Taryn Zychal can be spotted out after a rainstorm looking for broken umbrellas wallowing away in trashcans, subway stations and gutters. Her company, Recycling Zychal, then transforms them into stylish and functional green products that are far from trashy.

Zychal says the idea came to her about 5 years ago while still living in her hometown of Scranton; she was shopping at a Salvation Army and came across a stylish little teal umbrella with white whales on it that she picked up for $1. When she got home, she realized it was broken, but loved the print too much to throw it away. She decided to strip it, wash it, and turn it into a dog coat for her pug.

Cute Greenie Taryn

“I didn’t want to just turn it into a handbag, skirt or something that really wouldn’t use it’s water-resistant properties to it’s fullest, I wanted it to do what it was intended to do, but better”, says the 25 year old ecopreneur.

From there Recycling Zychal was born. Taryn became obsessed with collecting not just some of the broken umbrellas around her, but all of them. She installed a “No Broken Umbrella Left Behind” policy and started hiring her friends to help her collect them. By 2009, when she officially launched her storefront on etsy, Zychal had a startling number of broken umbrellas collected, stripped, washed, tagged and ready to be made into custom made Upcycled Umbrella Dog Rain Coats, which are her signature and most popular item.
Today, Recycling Zychal has expanded into more than just custom dog rain coats, and now sells Organic Cat Nip filled Kitty Toys, babushkas that Zychal calls HOODs, baby bibs, kitchen aprons, dog and cat beds, and placemats that are all made from the salvaged remnants of broken umbrellas!  Zychal recently found out that her Upcycled Umbrella Dog Rain Coats were nominated for a Cooper Hewitt People’s Design Award.

Blue Paisley Upcycled Umbrella Dog Rain Coat, $30 @etsy.com

The "Hood," $16 @etsy.com

Recycling Zychal is getting ready to launch a new program on November 1st, “FLORA, FAUNA, FUNCTION”, that is designed to help keep the streets clear of broken umbrellas, help support non-profit animal organizations and act as somewhat of a bailout for her small green company. The FLORA, FAUNA, FUNCTION program works by having businesses volunteer to set up a Broken Umbrella Donation Bin, provided by Recycling Zychal, in their storefront for people to toss their broken umbrellas into to get recycled. When the bin is filled, Zychal will then remove the broken umbrellas and donate $1 for each one collected to an animal helping organization, the first one being the Morris Animal Refuge in Center City Philadelphia. As an active member of the Humane Society, ASPCA, and Humane League, Zychal, who is also a vegan, understands the importance of helping animals as the weather starts to cool down and shelters start to fill up.
“It’s a triple win”, says Zychal, “You’re keeping the broken umbrellas out of the trash by recycling them, helping animals, and supporting a green business, all the while, it helps the business hosting the bin out by supporting a green movement and bringing in new customers.”

If you are interested in hosting a Broken Umbrella Recycling Bin at your business, or if you would like to donate your broken umbrella to Recycling Zychal, please email Taryn at info@recyclingzychal.com .  We think we have a good place to start our ethical holiday shopping now! www.recyclingzychal.etsy.com

This rainy Saturday morn, we bring you cheer in the form of this luscious lime cheesecake. Ultra-rich and satisfying, this incredible dessert comes from our darling friends at VegNews Magazine, who supply us with much of our food porn. Want to see exactly how to make this cake step by step? Check out the informative video fromVegNews TV below!

Serves 8

What You Need:

1 package silken tofu
8 ounces non-dairy cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 teaspoons lime zest, divided
Juice of 3 limes
2 teaspoons agar agar flakes
1 prepared pie crust
1-1/2 cups non-dairy whipped cream

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine tofu, cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla, 3 teaspoons lime zest, and lime juice until smooth. Add agar agar and blend for about 1 minute.

2. Add tofu mixture to pie crust and bake about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, and allow to sit in the oven for another 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool, then top with non-dairy whipped cream. Sprinkle remaining lime zest and serve.

