Along with healthy garden fresh eating the area also offers a wide range of healthy outdoor activities to coincide with your gastronomical pleasures. Ways that are not only healthy for the human body and spirit, but also friendly to the ecological well being of the planet. Why drive when you can put on a pair of your favorite stylish Birkenstocks. Park the gas guzzler in the garage, grab your hiking stick and canteen and take to any one of the numerous trails to enjoy a trek of urban hiking on two feet, or you can saddle up and go giddy-up on horseback through a network of parks and green spaces strung pleasantly throughout the county resembling a beautiful, green string of natures pearls. Alternative energy is also a key issue in Orange County. This bio revolution is spearheaded by a commercial bio-diesel project to help spread the green gospel of environmental responsibility when it comes to converting our automobiles from fossil fuels to friendly fuels. Going green no only reduces our destructive human footprint on the planet, but it not only makes sense environmentally and economically as well, adding to the county's "green health report card" and enhancing it's overall quality of life for it's citizens.
To prove that action is more powerful than words, Orange County has taken it a step further with the formation of a Green Chamber of Commerce that is active in educating the community on the economic benefits of going green. The environment and sustainability take center stage in the chambers mission to nurture the green economy of the county, and promote the implementation of practical and sound sustainable business practices. In addition to educating the public on the viability of a green lifestyle, they also advocate for a "go green" practical public policy in the county as they work closely with local government entities in a partnership to ensure long term planning for a better tomorrow for the next generation and the generations to follow. For more information on getting involved and helping Orange go Green you can contact the Green Chamber of Commerce at occhamber.org.
Orange County is known for a lot of things, including spacious wide sandy Pacific Ocean beaches, Disneyland, and the quite calm of the Santa Ana Mountains. I also has the distinction of being one of the most populous counties in California, and with that population growth it creates it's share of traffic jams that can turn a highway into a parking lot during the morning and afternoon commute. An abundance of automobiles and other vehicular use generates pollution and uses enough fossil fuels to melt the polar ice cap, and it leaves a heavy human carbon imprint the size of Godzilla on the planet. These fossil fuels are not replenishable in our lifetime, they take millions of years to form, and won't last forever. There is a lot of talk these days about alternative energy resources and their benefits, and while most communities in the United States talk the talk, Orange County walks the walk, by shifting the green machine into overdrive and putting the green pedal to the metal on that issue. One company, Extreme Green Technologies in Dana Point has taken the eco-lead in this environmental drag race.
They have formed mutual partnerships with a network of distributors in the area, whose mission it is to produce and distribute alternative energy products and sources of power. They are dedicated in their quest of this Holy Grail of conservation to help stop global warming by offering viable alternatives to the infernal internal combustion gospel of the automobile manufacturers. Part of what they do is to create awareness of these products and how they will reduce wear and tear on Mother Earth, and instead, make a positive impact on the environment and help the domestic economy of Orange County. Go local, go green. Green is not only a practical matter, but, an aesthetic and creative one as well. The Green Life Gallery was born of a need and a passion to promote a sustainable lifestyle through the expression of art in various mediums. The participating artists are from all areas of Orange County and they are committed in spirit, and in fact to sustainability. To get their message across they creating functional art that is environmentally responsible. Creations are not only works of high art, but the artists use a variety of organic, reclaimed and recycled material, proving that all objects aren't destined for the land fill for final burial, but, like a phoenix rising from the ashes can be "re-born" into wonderful artistic creations and expressions with a definite green message.
The foodie community nationwide has embraced the "locavore movement," and this gastronomical revolution is catching on like an agricultural wildfire. Orange County produces an abundance of agricultural products, with a lot of them organically grown. These make their way into farmer's markets throughout the county and Orange County has a plenty to choose from. Locally grown produce, fruits and vegetables are not only healthy and heart smart, but, they also help grow the garden of the local economy. The revenue generated stays in a community where the produce is grown, and locals and visitors alike have a rich and healthy variety of local homegrown products to choose from.
Most of the farmers markets in Orange County are affiliated with the California Federation of Certified Farmers Markets, a blanket organization. Their mission clearly stated is "to educate and promote not only a healthy and economically viable alternative to the "chain store" offerings of corporate farms, but they also have programs designed to re-establish the traditional link between the rural farmers and urban consumers, a place where the age community interacts with it's urban neighbors." You can find more information on Orange County Farmers Markets by visiting http://www.orangecounty.net/html/shop-produce.html Another highly important and growing phenomenon is the creation of local community gardens. These volunteer gardens of bounty are established in many neighborhoods, including poorer ones where the option of shopping at a local supermarket is perhaps non-existent, or the cost of healthy foods is prohibitive. The community gardens involve local participation of individuals and families who not only gain experience and education on eating right, but the gardens instill a sense of volunteerism that is downright infectious, while building a foundation of camaraderie and community spirit at the same time, not to mention the satisfaction of "growing our own" and taking pride in it. Even the White House has a community garden that started when Michelle Obama decided to make it a project that was important to her, and it also involves local underprivileged children.
Growing your own is a most gratifying experience, but, you don't just plant a seed and hope for the best. There is much to learn about garden pests and their eradication through organic means, such as the use of natural predators, which can include the praying mantis and lady bugs! Remember the old childhood saying of "Lady Bug, Lady Bug fly away home" well, make your garden the lady bugs home and your veggies will thank you for it by producing a crop of pest free and pesticide free fare for the table.
