Live Sweet » Jen Rainin

Live Sweet Houston, July 16-17

Sweet — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:24:30 +0000

Live Sweet Happy Hour, Houston

Let Sweet buy your first drink at our Sweet Happy Hour at Bocados in the heart of Montrose at 1312 West Alabama St. on Friday, July 16, from 6-8pm. Meet and mingle with Sweet co-founder Jen Rainin, founder and publisher of Curve magazine Frances “Franco” Stevens, and Mayor Annise Parker’s Sustainability Director Laura Spanjian and celebrate our Bayou Cleanup project at Japhet Creek. There will be hors d’oeuvres and door prizes provided by our fabulous hosts at warm and wonderful Bocados restaurant and bar.

Sweet Buffalo Bayou Cleanup

A jewel running through the heart of Houston, Buffalo Bayou has become a destination for outdoor recreation near downtown Houston. The 52-mile slow-moving waterway that was the site of Houston’s founding in 1836, is one of the few bayous left in central Houston that was not covered in concrete in the 1960s and 1970s. But the Bayou suffers from pollution and invasive species introduction.

Sweet is partnering with The Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Japhet Creek Community Association, Urban Harvest and GreenHoustonTX to clean Japhet Creek to help preserve the incredibly diverse urban ecosystem that supports migrating songbirds, aquatic turtles, swamp rabbits and red-tailed hawks. Join us on Saturday, July 17, from 9:30-11:30 am to help keep Japhet Creek a pristine home for dozens of native species of flora and fauna.

After we save the world, we’ll meet for a “dam good” lunch at Monica Pope’s celebrated Beavers Restaurant at 2310 Decatur Street.

Please meet us at 9:15 am at Japhet Creek: 6401 Clinton (corner of Emile and Clinton Drive)

Wear boots and casual clothing. Please bring sunscreen and bug repellant. Gloves, water and coffee will be provided.

Let us know if you’re coming to Japhet Creek so we know how many gloves to bring. Email info [at] discoversweet.com.

Jen Rainin: Sweet founder and squeaky wheel

Sweet — Fri, 28 May 2010 00:41:23 +0000

One of the best things about Sweet co-founder Jen Rainin is that she doesn’t let it lie. Wherever she goes, she wants to make a difference. Recently, she has been spending a lot of time in Corpus Christi, Texas (don’t ask). When she learned that her hotel didn’t have a recycling program, our favorite squeaky wheel found a way to get some grease.

Here’s the story in her own words:
I have met the coolest people in Corpus Christi, Texas. Recently, I had the good fortune to stay at the beautiful Omni Bayfront Hotel in downtown Corpus Christi, where I was showered with that famous southern charm. The doormen greeted me by name every morning, the housekeeper went out of her way to make me feel at home by leaving little notes on my desk, and the chef at the fabulous Republic of Texas restaurant upstairs accommodated my difficult dietary issues.

Everyone at the hotel really seemed caring and thoughtful. So I was blown away by the blank stares I got when I showed up in the lobby with a paper bag full of newspapers and plastic water bottles to ask where the hotel’s recycling bin was.

“Um, we don’t recycle here,” was the sheepish response. I knew that there was a city recycling program because I’d seen bins at the airport and the mall, but the hotel was not participating. I asked them what they did with all the newspapers that are put out daily in front of each of the 475 guest rooms. They said that they throw them in the trash along with the Styrofoam cups and containers they serve and the cardboard waste generated.

I marched back to my room, logged on to my computer and emailed hotel management with links to the city’s recycling program and a strong request that the hotel institute their own program.

Within 24 hours, I got this response, “We have been in contact with Waste Management with regard to recycling at our hotel and are in possession of a recycling container for paper and plastic products at our Bayfront Tower. We are working out the logistics of this program and are hopeful that we will be able to move forward at both Towers before your return to Corpus Christi in July.”

Woohoo! Thank you, Omni. You’ve earned a loyal customer and a special seat in the green section of heaven. I can’t wait to check out your shiny new recycling bins when I return. We can talk about the styrofoam then, too.

Way to go, Jen. Keep squeaking, Sweeties.

Giving back is Sweet

Sweet — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:24:00 +0000

Starting with our wetlands restoration project in New Orleans, Sweeties gave back in every port.

New Orleans: Sweeties planted 600 new grasses in a marsh devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Costa Maya, Mexico: 150 Sweeties pulled over 200 giant bags of garbage from Uvero Beach in a 45-minute contest. We pulled a sink, a television, vacuum cleaner parts and tons of other oddities one should never see in the ocean. We found trash from Greece, China and many parts in between.

Belize City, Belize: Partnering with Lifeline, a philanthropic organization run by the first lady of Belize, Sweeties painted bright cartoon characters on the walls of a children’s hospital ward. Donations of toys and clothes were also made. Across town, another gaygle of Sweeties painted three children’s classrooms and a storytime corner. Over 1,000 children’s books plus other school supplies were delivered. Sweet guest Erin Cottom of The Cottom/Shakkottai Investment Group donated a much-needed copier with toner and tons of paper. It was all totally Sweet!

Roatan, Honduras: In Roatan, Sweeties repainted a children’s e-learning center and donated two new computers. It costs $150 per kid per year for access to the e-learning center. Our Sweeties rummaged through their pockets and donated enough to give four more kids access to the center.

Cozumel, Mexico: In about 30 minutes, we pulled 1,500 pieces of plastic off the beach. Next, we planted 25 mangroves in a swamp devastated by Hurricane Hugo. Finally, we ended our day with a celebration with the local Rotary Club at Carlos Canseco Community Party, where we painted park benches and trees (to protect them from bugs) and planted more trees. The community made us lunch, too.

More Sweet coverage in Belize

Sweet — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:14:44 +0000

Another fab TV news segment about Sweet’s work at the children’s hospital ward in Belize City, Belize, during our Sweet Caribbean Cruise, the largest CarbonFree™ cruise ever. Whoo hoo! We got them to say “lesbian” on Belize TV.

Sweeties on Belize TV

Sweet — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:13:30 +0000

In Belize, Sweet guests brightened a children’s hospital ward in partnership with the local organization Lifeline and donated a 1,000 books and school supplies to a new storytime corner at a local school. In a country where homosexuality is illegal, Sweet advanced the conversation and made a lot of new friends along the way. Mmm, mmm. Let’s hear it for our articulate Sweeties. Y’all rock!