January 29th 2010 from 7:30 am – 9:00 am
At Oggi Gourmet (inside Holyoke Center, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue)
Join us for Breakfast Burritos from Boloco where it’s not about being “green” (and certainly not about being Certified Green, which we are and which we are proud of, but is not the point). It’s simply about using our restaurants to make our planet a better place. Today, it’s corn cups and bamboo bowls. It’s naturally-raised meats and organic tofu. It’s composting and recycling and reusing building materials. Even the yawn-able stuff like LED lighting, low-flow waterheads, and Paperstone tabletops and countertops make a difference today. Tomorrow, who knows – the list will only grow. One thing that we do know, we’ll be there. Quietly leading the pack and slowly blazing the trail. Doing our part to help the earth without making a big deal of it. One baby step at a time. One burrito at a time.
Pastries for the event will be provided by Chef Davis and Henrietta’s Table. As the hotel’s Executive Chef, Davis enthusiastically supports local farmers and local fisherman, buying only products that he hand-chooses with the assistance of local purveyors and refusing to use genetically-engineered food. He is a member of Chefs Collaborative – a group that partners with local farmers, ranchers, and artisanal producers to develop new systems that allow them to stay in business while providing farm-fresh produce directly to kitchen doors. He purchases food from artisanal producers who he believes are preserving valuable traditions, sustainable agriculture and aquaculture, humane animal husbandry and well-managed fisheries. In 2006, Henrietta’s Table purchased over $175,000 in food products directly from Farmer’s and over 85 percent of its food purchases came from companies that share the philosophies of sustainable agriculture. The Charles Hotel also implements a comprehensive recycling program in partnership with Save That Stuff, a local compost service. All trash is sorted for biodegradable and compostable waste and is picked up three to seven days a week, depending on production.
Coffee for the event is graciously donated by JP LICKS! JP Licks utilizes various recycling programs for their containers, including their homemade ice cream. In an effort to lower waste, they promote a discount when any travel mug is brought in for coffee. JP Licks began roasting coffee at the Firehouse in Jamaica Plain in 1999 and has been churning it out ever since. They roast down the middle; dark enough for a hearty brew but not so dark that every bean tastes burnt. The Harvard Square location features five roasts daily, and carries over twenty assorted one-pound coffees for sale.”
Oggi Gourmet will create Breakfast Pizzas for our Go Green participants. Oggi has a long history of recycling and green practices and has been kind in offering us the use of his space for our Go Green Breakfast!
What is The Green Streets Initiative?
The Green Streets Initiative is a grassroots organization of people from Cambridge, Massachusetts and surrounding cities, who celebrate, promote, and advocate for the use of alternative transportation.
Through educational efforts, and the opportunity to experience and practice alternative transportation, the Green Streets Initiative helps individual citizens, children, and families, discover how alternative modes of transportation can enhance their lives by creating safe, healthy, friendly communities for all.
What are Walk/Ride Days?
The Green Streets Initiative is best known for the creation of monthly Walk/Ride Days. Walk/Ride Days occur on the last Friday of every month. On these days people everywhere are invited to go, and wear green!
Walk/Ride Days are a monthly city-wide party, which celebrates alternative transportation, gives people an opportunity to make community connections, and promotes a festive local atmosphere.
Who is Involved?
Anyone and Everyone! Walk/Ride Days draw from many sectors of participating communities; from schools and universities, to businesses and retailers. We began in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and quickly spread into Somerville, and Medford.
Rewards and Sponsorships:
One popular feature of Walk/Ride Days program is the participation of local businesses in the celebrations! That is, on Walk/Ride Day, people who wear and go green are eligible to partake in a host of rewards. These rewards include everything from discounts at local retailers, to the chance to win prizes in our on-line raffle. All of the businesses who participate in Green Streets are called Sponsors.
What Next?
Our approach to involving such a large number of people in one movement, is to ask individual citizens to bring Green Streets into their workplaces, community organizations, and schools. This model asks diverse groups of people to take action into their own hands through a community-oriented approach. And we need you to be involved! Please participate in Walk/Ride Days by wearing and going green on the last Friday of every month!
Rewards in HARVARD SQUARE for Going and Wearing Green on Walk/Ride Day:
HARVARD SQUARE
Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe (6 Brattle St.; (617)491-8888): Mention your participation in Walk/Ride Day on Walk/Ride Day or anytime during the following month and receive a free Green Tea Energy Bar and 50% off on Cardullo’s reusable canvas shopping bag. www.cardullos.com
Darwins Ltd. (148 Mount Auburn St.; (617)354-5233 and 1629 Cambridge Street; (617)491-2999): 10% off on all purchases for those who cycle that day, and can prove it! www.darwinsltd.com
Grendel’s Den Restaurant and Bar (89 Winthrop Street; (617) 491-1160): Come in on Walk/Ride Day and be entered into a raffle for a $25 gift certificate! To enter, simply mention the offer to your server to receive your entry card. Winners will be drawn and contacted on the following Monday. www.grendelsden.com
Tis-tiK (54 Church St.; (617) 661-0900): Go green, wear green and be entered into a raffle to win a free handmade recycled bag! www.shoptistik.com
Uno Chicago Grill (22 JFK St.; (617)497-1530): Get 10% off