“C’est beau d’être agriculteur” was the slogan for the 2012 Calendrier des jeunes agriculteurs, created by the French agricultural union “Jeunes Agriculteurs” to promote the métier of farming. We tipped you off to the young farmers’ calendar back in 2009, but didn’t have a picture. Looks like the 2012 version is sold out, but you can still make yourself a note to get one next year, and you can see more pics from the Calendrier Jeunes Agriculteurs 2012 here, though the slideshow doesn’t include all months.
Other calendars we’ve brought you in the past: The From’Girls, promoting French cheese with sexy pinups, the Aubade calendar, featuring those lingerie ads you see in the bus stops in Paris, and the Stade Paris rugby team beefcake calendar. You can get the current versions of them all at these links!
It’s your lucky day, America! California has imported a French chocolatier who used to be high on the food chain (so to speak) at Lenôtre. Now he’s launched Nuubia Chocolat, his own line of gourmet French-style chocolates in the Bay Area. Nuubia Chocolat was voted one of the Top Ten Chocolatiers in North America, and named Chocolatier of the Year in 2011.
That’s all fine and dandy, but what really works for me is the eco aspect. The company uses NO palm oil or palm oil derivatives. (In case you didn’t know, palm oil is in about 50% of the packaged products we use, and it’s driving the orangutan to extinction.)
Nuubia Chocolat’s mission is to “produce exquisite chocolates and protect the planet”:
Because of our connection to the Earth, Nuubia Chocolat’s underlying mission is dedicated to help protect life on this planet and wildlife sanctuaries around the globe. Our Company is driven by “B” Corporation principles, using only GMO-free ingredients, FSC certified papers and packaging, and subscribing to standards that incorporate ethics and transparency into our daily business practices.
If you live in the area, you can visit their store in Pleasanton, where they even offer classes! If not, you can order online. Bon appétit !
No discussion of French cuisine occurs without some reference to using seasonal produce. And it’s a lot more écolo to cook with seasonal produce too. Download a nice PDF showing which fruits and vegetables are in season in France during which months of the year. Great for expats who have no clue (like me, but hey, I’m from Southern California, I have an excuse). Could be useful and fun for the classroom!
Some offices will get Citroen Berlingo electric delivery vans (pictured above), many of which are already on the roads. Other postal carriers will have their four wheels replaced by electric bicycles, and still others will have to walk, aided by an electronic trolley.
In order to reduce the amount of glass and cardboard used to bottle and box the delight, French wine enthusiast Astrid Terzian came up with the idea of selling wine by volume.
Perpignan is one of 60 French towns that have struck upon a cheaper and greener way to collect household waste – ditching the dustbin lorry in favour of a horse and cart.
This engaging amateur video about an eco-conscious superhero in Paris has gone viral and is even getting some attention from the powers that be in Paris.
We conducted a blind-test experiment with independent oenologists who found that long journeys by sailing ships also improved wines, some of them giving an impression of having aged a year in the process
The [Loire Valley] region, traditionally known as “The Garden of France” — thanks to a horticultural heritage stretching back centuries — is now home to an 11-hectare site devoted entirely to the enjoyment of the natural world.
In the French city of Toulouse, the newest craze in sustainable energy is about to hit the streets. Literally. Inspired by a nightclub in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the city of Toulouse has begun investigating the installation of energy-absorbing sidewalk panels that would harvest pedestrian power to fuel the street lights.
Green roofs and good design go hand in hand, and this rolling grassy extension to the Marcel Sembat High School in France is certainly no exception. Built right next to a public park, the project presented an interesting challenge: take a simple building program and create a beautiful link between the city’s urban infrastructure and its green public spaces.
