If you are just finding this blog, used to subscribe to this blog, or never even read this blog, welcome back, and welcome: Yes, I'm back! I've been gone too long, I hadn't even realized it's been several years since I've posted. The fact that I haven't "spoken" for Trump's entire administration is very telling. A lot has been going on in my life, all our lives in the USA--enduring a near heartless U.S. president (I mean, loss of over 400,000 lives during COVID? Babies in cages...et al) a guy with delusions of grandeur (Jan 6, 2021, American Insurrection). As unhappy as the majority of us have been, I don't intend to give constant diatribes on what wrong with America, now that I've returned. But it's becoming all too clear, what we as American citizens of being charged with. And that is: Telling the facts, the truth about what is going on in our country, however, and whenever we can.
Trash talking, usually reserved for rivalrous confrontation, has taken another incarnation--that of the disrespected historian. According to Deutch Welle (DW), Germany's most successful international media outlet, only a few parts of the Berlin Wall will stand in for the structure's entire turbulent tenure. The rest of the pieces were unceremoniously delivered to a dump! (story here)
How anyone can even consider throwing away a key part of Berlin --nay--WORLD history is beyond us. Especially with all the other real trash, there is to get rid of. The entire informed planet cheered and celebrated with Berlin when the wall fell. It's part of our history, too! Consider this: If you had to throw out your great, great Aunt's credenza potentially worth millions of dollars, and a 1999 New Years' Eve tiara, which would go first? (Well....for the majority of us, anyway.) Most would keep that credenza. Yes? Maybe cash that sucker in and pay off your student loan or some other major debt and only, ONLY, if you were completely unable to afford to keep it, or perhaps restore it.
Listen up, Berlin! We're big on relics here in the USA. We just elected our oldest president to date and saved a 200+ year democracy. And if you guys can't even keep 96 miles of heavily graffitied concrete from 1961, well we just don't know what we're going to have to do with you. So, I've sat up part of the night to think this over, and here are some cool ideas to consider:
Pocket weights for skinny people in high winds (not recommended)
Weights for birthday balloons filled with helium (better)
Garden art
Paver blocks or street aggregate
Place card holders (just the rubble-- slice 'em a bit)
Monument Stone (A Berliner Stonehenge, anyone?)
Park benches
Kitchen island slabs (currently an American staple)
Just like oil and water, not all water and water, mixes at several points around the world. It seems things like chemical mix, debris, vegetation, and silt make the determination as to whether two bodies of water will blend. But blend or not, they do come together, which is called a "convergence." And this interesting environmental opposition happens in rivers, in gulfs and even oceans the world over. Take look at some of these almost freakish phenomena, that create stripes of water colors, maybe at a waterway near you! Here, we show global land configurations that looksamazingly like the point in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Note where and how the waters meet. Not quite what you'd expect at the the three rivers, although, Seen Green won't deny the awesomeness of the converging feature.
Rivers at Devprayag, India
Rhone and Arve Rivers, Switzerland
And The Three Rivers.....back to normal...ahhhhhhh. To find our more about "convergence"
In what is probably the worst public relations stunt ever, Mayor Rick Snyder has agreed to drink Flint Michigan's contaminated water. But HIS water has to be filtered first. Amazingly enough, he must believe this gimmick will shut the mouths of over a half million irate people, in the second largest city in his state. In this grainy YouTube video, you see the Mayor in the home of Flint residents Cheryl Hill and Todd Canty, guzzle down the water, and gag slightly (guilt?) just after he puts the glass down. On April 18, 2016, he vowed to drink Flint water for 30 days. Let's see how he's feeling on May 18th. Seen Green doubts this is going to wash with the Flint citizens, or the rest of the country for that matter, but Mayor Snyder deserves a D+ for trying to water down the negative press.
Unlike the story of Chicken Little, a fictional character in a children's book who insisted the sky was falling, Elijah Nowdlak and other First People of the Americas, are dead serious in their belief that the "sky has shifted." Their tribes have a track record of predicting weather, and other natural occurrences. They have NASA and other scientists concerned because they say it is this shift that is the cause for global warming and not air pollution which has been the most popular claim.
"The sun, the moon and the stars have all changed position," they say. Even the wind, making it harder for them to make their weather predictions. The article Seen Green read did not explain what all this means long term. But one reader, Wesley Williams, who Seen Green attempted to contact on Facebook, explained that this shifting of the earth is called the "Chandler Wobble or Axial Procession." He states that is a natural phenomenon that has been noted since the days of Sir Issac Newton and as is probably the result of ocean bottom fluctuations. "Because of the tilt of the earth, and its rotational spin, there will be constant changes in this wobble." Wesley maintains.
