Avital Binshtock

Art coverage

Avital — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:01:09 +0000

Gertrude Stein said, ”Art isn’t everything. It’s just about everything.” The same can be said of writing. Here are a few pieces I wrote about art.

My blog: “On catharsis” Today’s audience doesn’t need more Biebers or Beyonces. We need Leonard Cohens and Janis Joplins. We need people who’ve been through it, man. People like us.

Huffington Post: “How to green your art collection” Tips to help art aficionados shift their hobby into a more earth-minded endeavor.

Art Ltd: “Inland Art Empire” If California’s art landscape has an underrated region, it’s encompassed within Claremont and Pomona.

Education issues

Avital — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:22:47 +0000

My heart has never really left the ivory tower, which is probably why I like to stay somewhat tied to it by writing about education issues.

Sierra magazine: “10 Coolest Schools” I oversee this yearly issue, in which we rank America’s greenest universities and tell the stories of environmentalism in academia. My project gets major media attention every year, including from NPR, CNN, the New York Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Forbes, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and many other major media outlets.

Sierra magazine: “Dig in” The best colleges help save the earth by making students stick their hands in it.

Huffington Post: “Three ways to green your child’s school” Do you see a lot of waste going on at elementary schools? Here’s how to help.

Fashion recommendations

Avital — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:30:12 +0000

I like clothes and makeup. As you’ll see from my clips below, I like them even better when they’re eco-friendly or serve some other noble purpose. I’ll blog whenever I find a particularly interesting green fashion item, like this pop-top purse, this trash-erasing bag, this bamboo iPad case, and these shoes that give back. Below are some other fashion pieces I’ve written.

Huffington Post: “The Leakeys’ African jewelry makes more than a fashion statement” Katy and Phillip Leakey (yes, of that prolific anthropology family) started a collection to help support 100 Masai families.

Sierra magazine: “Natural Beauty” Plenty of eco-minded women flip their silky manes at the stereotype of the frumpy, bare-faced treehugger. These cosmetics are for them.

Sierra magazine: “Beasts of burden” The latest in Earth-minded packs.

Frommer’s: “L.A. shopping that’s suited to any season” Ten great only-in-L.A. stores, boutiques, and shopping experiences.

Exquisite Weddings: “A white wedding” When two stylists get married, it’s bound to be a chic affair.

And here’s me on NPR commenting about Payless’s attempt to go green.

Wedding stuff

Avital — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:09:30 +0000

I’m engaged. To a really great guy. Not long ago, as I was cleaning the kitchen, I joked to the fiancé that I’m practicing to be a wife. His response? “Don’t worry about that stuff. Focus on writing your bestseller.” Can you get more of a keeper than that? So as an excited bride-to-be, I do write about the crazy process leading up to weddings, and try to throw a bit of romance and fun in there for good measure.

Los Angeles Times: ”It’s a girl-fling thing” The bride-to-be’s last chance to kiss off the whimsies of youth and singledom has been elevated to the ultimate female bonding fest.

Exquisite Weddings: “A white wedding” When two stylists get married, it’s bound to be a chic affair.

Exquisite Weddings: “Bachelorette weekend getaways” A bride remembers her wedding for the rest of her life. But she’ll also never forget that all-girls rite of passage that precedes it.

Frommer’s: “Trouble or nothing: A girlfriends’ getaway to Vegas” Whether for a bachelorette party or just an excuse to get away with female friends, here’s a down-and-dirty list of musts for a quick jaunt.

Frommer’s: “Bring your heart to San Francisco” The city’s most romantic things.

Also, my book includes a section called “Wine Country for Romance.” Quick excerpt: “Whether you’re seeking the perfect proposal moment, celebrating your honeymoon, or spending time with the longtime love of your life, wine country is the quintessential place for romance.

Health reportage

Avital — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:00:54 +0000

People sometimes tell me they think of me as a health nut. But I was raised being told that good health is a blessing, and I wholeheartedly believe that (I’m not perfect by any means, but I’m a strict vegetarian and a repeat marathoner). That being the case, I wish for my readers a long and healthy life. Here are two pieces among many that I’ve written to that effect:

Los Angeles Times: “When slumber’s no party” If your partner’s sleeping habits are keeping you, there’s a growing industry that’s ready to see to your every need. [This piece was one of the Times' top 10 emailed stories on the week that it was published.]

Huffington Post: “How to stay mercury-free” Four ways to help you keep the toxic stuff out of your life. [This piece got the seafood industry in a huff.]

Food writing

Avital — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:11:43 +0000

I like food. I like writing. Here’s what happens when I nibble and scribble.

Los Angeles Times: ”Have we gone blog wild?” As online musings get ever more specialized, it’s a good time to be crazy about food.

