Tradition is one of those things that most people accept and few people question. The Christmas tree is one of those things that's made me wonder. Apparently the origin of the Christmas tree comes from pre Christian German heritage where its meaning was in bringing the beauty of nature into the home during the time of Yule. That's something that really rings true in me, in a world that moves so fast in manufactured urban landscapes, finding time to slow down and take in nature's beauty has value in my life and my home. They Holidays are a great time to relax, spend time with family, friends and loved ones and nature can only make that a more meaningful experience. If that's at the root of this centuries old tradition, why do we cut down and kill trees to have them in our houses for a few weeks when they could live out beautiful lives for decades or even hundreds of years in the wild? It seems real odd to me, maybe because I'm Jewish but I think there's more to it.

The answer is Carbonsync, a Vancouver based live tree delivery service that brings nature into your home and plants it into ecological restoration projects after you've enjoyed it over the Holidays. I recently met Brad Major, Carbonsyncs owner/operator, at the recent Climate Smart training, measuring our companie's carbon footprint, reducing emissions and offsetting the rest.  They're a good team, super friendly and are creating value for families and our environment. Well done!

Top 3 things cool about Carbonsync

1. No need to sacrifice a tree, enjoy nature in your home while respecting it's future

2. Live trees are less flamable than dried ones so it's safer for your family and your home.

3. Carbonsync donates a portion of profits to Burns Bog Conservation Society, a great non-profit that's been working for decades to protect North America's largest urban green space

I have to admit, I'm a bit of a perfectionist and like things that are really good. Have you ever had one of those experience when you've tasted or experienced something that wasn't quite as good as you thought it could be? Have you ever thought you could make something better? Building a better mousetrap is one way to start a business and lots of successful entrepreneurs get their ideas and inspiration from having a bad taste in their mouth. From my experience this is how I started a corporate gift basket business, I didn't like gift baskets and saw that they were super wasteful. Gary Erickson got the idea for starting Cliff Bar while trying to stomach Power Bars on a 200 mile bicycle ride, seeing an opportunity for tasty energy bars. Tiz and Tara from Zazubean Organic Chocolate have a similar story, while on a cycling trip with friends seeing an opportunity to improve the chocolate bar industry.

Top 3 Reasons Zazubean is All Good

1.  Carbon Footprint - cocoa beans come from Central and South America. The vast majority of them get shipped to the major chocolate houses of the old world (cross Atlantic trip number one) where they get turned into chocolate couverture which get shipped around the world (cross Atlantic trip number two) and used by chocolatiers to make chocolate truffles and other tasty treats. Zazubean works with North America's only certified organic fair trade bean to bar chocolate factory, hence the chocolate used in Zazubean bars travelled direct to the Pacific Northwest and played hooky from 2 cross Atlantic trips.

2.  It's my medicine! - Zazubean chocolates are paired with various herbs that have medicinal and therepudic value. The Lunatic Bar (aka the Women's monthly maddness bar) for example is paired with Dong Quai root and Chaste tree berry, two Chinese medicinal herbs used to alieve menstral cramps.

3.  Fair Trade helps poor farmers in the South get paid fair prices for the crops that they grow. Although there is debate around the value of Fair Trade certification, some even questioning the value of it in theory, fairly traded products can put cash directly into the hands and communities of the farmers working to produce the goods we demand every day. Fair trade can shrink the gap between rich and poor by eliminating uneccessary middle men, helping to build hospitals and schools in rural communities in the developing world.

Where's my main squeeze?

I'm a big fan of Zazubean's newest chocolate bar, Squeeze, which combines orange and ginger. I likey, it's juicy and got some quenching punch! Besides making tasty chocolate bars Zazubean's got a fun vibe, coming up with line's like "Save Earth! It's the only one with chocolate!" and have great photos for their different bars. The Nutbar was another new product in 2009, a tasty combination of almonds, coconut and lavender, features legendary Vancouver surfing yogi Eoin Finn. I ever popped my modelling cherry as the Zing bar guy having my hair straightened for the first time was an experience I'm not exactly looking for again but was pretty fun looking back at.

