Spotted in NYC: Relax

I love this unintentional phrase created by a partially removed sign on an empty store front in Manhattan. It's definitely something we could all use.

Spotted in San Francisco part II: Indians Welcome

As part of my recent trip to San Francisco I visited the infamous Alcatraz Island. I was afraid it would be a cheesy tourist destination, but instead the designated National Park was fascinating on many levels. Aside from its history as a military and federal prison I was surprised the island was also an integral part of the Native American rights movement. A documentary on the island explained the graffiti we spotted right after we got off the boat (shown left). In 1969, several years after the Alcatraz prison was closed for good, the island, which had been left dormant, was seized by Native American activists and claimed once again as "Indian Land". The occupation lasted until 1972 at which point in fighting and fatigue had dwindled their numbers from the 100+ that were initially there to just a handful, who were ousted by a variety of law enforcement officials. The occupation is now considered one of the key moments in the fight for Native American self-determination.

A detailed account of this history can be found HERE.

Spotted in San Francisco part I: City Compost Bin

For those of you in S.F., this post won't be a big deal, but for folks like me in places where having a recycling pick up at your house is a big deal* it was quite a shock to learn that the city of San Francisco picks up compostable items as well as the usual trash and recycling. Considering that city dwellers don't often have the yards necessary to do their own composting or the interest in keeping worms under their sinks, this is a fairly awesome thing. Does anyone know if this service exists in other US cities? In other countries?

*Buildings with more than 4 apartment units in Richmond, Virginia don't get recycling pick ups!

Heal Your Home

Co-op America, has created a great primer for making healthy environmental choices in your home. The section called "Heal Your Home" is broken down into Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom, Exterior, and Overall Health Homes and includes a glossary and additional related articles. You can browse the articles online HERE or download the entire thing as a PDF.

Urban Forest Project

My friend and fellow socially conscious designer Mark Randall of World Studio/World Studio Foundation, talks about his Urban Forest Project:

Bollywood Style Safe Sex Video

The "Condom Song" in Telugu from the Nrityanjali Academy, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India...



Thanks John!

News Roundup

A bunch of recent-ish stories I've been meaning to post for a while...

Ode Magazine:

The ins and outs of Eco-Tourism

An overview of the friendlier, funnier "New Activism"

Earth-Friendly Fast-Food?

Christian Science Monitor:

Using bikes instead of trucks for transport.

Why organic farming is good for Africa

"Just how 'green' is that shirt?"

RIP George Carlin

George Carlin was a great satirist whose dirty mouth will be missed. Here's some of his very NOT safe for work Seven Dirty Words routine...





Thanks Mica!

Cancer Bottles

In a bit of very sad irony the "Breast Cancer Awareness Bottle" (shown left) currently being sold in the U.S. is made of #7 polycarbonate plastic that contains Bisphenol-A (BPA) which the National Toxicology Program has found to be cancer causing in large doses. While the US Food and Drug Administration has said that the link between BPA and cancer "cannot be proven", the material has already been banned in Canada. Indeed the company that manufactures the bottles has responded to questions about the material by saying that a non-BPA version will be available in 6-8 months, since they would like to sell them in Canada!

If you have bottles marked with a 7 it is suggested that you do not refill/reuse the bottles since that allows the material to more easily transfer toxins to the liquid within. There is a good overview of BPA on Wikipedia HERE.

Thanks to my cousin, a breast cancer survivor, who did the research on this and passed the information along!

Creative for A Cause

Creative for A Cause is an incredible new online resource for socially minded design folks created by Heidi Cies. Made as part of her graduate thesis in advertising/design at Syracuse University, Heidi has put together two dozen detailed case studies of how socially conscious design is being taught in schools across the US. The site also has comprehensive lists of publications, websites, sources of funding, schools, and "role models" all pertaining to working in the fields of marketing, advertising, and design from an ethical stand point. The searchable site is a fantastic work in progress that should prove invaluable to anyone interested in working/teaching differently. Check it out HERE.

Balloon Tank

"German Panther" by Hans Hemmert

via Boing Boing

Groundswell

It's always great to discover another resource for socially minded artists online and the Groundswell Collective's Groundswell Blog is a welcome addition. With a wide range of articles on subjects that will be familiar to ALR reader you should definitely add them to your regular reading list. Check 'em out HERE.

Oil + $ + Politics =

Oil Change International invites you to "Follow The Oil Money". Their site features an excellent interactive database which gives a striking graphic view of the connections between the petroleum industry and the politicians they financially support. Check it out HERE.

(Shown US Congress Relationship View)

Take Back My TV

Take Back My TV is a campaign to get TV manufacuturers to take responsibility for recycling the products they create, especially as more and more are being discarded in anticipation of the impending change to digital only broadcasts. Find out more HERE.

Your Backyard Farmer

The ultimate local food is what you grown in your own yard, and for folks in Oregon a new service makes that even easier. Your Backyard Farmer actually provides farmers that come and cultivate your own yard and turn it into a mini organic produce farm for your family...