No, it’s not easy being green. Watch Sad Kermit shoot up, say “fucking,” and strum madly in NIN’s Hurt, Radiohead’s Creep, and Elliot Smith’s Needle in the Hay, respectively. (via kottke)
My header used to read “It’s not easy being green,” followed by some stuff about fair trade and environmentalism, back when green LA girl first started. At some point, I decided that was a too “sincere” and narrow filter for this blog.
Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com
>> Bike to work next week and win a folding bike. Metro’s getting in on the bike riding fun with a weeklong schedule of activities (PDF), including lots and lots of giveaways, free bus rides and a guest appearance by — Shrek.
>> Riding is the most profound activism (Part 1 of 3). Alex Thompson says: “Perceived as dangerous and stigmatized as an activity for health nuts and tree huggers, reasonable people do not ride bikes in L.A. So, when you step off a curb onto a bike you have just committed a flagrantly irresponsible act. “I do what I want!” you’ve just declared. Prepare for a wild ride!”
>> The urban Motorboarder’s backup: Bus + fare card. Kathryn Pope writes: “I took my first bus ride because I was angry with my car, not because of my environmental goodness. After failed smog tests, maintenance tickets, and a chunk of metal that started to drag on the pavement as I drove, I was fed up. At the time, public transit seemed like a radical idea — sheer craziness, in a city where cars are fashion statements.”
>> L.A. streetcar workshop May 22 at the Orpheum. A streetcar workshop is coming to L.A. Based on the book “Street Smart: Streetcars and Cities in the 21st Century,” the workshop is actually the last in a series of four national streetcar workshops. The previous one happened in the Pacific Northwest last month and was attended by a couple dozen streetcar-curious Angelenos — including Eric Richardson of blogdowntown.
>> Q&A: De-car-ing in the Valley. Says Liza: “I live in the Valley and I love to hear the best way you’ve found to travel between the Valley and Santa Monica.” I tell her the valley sucks and she should get the hell out. Kidding! (sort of)
[Part of my challenge to give something away every day for 29 days]
In case you missed it, my sister started a knitting blog called yoelknits. She’ve very prolific in her knitting. And she’s donated two cute mug cozies as green LA girl freebies :)
I asked her what the purpose of the cozies were, exactly. Aesthetic? Utilitarian? This was her characteristically organized response:
I think cozies are for (in order of importance):1) decoration
2) to keep coffee/tea warm
3) to keep fingers un-burnt
Want them? Comment or email by Tuesday to get into the drawing, which happens Wednesday. US addresses only.
Photos from yoelknits
View my page on 29-Day Giving Challenge
>> John Oliver suggests a label for all non-fair trade items on Comedy Central .
>> A Fair trade map! Find out where the fair trade towns and organizations are via this Google maps mashup. Maybe I can just get rid of my list of fair trade coalitions altogether.
>> An interview with fair trade company Alter Eco’s Edouard Rollet on SFist. On what to do with $15 and 2 hours in SF: “Get a coffee and some good fair-trade chocolate and eat and drink with the view at the top of Dolores Park.”
>> An argument for knowing your coffee Jon B. Rogers is the president and founder of the family-owned, San Leandro-based Rogers Family Company, which includes the Organic Coffee Co. and the San Francisco Bay Coffee Co.
As of today, the US officially has a fair trade city: San Francisco! NoCalians are celebrating with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at Dolores Park in San Francisco; they’ve timed their announcement to fall on World Fair Trade Day.
San Francisco may be the first fair trade city, but we already have six fair trade towns in the U.S. What’s the diff between a city and a town? That’s what I asked Wikipedia yesterday, but didn’t get a straight answer. Apparently, “the definition of cities (and town, villages, townships, etc.) is a matter of state laws and the definitions vary widely by state.”
I assumed that cities are relatively large, well-known places, while towns are teensy places out in the middle of nowhere. However, I then discovered that Milwaukee — a sort of but not totally way out in the middle of nowhere place — is on the list of 6 towns that received Fair Trade Town status.
So as of now, it’s unclear whether San Francisco will be considered the 7th of Fair Trade Towns, or the first Fair Trade City. In any case, here’s the list of fair trade cities and towns:
>> Media, Penn. (July 2006)
>> Brattleboro, Vermont (June 2007)
>> Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Oct. 2007)
>> Amherst, Mass. (Nov. 2007)
>> Taos, New Mexico (March 2008)
>> Northampton, Mass. (April 2008)
>> San Francisco, Calif. (May 2008)
You’ll notice I actually mentioned the first two towns in posts then sort of lost interest…. But now I’m getting interested again. Fair trade LA’s gotten more active — I wonder if we can either work with that group or create a new Fair Trade Santa Monica group to make the beach city I live in a Fair Trade Town –
[Part of my challenge to give something away every day for 29 days]
What this giving challenge has taught me so far: I get way too much stuff. So I’m giving away all the little things in one big post:
>> A Tibetan prayer flag garland — plus 3 small sticks of incense.
>> A DVD of the “Create” episode from the first season of Sundance’s “Big Ideas for a Small Planet.” I gave the rest of these away, but for some reason I had two copies of “create.”
>> A reusable water bottle (unfortunately made with #7 plastic) from Social Vibe.
>> Environmental Working Group’s wallet-sized “Shopper’s Guide to Safe Cosmetics.”
>> A CertainTees bookmark with hemp cord.
>> A DVD copy of BBC’s Our World Bitter Sweet.