Now, Seen green did some fact checking, and it seems not everyone agrees nor understands HOW the change in earth's axis affects the weather. For the geeks among you, feel free to follow the conversation on Earth Science Beta. Or this NOAA Paleoclimatology report on orbital dynamics. Skeptical Science even took a stab at this question.
Hmmm, Seen Green would like to propose you guys all get together for a summit...and soon!
There is building a tiny home to conserve land, that's one thing, and then there is THIS. Off the coast of Dubai, there are a chain of islands forming what some sarcastically call "make-shift" communities, but actually, the islands off Dubai form a buoyant city now peppered with floating villas.
Invested in the water paradise, you'll find men like Richard Branson, whose island is a microcosm of Great Britain. In fact, Branson's enclave is in "The Heart of Europe," part of a larger community with each island claiming some sector of the world. This is a place where the super wealthy come to play and the "Floating Seahorse"--a partially submerged home--is quickly taking the billionaire class by storm!
The 2.8 million dollar Seahorse is the result of 5,000 hours of research and 13,000 hours of design work by the Kleindienst Group.
Dutchmen Industries are the leading manufacturers of tree spades, although most people probably had no idea there was such an industry. They also manufacture other equipment for nursery needs, but watching this particular machine in action, is quite captivating. Seen Green, which shares thoughts with many gardeners has always thought the best way to move a planting was to take enough dirt, so that the plant doesn't realize it has been moved. This IS that, in practice; not with a small group of flowers, but rather a fully grown tree. And it's a beautiful thing!
Out of India comes one solution to all our eatery needs. They have created spoons that you can use, and then eat! They are made out of kneaded flour, with absolutely no chemicals. Bakey's was established in 2010 by a couple in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh--the Narayanas--to provide an altrenative to to disposable plastic cutlery and bamboo chopsticks. After much research (and tasting), developed the Bakey's spoon, with look and feel of a real utensil. The couple was inspired by the "Make in India" policies, which challenges its citizens to dream, and invent new products and technology in the hopes of prying poverty's stranglehold on the country. To further their manufacturing efforts on every front, India has also launched their Defence Expo, 2016. The Prime Minister of the Expo is Manohar Parrikar, who proclaims, "This will show to the world what India can do." The event takes place March 28-31. Because India isn't stopping at spoons.
Crossing spoons with India over the edible cutlery market, is the USA who, also boasting an expanding population, which must also cut down on disposable waste. According to US News and World Report, the United States is expected to add one new person every 8 seconds. That makes for the future use of an untold number of disposable plastic spoons going into already bulging landfills. Coming to America's rescue is Edible Spoons by Jack, (Jack Milan) who one year ago won the first "Catered Arts Through Innovative Excellence" given by the International Caterers Association. The trend his company started has since become a mainstay in many catering and restaurant industries. And this sturdy utensil can be just as usable in a typical home dinning senario. These edible "Asian-style" spoons come in 15 flavors including chocolate, corn lime, gingerbread and parmesan basil. Getting them is easy. Call, 866-382-7837
Docomo, a Japanese telecoms giant has created a xylophone in the forest out of small planks that play Bach's Cantata 147 just by placing a hard stone-like ball at the starting point and letting it roll downhill along a series of fir and maple wood pieces grown in Hokkaido, Japan where this nature-ly exhibit is being showcased. A vending machine is near the featured piece, where you can purchase a ball to use as many times as you want; then take it home. Play it only on sunny days, though. On rainy days, the xylophone takes a rest. The cost to get in the gardens is 1,500 JPY and 300 JPY to play. A must see if you're in the Far East. "A single wooden ball is released from the top androlls down the step-like keysand plays Bach's Cantata 147" --Wired Co UK CONTACT; Hokkaido: Garden Show 2015 Daisetsu Management Committee Office Kamikawa-cho Town Office180 Minami-machi, Kamikawa-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido 078-1753, Japan
German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche is famous for the quote "God is dead." But he was wrong. And after years of denying the existence of God, scientists the world over are rethinking their theories. It seems science has proven rather than disproved the existence of a supreme being.
