Wow

See more here

Smart Design

Green Leaf, an enormous new “sustainable garden city” will integrate architecture & nature to provide low-energy, high-density housing is currently under construction in Dhaka, one of the most crowded & polluted cities on the planet. 

Love it!

Read more Green Leaf & Co.Exist.

Inspiring

Happy New Year

These ideals of Ma'at are pretty nice & made me think of New Year's resolutions.  

Best wishes for 2012!

Guerrilla Grafters

Guerrilla Grafters are splicing fruit-bearing branches onto city trees in SF!  Super cool.

Read the whole story here: http://www.fastcoexist.com

Buzz

We need to respect bees, especially the Queen Bee.  Come on humans, we can do better.  
Support holistic beekeeping practices. 

Happy America Recycles Day!

So fall, so good.

Autumn is officially here & I am loving it.

Off to do some camping this weekend & thought I’d share this Prayer of the Woods. 

Meeting my sweet baby nephew

Nancy brought Evan to California. Needless to say, I loved him.

It's World Water Week!

Water use it wisely and drink lot's of it too.

Time Exchange

I keep hearing more & more about Long Beach Time Exchange & found that Time Banking, exchanging skills & services for Time Dollars, has been a model with roots back to 1980. 

The concept is simple: One hour equals one time dollar, regardless of the service given, so there’s really no bartering involved. From dog-walking to graphic design, community organizing to tutoring, cooking lessons to massage therapy, everyone’s time is valued equally.  When someone helps you, they earn a credit that they can spend with any other member on any of the services in the network. It’s a powerful idea that helps to grow stronger communities.

Sounds like a good idea to me.  As someone who has thoroughly enjoyed the service of volunteer work, the idea of having time dollars credited to me would make the experience even more rewarding. 

Links: 

Long Beach Time Exchange

Time Banks USA
Time Dollars

Spectacular Design

Ron Arad's Curtain Call

Denver

Three day weekend + the mile high city + two of my favorites = Good times

Talking Heads appreciate civil servants!

Talking Heads: Don't Worry About The Government from Spencer M. Rohan on Vimeo.

Happy Independence Day!

Dottie

The other day while walking home I spotted Dottie working in her yard.  I said hi and told her I had always admired her yard. 

She invited me for a tour of the rest, so impressive… she has tomatoes, Japanese cucumber, Australian beans, raspberries, blackberries, a huge grape vine, orange tree, fig tree, pineapples, carrots, beets, potatoes, passion fruit, every herb you can think of, Myer lemons, chard, artichokes, brussels sprouts and more.  She has lived in the house 78 years, in addition to gardening she is a mechanic and handywoman, ocean enthusiast, and motorcycle lover.  She regularly cans and pickles her abundant produce. 

I’m sharing a few pics snapped with my phone while I was there… she didn’t want to be photographed, but I have to tell you she was very fit and had the most adorable white hair. 

I hope we become friends!  

Smart Travel

How cool!  VIA Rail Canada is cyclists friendly:   

“Whether you’re a Sunday biker or a professional cyclist, taking your bike on board with VIA Rail allows you to discover all the culture, history and authenticity of these regions from a whole new perspective,” said Steve Del Bosco, VIA’s Chief Marketing and Sales Officer.  “When you take the train and your bike not only are you helping to reduce our carbon footprint, you can relax and have fun getting there too.”  www.viarail.ca

Unfortunately, Amtrak doesn’t make it as easy but it’s still possible.

What a great way to plan a summer holiday! 

I use to take my bicycle on the train in Melbourne but it wasn’t exactly encouraged… in Tempe the light rail has vertical bike racks that get the bikes out of the way but require some serious upper body strength to use. 

Whether for daily commutes or exploring bike/train/bike is a great to way travel.  Happy Summer!

Yogi

The practice of yoga is an art & science dedicated to creating union between body, mind & spirit. The Eight-Limb Path of Yoga does a good job illustrating the aspects of yoga that can be used not just for exercise but also as guidelines for conscious living.  There is no order or hierarchy of theses elements, we are all unique individuals & can emphasize one branch & then move on to another as suits.

We have all heard before that it’s not what happens that matters but how you react to it. Implementing these philosophies may help you to react in the way that is best for your life.  

Yoga can be a complement to any religion & can be used to strengthen existing believes.  Even if the thought of joining a yoga class & practicing postures is not for you maybe you can take the time to contemplate some of the guidelines & use them for your own path in life. 

Radical

Man Meets Whale - Sea Movies from www.KORDUROY.tv on Vimeo.