i wanted to take a moment today to promote the latest Avaaz.org petition to ban Zimbabwe blood diamonds.
'Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe has sent his brutal army to seize control of his country's diamond fields. 200 civilians have been murdered and profits from our wedding rings are used to fuel violent political conflict.
Official diamond regulators meeting in Namibia this week will decide whether to suspend Zimbabwe and stop Mugabe selling his blood diamonds on the world market.'
i simply love looking at this map of the past 50 years of space travel!
this smaller version barely does it justice- check out the original national geographic image by sean mcnaughton here.
would someone please let me know if there is a (licensed) poster available?
another great link from treehugger.com
vela creations 'is an in-depth resource for off grid living.'
their website includes a blog about their life and sustainable homestead projects, (free) plans to make your own Chispito wind generator out of scrap and readily available materials, and a store selling off grid/ homesteading reference books.
their amazon shop is a great resource- in my home, we joke (but not really!) that we have all this post apocalyptic survival information bookmarked, but it will be inaccessible should we ever need it in a pinch!
this past week, i cleaned my studio (a rare and challenging event!) and unpacked more from my recent move.
i found many goodies, such as errant pieces of my personal jewelry collection, cassette tapes from back in the day, sewing supplies, beads, and a single bag of yogi tea, specifically green tea and kombucha.
for months, i've been exclusively drinking red rose earl grey tea. from now on, i really need to get a keep as supply of this green tea with kombucha instead- I had forgotten how simply delicious it is...
and how health-promoting!
from the yogi website:
'Yogi’s special formula of kombucha
with organic green tea is designed to support your immune system, fight
fatigue and detoxify your body. Spearmint naturally aids digestion, and
plum and lemongrass combine to create a fragrant tea with a light,
fruity flavor.* Once the steeping process has released the benefits of
these ingredients, you are ready to enjoy a delicious, delightful and
soothing cup of tea—one that is naturally rich in antioxidants and
other health boosters.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.'
additional links: more about the benefits of green tea (camellia sinensis) and kombucha (which is fascinating, and i know it's really good for you, but i still can't stomach except in this delicious tea)
i also like recycling yogi tea boxes into sleeves for shipping earrings that are too big for my regular boxes(!)
as i finish up my (very last minute) holiday shopping, i turn to heifer international in order to donate livestock to struggling third world families in the name of my grandmothers and in-laws.
a natural history museum in portland,OR ?! yes, please!
i feel so outraged and helpless against the latest chronicle of american economic and political SNAFUs....
i will surely be voting next month, but who knows what good that will actually do :(
money talks, of this we can be sure....
i strongly believe in voting with my dollar whenever possible.
one way (possibly the only way, considering that almost every dollar of mine goes towards food!) that i exercise this ideal is by purchasing organic foods, locally grown when available. this serves the dual purpose of showing my support for organic farming, and making healthier choices for myself and my family.
sadly, i am not independently wealthy (but rather an artist and a mom) and i am hard-pressed to afford to buy any food, let alone any fancy expensive food....but the health angle is very important!
happily, i've found this handy chart distributed by the EWG (environmental working group.)
it ranks the top 45 fruits and vegetables in terms of pesticide contamination (even after washing & peeling). now i can easily prioritize the organic items on my shopping list!
also, check out stonyfield farms' (yummy yogurt!) website, where they will donate $1 to the EWG for every click. they also have coupons.
RANK FRUIT OR VEGGIE SCORE 1 (worst) Peaches 100 (highest pesticide load) 2 Apples 96 3 Sweet Bell Peppers 86 4 Celery 85 5 Nectarines 84 6 Strawberries 83 7 Cherries 75 8 Lettuce 69 9 Grapes - Imported 68 10 Pears 65 11 Spinach 60 12 Potatoes 58 13 Carrots 57 14 Green Beans 55 15 Hot Peppers 53 16 Cucumbers 52 17 Raspberries 47 18 Plums 46 19 Oranges 46 20 Grapes-Domestic 46 21 Cauliflower 39 22 Tangerine 38 23 Mushrooms 37 24 Cantaloupe 34 25 Lemon 31 26 Honeydew Melon 31 27 Grapefruit 31 28 Winter Squash 31 29 Tomatoes 30 30 Sweet Potatoes 30 31 Watermelon 25 32 Blueberries 24 33 Papaya 21 34 Eggplant 19 35 Broccoli 18 36 Cabbage 17 37 Bananas 16 38 Kiwi 14 39 Asparagus 11 40 Sweet Peas-Frozen 11 41 Mango 9 42 Pineapples 7 43 Sweet Corn-Frozen 2 44 Avocado 1 45 (best) Onions 1 (lowest pesticide load)The Full List: 43 Fruits & Veggies
(top left- Oregon Tilth certification seal, which adds an increased level of respectability to organic growers:
'Oregon Tilth is a nonprofit research and education membership organization dedicated to biologically sound and socially equitable agriculture. Oregon Tilth offers educational events throughout the state of Oregon, and provides organic certification services to organic growers, processors, and handlers internationally.)
'hip, not hippie'- as i like to think of it- treehugger.com is 'the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability
mainstream. partial to a modern aesthetic, [they] strive to be a one-stop
shop for green news, solutions, and product information.'
i'm a fan.
with diverse categories including fashion&beauty, design&architecture, food&health, science&technolgy; treehugger uploads more than 30 posts a day.
i spend hours every week exploring the web through the treehugger portal!
features include investigations into the most shamefully wasteful packaging, as well as more eco-friendly packaging innovations (such as tofu packaged in a ballon, top right); better, cheaper LEDs; and green building trends (such as the green roof on this building in fukuoka, japan, built in 1995, bottom right)
there is also a lively community of people offering insights and criticism in the forums, as well as on individual articles.
and don't miss treehugger's 'how to go green guides: in depth actionable articles to help you get off your duff and step into the green future'! (green your lighting, your baby, your sex life, etc)
my brother is currently studying architecture at portland state university. i think he's going to be very good at it; he has keen design sensitivities...
for years, he's been talking about the arcosanti project in arizona. he hopes to finally take a workshop there within the next year. if he likes it, he plans to study there for months and to get some real hand-on experience.
'In 1970, the Cosanti Foundation began building Arcosanti, an
experimental town in the high desert of Arizona, 70 miles north of
metropolitan Phoenix. When complete, Arcosanti will house 5000 people,
demonstrating ways to improve urban conditions and lessen our
destructive impact on the earth. Its large, compact structures and
large-scale solar greenhouses will occupy only 25 acres of a 4060 acre
land preserve, keeping the natural countryside in close proximity to
urban dwellers.
Arcosanti is designed according to the concept of arcology
(architecture + ecology), developed by Italian architect Paolo Soleri.
In an arcology, the built and the living interact as organs would in a
highly evolved being. This means many systems work together, with
efficient circulation of people and resources, multi-use buildings, and
solar orientation for lighting, heating and cooling.'
photo: neri oxman (materialecologist), by noah kalina
if you're looking for some brain food, check out my new favorite magazine, Seed magazine.
Seed is a smart and stylish modern magazine with 'a passion for science and ...(the) advocacy of science literacy around the world.'
apparently, they've been around since october 2005 (order back issues here), but they caught my attention a few months ago (thank you anne!) with the headline: 'the future of science...is art?'
the current issue, 'the design issue', continues to explore the developments in art and design as it relates to the advancement of modern science. (hooray!)
my own interest has always been split between art and science
(i plan to go back to school for something bio-chem-related when the bean enters kindergarten...)
expect many more science geek posts here as i renew my interest in reading up on modern science.
thank you, seed!!
