Earth Day in Logan, Utah 2010

RelevanSi is a “green business for green businesses” offering multi-faceted business solutions for green companies. Creative green web design, green programming, and green marketing are the main services for which we are hired. Our expertise is in combining interactive web design, branding, programming, iPhone applications, social media practices and a myriad of other innovative solutions to improve clients’ visibility online.

Acting on our green philosophy, RelevanSi held and participated in three Earth Day events this year. The Earth Day event in Logan, Utah was a fantastic addition to our two other events in Buenos Aires and Chicago. Our event included many different activities that we provided to the public, including: featuring green companies and organizations, demonstrations, live music and tips on going green. The event was indeed a success and we plan to make this an annual event. While we could have upped our attendance by promoting for 4-6 weeks, we still had great attendance for a first-ever event! The green companies were certainly the highlight of the event though.

Tie-dying at Earth Day

Winder Farms was the first to arrive at Merlin Olsen Park and their people were a great contribution to the event. Mary and Richard were outgoing, funny and an absolute joy. It was very refreshing to see people so dedicated to their company. Winder Farms is an all organic farm which provides organic produce, milk, juice, and a myriad of other products straight to your door. You order from your computer and the products are delivered by 8 a.m. guaranteed on the day of delivery. This not only provides an easy access source of organic produce, but also saves the gas of going to the store as they deliver your produce along their route to other customers in your area. They serve a large portion of Utah and their fresh squeezed orange juice and chocolate chip pumpkin bread were so delicious I signed up for their services. Check out their website and follow them on Twitter. They are truly an inspired company.

Winder Farm's Mary and Richard

Parker Farms Produce was not far behind Winder and proved to have the widest selection of products at the event out of anyone! The family-run farm truly set itself apart from the supermarkets by its dedication to personalized customer service. They were intelligent and knowledgeable with a true dedication to organic produce. They even spoke with customers about how to turn a room in a house into their own greenhouse. They gave away produce in the raffle, sold plant starts, and fresh produce. Follow them on Twitter and check out their website for more information. They also sell their produce at the local Farmer’s Market.

From their website: ”Edwin Parker founded the original farm in Hooper, Utah, in Weber County, a land known for its fertile ground, especially once the irrigation canals were dug connecting the Weber River to the Great Salt Lake.

From the 1860s, the farm passed from father to son until the present day.  Along the way, the farm was a place where a general store was located, a nationally-recognized dairy operation was housed, and award-winning produce was grown.

It has always been a family operation.

In 2010 we began providing produce from a partner farm in California.  This allows us to provide fresh produce to our clients year-round, and to provide produce we are not able to grow locally.

When we can grow it locally, we do; when we cannot we acquire it from growers who have similar philosophies as ours: as fresh and organic as possible.”

Purchasing produce from companies and farms, such as these two, you can cut out a lot of the pollutants and pesticides that you intake. I heard on NPR recently that if you cut out the “Dirty Dozen” (a list of 12 fruits and vegetables that are the most chemical ridden) that you can cut out 95% of your pesticide and chemical intake.

Parker Produce at Earth Day

Cache Valley Transit District also had a booth providing route maps and schedules as well as information about riding the bus. The CVTD offers a unique opportunity for Cache Valley and provides bus routes to almost anywhere in the valley completely free of fares. Their schedules usually run every 15 minutes for the populated areas and even run on the half hour to other locations. Logan greatly under-utilizes this resource and could greatly use it considering we have some of the worst air quality in the nation due mostly to the community’s attachment to their individual cars.

Cache Valley Transit District at Earth Day

Crumb Brother’s was unable to make it to our event because of a shortage of manpower, but they donated half a dozen gift certificates to their all-natural, sustainable, organic bakery for our raffle. Crumb Brother’s offers the finest bread in Utah and does so using eco-friendly practices. They sell bread out of their sustainable building at 291 S 300 W in Logan and to retailers and restaurants all over Utah. They invite you to come break bread with the finest and most dedicated bakery in town! From Crumb Brother’s bio:

“In the spring of 2003, Bill Oblock and two friends combined their passion for hand crafted, artisan breads with their desire to create an environmentally and socially responsive business in Northern Utah. They founded Crumb Brothers Artisan Bread in Logan, Utah.

Using the techniques and knowledge gathered from generations of learned bread makers passing their craft literally from hand to hand, Crumb Brothers honors the ancient tradition of old world bread making: the slow fermentation from natural starters; the shaping and tending of each loaf by hand; and, the baking in our gas-fired oven imported from Italy. Artisan bread is distinguished by its flavor, texture and color, creating a rich sensory delight to behold and taste.

As the word “artisan” implies, we take no short cuts in making our bread. Crumb Brothers Artisan Bread also uses the finest quality organic flours milled at Central Milling in Logan. Locally produced ingredients are sought out to support sustainable agriculture practices in every way we are able. Our breads celebrate the hard work of our farming communities.

Bill and Diane Oblock, our owners, collaborated on a building design that is green friendly. A geo-thermal heat exchange system supplies the heating and cooling needs as well as incorporating passive solar energy. This beautiful structure utilizes recycled trestlewood used in the original Great Salt Lake railroad bridge as well as brick. An abundance of windows and glass doors provide natural lighting.

Surrounding the building are native plants that are beautifully landscaped with a eye to low water requirements for this desert region. Sitting out on our patio, customers can enjoy fine coffees, teas, along with European style pastries, quiche and sandwiches. Our location is deliberately off the beaten track to serve the desire to be a nice neighborhood bakery.

Inside, our imported Italian oven is the center of all. A large four deck hearth oven with steam injection allows the baking of time honored artisan breads. By use only locally milled organic flours, five different natural starters and hand forming, we honor the tradition of what man has done for thousands of years.”

Caffe Ibis Coffee Roasting Company also donated coffee mugs and gift certificates for us to raffle off. Caffe Ibis offers triple certified coffee and is extremely committed to the green cause as well as fair trade practices. They are deeply passionate about sustainable agriculture and you will be hard “pressed” (sorry) to find a better cup of coffee in the intermountain west. Their products are sold at many different cafes, retailers, and their own cafes in Logan and on Utah State Universities campus. Their organic, fair trade, and shade grown coffees are a pleasure to your palette. You can order online at their website or visit their cafe.

There were many other green vendors and organizations present and supporting the Earth Day event. In addition to the aforementioned we would like to thank: Global Village Gifts, who had all of their fair trade products and causes present; Panni Island Catering, who sold their delicious polynesian food; Jasmine Carrea, with her handcrafted merchandise; USU’s Organic Student Farm, who had information about what their farm does; Marcy Skinner, a local author who wrote a book educating kids about ecological issues; all of the local artists, and everyone who came.

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