This Past Weekend in Los Angeles Buy and Sell "inspiration"
The kulture recycling & vintage fashion event "Inspiration" was hosted by Rin Tanaka, the author of the "My Freedamn!" book series. Under the big theme of his life, "vintage fashion," this event was held at one of the coolest "event halls" in Los Angeles, "Barker Hanger," which is located inside Santa Monica Airport. As the photo on this page shows, this vintage-looking space was mostly used as vintage airplane storage for repair crews, but on February 12th and 13th, 2010, this huge indoor space (capacity: 3,000 people) was filled with many vintage fashion fans from around the world!
During this two-day show, a total of 60 vendors and exhibitors were set up unique and very special booths displaying their own inspiration: 35 vintage fashion dealers, 10 designer & artist booths, 8 charity garage sales, and 7 special exhibitions. Their business concept in this vintage atmosphere is to "buy and sell inspiration." Actually, many "kulture recycling" products, mainly vintage American fashions manufactured in the 1910s-1980s, will be displayed everywhere in this hall. Vintage fans will get amazing opportunities to view so many vintage items. Most items will be "for sale," except for special exhibition decorations.
The main targets of this show were worldwide vintage fashion enthusiasts, not only from all 50 states but also from Japan, Canada, and other places worldwide!
Ever need an excuse to go surfing? Well on June 2oth you finally have one. International surfing day created by Surfing Magazine, this unofficial, official surfers holiday gives us to promote and celebrate the sport while bringing awareness to the state of our oceans and beaches.
The goal is simple, take the day, or at least part of the day to go down to your favorite surf spot to catch a wave or two, or watch your your favorite agro local grom snake you, whatever it takes. While your at it take some time to clean up your local beach. Surfrider Foundation will be organizing a hand full of official beach cleanups, but that shouldn’t stop you from fixing up your own stretch of sand.
"If we are going to get this thing off of the ground then we had to find a place to start." says one of the founders of the Kelp Bed Project. Three guys from three different industries. One from a web designer and project manager background, the other a sales rep for action sport brands and the third from a recycled apparel distributor and retailer background. They all run their own independent companies but that isn't the only thing that they have in common. "I think all of us have bean surfing for over 30 years." says RC "We had all been wanting to interlude some kind of project with surfing and distribution. But not just any distribution, we wanted to make a difference with what we did and how we ran the business. After getting together for a morning surf / brainstorming session the concept came together. "
Retailers took a huge hit during the past holiday seasons, clothing brands and product distributors also took a hit as retailers cut back and canceled orders. Warehouses were stuck with way more overstock product than they were accustomed to as the retailers adjusted to the new economy "recession". The Kelp Bed Project interacts with different brands and finds ways to distribute their overstock product through charities or outreaches to different communities. "There are so many people in need, and with earthquakes and natural disasters becoming pretty consistent in today's planet, too many people need immediate supplies and there are not as many organizations out there as you might think to access what is needed." said LC an active member in the Kelp Bed Project, " The KB not only feels the gap between the large distribution companies and the shirtless kids in the streets of El Salvador, but they have all kinds of resources and outlets to raise awareness and gather funds for local people in need as well"
What started with outsourcing new surfboards that were turning yellow as they sat in a warehouse, has gained momentum into New Sustainable business model changing minds as to how overstock product from our personal closets to distribution warehouses should be handled. We look foward to what the guys at The Kelp Bed Project come up with next.
The worlds first commercial wave farm was launched live at the end of September in Agucadoura. Located a few miles off of the coast of Portugal. Designed by Pelamis Wave Power, the farm employs three Wave Energy Converters - snakelike, semi-submerged devices that generate electricity with hydraulic rams driven by waves. This first phase of the new renewable energy farm is rated at 2.25 MW with 3 machines, and the the second phase will add an additional 25 machines to bring the capacity to 21 MW - enough to power 15,000 homes!
According to an article written in Inhabitat by Bridgette Steffen last month, "Pelamis Wave Energy Converters are tethered to the ocean floor by cables and are pointed perpendicular to the coastline. Each device is composed of several sections connected with articulated joints. As the waves roll in past the device, each section is driven up and down, while the hydraulic rams inside resist the motion. This resistance pumps high pressure fluid through hydraulic motors, which drive electric generators, thereby producing electricity. This electricity is then transmitted via underwater cables to the mainland."
