ecojunkiejourney

day 51. july 21. 2010.

breathingplace — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:25:49 +0000

Puma. and Yves Behar. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little more excited about Yves than Puma. Yves is, um like, a design god. I am in awe of him. Perhaps a little weak in knees awe, actually. And reduced to using “like” in my, like sentences, and stuff.

Yves is an industrial designer based in San Francisco and founder of fuseproject, and he designs SERIOUSLY cool stuff.

Like the XO Laptop. (The story of why he designed this laptop, and what happened when it went to market is incredible.)

The Mission Motors Motorbike. SAW-weet!!!

But in terms of being an honourary ecoJunkie, Yves gets my vote for this:

Earthshattering? No. But really clever!! And DOWN with shoeboxes! You are still my hero, Yves!

day 50. july 20. 2010.

breathingplace — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:08:10 +0000

Cautious. Not necessarily optimistic.

Apparently, BP has stopped the leak. Well the leak on the valve that is… recent reports have indicated that a “seep” has been located on the ocean floor near the well. The seep could mean one of two things: we have a environmental disaster on our hands that would be near impossible to contain or control, or the seep is a natural occurrence that is little cause for alarm.

The ocean floor seep was suspected when pressure on the valve cap was lower than expected, raising concern there was a leak somewhere else in the well bore; if this the case, the valve cap will have to be reopened to prevent complete environmental annihilation and will create a situation extremely difficult to fix. And underground leak could let oil and gas escape uncontrolled through the bedrock and mud under the ocean’s surface.

The most concerning of all, for me, is that BP has an interest in keeping the valve cap closed until the relief well is completed. If the valves are reopened, 100% of the oil will be captured by ships on the surface, allowing the oil flow to be measured, a number on which government fines will be based. But if BP keeps the valves shut, the fine will have to be based on previous estimates which were most likely lower than the real number. I’d bet the farm that BP is willing to take that little risk.

day 49. july 19. 2010.

breathingplace — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:53:40 +0000

These girls are pretty. They are also pretty eco-friendly. Well I know for a fact the one on the right is close to ecojunkie. They are also the cofounders of The Beaver Theatre Company. (and not just cause they are Canadian).

They are doing a bit of a show on Monday July 26 2010 at Cool Hand of a Girl, a little organic cafe spot regularly frequented by myself, and the girl on the right, along with the girl on the right’s family. The girl on the left is sometimes seen “in the kitchen” at Cool Hand of a Girl. Cool Hand of a Girl makes the best sandwiches. I know this for a fact. As a sandwich “hater” I know a good sandwich when I have one. The Avocado & Tomato Sandwich with Lemon Pepper Dressing is divine. As the comedy by these two ladies. Divine Comedy. Come check them out if you are in the city next Monday. More info on the Beaver Theatre Company’s Website!

day 48. july 18. 2010.

breathingplace — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 20:48:20 +0000

I’m wearing flowers on my face! One of the items I picked up at the natural make up party was a blush by Zuii Certified Organic Flora Makeup. Zuii Organics are made in Australia. Their team has formulated and developed the Zuii range of products based on Certified Organic flower petals, essential oils, plant extracts, vitamins and minerals.

No talc
No synthetics
No Petro Chemicals
No Parabens
No genetically modified ingredients
No Animal Testing
Preservative Free

Their Company is 100% Australian owned and all of their products are created and manufactured in their state of the art production facilities. Keeping the manufacturing processes within Australia allows Zuii to maintain the integrity of their product range, and gives them the opportunity to source the purest forms of ingredients for production processing. They also manufacture cruelty free and do not test on animals.

Some of the Zuii product ingredients include:

rosebuds
chamomile flowers
geranium oil
jasmine buds
horsetail (a plant… not actually horse hair)
coltsfoot extract (a herb … not actually the foot of a colt)
jojoba oil
st. johns wort extract
aloe vera

day 47. july 17. 2010.

breathingplace — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 18:29:06 +0000

I’m going to a “natural make up” party tonight!! I’ll let you know if there’s any good stuff!!!

day 46. july 16. 2010.

breathingplace — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:27:34 +0000

Hand mined, environmentally sensitive gems are available through Columbia Gem House Inc. The do their own mining, cutting and marketing and “strictly adhere to The Quality Assurance and Fair Trade Gems Protocols.”

OK. So if you NEED a fancy rock, you might want to research where these are available.

meh.

day 45. july 15. 2010.

breathingplace — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:35:10 +0000

Diamonds. I’ve never really been a big fan of diamonds. Part of it is the rebel in me. I try not to do what everyone else is doing. Ok, sometimes.

