plan your next vacation on an abandoned oilrig
want to blow your friends away with a trip that makes whalewatching in alaska and waterfall jumping in hawaii seem oh so passe?
check out the oil rig platform resort and spa by morris architects, a project that proposes repurposing abandoned oil rigs in the gulf of mexico into luxurious accommodations for tourists. such a resort would breathe new life into an otherwise stagnant and useless vessel, and the fact that it would be powered by all renewable energy sources makes this a clever solution with an ironic twist.
the oilrig resort is just one of many ecolocations popping up on the green scene.
read about all of the lavish amenities that the rig hotel plans to offer at inhabitat.
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summer rayne oakes rocks it out eco-style at her book launch party at the stella mccartney store
congratulations to swyyne’s favorite eco-model and activist, summer rayne oakes, who debuted her new book, style, naturally: the savvy shopping guide to sustainable fashion and beauty
eco-luminaries, fashionistas and other notable guests like actor josh pais, julie gilhart of barneys, cnn business of green host olivia zaleski, socialite melissa berkelhammer, elisa lipsky-karasz (wwd), monique pean (ecco domani fashion fund accessories winner) and swyyne’s favorite eco-designer bahar shahpar sipped on sparkling cocktails by veev and noshed on yummy vegetarian nibbles from acclaimed chef daniel boulud as they celebrated what some people are saying will be a styble for eco-conscious people who want to look good while doing good.
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want to know what this momentous event means for the future of greendirtying? see the full article and more pics here.
see additional pics from eco-hustler here.
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help! who are your favorite green celebrities?
you guys know who my favorite eco-celeb is:
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| adrian grenier at charity:water’s charity:ball 2008 |
but i’d love to know who yours are and why.
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eco-women unite!
if you want to check out the top femmes forming the voltron of the eco-movement, i highly recommend this lecture. starre vartan, who is like the head of the voltron will be there, and so will carolyn gilles and sandria taliercio (arms?).
| Eco-Women: Leading the Green Living Revolution |  |
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Starre Vartan, Carolyn Gilles and Sandria A. Taliercio
We all know we need to radically change our society to prevent environmental catastrophe, and politicians, business leaders and experts are debating how best to make the enormous shifts that are required. But real, lasting change will only come if people change their ways of living and consuming at the grassroots, and women are playing a key role in today’s eco-revolution. They are most often the CEOs of their households and in charge of raising the next generation and as a result are on the frontlines of the eco-movement.
This evening several trend-sending women leaders in green lifestyles will share their tips and insights on how to help save the planet while actually improving our lives, highlighting the leading edges of green living, from food to clothing to housewares to design to cleaning products to energy consumption to child rearing. Come discover how living sustainably can also mean living more creatively, more passionately, and more joyously.
AN EVENING LECTURE
Monday, March 30, 7:45–9:45pm
09WEC57P
Members: $8 / Nonmembers: $10
[CLICK TO REGISTER]
Starre Vartan is a blogger, writer and editor who’s been covering green women’s/consumer issues for nine years. She founded http://www.eco-chick.com/, and is the editor for Greenopia.com, home to green business and products listings. She recently authored The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to be Fabulously Green.
Carolyn Gilles is the founder and director of Green Edge NYC, which she began in October 2006 to get answers about issues that affect the economic, social and environmental sustainability of our local and global communities. Gilles lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where she has an urban community that inspires her every day
Sandria Taliercio is a green living expert. She is co-owner of Precision Window Tinting, for energy conservation, and owner of Very Green, a green consulting company catering to families and women, http://www.verygreendiva.com/. She is an advisor for cosmetics and beauty products for http://www.greenopia.com/ and lectures at various mothers groups
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happy inauguration day! send a paperless obama commemoration via facebook
what an awesome way to celebrate this momentous occassion paperlessly.
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get it here.
hurry!
