Advocating climate change on a green blog journey
Sustainable Solo cup is a green blog brimming with information on sustainability in the design of space. It talks about the most pressing environmental issues and their implications on the environment. Sustainable solo cup examines topics such as adaptive reuse, sustainable materials, and energy efficient sustainable strategies in buildings. |
Image credit : Courtesy of Voanew.com They set out an encampment on a large open field on the banks of Cannon Ball River. The cooking fire started to burn on the hearth. . It was a long day for everyone and they were just settling in. It was a time for them to comfort the near and dear. They themselves were in a lot of pain, they noticed that a few of their own hadn’t returned to the camp for the night. They had been taken away by the police officers and possibly held in correctional centers. There was nothing that could have been done but pray for the well-being of their people. Signs reading “Water is our first medicine” and “defend the sacred” were resting on the camps. In the faint light of the campfires, one could see concrete barricades on the ground. A few hours earlier, military armor vehicles were stationed there. Ear piercing rounds of rubber bullets were shot, injuring men and horses. They were gassed, pepper sprayed, held to the ground, handcuffed and taken away. They were being prosecuted in a correctional center and held in separate cells. They were being strip searched, stripping them of the little respect they had left. They were charged with conspiracies and of public nuisance and for engaging in a riot. This fight was more than their own. It was for the respect of their ancestors, for cleaner water, and for a safer country for the generations to come. Two tents away somebody started playing the flute. It bought a mindless cheer to the members of the camp. There was a crackling of the fire and the meat was being prepared in the main kitchen area of the camp. They could see light despite all the darkness around them. To them that was hope. Image credit : Courtesy of bbc.com The Dakota access pipeline is a 110 mile pipeline across the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois intended to carry around 400,000 barrels of oil. The pipeline will be operated by Dakota Access LLC and Energy Transfer. The pipeline crosses under the Missouri river at Lake Oahe which is about half a mile from the Standing Rock Sioux Indian reservation which is inhabited by around 2000 Native Americans. The Sioux Indian tribe have been protesting against this pipeline for the past 2 years and last September, the U.S Army Corps of Engineers granted permissions to the builders allowing the pipeline to cross under the Missouri river. This not only put the Missouri river water at risk, but also disturbs the Protected archaeological and burial sites which are considered sacred to the native Indian tribes. Previously Laws have been passed considering that the native Americans have relocated quite a bit due to westward expansion of the united states and that the tribes have to be consulted for any sort of changes to their birth land. The Sioux tribes state that the Army corps haven’t consulted them and that a detailed Environmental Impact statement hasn’t been furnished. The Obama administration did step in and halt the process of construction in the Lake Oahe region, but other parts of the pipeline in other regions are in construction. More than half of all the Native American tribes have pledged their unanimity to the Sioux tribe. And we have seen a rather large number of protests across the country. Today, we had people protesting in the state of New York in front of the City hall holding out signs ‘people over pipelines ‘and singing about the miseries of the Indian tribes. Where we go from here is a question posed to the U.S Army Corps and the U.S government. If you do share the same sentiments, please share this article and come back for much such information. If you would like to do something to help the Sioux tribe and would want to voice against the DAPL, visit http://standingrock.org/ and support them. Also, Documentary filmmaker Deia Schlosberg, producer of HOW TO LET OF THE WORLD AND LOVE ALL THE THINGS CLIMATE CAN’T CHANGE was arrested while filming a protest action in North Dakota. She was charged with 3 Class A and C felony charges that carry 45 years maximum sentences combines. She has been charged with 2 Class A Felony Charges and 1 Class C Felony Charge; Conspiracy to theft of property, Conspiracy to theft of services, Conspiracy to tampering with or damaging a public service. Deia Schlosberg was exercising her First Amendment right as a journalist. The freedom of the press is a fundamental right in our free society. If you would like to sign the petition for Deia’s release, visit http://www.solutionsgrassroots.com/deia-petition
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Tesla is changing the way you power your houses and automobiles and working on the right path towards renewable energy. Elon Musk and Lyndon Rive - the CEO of solar city unveiled the power wall 2, power pack 2 and solar roofs on Friday night. They claim it to be equipped with greater design improvements such as long lasting power generation, better insulation, lower cost of installation and lower cost for generation of electricity. Tesla’s long-term vision - as Elon says “is to bring about sustainable Energy“ and wants to bring about change just as Tesla brought to the electric car revolution. They believe that the simple solution would be to look at the aesthetics of the sustainable solutions, the efficiency and how transportation can adapt themselves to these innovations. Tesla also seeks to merge with the utility power generation farms and pump up the renewable local power generation in the coming years. Tesla in collaboration with Solar City would like to introduce a Net-zero Energy homes which can power themselves and also power the cars with a renewable, and free solar energy. Tesla unveiled 3 products during the Announcement:
Image Credit: www.tesla.com
Image Credit: www.tesla.com
These designs are easily integrated and efficient at the same time and the solar cells are invisible from a street side view. While these are great steps towards renewable energy sources, and would definitely want to adapt them, I believe that a few more legislation laws passed on the usage of renewable energy and tax rebates for Net Zero Energy homes and industries could really push renewable solar power generation to the next level. For more information on Tesla’s new products check out their website here. If you did like this news, share this article and come back again for more.