>> A Moofius bumper sticker and a “10 Ways to Ensure Healthy Food for you and your family” booklet.
Comment and let me know what you want OR don’t want from this list. I’ll draw the first name, give that person everything she / he asks for, then pick the next person, give him / her the items remaining that he / she’s requested, etc. Get your comment in before Monday; drawing happens Tuesday.
View my page on 29-Day Giving Challenge
Hello World Fair Trade Day! Yes, today, May 10, is World Fair Trade Day. And I hope you’re reading this before noon (or 3 pm on the east coast) because that’s when the World’s Largest Fair Trade Coffee Break happens.
Fair trade, in case you’re a newbie, is about promoting equitable trade between “developed” and “third world” countries. Business as usual tries to squeeze out cheap labor and cheap exports out of less developed countries, then pretends altruism by donating “handouts” that equal just a fraction of what business unfairly squeezed out in the first place. In contrast, fair trade advocates promote equatable trade, arguing that trade on more equal footing, NOT aid (handouts), will help resolve some of the inequities in our world.
That sounds heavy, but for today, all you really need to do is take a coffee break. Fair trade advocates are trying to set the record for the largest fair trade coffee break ever! That sounds exciting, except that my guess is that this feat won’t actually be difficult to achieve, since no such big fair trade coffee break’s been planned ever before. I think the idea’s that we’re trying to set a big, impressive baseline that we can try to beat in years to come.
Anyway — Fun events are happening all around the U.S. Near me, Los Angeles has a weekend full of activities planned. And in San Francisco, even the mayor’s involved! Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Bay Area Fair Trade Coalition will “proclaim” San Francisco as a Fair Trade City at an event in Dolores park from noon to 2 pm in Dolores Park. Check out the fair trade events calendar to find out what’s going down near you.
[crossposted on BlogHer]
Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com
>> Revel with a cause: Eco festival in Santa Monica on Saturday. Take the bus or bike over to the “Revel with a Cause” Santa Monica Festival to see and hear world music and dance on solar powered stages, participate in art workshops using pre-loved materials, shop from eco-friendly vendors, and sample international cuisine served with biodegradable foodware.
>> Green beauty panel and pampering on 5/13. L.A.’s getting a green beauty event based not on fear, but around organic fun. Organized by Opportunity Green, “Beauty and Sustainability: An Eco-Evening of Networking, Pampering and Discovery” brings enviro-health education together with a fun night of pampering, complete with organic appetizers and wines, manicures from water-based nail polish company Acquarella and mini-facials from paraben-free beauty company Jurlique.
>> Santa Monica to see fewer sidewalk puddles, more drought-resistant lawns. If the sight of puddles on sidewalks in our drought-prone state makes you cringe, you’ll be glad to know Santa Monica’s passed some new landscaping laws. On Earth Day last month, the Santa Monica City Council passed an ordinance for new building construction that not only limits turf-grass lawns but also prohibits putting sprinklers within 18 inches of concrete sidewalks.
And a couple linky posts:
>> A.M. Greenlist: Fuel and food
>> A.M. Greenlist: Beauty and the beak
>> A.M. Greenlist: New urban green ideas
[Part of my challenge to give something away every day for 29 days]
So I’ve already given away a couple screener DVDs for this season of Sundance’s “Big Ideas for a Small Planet.” But today I was cleaning up a bit and realized I had most of the DVDs from last season too!
And I’m giving them all away to one reader. The episodes are: Sports, Create, Drive, Paper or Plastic, Kids, and Eat.
Want them? Comment by Sunday to get into the drawing, which happens Monday. US addresses only.
View my page on 29-Day Giving Challenge
Tomorrow, May 10, is World Fair Trade Day! And in celebration, World’s Largest Fair Trade Coffee Break happens tomorrow afternoon. Technically, the event happens at noon on the west coast — but any time in the afternoon will do to count towards the total.
So caffeinate wit fellow fair trade activists. In L.A., you’ve got two events to pick from:
>> Fair Trade LA will have a booth all day at the “Revel with a Cause” Santa Monica Festival at Clover Park, 2600 Ocean Park Blvd., in Santa Monica. Go not just for the coffee, but for the solar-powered music performances, recycled crafty activities, international cuisine served on biodegradable plates, and more.
>> Ten Thousand Villages Pasadena will provide hot and iced fair trade beverages - along with chocolate and other samples — to all visitors who celebrate the coffee break with them at 3pm tomorrow. Just stop by the store at 496 S. Lake Ave. in Pasadena. There, you’ll even be able to buy fair trade flowers for Mother’s Day.
Fair trade activities will continue throughout the weekend:
>> Later tomorrow night, celebrate the launch of a partnership between Ten Thousand Villages and Anti-Body to support a new fair trade coconut oil co-op in Liberia. Wine and appetizers will be served. When & Where: May 10 at 7 pm, at Ten Thousand Villages, 496 S. Lake Ave. in Pasadena.
>> On Monday, Jacqueline Decarlo — author of “Fair Trade: A Beginner’s Guide” and former director of the Fair Trade Resource Network — will speak. When & Where: May 12 at 7 pm, at Ten Thousand Villages, 496 S. Lake Ave. in Pasadena.
>> On Tuesday, Jacqueline Decarlo will speak again. When & Where: May 13, at 7 pm, UCLA’s Royce Hall, Room 156, 752 Charles E. Young Dr., Los Angeles.