Waves are as common as the rising sun. This is a great way to produce energy and something that we will keep our eyes on at Born Activist. Source Courtesy of Inhabitat Image Courtesy of Inhabitat
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 Sewage
Jorge Chapa put together a piece on the Giant Anaconda Tube Generates Energy from Waves! This is a snake-like rubber tube float that floats in the ocean that could prove that wave energy conversion is an economically viable solution to meet our power needs. At least that is what the creators of the Anaconda device are hoping will happen. The Anaconda was designed in the UK by Francis Farley and Rod Rainey, the Anaconda is a very simple giant rubber tube that generates energy by bobbing up and down in the water.
Electricity is generated via the up-and-down motion of the waves. The waves will hit one end of the tube, thus creating a bulge which is pushed from one end to the other. The bulge becomes bigger and bigger as it runs down the tube until it hits the generator, where the water turns a turbine, and generates electricity. I think this is just the beginning of something we will see more of.
Costa Rica Aims to Become First "Carbon Neutral" Country
This may be old news to some of you, but for those of you that did not know, we thought it would be worth mentioning.
The news service La Nación reported back in February that The Costa Rican government is developing plans to begin offsetting all of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions. Environment and Energy Minister Roberto Dobles said Costa Rica aims to reach this goal using budgeting, laws, and incentives, including measures to promote biofuels, hybrid vehicles, and clean energy. Another key component of the national strategy will be a “C-Neutral” label to certify that tourism and certain industrial practices mitigate all of the carbon dioxide they emit.
Under the new certification system, tourists and businesses will be charged a voluntary “tax” to offset their carbon emissions, with one ton of carbon valued at $10, according to La Nación. The money will be used to fund conservation, reforestation, and research in protected areas. To augment the development of C-Neutral, the country is cultivating a carbon certificate market that aims to not only boost carbon capture and storage in the nation’s forests, but also help maintain their scenic beauty.
In 2002, Costa Rica’s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels totaled 5.8 million metric tons, according to the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, ranking it 108th in the world. Delegates at a recent United Nations meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, noted that they were watching Costa Rica’s initiative and hope to replicate it in other regions.
We wanted to update you on the fight to Save Trestles. Please take time to read the following. Posted at savetrestles.com
Surfrider Foundation Action Network Deny the Toll Road Appeal
The Transportation Corridor Agency is trying to revive its plan to build the 241 Foothill-South Toll Road through San Onofre State Beach. They have asked the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to override the California Coastal Commission's denial of the road. Remember, on February 6, 2008 the California Coastal Commission voted to deny the 241 Foothill South Toll Road through San Onofre State Beach. Following thousands of pages of written comments and a 14 hour hearing attended by thousands, the Commission listened to reason and to the law by rejecting the toll road application. Unfortunately the agency planning this Toll Road has appealed the Coastal Commission’s decision to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. The Secretary is accepting comments from the public on this appeal until May 28th. The people in D.C. need to hear from Californians and people from all over the world who care about San Onofre and Trestles!
Your voice is needed! Don't let the TCA's lobbyists be the only influence on this important decision!
Fatal Shark Attack Closes N. SAN DIEGO Beaches This Weekend
With the weekend forecast promising dry winds and summery temperatures — classic Southern California beach weather — the thousands that typically would be expected to throng the Pacific shoreline will have to decide whether ignoring authorities and taking a dip is worth risking the danger officials believe still exists.
I guess that it was bound to happen some time, but no one new just when. Friday Morning at 7 a.m. a shark arose from the deep and snagged a swimmer about 100 yards of the California coast, at Fletchers cove in Solana Beach, just 15 miles North of San Diego. It is the first time that such an attack has occurred in Southern California in nearly fifty years.
The victim - David Martin - was swimming with a group of tri-athletes off Solana Beach at the time. Martin, 66, died on the beach Friday morning after a shark, presumed to be a great white, lifted him out of the water with his legs in its jaws, leaving deep lacerations and shredding Martin's black wetsuit.
Martin, a retired veterinarian, was the first shark fatality in San Diego County since 1994. Prior to that, the last known fatal attack in the area was in 1959.
