Cavedigger

What Ra Paulette does with caves in the New Mexico desert blows my mind.  It's engineering and architecture and artistry all rolled into one.

Here's a bit about his work:
http://www.thisblewmymind.com/they-walk-into-an-opening-in-the-hillside-what-they-see-breathtaking/#_

El Loco de la Catedral

Can you build a cathedral with nothing but recycled materials and faith?  Yes, but it's taken this crazy Spaniard 50 years and counting, God bless him!

Watch the film here:
http://www.cathedraljusto.com/thefilm.html

Great green gifts

Gearing up for Christmas shopping? Here's a collection of green gift ideas for everybody on your list...

(image: recycled circuit board ornaments from GeekSugar.com)

Visit sites like Ecoist, FairTradeSports, OrganicBabyGiftsBoutique, OliveGreenDog, and WearYourMusic to find unique gifts that are organic, recycled, fair trade, charitable, or all of the above. Follow this link to the Consumer Reports Greener Choices page for these sites and a few more.

Don't forget the rechargeable batteries to power your gadgets. View CR recommendations for long-lasting, greener batteries.

http://www.wired.com/ Their holiday buying guide has some groovy gifts like the MudWatt electrochemistry kit and a sculptural CFL bulb called the Plumen 001.

http://www.uncommongoods.com/ - Unique gifts and creative design found here, many handmade and/or recycled, with items like record bookends, tree ring coasters, and bamboo dry erase boards.

http://www.resourcerevival.com/ - Green gifts, awards, and promotional items made from recycled bicycle parts.

http://www.signals.com/ Gifts that inform, enlighten & entertain, including recycled wine bottle drinking glasses, bamboo keyboard and mouse, and newspaper bead bracelets. Building buffs will enjoy the origami architecture book and Frank Lloyd Wright Lego sets, while electrician types will get a charge out of the "Resistance is not futile…" T-shirt.

http://www.etsy.com/ The worldwide online marketplace for handmade gifts.

http://blog.makezine.com/ Or bypass the shopping altogether and make your own stuff, like DIY iPhone gloves.

Happy holidays!

P.S. Today's Grist newsletter had a good article about eschewing "stuff" - complete with links to Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff and George Carlin's NSFW rant about it.  Food for thought...

Earth Day cuteness

Now posted online:  winners of an Earth Day poster contest sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mid-Atlantic region and the Philadelphia Zoo.

The contest was for students in kindergarten through grade 12 in EPA’s mid-Atlantic region, which includes Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.  Students submitted hand-created drawings in three categories.  Winning entries and others were displayed at the Philadelphia Zoo for EPA’s 40^th anniversary Earth Day celebration.  Many posters continue to be displayed at the EPA’s Public Information Center in Philadelphia.  

Pretty cute!

Mid-Atlantic (region 3) EPA website:  http://www.epa.gov/region03/index.htm

Happy Earth Day! Hope for the future...

This poem, entitled "Lost Generation," is a palindrome:  enjoy!

Rent some Runway fashion

Why buy formal dresses when you can just rent them?  Pros:  no drycleaning, no storage, a trendy new dress to wear to every event, it comes and goes via mail.  Cons:  you don't get to try the dress on but they send you two sizes just in case, and you only get to wear it once.

After you request membership at RentTheRunway.com, the site will send you a link to create username/password.  There's no membership fee.  Rental fees range from $50 to $200.  As their invitation email told me:

Through RentTheRunway.com you'll be able to rent dresses from designers like Herve Leger, Proenza Schouler, and Catherine Malandrino for short time periods (4 days or 8 days), at a fraction of the price. All you do is log on to the RTR website, pick something you like (or two!), and we'll ship it to you on the date of your choosing. To return, just drop it in the mailbox in our handy pre-paid packaging.

No commitments, no membership fees, no regrets.

From the Unclutterer blog.

Fun with Dwell magazine

As I was tending the home fires over Thanksgiving weekend I found some old Dwell magazines and spent an afternoon immersed in the architectural design world...

Neat articles about a straw bale house with reference links to straw building and sustainable construction,
low-cost modular housing www.myabod.com,
master woodworkers both traditional (Nakashima) and modern (Scrapile, made from scraps collected by NY Wa$tematch),
and fun, classic toys like Lincoln logs (did you know they were created in 1916 by Frank Lloyd Wright's son John?).

Image from Scrapile.com

Tree houses

This is really cool: Roald Gundersen, forester-architect, builds houses from trees. I don't mean lumber, but actual TREES.

Read the NYTimes article
and his website www.wholetreesarchitecture.com/

PS one of the blogs I follow (digginginthedriftless.wordpress.com/) is written by a journalist whose daughter works for this architecture firm.

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Knit unto others

Cold weather is coming... doesn't it just make you want to knit?? Me too.

My favorite cheapskate, Mary Hunt, recently posted some knitting resources in her newsletter for people looking to recycle or donate leftover yarn, or be on the receiving end of such goodness.

National:

www.Ravelry.com - online community for knitters to share patterns, yarn, tips & tricks, etc.
www.ebay.com - buy or sell yarn here

Donate yarn or knitting skills to:

www.NewbornsInNeed.org - national charity dedicated to helping preemie and newborn babies
www.ProjectLinus.org - volunteers knit, crochet, or quilt blankets for sick or traumatized children
www.KnitForKids.org - a project by Guidepost magazine
www.KnittingForCharity.org - links to charity organizations

Also check with your local hospitals, churches, nursing homes, and craft stores.

Here are a few of my favorite local yarn shops:

Woolworks near Mount Washington (no website? phone 410-377-2060 or visit 6117 Falls Rd)

Lovelyarns in Hampden

Spinster Yarns & Fibers in Lauraville

Clover Hill in Catonsville

Happy knitting!
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Trees in art

Continuing the tree theme, here's some art worth checking out: Tilt Studio joined forces with Baltimore's Urban Forest project to produce some striking banners to support TreeBaltimore this past summer. Check out their blog and images.


CORRECTION: The Urban Forest project is all Tilt! Thank you, anonymous commenter, for sharing this info.

Where to recycle electronics

So your electronic whatsamajigger just died. Don't take it to the dump! It can be recycled.

Check out local electronics recycling options here. Accepted items include TVs, VCRs, DVD players, computer monitors, CPUs, mice, keyboards, cell phones, power supplies, laptops, scanners, computer cables and cords, stereos, answering machines, and other home electronics. They do not accept appliances at this time.

Don't forget the donation/reuse/repair angle. Check out the Baltimore County re-use directory for information on where to send your not-quite-dead or repairable electronics. There are plenty of charities that accept old cell phones for reuse by soldiers stationed abroad or survivors of domestic violence.

What about the accessories that go with your electronics: batteries? printer ink? light bulbs?

The MyGreenElectronics website lists corporate recycling and re-use programs by Apple, Dell, Gateway, HP, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, wireless phones, Best Buy, Nokia, and Motorola. Just the other day I dropped off some spent printer ink cartridges at my local Best Buy: the recycling kiosk is right inside the front door. I've also recycled printer ink cartridges at Office Depot, and I imagine you can do the same at Staples and other office supply stores.


You can recycle alkaline (AA, AAA) batteries, light bulbs, and plastic bags at IKEA.

Recycling and re-use programs are out there, and new initiatives are popping up all the time. If your favorite store doesn't appear to have recycling programs, ask a manager or check their webpage.

Photo credit: Chris Jordan creates remarkable photographic art. A few of his recent projects illustrate American consumption and waste on a grand scale. Click here to view "Running the Numbers." Ever wonder what two million plastic beverage bottles looks like? That's the number used in the US every five minutes. View his main website here.