Monthly Archives: October 2011

Desert Manufacturing

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/25401444[/vimeo]

Solar-sintering aims to raise questions about the future of manufacturing and triggers dreams of the full utilisation of the production potential of the world’s most efficient energy resource – the sun. Whilst not providing definitive answers, this experiment aims to provide a point of departure for fresh thinking. :Read on:

Martin Azua : Bios Urn

The Bios Urn project reintroduces the human being to the natural circle of life. It is the profaine ritual of regeneration and the return to nature. Bios is a mortuary urn made from biodegradable materials: coconut shell, compacted peat and cellulose. Inside it contains the seed of a tree. Once the urn is planted, the seed germinates and begins to grow. The seed can be changed for a different type of seed or plant more adequate to the chosen planting place, if need be. (Source)

DJ CAVEM : Green Hip-Hop

Check out the behind scenes video, by Denver, Colorado based artist, DJ CAVEM and his related music video:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfdnuSWyQTI[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWBURAIMxoQ[/youtube]

Apart from youth outreach and his music, he teaches “Blue & Yellow Logic & Environmental Sustainability”:

The goal of Blue & Yellow  Logic is to teach urban communities how to support themselves and the environment with this sustainability project. No back yard plots here.  The gardens cover city blocks and provide enough food to feed several families throughout the year.  Here Cavem supervises a soil delivery to agarden managed by the Eastside Grower’s  collective. The project is gaining local and national attention.  Recently, Blue & Yellow Logic has made arrangements to develop gardens at the home of  Colorado Senator’s Michael Johnston and The Seanse-Elyri  Aquaphonic Grown House Project  in order to provide free organic food to the community.

Moss Tiles

Disclaimer:  I don’t usually post the spam green product ads that I get inundated with, but I kinda wanna my this for my home.  Think fuzzy walls – perfect in the event you decide to smoke a jeffrey.  I’m not gonna link to their site and further plug these guys, but if you wanna check out the moss tiles, click the pic to enlarge.

The Cost of Coal

Yesterday, Jess noted a new paper in the American Economic Review: “Environmental Accounting for Pollution in the United States Economy.” Brad Johnson has a longer summary here. I want to emphasize the paper’s conclusions and make a few related points. But mostly I want to beg everyone: spread this around. Coal’s net economic effects on the U.S. are poorly understood, to say the least, and this paper’s findings are stunning.

Once you strip away the econ jargon, the paper finds that electricity from coal imposes more damages on the U.S. economy than the electricity is worth. That’s right: Coal-fired power is a net value-subtracting industry. A parasite, you might say. A gigantic, blood-sucking parasite that’s enriching a few executives and shareholders at the public’s expense. #read the story