Eucalyptus Magazine, February 2010

february 2010 FREE

bay area Life Vibrant Health Eco-Living

eucalyptusmagazine.com

artisan

coffee & chocolates barefoot coffee schurra’s fine confections peet’s coffee saratoga chocolates

plus

responsible investing everett family farm kids’ gardening project greening your office

February 2010

On the Cover 24 A Passion for Coffee sunset on eucalyptus, http://jordibertran.com/blog

By Desiree Hedberg

27 Perfection in a Cup

By Desiree Hedberg

28 Peet’s Green Brew

By Kristin Carey

30 Sweet Seduction

By Jesse Kimbrel

Cover photo by Kyle Chesser

Features 35 Responsible Investing

By Alan Lopez

Departments 8 Living Smart: E-waste Recycling 11 Path to Wellness: Rolfing 12 Healing Foods: Sea Vegetables 15 Small Steps: Eco-friendly Office 16 Sandbox Talk: Kids’ Gardening Project 19 Grown Local: Everett Family Farm 22 Staycation: Moss Beach

In Every Issue 3 Publisher’s Note 4 Calendar of Events 7 Stuff We Like 37 Resource Guide 40 Tidbits

EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 1

MISSION Our mission is to educate, share knowledge, and inspire our readers to take charge of their health and wellness and to help protect the environment we all live in.

In each edition we profile a successful company or individual provider within the health, wellness, and eco-industries, and provide information on local products and services that support healthy and eco-friendly lifestyles.

It is our dream that Eucalyptus Magazine becomes your first resource and companion to living naturally in the Bay Area. All of us here at Eucalyptus Magazine will do our best to help you live in harmony and to connect you with local products and services that will help you accomplish your goals.

ADVERTISE AND GROW YOUR BUSINESS Reach our affluent, well-educated, environmental- and health- conscious readers who are eagerly seeking resources that will improve their health, well-being, and sustainability. For more information, please contact us at 866.797.6570 or advertising@eucalyptusmagazine.com.

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS We welcome your news briefs and event listings; please send to editor@eucalyptusmagazine.com.

DISTRIBUTION Eucalyptus Magazine is a free publication supported solely by our advertisers with wide distribution throughout the Bay Area.

To find Eucalyptus Magazine at a location near you, contact us at 866.797.6570 or distribution@eucalyptusmagazine.com. Let us know if you would like copies placed at your place of business.

Please support our advertisers by letting them know you saw them in this publication.

In keeping with our concern for the environment, Eucalyptus Magazine is printed on recycled paper using 10% post-consumer waste with soy-based inks.

EUCALYPTUS Michaela Marek Publisher and Founder publisher@eucalyptusmagazine.com

EDITORIAL Editor Ann Marie Brown Contributing Writers Kristin Carey Erica Goss Desiree Hedberg Jessica Iclisoy Shannon Johnson Jesse Kimbrel Alan Lopez Sue McAllister Jennifer Moscatello Copyeditors Renee Macalino Rutledge Erin Soto DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Creative Director and Lead Photographer Kyle Chesser, theHandsOnStudio.com Designer Greg Silva Contributing Photographers Victoria Alexander

chief EXECUTIVE officer Reinald Schneller ADVERTISING SALES Director of Sales Jan Rowe Account Executives Cari Ralstin Larry Tringali Cynthia Wehr business manager Cindy Cribbs CONTACT 15559 Union Avenue, Suite 215 Los Gatos, CA 95032 Phone 866.797.6570, Fax 408.877.7303 info@eucalyptusmagazine.com EucalyptusMagazine.com Subscription rate $24.00 per year Advertising rates on request

AZ

2 | February 2010

Volume 1, Issue 8

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E

ALYPTU UC LOCALLY & OWNED D PRODUCE MA G INE

Š2010 by Eucalyptus Magazine. Eucalyptus is a registered trademark in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. All rights reserved. Some parts of this magazine may be reproduced with written permission only. We welcome your ideas, articles, and feedback. Although every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy of published materials, Eucalyptus Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors. We do not necessarily endorse products and services advertised. Always consult a professional provider for clarification.

publisher’s note

The mission of

Eucalyptus Magazine is to inspire all of us to take action to improve the quality of our lives, and the life of our community. Sometimes the articles we publish describe the more obvious ways to do so— through activities like recycling, exercising, or eating organic foods. Other times our editorial is intended to shine a light on ways that are not so obvious. This issue contains that kind of message.

In our society, we are heavily influenced by marketing— some subtle, some not. Most of us don’t think twice about where to buy our coffee, books, or food because a bombardment of marketing campaigns has told us where to do so. The big chain stores “jump” to the forefront of our consciousness and pull us in.

But would you shop differently—even for small, everyday purchases—if you knew that you could improve the lives of your neighbors? According to the nonprofit The 3/50 Project (the350project.net), “For every $100 spent in locally owned, independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures.”

By making a concerted effort to shop in our communities at locally owned businesses, we create a small ripple that moves across a very large pond.

We could choose to get our morning lattes at locally owned coffee shops instead of the national chains. Perhaps we could buy our Valentine’s chocolates from local shops that have a long history in the neighborhood. Or we could go to our neighborhood farmers’ market and exchange our hard-earned dollars—and a few smiles—with the people who work long days to bring wholesome food to our table.

By making small purchases on a daily basis from people who live and work in our community, we contribute to the well-being of their businesses and the people they employ.

We help to keep money and happiness in our community.

Let’s make a difference, one purchase at a time.

Cheers!

kyle chesser

Michaela Marek Publisher and Founder

EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 3

upcoming events

calendar

Saturday, February 6 / 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Sprouts are Good: Grow Sprouts in Your Kitchen Common Ground Garden Supply 559 College Ave., Palo Alto 650.493.6072 / commongroundinpaloalto.org

Saturday, February 6 / 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Go Red for Women Celebration Macy’s Women’s Store, Westfield Valley Fair, Santa Clara 408.977.4950 / americanheart.org

Tuesday, February 9 / 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Eucalyptus Magazine Networking Event Sonya Paz Gallery, Campbell 408.370.1490 / sonyapaz.com

Saturday, February 13 / 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Composting the Grow Bio-Intensive Way Common Ground Garden Supply 559 College Ave., Palo Alto 650.493.6072 / commongroundinpaloalto.org

Wednesday, February 17 / 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Silicon Valley Green Drinks: Green Business Networking MacArthur Park Restaurant, Palo Alto 650.321.9990 / greendrinks.org

4 | February 2010

Saturday, February 20 / 9 a.m. to 12 noon Salt Pond Restoration at Ravenswood Pond Dumbarton Bridge west end, Menlo Park 510.452.9261 / savesfbay.org

Saturday, February 20 / 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Hike the Perimeter Trail at Bedwell Bayfront Park Bedwell Bayfront Park, Menlo Park 408.262.5513 / southbayrestoration.org

Saturday, February 20 / 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

All About Fruit Trees Common Ground Garden Supply 559 College Ave., Palo Alto 650.493.6072 / commongroundinpaloalto.org

Saturday, February 27 / 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Harvesting for the Hungry: Help to Pick Fruit Conexions Center 1023 Corporation Way, Palo Alto 888.Fruit.411 / villageharvest.org

Saturday, February 27 / 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Go Red for Women: Wine and Dine Around Santana Row, San Jose 408.977.4950 / santanarow.com

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The next time you mop up a spill from the kitchen counter or clean off the crud from the bathroom mirror, shun the spray cleaner and fistful of paper towels.

Over a million tons of paper towels soaked with toxic cleaning chemicals end up in landfills every year. Instead, reach for an E-cloth, which is made from fibers that attract dirt and grease, allowing you to clean with water only— no chemicals. The cloths can be washed and reused up to 300 times ($10 for one cloth, $30 for four cloths, ecloth.com).