Here are some of the reasons they are changing their minds in record numbers:
1. The more the research that is done, the more the Bible seems to be accurate. Research supports a singular "beginning" for life or the so-called "big bang" theory. Cosmologists agree that this cataclysmic action could not be the result of chance but part of an original "design," or created by a superior intellect.
2. The placement of certain monuments, and ancient ruins coincide with a "global plan."
3. Further studies show DNA codes support that all creation is orderly and intellectual even at the inception of birth and can never be successfully duplicated.
4. In order for us to exist on the planet, gravity, air, and other natural forces need to right where they are. This had to be part of a grander scheme that is unknown to man.
Said one renowned scientist, "There are way too many remarkable coincidences."
Even Einstein who was not religious man speculated: The genius behind the universe is “an intelligence of such superiority
that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human
beings is an utterly insignificant reflection."
For more info read this Newsweek Report, here... or Y-Jesus. click here. For a review of the Aczel's book, above, click here.
Beth Moon is her name. And she sees trees better than anyone else. She spent 14 years capturing the oldest trees in the world in photography and then wrote the book: Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time. Moon, is a San Francisco based photographer who has traveled the globe and to the most remote of locations, simply to capture their magnificence for us all.
Says moon on her website: "Many of the trees I have photographed have survived because they are out of reach of civilization; on mountainsides, private estates, and protected lands." And they are according to Moon, the world's greatest living monuments. She sees them as becoming more significant as time goes by and we work harder to live with our environment. Moon felt it was her duty to commemorate the lives of these "wonders of nature." Many of these trees are in danger of extinction. We salute Beth Moon, who in our book a star!
Some may remember the Where's Waldo books, a children's reading saga that involved--not so much reading--as trying to find a man named Waldo in the pictures surrounded by dozens of other things that look just like him. Now we find Chinese artist Lui Bolin takes this one step further by not only blending in, but by being "one" with his surroundings. Bolin is known as "the invisible man" in worldwide art circles and he describes his work as "creating scenes that are statements about our relationship with our surroundings." Bolin is best known for his "hiding in the city" series, which is depicted in photographs some of which we show here. From what we can tell, the best way to find Bolin, is to find his shoes.
This from Courthouse News....(CN) - The sellers of homes do not have to disclose "psychological
stigmas," such as murders, to prospective buyers, the Pennsylvania
Supreme Court ruled. The state's highest court unanimously ruled
Monday in favor of Kathleen and Joseph Jacono regarding the sale of
their Delaware County house in 2007 for $610,000. The buyer,
Janet Milliken, sued the couple for failing to disclose that a previous
owner, Konstantinos Koumboulis, killed himself and his wife in the house
in February 2006. Miliken said she learned of the deaths from a
neighbor after she moved in from California. She sued for fraud,
negligent misrepresentation and violations of state consumer protection
laws. The trial court later tossed the suit, holding the Jacanos had no
duty to disclose the deaths and that they made no misrepresentation of
material fact to support the claims. Writing for the state
Supreme Court, Justice J. Michael Eakin agreed with the lower court that
the deaths were not material facts that should have been disclosed. He
noted that "the varieties of traumatizing events" that could happen at a
property "are endless." "Efforts to define those that would
warrant mandatory disclosure would be a Sisyphean task," the eight-page
opinion stated. "One cannot quantify the psychological impact of
different genres of murder, or suicide - does a bloodless death by
poisoning or overdose create a less significant 'defect' than a bloody
one from a stabbing or shooting? How would one treat other violent
crimes such as rape, assault, home invasion, or child abuse? What if the
killings were elsewhere, but the sadistic serial killer lived there?
What if satanic rituals were performed in the house?" Although
such events would disturb most people and make them not want to live in
the house, the tragic events are not defects in the structure itself,
Eakin said. "The occurrence of a tragic event inside a house
does not affect the quality of the real estate, which is what seller
disclosure duties are intended to address," the opinion stated. "We are
not prepared to set a standard under which the visceral impact an event
has on the populace serves to gauge whether its occurrence constitutes a
material defect in property. Such a standard would be impossible to
apply with consistency and would place an unmanageable burden on
sellers, resulting in disclosures of tangential issues that threaten to
bury the pertinent information that disclosures are intended to convey." If
anything, the passage of time may make such events "historical
curiosities" that "may even increase the value of the property," Eakin
suggested.
