Calm and away from the city’s noises, you might enjoy this little garden inspired of the middle age situated in the Marais. Still kept secret from the public, the Park of the Clos des Blancs-Manteaux, on top of being a place dedicated to Lady Diana’s memory is a yard where it is possible to participate to playful activities turning around biodiversity. You will find more than 250 species of plants (herbs, condiments and medicinal plants). Walking around this very charming park with its wonderful stone bowl in the center, is a good way to escape the capital. Breathe some fresh air!

Photo credit: Guillaume Maroussie – Mairie de Paris

Open to public on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 12.30am, and from 1.30pm to 5.30pm.

Park of the Clos des Blancs-Manteaux
21, rue des Blancs-Manteaux
75004 Paris
France
T.: +33 (0)1 43 28 47 63
Subway Station: Hôtel de Ville (L.1 or L.11).

At the foot of the Eiffel Tower, 5 minutes walking from the Gavarni and the Eiffel Trocadero hotels, there’s the first eco-friendly merry-go-round located in Paris. Equipped with solar panels, set up on the roof, and with LED lights, it consumes 12 times less than a classic merry-go-round, which means approximately 10 tons of CO2 less per year. This merry-go-round is innovating and permits children to participate to the environment protection, making them ride bikes or wooden horses pedaling to create energy themselves. A good action that will please children and adults.

Photo credit: The Trendy Girl

The Carrousel Montgolfière
At the foot of the Eiffel Tower, going out from the Pont d’Iéna
Price: 3 euros the ride.

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Do you love ecology? If you’re a fan of homemade cosmetics, ethical fashion, and even organic cooking, you’ll be happy to discover our selection of best green bloggers!

1/ Organic Beauty– Blog of Mam’zelle Emie
This really pretty blog is a gold mine for fans of alternative medicine and organic beauty advice. Adopt the women’s green attitude!

2/ Being environmental on a daily basis – Environmental blog of Marie-Claire
How to be eco-friendly every day? To avoid quitting and being able to follow your line of thought, we follow the advice of the famous magazine for women, which, thanks to the use of a light tone, gives organic advice all while being entertaining!

3/ Eco-friendly tips and tricks – Blog Un truc par jour
With its fashionable design, this blog is to die for, and gives us inexpensive humorous ideas to take care of the planet at our level and capacity.

4/ Organic cooking – Blog Cléa Cuisine
To eat well, we need quality products harvested without pesticides and other chemical products. Cléa´s blog is wonderful and opens your appetite thanks to original and organic recipes. Also, you can find her in a bookshop, because Cléa has her own culinary books!

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We recently talked to you about Parc de Bagatelle, where nature claimed its rights. Today, it’s the home of one of the marvels in the Parisian west: la Roseraie de Bagatelle (or Bagatelle’s Rose Garden).

A century old rose garden
A work from the French landscape architect Jean-Claude-Nicolas Forestier (1861-1930), Bagatelle’s Rose Garden opened in 1907. At the time, he was the “Parks and gardens from the City of Paris“ curator, in the role of city planner. Afterwards, this place became one of the most reputable and well-known rose gardens in the world. It shelters 1 100 types of roses.

An international competition
Every year in June, the international competition of new roses is organized, dedicated to new types of rose bushes. In 1983, a second rose garden was built in the north part of Parc de Bagatelle, designated for landscape rose bushes. Another competition takes place for that matter in order to reward these rustic rose bushes.

Roseraie de Bagatelle / Parc de Bagatelle
42, route de Sèvres à Neuilly
75016 Paris
France

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Sunny days are back, and families meet in the Jardin d’Acclimatation. Indeed, it’s full of activities as numerous as various and perfect for our children. Let’s have a tour…

Educational Activities
Children are totally keen on this Parisian park! Here they can watch a funny puppet show and many ateliers are organized for them (cuisine, gardening, magic and even sciences). They can also play with distorting mirrors or in the playground. Not to mention the amusement-ride village… This park has been made for children and parents are enchanted!

Nature and Animals
With the Enchanted River, Pony back ride is one of the children’s favorite activity. Many other wonderful attractions are waiting for the as the Seoul Garden where you can see cute deers, the Great Aviary where exotic birds are flying, and the Small Farm which initiates little children to rural world.

Restaurants
After all these emotions you’ll need to get strength back, fortunately, the Jardin has a wide choice of restaurants. The Terrasse du Jardin is perfect to enjoy sun, while the Grande Verrière has design tables, of course, both prepare a succulent cuisine. During afternoon, you can have a sweet break at Angelina, a so chic tea room, or a delicious cotton candy at the Café du Village. To summer up, whatever how old you are, everybody spend a good time at the Jardin d’Acclimatation!

