Saturday, May 10, 2008
Material upcycling

Take this table for instance, the materials used to make it include reclaimed and upcycled wood and repurposed composite materials. Even the steel base has been "upcycled." The designer calls them "eco-art" and I agree with statement. He says what is reclaimed and incorporated into these designs should never have been discarded.

The designer of these functional pieces of upcycled artwork is Michael Yonke. His profile says upcycling is achieved by repurposing the materials into objects with higher end use value that will endure and inspire for centuries.

However, I admit he lost me completely when I saw the prices for the items in his store. I'm certainly not spending nearly $3,000 for a 3' table unless of course it cleans itself or tells me the winning lottery numbers. But I do like idea of upcycling.

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    Tuesday, May 6, 2008
    Outreach: Myanmar Cyclone

    While many, if not all, realms of media are reporting on the tragedy which has killed over 20,000 people and left a million homeless, I thought I'd report on how each of us can reach out and help.

    "Our biggest fear is that the aftermath could be more lethal than the storm itself," said Caryl Stern, who heads the U.N. Children's Fund in the United States.



    Why should you help? Because I am sure you would hope for the same kindness if in a similar situation.

    State radio said most of the 22,464 dead, as well as the 41,000 missing, were in the densely populated Irriwaddy delta, home to 6 million people. It said 671 were killed in the Yangon area. Brig. Gen. Kyaw San, the information minister, said most fatalities were caused by tidal waves.

    The death toll is the highest from a natural disaster in southeast Asia since the tsunami of December 2004 killed 229,866 people in Indonesia, Thailand and other parts of southeast and south Asia.

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    Sunday, May 4, 2008
    Take Back the Filter

    Clorox has joined the "green" movement and made it publicly known. So why do they continue to make and profit from carbon filters?

    Here is a statement from Clorox, "With the aim of creating a practical way to green your home without making trade-offs, each product contains over 99% natural ingredients that are biodegradable. Green Works cleaners are not tested on animals and use recyclable packaging."

    Interesting.

    Brita filter cartridges consist of activated carbon housed inside a plastic body which cannot be opened by the consumer for refilling or recycling. The plastic body must be land filled or incinerated each time the filter is changed.

    There is currently no way to recycle or refill Brita filter cartridges in North America at all.

    Time to do your part, folks. Sign the petition to persuade Clorox to make a change. I signed it. It's your turn.

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    Monday, April 28, 2008
    Geotechnical Engineers

    Critical Art Ensemble is a group of five tactical media artists dedicated to exploring the intersections between art, technology, critical theory, and political activism.

    In general the group's work highlights the dialogue between the natural world and the corporate world, and celebrates science and design as tools of the people. The weapons of their art, however benign, got CAE founder Stephen Kurtz subpoenaed under the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act, and then indicted for mail fraud by a federal jury in 2004. Charges against him were recently dropped.

    GenTerra, a work-in-progress that addresses the creation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Collaborating with them is Beatriz da Costa, who describes herself as "a machine artist and tactical media practitioner." "The original idea was to try to do a participatory theater project that would get people hands-on involved in the production of these transgenic organisms," explains Kurtz. "Our feeling was that people seemed to have an unreasonable fear of GMOs and this is counterproductive in terms of resistance. There are some GMOs that are actually good, and others that are pollutants for profit. For us, the question was, 'How can we set up a sphere where people can sort through their feelings?' So GenTerra was all about creating those dialogues around policies that deal with transgenics."

    I can see how such a career path would cause a great deal of controversy. Is it so wrong to experiment, investigate and delve into the unknown is hopes for a better understanding? There are a slew of job opportunities right now for those interested in this path. A simple google search brought up hundreds.

    Anywho, just something to think and chat about.

    SOURCE

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    Thursday, April 24, 2008
    Inflatable Solar Panels

    All the talk on green and conservation has led to more and more people delving into inventing new forms of solar energy. This one seems to be the most versatile of what I have seen lately because the panels are inflatable which means you could theoretically take them anywhere with you, right?

    From ecofriend.org "An English company, IDC, has announced plans to mass-produce an inflatable solar panel and make it commercially available for less than $200. The SolarStore panels, which inflate from a backpack into a 2 meter square, are designed to replace hot water heaters, one of the primary consumers of power in most households. This means that you could just heat water anytime you want using these instantly inflatable solar panels."

    It is capable of heating up to three full thanks. Impressive.

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    Tuesday, April 22, 2008
    Earth Day is 38 years old!

    Today we celebrate Earth Day!

    My son and his friends will be planting something at day care. He is super excited about that as they have been talking about planting and the environment all month in their lessons.

    It is important to discuss the environment with your children every day all year round. They will learn and retain which means as adults they will be conscientious of the world around them.

    On this day make an effort to visit Local Nature Preserves, parks and/or trails. GO out for a walk, enjoy the sunshine, put on some gloves and pick up litter nearby your home. There are many things you can do each day to help make our Earth a healthier place.

    There is a site up right now called "Plant a Billion Trees" where you can donate just $1 in an effort to repopulate the Atlantic Forest. A wonderful fact in regards to this campaign, 246,715 trees have been planted since April 3, 2008 when this program started.



    Be sure to check out the Earth Day Global Network for more information. The Earth Day Network "seeks to grow and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable planet." And you definitely want to play a part in such a wonderful cause. After all, this is your home, too.

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    Saturday, April 19, 2008
    More news about organic food

    Is it true, can there be organic food out there that is cheaper than regular? TreeHugger seems to think so and they wrote about it on their site. Of course I have to share with you, but please check out the source.

    Here is an exciting excerpt:
    Take beans, for example, a staple of frugal cuisine. At a Safeway in Boulder, Colorado, a 15- ounce can of O organic black beans costs $1.05. On the same shelf, a 15-ounce can of Bush's Best black beans will run you $1.39. Down the street at Whole Foods, meanwhile--the store often referred to as Whole Paycheck—the supermarket-label 365 Organics brand black beans cost a measly 99 cents.
    They do admit most organic fruits and vegetables are still more expensive, but hopefully we'll be seeing a trend going the other way soon. Lord knows we all need a way to eat healthier and save money!

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