A very new take on human hair as a new alternative renewable resource. Hair and resin composite substituted for exotic finished bone and hardwood materials. Definitely gives me goose bumps thinking about my furniture or coffee table having human hair embedded in it as a design element, but it could be a great alternative resource for a planet like ours with diminishing natural resources.
Check out this story from Swine Studios on Hair Trade along Hair Highway as they explore human hair to be the next alternative renewable resource. Credits: Concept & Design : Studio Swine- Alexander Groves & Azusa Murakami Director / Camera : Juriaan Booij Edit : Sally Cooper Music : Titus Twelve Production support : Danful Yang & Lily Xu If you did enjoy this, share the story, bookmark this blog and come back for more. Halloween is right around the corner and what better way to celebrate than pack some layers, find some friends and get lost in a corn maze. There are so many corn mazes popping up in the bay area and it’s so easy to find yourself in the wrong pumpkin patch. So here’s your guide to the five top Best corn maze spots in the bay area and all the information you need to know.
Dixon, CA- 95620 (530)746-8725 Timings: Open everyday - 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM Image Credit: Notjustalabel.com Cool patch pumpkin is a two-hour drive from San Francisco in Dixon, CA. It is a 63-acre pumpkin patch and a World record corn maze for their uniqueness. Many other fun activities such as fun zone, hay rides and pumpkin cannon available. Food can be purchased in the fields. Last day of the season is Oct 31st. Price for adults is $15 and free for five and under. Other activities are charged additionally. For more information: http://www.coolpatchpumpkins.com/
Halfmoon Bay, CA- 94109 Timings: Sunday- Thursday - 9 am - 7pm Friday- Saturday - 9 am - 10 pm Image Credit: Aratapumpkinfarm Arata Pumpkin farm is a one hour 15 minutes’ drive from San Francisco via US-101 S. It is a 6-acre corn field and pumpkin river and a 2-acre world famous Minotaur’s labyrinth Hay maze. Family friendly with an amusement park and a miniature maze for the kids. A petting zoo is a bonus with friendly goats, miniature horses, bunny rabbits, white doves and the crowd favorite Daisy- the dairy cow. Admission fee for adult starting at 15$. Additional charges for other amusements. For more Information: http://www.aratapumpkinfarm.com/
Livermore, CA 94550 Between Terminal Cir and Rutan Dr (925) 447-3276 Timings: Monday - Thursday 4-8 pm Friday 4-10pm Saturday 10-10pm Sunday 10-8pm Image Credit: Courtesy of yelp.com G&M Farms is a 55-minute drive from San Francisco via I-580 East. Voted the best Seasonal attraction by Diablo magazine and featured twice on the David letterman show. G&M Farms is 6 acres of cornfield maze and pumpkin field. Other attractions include a cow train, pony rides bbq, and pedal carts during the weekend. Admission price is $8 for adult and $7 for children aged 6 - 11 between Monday and Thursday. The price is $10 for adult and $9 for children aged 6 - 11 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Also you can avail a coupon here: COUPON For more information : http://www.gmfarms.com/
San Martin, CA 95037 (408)778-7225 Timings: Monday - Sunday - 9 am to 8 pm Image Credit: Courtesy of yelp.com Uesugu farms is a 1-hour 15-minute drive from San Francisco. The park has a 2-acre corn maze in the awe-inspiring farms. Other attractions include streamliner train rides, pumpkin Pete’s enchanted hayride, pony ride, pumpkin pyramid, hay jump, a carousel and many more fun activities to do. General Admission is free. Private parking lot available for $5 during the weekends. For more information: Morganhillpumpkins.com
San Francisco, CA 94122 (415)753-2689 Timings: All days - 9 am to 9pm Image Credit: Courtesy of yelp.com
This is for those living in the city and don’t own a car and have to rely on public transport. Clancy’s located in the sunset district of San Francisco and takes around 45 minutes bus ride. A cute little pumpkin patch in the residential area of San Francisco, Clancy’s has pumpkins for sale and a small hay maze. Clancy’s is voted the best by CBS for Local’s Best pumpkin patches. Only street parking available. For more Information: www.clancystrees.com So get out there have fun in the maze, pet some animals and pick out some pumpkins to carve. And remember to make good use of the money by re-purposing those pumpkins after Halloween. You can check out some ways to put them to use HERE. Share this article with your friends and get started on planning for the weekend. Image credit: Werner Design Works How many of you have had to put on gloves or a mask while doing your dishes due to the harsh chlorine smell from the detergents? Believe it or not, I always do. So to save myself from inhaling some of those chemicals, I decided to take a tour in the home cleaning section of the supermarket to find a product that does not read harsh chemicals and makes cleaning enjoyable to me. And I came across this product Called Mrs.Myers Clean day Dish soap which we will be reviewing today. Image credit: www.mrs.myers.com