By Any Other Name Stumped for a Valentine’s Day idea? Adopt a rose at Guadalupe River Park and Gardens in San Jose and see your name and that of your loved one posted alongside a blooming American Beauty or Lavender Pinocchio. The park’s Heritage Rose Garden at Spring and Taylor streets has more than 3,000 varieties of antique, modern, and miniature roses—more than any other garden in the Western hemisphere ($50 for one year, 408.298.7657, grpg.org).

what stuff do you like? nominate your favorite stuff by e-mailing us at editor@eucalyptusmagazine.com

Spare the Air For great tips on driving, cleaning, entertaining, and saving energy that will also improve the quality of the air you breathe, check out the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s website, sparetheair.org.

clockwise from top left: courtesy guadalupe rose garden; courtesy e-cloth; daniel E. Johnson; courtesy Fresh snack pack

Kohlrabi

Reusable Lunch Packaging Making its debut at the San Francisco Green Festival last fall, the sandwich-size Fresh Snack Pack provides a simple solution for lunchtime food storage. This non-toxic, PVC-free packaging will last much longer than your garden-variety Ziploc bag, and serves as a handy placemat as well as a carrying case for your lunch ($4.50, freshsnackpack.com).

It looks like an onion and takes like broccoli, but it’s really a member of the cabbage family.

Both the bulb and the leaves can be eaten raw or cooked.

Suggestions: Shred the leaves and add to a stir-fry, or cut up the bulb and roast it in a 450-degree oven with olive oil and sea salt.

For variety, add other root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, or parsnips. In about 30 minutes, you have a tasty winter side dish.

EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 7

stuff we like

E-cloths

living smart

Saying good-bye to old electronics /// by jennifer moscatello

If Santa brought

newer models of cell phones, televisions, computers, or digital music players into your home during the holiday season, you may wonder what to do with the old items they’re replacing. You can’t toss your outdated electronics in the trash because e-waste contains toxic chemicals that contaminate groundwater. Dumping e-waste is illegal in most municipalities.

Instead, consider these choices:

REUSE Before you discard your old gadget, consider if it is still in func- tional condition and could be useful to someone. If it is, donate it to a local nonprofit. Donating is a win-win proposition: It extends a product’s life cycle, and schools, shelters, and other nonprofits benefit by receiving a commodity they may not have been able to afford. For example, the Support Network for Battered Women (snbw.org) gratefully accepts donations of used cell phones in working condition. Vision Literacy (visionliteracy.org), which strives to improve literacy for Santa Clara County adults, welcomes donations of laptop and desktop computers. Check with your desired recipient, however, before passing along used electronics. If not in proper working condition, the organization may not have the resources or technical know-how to refurbish it.

For electronics ready to be recycled, HOPE Services (hopeservices.org), a San Jose nonprofit that works to help people of all ages with developmental disabilities, accepts used computers, monitors, 8 | February 2010

RECYCLE If your item is no longer functioning, you have two choices: Send it to the manufacturer or retailer for disposal, or drop it by an e-waste recycling facility. If you do the latter, be sure to pick a responsible recycling center that will extract your item’s salvageable parts to use in manufacturing new products. According to the Silicon Valley Toxins Coalition (svtc.org), only 10 percent of computers are recycled properly. The rest are frequently exported to developing countries for recycling, where their toxic parts may be handled by impoverished workers and children without safety protection.

Many electronics manufacturers, including Apple, Dell, Motorola, Nokia, and Panasonic offer e-waste recycling programs. You simply send the old product back. Some retailers, like Best Buy and Circuit City, also accept used electronics. Check with your local store.

If you choose to take your items to an e-waste recycling facility, the following is a list of local recyclers that are approved by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition: Green Citizen, 161 Homer Ave., Palo Alto, 650.493.8700 x101, greencitizen.com United Datatech, 627 Walsh Ave., Santa Clara, 408.986.0539, uniteddatatech.com Metech Recycling, 6200 Engle Way, Gilroy, 408.848.3050, metechgroup.com Many other e-waste recycling facilities exist in the South Bay, as well as weekend collection events and recycling fairs. Don’t assume that these are all responsible recyclers. Ask for credentials and question their business practices. How do they dispose of equipment? Do they process on-site or export the materials? Find out how they do business before you entrust them with your used electronics.

jelena popic/istock photo

e-waste

mouses, televisions, cell phones, and DVD players. The organization partners with an e-waste recycling company, which pays them for contributions. That money is then used to fund their programs.

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path to wellness

rolfing Gravity, stress,

and aging cause physical changes in our bodies, which can lead to pain and stiffness. Rolfing Structural Integration, a method of releasing tightness in the connective tissues that bind together muscles, claims to realign the body through a series of deep-pressure manipulations. Often described as a cross between a chiropractic treatment and a deep-tissue massage, Rolfing’s chief emphasis is on freeing the body’s connective tissue, or fascia, from restrictions.

In the 1940s, Dr. Ida Rolf developed what she first called “Postural Release” and later “Structural Integration of the Human Body.” (Her devotees adopted the name “Rolfing.”) Rolf stated, “Fascial planes are sometimes like bandages. The body ties itself together, winds itself around, and really pulls the fascial bandage tight.” A Rolfing practitioner attempts to unblock the fascia so that muscles can slide freely beneath it.

A typical treatment begins with the Rolfer examining your posture, and perhaps taking “before” photographs. You will then be asked to lie or sit on a massage table or floor mat, and the practitioner will begin the Rolfing movements, manipulating the fascia using his or her elbows, fingers, and knuckles. Rolfers try to locate the tight places in the fascia, and then “open” those places with slowly increasing pressure. You may be asked to breathe in sync with the manipulations.

Holding manual pressure in the areas between connective tissues, Rolfers are able to feel when the fascia release. After several sessions, the practitioner goes deeper into the problem areas. Many people find that they are more limber after only one session, although 10 sessions is the recommended course of treatment.

Rolfing’s benefits may include improved posture, flexibility, and less pain. Rolfing is also effective in treating injuries, which tend to

Release for the body

/// by erica goss

cause scarring and inflammation, and pain and stiffness caused by habits such as sitting in front of a computer for too long.

“Three factors contribute to connective tissue problems,” says Michael Murphy, a certified advanced Rolfer from Los Altos with over 30 years’ experience. “The first is genetics. I can go to a family reunion and spot the inherited physical characteristics right away. Second is injuries and physical trauma. Last is what I call modeling, or the practice of imitating other people, such as cultural icons, which develops unnatural postural habits leading to physical problems.

“Overall body alignment is more than just an aesthetic,” Murphy adds. “An improperly aligned body struggles against gravity, wasting energy that could be used in more positive ways. Ida Rolf believed that years of fighting gravity could lead to premature aging.”

Clients’ reactions to a Rolfing treatment range from no sensation of pain to a high level of discomfort. “Rolfing techniques have become more subtle over the years,” says Murphy. “Rolfers listen carefully to what clients tell them about how much pressure is comfortable.”

In existence for over 60 years, Rolfing is enjoying a resurgence.

Oprah’s Dr. Oz recently gave Rolfing the Oprah’s Golden Seal of Approval.

South Bay Rolfers Per Haaland, Los Gatos: 831.479.9565, perhaalandrolfing.com Michele Richards, Los Gatos: 408.393.3912 Deborah Weidhaas, Los Gatos: 408.354.7654, rolfingpro.com Karen Giles-Parrish, San Jose: 408.564.0334 Kalyani Gilliam-Salman, San Jose: 831.626.3662 Michael Murphy, Los Altos: 650.559.7653, murphyrolfing.com EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 11

healing foods

sea vegetables

Wakame seaweed salad

Edible kelp or seaweed are healthful additions to your diet /// by ann marie brown

Since Popeye was

a sailor man, it’s hard to figure why he ate spinach instead of sea vegetables, also known as kelp or seaweed. Reigning supreme on most nutrition charts, sea vegetables boast an impressive list of health benefits. They provide the broadest range of minerals of any food, containing virtually all of the minerals found in the ocean— the same 56 trace elements that are found in the human body. Besides containing significant amounts of calcium, iron, iodine, and potassium, sea vegetables are also an excellent source of vitamin K and the B vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12. A snack of roasted nori or an appetizer of miso soup with wakame packs a hefty punch of nutrients.