Even die-hards said word of the attack gave them pause. Sharks are rare in Southern California, though female great white sharks sometimes come south from their usual territory in the cooler waters of the central and northern coast to pup. Few make the mistake of attacking humans instead of seals or sea lions, their usual prey.
Earlier this year, stories of shark sightings swept the coast from San Diego County north through Orange and Los Angeles counties, the Los Angeles Times reported in late March.
The last fatal shark attack in California, according to data from the state Department of Fish and Game, took place on Aug. 15, 2004, off the coast of Mendocino County. The victim was a man diving for shellfish with a friend. On Aug. 19, 2003, a woman swimmer was killed by a great white at Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County on the central California coast.
Overall, shark attacks are extremely rare. There were 71 reported worldwide last year, up from 63 in 2006. Only one attack, in the South Pacific, was fatal, according to the University of Florida.
The university's International Shark Attack File has counted an average of 4.1 people killed by sharks annually worldwide in the past seven years.
Surfing is a great way to get exercise and literally immerse yourself in what nature has to offer. On an average in any coastal town, hoards of surfers ride the waves at beach breaks, point breaks, and sand bars, along with a large assortment of other types of spots. Although the sport is generally low-impact and popular amongst young, environmentally conscious people, you can’t help but wonder how much surf wax pollutes the ocean on a daily basis. Several companies offer alternative products to the best-selling Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax, which contains paraffin and added unnatural scent. This is not only bad for the ocean but for skin on your chest that is constantly rubbing across the wax on the top of your board during any given warm water session. There are a few Companies on the market now dedicated to creating environmentally friendly wax from a beeswax base include Muffin Wax, Northern Light Surfboard Wax (which guarantees to be the “stickiest wax on the planet!”) and Phil’s Organic Surf Wax. I haven't got to try any of these companies out yet, but i look forward to the opportunity. If you are by the water i recommend that you Give them a try and let me know what you think!
The Transportation Corridor Agency is seeking to build an extension to the existing 241 Toll Road. The proposed Foothill Transportation Corridor South (FTC-South) is a sixteen-mile long toll road highway that would connect the current terminus of the 241 Toll Road to Interstate 5. The TCA is proposing six alignments for this project; four of which run directly through and along San Mateo Creek. If constructed, not only would this project directly threaten the world class surf break at and around Trestles (including Uppers, Lowers, Middles, Church and Cottons), the project would also result in the obliteration of Southern California?s last remaining pristine coastal watershed and substantially degrade habitat that is critical for the survival of at least seven endangered species, including the Southern Steelhead trout.
Wave Degradation
* This project would require substantial grading of the terrain and millions of yards of hard reinforcement (steel, concrete and other materials), that will alter the natural sediment flow through San Mateo Creek,, which supplies sand to the Trestles surf breaks.
* According to the Transportation Corridor Agency?s own engineering consultants, losses in sedimentation flow would cause ?substantial degradation to surfing resources,? which will likely result in significant degradation to the wave quality at Lower Trestles and nearby breaks (including Uppers, Middles, Cottons and Church).
Water Quality
* A recent scientific report demonstrates that when over 10 percent of a watershed is paved there are significant water quality and ecosystem impacts.
* Similar projects have resulted in generating significant increases of oils, heavy metals and other toxins. Given the proximity of the project to the watershed, this project would result in a decrease of water quality for Trestles and the surrounding breaks.
* The TCA?s assertion that they can mitigate for this run-off is dubious. The initial mitigation systems that were installed on the nearby RT73 Toll Road failed, and had to be replaced at tax-payer expense. All mitigation efforts are ineffective during large rain events.
Environmental Damage from the Toll Road
* The walk in at Trestles is half the experience. The area is home to numerous native plant and animal species, including several endangered species. This area would be profoundly impacted by such a massive project essentially cutting the San Mateo Creek watershed in half.
* The FTC-South will run directly through San Onofre Beach State Park. This 2028 acre park the 5th most visited park in the California State Parks system.
* The San Mateo Creek Watershed is one of the last large coastal open spaces in Southern California The FTC-South will forever change this last vestige of coastal wilderness, including profound compromises to the Donna O?Neill Land Conservancy.
