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A World Without Natural Pollination?

May 19, 2013 Comments

The drastically dropping number of honeybees in our nation has been categorized as dangerously close to fatal for many crops throughout the United States.

The Department of Agriculture determined that the 2013 survey of survival reported a whopping one-third loss of our nation’s bee population, likely due to multiple factors: pesticides, fungicides, parasites, viruses and malnutrition. Overall, this rate of disappearance is nearly double of what would be deemed acceptable due to natural causes.

Though we can pass a normal day without considering bees as much more than an annoyance buzzing near our faces or our food, what we may not realize is how these insects affect the food in front of us. This drop affects crop cycles in more ways than one. To put it into a more understandable (and more staggering) perspective, entomologist Dennis vanEngelstorp of the University of Maryland explains: “One of every three bites [of food consumed in the U.S.] is directly or indirectly pollinated by bees.”

For the full article via Wired, go here. Photo credit: Jennifer C. on Flickr. 

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B is for Benefit

May 17, 2013 Comments

Are some companies better than others?  That might be an opinion question, but if you are of the view that socially and environmentally responsible companies are at the top, check out The B Corp Best for the World List which recognizes businesses for their positive impact.

Who makes the list?  Emerge Financial Wellness shines among micro-enterprises; Bark House and Trillium Asset Management are high scorers in the small company world, along with Echale Tu Casa for mid-sized companies.  Word to the wise:  big box retailers nowhere to be found.

Get the full list here.

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Bike Home From Work Party!

May 15, 2013 Comments

Join Holstee at the Transportation Alternatives Bike Home From Work Party happening this Friday, May 17th from 6:30 – 9:30pm.

The event will host:

  • a Nighttime Reflective Fashion Show
  • Pop-up shops, showcase of bikes, accessrories and commuter apparel
  • Local food and drink vendors as well as Brooklyn Brewery beer

We will even have DIY silkscreen printing at our tent! Bring a shirt, tote bag, or anything you want to be silkscreened. 

Party starts at 6:30 pm at The Archway under the Manhattan Bridge (Water St. between Adams and Pearl St.), DUMBO, Brooklyn.

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LUNIS: Redefining Reflective Outerwear

May 13, 2013 Comments

I’m seeing a trend in awesome bike gear getting Kickstart-ed and I am loving it. This latest addition is a lightweight reflective riding jacket. Small enough to stash in your bag for rainy days and dark nights and slick looking enough for every day use.

“Reflective cycling jacket designed for performance and style. Subtle in daylight; powerful reflectivity at night.”

The jacket is designed by Brett Clouser and is set to be prouced in his stomping grounds of Los Angeles.

Learn more about the design and watch the video on Kickstarter.

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Living On $1.50 A Day: Could You?

May 13, 2013 Comments

The Live Below The Line Challenge is on. A mission to reshape the way people connect bad food choices with lack of funds, the LBTLC charges people in the U.S. with the difficult task of using only $1.50 a day for food.

“Live Below the Line is a campaign that’s changing the way people think about poverty—and making a huge difference—by challenging everyday people to live on the equivalent of the extreme poverty line for 5 days.”

All meals, including drinks, are to be bought within that meager stipend to give participants a better idea of what it’s like to be unable to afford fresh items, staple ingredients or anything else for that matter. This challenge also brings to light what it may be like for those who are living within “food deserts,” or areas where fresh food isn’t even available, let alone affordable.

To join the cause in your country, go here. Fundraising ends 5/31/13.

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The Best Biking Cities in the World

May 10, 2013 Comments

Now through the first full week of National Bike Month and bike-to-work day fast approaching (next Friday, May 17th!), Fast CoExist covers the top 20 bike-friendly cities. Despite our love for two wheels, not even one U.S. city makes the cut.

The list, determined by Copenhagenize with scoring factors such as available bike racks, ratios of male to female riders, bike share opportunities and more, is as follows: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Utrecht, Seville, Bordeaux, Nantes, Antwerp, Eindhoven, Malmö, Berlin, Dublin, Tokyo, Munich, Montreal, Nagoya, Rio, Barcelona, Budapest, Paris and Hamburg.

