what if the white house were designed today?
this is the question that the whitehouse redux project posed to hundreds of designers. the results so far have been very funky, but even more funktional.
check out project 1414 by ralf arno schormann and alex schulz:
the freshest part of their eco-friendly design is the “white wing,” a helium-powered zeppelin that can travel to areas of the world that are most in need of aid.
the white wing can then dock back at the white house when it is not visiting other parts of the world.
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i <3 my bacon scarf
look at what my special someone got me for my birthday!
they are one-of-a-kind, homemade and can only be purchased at chris chunski’s etsy shop.
oh joy! now i just have to control my urge to gnaw on it.
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reversible: how advertising is helping to save the planet
johnny strategy of spoon-tamago.com was kind enough to send us intel about these one-of a-kind bags from our french brothers from another mother and sisters from another mister:
the company that makes them, reversible, selects advertising tarpaulins with the best graphics that are about to be discarded. instead of being incinerated, the tarpaulins are made into useful and durable bags. a return envelope is included with each purchase so that the customer can send back the bag when they feel it has reached the end of its life-cycle, and the bag is then made into more tarpaulins or other plastic products.
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tweet what you spend
tweet what you spend is a clever tool for urban piggies who have been forced to cut back during these unprecendented times. you can use it to track all of your credit and cash expenditures right through your cell phone. check the video:
cleverrrr.
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beauty and brains: eco towers abu dhabi
eco towers will be the first mixed use leed platinum certified skyscrapers in the middle east. the 23-story towers flaunt such earth friendly features such as:
air purification systems, renewable energy, toxic-free materials, dual glaze windows, water efficiency and waste reduction, not to mention breathtaking curves.
images courtesy of www.igreenspot.com
fyi: leed stands for leadership in energy and environmental design and provides standards for environmentally sustainable construction.
take a gander at the rating system when you have a chance. it will no doubt help you impress people at the next green cocktail party you attend.
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a new way to compute…clearly
ever since greenpeace launched its “a greener apple” campaign, people have been more savvy about how harmful electronics, yes even your mac with its seemingly clean and pristine image, can be to the environment when they are discarded and all kinds of toxic chemicals seep out.
if you’re thinking about upgrading any time soon, the dell studio hybrid is a noteworthy newcomer. it packs a lot of punch while using 70% less power than a conventional pc. plus the packaging is 95% recyclable.
i like the bamboo colored one!
if you’re looking for something that is even more ahead of its time, meet the clear computing concept.
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designed by wataru watanabe, the concept addresses the fact that users often need to replace their entire computer system everytime one piece becomes obsolete. wataru’s system is so smart that it identifies which part of your computer is causing the issue, allowing you to save time and materials by switching out just the offending component.
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i love the tablet style design (reducing the need to print things out all the time), and the leather cover, although faux would be a huge step up.
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the widgets on the side keep you informed (perhaps stock tickers, the time, weather, and important new updates) without having to turn on the whole console, saving precious energy.
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free green reading
zinio is offering one free online magazine subscription to let people try out their service. not only does the service save trees and the expensive fuel needed to transport heavy magazines all around the country, you don’t have to purchase an expensive piece of equipment like the amazon kindle below in order to use it. you can read the magazines of your choice right on your computer or iphone either on or offline. plus i love the fact that zinio lets you flip through pages just like you would with a traditional magazine so it’s more of an authentic feeling than reading a blog or webpage. other features like search and zoom make finding the info you want fast and easy.
on top of all that, if you like your free subscription and choose to purchase another zinio publication, a portion of the proceeds will go to buying ecounits to plant more trees!
amazon kindle (msrp $359)
see what zinio looks like.
read magazines on your iphone.
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be hallowgreen this year
we are all busy people, but i always thought that using our creativity and ingenuity to make costumes out of random odds and ends was the best part of halloween. so why is it that so many of us choose to go to big box retailers and buy generic costumes for $39.99 only to end up being one of 7 sexy policewomen with the same exact costume at a party?
this year, why not get started a bit early and craft your costume from stuff you already have. you can also head to your favorite thrift shop and make your costume for cheap! who wants to spend big bucks on something made out of 100% polyester that you’ll most likely never wear again?
to get the ball rolling, i’m giving away this retro 50s-style waitress dress.
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it’s size 8, pink and black and very gently used.
how perfect would this be with a pair of cute catty glasses and a beehive? get it for free! here’s how.
send me pics of your homemade hallowgreen costumes and i’ll post them. i’ll also be giving away a special prize to the neatest one!
