Organic burritos in the Kinkerstraat

I've always liked the idea of Mexican food, for one it is normally vegetarian and the meat dishes are normally just the veggie versions with meat added. It's also really tasty - nicely spiced with a variety of chillies. I've heard of and eaten at a couple of Mexican restaurants in Amsterdam, including Cafe Burito in De Clercqstraat, which has a great atmosphere. My Burrito on the Kinkerstraat have awesome burritos and they use primarily organic ingredients. They're really putting a lot into the sustainable side of the business - they have used reclaimed wood and low energy light bulbs. I don't think you can make a bigger environmental impact as a restaurant than using organic ingredients though. And virtually everything is!

As well as making it good on the environmental side of things, they also make some damn fine burritos. They are not expensive either - a basic burrito with rice, beans, salsa and cheese will only set you back €5.50 and is a proper meal size. You can also customize your burrito with different strength salsa or different beans. The best thing is that My Burrito makes their salsa and guacamole fresh every morning - nothing beats freshly prepared ingredients, something that a couple of Amsterdam snack shops I know could learn from. Of course if the burrito is not for you, they also do a number of other dishes (despite the name!).

A real Ikea alternative

Kringloopwinkels. Circlewalkshops. They are Amsterdam's answer to Ikea "purpose built landfill" furniture.

Essentially second hand shops, they are treasure troves of everything. Seriously, these places have it all. I've bought a toaster for 3 euros (admittedly the people at work have made me stop using it because they think its a fire hazard). No matter what you're looking for, there is a good chance your nearest kringloopwinkel has one. They have all sorts of furniture, from beds to whole lounge suites, sports equipment, stereo and kitchen equipment, clothes, books and bikes. If you need a board game for the last few cold evenings, they've got 'em, and if you are secret collector of porcelain figurines, welcome to your Aladdin's cave.

There is an association of kringloopwinkels called the BKN that bring together all the kringloopwinkels in the Netherlands, and you can find the nearest one on their website. The shops themselves are places that provide sheltered employment for those struggling to re-enter the workforce or that have physical or mental handicaps. If you are moving house and have old usable things, they will even come and pick them up for free. In Amsterdam, Pantar is one particular organisation working with handicapped people that works with the Amsterdam council. They have 3 kringloopwinkels and many contracts for labour intensive work (last seen repairing the landing lights at Schipol) . The other big kringloopwinkel organisation in Amsterdam is Juttersdok ("Beachcombersdock") who also have 3 shops, and sell computers pre-loaded with all the open source goodness you could want. What's the greenest computer, washing machine, windsurfer or tv you can buy? The second hand one of course! The 3 Pantas and 3 Juttersdok stores are on the Eco Amsterdam google map (link top right).

I often wonder at how you could furnish your entire flat from the streets before rubbish collection day. If you're too shy to carry off loot from the streets - try the kringloopwinkel, and you'll be supporting the social economy at the same time.

My money does good

"Mijn geld gaat goed."

Roughly translated as "My money does good." is the slogan of Triodos bank, one of the two 'ethical' banks in the Netherlands. I often think of the things I can do for the environment as I see them - buying organic food and clothes, recycling and taking the stairs instead of the lift (not that I always do this - I live on the 10th floor!). I think that often what is done in our name that we wouldn't necessarily choose to do if given the choice, has a much larger impact on the environment than what we can make conscious decisions about. With that in mind, it is great when somebody else's ideas and actions give us the opportunity to live more sustainably.

One of these ideas is ethical banking. The concept is pretty simple - a bank that goes beyond the standard 'printed on recycled paper' green-wash, and invests only in environmentally sustainable businesses. It's something that I'm sure most of us have thought about at some time - "I print my statements double sided and on recycled paper, but what is going on behind the numbers? I mean, nuclear power plants, weapons manufacturers, and the US government must get their money from somewhere..." It really struck me when I was watching 'Green' a documentary about palm oil and forest destruction in Indonesia. At the end of the film (and on the homepage of the website) the film makers list the companies and banks responsible for the deforestation, and include every major Dutch bank (yes, including ABN Amro). The good news is that these banks let you avoid these tricky end of month realisations.

I do all my day to day banking through Triodos, and have been very impressed. While they do not officially cater for English speaking clients, they have the most helpful staff I have ever encountered following 'on hold' music, and they are all very fluent in English. They do not have branches, so all banking is carried out online, and with only a couple of Dutch words you should be able to use the website without trouble (think of it as helping you learn!). I have a savings account with them and a 'betaalrekening' (current account - lit. 'pay account') which comes with a debit card. They don't do credit cards, but it is easy to link another credit card to your account. I've used International Card Services. If you don't already have a Dutch bank account, you will need to go to Zeist (where they are based, and a lovely day trip!) with your passport - it's probably a good idea to give them a call first. If you have a Dutch account, you can use the online 'switching over' service.

ASN is the other ethical bank in the Netherlands. Until recently they only did savings accounts, but now do a normal 'bankrekening' with a debit card. You can also open an ASN account online.

Finally, if you're stuck deciding between which one of these banks really is the right one for you, this might make it easier: the Triodos debit card is more green and has trees on it while the ASN card is light blue with a jumping Orca on it.

Happy new beer!

I come from a rather warmer part of the world than Amsterdam, and so am very lucky to be able to drink a cold beer on a warm day for about 8 months of the year when I'm home. This does however leave 4 months where inevitably one switches to red wine or whisky as ones tipple of choice. With a much longer and colder Winter, the ever industrious Northern Europeans have thought of a handy solution to this. Winter and Autumn "bok" beers are quite a bit stronger and darker than their summery friends. So while you might be in the middle of a post festive season detox, there are a couple of delicious beers waiting for you despite the cold weather.

For an environmentally conscious beer, the Ij Brewery (or Brouwerij 't Ij in Dutch) is based in Amsterdam and makes a number of delicious, fully organic beers. They have a number of seasonal beers like the Ijnde Jaars (a Dutch play on "Years end") available from November to January, the Paasij - March to May, and the Ijbok - September to November. Not only are the beers organic, they are delicious. Besides the seasonal beers, for summer I would recommend the Ijwit (a wheat beer), and in Winter the Columbus (which at 9% volume, packs quite a punch - but takes the edge off the cold nicely!). As an alternative to the pilsner (or Plzen - the most "normal", lightest beer), try the Natte, a little more tasty and a year round winner.

While the beers are available in more and more places in Amsterdam, the brewery also has a bar. It is a great place for a drink, with a good sized terrace which can be quite crowded on a sunny Sunday afternoon! The bar is open every day from 15:00 until 20:00 and serves some snacks - including a cheese made from sheep's milk. In a perfect example of reusing, the sheep are fed on the malt dregs from the brewing process. The brewery and bar are located to the East of the city centre, and you can spot them from a distance as they stand directly below the highest wooden windmill in the Netherlands. You will of course find them on the Eco Amsterdam map as well (see the link in the top right of the blog).

If you're really interested in beer, you can even do a tour of the brewery on Friday's at 16:00 or by appointment. I'd recommend this over the mass produced "Heineken Experience" ANY day! If your local bar doesn't stock this organic beer, they may have another, try asking for organic beer whenever you order - you may be surprised by a beer you haven't tried before, have an interesting conversation with the bartender or at the very least, show that there is a demand for beers that are brewed with the planet in mind.