Since we have an apartment yoga studio here at The Crossing Anaheim, many of our health-conscious residents might be interested in a movie screening plus benefit that will happen in L.A. on November, 12, 2010 at Loyola Marymount University (near LAX).

The movie, Titans of Yoga,  brings together twenty-five of the most prominent figures in the worlds of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness, from Dr. Dean Ornish, a physician consultant to President Clinton, to Lilias Folan, the “First Lady of Yoga.” Their journeys of self-discovery will inspire you.

Watch the trailer if you would like to know more:

Does this event interest you? Do you use our yoga studio? Let us know what you think on our Facebook page.

Washing dishes is one task that not many people enjoy. Those who live at The Crossing Anaheim are lucky enough to have a dishwasher in the kitchen, which makes things much easier.

Tips for Using a Dishwasher (in your apartment)

To save energy and help out our environment (we are environmentally-friendly after all,) make sure you only was full loads. It’s also a good idea to load heavier and larger items into the bottom rack and more delicate glassware and smaller plates, cups and such on the top. Pre-rinsing your dishes is most likely not necessary before putting your dishes into the washer.

In addition to the above tips, try not to use your dishwasher’s “dry” function. Air-drying uses less energy. Crack the door open once the wash and rinse cycles are done.

An Easy Way to Clean Your Dishwasher

A good–and, yes, environmentally-friendly way– to clean your dishwasher is to pour 1 cup of Baking Soda into the dishwasher and run it through the rinse cycle.

Tips for Washing Dishes in Your Sink

Martha Stewart has some great advice on washing dishes on the sink. Even when you have a dishwasher, sometimes you only need to wash a few dishes. One thing the article advises is using a plastic tub to wash dishes rather than running water in the sink. Doing so conserves water. If your plates have stains on them, try rubbing salt on the stains as you clean them.

Do you have any other dish-washing secrets of your own that you can share with us at The Crossing?

Don’t forget, we have stainless steel ENERGY STAR^® qualified appliances at our community.

If you’ve been reading The Crossing Anaheim blog, you already know the history of the Anaheim pepper. Now, I’m going to tell you about another food developed here in the city in which you rent.

The Anaheim avocado has glossy, medium-thick green skin that peels easily. Inside, it has a medium to small-sized stone surrounded by greenish, pale yellow flesh. It comes from the Guatemalan type of avocados.

The Anaheim trees are highly productive and are heavy bearers of tasty green fruit. This particular type of avocado came during the mission era and can be attributed to the foresight and good taste of the Spanish padres who brought avocados with them on their travels. The spread of avocado cultivation went hand in hand with the citrus boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries when avocados were often used as wind brakes and boundary markers for citrus orchards.

Photo Credit: Muffet

Our state of California is a wonderfully environmentally friendly place, so much so that The Boston Globe recently named it the greenest state in the country. Since we’re a green living community, I’m sure you’ll all be glad to hear this. Of course, even though California has ambitious clean energy standards much work still needs to be done.

Why do people in Boston think California is green? In their article, they point out that last month the state announced that we want a third of our power to come from renewable energy by 2020. Also, we rely on both publicly owned utilities and investor-owned (publicly traded) utilities for services.

In addition, California is pushing utilities to reach a 20-percent-renewable standard by next year. The state’s electric utilities saved about 3,043,965 megawatt hours in 2008. This is an unequaled achievement, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

Have you noticed any changes in California now that it’s pushing even more green initiatives?

Photo Credit: SarahDeer

California is leading the way for the nation when it comes to electric cars. And Anaheim is one city that embraces these green car alternatives.

The Orange County Auto Show for 2010 is over; it lasted from Oct. 7 through Oct. 10 in Anaheim. At The Crossing Anaheim, we’re a green living community, so our residents will be glad to know that attendees at the auto show had the opportunity to test drive the new all-electric Nissan Leaf. Those who did drive it were among the first people in the country to do so.

According to an article by NPR, the Leaf (seen in the picture on the left) will cost $20,000 in California after state and federal tax credits.

In a related issue, hybrid car owners have enjoyed riding solo in the carpool lane here in California. This benefit may be coming to an end, though. The stickers will expire Jan. 1, 2011. A renewal of the program is not definite.

Also seen at the auto show this year, the Chevrolet Volt is a new kind of hybrid. It is part electric, but it also can run on gas. This way it makes it easier to use since not many charging stations are available yet.

California has a goal to have 7,500 all-electric and 25,000 plug-in hybrid cars on its roads by 2014, rising to 60,000 electrics and 85,000 plug-in hybrids by 2017, the Wall Street Journal reports. At our apartments, we offer preferred parking for fuel efficient vehicles. Do you own one, or will you in the near future?

Photo Credit: Tennen-Gas

Some residents here at The Crossing Anaheim have noticed our beautiful and edible plants in our courtyard.

Here is the official list of what you’ll find in our apartment community gardens:

Plants in Our Raised Planters

1. Mexican Thornless Lime. This is the standard lime used in beverages and cooking. It is a small, rounded yellow-green fruit that has an aromatic, acidic flesh.
2. Pineapple Guava. The flowers are edible and can be added to fruit salads or used in jams and jellies. The fruit has soft sweet to bland pulp with flavor somewhat like pineapple.
3. Dwarf Tree Strawberry. Red fruit is edible but can be mealy and bland in flavor. Certain plants may produce tasty fruit.
4. Sweet Bay. Leathery, aromatic leaves. The traditional leaves of cooking.
5. Tuscan Blue Rosemary. Leaves are widely used as seasoning. Flowers are also edible. You can add them to salads or use them as garnish.
6. Crimson Seedless Grape. Seedless red grape with excellent flavor.

Plants Within Our Planter Pots

1. “Meiwa” Kumquat. Eat fruit whole and unpeeled. The spongy rind is sweet; the pulp is tangy.
2. Peppermint Geranium. Use fresh leaves for flavoring jelly and iced drinks. Use dry leaves in potpourri and sachets.
3. Strawberry. Eat fruit fresh or use in jam or jelly.
4. Oregano. Fresh or dried leaves can be used for seasoning.
5. Thyme. Fresh or dried leaves can be used for seasoning.
6. Pomegranate. Juicy sags surround seeds. Drink juice fresh or use in jams, jellies or sauces.
7. Peppermint. Use leaves for flavoring foods and drinks.

Photo Credit: (1) Sandy Austin (2) RBerteig

A world class cultural event will soon be held right here in the vicinity of The Crossing. The Anaheim International Film Festival will be held at the Anaheim Garden Walk, which is only about seven miles away from our apartment community.

Approximately 100 of the latest and best contemporary narrative feature films, documentaries, live action and animated shorts will be shown during this five-day event. Also, attendees can take advantage of industry panels, workshops, tributes, retrospectives and star-studded gala events.

Opening night films include:

• Wild Target, an action comedy about a middle-aged, solitary assassin.
• Monica & David, a documentary exploring the marriage of two adults with Down Syndrome.
• A special presentation of Sixteen Candles.

Purchase your tickets for the festival, including the opening night, individual screenings, workshops and more. This is one of Orange County’s most important cultural events. Will you be in attendance?