For the full article, explantation and ways we can squeeze onto the list in 2014, go here.

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  • Solar Impulse HB-SIA prototype airplane attends his first flight over Payerne

Valley to Alley in a Solar Plane

May 8, 2013 Comments

A solar-powered aircraft able to fly day and night began the first leg of its journey this morning on a mission to fly coast-to-coast across the United States without using a single drop of fuel.

The Impulse, which is completely solar-powered, requires no fossil fuels and emits no pollution. Instead, the aircraft is covered in almost 12,000 silicon solar cells that drive four electric motors and can turn the plane’s propellers day and night with special batteries that store power.

In addition to completing the flight, the Solar Impulse’s trip is intended to launch a “Clean Generation” Initiative, which aims to promote clean technologies around the world. The initiative intends to “encourage governments, businesses and decision-makers to push for the adoption of clean technologies and sustainable energy solutions,” Solar Impulse said in a statement.

Photo Credit: EcoNews

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Sword & Plough

May 7, 2013 Comments

Sword & Plough is an amazing new social enterprise started by sisters Emily and Betsy Núñez. Their mission is to repurpose old military surplus fabric into new and functional everyday objects. Everything they make is done right here in the USA and constructed by veterans. They have an incredible set of values (people, purpose, planet, profit) and make some really quality products to boot. (Pun maybe intended.)

“Our mission is to empower veteran employment, reduce waste and strengthen civil-military understanding…and to do so in style!”

The name Sword & Plough, which comes from the biblical phrase “to beat swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks,” illustrates the sisters’ ideology and mission: adapting military technology for peaceful civilian applications. It also represents their respective business roles.

They held a 30-day kickstarter with a modest goal of $20,000 which they blew well out of the water. I was inspired by their story and drive to create something that ultimately gives back to everyone involved.

Check out their Kickstarter page for more info!

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Reducing Food Waste 101

May 6, 2013 Comments

Confession? Yesterday, I threw out the following items: 1 (mostly full) expired container of organic sour cream, casualty of a baking escapade. This, along with 1 (also mostly full) jar of marinara sauce from who-even-knows when, as I have no memory of purchasing or using said sauce. The last was a fully molded lemon, tucked away in the back of the fridge, withered and hard as a little yellow-gray rock.

Now, while I’m not particularly proud of these facts, and while I hurriedly tucked these outcasts into the already overflowing trash, took it directly outside and didn’t look back, the truth is: there are ways to avoid this. Though we’ve touched on the topic of excess food before, the staggering numbers keep us wide-eyed with disbelief: 40% of all food we buy ends up in the trash. Think that’s not so? Take note of when you clear the table at the end of dinner, toss out mostly-empty bags or boxes, peer into that leftover takeout container, trying to pinpoint the exact day you brought home this now unidentifiable substance.

The first time I heard that percentage, I scoffed. Forty percent, I thought. No way. Turns out, way. But the methods to avoid this madness are not only obvious (only buy what you’ll use, live leftover-free, buying something on sale doesn’t make it a “bargain,” and many more), they’re also doable.

For a full list of outlined tips via Civil Eats, go here.

 

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Made in New York City

May 3, 2013 Comments

Everyone loves the local movement. With an increasingly global consumer market, we just want to know where our food, furniture, and fashion comes from. I was pleased to take part on Wednesday in the Made in NYC web launch event at Nanette Lepore‘s showroom in Manhattan. No longer do you have to wonder how to find your local manufacturers; just visit www.madeinnyc.org, a new and improved directory of all things made in the five boroughs. There’s something warm and fuzzy about knowing your purchase supports the local economy – yes, your neighbor might be making your kombucha tea or the guy next to you on the subway might spend the day assembling that paintbrush you used in art class.

What’s being made in your city?  Tell us in the comments below. Go here for more on MINYC’s launch.

Photo: Cookies by Macaron Cafe.

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