I mentioned this on hugg a while back-- I've just been floored, am totally in love with this and have great plans for the moment the ice thaws!! Woop Woop is all I can say-- this rocks my world. Say hello to THE eco-conscious extreme sport!
See two things; one is that I used to love water skiing like there was no tomorrow. When i was a kid i taught skiing, i ate skiing and dreamed about getting through the slalom course at 28mph so I could get my gold badge.. I actually loved the smell of gasoline in the morning because i had a Pavlovian association between that olfactory sensation and the feeling of a mirror-smooth lake at sunrise about to get shredded by me, the boat and my slalom skis. But as I grew an ecological consciousness i had to forgo that passion. You just can't justify the wastefulness.
So now, I live on the beach, about 40 minutes by bike outside of the downtown core, and while taking this most awesome bike path to the GreenLiving HQ-- i get mesmerized daily by these freaks in dry suits who are booking across the water, cutting 10 ft spray off the boards and basically shredding. And without a boat!!! I've dreamed of this.... So, after asking everyone I could about what they think it's called, I finally found it on wikipedia, and even better yet, have found this school right down the street from my house, and am signing up for classes, like i said as soon as it thaws. I can't wait! A new addiction!!! Wooo hooo!!
greenloop gets an online makeover Aysia Wright, owner of Greenloop, strives to offer her clientele the best the eco-fashion world has to offer. And whiel it's true what they say, that "Gone are the days when the choices of environmentally responsible clothing were between burlap sacks and shapeless oatmeal color..... ((she does have Deborah Lindquist, loomstate, carol undersigned, anna cohen, the hirribly named by way snazzy ecoGanik, acessories, and the WORLDS BEST inara babassu lip balm )) still, their website wasn't "all that".
Now, after a little over a year and a half in businesses, Greenloop has given its website a facelift, dramatically improving the shopping experience for would be eco-savvy clothing & accessory shoppers by providing multiple views of each item, size charts, wish lists, and a monthly e-newsletter to keep us In The Loop about what's new in the eco-fashion world, who’s in the spotlight, what's coming soon, how to save a buck or two while re-styling our newly green wardrobes!
I guess, since i decided to leak a little news to the friends here (sorry public peeps, get an lj), I am feeling like it's time to give something out on the braodercast so yes, it's time for another Exuberant Pantaphobia Mini-EcoVideo Festival So maybe you want to reread this at a later time, because within this post, there will be links to a couple of hours of movies! Most clips are short but there are a few gems that are worth spending the hour or two to watch (hint hint...) But for now, here's what you will find in the first installment:
Green Media Roundtable (57 minute); Experts (including Richard Hutton, producer of Strange Days on Planet Earth, and RX for Survival), talking about green media at a UC SantaBarbara eco roundtable. Some interesting quotes and some well thought out glimpses into our particular niche in media i.e. green videos and films. "Unless you take a multimedia approach where you scare, tie them in, and then catalyze them to do stuff in anther way (go into the backyard, read a book, go online and do green work, it's dangerous to think that this media can do more than it can do"... and; where's our mushroom-cloud logo for climate change "iconic modes of communication"? ..and "if you don't have the human story (like erin brokovitch) you have to have the cataclysm (like 'the day after tommrrow'...). Hear the experts answer audience questions and chat about a subject we love so much...
Wildlife Creations ((2min 2sec); Patrick Palumbow shows off & talks about his ingenious recycled tire horse-swings.
Vandan Shiva; Listen to your Mother!(51min 33sec); Last BUT NOT LEAST is a lecture given by the eloquent and brilliant Indian Economist/WorldChanger, Vandana Shiva. in this Mother's Day address, she gets into on of her cause celebres, colonialization and Terminator seeds, the historicity, widened perspective, and love that emanates from this woman is amazing. No camera work at all, but riveting!
Bill Moore, Founder of EVworld has a blog (well, why shouldn't he?) and on his blog i recently saw a review of those beauties up there.... They are the E-Ride, and not only are they HOT, but apparently they are good performers too! This is what Mr. Moore had to say about his visit withe them post test ride: "As I stood chatting with the utility's director of fleet maintenance, two other executives(from an electric company looking to purchase some), who had just taken the stake bed iNEV out for a spin around the maintenance yard, came back with huge EV-grins on their faces"
All electric, safe, and they are just soooo cute!!
Ok, a little while back, Teehugger had this cute story about these plushy little teddybears made from Soy waste! And at the time I thought oh, that's cute and then went back to work... And that was it. But I had no Idea that the woman who made the bears, Jonelle Rafino is also the president of Tempe Arizona's South West Trading Company, a company that makes Soy and Bamboo yarns and silks! "It's an amazing time for textiles because we're finding that as creative minds put their focus on Earth-friendly fibers, there is a whole bunch that can be done," said Jonelle, "And some more smart fibers lie ahead. Now the power is with the consumer to support these things and buy them." The latest product is their Soysilk, a trademarked fiber made from leftover soybeans after the manufacture of tofu. The residue is made into a liquid batter, cooked and spun into spaghetti-type fibers. They look as yummy as Tensel (without the nasti tree crushing part). But so far they only sell faibres and yarns, so for now, it's DIY or get yoru soy fix at lululemon and keep wiating.... (oh yeah. The bear. The bear has his own blog)
Thanks to the O, Natural paints to shine!! You can't believe every rumour you read in the trades, but I'm going to spread a couple of rumours I just read in the Silicon Valley Business Journal anyway. They're about BioShield, a paint who's sales were growing at 30% a year (up to $4M last year) but as far as I can tell, are about to skyrocket from there....
