Archive for the 'Environment' Category

Farm Living in an Urban Setting

Our very own social media strategist, Martina Fugazzotto, was profiled in a recent New York Post article detailing the latest trend of "urban homesteading." Despite some minor inaccuracies regarding the finer points of the story, we now know that Martina does in fact moonlight as the poster child for the movement. Her qualifications include "nerdy-hip glasses and American Apparel style" (really?). In any case, we think her great-grandma, who used to grow her own produce on a Lower East Side rooftop in gun boxes (of all things), would be proud of the continuation of the Fugazzotto tradition. We're pretty proud ourselves to be able to count this self-sufficient foodie as one of our own. Now go and read about why that t-shirt Martina is wearing packs an extra dose of irony.

Meet the New York Hillbillies

You can also check out more about Martina's adventures in working the fertile land of New York City at FarmTina.com.

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A New Reason to Be Smug

Toyota is unveiling a new concept Prius geared at young, urban singles and couples, aptly named the 'Prius C' ('C' is for cookie, or so I've often heard). As a current Prius driver, I can attest to the subtle embarrassment of cruising with the windows down and Kanye blasting from the speakers (Yeezy's beats do not cover those iconically lame curves, resulting in net-loss of swagger). However, these sexy photos give me hope that those days may soon be over. Though it's still just a concept, meaning there may be awkward changes as it matures into a grown-up production car (est. 2012), I'm hopeful that the intended market will keep the design sleek and fun. Best of all, Toyota claims the new model will exceed the current leading mileage of 51 mpg boasted by...the current Prius. So this won't be a fuel-efficient vehicle in name only, unlike some other recent 'contradictory' sport-hybrids.

There's also a tubby new family-version Prius being unveiled, but I'm only 24 and particularly adept at avoiding process servers and ex-girlfriends so whatever.

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Advertising the non-advertising

Billboard
Today's Fast Company newsletter featured a project that comments on advertising in our environment... using the format of advertising. Seattle's Lead Pencil Studio has designed a billboard sculpture at the US-Canada border near Vancouver called Non-Sign II that just outlines a billboard space, framing nothing but fresh air. The public art piece is positioned to strike a contrast to the rows of billboard advertisements along the highway that pull your eyes away from the off-road view of the world. You can read more about the project here.

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THE PLASTIKI

The Plastiki, built in San Francisco, is the brainchild of David de Rothschild. The concept was inspired by the book Cradle to Cradle , written by William McDonough. We learned about the Plastiki's voyage from our resident Vegan, and environmentalist, Brooke. She has pledged the Plastiki pledge in an effort to heal our ocean, and promote eco-friendly solutions to our planet's health.

A bit about the Plastiki: "The Plastiki began her adventure nearly four years ago after taking inspiration from a report issued by UNEP called ‘Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Deep Waters and High Seas’ and Thor Heyerdahl’s epic 1947 expedition, The Kon-Tiki. True to Adventure Ecology’s values, a compelling and pioneering expedition was needed that would not only inform, but would also captivate, activate and educate the world that waste is fundamentally inefficient design."

Follow the Plastiki on Twitter: @Plastiki

Follow the Plastiki on Facebook: Plastiki Facebook

(Images courtesy of Plastiki Flikr All Rights Reserved)

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