Here's the reason I've been busy. www.guerillagrn.com

That site (guerilla: green) is the end product of my thesis project. Expect a lot of updates to it within the next few weeks. I'd like to make it a lot more self-sustaining. Spread the word, please.

This afternoon I had my thesis review (from which I will receive a grade for my project). One of the professors who has constantly reaffirmed his distaste with the internet (he's a print-guru) seemed rather annoyed for my given ten minutes. I cannot figure out why...other than the fact that he hates the web and feels my project encourages destructive behavior. Wild.

Since the faculty I presented to had a little trouble with the concept, hopefully, I can clear it up a little here---

Guerilla: green is for those who like the idea of a green movement, but are fed up with the corporate design structure that has been implemented. Corporate design is great...if you want something to feel cheap and unimportant. Guerilla: green is about a real green movement. It is a quick reminder that you want to be greener.

Anyway, if you're in the PUC area---come to the show opening. Rasmussen Art Gallery, 19:00 (that's 7pm for the time-retarded), Saturday 17 May 2008. There is some good art from good friends of mine. This show is way better than the past 3 or 4 years have been. I promise.

add this to your to-do list: go to senior thesis art show...get inspired...visit guerillagrn.com...make an "e"...join community and submit photos

• LA looks into recycling treated wastewater for use as drinking water, via an aquifer, like Orange County just started doing.
• USGBC rolls out their new LEED 2009 rating system for public comment on Monday.
• PlaNYC 2030 may involve legislation to require large commercial buildings to provide secure bike parking on or near the premises.
• A DOE study thinks its possible to increase wind generated electricity from 1% of total energy production to 20% by 2020.
• Talk of the Nation covers the Great Lakes, and the protection efforts going into preserving 1/5th of the world's surface fresh water.
• The NYC Department of Environmental Protection is installing a stop gap measure to deal with combined sewer overflow to the East River by installing a balloon in the sewer pipe to hold sewage during an intense rain event to prevent it from flowing into the East River and the New York Harbor.
• The Bust administration has listed polar bears as threatened species, due to decline in Arctic sea ice from global warming. It will be very interesting to see what law suits pop up because of this. The World Wildlife Foundation could be suing coal plants for causing global warming.
• Going green is the next big thing for restaurants, as the Green Restaurant Association drums up a lot of participants.
• Spain is building two 50 MW solar thermal power plants. Solar power makes a lot of sense for Spain where most of the power demand is proportional to air conditioning needs, so the sunnier it gets, the more power is generated.
• Some facts about European sprawl show that sprawl isn't necessarily an unavoidable byproduct of affluence, so there is hope for American cities as well.
• Rising gas prices are leading to significant increases in public transportation ridership in the US, particularly in the west and south.

A photo of a crowded NYC subway train from Saw Lady's Blog

May 5th, 2008

Don’t be an eco-skeptic:

this tree-hugging ‘hood has it all

by Sivan Keren

Water: clean, simple, hydrating. On a sticky summer day, it’s the drink we’re hard-wired to crave in mass proportions. And although personal water bottles have been on many of our grab-on-the-way-out-the-door checklists for a while now, a new realization has come about in the realm of water-carriage: plastic is definitely “out.”

“They’ve been flying off the shelves,” says Emilie St-Hilare, of the coveted stainless steel Klean Kanteen water bottles. St-Hilare, who works at the eco-friendly Grassroots at Chester and Danforth, says that customers have been coming in droves for the environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional plastic bottles. The trend has picked up so quickly that the store has been back-ordering the bottles for months.

Rob Baker of the nearby The Big Carrot says he’s never encountered such great demand. Like Grassroots, the health food store has seen an enormous peak in sales for the alternative bottles. Baker attributes this surge to an article published in the Globe and Mail. The paper recently reported that outdoor products retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op was pulling the previously popular Nalgene plastic water bottles from its shelves, citing health and environmental concerns.

“There’s been about a 40 percent growth in alternative bottle sales since the article,” says Baker. He adds that though Siggs, a competitor of Klean Kanteen that comes in a variety of colours, have been marginally more popular than the slightly heavier Kanteen, sales numbers for both types of bottles have been “shooting through the roof” with no end in sight.

