ActivsMart Grand (virtual) Opening!

Today is the grand opening of ActivsMart a virtual store from our friends at Design for Social Impact. The shop is filled with products featuring their friendly, colorful message driven graphics. All profits go to fund special projects of DfSI like the WPA Living Archive and Activist Trolley Tour. Plus they are giving away a free handmade print with every order placed today! Check it out here.

Corporate Organics

If you like to eat packaged natural foods that aren't produced by mega-industrial food corporations your choices are getting slimmer. Download the latest PDF of the Organic Industry Structure chart via the Organic Consumers Association to see which of the top 25 North America food processors now own Boca, Horizon, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, Walnut Acres, Celestial Seasonings, and most other well known "organic" brands.

Conversely you can see which are the few brands that still remain independent here (PDF).

News Roundup

A few more great stories from the Christian Science Monitor:

• The Donkey Health and Welfare Project helps the often under appreciated pack animal in Ethiopia.
• Chocolate, yet another product that fuels war in Africa.
• "Can 'Green Chic' save the planet?"

About the Monitor

Computer Recycling Made Easy

The Computer Take Back Campaign has made a simple downloadable PDF of the latest information on recycling old computers for individual consumers. If you're ready upgrade grab this handy guide here (PDF updated March 07). And if you want to learn more about or join the campaign to encourage computer manufacturers to take more responsibility for the products they create visit the Computer Take Back site for details.

Index Awards for Design To Improve Life

The non-profit Copenhagen based Index promotes "Design To Improve Life" via networking and annual international industrial design competitions. This year's Index: Awards nominees are available for review online. Under the categories Body, Home, Work, Play, and Community the entries range from easier to use tourniquets to eco-friendly knives to alternative school furniture. Learn more here.

"Hugo Me": Supersize is Back

McDonald's, which dropped their "Supersize" range of jumbo products, shortly after the documentary "Super Size Me" came out, in an effort to address concerns about rising obesity rates, has now introduced the "Hugo" a 42oz 410 calorie soda. A recent New York Times article on the McDonalds about-face quotes a representative defending the summertime only product saying: “People, I believe, tend to drink more during the summer. People are out and about.”

Read the full article here.

via StayFree!

This Side Up: Simple Effective Design

This onesie created and sold by the This Side Up Campaign is a great example of simple effective design. The campaign raises awareness of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) which is the number one cause of death for children under age one. While the cause of SIDS is unknown, one of the most effective ways to prevent it is to make sure babies sleep on their backs. Their onesie with "This Side Up" printed on it is an easy way for tired, new parents to remember what to do when it comes to bedtime, plus sales of the onesie benefit the campaign. Find out more here.

Media That Matters 7

The winners of the seventh annual Media That Matters Film Festival are now online. The sixteen featured documentaries are 8 minutes or shroter and range in subject matter from garbage recyclers in Egypt to 5th graders in the Bronx who try veganism. Watch them all here.

11 US Food Companies agree to limit advertising to kids

In an ongoing shift in the way corporations market to kids, 11 major US food and drink companies have agreed to adopt new rules restricting the use of cartoon/TV/movie characters to sell their products to children. The businesses, which represent 2/3rds of kids TV food advertising will only use popular characters on their "healthier options". This change comes just ahead of a Federal Trade Commission hearing, which was to focus on increased pressure on corporations to address growing obesity problems among children.

Get more details in the AP article here.

Wolfgang Puck wants animals to be happy.

World-renowned chef Wolfgang Puck writes in a recent Newsweek article about his growing interest in animal welfare (as well as promotion of organic non-GMO food and reduced reliance on disposable packaging!):

I've been thinking a lot lately about how it's up to chefs like me to help everyone stay healthy. It's not just about reducing obesity and diabetes, though that's obviously a priority. It's about getting every one of us to eat the right foods. That means buying produce from responsible farmers who grow fruits and vegetables that aren't covered with pesticides or genetically modified. It means getting meat from ranchers who not only shun the use of antibiotics and growth hormones, but also raise their animals humanely in a free-roaming environment. I'm not going soft, or, heaven forbid, vegan. I'm just trying to be more accountable to myself, my customers and to those who are farming responsibly. And if it means being nicer to animals along the way, well, that's a big bonus.