I’m not entirely sure what all the fuss is about… its clear stone. I think it’s “value” has been over exaggerated by the diamond companies. According to the US Geological Survery, the World Industrial Diamond Reserves are estimated to be 580MILLION CARATS. Makes me think twice about this idea of it being a “rare rock”.

Then there was the movie, “Blood Diamond“. A fantastic film, and for me, completely reinforced my belief that Leonardo DiCaprio is indeed a great actor. But I digress.

Even after all of the bad press on “blood diamonds”, Amnesty International still estimates that up to 10% of the worlds diamonds come from countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cote D’Ivoire and tied to groups engaged in all manner of human rights abuses, from rape to child abuses. Not the sort of thing you want associated with the happy ceremony and commitment to your betrothed.

Sierra Leone Workers

The Kimberly Process was developed to reduce the trade of conflict diamonds. Currently 47 members (representing 75 nations – the EU counts as an individual participant) have met the minimum requirements of the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme.

Even so, this only tells you that your diamond is “conflict free”. The mine could still be causing extreme environmental damage, the workers could be exploited, they could be employing children.

More recently I have come across some research revealing the environmental impact of diamond mining. Did you know that on average 250 tonnes of ore have to be dug up and processed to reveal a single carat. After that, only 1 in 5 raw diamonds are considered good enough to wear. Twenty percent of diamonds are excavated from dry riverbeds, and let me assure you these riverbeds are not “naturally dry”. Vacuuming a riverbed destroys delicate ecosystems reliant on that water system. Did you also know that diamonds are mining from the ocean floor? Neither did I.

Ocean Floor Diamond Mining

Open Pit Diamond Mining

More information on the environmental impact of diamond mining can be found here.

day 44. july 14. 2010.

breathingplace — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:35:06 +0000

Through my ecojunkie research I happened upon a great organization based in the US called Women’s Voices for the Earth. I have had a couple of conversations with Cassidy Randall, the Program and Outreach Coordinator for WVE. Last week, Cassidy asked me to be one of the first “Actionistas” for WVE. I sent out the following email as my first “Actionista Action!”

Hi all

An organization I’m involved with called Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) just put out a new report on fragrance chemicals in household cleaners linked to respiratory disorders, hormone disruption, reduced fertility and birth defects-and these chemicals are showing up in blood, breast milk, and even in newborns! The worst part is that cleaning product companies don’t have to tell us what’s in their products; they are legally allowed to keep these ingredients a secret from us! But WVE and I are working to change this.

If you are willing, please click on the link below to take a quick minute to send cleaning product manufacturers an email telling them to come clean on fragrance chemicals? Here’s the link:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2708/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4109

Scroll to the bottom, fill in your info and click “Send Your Message”.

Thanks all!!

Heather

day 43. july 13. 2010.

breathingplace — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:05:45 +0000

A week or so ago I posed about the Living Building Challenge, an international architectural challenge that poses the question, “What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?”

Well, British Columbia is stepping up again! The Okanagan Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation (the OCOEISBTAREC f it were an acronym. And I am happy it’s not) is being being in Penticton, BC.

The Centre is aiming to be Canada’s most environmentally responsible and sustainable facilities; it’s goal to help shift the perspective of Canada’s construction community to realize that using environmentally sustainable building practices on an institutional project doesn’t mean having to pay a premium. As an interior designer, this is a goal close to my heart.

The 75,000 sf facility will not only help change the current perceptions about environmentally responsible construction, but it will also serve as a living laboratory for the Okanagan College students with access to systems and information as an important consideration in the building’s development. The Centre will also provide space for research, development and testing by industry and not for profit organizations involved in environmentally focused innovation.

The Centre is being designed by CEI Architecture, a west coast based firm with it’s head offices in Vancouver.

day 42. july 12. 2010.

breathingplace — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:24:52 +0000

Haiti.

Six months later.

Three hundred thousand people dead.

Three hundred thousand people injured.

One million six hundred thousand people without homes.

Three hundred thousand children without homes.

One hundred and twenty five thousand transitional shelters promised.

Five thousand six hundred and fifty seven transitional shelters built.

Five billion, one hundred million US dollars pledged for aid.

Nine hundred and seven million US dollars received for aid.

Nineteen million cubic metres of rubble needs to be removed.

Zero rubble has been removed.

What does this have to do with being an ecojunkie? We care for this earth, and all the things on this earth, including all the people of this earth. That is what being committed to this earth means. Can we do more? Can I do more?