on FLUSHING THE TOILET

yes, folks, i FLUSH THE TOILET when i pee. and really, i didn't feel guilty about it at all until just recently. my roommate's girl moved in a few weeks ago, and she lives by the "if its yellow, it can be my fellow" rule. or maybe its "if its pee, let's all see!" needless to say, its not my favorite thing.

HOWEVER, being conscientious myself, i understand the ideology, and appreciate the fact that they have chosen to sacrifice their NOSTRIL CLEANLINESS to conserve water, (it does smell if i haven't been in to flush it for a while, especially when somebody eats asparagus.) or perhaps it is because i'm moving soon, but these differences are not of import to any of us. Although, it is interesting to think about...

IT MUST BE NOTED that i recognize the inherent DESIGN PROBLEM in our toilets, and that we ought to change the status quo. My solution, currently, has been to place several 'pontoons' in the toilet tank (no, not THAT) which are basically filled, capped off plastic bottles, to keep the water/per/flush down. this is not the ANSWER, neither are DUAL FLUSH TOILETS, but its a start.


(image from http://www.toiletology.com and is a diagram of a CAROMA DUAL FLUSH TOILET which i just thought looked pretty rad, go dualies! (they'll be the new fixies for sure)

smart, huh? well, here's a better one: if you ever have FRUIT FLIES, make a paper cone with a small (1/2") hole, and tape it to a glass containing a sip of red wine, pointy side down to within an inch of the wine, fully sealed to the glass' lip with tape (duct is best) and watch it fill with fruit flies! integrated pest management baby! and it feels kind like high school bio lab.

thats all for today. WHATS THAT LITTLE PATCH OF GRASS THAT GOLFERS AIM AT CALLED? sustainable design i think.

on NOT DRIVING

(image from MATT B MEDIA and its pretty dope.)

i didn't start NOT DRIVING by choice. (truthfully, like most of us, i couldn't get to work without my car. so my first day without the old truck was my first day looking for a new job... but i digress) no, it was by accident. well, actually by getting IN an accident. nobody was hurt, the old beauty just lost a wheel on the highway...

well, whatever the original reason, i've stuck to NOT DRIVING for almost a year now. and truthfully not driving sucks sometimes. but you know what? its CHEAP!!

and i don't mean that like low-quality, i mean you save BUNDLES OF CASH by not owning a car. its almost amazing. another amazing thing: its SO easy to rent a car and go on a road trip once in a while (not to mention those 'zipcar' and local carshare groups). they wash it for you! AND you can pretty much bargain on any price they offer if you don't rent at the airport.

additionally, i think its really reduced my stress levels. i love cruisin' down the open road on a sunny afternoon, but driving in city traffic makes me INSANE! road rage probably causes more heart attacks than smoking.

so anyways, next time im out for a cruise, it'll probably be on my bike. so keep your eyes open, a-hole.

DOING your part

(image found at http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/beazer/32362/ )

so i found this image stumbling around on my internet longboard trying to 'hang ten.'

i must say, i think it is pure genius. the irony or the 'somewhat agree' stat is hilarious. and in a note about the source site, it was site for a new program called ESMART by a huge southern developer BEAZER HOMES, for a massive move towards sustainable buildings. the ESMART homes will feature energy efficient appliances and fixtures, increased attention to air quality, and low-VOC/sustainable finishes. and all with the name "ESMART"

the name connotes efficiency, technology, and practicality, and FOR ONCE isn't using THAT G WORD to sell it. maybe the folks from down south know how to communicate with other folks from down south better than we do. either way...

BRAVO BEAZER!!

GRISTly BEAR

so i was looking for images for a sustainable design textbook i'm helping out with, and i found myself surfing GRIST (www.grist.org) which was an interesting and informative website (i appreciate the 'gristmill' pun)

it seems, though, that GRIST suffers from the same -ITUS as most of the info on this stuff. (can we call it JADEFANTITUS? a.k.a. SEAFOAMING AT THE MOUTH?) and i thought i would share the 15-item long gem of a "green searches" pull down menu:


green actors, green buildings, green business founders, green cars, green chefs, green cities, green colleges and universities, green fashion finds, green fashionistas(WTF?), green movies, green musicians and bands, green politicians, green religeous leaders, and green sports stars


what the hell is a green sports star?!?! sure, and I'M L.E.E.D. CERTIFIED. once again, we are faced with CONSUMERISM AS USUAL ON ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!! the way to make things happen is not to watch more games featuring 'environmental' sports stars! (or moviestars, rockstars, fashionistas, etc) IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE INSPIRATIONAL ROLE MODELS. and SHOULDN'T WE BE INSPIRED OURSELVES?? we are all in this boat together, and rockstars and actors should read about what WE do and be inspired by that. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME IN A TOUR BUS TO MAKE REAL CHANGE HAPPEN. YOU CAN INSPIRE EVERYONE AROUND YOU RIGHT NOW. the obsession with celebrity in america should not be confused with a true ability to take action. this is no longer a spectator sport - we don't have to sit on the sidelines and watch. SO DO SOMETHING. AND WHY NOT WEAR PURPLE WHEN YOU'RE DOING IT!!!


(...i cant wait to see how this all pans out!)