Read the entire article here.

Thanks Mica!

PeaceMaker the game.

Think you'd do a better job solving the problems in the Middle East? PeaceMaker, a new video game created by a former Israeli soldier, gives you the opportunity to try. Watch the gameplay trailer below or visit the site to play a demo.



Thanks Jen!

Sheep Tracker

Flocks allows wool sweater buyers to have an intimate knowledge of the source of their garment. Each item they produce is made from a single sheep and includes an I.D. number and info card on that animal.

Thanks Jen!

Seeing Yellow

Is your printer spying on you? Seeing Yellow, a project of the Computing Counter Culture Group at the MIT Media Lab, reveals the secret system used by color laser printer manufacturers to allow the government to track you.

via Boing Boing

Plate Design Diet

Plates with designs that help measure portions are as effective as if not better than medication in helping people with type-2 diabetes loose weight. Details on BBC News.

via Social Design Notes

WSJ on Organic Lawns

The Wall Street Journal discovers organic gardening...

Waldemart Watch

Walmart Watch the anti-Walmart activist group has a new Harry Potter themed video and site to promote their campaign...

Care Packages for the Mind

If you really want to "support our troops" my mother suggests folks participate in Books for Soldiers. She recently signed up as a volunteer for the group which coordinates the sending of "care packages for the mind" to specific individual soldiers. As my mom says, "No matter what our position on the war, there are members of the military far from home who are in need of being remembered."

To volunteer of find out more go here.

Thanks Mim!

How To Make Giant Billboard Covering Stencils

The folks behind the Anti Advertising Agency have posted instructions for making giant stencils to blot out outdoor advertising on Indestructables:

This instructable will show you how to cover 640 Square feet of advertising with giant block letters in less than 3 hours in high traffic areas - all during the day.

Get the full details here.

Terrorist Logos

Ironic Sans has an fascinating article on the design of terrorist organizations logos. While more an overview than a definitive study it is certainly an engrossing compendium which begs some interesting unanswered questions about how these logos get designed and by whom.

Artists As Agents of Social Change Workshops: Starting 7/14 NYC

From Eyebeam 540 W. 21st Street (between 10th & 11th Aves) NYC :

Artists as Agents of Social Change workshop begins this Saturday!
Please join us this summer for a month and a half of actions, activism and public interventions.
Sign up for the Artists as Agents of Social Change package (3 workshops) for $75. All sessions require a reservation.

Part 1 : Learn about the practice of 3 different artists and take part in group actions.

This Saturday, July 14 launches Eyebeam's Artists as Agents of Social Change series, as part of our Summer School program. Participants will have the opportunity to hear how three artists are actively engaging the public and altering spaces with their practice. Adam Bobbette, Steve Lambert and Robert Ransick will present. Following the presentations, Steve Lambert will lead an action out into the streets of NYC.

This day will serve as an opportunity to gain information about and inspiration for the projects that participants will be able to build with the presenters during the following evening clinics:

Part 2 : Choose one evening in this section to develop your own action, with the guidance and support of the artist leading the clinic.

Clinic 1: Tuesday, July 17: 7-10pm
Steve Lambert
Participants will have the opportunity to collectively conjure and plan an action, based on Steve's lo-tech, but engaging interventionist techniques often involving dispensing new and/or altering existing signs, based on anti-advertising strategies.

Clinic 2: Thursday, July 19: 7-10pm
Architectural Interventions in Public Space
Participants will be working with lo-tech and easily accessible materials to create architectural interventions in public space. Our purpose is both research and production. The workshop will be concerned with questions and themes of sustainability and land use. How can we build in public in such a way as to draw attention to these themes and create alternatives? The workshop will draw from 19th century style forays, Sun Ra's Sunology, the nesting habits of certain types of blackbirds and weaver birds and the architectural practices of barnacles and parasites.