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interactive telecommunications goes green
i was lucky enough to check out some insanely creative projects at nyu’s itp (interactive telecommunications program) show last night in a space that can only be described as what it would look like if the smartest, most creative person in the world vomited their brain out and arranged the contents neatly in compartmentalized stalls.
so what do interactive telecommunications have to do with sustainability and going green? just about everything. not only are electronic methods of communicating inherently less wasteful because they eliminate the need to use paper and send packages that need to be transported using fuel*, many of the concepts directly addressed the energy, water and waste crisis that we are currently facing.
check it:
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cameron cundiff and nobu nakaguchi’s how much water? is a system that shows you the amount of water you’re using as you use it. cameron explained that although the project is still conceptual, he hopes that such a system is in the works in the real world. how cool would it be if something like this could be integrated into your wii or posted to your facebook? note: the poland springs water bottle in tucked behind the project is ironic, don’t you think?
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martin ceperley’s power aware is similar to the wilting flower that i wrote about a few weeks ago, but improves upon the idea by consolidating the system to a single powerstrip. i also like how martin encourages potential users to compete with one another to use the least energy via facebook and other social networking sites.
some of the other projects didn’t necessarily focus on green technology, but were undeniably brilliant or just a delight to look at and play with:
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oscar torres and florica vlad’s pianocktail is a contraption that mixes you a cocktail based on the combination of notes that you play. “now you can drink your music in addition to hearing it,” they explained.
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aram chang, amanda syarfuan, dharmarajan ratnagiri ayakkad and seungran woo’s reverve is a shopping portal that works in conjunction with your favorite shows. let’s say you love charlotte’s glasses and want to buy them on the spot. reverve gives you the option to do it!
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tweetmobile, the brainchild of jill haefele, jorge just, joshua schelling and sara huong allows your twitter tweets to be manifested into the actions of these playful birdies. my tweet made the bluejay flutter!
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nobuyuki nakaguchi’s breath note was inspired by his childhood memory of fogging up his mom’s car window with his breath and doodling words and pictures on it. nobuyuki turned his fondness for this little pleasure that almost everyone has enjoyed into a way to capture your breath notes and send them to friends.
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corey lane menscher transformed his desire to know when his wife (who is actually pregnant!) felt kicks from their baby into the kickbee, which wraps around a pregnant woman’s tummy and sends a twitter tweet to loved ones every time the baby kicks!
what a treat to peek into the minds of tomorrow’s interactive media moguls. and how empowering to see so many minds focused on conserving, recycling, and communicating these goals to the rest of the world.
* the flipside is that electronic communication requires, you guessed it, electricity, which we all know needs to be conserved as well. but think about it this way: sending a whole bunch of text messages really uses about the same amount of energy as sending one or none, so why not use it to its full potential?
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c.l.a.s.s. is in session
c.l.a.s.s., new york’s first luxury eco-materials showroom, celebrates its opening tonight by hosting an event that promises to be inspiring and educational.
the event will reflect all three of the aspects of design that c.l.a.s.s. evokes in its name, creativity, lifestyle and sustainable synergy, and will present the latest in eco-materials as well as a round-table discussion moderated by barbara kramer, co-founder of designers & agents, focused on the following questions:
what is the current state of sustainable fashion?
how has the current economic downturn affected designers, retailers and consumer spending?
how do we create pathways toward change?
attendees will get the scoop on how the most knowledgeable professionals in the eco-materials realm feel about the future of sustainable fashion. there will also be eco-friendly treats courtesy of silkstone bespoke events and a fun giftbag for all those who attend!
eco-fashion guru bahar shahpar, who is also the creative director of the c.l.a.s.s. new york showroom, will be on the panel as well!
the c.l.a.s.s. new york showroom is located at 286 spring street, second floor. for appointments and inquiries call 212.206.8319 or email newyork@c-l-a-s-s.org.