"Rusten" is a good name for someone in the eco biz. It sounds very organic, which is exactly how Jared Rusten of San Francisco, a prolific woodworker and furniture guru, thinks. He's best known for his "California" series which offers eager buyers desks and coffee tables in the shape of the "golden state." All of his pieces are as pristine as the grand outdoor locations from which the wood originally hails, and they are oiled in low toxic tung and linseed. It turns out that the California state shape is perfect for wrapping a neat corner since it skirts the body so nicely. Since 2007, Rusten has been crafting this iconic furniture out of Claro Walnut. He said,"I can't think of a greater tribute to this material than to create from it, functional pieces of furniture in the shape of its geographic origin." In honor of that origin, he spends an extraordinary amount of time on every part of the construction process which makes his craftsmanship pure perfection.
He's on the look out for "Intense grains." Unlike other wood species, Claro Walnut possesses a spectrum of colors and textures. Neither is it easy to find. Rusten has to source the materials from small lumberyards and independent sawyers. Then it has to be milled, laid out, joined, hand sanded, and buffed. All this this work is very time consuming. Add to that the fact that Claro Walnut is no longer planted in orchards to be regularly harvested, and you have to wonder at the relatively reasonable pricing of Rusten's furniture. The average cost of a small 56"L x 16'H coffee table is $1650. He sells through his website and also on Etsy. To ensure the unique quality of his furniture, Rusten is always on the look out for Claro Maple that has what he calls an "intense grain." This attention to detail is what makes Rusten furniture special. Once examined, you'll appreciate the time expended on finding just the right pieces of wood. They are worth the wait; so eco smart, modern and chic that we can only say,"Happy hunting!"
"Open one of the closets and you'll find ten stackable chairs." --Buzzbuzz Buzzbuzz Home News, reports that New York entrepreneur Graham Hill, founder of Treehugger.com found a way to pack eight rooms into 350 square feet by designing his Soho studio as a transforming space.“The living room and office become the bedroom with a tug of a bookshelf,” explains a post on Gizmodo.com.
“Open one of the closets and you’ll find 10 stackable chairs that go
around a telescopic dining table,," They call it "Goliath" and it sets the perfect size for larger dinner parties. An entire
guest room with bunk-beds and a closet are revealed behind a wall that
slides out on tracks. And in addition, there's a full, well designed kitchen, a bathroom with shower and a pull down seat which covers the toilet, basically converting the space into a telephone booth for private conversations. The room is also filled with space saving furniture from places like Resource Furniture. Also video'd here from BuzzBuzz: A home inspired by "origami" in Manhattan--450 sq. ft-- owned by third-grade-teacher Eric Schneider and in Seattle,182 square feet that's racked, packed and stacked and owned by engineer, Steve Sauer who shows to what levels space-saving can go!
This is one of those: "Never in a million years," discoveries that, while true is almost too strange to digest. Imagine using your own urine to help create new teeth for yourself, which is possible according the BBC News. A July 29, 2013 online article states that urine can be used to create stem cells that can then be used to create teeth. The results have been published in Cell Regeneration Journal; the science was done by the Guangzhou Institute of Bio medicine in China. The researchers even claim that after three weeks of growth the "teeth" contained dentin, pulp and had enamel like the real thing.
"A POOR SOURCE"
--Prof. Chris Mason, London
Others, however, are not so quick to jump on the pee pee tooth fairy wagon. Professor, Chris Mason, a stem cell specialist from University College London, denounced the discovery saying urine was a poor starting point and added that there was a great risk for bacteria. infection and other potential unknown hazards. That said, even the Chinese research team admits a urine made tooth is not as strong as natural human teeth. Still the research is promising, and there may be a day in the not too distant future when permanent teeth will finally be able to be replaced from the body's own resources. The Guangzhou Institute for Bio medicine is a government sponsored scientific research organization affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which has a combination of 500 researchers and grad students working full throttle. Their director proudly states on their web page: "We serve the citizens of China and world through discovery." For the full BBC story, click here.
The Kennedy clan's men are famous or probably more correctly infamous for following male type. They were also metrosexuals before it was cool, an air and style that caught the attention of ladies and men alike. We're liking this idea of guys going back to the clean and classic, which in doing our research came to the forefront time and time again in several blogs and men's trend magazines. The TV series Mad Men rebooted relaxed formality, and as super fans and big supporters of recycling in every area of your life and not big supporters of the baseball cap and pulled-down-pants-underwear-n-booty look, we're breathing a collective sigh of relief that young fashionistos are analyzing old movies, and digging in their father's (and grandfather's) closets for new fashion inspiration, once again.