Western cultures have only recently begun to enjoy the taste and nutritional value of sea vegetables, but they have been a staple in Japan for centuries, making up about 20 percent of the average Japanese diet. Here in California, local sources of seaweed are plentiful. Native Americans have been harvesting seaweed on 12 | February 2010

the Northern California coast for thousands of years. Today, a few commercial harvesters like the Mendocino Sea Vegetable Company continue that tradition. Sea vegetables can thrive at great depths in marine saltwater, provided that sunlight can penetrate through to their leaves. They are neither plants nor animals, but classified in a group known as algae.

Numerous varieties of sea vegetables can be found in supermarkets and health food stores throughout the year. Edible sea vegetables are grouped into categories by color—brown, red, or green. Each is unique, having a distinct shape, taste, and texture. One of the most popular is nori, a dark, purple-black seaweed that turns phosphorescent green when toasted. Most people know it as the “wrapper” in sushi rolls.

Kelp, which is light brown to dark green in color, is readily available in flake form. Kombu is dark in color and generally sold in strips or sheets. It is often used as a flavoring for soups. Wakame is similar to kombu and commonly used in miso soup.

How to Select and Store Look for sea vegetables that are sold in tightly sealed packages.

Avoid those that have evidence of excessive moisture. Store sea vegetables in tightly sealed containers at room temperature and they will stay fresh for several months.

Easy Serving Ideas • Slice nori into small strips and sprinkle on top of salads.

• Keep a container of kelp flakes on the dinner table and use instead of table salt for seasoning foods.

• When cooking beans, put kombu in the cooking water. It will expedite cooking and improve the beans’ digestibility.

• Add sea vegetables to your next bowl of soup—not just miso, but any kind.

Michael Wm. Murphy

THE SMILE SPECIALIST

CERTIFIED ADVANCED ROLFER A faculty member of the Rolf Institute® of Structural Integration and a Board-certified practitioner, Michael has been a student of the work of Dr. Ida Rolf since 1975.

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✦

Call for a complimentary consultation.

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14 | February 2010

small steps

greening your office Eight tips for an earth-friendly workplace

If you are

like most eco-conscious individuals, recycling, composting, and other environmentally friendly decisions are made in your household without so much as a second thought. But how many of us follow a sustainable lifestyle at work? Considering that the greater part of most of our lives is spent in the office, it’s important to carry our values into the workplace. Here are some small steps to being “green” at work: 1. Pitch for a trash-free workplace An estimated 1.8 million tons of waste is generated by items used once, then thrown away.

Replace costly paper towels with cool-air hand dryers or cloth hand towels. Start an office policy that weans everyone off disposable cutlery, cups, and plates. Instead, employees can bring their own dishes from home.

/// by Shannon Johnson

can be outfitted with an attachment called a duplexer, which allows double-sided printing. New software such as Greenprint eliminates blank pages from documents before printing.

6. Recycle, recycle, recycle Lobby for the use of recycled copy paper, Post It Notes, and other commonly used paper products in your office. All recycled paper is not created the same; check to see how much of the paper is made from post-consumer recycled content. The higher the percentage, the better. Make sure your office has plentiful recycling bins for paper, cans, plastic, and bottles. If not, then get together with your co-workers and form a recycling league. Each person agrees to collect one type of recyclable for the week and take it home to their own bin.

7. Replace old staplers with a staple-free stapler

2. If it’s an option, work from home Take advantage of any

flextime offers if they are available. Working from home one day a week can have a dramatic effect on your gas consumption and the corresponding carbon dioxide that is released into our air supply. If your employer won’t let you work at home, ask about working four ten-hour days instead of five eight-hour days, cutting the energy and time spent on commuting by 20 percent.

3. Green your commute If you live within a reasonable proximity

to your workplace, walk, ride a bike, or take public transportation. If none of those options are viable, start a carpool, preferably with an electric or hybrid car owner, or look into car-sharing services.

For the same price of a regular stapler ($8), you can live a staplefree life. Not only do you do away with the residual cost of buying staples, but you can help reduce the amount of steel produced. If every office worker used one less staple every day for a year, the United States would save approximately 120 tons of steel.

8. Switch from Google to Blackle Most of us spend a lot of

time on Google. Like most websites, Google has a white background.

Blackle (blackle.com) is an alternative to Google that has a black background, which uses much less energy. It’s powered by Google so you get the same searches.

4. Shut down your computer (or at least put it to sleep) and turn off your desk lamp when you will be away from your desk for 30 minutes or more. Even screen savers waste energy, so set your screen saver to “blank” or “none.” At the end of the day, unplug your monitors, lamps, phones, etc., or switch off the power strip they are plugged into, so they can’t waste energy while stuck in “standby mode.”

Mark Poprocki/istockphoto

5. Think before you print It is said that

the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy and printing paper each year.

Store important documents digitally, discipline yourself to read on your screen, and encourage others to do the same by adding a “think before you print” message in your email signature. When you do print, always use both sides of the paper, or save single-sided pages for scrap. Most printers EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 15

sandbox talk

gardening helps children gain knowledge in science, literacy, nutrition, the environment, and problem-solving. And gardening provides ready-to-eat treats, too.

A “bean teepee” is a child-friendly gardening champion. Pole beans are the perfect growers, as these climbing plants will quickly cover the simple teepee frame. This great-looking architectural feature also provides kids with fantasy-play and hiding places.

Kids can decorate the outside of their teepee with quick-growing flowers like nasturtiums, sunflowers, and marigolds. They can plant them in creative containers like an old basket, a forgotten dump truck, or even outgrown shoes. They’ll quickly learn that working in the garden is a delight instead of a chore.

To guarantee that this weekend project is filled with messy fun and will ensure a plentiful harvest, plan ahead. First, check your calendar. To be sure your beans will sprout, wait until all danger of frost has passed and the soil remains above 65 degrees (typically March 1 in the South Bay). Second, consider your location. Pole beans need at least five hours of direct sunlight each day. Check your site’s light pattern and choose a sunny spot.

Supply list

Planting a bean teepee helps little green thumbs learn gardening skills early /// by Jessica Iclisoy

Starting children on

the gardening path early helps them to make a connection between the seed planted in the garden and the food on their plate, and awakens their senses to new culinary possibilities. Maintaining a home garden also helps to encourage adventurous eating and healthy food choices that can last a lifetime.

According to the National Gardening Association, the nation’s leading provider of plant-based educational materials for grades K-12, 16 | February 2010

Jessica Iclisoy is the founder of California Baby, a natural skincare line for babies, kids, and sensitive adults. Visit her website at californiababy.com.

greg silva

kids’ container gardening

• three pots (15- or 25-gallon size) • organic potting soil mix • three six-foot-long bamboo poles or garden stakes • biodegradable, natural-fiber twine • one packet of pole beans (not bush beans, which do not climb as high) Getting started Space the three pots two feet apart in a triangle shape. Place a pole in each pot and tie the tops of the three poles together. Fill the pots with rich, organic gardening soil.

Planting how-to Have your child push the seeds with his or her fingers into the soil 1.5 inches deep. Space the seeds every two to three inches around each pole.

Feeding and watering Since container plants cannot pull their nutrients from the ground, they need to be fed throughout the season. Try an organic liquid fertilizer at half-strength, applied every three weeks or so. Also, be sure to keep your beans watered.

A drip line or soaker hose is better than overhead watering, which can encourage mildew and other unwanted diseases.

Harvest often Pick the beans as soon as they reach a desirable size. At the young stage, they are tender and tasty eaten straight from the vine.

