After the appreciated birth of the Russian tea house named Kusmi, the group Orientis reiterates and launches Lov Organic (Lov means leaf in Scandinavian language), an upscale bio brand! Coming from the natural Scandinavian lands, the Lov Organic teas are the result of a combination of innovative recipes and wonderful bio packagings. Like her sister Kusmi, Lov Organic cares about elegant packagings with colored, refillable and minimalist pots, marked by the Nordic culture. We fall for the “Lov is Zen” one, a gourmet and fruity mixing with orange, caramel and rooibos flavors. Take Lov Organic seriously!
Opened on Mondays from 2pm until 8pm, from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am until 8pm, and on Sundays from 10am until 3pm.

Løv Organic
15, rue Montorgueil
75001 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.58.71.41.25
contact@lov-organic.com
www.lov-organic.com

It is true that when you talk about clothes « made in China » people think”low quality clothes”.Nevertheless, “made in France” clothes are less and less affordable.The newspaper Le Monde annonced recently that only less than 5% of the “ready to wear” sold in France is still”made in France” (you have to know that one minute of manufacturing is 70 times more expensive here that in a country like Thaïland for exemple) That’s why Prada, with it’s new line”made in…” decided to restore the credibility of the “made in China”, by enhancing the work of local craftsmen in some countries. In total collaboration with those craftsmen, Prada offers with its new line a collection of jeans called “Prada made in Japan”, a collection of tartan kilts, “Prada made in Scotland”, a collection of embroidered dresses, “Prada made in India”, and a line of alpaca meshes “Prada made in Peru”. Wearing Prada is a little like travelling around the world through the art of craftsmen who truly deserve to be finally under the spotlight.

www.prada.com/

The new redevelopment project of the docks of the Seine, lead by Bertrand Delanoe the mayor of Paris, was deliberated first in July 2010 during the Paris Council. The mayor, very involved in the protection of the environment, has exposed his intentions to reduce dramatically the circulation of the car traffic pollution, through a gigantic project aiming to completely change the architectural urban layout of the docks of the Seine, by limiting the access for cars, thus creating more space for green spaces, cultural and sports projects for pedestrians, tourists and walkers. With a budget of EUR 40 millions, the investments will be dedicated to creating modulable working space; users friendly and creative artificial islands, and river fronts roads reserved for the “Paris by night”. To finish the project, the roads will be closed for traffic from Pont de l’Alma to Pont d’Orsay starting 2011 and the urban highway on the right bank will be replaced by a very modern boulevard before 2012.We’ll be following this matter very closely.

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You would like to mix sport and outdoors activities, fresh air and urban life, but you think it’s not really possible in Paris? Well think again! The City of Paris has launched a new program, called “Sports and Outdoors Activities”. Coaches will train you and help you stay in shape for free, every Sunday morning. With those experts by your side, you will do your gym in the Jardin des Plantes or the Jardin du Luxembourg, you will discover Nordic Walking in the Parc de Bercy or the Buttes Chaumont. In the same area, near Belleville, you can try aquagym or volley ball. Exercising to stay in shape or relaxation, jogging or swimming, ball games or racket, the city has done everything possible to give you the largest possible choice. There’s nothing like great sports meetings and outdoors activities to stand on the right foot and start the day well!

Every Sunday morning from 9h to 12h (except in July and August). The sessions are free and open to all.

Here’s a list of the parks and garden participating in the program :
Jardin des Plantes (5th)
Jardin du Luxembourg (6th)
Parc de Bercy (12th)
Square René Le Gall (13th)
Centre sportif Georges Carpentier (13th)
Parc Montsouris (14th)
Champ de Mars (15th)
Parc Georges Brassens (15th)
Parc André Citroën (15th)
Bois de Boulogne (16th)
Buttes-Chaumont (19th)

The gourmets know for sure this delicious brand with a typical American name. The Laura Todd cookies are simply the best of Paris, unique, fresh and healthy. Laura Todd really existed. Born in Austria at the end of the 19th century, she went to live to  America with her family. As a child there, she’s excited to discover the cookies, brownies and muffins all the kids love. Later, she decides to start cooking professionally in 1929. In 1933, her cookie recipe “The Special 1933”, (still on sale today), with raisins, oatmeal, cinnamon and nuts, wins the first price or the Chicago universal fair!In 1986, she opens in France.

