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wooden gift box A group of Castro merchants have joined up with sponsors

Energy 92.7 and Stella Artois brewery to host "Castro Fashion Walk," a benefit for Under One Roof (518 Castro Street). On the evening of July 24, shoppers will begiven cards to be punched at each of the participating boutiques,with the completed cards serving as raffle tickets at the wrap-upparty at the end of the evening.

At each participating store, Energy 92.7 dance music will be playedand Under One Roof volunteers will be offering tastings of StellaArtois beverages in exchange for a suggested donation to Under OneRoof. At press time, the list of participating stores included

All American Boy (463 Castro Street),

The location of the final party was still not determined by presstime, but the closing event will include door prizes, appearancesby Energy 92.7 morning show hosts

Fernando and Greg, and music by DJ Kid Loose.

The Castro Fashion Walk runs from 6 to 8 p.m., with the wrap-upparty immediately afterwards.

Christmas arrives early in the Castro

The Castro Fashion Walk is just one item in Under One Roof's busymonth of events, dubbed "Christmas in July." The early holidayseason kicked off July 11 with

Bay Area Reporter society columnist Donna Sachet

serving hot cookies and cold cocktails to evening shoppers. Thenon July 12, the

Bare Chest Calendar men appeared in person to sign copies of the 2009 calendar andpose for photos, and on July 13 the store offered photos with a"sexy Santa" for a $20 donation.

Continuing the holiday theme, on July 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.,local photographer

Mark Rogers will be conducting professional photo sessions, suitable for useon this year's holiday card, and on July 20 from 6 to 8 p.m., DonnaSachet returns for another round of drinks, sweets, and holidayshopping. From now until July 20, all holiday merchandise and aselection of gift items have been discounted 50 percent and allgarden items have been marked down 30 percent.

Under One Roof Executive Director

Mark Burns hopes that the festively anachronistic decorations and events willdraw attention and shoppers during the historically slow month ofJuly. Burns notes that after LGBT Pride in June, Castro businessesusually experience a dramatic slump in sales. The variety of eventsis Under One Roof's strategy to counteract the slow-down and bringshoppers back to the Castro store.

So what does Burns have on his wish list for Santa this year?"Warehouse space!" he said emphatically. Currently the store has toturn down numerous merchandise donations because of the lack ofstorage space, so the donation of 2,500 to 3,500 square feet ofwarehouse space would help Under One Roof take advantage of thesemissed fundraising opportunities.

To reserve a time with photographer Mark Rogers, visit Under OneRoof or call (415) 503-2300, ext. 0. To purchase copies of the BareChest Calendar, which benefits the

Positive Resource Center and AIDS Emergency Fund , come to Under One Roof or order online at http://www.barechest.org.

How green is my Castro?

When asked, "When is Earth Day?" some people will answer, "Everyday is Earth Day!" Maybe they are too embarrassed to admit thatthey don't actually know when Earth Day is (April 22 this year),but if you actively try to live an earth-friendlier lifestyleyear-round, then a number of Castro businesses have products thatwill help you green up your life.

It's one thing to buy organic, but

Hortica (566 Castro Street) can help you grow organic as well. Owner

David Gray can suggest a wide range of pesticides, fungicides, andfertilizers that don't depend on harsh chemicals to be effective.He also sells redwood planter boxes made from reclaimed wood($12-$24) and a wide range of native plants which can thrive in ourclimate with less water.

Summer entertaining doesn't have to mean creating mounds of plasticrefuse filling the local landfill.

Cliff's Variety (479 Castro Street) features plates made from sugar cane fiber($6.50-$9.50), cutlery made from potato starch ($4.95), anddrinking cups derived from corn ($9.75-$11.75), all of which arebiodegradable. The store also carries a range of refuse bags thatare also biodegradable, including cat litter box liners (10 bagsfor $5.50) and dog waste bags (50 bags for $5.25). Cliff's newestwave of green products is biodegradable housewares that look andfeel like traditional plastics, including a stylish trash can fromUmbra for $9.50.

In addition to "paper or plastic?" a third choice is to bring yourown bags with you. Cliff's,

Walgreens (489 Castro Street), and

Delano's IGA Market (4201 18th Street) all carry reusable shopping bags ($0.50-$2.95)that will do the trick.

In response, the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit thatpromotes sexual freedom as a fundamental human right, has issued acall for a "buycott" to counteract the AFA. Executive Director

Ricci Levy writes in a press release that "In support of McDonald's strongsupport of individual rights ... WFF urges McDonald's customers toregularly make an extra purchase (conduct a buycott) from theMcDonald's chain."

Just go easy on the fast food.

For more information on the Woodhull Freedom Foundation, visit

http://www.woodhullfoundation.org/.

Check out Raymond Flournoy's Castro Shopper blog at

http://castroshopper.vox.com. Contact him at

mailto:castroshopper@yahoo.com.