For more information and gardening supplies, visit groworganic.com and mastergardeners.org.

EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 17

It’s Hip to Clip With great resources for living well and several hundred coupons from the greatest local businesses, EcoMetro Metro Guide is like a smart, devoted friend, cheering out that, Yes, you can live a healthy lifestyle on your budget.

New 2010 EcoMetro Metro Guide available at Silicon Valley/Santa Cruz area retailers and at ecometro.com

18 | February 2010

grown local Rich and Laura Everett take a break in front of one of the persimmon trees at their Soquel farm.

he works for food Rich Everett’s Family Farm

/// by erica Goss

victoria alexander

In spite of

the occasional catastrophes—like the day when a compost truck took out an entire irrigation system—Rich Everett says his worst days of farming are probably better than most people’s best days at work. “We love what we do. It’s just that simple,” Everett says.

Everett Family Farm sits on approximately 40 acres of Soquel’s deep topsoil, which is blessed with ample sunshine, a mild climate, and plenty of rain. The farm is run by Everett, his wife Laura, their three daughters, and a few paid helpers. They manage a bustling EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 19

Home on the range: Chickens roam free at Everett Family Farm

20 | February 2010

Everett believes that education is critical to promoting the benefits of organic food, which is often more expensive than non-organic. “Organic food’s higher cost is due to the additional labor it takes,” he says.

He cites the enormous amount of recordkeeping required for a farm to keep its “organic” status. Farmers must account for everything they put into the land, as well as everything they take out. Crops and animals must be regularly rotated. To reduce the need for pesticides, organic farmers plant

“The most important thing that people can do is buy local food,” says Everett. hedgerows of plants that attract predatory insects, which feed on the insects that are destructive to their crops.

Everett Family Farm was Laura Everett’s idea. “We wanted our children to have the experience of growing up on a farm. They work hard here. Each does her chores before school and later in the day,” she says. “A perfect day is when the kids have done their chores, and we all sit down to a meal that comes completely from the farm.”

Rich Everett attributes the farm’s success to the fact that his wife grew up on a family farm in Napa. “My wife is the real farmer.

I’m just the hired hand,” he says.

Visit the farmstand at Everett Family Farm at 2111 Old San Jose Rd., Soquel, 831.566.0472.

victoria alexander

operation that includes selling organic produce to local restaurants, grocery stores, and farmers’ markets, plus running their own roadside stand seven days a week.

If you’ve had a glass of Martinelli’s apple juice, you’ve probably tasted a Pippin from one of Everett’s trees, but apples aren’t their only crop. Everett Family Farm also produces 30 types of vegetables, Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons, strawberries, Heritage raspberries, and cut flowers for bouquets.

The farm’s free-range hens lay organic eggs.

Everett also sees the farm as a vehicle to educate people about organic farming and healthy living. “The most important thing people can do is buy local food,” says Everett.

To help spread the word, the family was one of 60 farms that hosted an "Outstanding in the Field" event last year, serving dinner alfresco to about 150 guests. The concept of Santa Cruz farmer and entrepreneur Jim Denevan, the dinners are designed to put diners directly in touch with the source of their food. Between rows of corn and lettuce in the farm fields, tables are set with fancy linens and silverware. After the first three courses, guests pick their own berries and hand them over to the chef, who creates a fancy dessert for each person.

“Our farm dinners are a huge success,” says Everett. “We sold out in one hour.”

Even when guests aren’t present, the Everett family lives what they preach.

Breakfast often includes pancakes made from the farm’s organic eggs and milk from the flock of dairy goats. “We don’t buy much at the store. Most of what we eat is grown right here,” says Everett.

Speak Up to Save Lives Be a part of the local Go Red For Women movement at an upcoming event during Heart Month: Feb. 4:

Stanford Women’s Basketball Goes Cardinal Red Maples Pavilion, 7 p.m.

Feb. 5:

National Wear Red Day — various events including special appearances by the San Francisco 49ers

Feb. 6:

Go Red For Women event, Macy’s Valley Fair

Feb. 14: Healthy Valentines event, Sunnyvale Feb. 27: Go Red For Women Wine & Dine event Santana Row, 2-6 p.m.

Save the date: SILICON vaLLey GO Red FOR WOmeN LUNCheON may 7, 2010 Fairmont hotel, San Jose

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EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 21

staycation A sea star clings to the reef at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

moss beach marvels Montara San Mateo

San Jose

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Princeton

El Granada

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22 | February 2010

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Less than an hour from San Francisco or San Jose but thriving at a gentler pace ruled by the moon’s magnetic pull, the hamlet of Moss Beach unfolds its magic. Along the coast, the twice-daily ebb of ocean tides exposes an otherwise hidden world. Life slows down to match the rhythm of the sea as beachgoers scan the rocky reefs for hermit crabs, starfish, and anemones. Moving inland, visitors find an unpretentious seaport with locally owned shops and restaurants, where friendly conversation is just as important as commerce. /// by Ann Marie Brown

Oceano Hotel & Spa

Half Moon Bay Brewing Company

Moss Beach Distillery

Blue Sky Farms Nursery & Café

BEACHCOMB Consult a tide table. When the tide drops to one foot or less, show up at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve to view the splendors of the reef. Proper timing is critical for the maximum “reveal.”

Below-zero tides show off the greatest variety of intertidal treasures. 650.728.3584, fitzgeraldreserve.org SIP Do as the locals do. Imbibe in a Mavericks Amber Ale while you listen to live music at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company. You might find yourself seated on a barstool next to brewmaster Alec Moss or one of the coast’s surfing legends. 650.728.2739, hmbbrewingco.com LUNCH Order a Dungeness crab quesadilla on the Moss Beach

Distillery’s outdoor deck, then scan the sea for the telltale spouts

of passing gray whales. If the fog moves in, wrap up in a wool blanket (they’re provided) and snuggle with your sweetie by the gas fire pits. 650.728.0220, mossbeachdistillery.com STAY The casually elegant Oceano Hotel & Spa offers 95 fireplace suites with private balconies overlooking Pillar Point Harbor.

Eco-friendly features include organic bamboo linens, low-VOC paints, and chemical-free room cleaning. 650.726.5400, oceanohalfmoonbay.com BROWSE Savor a fair-trade latte while perusing the selection of native perennials at Blue Sky Farms Nursery & Café. If you are thinking about replacing your water-guzzling lawn, you’ve come to the right place. 650.726.5999, blueskyfarmsltd.com EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 23

24 | February 2010

a passion for coffee Barefoot Coffee takes its beans very, very seriously. By Desiree Hedberg

The experienced nose of artisan roaster Ryan Adams takes a whiff to check on the beans’ development.

photography by kyle chesser

I never thought I was a snob about anything. I eat what I’m offered. I know how to be polite about others’ culinary passions—to nod and smile when they swear that such-and-such is the best fill-in-the-blank they’ve ever tasted. When a friend said, “Barefoot is the best coffee in the valley,” I took it with a grain of salt. I nodded. I smiled. I wasn’t going to judge—yet.

We ventured to Barefoot’s unassuming coffee shop in Santa Clara. One step inside reminded me why this small company is like the friendly neighborhood dog that everybody loves. Their café is filled with eclectic art, unassuming hippie-types writing novels, and brooding teens clustered in comfy, mismatched chairs, having existential conversations over lattes.

That day was when I had my first espresso from Barefoot Coffee. It was rich, velvety, and smooth. It floated over my tongue like a silvery fish shimmying through clouds. It rolled off the back of my tongue, leaving nothing but soft, silky essence and the taste of slightly darker, brooding chocolate. It was a glimmer of a naughty, late-night binge that leaves you secretly pleased, but just a little ashamed.

This is what coffee is supposed to taste like.

I had to meet the source of this addictive concoction. I found Andy Newbom, Catador of Barefoot Coffee, in the middle of a suburban business district in San Jose—a place that looked more like a regular neighborhood than anything eclectic or industrial.

