 388-9000 www.lingualinx.com Offering language interpretation throughout the world. Oberlander Group - 143 Remsen St. 720-0500 www.oberlanderdesign.com Public relations and brand communications group.
31