Latest thoughts - Clothes, Philantropy, and Meetup.com

Volcano Apple - Random (?) Beauty in Nature

Note: The Youtube videos that are available on the blog are a little random. To add vids you have to type in keywords, and then what becomes available is what you have on your site. The one that you specifically want will be there, but a few others will as well.


So let's get started.

First off, a thought about new construction in the US and around the World. Couldn't there be some kind of public support for the idea that all new building construction must have energy harvesting equipment installed like solar or wind, and must be created LEED certified? (LEED stands for The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_in_Energy_and_Environmental_Design

No more building in the old style. If its not sustainable, you dont get a building permit. A Grey-water system, Rainwater Storage Units, along with a greenhouse and garden spaces. This should be standard protocol by now.

For me, this isn't even about not making any more of a negative environmental impact, its more about self-sufficiency and survival. Not coincidentally, it completely aligns with being conscious about the environment, but now its for survival in the 21st century. If the grid goes out in August, and chaos is starting to break out, at least you would have refrigeration and would be able to feed yourself. We can't expect that someone is always going to ship our food to us and keep us warm in the winter. No more dependence on foreign countries for energy.

Think of all these developments that would be created or refurbished with full solar, and with fruit trees and fully edible landscapes...that would SELL, and sell quick. This is what the celebrities should be doing with their money. Not even building new places but coming in and outfitting a whole (previously built) development. Check out Permaculture on Wikipedia or Google.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture

It gives an individual more independence against the fossil-fueled life.
We have to start thinking about this more critically. Food prices, commuting and heating prices, transportation. The less we have to spend, the less we have to work at jobs that we don't completely love, and the more time we have to chase our dreams and make this a better place to live and have some REAL fun.

I think there is strength in numbers. If groups can get together and support one another, while helping each other to become more sustainable and informed, we can make huge progress as individuals and social groups.
www.meetup.com

I really think this is the best website to meet people interested in the same activities as yourself. I was blown away by the number of groups out there. Search by zipcode.

http://www.chelseapiers.com/fhGym.htm

I'm also thinking about doing this - Beginner Gymnastics Class. A 10 class pass is $190, and that includes instructors. I used to do flips on the trampoline back in high school. Some of my best high school memories involve all of us bouncing around for hours and just hanging out. Really fun.

One thing that Ive always wanted to learn was a standing backflip. I could stand on the edge of the trampoline and land on my feet in the middle of the circle, but there was always this mental block about standing on firm ground. Maybe with spotting and advice on technique I can finally get it.

New Topic...Clothing - Don't we all have enough to go around at this point? Why are they still making more of it? I have so many old clothes in my closet from back in college and my teens, and I havent really purchased a new item in over a year.

I have good clothes from jobs that I've done over the past few years, and I still wear alot of t-shirts when I'm at home and running errands. The idea of continuously dropping money on more and more outfits just doesn't register with me. And please, don't take this as any offense if you like to dress well and like to go shopping alot. Its totallyyour choice. and you probably dress way sharper than I do. I used to do it alot and it was fine for me at the time, and we should all decide for ourselves.

I'm just trying to give voice to the other side of thinking. In the end, it can be trivial. Perhaps an alternative is reusing fabrics and using chemical-free materials. My girlfriend is in the fashion-design industry, and I do respect the artistry and the unfathomable level of skill that is required to create these pieces. I'm more about questioning the non-stop buying of it. We can support those artists and still not have to purchase many more pieces of clothing at this point. And it's also like we can't buy stuff that still looks great but is previously worn. There is just so much out there, I just cant see the point of spending so much on new clothes all the time. Again, take it for what its worth.

Here's a real head scratcher for me...People that buy the $500,000 cars, the 20 Million dollar mansions...you know...the people we are told that we should be aspiring to be. These people could be remembered at great heroes in our society. Instead they settle for a huge consolation prize called "celebrity". They could buy orchards and feed people, develop better transportation between cities and towns, and helping to make the US more energy independent. They could LITERALLY keep people alive.

The could be feeding people. How many Bengali lives are worth a Ferrari?

Instead they spend money on furs, jewels, and cars. When is enough, enough? What is sufficient? Please tell me. Why not a cool Mini Cooper for what...30K? And that's still alot of money. How can we admire such blatant arrogance? Puff Daddy is brainwashing many young people into thinking the goal of life is to have 24" rims and diamonds all over their hands and around their neck. Any of them. At the core of the issue, they are undermining true progress in the black community. Playing a large role in the brainwashing of young people, so that they focus on material wealth and usually hollow sex.


I for one, am not impressed. Why doesn't someone mention this? I cannot be the first.



More to come really soon...