Los Angeles Times: “Sweet somethings from far, far away” Frequent travelers know that one of the simple pleasures of being in a new place is being dumbfounded by all the unexpected treats.

Palo Alto Weekly: “Au revoir to L’Amie Donia” (PDF; kindly scroll to p. 27) An acclaimed restaurant closes after a decade of success.

Huffington Post: “Faux Gras: A carnivore’s guide to fake meat” A panel of professional carnivores name the best meat substitutes. They don’t mince words.

Huffington Post: “Grain trust” Grain is as American as apple pie. So it’s only natural that farmers who want to protect this land — and its amber waves — are growing it sustainably. Here are some of the best starchy staples.

Huffington Post: “How to stay mercury-free” This one got the fish industry nice and uptight.

Huffington Post: “Ice cream for a cooler planet” Dessert experts recommend their eco-favorites so that you can cool your palate and the planet at the same time.

Sierra: “Nukeable nutrition” When your culinary ambitions don’t extend beyond pushing buttons, try these Earth-friendly, zap-ready recommendations.

Sierra: “Drink responsibly: Beers that won’t give the planet a hangover” America’s premier beer people name their favorite eco-brands of brew.

Sierra: “A sustained buzz” Five experts filter their favorite eco-coffees.

Sierra: “Tea, green” Experts’ favorite herbal brews, all steeped in sustainability.

Sierra: “Sustainable slurping” Soup, the ultimate cold-weather food, comes in varieties that’ll get you warm without steaming up the planet.

Frommer’s: ”Free and Dirt-Cheap Eats” in Oahu, Las Vegas, and Washington, D.C.

And, for a vast array of restaurant recommendations in Napa, Sonoma, and San Francisco, check out my book, “Frommer’s Napa & Sonoma Day by Day.”

Product roundups

Avital — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:19:12 +0000

In the service of making people better consumers — for their personal good and the greater one — I research and cull products that are high in both quality and integrity. Then I edit them down and recommend the best among them to my readers, whom I like to think of as a diaspora of shopping do-gooders. Click below to read my eco-motivated recommendations for:

Living gifts (also: Gifts that give twice and yet another eco-gift guide)

Quirky things to grow and eat

Sustainable furniture

Stuff made of hemp

Cleaning products

Hiking backpacks

Gardening tools

Cosmetics

Toothpaste

Baby gear

Pet stuff

Tours and cruises (I wrote this L.A. Times column twice a month for years. For more of my recommendations for products from the tourism industry, click here.)

I also write extensively about food products, including:

Wine (relatedly, my book about Napa and Sonoma rates hundreds of wineries.)

Beer

Liquor (sensing a theme?)

Cultural candy

Ice cream

Fake meat

Coffee

Tea

Soups

Grains

Trail mix

Energy bars

Microwavables

Breakfast cereals

Freeze-dried hiking foods

Movie reviews

Avital — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:49:20 +0000

I love the cinema. I am one of those audience members who vividly experiences the purifying effect of catharsis. The medium, maybe more than any other besides books, inspires me toward my own creative work.

You’ll notice that many of the reviews below are written from an environmentalist’s perspective. That’s because I originally wrote them for the Green Life, an environmental blog. I am able, however, to write about film from any angle necessary.

Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”

BBC’s “Human Planet”

BBC’s “Life”

Disneynature’s “Earth”

Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s “Home”

Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”

“Seven Years in Tibet”

“Green”

“Flow”

“A Sense of Wonder”

Celebrity interviews

Avital — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:57:53 +0000

Who wouldn’t enjoy talking to the world’s pop-culture tastemakers, bringers of tomorrow, definers of yesterday? I’ve also had the privilege of conversing with some of America’s most dominant athletes. Here are some celebrity interviews I’ve done:

Eva Longoria

Rachel Dratch

Mayim Bialik

Chuck Leavell

Laura Turner Seydel

ATHLETES

Scott Jurek

Ovie Mughelli

Hannah Teter

Leilani Munter

Eric Larsen

Christopher Swain

Human-interest pieces

Avital — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:40:33 +0000

This is a huge part of why I became a journalist. I am eternally curious about people, what drives them, what moves them. Here are just a few examples of other people’s stories I’ve told:

I interviewed Eva Longoria about her concern for young migrant farm workers.

I wrote about Barbara Mouton, who created East Palo Alto by a margin of 15 votes, then became the troubled city’s first mayor (kindly scroll to page 30 of this PDF).

Back in grad school, I profiled an award-winning novelist who used to be a Jesuit priest. I still rather enjoy how the piece turned out.

Do you need someone’s story told, and told well? Let me do it.