An Eco-friendly ‘hood
The 40 percent growth rate reflects an even greater trend: ecoholism. The term was coined by Torontonian and Ecoholic author Adria Vasil, and is reflected in the debates from Ottawa to your kitchen table.

“This is a tree-hugging neighbourhood,” says Janet McGregor, an employee of Ten Thousand Villages, a fair-trade and eco-friendly non-profit retailer on the Danforth strip. McGregor adds that people on the Danforth seem to have a stronger environmental conscience compared to other areas. “They come in and I ask, ‘Are you familiar with our store?’ But in this location, people pretty well already know.”

Unfortunately, many eco-friendly products come with a relatively hefty price tag. And for folks in this neighbourhood, especially for young families, price is certainly a concern. But the interest is definitely there: one Danforth resident tells me that if prices were more competitive, she’d buy all organic and eco-friendly products. Although the higher prices are often attributed to a number of factors from supply and demand to the cost of production, at the end of the day, for customers, cost is often the prevailing consideration.

Ecoholic Meets Eco-skeptic
Since nearly everyone I spoke to has encountered someone who thinks that green products just don’t work, I decided to leave the price debate aside for a while, setting out to assess how effective the green products on the Danforth really are. To account for any bias (as I’m a self-proclaimed ecoholic), I was joined by Lauren, an eco-skeptic member of our editorial staff. Our first item of business, as it should always be, was pizza.

Pizza: Delissio 4 Cheese Pizza (654 g, $5.99, Loblaws) vs. Life Choices OrganiCuisine Three Cheese Pizza (315 g, $9.79, The Big Carrot)
As much as I long, as the Life Choices pizza box says, “to secure a healthy future, free of synthetic pesticides and herbicides” for our planet, my colleague Lauren is right: it tastes like “cheese-on-bread-in-oven.” I told my boyfriend there was a slice left over, omitting the fact that it was eco-friendly. He took one bite and said, “This is pretty much the worst pizza I’ve ever tasted.”

Dandruff Shampoo: Head & Shoulders (200 mL, $5.96, Loblaws) vs. J-A-S-O-N Tea Tree Oil Shampoo (517 mL, $9.99, The Big Carrot)
Since many people get summer flakes from the sun, we thought it might be a good idea to check out dandruff shampoos. As it turns out, the flake-busters are the worst of the lot! Many brands of dandruff shampoo contain an anti-fungal compound called zinc pyrithione, which, according to the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (and pointed out by Adria Vasil in her book), can be deadly to fish: “If you put as little as 1/10000 tablespoon [of zinc pyrithione] in an aquarium containing 1000 litres of water, half the fish population will die in four days. A dose for hair wash . . . contains 88 mg.” So we checked out an eco-friendlier option. After a week of using J-A-S-O-N, most flakes were gone. What’s more, the herbal scent and creamy consistency beat out the synthetic smell and gumminess of Head & Shoulders.

Laundry Detergent: Sunlight Lemon Fresh (2.95 L, $8.99, Loblaws)Vs. Nature Clean All Natural Laundry (1.82 L, $8.25, Grassroots)
It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it! We were immediately impressed with the price of the eco-friendly product. Even though you get less liquid for a similar cost, the number of loads (approximately 30) that you can get from each bottle is the same, because you can use much less Nature Clean for the same effect. While it lacked the citrus-yumminess of Sunlight Lemon, our clothes were effectively dirt-free. A warning about gym clothes, though: it might be a good idea to let them soak a bit longer.

It’s Not Too Late
If the Danforth tree-hugger in you is hesitant to come out this summer, don’t let the fear of defectiveness hold you back. In fact, the only disappointing product we tried was the pizza, which Baker admits isn’t the best The Big Carrot offers. He recommends the Amy’s brand, which he says is much easier on the palate. “You can get a crappy pizza from Loblaws too,” he adds. To keep costs down, Baker suggests that you get to work. As with non-eco-friendly items, pre-packaged, ready-made products are sure to make your eco-shopping more expensive than if you buy the ingredients whole and do it yourself. As for the future of affordability, Baker suggests, “the more people that support [the products] will simply mean in the future . . . the price will go down considerably.”

Craftster Eco-craftalong

I have enough ideas now to last me years...

Losing weight has never been easier than with Take Shape For Life. With the 5 & 1 Plan, there

is no calorie counting, no points system, no diet pills and no confusion. The program consists of

clinically proven foods designed to help you lose 2-5 lbs per week.

