Cabaret By the Bay
This fourth annual cabaret incorporates local talent from Dance Synergy Studios and out-of-town acts.
Fri-Sat, Nov 20-22, Fri 7:30pm, Sat 6 and 8:30pm, Sun 2:30pm
Seascape Resort, 1 Seascape Resort Dr, Aptos

Wine Passport Program
Your chance to visit wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains not normally open to the public. Taste wine and have a great time.
Sat, Nov 21, 11am-5pm
Various wineries, Santa Cruz Mountains
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Thanksgiving is all about the gathering of great people and amazing food. Use EcoMetro Guide's tips below to have a fun, healthy affordable More...

Scrub the tub Mix baking soda with water for an abrasive scrubbing paste, or substitute castile soap such as Dr. Bronner’s in place of water for extra power. To disinfect the bathroom, spray with hydrogen peroxide and rinse with water.

Claim the drain Pour baking soda in the drain, add 1 cup white vinegar, and watch the volcano, just like in grade school. Flush with hot water and repeat if necessary.

All hands on the pans Mix white vinegar with enough salt to form a paste, and watch the grease slip away. Add 1 tsp lemon juice for scent and extra power. More...

Have you ever thought about what sort of food grows around your neighborhood? The bounty of edibles found right around the corner, from apples and nuts to rosemary and greens, is astounding. The urban landscape is filled with fresh, free food if you just know what to look for. Plants you might normally ignore, like dandelions or nettles, can be cooked into healthy, delicious meals.

Many people first experienced wild foods in their childhood—learning to mushroom hunt with their grandfather or picking apples from a neighbor’s tree. Looking for wild fruits, veggies, and nuts is a fun family activity that helps teach kids the value of local, fresh food. In addition to having kids help you forage for your own kitchen, you can volunteer to help harvest urban edibles for those in need (see resources below). More...

Did you know that some plants grow better when they grow next to other plants? The opposite is also true, where some plants just don’t get along. It is a little known secret in organic gardening and all has to do with one plant repelling pests that would attack the other plant, or attracting beneficial insects, providing nutrients, or in some cases simply offering shade and support. Celebrate this marvelous concept in biodiversity when planning your spring garden. More...

We’ve come a long way as a society since the 16th century. Women (in America, at least) are now able to drive cars, own property, vote… and eat artichokes.

This last may seem like an odd inclusion on the list, but as an avid artichoke fan, I shudder to think that I may not have been able to enjoy the oddly-shaped thistle. Artichokes were considered aphrodisiacs for a long while, and only eaten by men (Henry the Eighth was famous for his love of them). 

Thankfully, Catherine de Medici changed all that when she married Henry II, King of France. When she moved to France from Italy, she brought along her servants, her trousseau, and her passion for artichokes, causing a bit of a scandal. Luckily, we can all hop on over to any supermarket and find artichokes most of the year round. Nearly 100% of the artichokes consumed in America are produced in California (especially the northern part of the state), which makes them a relatively low contributor to your carbon footprint. More...

As the long-awaited sunshine pulls us from our fleece cocoons and recharges our vitamin D levels, THIS SPACE is here to remind you that sunshine also offers one of the simplest, low-investment opportunities for saving electricity -- the solar clothes dryer. You might recognize this energy-efficient technology better as a clothesline.

Hanging clothes to dry used to be a commonplace event, but largely disappeared with the arrival of affordable, convenient appliances.

That convenience comes with a cost, which you can turn into a savings. More...

Continuing along on our journey through the land of weird foods you’ll find in the farmer’s market, this week we’ll taste a green of many names:  mizuna.  Mizuna also goes by the names of Japanese greens, Japanese mustard, and California peppergrass.  Botanically, it is classified as Brassica rapa.  B. rapa is commonly known as “field mustard” or “turnip mustard” and includes cultivars such as tatsoi, napa cabbage, turnips, and rapini.   

When my friend Katie showed up at my door with a bouquet of freshly-sliced mizuna leaves and told me what she’d brought me, I gave her a look of disbelief.  When I plucked a leaf and popped it in my mouth, however, I was pleasantly surprised.  The intricate, delicately shaped leaf had a flavor to match. More...

Eco roofs, and their more visible cousins vertical gardens, are inspiring pieces of architecture which are usually difficult to view, since getting on top of a building is often prohibited or just a hassle. The California Academy of Sciences roof, pictured above, makes it a little easier to take in the benefits and beauty of rooftop greenery. Here is an entire photo gallery devoted to eco roofs of the world, and here is a Flickr pool.

Image Credit: Arex/CreativeCommons More...

This morning, I took a train to Seattle to teach at a conference. It is one of the joys in life. I bike to the train station, work on a crossword as the scenery passes by, and then bike around Seattle which, by the way, seems to be made entirely out of hills.

Today, I entertained myself with a new distraction, the subtle art of the roll up. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a “roll up” is when a cyclist folds, or in some way “rolls” up, his or her pant leg to avoid it getting caught in the chain. Roll means fold. It’s so clear. A thoughtfully folded pant leg is a style I don’t often sport because my bakfiets has a chain guard. However, today I took a commuter bike on my trip to Seattle, and with 3 hours to kill on the train, I mastered some pretty awesome roll ups. Check them out. Let me know what you think.
 
TRADITIONAL: Nothing fancy. Textbook functionality for keeping the pant leg out of the chain assembly. The style most often used. More...