The Green Zebra guide - local savings for sustainable living, is a great corporate gift to give employees to encourage a culture for sustainability and green business within your organization. Culture is king and how people behave dictates if business strategy is executed or just talked about. The Green Zebra guide is the Entertainment book for green living, filled with coupons and offers for local, health and environmental products and services. Yoga classes, health food stores, restaurants, attractions, hotels and yes, even gift basket businesses have coupons inside, many of value worth more than the $20 purchase price of the book. If you're wondering how to get your employees to bring sustainability into the work place, why don't you try to get them to bring it into their lives. If they like it, they'll bring it to work and feel good about it too.

Sustainable business doesn't work if its another thing for your employees to do. More tasks and more things to be responsible for in their job description. Green business flourishes when it's just how people do their job. It's part of the culture of how decisions are made, how opportunities turn are executed, the questions people ask and the answers they have. It's been well proven that sustainability can save companies money in HR, retaining employees for longer periods of time, increasing productivity and decreasing costs associated with training and lost knowledge and experience when people leave. When your employees bring their values to work they love their jobs, at least aspects of their jobs, and feel good knowing that their energy day in day out is going to improve the world in some way. If you're looking for more info on this subject I recommend reading 'The Sustainability Advantage' by Bob Willard. I've had the pleasure to meet Bob numberous times over the last few years at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) and also at the CBSR Summit, an annual day long conference on corporate social responsibility in Canada.

Top 3 Things We Value in Green Zebra

1. Save money - try new products, restraunts and services with less risk. Some will be good, some not so much but you will find things that you enjoy that you might have not tried without a little incentive.
2. TB Vets - a portion of revenue gets donated to TB Vets, helping to improve health for residents in BC
3. Build a corporate culture that embraces sustainability - a significant value driver for bottom line benefits in your business. Giving people a coupon book isn't going to change your culture overnight. People build culture. But managment can help to steer the ship and as people try greening their personal lives in ways they enjoy they'll start to bring their behaviours to work. This is something that your can't train in a workshop or buy.

Over the last few months we've been working closely with Rachel at CocoaNymph on a line of specialy artisan nuts. Delicious and original these are a fantastic corporate gift to send to an office or to take to a dinner party. Easy to share, unique flavours, and damb tasty the nuts are the kind of thing you probably wouldn't buy for yourself but would be happy to enjoy.

Sustainable packaging

Each selection of nuts is packaged in a PLA biodegradable tub. PLA is derived from corn. Although corn is one of the most genetically modified crops in North America and debated given its requirements for water and fertilizers I think supporting the development of biodegradable packaging is worthwhile. With more and more people thinking about what happens to waste and packaging we raise awareness and people become more conscious consumers. This is the direction we need to go as a society. We sourced the packaging from Susanna at BSI Biodegradable Solutions, the go to source for sustainable packaging in Vancouver, BC.  100% recycled gift boxes round out the package for a great sustainable corporate gift.

Artisan specialty nuts

1. My favorite are the local Agassiz cocoa espresso covered hazelnuts. Damb. These are delicious morsels of goodness. There's not much out there in the market quite like these little treasures. Aggasiz hazelnuts are a high end quality product from the Lower Mainland, BC. Their unique shape make each little treat a little bit different.
2. Dark chocolate almond culsters with sea salt. The most popular nuts in our office these ones are hard to keep around. Sweet and savoury.
3. Caramalized walnuts in a balsamic reduction. Soft tangy goodness. Not something that you'd expect, truely nice flavour on this classic nut.
4. Candied spiced pecans. The first candied nut to come out from the CocoaNymph shop. Where it all began.

Gift boxes filled with the selection of 4 artisan nuts are priced at $40 from Saul Good.

Don't forget about the chocolate!

Rachel is a fantastic chocolatier! She's got a great selection of chocolate truffles and chocolate bars. CocoaNymph is a quaint shop up on 10th Ave West in Point Grey and is a happening little music venue on occasion. If you're in the neighbourhood check it out, grab a coffee or loose leaf tea, some chocolates and kick back. It's a good vibe. In the summer they've got some great natural ice creams as well.

Top 3 reasons CocoaNymph makes an excelent corporate gift

1. Easy to share. One of the key ingredients to a successful client gift sent to an office. An amazing product that everyone will get a taste of.
2. Local. Made fresh in Vancouver these gifts not only support a strong local economy but also local farmers.
3. Artisan. Delicious original unique creatations. You've got to try the cocoa covered espresso hazelnuts - fantastic!