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staples tech trade-in event
from now until 11/15, bring in your old computers, printer, labelers, gps systems, etc. and buy a new product in the same category. staples will give you a $30 credit on your rewards card.
it’s important to note, though, that this shouldn’t be an excuse to buy new stuff. if your existing products work fine, there is no need to replace them!
aside from this promo, staples a great tech recycling program if you are concerned about how to dispose of your electronics without them ending up at a landfill where they could hurt the environment.
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21 reasons not to shop at forever 21
it’s friday night, and you’re planning on going out after work around 9 or 10, but you haven’t a thing to wear! not to worry, you can just hit up your local forever 21 for something cheap that you can toss as soon as a. you don’t like it anymore or b. it gets pilly, the straps break or it just looks ratty. right?
what you may not have known is that tons of labor (allegedly unfair and underpaid labor) goes into making each item you buy at forever 21 and most other retail stores. in 2004, forever 21 settled for an undisclosed amount in a dispute with the garment worker center and the asian pacific american legal center of southern california. the workers said that they were denied lawful wages and worked long hours in dangerous and filthy conditions. (source la times)
although forever 21 pledged to make their clothes under legal conditions after the suit, one still wonders how they get so many clothes made so cheaply? and you have to wonder what your part in all this is as a consumer.
here are some reasons not to shop at forever 21:
21. you can’t bring your kids into the dressing room because of a strict “one person at a time” policy (consumerist article) that seems to make no sense
20. “clubbing” tops purchased there disintegrate after 21 days
19. yours could be 1 of the 98,930 credit and debit card numbers naxed from its computers by criminals if you shopped there on March 25, 2004; March 26, 2004; June 23, 2004; July 2, 2004; July 3, 2004; August 4, 2007; August 5, 2007; August 13, 2007; or August 14, 2007
18. the only way you would know about the security breach is if you visited the forever 21 website and clicked on the tiny, 10 font link entitled “important customer notice” at the very bottom.
17. the John 3:16 bible reference printed on the bottom of all of their bags which doesn’t really bother me, although i thought this response from a manager at one of their stores to a post on corpwatch.com was interesting:
“I am a Manager at XXI Forever and and I would consider myself more of a Satanist than anything else. (I am not a praticing one, but it is the basic lifestyle in which I live) I am fully aware of the verse on the bottom of the bags, and to be honest, I could not care less. This company is individually owned by Mr. & Mrs. Chang and they are devout Christians. They have every right to put whatever their hearts’ desire on the bags. If you don’t like it, don’t look at it.”
i agree, i guess?
16. another guy wrote “Free country. And free bag.” that’s awesome on so many different levels.
15. gwen stefani don’t like ‘em.
okay, i don’t actually have time to write out 21 reasons, and you probably don’t have time to read them.
the point is that it’s great that we can buy so many pretty things here in america for so cheap, but it’s also important to think about how retailers can make these things for so cheap and who that price might be hurting. if you’re concerned about where your clothes are coming from, please consider shopping at thrift shops like housingworks here in the city. buying things at thrift shops or swapping clothes is a great way to fight unfair trade and unlawful working conditions. and since most people bring their unused clothing to the stores themselves, used clothing is also really low on the carbon-emission scale.
and it’s cheap! what are you waiting for?
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free - it’s the democratic way
Manhattan Young Democrats Debate Watch!
Date: October 15th
Time: 7:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: The Village Pour House, Vegas Room (64 3rd Ave at 11th St)
Cost: Free
The Manhattan Young Democrats are hosting their final debate watch from 7-11 pm at The Village Pour House. No cover charge. The Pour House has cheap drinks and great bar food! Join us for the debates and great in-house pre and post-debate conversation!
Note: Click here for the Young Republican version which carries a $15 entry fee but includes beer, wine, and light food.
hmm. life imitates…politics?
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carbon rally
carbonrally is an easy way to motivate yourself and others to reduce waste and carbon. you can take challenges and actually see how much carbon you’ve reduced!
my first challenge is to make my lunch waste-free. no, that doesn’t mean that i’ll scarf down every crumb because i do that already. it means that when i’m done eating, there will be very few materials, like paper bags, wrapping and utensils, to throw away.
according to carbonrally, by packing waste-free lunches for one month, you will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 44.6 lbs!
thanks for the link dave!
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as if there isn’t enough competition for jobs already
and they work for edamame tips! unfair, i say.
i wonder if they recycle too.
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bikkuri breakfast sushi
“bikkuri” means surprise (please don’t mistake it for that other, similar-sounding japanese word).
these bukkuri sushi pieces are called thus named because there’s more to them than meets the eye!
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yup, you guessed it. these nigiri aren’t sushi at all! they’re actually some of our favorite american-style breakfast foods in disguise. why? you might recall that last week, i was lucky enough to attend naomi moriyama’s lecture on why japanese women don’t get old or fat. one particularly good technique she taught us is that we can trick ourselves into eating healthier portions just by using smaller plates, like the japanese do. in the time it takes us to stand up, walk to the kitchen and refill our bowls, we might decide that we’re already full. those of us that are just too lazy to get up can finally use it to our advantage!
