The story many people might take away about the ocean is that it is beautiful, audibly soothing and perhaps, a top destination to tan. The part that might often get left out are the less-than-peachy realities, such as the annual by-catch deaths of small whales, dolphins and porpoises exceeding 300,000 or that plastic pieces now outnumber sea life by 6 to 1. And according to one organization working toward bringing these oceanic issues to light, Sea ● Thos Foundation, of recent it's reported that there is now radioactive seawater currently floating around post-earthquaked Japan.
From overfishing to habitat degradation and more, the Sea ● Thos Foundation exists to give the ocean a voice and promote education and awareness of the human impact on the world's oceans. The Venice Beach-based organization derives its name partly from 'ethos,' a Greek word, which denotes beliefs or ideals that characterize community.
Do you know the impact you are having on your ocean community? Do you wanna help? Better yet, this coming Earth Day (April 22) get involved by learning more about that beautiful living thing covering 70 percent of your planet and check out the work behind Sea ● Thos Foundation.
Join the discussion and movement as give a gift this Earth Day.
Images via Flickr Creative Commons.
We had a chance to truly hear from our Simple friends when we posed the question, "What does simple mean to you?" We got a slew of insightful, funny and thoughtful comments. Check out what folks had to say about Simple and while you're at it, check us out on Facebook.
Art as utility is an age old debate that has some critics drowning in semantics. Some say beauty is in the eye of the beholder while others believe the value of a drawing or painting can be gauged independent of the human experience. What if we took this idea further and asked: Does art have the power to create social change? The founders of The Canary Project certainly think so.
Founded in 2006, this New York-based non-profit aims to fund art-centric projects that elevate our awareness of climate change. By supporting photographers, painters and designers, each Canary Project focuses on a specific objective be it bus ads and billboards or an installation of photographs documenting landscapes where scientists are measuring our impact on the globe. Our favorites include The Green Patriot posters aimed at individual action and High Water Line in New York that serves as a preemptive warning that global warming will inevitably affect our most basic need for shelter.
Each of these campaigns cut through the clutter and artfully engage the viewer versus fear-based initiatives that might alienate the most motivated activist. There’s no debating that art is evocative but if you stumble upon something supported by The Canary Project take the time to stop, look and maybe even listen to that voice inside that might be saying “I too can make a difference.”
Image Credit: ‘Devolve’ by Shepard Fairey as part of The Green Patriot posters
Having the ability to recycle cork into something cool like garden mulch or a homemade corkboard is always a good thing. Cork is not only sustainable but antimicrobial as well. Did you know that of the 55 million cases of bottled wine purchased in California, 70 percent contain cork stoppers? How much of that do you think gets recycled? Unfortch, it can be hard to find a home for cork post-wine. And in Los Angeles, it's not recommended that you dump cork stoppers in the green waste or recycling bins (cork doesn't break apart fast enough in the city's composters). And definitely don't aim for the trash either.
Instead, as the Los Angeles Times recently noted, recycle that two-inch sustainable scrap at one of the many of the city's Whole Foods, which in partnership with Cork ReHarvest to collect cork for recycling. You can also recycle through cork-recycling advocates like ReCork and Terracycle, which offer drop-off locations. No need to put a cork in it when it comes to recycling the bitty stuff.
Necessity is the mother of invention and the need to adapt to a more savvy consumer base has prompted a revolution in retail. This paradigm shift has taken numerous forms ranging from innovative pop up shops to mobile retail locations. In fact, there is no truer statement than if you build it they will come, especially given a new trend towards destination shops. J.P. Plunier’s, Feal Mor store is one of our favorite examples of the marriage between voice and vision.
Abreast shops like Union and American Rag on La Brea in Los Angeles, Feal Mor speaks more about a lifestyle than a take on what’s trendy. Plunier’s eclectic life as an artist translates well as his attention to detail augments a sense of belonging and inclusion for his customers. Feal Mor, Plunier’s collection bearing the same name, is nestled amongst various objets d'art, vintage bicycles, imported pottery and limited odds and ends designed by friends. The result is a referential experience prompting a sense of discovery that spots like Feal Mor represent the future of retail and that future is now.
