Photo by eyestudio via flickr
I’ve been researching plastic bag alternatives to use on my weekly trips to the grocery store and came across some startling statistics. It has been found that the world consumption of plastic bags has reached over 500 billion annually, which when calculated out adds up to be 1 million used per minute. That’s a lot of bags! People use, over the course of a year’s time, between 300-700 bags.
Photo by Dimitri N. via flickr
A new initiative at Starbucks has been initiated to encourage all employees to focus efforts on making the various aspects of the corporation green. By the end of 2010, they hope to reduce their energy use in new stores by 25% and to obtain 50% of their renewable sources in all company-owned stores. This pledge was manifested in late 2009 with the first LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) certified store located at 1st & Pike in Seattle. The new build took all factors into consideration from the paint on the walls, which boasts low VOC to no VOC (volatile organic compounds) to the floors and tables being made of recycled materials. This pilot store is a prototype for all new Starbucks builds in which the company hopes to achieve LEED certification for all new company-owned stores worldwide beginning in late 2010.
Photo by avlxyz via flickr
If you take a look back at the classic shark horror film, Jaws, you might actually find yourself laughing more than anything (the special effects in today’s films make older films look like amateur work). Some would even call it silly to be afraid of sharks – after all, they’re the ones who should be afraid of us.
Photo by NYC Garbage via flickr
If you live in a dense city like New York or San Francisco you understand what people mean when they describe alleyways soaked in rubbish-rich stench. Simple mathematics will tell you that when you take large quantities of people and squeeze them into small spaces there is going to be some sort of mess. Generally, it is trash. Or rubbish, garbage, debris, waste – whatever you want to call it – it smells.
Photo via Agropolis
It’s hard to imagine our current agricultural system evolving progressively, considering the regression we’re in, but a presentation given at the Nordic Exceptional Trendshop last week by NASA-inspired individuals could give it the push it needs. The idea is called Agropolis – an urban agricultural venue with a grocery store, restaurant and farm, all under the same roof.
Photo by MikeBehnken via flickr
He’s been eye to eye with
rattlesnakes too long for
one to peaceably sit
in gray
and stay
quiet.
Fools become trees
forced to grow wise,
It isn’t too often that someone provides you with a blank canvas and says, “create,” “design,” or “express yourself!” Especially when it comes to wallets. If you’re like me, wallets generally bring out the practical attributes of your “inner retail shopper,” causing you to look for simplistic, durable and timeless styles that can hold their own in any fleeting fashion era. As the guardians of our hard-earned livelihood, they have become an object of necessity – void of individuality – where creativity is overlooked and practicality is favored.
Photo by Bobosama via flickr
Over the past couple of years there has been a quiet movement in the wine making industry to go green. The most secretive in this movement has been the French Champagne Industry, which recently embarked on a mission to cut the 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide it emits every year with the distribution of their product in a slimmer bottle.
Photo by UrbanReviewSTL via flickr
Downtown St. Louis, MO is getting a bicycle commuter center!
Funding has been secured for the 1,300 square foot bike center to be constructed downtown at the corner of Locust and 10th and is set to open later this fall. The facility will be on the ground floor of the 1011 Locust Street Building which is two blocks from a metrolink station. The plan is for the commuter center to feature bike lockers, changing rooms, showers, and potentially a café. Commuters will be charged a small fee for using the facilities.
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Mexican Village to Hold Week-Long Protest Against Construction of Dam
The urgency to protect the world’s rivers is escalating at a pace that is nearly impossible to keep up with. Pollution, agriculture runoff, conversion of wetlands, introduction of exotic species, and the cumulative impact of dams are just a few of the issues concerning informed activists, scientists and locals today.
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