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although i didn’t use a tiny plate for these sushi, i’m applying a related principal. now i know that breakfast is the most important meal, but i noticed that when i go to ihop or the diner for my bacon and eggs, i end up wolfing down everything in sight. everything just tastes so good and there is nothing healthy or low calorie to slow you down. japanese people often use rice to slow down our eating. we end up consuming only a little bit of the really fatty stuff and get full on rice which is a carb, but one cooked with no fat or oil.
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you can make your own bikkuri sushi using makunouchi rice molds like the ones above, but you can avoid having to purchase one by lining a rectangular tupperware box like this one:
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with plastic wrap and cooling it for an hour or so. then, just flip the rice onto a plate or cutting board, sprinkle with a little salt and cut into 1 1/2″ x 2″ rectangles.
i used scrambled egg, grilled low fat turkey spam (low calorie and so flavorful and light), toast with olive oil, peas with a little mayonnaise and a tomato mozzarella sandwich, but you can use whatever favorite breakfast foods or leftovers you’d like. the wasabi and ginger you see in the background are actually mashed wasabi-flavored peas and salmon lox. drool.
these are great to take for lunch too, and are quite filling - probably because you eat them with your eyes too!
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can we power new york city on clean energy?
last thursday, the new york academy of sciences hosted a panel discussion picking the brains of three experts to try to answer the question “can new york city transition to 100% clean energy in 10 years?”
the symposium was held at 7 world trade center, a building that receives much less publicity and credit than it deserves. for example, did you know that when the it was re-built following 9/11, it was nyc’s first green office tower? close to 30% of the structural steel used in the building is recycled and rainwater is collected and used for irrigation of the surrounding park and to cool the building. another fascinating feature is the elevator system which is integrated with the lobby turnstile and card reader system that identifies the floor on which a person works as he/she enters and can automatically call the elevator for that floor (source: wikipedia).
sick.
thanks for the pic www.jets.org.
but let’s get down to business. sanjoy banerjee, distinguished professor and director of the institute for sustainable energy technologies at ccny was the first to present. he was kind enough to send me his slides. let’s go through some of them and what they mean. professor banerjee, if you are reading this, please correct or clarify what i’ve written as you see fit.
first, professor banerjee illustrated where the main power plants in nyc are.
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then, he showed us what our daily and annual energy consumption look like.
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these charts are pretty common-sensical. our power demand goes down at night when we go to sleep and our heating fuel demand goes down in the summer when it is hot.
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the following chart, to me, was by far the most interesting. it illustrates how much photovoltaic (or solar energy) power can be generated throughout the day vs. the amount of electricity we consume. logically, pv generation spikes around noon because that is when we receive the most sunlight. the most important thing that this charts shows is that the sun provides us with more than enough energy during the day to power us through the night, and professor banerjee dispelled the myth that we either do not have the technology to place solar panels on our rooftops or that it would be too expensive. “the achilles heel of solar power,” he explained, “is storage.” how do we store the energy that we collect from the sun during the day so that we can use it to watch tv, charge our cell phone and light our lamps at night?
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now, professor banerjee had a very nice slide about different types of batteries, but as a normal, less than super-smart person, i couldn’t really distinguish it from a map of brooklyn. what was very clear to me, however, was his identification of metal-air batteries as the main contender because they, unlike lithium-ion batteries, are cheap(er). the issue with metal-air batteries is that dendrites (like the ones in the slide below) can form, growing and growing until they completely clog the battery. i had to leave the room for a moment to go to the restroom, but i believe what professor banerjee was saying was that if we can somehow come up with a way to prevent dendrites from forming, we can use metal-air batteries to efficiently and inexpensively address the storage problem.
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a breakdown of figures associated with the energy storage challenge:
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professor banerjee also discussed wind energy, using renewable energy for our transportation needs and using our wastes for power in his talk as well. instead of reiterating every word that he said, i’ll leave you with his conclusion slide:
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as you can see, the project will be costly. we currently pay about 20¢ per kilowatt hour for electricity where we would be paying about 40¢ per kilowatt hour (roughly double) if we transition to alternative sources of energy. however, the most important thing to takeaway is that it is doable.
i’m interested to see how many people would be against/for paying the extra 20¢ in order to make our city more sustainable. you guys already know how i feel about it.
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why is this a site?
swyyne has always been an experiment for me. with all of the other super eco sites out there, i've been feeling like i want to contribute something just a bit different. so for now, here are my random musings.
look for stuff
feed yourself