Newbom claims he never really cared for coffee. As a chef, he was one of the “weird ones” who didn’t even enjoy a good shot of espresso. That is, until one moment of pure chance, when he was making his escape from a tradeshow tasting after quaffing 11 cups of espresso. The idea of choking down one more was intolerable, yet he paused at the pleas of a last-stop barista by the exit sign and was peer-pressured into sipping from yet another 4-ounce paper cup. It was then he experienced the sweetness, the darkness, and the astoundingly perplexing epiphany of the perfect espresso.

He literally shouted: “Oh my God—that’s what everyone’s talking about!”

Newbom had to know why. What made that cup of espresso so good, so sweet, so rapturous, where others had failed? His mission was clear.

“I must be the one that makes this!” Newbom said.

Two years passed as Newbom searched for the “why” of great coffee. He moonlighted at a café part-time and eventually wound up at a barista competition.

After struggling to master a monstrous espresso machine for nearly four hours, a barista named Bronwyn came to his rescue. Her hands flurried, she bustled about the machine, and even though there was no magic that he could see, the espresso she handed him was perfection.

He had discovered the why: It’s the person who makes it.

“It’s the hand that crafts it,” Newbom says. “If you can take your hands and make something that everybody else makes crappy, and you can make it fantastic—then you get all that ego boost and warm fuzzy satisfaction. I was like—that’s for me.”

And thus began Barefoot Coffee. The entire premise of the company is Newbom’s original discovery—the value of the people who make the coffee.

“Our whole focus is to bring the farmer all the way to the cup. Our value is the people behind the coffee, much more than the processes behind the coffee,” Newbom says.

EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 25

Clockwise from top left: Barefoot’s sociable Santa Clara café; Roast Master General Christian Rotsko evaluates the flavor of select coffees by sipping from a spoon; the Barefoot Coffee team; the proper use of hands to concentrate coffee’s aroma in a ritual known as “the Jose stomp”

The company’s labels feature facts about the farmers who grow the beans. Each highlights the farm, the elevation, the varietal, the process, and the region the beans were grown in.

“We actually want you to taste the hand of the farmer that grew it. To know that a person grew it, and processed it, and picked it, and … worked the machine at the mill, and loaded it into the truck,” Newbom says.

Barefoot Coffee does all their roasting by hand, with two big roasters. Their processes are so clean that they can claim to be carbon-neutral. Not only are their methods environmentally friendly, they’re reducing the state’s unemployment rate in the process.

“We don’t have any automation machines,” Newbom says. “We could get some different automation systems that would basically get rid of him doing that [as he points to a co-worker] … but we really like him, and he really likes coffee, and he really likes what we do and I’d rather have someone checking on it. And he owns every 26 | February 2010

process he does ... and every bag is perfect. So, basically we’re just paying more for good people.”

This same people-oriented philosophy goes into how the company chooses their beans. “We look for great coffee people at ordinary farms. You find a great coffee person, they’re going to consistently deliver great coffee,” says Newbom.

Geography matters, too. “We always say if you’re buying coffee and it says ‘Guatamala’ on it, and that’s all—then run away. It’s like saying, ‘Where is this wine from?’—‘America’,” Newbom says. “You can taste the difference [from different farms] in the same country.”

Christian Rotsko, Roast Master General of Barefoot Coffee, and Newbom work together to test the chosen beans first on the coffee farms, and again back in San Jose. The process is called “cupping.”

At the Barefoot facility, cupping happens in a small room with lab-like coffee equipment.

“Grind a little coffee, pour straight into the cup, wait four minutes, and then you break [stir] it. And then you slurp continued on page 38

perfection in a cup

Barefoot Coffee’s founder Andy Newbom carefully evaluates the fragrance of the roast before tasting it.

kyle chesser

Barefoot Coffee’s andy Newbom masters the sublime brew. By Desiree Hedberg

Coffee is a moody temptress. Most of us need her so desperately in the morning, and sometimes again in the afternoon. But how do we get the best cup from our beans?

Andy Newbom of Barefoot Coffee says there are three elements to master for a sweet, tempting brew: The ratio of coffee to water, a proper grind, and a quality brewing method.

The downfalls of improper ratio lead to under- or over-extracting your coffee. Over-extracting is when you push too much water through too little coffee, and all the nasty bitterness is forced into your cup.

Under-extracting creates weak, watery coffee.

“There’s a reasonably small window of the right amount of water and the right amount of coffee to go across it,” Newbom says.

What’s the most critical factor?

“The most important thing that can happen [to coffee beans] is a good grinder,” Newbom says.

“Whatever your budget is, spend it all on the grinder.”

As for the brewing method, “coffeemakers, like Mr. Coffee … are the worst possible way to make coffee. Most home brewers generally don’t get above 170 degrees, which isn’t even close to brewing temperatures ... 200 to 205 degrees is what they need to be,” says Newbom.

Another hint? When they refer to coffee “cups,” coffee manufacturers mean continued on page 38

EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 27

Peet’s Green brew Sustainable design never tasted so good. By kristin carey

photography by kyle chesser For most people, coffee is all about feeling good. On most mornings, only a strong cup of coffee will fulfill our perceived need for an eye-opening elixir. At Peet’s Coffee headquarters in Alameda, supplying coffee-lovers with a satisfying fix requires more than just quality roasting and brewing. It also requires an eye to sustainability and environmental consciousness.

Since 1966, when Peet’s Coffee and Tea was founded by Alfred Peet, the company’s philosophy has been that “true quality cannot be achieved without social, environmental, and economic sustainability.” That mission has landed Peet’s at the head of the class of corporate coffee roasters for their environmental endeavors.

In the mid-1990s, in response to sustained growth, the company decided it was time to build a larger roasting facility. In 2006, Peet’s broke ground on their 138,000-square-foot construction project in Alameda. In March of the following year, they celebrated their first roast in the nation’s first LEED gold-certified coffee roasting facility.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a green building rating system that sets standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Managed by the United States Green Building Council, LEED currently has four levels of certification, the highest of which is “platinum,” followed by “gold,” “silver,” and simply “certified.”

Jim Grimes, Vice President of Operations for Peet’s, was a key player in the planning and building of the new roasting facility. “We knew we wanted to do something sustainable at the time,” says Grimes. “When we 28 | February 2010

started building, we said, ‘We’re gonna get LEED certified.’ We didn’t know if we could be silver or gold or platinum. We knew platinum might require us to plant grass on the roof…” he laughs. “Maybe we couldn’t do that, but we knew we wanted that LEED certification.”

“I’m a believer in LEED,” Grimes says. “I think it sets a level playing field for how to think about green.

What are the important factors and areas? It doesn’t mean you have to use them all.”

At the new Peet’s roasting facility, the LEED standards translate into buildings that are located close to all major lines of public transportation, and that provide bicycle storage and ample designated parking for fuel-efficient vehicles and carpools.

The landscaping utilizes a bio-filtration swale system, no-mow grass, stormwater interceptors, and mulch made from coffee chaff. Inside the building, employees use locker rooms with low-flow faucets and showerheads, dual-flush toilets, and waterless urinals. The carpet and paint are made from low- or no-VOC materials.

An abundance of skylights and sidelights bring in the natural light.

LEED-certified cubicles line the offices. The facility’s most unusual feature is that it reuses “waste heat” created during the roasting process through the aid of a heat exchanger, resulting in 40 percent less natural gas usage.

“What I like about LEED [is that] it takes a more holistic view; it’s not only looking at carbon usage. It’s looking at water usage, it’s looking at employee satisfaction, it’s looking at natural gas and electric,” Grimes says. “It’s more than just a carbon footprint.”