The garden is open everyday from 10am to 6pm until March 31st, and until 7pm from April to September.
Prices are detailed on the official website.

Jardin d’Acclimatation
Bois de Boulogne
75116 Paris
France

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First eco-friendly independent hotel in Paris, the Gavarni Hotel is a strong representative of the Chic Green Paris.  So, it made sense for it to be chosen by Hoosta magazine to represent the Green Paris of end-of-the-year festivities. For the occasion, Charlotte, 24-year-old Parisian girl, shares her best addresses to spend a 100% green Christmas!

- R Végétal: an ethical and ultra-chic hairdresser. From the roots to the end of the hair, we feel beautiful and especially environmentally friendly!

- Leila Hafzi: whose Haute Couture creations are to die for.

- Boco: a concept-restaurant ennobled by 5 great Chefs who invented there organic recipes matching totally the restaurant spirit.

- Les Meilleurs Vins Bio: whose nectars all come from traditional agriculture and are conscienciously selected by  Antoine Pétrus, elected Meilleur Jeune Sommelier of France.

Feeling like staying in the Gavarni Hotel for Christmas? Book right here!

Also discover its brand new little brother, the Eiffel Trocadero, booking right there! 

Check out brand new addresses on the map:

Often causing cardiovascular or respiratory diseases, the polluting fine particles found in cities could reduce life expectancy for city residents by 9 months. These particles mostly come from old diesel vehicles, big sedans and ATV. A pity when you don’t even get around by car! That is why five metropolitan cities have been chosen to experiment a new anti-polluting system: the ZAPA, Zones d’Actions Prioritaires pour l’Air or Low Emission Zones. Within the end of 2011, it will be forbidden for vehicles emitting too much CO2 to enter these areas. If it is well respected, this protocol could reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 30% in cities! Already set up in Europe, this system has proven to be effective, like in Freiburg, Germany, where it has already allowed a 18% cut back on polluting gases. When will France stop lagging behind ?!

Check out other green attitudes on the blog of the Gavarni Hotel.

In conditions where most humans could only try to survive with the help of sophisticated technologies and incredible effort, a few living beings, animal and plants, managed to develop the art of survival beyond all understanding throughout evolution. They are referred to today as high survival specialists. The exhibition “Les survivants de l’extrême” displayed at the Palais de la Découverte offers an initiatory and unusual journey in extreme coldness, intense heat, almost complete dryness, permanent darkness or rarefied air, environments where those “high survival specialists” perpetuate their species. Your turn to experience those extreme conditions!

Until August 28th 2011 at the Palais de la Découverte.
Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30 am to 6 pm. Sundays and holidays from 10 am to 7 pm.

Full price: 7 euros. Reduced price: 4 euros.
Planetarium extra: 3,50 euros.

Le Palais de la Découverte
Avenue Franklin Roosevelt
75008 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.56.43.20.20
www.palais-decouverte.fr/

http://www.universcience.fr

Check out other ethical events on the blog of the Gavarni Hotel.

The conversion of forests into farmlands, the unruly slaughtering, the ineffective management of soils as well as the increasing number of human organizations are many reasons why each day, about 350 square meters of forest belts are destroyed worldwide. Yet forests play a prominent part in global sustainable development on an economical, sociocultural and environmental level. They are the very foundation of local knowledge and as ecosystems, they play an essential part in the protection of biodiversity and help reduce the effects of climate change. For these different reasons, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared 2011 international year of forests. This year is therefore dedicated to making people aware and reinforce the initiatives for managing, preserving and developing all types of forests. This action is about uniting governments, international organizations and the civil society so that our forests can subsist in the interest of present and future generations.

A website has been created for the International Year of Forests within the Forum of the United Nations website on forests: www.un.org/esa/forests/2011.html

Check out other sustainable actions on the blog of the hotel Gavarni.

Since 2004, Peau Ethique has been reinventing underwear for the entire family. The brand stands out thanks to their choice to only use organic fabrics and their fair trade standards. The cotton used is grown without any fertilizer, any pesticides and is harvested by hand. Made with cotton, wool or natural silk, Peau Ethique underwear provide an incredible softness for adults as well as for babies’ delicate skin.

Peau Ethique underwear are available online.

A few Parisian retail outlets for Peau Ethique:

Les BioGosses
4, rue Notre Dame de Lorette
75009 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.48.78.09.91

Check out our article on Les BioGosses.

Le Sourire Multicolore
13, rue de Maubeuge
75009 Paris
France
T.: +33.(0)1.40.16.82.32

Bébé en Vadrouille
47, boulevard Henri IV
75004 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.48.87. 19.68

Check out other green addresses in Paris on the blog of the Gavarni Hotel.