See, apparently Oprah's Goddaughter, Katy Rose just redid her New York apartment with these paints (OK, it does beg to ask why exactly an 8 year-old has her own apartment in NYC, let alone remodelling it). Not only does Oprah love them, but (rumour #2) she's planning to do a complete show very soon where a home gets an eco-makeover, and um, naturally she is going to highlight BioShield's paints, varnishes, and eco-cleaning products. Wow. It's going to make them sell like that James Fry book. No, wait...
Anyway, they aren't just good for your lungs and good for the planet, they are also, apparently, gorgeous! Peggy Bates, owners of Living Architecture, describes the paint; "It's more expensive than Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams, but it's worth every penny as far as the health aspect and the texture," she says. "Depending on how the light is coming in, the color on the wall changes." she says. "It's like a living paint." Now thats a nice paint. Way to go BioShield!!
[incidentally, if you want to see some other eco paints, check out the always amazing G2R~ formerly known as metaefficient. They have an amazing list!]
There are usually some pretty amazing and inspiring green things on display at Great Green Goods. And today is no exception, they've collected 10 different companies who make things out of used tires! (that planter up there is not one of them). Everything form tapestries to paddles (don't ask). I like the swing, and the ipod case... {thanks to GreatGreenGoods
eco fashionistas NOIR are the new, well, the new Noir stolen from a Times review of London's Fashion Week: In case you hadn’t already noticed, clothing with a conscience has become cool. At the top of the organic shed is Noir, a label worn by Sharleen Spiteri at last year’s G8 march in Edinburgh and by Naomi Watts, who liked the clothes enough to wear them on a recent cover of GQ.... A collaboration between Peter Ingwersen (a native of Copenhagen and previously a brand manager at Levis’s Red and managing director at Day, Birger et Mikkelsen) and Rikke Wienmann, it’s aimed at women who have ethical beliefs about fashion and still want to look stylish. The label has even created its own (organic) cotton fabric brand, Illuminati II, made from raw ingredients that have been sourced in Uganda to produce a brand that is a clever interpretation of classic British tailoring (borrowing menswear detailing) and mixing it with softer, feminine details.
Innovation & environmental awareness, Washington-based Ecowork LLC creates office furniture with 95 per cent recycled materials. How recycled can your office get? Ecowork LLC has the answer. They create designer office furniture out of 95 per cent recycled and rapidly renewable material. Ecowork’s products push the envelope in developing functional, aesthetic and renewable products for office workspaces. But Scot Davidson, company founder, was not ready to stop there, He and his team consider many factors beyond form, cost and function. Eco-design considers the sustainable nature of core materials, energy used in transportation and production, safety in production, off-gassing characteristics, and end-of-life disposal.
The "Ecowork Workspace" is made primarily of recycled paper, cardboard, tires and waste wheat straw. It is designed to be colorful, attractive, just as durable as commercial products, and sturdy enough to bear the challenges of business use. Ecowork products are already used around the country in many challenging locations, and have received numerous design awards, and they have won praise from clients such as Smith & Hawken, the University of Colorado, and Environmental Defense.
“At Ecowork, our values drive us to create products that have minimum negative environmental impact but that are still a joy to own,” says Davidson. (well yeah, in this case, it's more realistic to aim for that, than to aim for being a joy to use) “Our products provide a functional, flexible and creative work environment for businesses that truly believe in social responsibility, forward thinking and a passion for the environment.” And I agree wholeheartedly, you can't run a green business and be offgassing at the same time....
....but maybe there is a reason why Donna rocks? Robin Givhan says that her yoga, raw food, meditation and soul searching are "good fodder for gossip columnists," but maybe she ought to sense that DK's integrity is what is coming through, as Givhan decides she's "the only designer to deliver." (tho seriously Donna, get hip with the hemp & biofibres please, even the Emporio is ahead of you on that game....)
N E 1 4 fair trade organic ipod cozies?? I don't have an ipod. As a VJ i opted for a more all-in-one functional tool that i can work with, so i have something that does play mp3s (abd CDs) but also plays DVDs, AVIs, QT, and plugs into my video mixer.... its like a handheld home entertainment unit. But if i did have an ipod, and as a but of a conspicuous consumer, i might get excited about this: the guys over at Pro'Tech'd (pronounced "protected") have a new fair-trade, organic cotton ipod cozy. And while i am a little on the fence about it, I do like Pro'tech'd's mission to produces all Cozy(s) in accordance to Fair Trade guidelines. Collectives of Peruvian artisans hand-knit the products in an established work facility where they enjoy clean and safe working conditions and educational opportunities. The artisans also earn 20% more than "Fair Living Wage" in Peru. And it increases demand for organic cotton. So it may be that you buy one of these not because you need to buy something, but because you can help make some people's lives a little better! Wallet activism?
...the BW's shout outs make me wonder... So over the past few months I have noticed more and more green stories coming from Business Week. And I gotta say i am curious. Ok, till now I would say that they are simply reporting on new business trends (well, "new" if you're an ostrich, or rip van winkle waking up). but now they're getting saucy, and so I have to ask, is there a new mandate here to slip something into the business man's consciousness? guilt and prodigal son-ness? or what?
Take today for example.. there's an article about NetSuite and their business management software "Dashboard." Maybe the editors though tit was kinda dry, so what do they do to spice it up? They get into a narrative about Pittsburgh's LittleEarth the folks who make those groovy belts and bags made from pop bottle tops and old license plates! There's got to be hundreds of companies using dashboard. And i'm not complaining, I'm glad. But also curious.. what happened at BuisnessWeek? and who is now in charge... more to come....
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