Influential Green Websites

Check out these great websites to change your lifestyle. They offer fantastic advice and introduce new, green products that will make your life easier (and help save the planet too!).

• Mother Nature Network: This website is dedicated to “Improve Your World.” MNN offers an array of news and information available. The website is designed for everyday people who are dedicated to making the world a better place. They offer up-to-date news about green products and green living.
• Tree Hugger: Stay Connected with Tree Hugger. The team consists of sustainable enthusiasts and offers up the best ways to stay green.
• Grist: For the best environmental news tune into Grist. Founded in 1999 Grist has been dishing out the best news and products for us to enjoy
• World Changing: This website is committed to changing your thinking about the environment. World Changing is  a nonprofit media organization dedicated to solutions-based journalism about the planetary future.
• Inhabitat: Their philosophy is green design is good design and good design is green design. The website covers green design, architecture, energy and technology. In addition to running the blog, Inhabitat also organizes the annual Greener Gadgets conference.

These websites are dedicated to helping the everyday person live a greener life. With a little help, we can all become a greener society.

What’s your favorite green site?

Happy in the News

We’re proud to share two articles that recently featured Hotel Felix. Green Building and Design showcased Hotel Felix in their January 2012 magazine as the “premier eco-friendly boutique hotel in downtown Chicago”. One of our favorite lines from the article came from our very own general manager, George Jordan, “Choose Felix, Choose Earth”.

For Little Bits of Green, “Hotel Felix is our Happy Place” – we couldn’t agree more! The writers at Little Bits of Green thoroughly appreciate our green efforts. They loved our use of organic materials and renewable resources as well as our fun green touches like our all-natural H2O Plus bath amenities.

Thank you to both Green Building and Design and Little Bits of Green for featuring Hotel Felix! We hope to see you again soon.

Green Resolutions for the New Year

Interested in reducing your carbon footprint or living a green(er) lifestyle? Here are some resolutions to help you in the New Year:

1. Avoid waste and recycle, recycle, recycle.  According to The Daily Green, the energy saved from recycling a single aluminum can will operate a television for three hours (and it is super easy)!
2. Give up plastic bags. While shopping, use reusable bags — cotton and nylon are a great alternatives.
3. Shop local. There are many benefits from eating and shopping locally. The food is fresher and will keep longer than chain grocery stores’ food, it contains fewer chemicals used to prolong the life, and of course, you would be helping your local economy.
4. No more bottled water! The price of bottled water is up to 10,000 times the cost of tap water (click here for some astounding facts about bottled water). You can buy a tap water filter ranging from $10- $40 and save yourself hundreds of dollars in the long run.
5. Start a compost pile. It improves soil quality physically, chemically and biologically. It also reduces the estimated 1.3 pounds of food scraps that Americans throw away daily!
6. Surrender the paper towels. Try microfiber towels, they pick up dirt, grim, and are reusable. You will save yourself money and reduce waste, a win-win.

For more ideas on how to be eco-friendly this upcoming year, check out The Daily Green.

Travel Green

Heading to the Chicago Air and Water show this weekend? Whether you’re a Chicago resident or visiting for the big show this weekend, we encourage you to take advantage of Chicago’s superb public transportation system.

The Air and Water show takes place along Lake Michigan and attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators. The most economical and eco-friendly way to travel to the show (besides walking or cycling, of course) is by using Chicago Transit Authority. CTA bus routes 151 or 156 are the best ways to get you to the lakefront to check out the sights.

Have a smartphone? Download one of several CTA Bus Tracker apps so you know when your bus will arrive, down to the minute (for the iPhone we love Buster). For more information please visit CTA’s website and check out the schedule. Enjoy the show!

Chill Out

We were recently inspired by our friends at Elate and their latest playful and inventive concoction, the watermelon jalapeño popsicle. These little pops made their big debut at Lolla this year and we have our fingers are crossed hoping they might make another appearance before summer’s end. In the meantime we set out to find some eco-friendly homemade popsicle recipes that will cool you down without reaching for the A/C.