Nutritional counselor & Regular GirlieGirl Army Blogger, Katherine Pennington (of Be in Balance,) gives us the scoop on Sea Veggies;

Sea vegetables are perhaps one of the most overlooked vegetables in terms of nutritional value and taste! Sea vegetables contain high levels of calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, iodine, chlorophyll, enzymes and fiber and offer more vitamins and minerals per ounce than any other food and are one of nature’s richest sources of proteins, having up to 48% of plant-based protein! Sea vegetables are also high in vitamin b-12, which is usually only found in animal-based sources and is responsible for regulating the central nervous system and blood cell production.  Ounce per ounce, they are higher in vitamins and nutritional value that almost any other food!

There’s more: Sea vegetables have a balancing, alkalizing effect on the blood, reduce cholesterol, regulate blood pressure, remove metallic toxins from the body, reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, and thyroid disease.  On top of all of that, sea vegetables have been said to have cancer-fighting benefits! “One order of seaweed salad for me,” right?!?

Nori, hijiki, dulse, wakame, and kelp are just some of the many different types of sea vegetables, and each varies in shape, size and texture. In addition to the raw leaves, seaweed comes in flakes that are great to put in salads, soups and shakes and wraps, which can be used to make sushi or a delicious sandwich!

• Nori may be the best known because it is commonly used as a wrap for sushi. It commonly comes in sheets, which are great for making healthy wraps (see recipe below) and can also be found in flakes that you can sprinkle on your salads. My kids literally eat these plain broken up like chips.
• Hijiki is a more bitter tasting seaweed that when cooked is delicious and meaty like a Portobello mushroom. Most sushi restaurants have delicious hijiki salads, so try them!
• Dulse is a red algae that is delicious in a seaweed salad and, when dried, is salty and can crumbled up on a salad or eaten plain like a chip.
• Wakame has been used for thousands and thousands of years in Eastern medicine for blood purification, to strengthen the outer organs of the hair and skin and for menstrual and reproductive health.
• Kelp is one of my favorites, and something I use almost daily in my salads! Kelp is very salty and is great sprinkled or crumbled on salads

Avocado Vegetable Nori Wraps

2 sliced Hass avocados
4 Nori wraps (or 2 if you want to double them up!)
4 leaves of romaine (or spinach or any other mixed green)
1 roma or heirloom tomato
1 shredded carrot
For dipping: Nama Soyu soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids

Place a nori roll on a flat surface. You may choose to “double up” the rolls to make them a bit more durable. On top of the sheet place a layer of sliced avocados then shredded carrots then a leaf of romaine and finally a slice or two of tomato. Wrap tightly then serve with a side of Nama Soyu soy sauce , Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids or any regular soy sauce. These are truly delicious and are a healthy, portable lunch to pack in lunchboxes or for a meal while traveling.

Kale & Wakame “Power Salad”

For the salad:
1 head of kale (preferably locinato or “dinosaur” kale)
¼ head or red cabbage
2 chopped scallions
½ cup dried wakame
½ cup hemp seeds
1-2 avocados

For the dressing:
¾ cups brazil or macadamian nuts
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup hemp oil
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup water

Chop kale and cabbage into bite-size pieces and mix into a large bowl along with the wakame and hemp seeds. Dice the scallions and add that to the mix as well.In a food processor, place the garlic in and chop it up. Then add the nuts, ginger, sea salt, hemp oil, lemon and water and process until smooth. Toss the salad with the dressing and then add sliced avocados on top. Any remaining dressing can be saved to use later on top of steamed vegetables or served with raw vegetables as a dip.

Wakame and hemp are both very high in protein and Wakame also has a high calcium content. This is a wonderful salad to have post-workout, if you are pregnant or tired or just need a little extra energy (and, who doesn’t need more of that?!?).

Katherine Pennington of Be in Balance offers holistic health and lifestyle counseling for women and men who want to lose weight, gain energy, sleep better, reduce stress, get in shape and achieve a greater sense of well-being, balance and happiness in their lives and those of their families.  Katherine is also a raw food chef and teacher and oversees juice fasts for clients. As a mother of two children, Katherine also helps with family meal planning on nutrition. To find out more , please visit www.be-n-balance.com.