This company was first operated by Caldrea Company and then later integrated with SC Johnson’s Home cleaning products based in Racine, Wisconsin. This company was a brainchild of Mrs. Thelma’s Daughter Monica Nassif and was inspired by Mrs.Thelma A. Meyer, an Iowa homemaker. Mrs.Nassif believed that her mom has always had a real passion for keeping things neat and tidy and that is what inspired them to start this company. Looking into the ingredients I was very happy that it did not contain ammonia, chlorine, glycol solvents, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, artificial colorants, phosphates or petroleum distillates like other house cleaning products. The ingredients read as follows:
And now to go ahead with the testing of the product, Here’s how it goes. The packaging was neat and simple. The information on the packaging was simple and easy to follow. The fragrance was great almost aroma-therapeutic. I had a few dishes that were soaked and ready to be washed, and some had dried food remains. The product did great on the dishes that were already soaked. The soap was easy to get off the dishes with not much rinsing required, unlike some detergents which adhere to the surface and take a lot of rinsing time and waste of water. The dish soap did not do so great with dried food remains on the dishes. Eventually, after putting a little more time and effort into scrubbing, it was clean. My hands were smooth and moisturized after the wash and the beautiful lavender fragrance lingered quite some time after the wash. All their products are biodegradable and the packaging is recyclable and the bottles are made up of 25% post-consumer plastic. Their manufacturing processes are based on personal care standards in a cosmetic-grade cGMP facility. cGMP is an abbreviation for the term “current Good Manufacturing Practice”, which refers to FDA regulations regarding the manufacturing, testing, and quality control of pharmaceutical and food products. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day also supports sustainable practices of Eco-sensitive areas throughout Asia, Africa and South America like the Brazilian rain forests. On my scorecard, the product would be rated a 4.5/5 Having tried this dish soap, I would say I am satisfied with the results and would definitely go ahead and try the other products in Mrs. Myer’s brand. So, you know that this product has a big thumbs up from me. So go ahead and sample these products and let me know how it works for you. You can buy the products from here: Buy Mrs.Myer’s products Also, rate this review and come back for more such reviews on some great ecologically sustainable products.
Leading a sustainable life isn’t overly priced nor is it difficult.Getting starting on the path to a more sustainable way of life may seem like a challenge at first, especially if you don’t know where to get started. It can take a bit of getting used to and you have to always be conscious of what you are doing. Creating a sustainable lifestyle takes a lifelong commitment – to learning, experimenting, exploring, committing to increasingly sustainable practices and, above all, loving. Here are some sustainability products that are making a change in the right direction.
Grounds For Change from little films on Vimeo.
Credit: Courtesy of Vimeo.com
Filmmaker: Littlefilms.net
Courtesy of Vimeo : SkeeterNYC Credit: Storyteller: Liza de Guia If you would like to subscribe for Milkmade icecreams, you can reach out to them at www.milkmadeicecream.com It all starts with a simple principle – it requires a complete shift in how we live our lives. Every choice we make impacts others – through its creation, its distribution, its use and its disposal. And most likely we’ll never know who we are impacting. If you did like this post, go ahead and share these videos and come back again for more such content. |
AuthorHarini Meda is a Interior designer based in San Francisco, California. Interested in Environmental Change advocacy and believes in leading a happy and a sustainable life . Archives
December 2016
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