Image Credit: Elate

Green Tea Peach

-2 cups of organic green tea, cooled
-2 tbsp raw honey
-1 cup diced organic peaches
-1 tbsp organic lemon juice

1. Combine ingredients into a blender, blend till smooth.

2. Add ingredients into popsicle molds and freeze.

Apricot Crème

-2 cups organic apricot juice
-1/2 cup organic vanilla soy milk

Mix ingredients, add to popsicle molds and freeze.

Recipe Source: Growing A Green Family

Organic Fudge Pops

-3 cups local organic milk
-1/2 cup organic chocolate milk powder
-2 tbsp malted milk powder
-2 tbsp raw honey

1. In a blender combine the milk, chocolate milk powder, malt powder, and honey and blend well.

2. Pour into a popsicle mold with lids, insert wooden sticks, and then freeze.

Recipe source: Planet Green

Honeydew Lime

-2 tbsp raw honey
-1/4 cup water
-1 (3 1/2 lb) ripe honeydew melon, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (4 cups)
-2/3 cup fresh lime juice
-6 to 10 popsicle molds and sticks

1. Blend half of melon and half of lime juice in a blender until smooth. Add honey, water and remaining melon and lime juice and puree until smooth. Force puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a 2-quart glass measure or bowl, pressing on solids and then discarding them.

2. Pour mixture into molds and freeze until slushy, about 2 hours.

3. Insert sticks, then freeze popsicles until completely hardened, about 6 hours.

Recipe Source: Epicurious

If you decide to give these sweet treats a whirl share some pics on our Facebook page, we would love to see them. Stay cool!

Buy Local, Eat Fresh

With the warm weather comes Chicago’s outdoor Farmers Markets; stroll the streets and browse the different vendors that are exhibited.  Each market brings in nearly 100 stands displaying a variety of fruits, veggies, plants, and flowers for Chicago patrons to chose from. Farmers Markets can be found throughout the different neighborhoods in the city and most will continue until the end of October.

Image Credit: Natalie Collett

Lincoln Park will be hosting their market every Saturday from 7am to 1pm at the Lincoln Park High School, 2001 North Orchard Street. The Southport Market (1420 W. Grace) will take place every Saturday at Blaine School from 8am to 2pm. Downtown will also play host to many markets; check out the Federal Plaza, 219 S. Dearborn St.,  every Tuesday from 7am to 3pm or Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington,  every Thursday from 7am to 3pm. Click here for the complete listings of the markets both downtown and in the neighborhoods.

Image Credit: Natalie Collett

Along with Farmers Markets, Green City Market is the perfect place to check out local vendors. The market takes place outdoors on Wednesdays and  Saturdays. Along with the shopping, Green City Market offers an array of different programs available to the public including: chef demonstrations, field trips, tasting series and much, much more. To see all the programs offered at Green City Market, click here.

Image Credit: Natalie Collett

The Green City Market takes place at 1750 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60614, the south end of Lincoln Park. You can take the following CTA bus routes to Green City Market: 22 Clark, 36 Broadway, 73 Armitage, 151 Sheridan, 156 LaSalle. The closest train station is 0.4 miles away at the Sedgwick Brown Line. The market offers discounted 2-hour parking at the Chicago History Museum.

Last Minute (Green) Gift Guide for Dad’s Day

Still scrambling to find your fab father the perfect gift for his big day? Fear not, we have several last minute (green) gift ideas that will have your dad wishing it was Father’s Day everyday.

For the athlete

Is your dad always on the go? Treat him to some well-deserved pampering with the Asha Sports Massage ($95) at the SPA at Hotel Felix. This deep-tissue sports massage is designed for those who are active with a focus on prevention of injury and enhancing muscular performance. For more info check out the website or call the SPA at (312) 447-3440.