Jim Grimes, Vice President of Operations for Peet’s Coffee

Drought-resistant lavender and no-mow grasses

A stormwater interceptor stops unnecessary runoff

U.S. Green Building Council LEED gold certification

Low-flow showerheads in the employee locker room

A rock-lined swale system works as erosion control

Native grasses sway in the wind at Peet’s Alameda headquarters

Ample bike racks for employees who pedal to work

Ride-sharing among employees is encouraged

sweet seduction

South Bay chocolatiers do their part to support the local economy and satisfy our cravings. by 30 | February 2010

Jesse Kimbrel photography by Kyle Chesser

Only five years old and nestled in downtown Saratoga’s cozy

Below: Mary Loomas, artisan chocolatier of Saratoga Chocolates, applies a silkscreen design to her confections. Opposite: Dark chocolate ganache blended with raspberry purée and Bonny Doon Framboise from Saratoga Chocolates.

ambience, Saratoga Chocolates is doing their share to sustain the Bay Area economy by creating artfully decadent chocolates with almost exclusively local ingredients. Not far down the road is Schurra’s Fine Confections on The Alameda, a company old enough to be Saratoga Chocolates’ great grandparent, and one that has been seducing the Bay Area with confectionary delicacies since 1912.

While the two companies may be comparable opposites in the highly competitive world of chocolate, one commonality is that both shops place a high priority on serving and supporting the local community.

S

aratoga Chocolates’ owner and chocolatier Mary Loomas always loved chocolate. She started making it as a hobby, and after enjoying a successful 20-year career in the high-tech industry, she made a 180-degree life change and enrolled in Valrohna’s Ecole Grand Chocolat in France. To turn her passion into a profession, she utilized her MBA background to write a business plan, then opened her chocolate shop in downtown Saratoga in November of 2005.

Now Loomas spends much of her time combing the Bay Area for the finest ingredients to incorporate into her chocolates.

Loomas buys much of her base chocolate from the venerable Guittard Chocolate Company in Burlingame. All of the cream, butter, and nuts she uses are purchased locally, as well as a selection of fruits— typically raspberries, apricots, and strawberries. Loomas also frequents nearby farmers’ markets to find fresh and organic produce to purée at the height of harvest season, then freezes the purées so she has access to quality ingredients year-round. “We’re very lucky to be in California because we have some of the best produce in the world. It just makes sense to buy it here,” she says.

When she attends local farmers’ markets, Loomas says she finds plenty of great organic produce, although choosing EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 31

near Market Street for 25 years. Not long after he sold his company to Hershey’s Chocolates in August 2005, the corporate giant retired the Schmidt brand.

“When I found out [Schmidt’s] store was being closed, I didn’t want a location that has such a long history of chocolate to go without another chocolate store,” Loomas says.

Although Saratoga Chocolates’ products now cover the shelves of the renowned San Francisco chocolate shop, patrons find that one Joseph Schmidt tradition remains. In a nod to the chocolate maestro, Loomas has reintroduced the chocolate “sculptures” that made Schmidt famous, including the chocolate vases, bowls, and tulips that were often displayed as edible centerpieces at high-end San Francisco dinner parties and wedding receptions.

While sculpting these elaborate chocolate creations may be best left to the experts, chocolate lovers who want to learn how to create simpler confections can attend one of Loomas’s truffle-making classes. The hands-on sessions cover everything you need to know about how to handle chocolate. Classes are held on a regular basis in her Saratoga shop, or Loomas is offering a workshop at Draeger’s Cooking School in Menlo Park on February 24. And yes, you get to eat your assignments.

Saratoga Chocolate, 14572 Big Basin Way, Saratoga, 408.872.1431, and 3489 16th Street, San Francisco, 415.861.8682, saratogachocolates.com.

Brian Mundy of Schurra’s prepares to cut a sheet of caramel into 1,200 gooey pieces.

organic isn’t her biggest priority in chocolate-making. Whereas some chefs prefer organic ingredients no matter where they come from, Loomas believes it’s important to support small, local companies, whether they are organic or not.

“It keeps our carbon footprint smaller because our ingredients aren’t being shipped from the other side of the globe,” she says. “Besides, there isn’t a company in California that makes enough organic chocolate to supply a chocolatier.”

Loomas says what separates her small- batch chocolates from those made by larger 32 | February 2010

companies is that she “tries to keep everything all-natural and very fresh.” While some chocolate manufacturers add un- necessary amounts of sugar to give their products a longer shelf life, Saratoga Chocolates does not.

Buying local and insisting on the highest quality ingredients has proved to be a successful formula for Loomas. In September of 2009, she opened a second Saratoga Chocolates shop in San Francisco, taking over the retail space of one of the great chocolate legends, Joseph Schmidt.

Schmidt operated his shop at 16th Street

D

uring the last century in the Santa Clara Valley, the business landscape has changed dramatically. Farming and ranching have been replaced by high-tech. Mom-and-pop shops have been made obsolete by big-box stores and online retailers. Corporate coffee shops are a dominant theme on almost every city block. But at a small retail store on The Alameda, 100 years’ worth of tradition is not just surviving, but thriving.

Schurra’s Fine Confections has been on The Alameda in San Jose since 1937.

French-born Albert Schurra opened his first candy factory in Stockton in 1912. By the 1920s, he owned five shops around the Sacramento area and shipped candy to customers all over the West Coast. In 1937, when the Great Depression hit, he downsized to one store, located on The Alameda.

When Schurra reached retirement age, Hank

All Dark Chocolate Vegan Collection from Go To Chocolate

Chocolate Dream Box Holly Westbrook started off selling imported Belgian confections, but now offers only her own handcrafted chocolates. Hopelessly addicted fans cry out for “passion”—passion fruit purée and smooth, dark chocolate ganache in a white chocolate shell. 710 Blossom Hill Rd., Los Gatos, chocolatedreambox.com, 408.356.2626.

Kyle chesser (2), chocolates: barak yedidia

Vanilla caramel is made from scratch in one of Schurra’s historic mixers.

and Gayle Viehweger bought and ran the shop, learning the candymaking business directly from Schurra himself. Nearly 40 years later, when the Viehwegers retired, they passed on Schurra’s muchloved recipes and techniques to Bill Mundy, who bought the shop 26 years ago. Today his son, Brian Mundy, runs it.

Nearly a century after the store first opened, Schurra’s chocolate still tastes the same, partly because of the heritage recipes, and partly because the candymaking machinery that was used in the early days is still churning out chocolates today. If you like your sweets with a dose of nostalgia, Schurra’s is the place to indulge.

Stepping into Schurra’s, the scintillating aroma of melting cocoa takes your breath away. In the rear of the shop, where the confections are made, stands a drop-down mixer standing six feet tall, a row of marble tables, huge copper kettles, and a cream beater.

All are original to the company, says Mundy. One of the mixers was originally on a Navy ship in World War II and was purchased as surplus after the war. Some of the machines are so old that if there is

South Bay chocolatiers think outside the box

a breakdown, Mundy has to fashion his own replacement parts.

Along with continuing to use historical candy-making methods, Mundy says he always tries to buy local ingredients. “It’s not really a green initiative, it’s just what we’ve been doing for 26 years,” he says.

Mundy gets his dried fruit from a company that used to be in San Jose and is now located in Madera.

His chocolate comes from Union City. Schurra’s packaging boxes are made in Hayward.

Mundy says he also works hard to produce candy that customers can’t purchase anywhere else. The company still makes the peppermint chews that have been a store staple since Albert Schurra opened shop in 1912. But they create new products, too. One of the more recent confections is a port-soaked French prune, made by “taking prunes that are locally grown and dried, soaking them in port, and covering them in our chocolate,” Mundy says. “You’re not going to find this anywhere else. I guarantee it.”

Schurra’s Fine Confections, 840 The Alameda, San Jose, 408.289.1562, schurrasfineconfections.com.

Fleur de Cocoa Pascal Janvier and his wife, Nicola, offer chocolates, pastries, cakes, and tartes, as well as a café menu. Chocolate croissants, Chocolate Royal cake, and the signature “fleur de cocoa” with extra-dark chocolate ganache draw raves.