Here’s all you have to do:

5 Medifast Meals per day (any 5 meals; limit 1 bar per day)

1 “Lean & Green” per day

Lean - 5, 6 or 7 ounces of a lean, leaner or leanest meat option.

Add 0 - 2 servings of fat daily depending on your choice.

Green - any 3 servings of allowed vegetables each day.

One (1) serving = 1 cup of salad greens or 1/2 cup of raw/cooked vegetables.

Salad dressing and other condiments may be used in limited quantity.

Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of non-caloric fluids per day, preferably water.

Because you eat every 2-3 hours, you will not be hungry or lack energy. You may stay on

the 5&1 Plan until you have lost your desired amount of weight, then move to the

Take Shape For Life Transition Plan.

The 5 & 1 Plan

5 & 1 = Quick, Easy, Clinically Proven Weight Loss!

For more information, visit my web site.  CLICK HERE

Taking the concept of recycling into a more virtual realm, WWF Canada's latest spot, "Zero Carbon", is "the world's first zero-carbon TV ad". It's made up of recycled video clips (some as old as 60 years), was created during virtual collaboration sessions, and for any in-person meetings the people behind it took public transit to reach each other. Just to make sure nothing was missed, environmental consulting engineer Steve Lapp even did an emissions audit on it's production. and carbon off-sets were bought for any energy that was used.

The icing on this cake is the old skool appearance of some vintage Shelley Long at 0:22...

(Agency: DraftFCB Canada.)

Via Stimulant

Growing Up Green

Pamela Paul

Thursday, May.08, 2008

The Timmons family of Brownsville, Oregon takes extra steps to teach their children for a eco-friendly envirornment. Robbie McClaran for TIME

Want to wreck the environment? Have a baby. Each bundle of joy gobbles up more of the planet's food, clogs garbage dumps with diapers, churns through plastic toys and winds up a gas-guzzling, resource-consuming grown-up like the rest of us. Still, babies are awfully cute. Given that most people still intend to procreate, what's an environmentally conscious parent to do?

Today's green-minded families go far beyond eco-consumerism--the buying of organic baby goodies like mohair-filled crib mattresses, flame-retardant-free pajamas and fair-trade toys. Call it eco-parenting: it's not just buying greener but fundamentally altering the often wasteful art of child-rearing. "For us, environmental awareness and activism isn't just a question of health," says Jonathan Spalter, a 45-year-old father in eco-haven Berkeley, Calif. "It's a moral and ethical issue that we hope to teach our three little girls." That means early potty-training, monitoring the water temperature in their children's baths and choosing "products that walk softly on the planet." Their kids are already on board, with one daughter telling Spalter's wife Carissa Goux, 41, "Mommy, you shouldn't waste so much."

It turns out that the act of having kids triggers many to go green. An April 2008 Roper poll found that people identified having a child as their primary motivation for protecting the environment; 91% said the most important reason to recycle is the impact it will have on their children's future. In fact, new parents are the leading edge of environmental awareness, says Alan Greene, a pediatrician at Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford and author of Raising Baby Green. "I've seen a dramatic increase in parents taking environmental responsibility for their children in the past 15 years."

True eco-parenting extends beyond the kitchen compost. "Parents are not just changing their behavior at home," says Deirdre (wife of Don) Imus, author of the just published Growing Up Green! "They're realizing they need to get involved in greening their communities." Take actress Laura Dern, mother of two. First she hired Green Life Guru, a Los Angeles--based environmental-services company, to evaluate the eco-fitness of her house. "After they advised me on water filtration and solar paneling," Dern says, "I realized, Wait a minute--I'm sending my children off to a school, which can be a toxic environment." Now she and other parents are working with the company to eliminate chemical-ridden carpeting and pesticides at their children's school and introduce composting and recycling programs there.

Naturally, a host of new books and services have sprouted to guide the eco-parent. Healthy Child Healthy World, by Christopher Gavigan, offers advice on everything from having an organic pregnancy to reducing a child's carbon footprint, while Imus' book counsels parents on detoxing their sippy-cup supply and lobbying for greener legislation. A number of services focus on recycling. Zwaggle.com is a nationwide marketplace for used toys, children's clothing and gear. In Los Angeles, the most recent LA Kids Consignment Sale offered more than 25,000 used breast pumps, high chairs and Exersaucers. Kidsconsignmentsales.com lists 1,100 such events across the country.