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save the world by clubbing
as a follow-up to my post on the opening of greenhouse in soho last week, i wanted to give a full-fledged shoutout to the piezoelectric dance floor at club surya in london. yes, it sounds like something out of an episode of get smart or batman (the original one with adam west), but i am kicking myself for not thinking of this sooner! the brainchild of club4climate (you must, if you do nothing else of importance today, check out this website because it will blow you away) founder andrew charalambous, a.k.a. “dr. earth,” the revolutionary flooring uses quartz crystals and ceramics to transform clubbers’ dancing into electricity.
dr. earth offers free entry to any clubber that can prove he/she walked or used a bicycle to get to his clubs, although i’m not really sure how - perhaps a heartrate reading? surya also has its own wind turbine and solar energy system with plans to surplus power to local citizens.
the non-evil dr. is also planning to open a club4climate party island where eco-clubbers can gather to “save the world lying down and sipping cocktails next to the pool.” it will undoubtedly be expensive to attend a bash there, but i can’t wait until 2010, the slated opening date, to see what eco-innovations the island will reveal.
“unless we stop preaching to people and use an inclusive philosophy we’re never going to create the revolution to combat climate change,” said charalambous to reuters.
“it’s also about creating avenues of thought. imagine what you could achieve if big corporations adopted this kind of initiative.”
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a peek at simon doonan’s eco-chic holiday windows and a brief history of barneys
barneys unveiled its groovy holiday windows this week as an homage to the 50th anniversary of the peace sign. simon doonan, creative director at the tony department store found his inspiration for the psychedelic 60s vignettes after reading tom brokaw’s new book, Boom! Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the ’60s and Today.
the whimsical windows showcased the work of designers like derek lam, diane von furstenberg, donna karan, doo ri, three as four, and narcisco rodriguez displayed amidst multi-colored afro-piks, hippie flowers and painted butterflies. but the outfits, which were contrastingly neutral and subdued, were not just pretty on the outside - each design was cut and sewn with a clean conscience, using sustainable fabrics from the earthpledge futurefashion initiative.
select designers (three as four, derek lam, rodarte, zero maria cornejo and behnaz sarafpour) crafted their creations using Ingeo™, a revolutionary corn-based biodegradable and sustainable fabric. although Ingeo™ is not a household name yet, its applications are gaining steam in the mainstream. case in point: i recently spotted target bedding that proudly displayed the Ingeo™ name. oh target - be still my heart.
here are some pics of the windows, but i highly recommend that you check them out for yourself if you’re in the area!
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if you’ve gotten this far, you probably won’t mind reading a couple of interesting facts about barneys that i picked up from wiki:
the company began in 1923, when barney pressman (i had no idea!) opened his first store with the $500 raised by pawning his wife’s engagement ring. i certainly hope he bought her a new one after that.
the original slogan was “no bunk, no junk, no imitations.”
barneys was originally a discount retailer.
barney pressman claimed to be the first manhattan retailer to use radio and television, beginning with “calling all men to barney’s” radio spots in the 1930s that parodied the introduction of the dick tracy show.
mr. pressman used women encased in barrels to give away matchbooks with the store name and address. and once chartered a boat to take 2,000 of his customers from manhattan to coney island.
the apostrophe in barney’s was dropped by 1979, and about 1981 the removal became official. (The removal of the apostrophe would be short lived–it was reinserted around the end of the decade.) i think this statement might need to be amended as i have not seen a “barneys” with an apostrophe on the official website or any recent flyers or ads.
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bet you didn’t know
many thanks to cenyc for hosting lower east side family portrait day yesterday!
it was smiles all around as professional photographers took pics of families of all different sizes (including my “smallest family possible” of 2) with festive fall foliage as the backdrop.
yes, the smell of the sweet butternut squash and tangy kale and collard greens (all from nyc greenmarkets) sizzling up on an outdoor skillet was certainly enticing enough on its own, but it was a different smell that piqued my interest - the smell of compost!
ermin siljkovic of the office of recycling outreach and education was on the scene teaching both adults and kids how to start our own composting bins at home. everyone was equally delighted as ermin presented the concept as both a smart way to mitigate our waste and a fun way to transform trash into treasure (the worms were a hit too)!
ermin also played a game with us called “the recycling game.” okay, no points there for originality, but the game itself was humbling and surprisingly educational. all of the adults playing, including me, displayed an “i know all of this stuff already” air at first. but as the game progressed, we all shrank sheepishly as we realized that we needed to re-learn everything we thought we knew about recycling!
some of the biggest eye-openers for me were:
1. only plastic containers that are “jug-shaped” can be recycled. that means that the opening of the container must be smaller than the base. i was mistakenly recycling chinese takeout soup containers, yogurt containers and plastics trays this whole time!