One great trend watching site is Ivy Style. The editor, known simply as "Christian," takes a look at ivy league attire past and present. In an older post, he reminisces on his own style experiments which were being photographed and catalogued by Japanese journalists, even as he was updating them. "PIPES AND CARDIGANS GET THE CHICKS!" --Ivy Style on Hugh Hefner
Sean Jean fashion house
Marc Jacobs fashion house
Another good find: FashionBeans: Timeless Style for the Modern Gent. Their latest installation (as of the date of this post) included a wonderful article on men's street style; various photographs of regular guys and how they fashion themselves. And of course, Pinterest will give you a plethora of men's and young men's looks from head to foot. Everyone from Marc Jacobs to Sean John is calling for men to be "clean and structured," "urban and individual" or "post modern." So, we say to them, "damn skippy!" This is style that can be had anywhere from 7th Avenue to bargain basements.
Perhaps these are things you never really wanted to know anyway. But just in case... If the first 3 digits of the bar code are 690, 691 or 692, the product is MADE IN CHINA. 471 is Made in Taiwan . If the first 3 digits of the bar code are 00-09 then it's made or sourced in USA.
It is our right to know, but the government and related departments never educate the public; therefore we have to RESCUE ourselves (as usual). Nowadays, many Chinese businessmen know that American consumers prefer not to purchase products "MADE IN CHINA", so they don't always show the country of origin. However, if you want or need this information, you may now refer to the barcode. The first three digits tell the story:
890......MADE IN INDIA 690, 691, 692 ...MADE IN CHINA 00 - 09 ... USA and CANADA 30 - 37 ... FRANCE 40 - 44 ... GERMANY 471 ........ Taiwan 45 or 49 ........JAPAN 489...........HONG KONG 50 .......... UK 57 .........DENMARK 64..........FINLAND 76.........SWITZERLAND and LIENCHTENSTIEN 471......... is Made in TAIWAN (see sample) 628.........SAUDI ARABIA 629.........UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 740..........745 - CENTRAL AMERICA
All 480 Codes are Made in the PHILIPPINES. Share this Info!
"DIDMONSANTO BACK A DELIVERY TRUCK OVER THE WHOLE FOODS KID?" --Greensburgher on Twitter
It was a fierce twelve year struggle between the organic elite and genetic engineers with no clear winner in sight. But in the wake of the battle, it was obvious who had the bloodier ax. Monsanto emerged the victor with the help of the U.S. Calvary--Uncle Sam. At stake were over 25,000 organic farms and ranches, the very people we have been depending on to keep our food supply uncontaminated.
In the beginning, there was a conclave of greenies headed by Whole Foods, Stoneyfield Farm and Organic Valley who took up "the cause;" indeed the fight to keep the massive planting of a chemical and energy-intensive genetically engineered perennial crop away from John Q. Public. The crop was GE (genetically engineered) alfalfa--Round Up Ready Alfalfa-- which some, like World Truth TV, say was guaranteed to spread its mutant seeds across the
nation; eventually contaminate organic animals; most likely poison farm workers,
cause the use of toxic herbicides which in turn will in time will produce a super weeds, which will require even more potent herbicides to kill it. At first blush, Whole Foods staunchly defended what they called "seed purity." but in the end it seemed they were overwhelmed by Monsanto, "the bio tech bully of St. Louis [and the government's] bio tech cheerleader, Tom Vilsack," said World Truth. Whole Foods, however, sees it differently. "THESE ARE TROUBLING TIMES IN THE KINGDOM"--Flo, Progressive Insurance
"USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack recently invited representatives from
agriculture, business and consumer organizations to explore coexistence
between non-GE proponents and GE proponents. It showed refreshing
leadership after many years of debate that has cost farmers with
contaminated crops in this country millions of dollars in litigation
over the years," defended Whole Food in their blog, The Whole Story.
Several months down the pike, they were on the defensive again pleading with the public to "get back to your scheduled shopping," comforted by these assurances: "We have not been bought out by Monsanto... we (no way!) made a secret deal with Monsanto...Wrong again! GMO's [genetically modified organisms] have been in our food supply for as long as there have been GMOs." And even allowing that coexistence between GMO and NonGMO "is a must!"
Two years ago, The NonGMO Project agreed stating: "...if the fields are contaminated...biotechnology companies for the first time would be held accountable and...forced to pay for the damages."
