organic

I don’t think any of us harbored a doubt that Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s baby girl wouldn’t want for a thing, and they’ve proved that to be true beginning with the nursery. They began with a crib from Q Collection Junior.

Fortunately for Baby Sunday, money isn’t really an issue for her mom and dad — the cribs in this line run around $1200. However, if peace of mind is priceless, that’s probably a good deal — Nicole can feel confident that her baby is sleeping in a crib made from only proven non-toxic materials and that it was made in a sustainable manner to keep the planet healthy and safe. As a matter of fact, Q Collection Junior’s motto is People Safe. Planet Safe.

Nicole and Keith aren’t the only celebrities digging Q Collection Junior — Gwyneth Paltrow is actually on the front page of the company’s website with a quote about how much she loves their products.

I imagine we can expect more green practices to surround Sunday — Nicole ordered organic linens, clothing, and toys earlier this year, and has spoken about how much she loves nature and organic gardening. You know, I can think of a line skincare products they might want to check out …

Jake Gyllenhaals’s looks aren’t the only thing delicious about him. The 27-year-old dreamy-eyed actor is preparing to open a an organic restaurant in Los Angeles.

Apparently, Jake has long held a passion for the culinary arts. As a matter of fact, he has made numerous appearances on celebrity chef Mario Batali’s show, Molto Mario, and the A-lister actually made a promise to himself some time ago that, if his acting career took off, he would open a high-end restaurant before his 30th birthday.

As of right now, he is looking at real estate with longtime friend and chef Chris Fischer. The duo intends to create a high-class atmosphere where diners can experience the wonders of Tuscan food in a completely natural way. Additionally, this summer, Jake plans to take a summer cycling tour of Tuscany with his girlfriend, Reese Witherspoon, to see what kind of inspiration he can come away with.

Many celebrities have found success in the restaurant business, and it certainly sounds like Jake plans to be truly involved in this venture. We wish him all the luck in the world, and look forward to tasting a delicious Gyllenhaal dish!

Photo courtesy of criticsrant.com

Earlier this month, radiant mommy-to-be Jessica Alba and her fiance Cash Warren held a baby shower to celebrate their bun in the oven at the Ever After Teahouse in Studio City, California. Close to 30 guests, including Jessica’s pal Kim Kardashian, were in attendance.

Jessica reportedly registered for eco-friendly and organic items from Bel Bambini, receiving gifts like organic baby clothes and blankets and a sustainably made bassinet.

But Jessica and her bundle of joy aren’t the only ones getting spoiled with gifts of organic goodness. Miss Alba gave organic gift bags to each of her guests from Tastybaby, which does not, of course, serve tasty babies, but rather delicious food made by a company based on the fact that organic foods are the safest foods we can serve our children (and ourselves). Tastybaby has numerous celebrity fans, including Joely Fisher, Jennifer Meyer, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Kate Beckinsale, Cindy Crawford, and Angie Harmon.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Kate Hudson is coming out with an eco-friendly line of hair products, which will donate 10% of the proceeds back to the animal organization WildAid. Actually, it’s not just Kate developing the line — she’s teaming up with L.A. celebrity hairstylist David Babaii, and the haircare line, which will be free of sulfates, parabens, animal products, and not be tested on animals, will be called DAVID BABAII FOR WILDAID.

WildAid works to reverse wildlife devastation all across the earth, seeks to end illegal wildlife trade, and helps communities learn to sustain themselves without causing further damage to the environment.

To show how closely entwined this line is with environmental issues, Kate took a trip to Africa with famous photographer Peter Lindbergh to shoot the ad campaign for the products. Let me tell you right now — I am so jealous. She had the opportunity to get cuddly with cheetahs and lion cubs. However, I can’t get too miffed; listen to how excited she sounds about her new venture:

“I really have a thing about natural product. It’s very difficult to make things that are completely organic and sustainable. David and I got so excited about making something like that. Making something conscious and making it good.”

I know I, for one, will be keeping my eyes open for DAVID BABAII FOR WILDAID. Will you?

Photo courtesy of ecorazzi.com

This new question has surpassed “paper or plastic” as the most stressful question at the supermarket (THAT answer, for the record, should be “this tote I brought from home, thanks.”).

Everyone needs to make their own decisions about what food to buy, but I’m going to share my opinion here. One of the most important things to realize is that getting certified organic is a very expensive proposition. What this means is that there are many small farmers who grow everything organically, but they just can’t afford to be certified. How do you find these guys? Go to your local farmers market. Talk to shop and restaurant owners who source from local farms. Who are their favorites? Get to know the local players. If you know the people growing your food, you can talk to them about their growing practices.

If I have a choice of local, non-certified organic food and organic food flown into Chicago from California by a large conglomerate, I’m going to choose local nearly every time. This is made easier for me because I also attempt to eat seasonally. What does this mean? We only have strawberries in our house for a couple of months in the summer. And tomatoes? I never buy them off-season. It’s easy to find local, sustainably-grown strawberries in Chicago in June.

I also keep in mind a 2003 study by the Environmental Working Group (that I read about in the August, 2006 issue of Gourmet Magazine). In that study, they found 192 different pesticides on 46 fresh fruits and vegetables and determined that consumers can lower their risk of pesticide exposure by as much as 90 percent by buying organic varieties of the top 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables. These are:

Fruits
apples
cherries
imported grapes
nectarines
peaches
pears
red raspberries
strawberries

Vegetables
bell peppers
celery
potatoes
spinach