Admittedly, this emphasis on raising kids green can make some parents reel. Heather Timmons, 32, a full-time mother and homeschooler of four children in Brownsville, Ore., sticks to the doable. She tackles a different environmental challenge each month, whether it's (almost) eliminating paper towels or making her own household cleaners with vinegar and baking soda. "I believe it's important to do your part and be responsible," says Timmons, who does so by consolidating car trips, buying toys secondhand and substituting vintage plates for paper at her kids' birthday parties. "But at the same time, I don't want to be freaking out about it." Parents have enough to freak out about already.

Paul is the author of Parenting, Inc.

For this article and more click here.

Like our hopes, all gone, or still outside of reach.

!!!

Last night I tried to garden...I walked around the yard, hoping to find something to weed, something to get my hands dirty. Nothing. In our area, the veteran gardeners don't suggest to plant your garden before the May Long weekend, so I can't plant anything yet.

I ended up planting some Basil to grow in the house, grabbing my book and camera and laying on the grass for a while. Cobes thought I was playing, why else would I lay on the ground??, and would sporadically come and pounce on me or lick my face as she walked by. She finally settled down and chewed her twig while I relaxed, soaking up the sun and feeling the grass on my feet.

I'm so releived it summer! It feels so good to have the sun beating down and the yard looks so fresh and green and bright! I just can't wait until after this weekend when I'll plant my Foxgloves, Hollyhocks, Peonies, Lupins and hopefully a few Hydrangea trees (trees? or shrubs?).

The last picture of Cobie shows off her big ears..."Cobie - Bat Dog!".

Q: What are your summer weekend plans?

http://ecopreneurist.com/2008/05/15/europe-leading-the-way-in-sustainable-innovation/

Enviu, together with 8 other innovation labs from Spain, Denmark, Poland, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands is soon to be launching the NEXT Europe Alliance. The launch is set for the upcoming iFest, the business inspiration fest in Spain where there will be, “ideas and energy to solve the issues of the near future."

sidebar: Happy Shrimp. GENIUS.

From: citizensugar.com

Al Gore says that the cyclone in Myanmar is a result of global warming. He told NPR yesterday:

And as we’re talking today, Terry, the death count in Myanmar from the cyclone that hit there yesterday has been rising from 15,000 to way on up there to much higher numbers now being speculated. And last year a catastrophic storm from last fall hit Bangladesh. The year before, the strongest cyclone in more than 50 years hit China – and we’re seeing consequences that scientists have long predicted might be associated with continued global warming.

Gore said that because ocean temperatures are on the rise, extreme and dangerous weather is also on the rise.

Critics of Gore say he's taking advantage of the deaths of thousands of innocent people to promote his political advantage. But, if he truly believes that we must address climate change to stop such disasters and save future lives, doesn't he have an obligation to speak up? If he is wrong about global warming, what harm is there in taking better care of the planet anyways?

Is Gore right to tie Myanmar Cyclone deaths to global warming?

Please Read - Common Sense Environmentalism

People have very long commutes these days that take them on the highway. There is no job I have ever had that I could ride my bike to with maybe the exception of an after school job in high school. Because Americans commute so long I am not sure that it could ever work.

Some interesting facts about bike riding:

According to the National Sporting Goods Association, the number of Americans who bike "frequently" -- 110 days a year or more -- fell almost 10 percent in 2007 to 3.7 million people.

Similarly, the number of people who ride bikes at least six times a year fell to 35.6 million in 2006, the lowest since the survey began in 1984, from 56.3 million in 1995.

I think the fact that Americans cannot ride their bikes to work shows the need for better public transportation nationwide. Urban planners, state and local officials and businesses need to sit down and figure out how they can provide better options to their workers to get to work. Telecommuting can help in some ways but there are still alot of jobs that require us to actually go to the office, store...etc. We need to think of a better way to get us there so we can reduce emissions and save ourselves some money!

Tears of Green are falling from my Cheeks
Tears of Lust and wild Imagination
Imagination is a Curse for my poor Soul
Its Power is too strong and I'm too alive
So I cry these Tears and they are green
green as Sorrow and Regret of Tomorrow

If only all my mornings would look like that...