Check out this adorable video our veggie-goddess-homegirl Alicia Silverstone posted on her wonderful new site The Kind Life today.  She eats her way through NYC, and course, we couldn’t help but meet her for cupcakes and cinnabuns at Babycakes!  On your agenda today: book a meal at a veggie restaurant you’ve never been (Happy Cow has the most wonderful list of Veg Restaurants world-wide!) and let us know where you went and how it was in the comments section below!

Whether you’re just looking for a quick pick-me-up, or ready to take your healthy diet to a new level, superfoods are the hot ticket.  You’ve heard us wax rhapsodic about these tasty treaters before, but now (with some love from our Homies at Navitas Naturals) we are giving you the total rundown of what is so worth adding to your daily intake. Not your average munchie, these special foods are power-packed with naturally-occurring nutrients that are key to feeling (and looking) amazing.

Here’s our five fave foods to boost energy levels and enhance health:

• ACAI - A purple berry from the Amazon, best known as a popular energy food among the sexy Brazilian surfer crowd. Acai berries may be small in size, but they taste delicious and rank as one of the world’s highest known source of antioxidants. Unfortunately, no sexy Brazilian surfers seem to be included.
• MACA - Maca’s magic is due to its properties as an incredible adaptogen. By naturally supporting the body’s adrenal glands, this root helps balance unruly “h” monsters (medically referred to as hormones), functions as a great stress regulator, and even helps manage a healthy libido.  We even know a few folks who swear by taking maca when trying to get pregnant (ps… it works!)
• GOJI - Used medicinally in China for centuries, the goji berry’s natural vitamins and exceptional antioxidant levels have put this fruit in the spotlight. As a great tasting mild dried berry, it’s simple to toss into just about anything for an instant feel-good boost. Easy.
• CACAO - Chocolate in its raw form is extremely good for you - and no, you’re not dreaming. One of the highest natural sources of magnesium (and other minerals like iron and calcium), Navitas’ raw cacao also offers a dose of antioxidants that’s higher than your 4 inch heels — an unbelievable 950 per gram ORAC reading.
• HEMP - The only kind of high you’ll get from eating hemp seeds is a nutritional one, as this powerfood is full of balanced nutrition. Hemp provides excellent quality protein, minerals, fiber, and healthy omega fats - which support gorgeous skin and hair amongst other things.

Navitas Naturals is home of power foods - packaged conveniently for the modern lifestyle, and they have done all the boring nutritional homework for you - searching out the healthiest, hottest, most energy-dense foods the great globe has to offer.  The result is an impressive collection of amazingly beneficial organic superfoods - and grounded in the company’s eco-friendly practices and fair-trade policies. You’ll be proud to tote Navitas’ chicly packaged products, and you’ll love on their website for in-the-know info, and a plethora of delish recipes are all in the name of simply making the message of health via superfoods easy and tasty.

Ready for a taste? Here’s a couple amazingly yummy recipes get you started:

Super Berry Smoothie

• ½ cup Navitas Naturals Goji Berries
• 2 Tbsp Navitas Naturals Acai Powder
• ¼ cup Navitas Naturals Hemp Seeds
• 1 banana
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 2 cups almond milk (plus more to blend, if needed)
• 2 Tbsp agave nectar
• stevia powder to taste (optional)
• handful ice.

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Serves 2.

Rich Chocolate Pudding

Photo/ Recipe via Gabrielle Brick

• 1/3 cup Navitas Naturals Cacao Powder
• 2 tsp Navitas Naturals Maca Powder
• 1 avocado
• 4 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Process all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth and silky. Top with fresh berries and mint, if desired. Serves 2.

Navitas Naturals products can be found in health food stores or online, and for GirlieGirl Army warrior goddesses n’ studs, enjoy  20% off any purchase made on www.NavitasNaturals.com and a free recipe booklet with each purchase! Use code GGArmy20 at checkout. Offer good through Nov 15, 2009.  Trust us, this is one discount code you will TOTALLY want to take advantage of!