Surfers Against Sewage
Surfers Against Sewage are a group British surfer from Cornwall, England who surf AND campaign for clean, safe waters, free from "sewage effluents, toxic chemicals, marine litter and nuclear waste." They were founded in 1990 by a group of surfers, who were literally 'sick of getting sick' through repeated ear, nose, throat and gastric infections after going in the sea. The eco-warriors specialize in great publicity campaigns; such as posing naked with "no butts on the beach " written on their bottoms and showing up at an awards ceremony with a golden toilet brush for one of the sponsors.
As a fundraiser they asked ten of Britain's hottest artist to create a
surf board design for them, the theme being the threat of coastal pollution. These environmentally friendly boards would be displayed at several art galleries and then auctioned off for charity. The artists included Damien Hirst, Jamie Hewlett, Banksy, Adrenalin Magazine, and Aphex Twin. That auction netted £77,000, with the 2 Damien Hirst boards going for £59,000 (love that booming art market). After such a roaring success, another art
surfboard auction is planned for October, and the artists participating get even more famous: Sir Paul McCartney, Gavin Turk and Tracy Emin. Start saving. ::
Surfers Against SewageInfo Via Treehugger
Images Via SASLabels: activism, Art, Resourcful, skateing, surfing
posted by MILO @ 6:22 AM
30 Unexpected and Unusual Things You Can Compost
The folks over at
ECO SALON have reminded us that Composting isn't just for
food. You'll be surprised at all the strange, random junk you can toss in the compost bucket. Don't draw the line at peach pits and coffee grounds - start chucking the following items into that bucket and watch your garbage bill go down while you create top-drawer dirt (and help the planet, of course).
- Bills - because somehow it's a lot more satisfying shoving bills in with melon rinds and egg shells than the recycle bin. Trust me.
- Latex condoms - both latex and sheepskin condoms are biodegradable; note that sheepskin does not protect against STDs.
- Junk mail - if you're like me not even the Do Not Mail list has managed to alleviate the jubilant deforestation companies are undertaking on your personal behalf.
- Catalogs and magazines - just shred them first.
- Old fish food and stale catnip
- Abandoned hide/bone dog chews
- Worn out rope and used masking tapeAny old leather - shoes, gloves, wallets, belts, "sexy" Halloween cat costume from college. Note: the leather should be fairly worn out, otherwise you'll be dead before it degrades. Composting does not guarantee that your friends will stop calling you Cat Woman, however.
- White glue - yes, you can!
- ATM and gas station receipts
- Ticket stubs, post-its, stickers, labels, price tags
- Ratty wool or 100% cotton socks
- Old Halloween candy - when the chocolate tastes like Jelly Bellies, it's time to part ways. Good times.
- Holey cotton underwear - come on!
- Dirt, crap and grime from your shoes or boots
- Cardboard cereal boxes - shred them up first.
- Vacuum cleaner bag/bin contents and dryer lint
- Skunked beer, ancient candy bars, expired protein bars
- Cotton tampons and cardboard applicators - really!
- Expired dairy and moldy cheese - but hold the meat.
- Used tissues and paper towels
- Aquarium plants and wilted flower bouquets
- Cat fur, dog hair, and nail clippings
- Your hair - you could even bring the clippings home from your hair dresser. If you want.
- Matches
- Any old leather - shoes, gloves, wallets, belts, "sexy" Halloween cat costume from college. Note: the leather should be fairly worn out, otherwise you'll be dead before it degrades. Composting does not guarantee that your friends will stop calling you Cat Woman, however.
- Wood chips from the BBQ
- Fireplace and campfire ashes
- That cute little brie cheese box
- Cardboard toilet paper and paper towel rolls
- Hamster/guinea pig/rat/bird cage cleanings
It may seem like weird science, but all of the above objects are fully compostable.
You can compost anything of organic origin: fruit peels and pits, sandwich crusts, gluey pasta, oatmeal that's gone the way of cement, soggy cereal, stale pastries, nut shells, orange rinds, tea bags, coffee filters, onion skins, melon rinds, seeds, cores, old milk, stale potato chips...
Wait...you compost, right? Composting is free, easy, and one of the best things you can do for the environment, next to cutting down on fossil fuel consumption and minding your three R's - reducing, reusing, recycling. Call me juvenile, but I also feel like I'm somehow getting away with something. Burying bills in the dirt? Great!
Even if you aren't a gardener, your green thumb neighbors will be glad to reap the benefits of all your bizarre biodegrading - and you'll cut down on your garbage pickup fees.