Sigh.It would have been nice if the convincing had gone the other direction. This should have been a simple case of David vs. Goliath. In case you don't know your King James--David wins. In the bible, the mighty giant is slain by the tween with the power of the Almighty. Cool. But in this case we sense some unfair play, Monsanto may have just backed a delivery truck over the Whole Foods kid, who was probably on a bike. And they got away with it. Not cool. In the words of Flo from Progressive, these are "troubling times in the kingdom."
"Mayor Luke" of Pittsburgh, as he is called by both his friends and enemies, was the youngest mayor ever elected in the city's history, and one of the few nationwide in 2006 at age 26.He survived a special election, a re-election, a divorce, a series of alleged girlfriends and enough controversy to last a life time. Is it any wonder after snatching his hat out of the mayoral race in March of 2013 that he's nowgrazing in the calm of "greener" pastures? No, you can't kick a man when he's up.
Seen Green salutes Mayor Ravenstahl's "Edible Gardens" Program and his plans to "plant 10-15 edible gardens in targeted 'food deserts' throughout the
City that can harvest 2,000 pounds of fresh produce for 200 families in low income neighborhoods." It all part of the Mayor's Serve Pittsburgh Program in conjunction with the Department of Public Works fueled by a $100,00 grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies. Here's to hoping it all works. To learn more or apply, click here.
Researchers are warning us again, but are we not listening again? According to recent CNN reports, the last time temperatures rose at this rate was11,300 years back. Apparently 1901-1909 were the coldest decades, and we've been on the rise ever since. This ironically neatly coincides with the invention of the "motorwagon" by Karl Benz. in 1885, who sold 25 cars in 5 years, mostly in France. Add to that Henry Ford's efforts in 1908 with the creation of an affordable modern car that sold 10,000 it's first year and you begin to see an obvious pattern. Steel-making and industry surely didn't help. One century later, we're being told 2000-2009 were some of the hottest years, and it appears were in crisis inventing catch-up technology to manage a monster of our own creation. Said CNN, "A century is a very short period of time for such a spike. If not for man-made influences, the Earth would be in a very cold phase
right now and getting even colder, according the joint study by Oregon
State University and Harvard University. Climatologist Shaun Marcott was the lead author of
the report on its results." His main concerns center around our ability to adapt globally and our inability to accept needed change. While Marcott didn't want to comment on what the would might look like in the next century, CNN reports his hopes that we can "pull out of it."
Tokyo born artist, Naoko Ito's work speaks to the salvage heart. Here, she "preserves" nature in mason jars. Ito currently lives and works in New York. This piece is from her Urban Nature series which she has been expanding since its inception in 2008. Her credits include exhibitions in New York and the far east: The Shirey,
Soho20 Chelsea Gallery, Perry Rubenstein Gallery, The affordable Art Fair, and the Yasashii Yokan Gallery in Tokyo, Japan.
From the days of "Things go better with Coke," to today's "Live Positively," the Coca Colamarketing train has never run out of ideas. Enter Kent Muhtar, son of a Turkish diplomat, and you have yet another spokesman in the soft drink's iconic PR wheel. Muhtar is the current Chief Officer of Coca Cola, but he titles himself, "Chief Sustainability Officer." Even while the company battles accusations from detractors, who think their product has entirely too much sugar and contributes to childhood obesity, Muhtar and his team have diplomatically moved past these complaints by offering people something they can hang their eco hats on: A broad ranging sustainability program that's integrated throughout the company's entire business plan. Said Muhtarin aForbes interview: "The [original plan] didn't have the right metrics around it. Sustainabilitywas just a warm and
fuzzy word in our corporate social responsibility report, and part of
compliance. We also didn't have proper alignment with our bottling partners."
Now Cola Cola is making constructive changes that have even their harshest critics blinking in disbelief.Some of their bolder plans involve returning as much water to the earth as they take out or becoming "water neutral"; reducing their carbon footprint by 5%, and the introduction of a "plantbottle" which is 30% plant material and 100% recyclable. Ideally, this should make the global manufacturing of their over 3,000 products a bit more palatable to John Q. Public.
"Never perfect...Just Beautiful" is the caption for GA/GI Fest. Each year, a mixture of the quirkiest, emerging and off-beat art, eco and tech ideas get a chance to be seen and heard during April's edition of First Fridays
on Penn Avenue, an art crawl known as "Unblurred." This year it's on
April 5th and 6th so mark those calendars! For more info from the blog,
clickhere.
