Wholefoods heaven!

WASHINGTON DC - The first thing I did when we arrived in Washington DC to visit the DC Environmental Film Festival was look up the nearest Wholefoods supermarket. Wholefoods is a true food paradise and the owners care about our planet. You’ll find the highest quality, least processed, organic food there. Before you know it you’ll have spent hours browsing aisles full of temptingly lush cakes, cheeses, salads, fresh bread, coffee, etcetera….

All packaging at the Wholefoods restaurant is biodegradable, they have bike parking spots in front of the market and the buildings are as energy efficient as possible.

On top of that the supermarket support micro-lending operations in the poorer countries of the world, support food banks and sponsor green initiatives in the neighbourhood through the Whole Planet Foundation.

Dear people of Wholefoods, please come over to The Netherlands soon to show how it’s done!

Photo by Simone de Geus

Retail therapy, multiplied

AMSTERDAM – A shirt retailer that doubles as a coffee shop; a hair salon that sells boutique tea; a creative agency that’s also a wine bar. In this fast-paced world where there never seem to be enough hours in the day, no time-saving combination is too crazy. A new shop has now taken multitasking to the next level by offering furniture, fashion and food under one roof.

Located on Overtoom in Amsterdam, Friday Next is a sleek, airy retail Mecca that gives shoppers the opportunity to update their wardrobes, restyle their living rooms and nourish their bodies at the small café, all at the same time.

Large items, such as bookcases, dining tables and light fixtures, are on sale alongside plenty of more portable knickknacks. We particularly like the naturally died felt shoulder bags by Wei Design, and the divine quince lip butter from Greek natural cosmetics range Korres.

Strawberry Earth at Washington DC Environmental Film Festival

AMSTERDAM - 16 March 2010 is the opening of the biggest environmental film festival in the world: the Evironmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital (that’s Washington D.C. to the rest of the world…). They’re screening over 150 films and documentaries over 12 days and Strawberry Earth will be there to pick the best ones and bring them to the Netherlands. A sneak tip for a film we’ve got our eyes on: Climate Refugees by Michael Nash. You can follow our progress from start to finish in Washington DC by following us on Twitter. And look out for film updates and reviews online soon…

Edible art installation

AMSTERDAM - We’re fans of deliciously creative artwork but artist and designer Enoc Armengol has given that idea a totally new meaning. In his installation, Panpaati, Armengol has used baked bread to create furniture. Perfect timing for a post about food given it’s Restaurant Week in Amsterdam. He’s even made a video showing how the work came to life. Check out some more photos of his installation here.

Designed by Christian Michel Echenique

Timberland boat shoes for Spring

AMSTERDAM - There used to be a time when you could only really wear boat shoes if you had a double barrelled name, loved sports like hockey and polo and actually owned a boat! Those days are gone. We love these Timberland Costa Dorada ‘Boat Shoes’ from cult brand and sustainable leader Timberland. There’s even a possibility to design your own Boat Shoe. Happy shopping!

Online vintage heaven!

AMSTERDAM - Some people have an eye for beautiful things. I bumped into this amazing strawberry bracelet from the seventies - how befitting! The design is from Mimi di Niscemi who currently lives in Manhattan.

Simone Weimans found this beauty. She collects the nicest vintage jewellery from all over the world and other stuff that she thinks is beautiful and shows it at her blog called Beauty x5.

If you don’t just want to look at it, but buy things, then we’d recommend visiting her little Etsy shop.

The Dutch Environmental Film Festival 2010

ROTTERDAM - It’s official, The Dutch Environmental Film Festival 2010 will be held on 3, 4 and 5 June in Amsterdam AND Rotterdam. Plus an Award Dinner on 6 June. We’ll be bringing the latest and best international films and documentaries concerning our environment to the Netherlands. There’ll be international speakers, awesome collaborations with creative talent and of course, no Strawberry event would be the same without brilliant parties…! 

Once again, all of the money raised will be used to make each venue eco friendlier.  Click here to see how the money was spent after our very first event. Updates on how money is being spent after our last two events will be online soon.

Veggie in Pumps are throwing a party

ROTTERDAM - The ladies from Veggie in Pumps are a rather glamorous bunch and they’re also committed to living eco friendly lifestyles. On Sunday, 21 March from 20.00 till 01.00 in Rotterdam’s Lantaren/Venster, they’re throwing a party to introduce the world to everything Veggie in Pumps has to offer. From vegan snacks, organic vodka and musical acts to networking for green professionals and artists, Veggie in Pumps are offering the whole shabbang.

Visit the event website for more information. We already have our tickets, see you there…!

Bacon & eggs anyone?

NEW YORK - They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So why not promote your good eating habits with this very cute breakfast set. The set includes 1 piece of toast, 1 sunny side up egg and 2 pieces of bacon and best of all every ‘ingredient’ is recycled! All of the food is made out of reused felt! Just head to etsy.com to buy the set.

Eco Fashion at London Fashion Week

LONDON - Ahhh… London. The city that brought us culinary delights like fish & chips, fashion designer (and environmentalist) Vivienne Westwood and the Estethica eco fashion event, which forms part of London Fashion Week! A bit like Berlin’s THEKEY.TO festival, Estethica is an international event for eco fashion. It’s co-curated by Orsola de Castro, founder of green label From Somewhere, Filippo Ricci and The British Fashion Council. Between 19 and 23 February you can check out designs from labels we like (a lot) including: Goodone and Lu Flux.