Source:
ECO SALONPhoto:
johndanLabels: composting, Garden, News, Question, Resourcful
posted by MILO @ 5:57 AM
Brazilian Eco Longboard
The Dry Leaf (Folha Seca) from Brazilian based Lets EVO is a clean way to travel and is made from some unique and sustainable materials developed by Fibra Sustainable Design. They start off with the Papunha veneer which is produced from the waste material of the sustainable palmheart industry. The use of this byproduct to construct a new sort of plywood extends the life cycle of the palm plant and provides income for small farmers who depend on this vegetation. The
Dry Leaf is a stunningly elegant and creative endeavor from its inside out.
Natural fibers procured from fair trade and native to Brazil, such as jute, malva, and curaua, are used as a natural fiberglass along with recycled polypropylene. The use of these natural fibers benefits small farmers and produces no polluting waste material. The core of the Dry Leaf is Mosso Organic Bamboo which is grown sustainably in Brazil and treated with non-toxic vegetable based adhesives.
The Dry Leaf was submitted to
Volvo’s EcoDesign competition and was a finalist for the 2008 competition earlier this year.
Info & Images Courtesy of Inhabitat & Green UpgraderLabels: Art, Resourcful, skateing, Transportation
posted by MILO @ 6:18 AM
Black Gold : Composting 101
Do you want to know the quickest way to eliminate over 75% of your waist by turning into a substance that will make your garden thrive? How about building a compost pile in your yard. Composting is the decomposition of plant remains and other once-living materials to make an earthy, dark, crumbly substance that is excellent for adding to houseplants or enriching garden soil. It is the way to recycle your yard and kitchen wastes, and is a critical step in reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent to landfills for disposal. It's easy to learn how to compost.
There are a number of different options for containing your compost. Some people choose not to use a bin, simply building a compost pile in a convenient spot on the ground. Others build bins from materials such as recycled pallets, or two-by-fours and plywood. And, of course, there are many commercial bins on the market.
Composting is not a new idea. In the natural world, composting is what happens as leaves pile up on the forest floor and begin to decay. Eventually, the rotting leaves are returned to the soil, where living roots can finish the recycling process by reclaiming the nutrients from the decomposed leaves. Composting may be at the root of agriculture as well. Some scientists have speculated that as early peoples dumped food wastes in piles near their camps, the wastes rotted and were terrific habitat for the seeds of any food plants that sprouted there. Perhaps people began to recognize that dump heaps were good places for food crops to grow, and began to put seeds there intentionally.
Today, the use of composting to turn organic wastes into a valuable resource is expanding rapidly in the United States and in other countries, as landfill space becomes scarce and expensive, and as people become more aware of the impacts they have on the environment.
Some believe in ten years, composting will probably be as commonplace as recycling aluminum cans is today, both in the backyard and on an industrial scale. Many states in the USA have stated goals or legislative mandates to drastically reduce the volume of waste being sent to landfills. Utilizing yard and kitchen wastes (which make up about 30% of the waste stream in the USA [1]) is a big part of the plan to minimize waste overall.
You can contribute to the 'composting revolution' by composting your own yard and kitchen wastes at home. If you have a large yard, you might prefer the ease of composting in a three-bin system out by the back fence. Cities and towns can promote composting through home composting education efforts and the collection of yard wastes for large-scale composting. Whatever your style of composting, there's plenty of room to get involved!
Learn How To CompostLearn What To CompostLearn What Not To CompostComposting Bins & Systems To UseInformation and photos provided by:
vegweb.com,
morsicorp.com,
tinkersgardens.com/,
i.ehow.com,
&
followtheson.comLabels: composting, Garden, News, Resourcful
posted by MILO @ 6:15 AM
100 Ways To Save The Enviorment
The folks over at
SEQL (Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life)Have listed a neat little cheat sheet on 100 different ways you can help save the environment. The list is broken up into different sub-catagories like In Your Home – Conserve Energy, In Your Home – Reduce Toxicity, In Your Yard, In Your Office, Ways To Protect Our Air, Ways to Use Less Water, Ways to Protect Our Water & Create Less Trash
Some of Our Favorit ideas were:
13.Reverse your indoor ceiling fans for summer and winter operations as recommended.
23.Plant trees to shade your home.
48.Put leaves in a compost heap instead of burning them or throwing them away. Yard debris too large for your compost bin should be taken to a yard-debris recycler.
49.Copy and print on both sides of paper.
The list is full of ideas you probably all ready new about as well as some good new ideas. Overall it is a good refresher or reminder, if you will on how to reduce your own personal foot print.
See the list in its entirety at
SEQLLabels: activism, Resourcful
posted by MILO @ 5:42 AM