For more information on the collection visit: http://www.fealmor.com/
Feal Mor is located at: 165 South La Brea Los Angeles, CA 90036
-- Dustin Beatty
"Stiff. Light. Smooth."
Although seemingly suggestive of a well-crafted brew, the above actually describes a highly engineered, high-performance racing bicycle, the Boo Bicycle, a 15-pound bamboo-carbon hybrid. Its creation, a year-and-a-half ago, is the result of Nick Frey, a 10-year bike buff and aerospace engineer major from Princeton University.
Its light-as-a-feather structure (70 percent bamboo by mass) comes from a carbon fiber frame—a construction involving 50 hours of handcrafted labor at the hands of bike frame builder wunderkind James Wolf. Carbon fiber not only makes for the ultimate stiff frame (a good thing for handling hard knocks while riding) but the material also increases acceleration. Bamboo, according to Frey, even absorbs vibration better than any other bicycle frames on the market.
One of Boo's best attributes is its use of a leading renewable source: bamboo. Some species are known to grow three to four feet in a day. The company even cuts down their own bamboo from a bamboo plantation in Vietnam. They dry out the tubes for six months in a special drying chamber and bore the insides out according to the bamboo's thickness.
If there ever was a geometry equation that equaled a topnotch bike, it's Boo. Whether you wanna cruise the town or commute to work, get your Boo on with one of these four models: Road, Cross, Fixie, Touring and Mountain. You can also check out their catalog.
Photos courtest of Chris Gomez.
The days following SXSW almost always feel the most noisy. As the week-long hangover wears off and the last bit of dust leaches out of our pores, an accidental drop of a drinking glass by an overworked busboy serves as a shell-shocked reminder of crashing cymbals banging out of every club. Trash trucks replace the boom of kick drums and the seething wind is more deafening than the white noise before a sound check. Austin plays its own soundtrack as the wake of one of the world’s largest music festivals fades to a close.
Try to imagine this in reverse, the storm before the calm, as the credits are rolling to a film scored by this year’s SXSW’s artists. The opening scene might be set to Oh Land providing the film was directed by Wes Anderson. Kurt Vile would no doubt be crooning over the speakers at the diner when boy meets girl and Surfer Blood would be an obvious choice for when the sparks start flying. The scene where the guy gets the girl would most certainly be scored by Dirty Beaches and the long club sequence where the ex-boyfriend gets wasted with his buddies by none other than Odd Future. Competing for the night driving scenes, coupled with a flip through the dial, would be San Francisco dark wave threesome The Soft Moon or perhaps Ariel Pink, depending on the destination. The car chase scene would be played by Los Angeles’ punk outfit OFF! and the part where the perp gets arrested by Jeff and the Brotherhood. Right before everything synthesizes together in this epic tesseract, New York’s Supercute! come in with a ukulele and keyboard cover off Led Zeppelin’s ‘Houses of the Holy’ to remind us that even in dark times there is light. End scene.
As we exit the theater for this veritable pomp and circumstance we can’t help but embrace feelings of satiation that once again SXSW was carefully curated to appeal to all walks off life, especially ones marching to the sound of their own drum.
-- Dustin Beatty, Anthem Magazine.
Courtesy of Anthem Magazine. Read the original story here.
Electric Honey, Deep Ocean, Papaya Dot, Caper Flower—no we're not talking about the latest eye shadow collection at Mac Cosmetics. We're referring to the stylie and impressive do-it-all nylon bags at Baggu. Turning heads at the farmers markets since 2007, Baggu's multi-hued eco reusable shopping bags are the perfect solution for carrying anything your heart desires—flea market finds, beach items, produce, gym clothes, even your favorite pair of Simple Shoes. Available in 30-plus colors, the eco bag can expand to carry up to 50 pounds but once folded into its 7-inch by 7-inch size, it's compact enough to toss in your pocket or purse.
Select your best option, from the designer-inspired No. 6 Bag, Duck Bag (book bag), Back Pack (a canvas option with a magnetic snap), Zipper Bag, or Produce Bag. Plus, it's 100 percent rip-free nylon so you won't have to ever fret about your contents spilling themselves on the street—we told you, it's in the Baggu.
Recent Comments