It's no surprise that Eclipse Awards is leading the space in green sustainable recognition items and awards. Their values for community and the environment ring true through all my interactions with them, not only as my landlord but also as compatriots. Building a community of progressive and innovative businesses that see an opportunity to create social and environmental value, while making money, in the Strathcona Green Zone. This line of awards has been in the works for months and we got a sneak peak into these great items the other week at our open house and green roof mojito party.

In the spring I accompanied Eclipse staff to Las Vegas for the annual Awards and Recognition Association (ARA) trade show and was blown away by all the crappy things people give out to recognize people, their relationships and achievements. We knew there was a better way, not only to give things that look nice but also to do so using recycled and reclaimed materials. The products emerged from there and we talked with the awards suppliers about using recycled materials. Working with local woodshops that salvage wind fall trees in the Fraser Valley, finding Walnut, Maple and Fir trees and turning them into beautiful pieces of art, desk top and wall mounted awards, plaques, picture frames, and business card holders. Some of the woodwork is being done by Tradeworks Custom Products, a social enterprise that trains women in carpentry working to improve their lives in Vancouver's downtown eastside. Adding reclaimed glass from local industry off cuts, sand blasting, etching and laser engraving, Eclipse is producing best in class recognition items that tell a story and share values.

Acting as a sales rep for Eclipse we're happy to be able to offer this great line of green awards through Saul Good.

Artisan Edibles, from Vancouver Island, BC, is one of our newest suppliers and it's been great to add their amazing products to our line of gourmet corporate gift baskets. Their antipasto was their first product that caught our attention, using local seasonal vegetables to create a fresh and tasty spread. I really like it with crackers or artisan crisps for a snack or for hosting at an event or party. We've also added their artisan preserves to our mix to compliment Vista D'oro.

Top 3 things we enjoy about Artisan Edibles

1) veggie friendly - they've recently added a vegetarian antipasto which we're happy about and helped us to add them as a vendor. Their original recipe used tuna, which we also carry and is quite nice, but to have veggie options is key for us and our offering.

2) supa stylie - really tasteful and well designed packaging adds depth and class to our line of corporate gift baskets

3) tantilizing tastes that put a smile on your face

Vista D'oro seasonal artisan preserves have been one of our most popular products in our local gourmet and 100 mile gifts. They are made in a traditional method using large copper pots out at their farm in Langley, BC. Most of the ingredients come from their farm, a beautiful property with a great farm gate shop filled with their products and other hard to find local artisan products.

Top 3 things we love about Vista D'oro

1) tastes awesome - we love the Turkish Fig with Walnut Wine preserve! It tastes so good on top of a soft cheese like the local organic camembert White Moon from Moonstruck Organic Cheese on Saltspring Island. The wine is produced on the farm which we think is pretty darn cool.

2) classy - the jars are really nice and labels tastefully designed for a modern classy clean look that makes me feel sophisticated when I crack a jar open for friends and family.

3) who wants to eat pesticides? Although their farm is not certified organic we totally respect that they've been spray free for decades, respecting the health of the environment and their customers!

We're excited to be working with a new local vendor for some of our natural and organic spa gifts, Kama Natural Soap from Saltspring Island, BC. Kama has developed a great line of products that use pure essential oils and are made locally on Saltspring. Over the last few years we've struggled to find high quality local spa products that not only work great but also look stylie too. A trip over to the Saturday market on Saltspring Island a few weeks back helped me to find just what I was looking for.

Top 3 things we like about Kama

1) The products smell amazing! We really like the lime lavender and lemongrass bars, subtle clean and fresh.

2) Style - makes me feel like an ancient Minoean kicking back in style in Crete

3) Quality - With 12 years of experience Kama is doing it right. Their bar soap doens't melt in the soap dish and has a delicate balance of moisturizers to keep the skin soft. 

Look out for Kama products in our new upcoming line of natural and organic spa gifts at Saul Good.

We’ve heard nothing but rave reviews from all our clients who give out our chocolate truffles. High quality hand made artisan organic chocolate truffles, fresh and made to order in Vancouver, BC. Joanne and Carlos are quite the working couple with Joanne’s masterful skills in the chocolate shop and Carlos’ friendly nature as the face on their deliveries to the city. Cocoawest has a really nice chocolate café and Bed & Breakfast on Bowen Island where they live and make their amazing products. Really popular this season were handmade wooden boxes, made from Mountain Pine Beetle and filled with Cocoawest truffles.