Clinic 3: Tuesday, July 24: 7-10pm
neuroTransmitter
Exploring the art of radio and broadcast for the purpose of public interventions. Learn how to use neuroTransmitter's com_muni_port (currently on view in Eyebeam's exhibition, Source Code), a self-contained backpack transmitter for short range radio broadcasting, for disseminating information and engaging public participation.

Participants in the three clinics will bring their actions to the streets and present their ideas and experiences in a public event on Saturday, July 28 @ 1pm.

Part 3: Bring your action to the streets.
Saturday, July 28
1:00 - 6:00 PM

The conclusion of Summer School and Eyebeam's Digital Day Camp program. Participants in both programs will present their ideas for participatory projects, and work with members of the public to bring their actions to the streets.

To sign up for workshops, please email bookstore _ AT _ eyebeam.org

Thanks Mica!

Activist Designer Roundtable: 7/17 Oakland, CA

This just in from the folks at Design Action Collective:

We're finally able to follow up on the highly successful 2004 Designs on Democracy conference! If you were there, you will remember what a great information exchange and relationship building opportunity that big get-together was. Ever since, we've been trying to foment other, more ground-up ways of recapturing that experience, and further developing it into an on-going exchange that will benefit the Movement for the long-term.

The format: A monthly series of presentations and facilitated round-table discussions on topics of interest to activist designers.

The goal: To strengthen our ability to provide the social justice movement with effective graphic design, visual communications and other advertising services. Recognizing that we play a vital role in countering the propaganda of the right, we want to foster communication, sharing and collaboration between like-minded activist-designers (and eliminate/reduce competition).

The Topics: These could range from the specific ("what is your logo design process") to the broad and political ("The role of political posters for the MySpace generation"). Participant interest will determine topics.

The location: The new Eastside Arts Alliance building
2277 International Blvd. Oakland, CA 94606

The first DoD Roundtable will be held on Tuesday, July 17, 2007. 6:30 - 9 pm. "Progressive Communications in Design, Part I"
We will decide on a topic for this and a couple subsequent round-tables at this first meeting with your input.

Subsequent Roundtables will be on the 2nd Tuesday of each month for the rest of 2007.

What to bring: Your ideas. And if possible, a snack or beverage to share (but more important you come).


Designs on Democracy

ps. Please RSVP if you're planning to come or if you're interested in future sessions!!

Nadia Khastagir
nadia _ AT _ designaction.org

Urban Art Workshop

The Urban Art Workshop, a 4 month course taught by artist Javier Abarca at the Complutense University of Madrid, gave art students an opportunity to create spontaneous public art. The results (some of which are shown left) are quite lovely. More details and pictures here.

Hop on the Green Train

It seems Amtrak has jumped on the Green bandwagon with the most recent issue of their Arrive magazine (which is in seat back pockets on their Northeast lines). Titled "Special Green Issue" the cover announces that it was printed on recycled paper (only 10% post-consumer waste and paid for by an advertiser) and contains articles on subjects like "Recyclable Shopping" (flea markets!), "Sustainable Dining" (seafood specifically), "Environmental Investing" (land conservation) and an interview with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The rest of the issue is their standard fare and I assume they'll go back to non-recycled paper next issue. Definitely not the most progressive take on environmentalism, but it's a start. I look forward to the day that "Green Issue"s are the norm and not "special".

If you're interested you can read the entire Arrive Green Issue online here.

French (Bicycle) Revolution

Starting July 15th Parisians will have access to 10, 648 rentable bikes (going up to 20,600 by January). Rental stations will be situated so that none will 900 feet from anywhere in the city proper. Costs will be minimal with the project aimed at commuters over tourists. The only catch? It's being paid for by an advertising company in exchange for 1,600 billboards.

More details here.

