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We all know gluttony is a bad thing, except if it’s helping us to stay in shape and in good health! Thanks to a wonderful pastry cook, who initially studied to become a computer graphic artist and photographer, our body and our taste buds are very grateful!
Chloe Saada’s cupcakes are prepared exclusively with natural ingredients, with no conservatives or colouring agents, with organic products. Because she had to follow a strict diet since her early childhood because she’s diabectic, Chloe S created sugarless cakes! Sugar is replaced by organic agave syrup, without danger for people suffering from that illness.
In the end, we fall for a sweet or salty cupcake like the Kiss, which unlike his name suggest is made with Roquefort! Or the Scarlett, made with chocolate and chocolate and nuts paste, and the Madonna, made with lemon, caramel and salty butter.
Those funny names give us an appetite.

Open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 10:30am to 7pm.

Chloe S.
40, rue Pigalle
75009 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)6.66.51.80.84
contact@cakechloes.com
Blog Chloe S.

Pep’s a name that rings in the ears of clients like a sweet promise of happiness. Originally the name means “umbrella”, a name well chosen since Thierry Millet (third of the name), who is the manager of that very unique shop repairs and give a second life to our dear umbrellas. In his small workshop, you’ll find 200 kinds of ribs, a choice of more than 100 umbrellas and 30 sticks. Every year, Thierry Millet repairs more than 10 000 umbrellas! A nice exemple of eco friendly living, since more than 17 000 umbrellas are thrown away each year in France. Why so? Because they are of very poor quality since they come from China. Thierry Millet is on a mission    : he only sells umbrellas made in France, and also recycles   and sells ribs. Also, if you compare the price of a new umbrella (between EUR 30 and EUR 100) and the price of a repair (between EUR 10 and EUR 20 ), you realize than buying a new umbrella is not only bad for the planet, but also bad for your purse. So it’s your turn to compare and take a decision!

From September to May : open from Monday to Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday morning from 9 a.m. To 12:30 a. m.
From June to July  : open from Monday to Thursday from 1:30 p.m. to 7 p. m.

Pep’s
Passage de l’Ancre
223, rue Saint-Martin
75003 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.42.78.11.67
info@peps-paris.com

Photo credit

Journalist and co author of the best seller “Pesticides”, Fabrice Nicolino is concerned by the consumption of meat in the world nowadays. In his book, he talks in a very straightforward way about the frightening issue of industrial meat (“bidoche”, in French). He says it’s of very poor quality, because of the way the animals are fed (with GMOs) and because of the drugs they are given. In Europe, 70% of the total cultivated area is used the feed the cattle because it takes 7 to 9 vegetal proteins to make only one animal protein. Industrial breeding doesn’t only consume lots of energy, it’s also a threat to climate balance and most of all destroys the relationship between men and animals, pushing men to be very cruel. Living beings with sensitivity are reduced to the level of a merchandise. In the book the author describes very clearly the tragic cycle of meat consumption, which is increasing with countries like China and India, to the detriment of the environment, of health (swine flu is one very good example of that), of hungry men and of animals themselves.

« Bidoche », by Fabrice Nicolino, Ed. Les Liens qui Libèrent. 19,95€.

Did you know that a blog post represents about 2 km by car? And that a Google request represents about 60m? Internet is an extraordinary but polluting communication tool. Nevertheless there are simple eco friendly measures that can be implemented.
The project called “My blog is neutral”, which started in Germany, was created to neutralize the harmful effects of your blog on the environment for the next 50 years! There are 3 ways of participating in this : the blogger writes a short article about the program, includes the button of the logo” My blog is neutral” on his blog and send the link of the article to CO2-neutral@kaufda.de. After verifying your involvement, the Arbor Day foundation plants your tree. Thanks to this initiative, already 40396 trees have been planted. A very easy and simple way of getting involved for our environment. It’s now time for everybody to key in!