Between 1983 and 1985, Basquiat and Warhol did a series of collaborative works. The 1984 Olympic games inspired this piece, which will be used as official art during the London games of 2012. Some say the two became somewhat co-dependent on each other during this period. As by then, Warhol's star was waning and Basquiat's was just rising. Still the interesting mix of "ready-made" iconography with oppositional graffiti was powerful. Get more-- Artlyst.
Kudos for the University of Australia for coming up with this concept: In the future ladies, your dress may form itself right on your body without needing a stitch! And it's all thanks to a biological fermentation process that allows living microbes to produce fabric. These Aussy researchers for this process are even looking at ways to create alternate colors since they know the red color won't do for every girl. So far they have only come up with clear from beer or white wine, but they will most likely work that out as they tend to a few other "bugs. For example, unless you like a fine French "bouquet," you and your significant other won't enjoy that the fabric will smell like the vintage that created it. And for heaven's sake don't get caught in the rain! When wet, these dresses will turn to sludge.
On the up side, provided you do like wine aroma and live in southern Califtornia, where it hardly rains, or some other agreeable clime, this may be the (future) look for you. Says Bioalloy, makers of the--uh, stuff--they have named micro"be": "Instead of lifeless weaving maching producing the textile," it will all happen with living microbes.
They have set out to explore, they say, the possible forms and implications of futuristic dressmaking and textile technologies.While the idea of a bacterial fermented seemless garment may seem like an alien concept, it will certainly "rupture the the meaning of traditional interactions with body and clothing."
...or even just piano keys. Two 32-year graduate students--Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum--created the cool Makey Makey device at the MIT Media Lab in Boston, Massachusetts.
Their Kickstarter funding page (ending June 12) has got them 10,491 backers, netting them a war chest of over a half million at this writing! But the pair wants their invention to be affordable, so they intend to sell Makey Makey for just around $35.
The invention's name derives from Make + Key, and the product basically uses alligator clips, a USB connector, and a circuit board that can turn nearly anything with only a whiff of electronic charge (like gummies, cats, dogs or staircases) into a touch pad capable of typing, surfing the net, playing video games or music. Yes, you can even turn you and your friends into human synthesizers! The circuit board (which can be flipped and used on either side) is manufactured at Sparkfun, a company in Boulder, Colorado.
Get more information click here or look on Silver and Rosenbaum's website.
500 species of odd ball fruit reside at Miami-Dade County's Fruit and Spice Park in Florida. Bearing names that sound like characters in a future Luke Skywalker film--Antidesmas, Rollinas, and Ruskams--these plants are not only here and now, but some can be sampled on site. One to try: Black Sponte. It tastes like (not chicken ;-) chocolate pudding! If you visit the park, consider making it an all day outing; take lots of folks with you including grandma and the kids. We're talkin' 37 acres of natural weirdness, people. On your stroll, you'll enjoy over 160 varieties of mango trees, 75 varieties of bananas and other "exotic wonders." Get your marching orders from the park's visitors center. And this fruity space is the only one of its kind in the U.S.A., so don't be bashful. Get your full daily dose.
Pittsburgh's first Eco Art, and Tech Festival in 2010
GA/GI Fest Made History in Pittsburgh! Click on the Pic
We're Recognized by the Greater Pittsburgh Art Council!
Our Blog Host Passports: the Art Diversity Project has been recognized by the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council!
About our Slideshow
Featured: John Ross' shopping cart chair; Life Pittsburgh's art panel of reused papers; Biko's sax, James Simon's glass embellished bust; CC McBeth's salvaged cheeseboard mask; a KH Mural detail of "green" artist, Vanessa German; Barb Ali's shard earrings; Bill Cousins' recycled sign of "Peace,"and a painting of salvaged logo wrappers from the Artz Explosion Event at Duquesne U. Also, decorating tips: Plain sticks painted to look like red coral and a cool pic of an rusty letter plate by photographer Bob Strovers. Caught recycling: A "polo" Player from Bike Pittsburgh with salvage wheel guards, Green Artists Brenda Aminah Lynn Robinson w/LaVerne Kemp; Artist, Susan Constanse, who reuses old canvas, and a young man found knitting in The Strip with sustainable bamboo needles.
Snap it with your i-phone, cell-phone or camera, and send it along with the story to: greenpgh@gmail.com It could end up on our blog! And you'll get the bragging rights!
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