* TCA claims that the FTC-South will provide relief of traffic congestion along Interstate 5 in fact contradict their own FTC-South traffic projections that rely on cannibalizing San Diego County bound traffic from the I-15 and feeding that Inland Empire traffic to the I-5 via the toll roads.
* FTC-South would be built through undeveloped land, which would promote development, and ultimately bring forth new traffic from urbanization.
* FTC-South will increase, not decrease traffic on the 1-5 stretch in south San Clemente where the proposed toll road will merge with 1-5, which is already at over-capacity along this stretch. Northern San Diego County will also be affected by potentially severe increases in traffic congestion.
Expense
* The FTC-South is expected to cost close to $1 billion (nearly $53 million a mile). Currently the plan is to fund the project by non-recourse bonds, as well as development impact fees that are already being added to real estate sales in Southern Orange County.
*Contrary to TCA claims, these projects are NOT SELF FUNDED! According to an October 10, 2005 article in the Orange County Register, the nearby RT73 Toll Road is ?financially struggling? and ?faces not being able to make its debt payments in about nine years.?
SUPPORT THE SURFRIDER FOUNDATION IN ITS FIGHT TO SAVE TRESTLES!
* The dramatic decreases in water quality, degradation to the wave quality at Trestles, destruction of the San Onofre State Beach Park and some of the last open space in Southern California, and harm to endangered and threatened species are costs not worth the questionable benefits of this extremely expensive toll road.
* Surfers, swimmers and other ocean enthusiasts enjoy the waters and waves of Trestles year round. There is no other place like it in California or the world. Please join in our efforts to Save Trestles for our children and future generations.
The US had a record number of beach closures and health advisories last year, the most in 15 years since research organizations have been monitoring them. -The Clean Water initiative is primarily focused on protecting water quality in coastal watersheds and in the near-shore marine environment. Consequently, the Surfrider Foundation advocates for strong water quality regulations, adequate marine recreational water quality monitoring, reporting and posting, reduction of polluted discharges into the ocean and education regarding personal responsibility for the reduction water pollution. They also support smart land use planning to ensure that coastal environmental resources are protected and healthy watersheds are maintained.
The struggle to preserve public access to the beach is spreading across the nation from California to Connecticut and from Florida to the Great Lakes. California's beaches belong to all the people. The wealthy rich prick beachfront enclave of Malibu and media mogul David Geffen nevertheless filed suit to cut off the people'sright to reach the beach. A Newport Beach city councilmember opposes improvements to a public beach because "with grass we usually get Mexicans coming in there early in the morning and they claim it as theirs and it becomes their personal, private grounds all day." People of color and low-income people suffer first and worst from the efforts to privatize public beaches. While eighty percent of the 34 million people of California live within an hour of the coast, disproportionately White and wealthy homeowners stand to benefit from the privatization of this public good, while communities of color and low-income communities are disproportionately denied the benefit of coastal access.
Beaches are not a luxury. Beaches are a public space that provide a different set of rhythms to renew public life. Beaches are a democratic commons that bring people together as equals. People swim and splash in the waves, "people watch," surf, wile away the afternoon under an umbrella, scamper between tide pools, or gaze off into the sunset. Public access to the beach is integral to democracy and equality. Rio de Janeiro, like Los Angeles, is marked by some of the greatest disparities between wealth and poverty in the world. Yet Rio's famous beaches are open to all, rich and poor, Black and White. The beach in Rio is the great equalizer. California's world famous beaches must also remain public for all, not the exclusive province of the rich and famous. The Connecticut Supreme Court has recognized the First Amendment right of non-residents to use a public beach against efforts by the city of Greenwhich to restrict access to its residents. A New Jersey appellate court has recognized the right of public access to reach the beach at a private club under the public trust doctrine. A Michigan court, however, has recently limited public access to the beach along Lake Michigan. In Florida, 60% of the "public" beaches are now "private."
In order to make a difference before it gets to late The center For the law and Public Justice along with the Surfrider foundation have put together a "Free the Beach" campaign. For more information go to http://www.surfrider.org/media5.asp
Your unique spirit and individual personality are not mistakes; there is a plan and a purpose for your life. Pay Attention, when you are being lied to. Please do not be fooled, each one of us is responsible for the decisions we make and the actions we do or do not take.