2. milk and oj cartons (yes, even the paper ones) should be put in the plastic, metal, glass recycling bins. this is because any liquid residue left on the containers may spill onto the other paper in the paper bin, making it very messy for the paper to be recycled.
3. nyc garbage is no longer sent to landfills in new york and is instead trucked thousands of miles to michigan or south carolina using up expensive and pollution-causing fuel.
check out a list of upcoming cenyc events here for a chance to test your recycling iq.
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icing on the cake: free obama sticker
as if the outcome of last week’s election was not sweet enough on its own, now you can revel in a free sticker designed by shepard fairey (you may know his work from a little brand called obey). moveon.org is giving them away as a thank you to everyone who helped participate in the most momentous election since…well, ever, if you’re a twenty-something american like me.
click here for yours. and don’t look at me funny when you see me making googly eyes at mine.
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some last minute guilt trip action to get your friends to vote
i typed in “you someone” as the name of my guilt trip victim in order to keep this video anonymous, but you can enter the name of anyone you’d like to light the fire of shame under.
via: www.cnnbcvideo.com
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free fridays: beginner argentine tango class and habana outpost basement of blood
instead of spending a wad of cash on happy hour tonight only to wake up tomorrow morning with a poor taste in your mouth (coppery, kind of like you ate a bunch of pennies), why not check out these 100% free events?
absolute beginner argentine tango class
Date: Friday, October 24th & Saturday, September 25th
Time: 8:30pm & 8:00pm respectively
Location: Triangulo (135 West 20th, #301 btw 6th and 7th Ave)
Cost: Free
habana outpost basement of blood
Date: Friday, October 24th - Sunday
Time: 4pm-8pm Friday, 2pm-7pm all weekend
Location: Habana Outpost (757 Fulton St. at S. Portland, Ft. Greene)
Cost: Free
What’s scarier than global warming and a market meltdown combined? How about The Basement of Blood at Habana Outpost. High school students from Brooklyn’s Green School have created ghoulish scenes from everyday garbage, and you can check out the recycled haunted house all weekend. “The Basement of Blood is the first project by Habana Works’ teen program, Break It Down. The program offers project-based internships to high school students that bring discarded resources back into use and on to the market.” All ages.
courtesy of freenyc.net
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reach a zen-like state using your microwave
how awesome would it be to have fresh rice for lunch at work everyday? not only would it be cheaper than ordering from wok & roll, but you would know that each fluffy puff had no added oil or fat (unless you added some, in which case i applaud your crazy ways, but question your motives). a few of my co-workers and i had lofty aspirations to bring in a ricecooker, but the plan never became a reality due to the fact we were afraid of shut down by strict office officials (we have a rather intimidating kitchen staff).
to my amazement, i was introduced recently to a product that cooks rice in the microwave! cook-zen allows you to make delicious, low-calorie meals right in your nuke box.
the cooker isn’t cheap ($59.99), but if you consider the fact that $60 is the price of one dinner in NYC, the cook-zen pot seems like a pretty good deal. did i mention that it cooks ramen noodles too? where were you when i was in college, cook-zen pot?
my only concern is that a microwave rice pot might use more energy than a conventional ricecooker. if anyone has any thoughts on that, please enlighten the rest of us.
oh, and i’ve been looking everywhere for the cook-zen cupcake maker, but can’t seem to find it. if anyone can hook me up with any intel, i’d be much obliged.
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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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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