Gardening itself is a science and an art. So how does one gather all the valuable knowledge that is necessary for success, and put it to healthy use? If you live in Orange County you can sign up for one of the Master Gardener programs at the University of California. Adult programs involve classes designed to instruct the student in the proper procedures for growing edibles, while there is also a youth program that focuses on creating and sustaining a garden and proper procedures to avoid soil depletion of nutrients; proper composting and mulching; and the non use of pesticides, herbicides and other poisons that are detrimental to Mother Earth and our homegrown food supplies. A good meal needs a good wine? The vintners magic has had a golden touch in the Golden State for centuries. Yeah, this is California, so think Napa, think Sonoma to the north, but, here in Southern California, think Orange! Wineries, tours and tastings are available to uncork the wonders of the vintners art throughout the region. While visiting he various varietal producers, you can ask questions of the wine makers that can involve everything from what wine goes with what meal, how to determine a wines age, and before you know it, you'll be a pro at choosing the right wine in a restaurant to impress your new girlfriend. She may even marry you with this mighty wine weapon of knowledge at your disposal.
Tours of wineries in Orange are plentiful and pleasant. You can tour by limo, the traditional tour option, or if you want to truly enjoy the vino experience with a nautical touch, take to the waters off Dana Point, and set sail for a sunset wine cruise on the harbor. It's a 90 minute pleasure jaunt that includes a variety of wines to taste, supplemented with a variety o cheeses, crackers, fruits and nuts. Tastings on board ship are handled by the staff of the Organic Cellar who promote organically grown and pesticide free wines. If you have pets and want them to share in the healthy lifestyle of we humans, Fido and Garfield can enjoy organic cuisine at some of the organic pet food and supply stores in the county.
For information of a variety of varietal tours and experiences in Orange County visit http://www.orangecounty.net/html/wine_tours.html Chocolate is not only the favored food for those with a sweet tooth, but it's a pretty sexy food too, and Orange County has a place where chocolate is used for a near Zen experience of relaxation. A chocolate spa to spoil yourself literally wrapped in the chocolate itself. Chocolate and the human body become one! At the Chocolate Day Spa in Costa Mesa, the chocoholic can opt for a full body chocolate scrub and rub, which includes a mocha sugar scrub and a chocolate thermal wrap! Drench your body in rich, creamy chocolate, covering every delicious orifice on you, and your mate is sure to understand the phrase, melts in your mouth and not in your hands, as you become a human Valentine chocolate treat to delight and excite the senses with the power of a sugar loaded aphrodisiac where Godiva Chocolate meets Mr. Goodbar!
Garden fresh foods from a local community garden or farmers market, organic wines paired with a delicious main course, all topped off with a deliciously decadent chocolate massage. You're living large and you're living healthy, but, exercise is also important to a healthy and green lifestyle. Look at the human body, your human body as a living breathing "planet" orbiting through space. Earth with arms and legs.
In Orange County, there is enough green space to make John Muir smile. Grab your pair of favorite worn hiking boots, and make tracks to trek through the Fullerton Arboretum located on the Fullerton campus of Cal State. You'll find a 26 acre landscape with pathways that meander through four garden collections that display flora that highlight Mediterranean, the desert, woodlands and cultivated plants. Over 4,000 plants attractively displayed to calm the spirit that wants to pause for reflection and contemplation.
The arboretum provides classes for those who want to develop a green thumb and turn garden variety desire into a sustainable reality. Learn the tricks of composting, what dry and wet layers accomplish, what the proper mix of heat, moisture and air will do to provide a rich garden goo that your growing plants and edibles will devour like a starved piranha in a rainforest river. Classes are also provided on how to grow fruit trees, something southern Californians are very familiar with. If you have the drive to create a garden but lack the space on the home front, there is a limited supply of plots available on an annual basis for those with limited real estate at their disposal.
The tomato, fruit or vegetable? Who cares! They are delicious and an excellent source of vitamins and licopenes the cancer cell fighter wheter you served them raw or cooked. Foodies of the world unite! The arboretum plays host to the annual Tomato Tasting Festival as well as the Sizzling Summer Salsa contest. It's fiesta time and time to feast with a spicy touch.
For more information on the Fullerton Arboretum and it's various programs and events, visit their website at http://fullertonarboretum.org/home.php Orange County is heavy on human population, yet is also one of the most ecologically diverse. The climate is Mediterranean with an abundance of different flora and fauna. In addition to the Arboretum, other urban hikes will take you through woodlands and canyons, or you can take advantage of one the many beach hikes with the Pacific Ocean as your backdrop and a sandy soft carpet below your feet. Spend the day enjoying the salt air and beach combing while beach bumming and enjoying sun and surf, Orange County style.
Need a mountain fix, try any of the numerous trails for hiking and horseback riding in the nearby Santa Ana Mountains, approximately 20 or so miles inland running a line parallel to the ocean. Wildlife viewing is a certainty, and you'll enjoy the healthy benefits of the many river and creek trails that offer a cool and calming effect as gentle as a Monet painting.
Orange County has a green mantra, and it is a food lovers paradise, a hikers garden of Eden, and when it comes to going green in a big way in many aspects including the arts and transportation fuels for the future, they don't wait for the future. In Orange County the future is now proving that in reality, Orange is Green!