Janvier typically uses very dark chocolate in the 68 to 70 percent range. Not for the timid. 39 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos, fleurdecocoa.com, 408.354.3574.

Dolce Bella Audrey Vaggione grows many of the ingredients she uses in her creations. Depending on the season, the selection includes lemon verbena, mint, and raspberry flavored chocolates. These are grown-up chocolates for the sophisticated palate. 18828 Cox Ave., Saratoga, dolcebellachocolates.com, 408.866.8351.

Go To Chocolate Based in San Carlos, Michael Hohenthal sells his chocolates online and at farmers’ markets, including Saturdays at the College of San Mateo market. Go To Chocolate offers chocolate bars, toffee, a line of vegan chocolates, and seasonal flavors like roasted persimmon chipotle truffle. Broaden your horizons. gotochocolate.com, 650.338.1900.

Snake and Butterfly Producers of “organic live” chocolate, Snake and Butterfly sells its chocolate bars, truffles, and signature chocolate-dipped flavored marshmallows online. Legions of devoted fans hunt them down at two Santa Cruz farmers’ markets and the downtown Campbell farmers’ market.

Hand-poured bars include flavors like “cherry and chili.” snakeandbutterfly.com, 408.466.4023. —Sue McAllister EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 33

Responsible Investing

By Alan Lopez Photography by Kyle Chesser

When she began investing her savings four years ago, Cynthia Ashley decided she wanted to invest in companies that were not detrimental to the environment or people’s health. Instead of investing her hard-earned cash in a big tobacco company, for instance, she wanted to put her money in companies that were more forward-thinking.

“I found a huge field of socially conscious investing,” says Ashley, who works as a community outreach director for a nonprofit organization in Boulder, Colorado. “While it’s smaller and the options are not as great as … general investing, with a little bit of time you can find places to support your ideals and support your values, and if you’re careful you can get as much return as in other areas.”

Ashley invested with the help of Green Retirement Plans, Inc., a three-year-old financial planning firm run by Timothy Yee, with his wife, Rose Penelope Yee, in Oakland.

“A lot of people don’t know they can have socially responsible investments in their retirement plans,” Rose Yee says. “We’re trying to educate people to let them know there are alternatives.”

Ashley wanted to invest in mutual funds that fell in line with her personal values as well as her financial needs. With the help of Yee, she was able to “screen out” funds that included tobacco companies.

She also researched and chose to invest in solar energy stock.

A similar “put-your-money-where-your-values-are” philosophy motivated San Francisco resident J. Scott Smith to invest with Green Retirement Plans, Inc., after meeting Timothy Yee at a San Francisco Green Festival three years ago. Smith, who owns a catering company, says he tries to live a lifestyle based around social responsibility, which includes eating vegan and shopping for locally produced goods. Yee recommended that Smith invest in Calvert Group mutual funds, which concentrate on socially responsible businesses, and a real estate investment trust that supports green building.

Smith says he has seen a better return with Yee than with a previous financial planner. “It’s been a pretty good experience overall,” he says.

Over the past 20 years, the total dollars invested in socially responsible investing (known as SRI) has grown exponentially, as has the number of professional and individual investors involved in the field, according to a 2007 trends report published by the national nonprofit Social Investment Forum. Between 1995 and 2007, total dollars under professional management in SRI grew from $639 billion to $2.71 trillion, outpacing the overall market. »

“Microfinance is one of the most effective ways to move people from a position of survival to planning for the future.”

—Ashwini narayanan, General Manager of Microplace

EUCALYPTUSMAGAZINE.COM | 35

There’s a conception that This type of investing can socially responsible investing take the form of providing yields smaller returns than microloans to different parts regular investing, but industry of the world. At Microplace representatives say it’s a myth. A (microplace.com), investors can number of academic studies show choose the type of business they SRI mutual funds performing wish to invest in and the location, competitively with non-SRI funds, as well as the rate of return. according to the Social InvestA subsidiary of eBay, Microplace ment Forum. Several of these works with lenders that provide “A lot of people don’t know they can peer-reviewed and published capital to entrepreneurs in have socially responsible investstudies have been awarded the 35 countries. ments in their retirement plans.” prestigious Moskowitz Prize, “Microfinance is one of the —Timothy and Rose Yee, which recognizes outstanding most effective ways to move Green Retirement Plans, Inc. quantitative research in the field people from a position of survival of socially responsible investing. to planning for the future,” says In addition, the longest-running Ashwini Narayanan, the general SRI Index, the Domini 400, manager of Microplace. performs competitively compared to the S&P 500. Since it was “It is a specific cause,” she adds. “It’s not done through started in 1990, the Domini 400 has provided 10.33 percent total mutual funds, it’s done through organizations raising capital returns versus 10.33 percent for the S&P 500. for microfinance.”

A number of different options exist for socially responsible investAnother tenet of SRI is shareholder advocacy, which involves ing. One is a screening process, which involves screening out socially responsible investors taking an active role as the companies that support products such as cigarettes, alcohol, or owners of corporate America. These efforts include talking or gambling, and screening in investments and companies that support “dialoguing” with companies on issues of social, environmental, eco-friendly and sustainable products such as clean technology. or governance concerns.

Calvert Group, one of the biggest and most well-established SRI Nationally, the Social Investment Forum is pushing the Federal firms, offers a number of mutual funds that include companies with Communications Commission (FCC) to allow investors to nominate strong records on environmental responsibility, human rights, members to the boards of directors of companies, says Lincoln Pain, workplace rights, and other social issues. Founded in 1976, Calvert’s the chair of the Northern California chapter of the Bay Area Social initial focus was on ethical or value-based investing, says Geoffrey Investment Forum, a trade association.

Ashton, a senior vice president of marketing for Calvert. The focus In addition, corporations are not required to disclose their has shifted, he says, to investments that can help reduce climate environmental liabilities, but the Social Investment Forum is pushing change. Calvert works with third-party intermediaries such as the FCC to change that. investment advisors and 401(k) managers.

One of the biggest challenges in SRI is providing a greater menu “We give them the products that enable them to meet their of socially responsible investment options in employer- or governclients’ financial considerations and also meet their clients’ ment-provided retirement accounts. sustainable considerations, too,” Ashton says.

Overall, any investor has a choice of whether or not to be socially Another alternative is community investing, the fastest growing responsible, Pain says. area of socially responsible investing. Over the past decade, “Everybody [can be] a responsible investor,” he says. But “they community investing has grown from $4 billion to $25.8 billion in may choose to not take on that responsibility.” assets, according to the Social Investment Forum. Community Alan Lopez is a veteran newspaper reporter and copywriter. He is investing provides access to credit, equity, capital, and basic currently a freelance writer and editor living in Oakland. banking products that these communities would otherwise lack.

If you’re interested in socially responsible investing but don’t know where to begin, the following websites can help: The Social Investment Forum (socialinvest.org) offers background information and research about socially responsible investing as well as mutual fund options and financial planners who work in the field.

The National Green Pages (greenamericatoday.org) lists 3,000 businesses that have made commitments to sustainable, socially just principles, including the support of sweatshop-free labor, organic farms, fair trade, and cruelty-free products. The website includes everything from baby care products to teas to fuel-efficient cars.

36 | February 2010

The Community Investing Center (communityinvest.org) can help you add community investments into your portfolio. The site offers background information on community investing, as well as a search function that allows visitors to find organizations and investment products.

Social Funds (socialfunds.com) claims it’s the largest personal finance site devoted to socially responsible investing. The site features more than 10,000 pages of information on socially responsible mutual funds, community investments, corporate research, shareowner actions, and daily social investment news.

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A Passion for Coffee continued from page 26

it in order to aerate the liquor, and cover all your taste buds, and really open it up to get to your olfactory glands,” Rotsko says.