Sicko Memo

Michael Moore recently posted a leaked memo from the Vice President of Corporate Communications of Capital Blue Cross in response to a viewing of his new film Sicko. Say what you want about Moore, his films clearly have an impact. Here's an excerpt:

You would have to be dead to be unaffected by Moore's movie, he is an effective storyteller.
...
Moore's movies are intentionally intense and his objective in Sicko seems to be to revive the earlier Clinton efforts - not to achieve universal coverage with this movie, but to push the topic to the top of the agenda. He will be just as successful whether proponents mount momentum or discussion entails key stakeholders defending why it won't work.
...
Ignoring its impact might be a successful strategy only if it flops, but that has not been the history of Moore's films nor the way this one appears to be headed. If popular, the movie will have a negative impact on our image in this community.
...
I believe the most successful strategy will not be in attacking the movie for its weaknesses or misperceptions, but in distancing ourselves and our brand from the groups and motivations he attacks...

Read the whole thing here.

Tsunami Orphan Music Video?

Actually these are the credits for a new documentary AmmA, about orphans in Sri Lanka, which is in its final stages. To find out more at Simba Share.

From Vandalism to Fandalism

Students at Köln International School of Design have been exploring the issues surrounding public space in their "From Vandalism to Fandalism" exhibition. Blog Roger Live reports on their recent Guerrilla Gardening activities (left) at RheinDesign as well their other projects including the Public Pillow (for converting non-seat friendly places) and less serious Cleaning Skateboard.

Thanks Marco!

Light Bulb Recycling

While more geared towards industrial users, LampRecycle.org is a good resource for information on recycling mercury-containing light bulbs (called "lamps" in the industry). This will be a growing concern as more folks use (and discard) compact florescent bulbs.
They recommend consumers use Earth911 to find local recycling facilities by zip code.

Backlog

Sorry for the silence from me (and thanks to Brad for keeping the site rolling), mid-week holidays clearly throw me off. Anyway, I have a backlog of stuff to write about, so here are a few quick links to start:

Despite everything More US Commuters Are Driving Alone.

Corporate Car Fleets and Car Rentals go Green.

San Diego fights Walmart.

Cities are building more bike paths.

Since all of these are from the Christian Science Monitor, I think this a good time to explain the appeal of this paper:

• Despite the name the content is not religious (nor biased towards a religious viewpoint). There is only one article that relates to Christian Science per issue and it is clearly marked in a box at the end of the paper.
• They have a top notch international staff of reporters (rare outside of the big players, most papers rely on Reuters and AP).
• They are extremely balanced in their reporting.
• They do not sensationalize and are one of the few papers that actually goes out of their way not to encourage copycat behavior.
• Their motto is "To injure no man, but to bless all mankind."

this commercial blows

Via: VideoSift

A Year Without Made In China

SEATTLE (Reuters) - In "A Year Without 'Made in China,'" ... Sara Bongiorni discovers during a year of boycotting anything made in China ... how she and her family found that such formerly simple acts as finding new shoes, buying a birthday toy and fixing a drawer became ordeals without the Asian giant.

Bongiorni takes pains to say she does not have a protectionist agenda and, despite the occasional worry about the loss of U.S. jobs to overseas factories, she has nothing against China. Her goal was simply to make Americans aware of how deeply tied they are to the international trading system.

"I wanted our story to be a friendly, nonjudgmental look at the ways ordinary people are connected to the global economy," she said in an interview before the book appears in July.

The fuller story is here.

Hey, Remember Us?

"If only there was some way to visually recall my disappointment with Johnson's handling of the Tet Offensive"...

And just like that, there is this really interesting visual graph of how U.S. Presidents stack up based purely on independant polling results over the years. Take a visual walk up and down the annals of American Presidential history.

Also, you could ski down Bush's approval ratings.

Mexicans look for better opportunities across the border in France, Hungary and Canada

A nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a convenient way of quantifying and comparing the size of economic status. Annual GDP represents the market value of all the goods and services produced within a country in a year. As population and GDP go, India and China may be growing year by year at an incredible rate, but nobody touches the States on a state-by-state basis. Case in point, check out this map of the U.S. Comparing individual state GDPs against those of other countries. No wonder so many Cubans seek asylum on the freedom loving shores of the Korean Republic.

Foodometer

Watch Your (Fo)odometer is a succinct video explanation of the benefits of eating locally by artist Molly Schwartz. It accompanies an essay on fast food by Donna Schaper on TheNation.com.


Thanks Jessica!