Kaufda – « Make it green »

Here comes the all brand new eco friendly magazine, Shizen, which happens to be a goldmine of information for all eco friendly citizens! Well written, and with a good dose of humor, Shizen is printed with vegetal ink, on recycled paper, and wants to give a positive image of women, with in depths articles about major environmental problems. As an example  , the last articles talked about the devastation of the Brazilian forest in favor of cattle breeding (When the beefs eat the Amazonian forest) and about the hidden side of our beauty products (Are we in danger when we pamper ourselves?). You can also upload Shizen in pdf version (a good gesture for the planet).

info@shizen-lemag.fr

Gavarni Hotel: Do you have the same vision of green tourism as Hotel Gavarni? Why this partnership?
Sophie Millet: Green Tourism takes many different  forms: sustainable development, eco tourism, responsible tourism, ethical, solidarity-based…
The goal of Voyage Vert is to help people discover France in a responsible way, all this time adapting to people and meeting their needs and desires. Green tourism suffers now of a snobbish image that is totally inadequate   : everybody can travel  in a responsible way, it’s either expensive nor boring. Travelling in a responsible way doesn’t necessarily means living in a hut, observing insects in a forest, or taking a sabbatical   to visit Mali walking.
Travelling in an eco friendly way can  mean taking the train from Paris to go spend the week end in the chateaux de la Loire that includes biking, flying in an hotel air balloon, visiting the castles and drinking champagne!
From  that  perspective, Voyage Vert and Hotel Gavarni have the same conception of green tourism: the first goal is to offer a service which benefits first to the client and second to the planet .

Gavarni Hotel:What are your assets to be attractive to the travelers, considering the appeal of cheap mass tourism?
Sophie Millet: - The price  : In France, green hotels and transports are not more expensive than others, and neither is Voyage Vert!
And compared to other offers from the poorest countries? Let me give you an exemple : a cheap stay in Tunisia is sold 600€ for 2 persons. For the same price, including the advise of our travel agents, Voyage Vert offers you one week for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children), half board, in a 3 stars cottage with swimming pool, in high season, in a beautiful region of France.
- The service : You have one travel agent dedicated only to you, who makes you an offer within your budget, adapted to your desires, free of charge and without commitment. If you are not happy with our offer , we make you a second one, and you don’t have to leave your house. It’s hard to resist that!
- The  accountability  : The client pays Voyage Vert for the offer, and then pays directly his travel to the selected providers. No middlemen, no commission, and very good deals because the providers can offer discounts to the clients of Voyage Vert.

Gavarni Hotel: What kind of trips do you offer? Do you have a specific target?(couples, families, seniors, upper class…)
Sophie Millet: Our basic offer   the search of service :housing, transportation, leisure. Combined together, those services make a trip.
Beyond those personalized offers, our services are based on values like respect for the environment, for example a week end  that includes flying in an hot air balloon, or one week in a hotel with a fine dining restaurant, or more complex offers based on a network of partners (travel agencies, eco friendly leisures, visits…).
Those offers can be for one person, as well as a family of five, or even groups.
Of course our first target are internet users : the advantage with us is that you can make your reservation directly through the web without living your house. But among all internet users, those who contact us the most are couples or families who wants their travels to be unique, genuine and   to discover new things.

Gavarni Hotel: So responsible tourism is really less expensive than the low cost agencies currently on the market?
Sophie Millet: You cannot seriously compare the price of cheap ham in a discount supermarket with the price of the slices of ham coming from a small eco friendly provider. Of course it’s still very cheap to visit Egypt with some big low cost providers, but they don’t have cheap offers to travel in France. Low cost travelling in France means starting preparing your trip very early on and staying in a rural holiday cottage, and I can guaranty you that the prices of eco friendly cottages are competitive.
So yes, responsible tourism in France is less expensive than low cost travel in a poor country
Anyway if you want to travel in a Third World country and stay on the beach drinking mojitos during your vacation, the cheapest offer is the low cost package. But do you really prefer to eat cheap ham full of conservatives?

Gavarni Hotel: What are your plans for 2010/2011?
Sophie Millet: The concept of Voyage Vert in France is unique and a big success. We have very positive feed back from our first clients so far, but we are still a very young company, so our goal for 2010/2011 is to be known by a large number of people. When you come on the market with a new and innovative concept, you have to work hard on communication and marketing.
So our immediate course of action is to focus on communication and to work with the other market   players, especially in Paris.

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