Sitting in for a recent cupping of their latest creation was like eavesdropping on a secret ceremony. Rotsko had travelled to Brazil to choose the final beans, based on the pair’s shared vision of what this new coffee flavor should taste like.

Rotsko and Newbom hovered together intently over small, unmarked glasses filled with the freshly brewed elixir, holding wide, silver spoons in hand to slurp and taste.

They slurped, paused, rinsed the spoons, then repeated the ritual, diligently attempting to interpret the dance between taste buds and beans. The ensuing discussion included terms like “vanilla, bright, citrus,

Perfection in a Cup continued from page 27

one cup equals six ounces, not the standard eight ounces that Americans are used to.

Forgoing the coffeemaker, there are two different methods for getting an excellent cup of coffee at home: the Chemex or the French press.

Chemex Newbom’s Chemex is shiny and very retro-looking—an hourglass-shaped vessel with a large white filter sticking out of the top (like a more elegant version of the better known Melitta coffee maker).

“I’ve been really liking the Chemex lately … You’re not getting any particles and then you’re tasting the coffee more directly,” Newbom says.

He carefully measures the ingredients: 50 grams of coffee and 640 grams of water. He sets his grinder to 30 for a coarse grind and makes sure the water temperature is just above 200 degrees. He pours in the water slowly. The Chemex filters are very thick and take out most of the particles (no, they are not bleached).

To get the right temperature at home, set the teakettle on the stove, turn it off at the whistle, then wait about one minute. The temperature should be 200 to 205 degrees.

We wait patiently, while the coffee cools in our cups for a moment, before we 38 | February 2010

dark, earthy, supple, syrup.”

Barefoot Coffee doesn’t make roasts like light, medium, or dark. If you don’t like flavor in your coffee, this may not be for you.

“We don’t have light, we don’t have dark.

We just roast right,” Newbom says.

There are many nuances. Coffee, as it turns out, has different moods in different temperatures. Coffee is typically brewed at about 160 degrees at home and 205 degrees in a café. “I don’t like hot coffee.

Hot coffee is just a waste,” Newbom says.

“You can’t actually taste above 160 degrees.

Great coffee tastes even better cool than it does hot.”

And what about those of us who add cream or milk to our coffee?

“If you have to add cream, something’s wrong with your coffee,” Newbom says. “[There’s this] preconceived notion that

coffee is supposed to suck,” Rotsko adds.

“Culturally, there’s so much horrible coffee, because nobody even bothers to Googlesearch how to roast coffee … They think it’s supposed to be this burnt crap, and it’s obviously not.”

In Barefoot’s world, coffee exists on a whole different plain. Barefoot’s coffee is about people, it’s about the environment, and most importantly, it’s about flavor: pure, warm, sultry, and wicked, with twists and turns for every mood, at each temperature— perfectly reflecting the diversity of the land and the people who work so passionately to create it.

taste. The coffee is chocolatey, bright, and smooth across the tongue. The texture is clean and airy.

We taste it again, after the coffee has cooled, and the taste is different. Some of the fruitiness is gone; it feels softer on the tongue. Newbom says the fruit will come back as it cools more. If you’re a person who forgets your coffee cup all over the house, you’re going to get different flavors at each temperature from the same cup of coffee.

45 seconds, he stirs it again, sending the big, heavy particles sinking to the bottom. Then he scoops off some of the creamy foam on top—his preference, but not required.

Just before four minutes, he pushes the stopper down on the press, noting there should be a lot of resistance with a coarse grind. You can take this step a few seconds early, but never past four minutes.

We taste the exact same coffee that we used in the Chemex, now made with the press. It looks creamier and thicker. The oils are visible, swirling on top. It’s a brighter taste than before, but with a deep, underlying timber. It doesn’t taste like the same beans, but Newbom assures me that’s the beauty of coffee—its incredible diversity and nuance of flavors.

Making coffee in a Chemex or French press will take about five minutes more than using an electric coffee maker, but your tongue and caffeine receptors will be eternally grateful. The equipment for these back-to-basics tools runs at about $30-$40.

To find out more about how to brew properly at home, sign up for one of Barefoot Coffee’s free classes, offered every Tuesday at 7 p.m. Other weekly class offerings include coffee tasting, home espresso making, and home milk-steaming.

Barefoot Coffee: 5237 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara, 408.248.4500, barefootcoffee.com

French Press One of the quickest and easiest ways to make coffee is with a French press. Newbom uses 110 grams of coffee for 48 ounces of water, plus a coarse-ground coffee. The grind has a direct impact on the coffee’s taste. You’ll find more “low” tones with a finer grind, and “higher” tones with a coarser grind. Newbom sets the grinder in the high 30s for a coarse setting. He dumps the grinds in the press, then fills it to the top line with pre-heated water. Time is the most critical element with the French press.

“It’s less art, more science,” Newbom says. “This one is incredibly precise; it has to be four minutes,” Newbom says.

When the hot water is poured onto the coffee in the press, the froth and foam rise and bubble. Newbom calls this a “bloom,” because the coffee is actually expanding.

At two minutes, he “breaks the crust,” or stirs the coffee. At three minutes,

Desiree Hedberg, a writer and editor living in Willow Glen, seeks to live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle while co-parenting two toddlers, working as a consultant, and going back to school. She drinks a lot of coffee.

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pedal

power ˙

Bicycling is not just good exercise; it’s also a great way to get around, suitable for all kinds of short trips like running errands or going to work. Cyclists enjoy huge cost savings from pedaling around town instead of driving, while making an environmental contribution to the planet in the form of lessened carbon dioxide emissions.

BY the eucalyptus staff

30 percent

In the Netherlands, bicycles account for nearly 30 percent of all urban trips—compared to less than 1 percent in the United States.

The name for the bike-share system in Paris, France—one of the world’s largest and most successful. The city has 20,000 bikes available to share, 170,000 annual users, and 1,800 kiosks placed throughout the city. Each bike is ridden about six times per day on average, totaling about 120,000 daily rides.

P4p.0rg

Got an old bike rusting in your garage?

Pedals for Progress has donated more than 120,000 used bikes and $10.8 million in spare parts to 32 developing countries. The bikes are used by poor people who need transportation to get to jobs, markets, and schools. P4P’s goal is to get North Americans to donate more than half of the five million used bikes we discard each year.

“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the human race.”

—H.G. Wells

bike share

In March, the Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority will begin a bike share program at three South Bay CalTrain stations: San Jose Diridon, Mountain View Castro Street, and Palo Alto University Avenue. Train riders can “borrow” bikes for the day for shopping, getting to work, or just cruising.

Sources: trailnet.org, bikesiliconvalley.org, bikeleague.org, vta.org, sfbike.org, p4p.org

tidbits

Velib

% 206

From 2005 to 2008, San Jose reported a 206% increase in the number of bike commuters.

fringe benefits

As of 2009, bike commuters can get up to $20 per month tax-free from their employers as reimbursement for bike commuting expenses. Employers write it off as a business expense.

Advertisers’ Index

40 | February 2010

American Heart Association

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Garage 1 Auto

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Silicon Valley Preventative Medicine

4

Bikram Yoga San Jose

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Harrell Remodeling, Inc.

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California Baby

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Supreme Court 1 Athletic Club

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14

Debbie Wachsberg

18

Michael Wm. Murphy, Rolfer

13

Vedyia Wellness Center

10

Decor Outdoor Living & More

6

Oak Meadow Dental Center

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Vegetarian House

10

Dr. Charles Goodman, Chiropractor

10

Peter G. Shutts Architect

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Watercourse Way

10

Dr. Douglas Larson, D.D.S.

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Peter Lyon General Contractor, Inc.

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Willow Glen Business Association

5

e11even salon & boutique

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Rivers of Chocolate Festival

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Yoga Fitness Iyengar Tradition

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EcoMetro Guide

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San Francisco Herb & Natural Food Co. 18

Emanate Design of Interiors

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Sandra Kamiak, M.D.

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