Nov 22, 2011
Wow. The Solar Decathlon. What an incredible event and an incredible experience for me, personally. It was a wonder to walk through the homes and get a chance to talk to the motivated young people who built them.
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Wow. The Solar Decathlon. What an incredible event and an incredible experience for me, personally. It was a wonder to walk through the homes and get a chance to talk to the motivated young people who built them.
I just watched this video again for the first time in a while and I was reminded of how cool this organization is.
I was lucky enough to meet them and make this video for an event they did earlier this year in New York City. The Vanuatu Pacifica Foundation is looking to build a carbon negative artist's retreat in the South Pacific on the island of Tanna. Pretty cool stuff.
Who wants to go with me?
I recently shot this video at the Department of Energy's 2011 Solar Decathlon in Washington DC. The Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition where 20 collegiate teams are challenged to design and build solar-powered modular homes.
It was so cool to be on hand to see these houses, the structures were impressive but the students even more so. It makes me want to smack a pie in the face of every "adult" who has ever said that our generation is lazy.
leave lemonade stands alone america!
NPR is reporting that lemonade stands are being attacked across this great country of ours. Law enforcement, thieves and angry customers are stealing, looting and shutting down the perfect symbol of the enterprising spirit of the American youth.
Just the other day as I ran out to grab some flowers for a friend's birthday -- I had slipped a twenty in my pocket and had exactly two dollars left over -- a gentleman of perhaps ten years of age asked me from his front stoop if I'd like to buy a glass of lemonade and a homemade macaroon. This kid was selling things in the greenest way possible and I was buying my food from the hand that made it. A great deal all around I think.
"The lemonade is one dollar and the macaroons are 50 cents. I'll give you a deal though and sell you one glass of lemonade and two macaroons for two dollars," the young man proudly told me when I inquired about the price. Perhaps he hadn't learned the essence of "a deal" yet but his naiveté and selling skills were endearing and convincing and I handed over the dollars in exchange for the perfect summer snack.
Apparently some kids near the US Open in June were fined $500 -- FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS -- for starting a fancy lemonade stand near the course. Have the adults forgotten their childhood dreams of making it big with that little table on the corner? Shame on us big people for squashing the intelligence and gumption of a couple of successful -- or unsuccessful kids -- just trying to make enough cash to buy that new Wii game they've been dying for -- or whatever it is that kids are into these days.
NPR
FARMAGEDDON: The Unseen War on American Family Farms is coming to theaters around this summer and just so happens to be in my lovely city this coming week. This movie, which looks like an incredible insight into the difficulties that small farmers face, will be touring the country for the rest of the summer making stops in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Boulder, Colorado, Portland, Orgeon, Chicago, Illinois and Cleveland, Ohio.
Next week I'll be summoning up a thorough review after seeing the film but for now, I'll leave you with a thought from one of my favorite food writers, Michael Pollan, which I have taken quite to heart, "Shake the hand that feeds you."
A video that I edited (photo up there!) is being shown at Bloomingdales in SOHO all week as part of the Ecolux Pop Up Shop put on by the Greenshows.
The shop is featuring nine amazing sustainable designers that are taking real steps to be more conscious. They also make pretty incredible clothes, like this dress from Tara St. James of Study NY that can be worn about a million different ways.
The Fixers Collective is this super rad group in Park Slope, Brooklyn that fixes your broken stuff for free. They are open for "business" every Thursday at Proteus Gowanus from 7-9:30 and they have the skillz to get your stuff back in action.
The landfill problem is immense. We've created a society where everything is disposable, put it in a trash back, stick it on the sidewalk and it magically disappears. The problem is that most of it doesn't disappear and we've got a growing trash problem that is way beyond our control.
That's why I love what these guys are doing, not everything needs to be thrown away and if we all got it in our heads that fixing things is an option than much less would end up being "disposed of". It isn't trash! It is treasure, take it to the Fixer's Collective and they will show you the way.
I'm finally back in action in New York City after my Chilean plastic adventure. You can read all about what I found and what I learned at the link above.
It was surely an experience of a lifetime and I'm honored that Electrolux chose me as their blogger! I'll be following up in a few weeks with a video of the experience!