For the chef

If you’re father is a fixture at the stove or grille, get him a set of socially responsible gourmet hot sauce. The Coop Hot Sauce Gift Set ($34.95) from Chicago’s own Greenheart Shop includes four sauces all handcrafted from Chicago community gardens. Each set contains two bottles of classic, one habanero and one jalapeno. All proceeds go directly to supporting Co-op Image’s free youth art center and community garden in Chicago’s Humboldt Park Neighborhood.

For the clothes horse

Pick up Dad an American Apparel Organic Fine Jersey Short Sleeve Tee ($18) in his favorite color. Made of 100% organic cotton this tee is so irresistibly soft you might want to pick up one for yourself too!

For the stressed

Give Dad the R&R he deserves with the Sundari Gentlemen’s Facial ($105) at the SPA at Hotel Felix. This targeted treatment is specifically developed for the unique needs of a man’s skin. Dad will leave with his skin feeling cleansed, soothed and refreshed.

For the beer aficionado

We couldn’t pass up these one-of-a-kind Recycled Corona Beer Bottle Glasses ($9.95) from Greenheart Shop. Recycled glass tumblers are created from the bottom of -you guessed it- Corona bottles by the Green Glass company in Wisconsin. Each bottle is made of 100% reclaimed glass.

Happy Father’s Day!

Go Green and Win Big with the Bike Commuter Challenge

Curious about commuting to your workplace via bicycle? Now’s your chance to hit the trail and celebrate Bike Commuter Challenge in Chicago June 11-17. The goal? To get healthy and go green, while entering for a chance to win prizes from Bike Commuter Challenge sponsors and earn bragging rights as Chicago’s greenest and healthiest company.

The plan is simple: enlist your coworkers and compete on behalf of your company against other area businesses to get the most employees biking to work this week. First step, pick a team leader. Second, bike! Third, submit your team’s results, and -last but not least- potentially relish the fruits of your victory. Check out the full details and sign up here.

Active Transportation Alliance, Chicagoland’s voice for better biking, walking, and transit, provide a number of helpful tips on their site, including suggestions on what to wear, how to pack, and how to prepare for your bike commute. Hotel Felix provides complimentary bike storage for all employees, but if your employer does not, here are some tips on urban parking and locking. Want to find out how to (securely) load your bike onto a CTA bus or train? Active Transporation Alliance breaks it down here and you can also check out this video.

Best of luck to all cyclists and thank you for commuting green!

Hotel Felix In the News

A short announcement from the “Pat Yourself on the Back” department: We’re thrilled with our recent appearances in the news and wanted to highlight some of our favorites.

-The Green Review showcased Hotel Felix as a “LEED-er” (how clever) in Energy-Efficient Hospitality. They especially loved our quiet quarters, soothing spa, paperless front desk and our carpeting made from recycled materials.

-Star Chefs, the magazine for culinary insiders, included Hotel Felix in the piece “Going (and Earning) Green: The Business of Eco-Hospitality”, noting how seamlessly Hotel Felix combines luxury with sustainability.

-Greenheart, Chicago’s premier eco-fair trade non-profit shop, posted details and a photograph of the LEED Silver Unveiling Event held at Hotel Felix, Chicago’s first LEED certified hotel.

Thank you on behalf of Hotel Felix for recognizing our commitment to green practices.

LEED Silver Unveiling Event: (l to r) Hotel Felix General Manager George Jordan, NBC’s Ginger Zee and First Deputy Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Environment Josh Milberg

Eco-Chic Showcase at The Field Museum

Slip on your salmon-skin dress and get your hand-woven handbags ready because the latest eco-friendly designs are coming to Chicago.

On May 13 The Field Museum (1400 S. Lake Shore Drive) unveils the Gary C. Comer Family Gallery, a space devoted to celebrating the environment and sustainable design. The inaugural showcase, entitled Design for a Living World, was developed by The Nature Conservancy and features the works of 10 internationally acclaimed designers, including Paulina Reyes of kate spade new york.  The artists were challenged to visit areas across the world and use those area’s most sustainable materials to create innovative, yet practical, pieces.

Tickets to The Field Museum are available for purchase here; the exhibit is included with price of basic admission.