From 1994, Laura Todd offers in her shops a choice of  100% organic cookies (with nuts, dark chocolate, orange peels, etc…), including one vegan cookie (with no eggs and butter). Finally, mixing organic and gourmet cooking, the green Laura Todd restaurant opens in 1998. Soups, plates of cereals, gourmet salads or veggie hot dogs are on the 100% vegetarian menu. A little advice to whet your appetite : go on the Laura Todd website and discover the cookie recipes of this sweet “grandma” before entering their shops !

Open from Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm. Closed in August.

Laura Todd, le restaurant bio
81, avenue de Breteuil
75015 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.45.67.92.25

Opened since March 2008, La Cooperative is a cultural and fair café where activists get together to discuss themes linked with environment. The bar also organizes musical theme evenings, as well as exhibition all along the year. A plus point? You can enjoy a bio sandwich, or go shopping among products coming from fair trade, such as Max Havelaar (Transfair).

Opened on Monday 4pm to 10pm, from Tuesday to Thursday 11am to 10pm, and on Friday and Saturday 11am to 2am.

La Cooperative
7, rue Lagille
75018 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.42.29.26.65
lacooperative@laposte.net

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

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The future will be green, respectful, fair, eco friendly and sustainable…or there will be no future! According to all studies, including the ones of the Ornithological Center of the Paris Area, and the League for the Protection of the Birds, to many species in Paris are about to be extinct. In order to prevent species like slugs, toads, hedgehogs, falcons, sparrows and insects that are irreplaceable for the fertilization of flowers to remain alive in Paris and in Europe in general, the Paris Council will come up with a list of measures before next fall. And that’s where the Parisians can play a crucial part. In order to elaborate a brand new project plan, we will need to be the best observers possible. Four different sites have been chosen to start with (the canals and their surroundings in the 19th, the Bois de Vincennes and the Bercy-Charenton area in the 12th, the Père Lachaise Cemetery, in the 9th and 20th, and finally the banks of the Seine in the Bois de Boulogne).We will have to set a perimeter of 10 x 10 meters and observe it during 10 mn, and count the number of insects who are coming and visiting the parcel or browsing. This observation is crucial in order to know their habits in terms of moving around and how they live in the city, and therefore ensure their survival. Since the month of March, you can have all the information on this study on the following website and also share you insights.

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Since the month of April, the city of Paris now has 2 new citizens: a couple of small windmills installed on the roof of the House of Air in the Belleville area. This experiment is part of the Climate Plan adopted in 2007 by the local representatives. Built to be used in a highly populated area, those 2 small windmills, installed by the company Elena Energy for free, will satisfy the needs in energy of around 6 families (heating not included). They will produce up to 15000 KWh/a year each. This energy will be used by the House of Air, thus saving 2.6 tons of CO2 a  year !

This test with the house of Air will also serve to evaluate the potential development of these urban windmills. There are other areas in Paris where they could be  installed: the Parc des Buttes Chaumont in the 19th, or Montmartre in the 18th. The central idea of this innovation is to use  the Parisian roofs who are currently under exploited to produce energy. But windmills are not the only solution: photovoltaic panels are also a great way of saving lots of energy. To be continued…

House of Air
27, rue Piat
75020 Paris
France

Photo credit: Mairie 20e

At Cococook, don’t expect to find “boring” diet meals, but traditional French cuisine with an exotic twist! The cheesecake for example becomes salty, perfumed with tarragon, basil, rosemary and parmesan cheese. As well as being healthy gourmet dishes, the corn and coriander soups are delicious, and the smoked haddock croquettes surprising. For dessert, you won’t be able to resist something as original as the chocolate and courgette cake, or the sweet  potatoe  pie. For those who are in a hurry, Cococook also delivers on your workplace, or at home, using bikes to respect environment even more!

The shop is open from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., seven days a week
Deliveries are made from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p. m., and from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11 districts of Paris.

Cococook
30, rue Charlot
75003 Paris
France
T. : +33.(0)1.42.74.80.00
info@cococook.com