Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Brainforest: How Does Community Sustain Us?

Brainforest is a Chicago-based creative agency that has integrated an ethos of social service (people) and sustainability (planet) into the workplace (profit).  The Triple Bottom Line  seems to come effortlessly to a company that volunteers at the Greater Chicago Food Depository, dedicates pro bono service per annum to a specially selected client, including the Gilda’s Club Chicago, and established a non-proft organization Bfriend, Inc. to support charitable projects.  

Most recently Bfriend, Inc. implemented a supply re-use program called Creative Pitch.  Art materials donated by Chicago-area design and marketing businesses are gathered and distributed free of charge to neighborhood schools in need of art and educational supplies.  Similar creative re-use programs have sprung up in other cities, including New York’s Materials for the Arts, Fort Lauderdale’s Trash to Treasure, and Oakland’s East Bay Depot For Creative Reuse.  Unwanted and unused materials that would ordinarily be pitched in the dumpster, are creatively re-purposed and re-cycled to pitch in. 

A reciprocal exchange lies behind Brainforest’s  ”good works”  initiatives, which are designed as “giving back to the community that sustains us.”  As Dian Sourelis, a Partner at Brainforest and Founder/Chairperson of Bfriend, Inc, explains, the projects have grown organically from a wholehearted desire to serve others: “We are generous people.  We think about what we can do for other people.  People who work here really want to do that.”  Behind Brainforest’s acts of giving back to the community, lies a message about the many returns of a circular sustainability.  Through giving, lies the potential to receive again and again.

Starre Vartan to Speak at "Plugging Into Green" Panel in Brooklyn

P.S. 107 Kicks off its 5th Annual “Readings on the 4th Floor” Series by Plugging into the Green Movement Leading writers from the frontlines of “green” discuss life and community-changing strategies.

Why in a city with the cleanest water in the country do the mass of New Yorkers cling to their chemical-infused bottled water? Is “reduce, reuse, recycle” a livable reality for most families?

Leading writers on all issues green will gather to sort through the facts from the garbage at the 5th Annual “Readings on the 4th Floor” series which kicks off Wednesday, January 21st in Park Slope, Brooklyn at 7:30 PM.

The theme of the first reading is “Plug Into Green.” The reading and discussion will feature:

Elizabeth Royte, author of Garbage Land & most recently Bottlemania
Helen Coronato, author of Eco-Friendly Families
Starre Vartan, author of The Eco-Chick Guide to Life

The discussion will be moderated by Graham Hill, founder of Treehugger, the internet’s leading green news portal.

Each of the authors approaches different aspects of green. Coronato has produced a hands-on guide for families that want to adopt eco lifestyles.

Royte is an investigative reporter devoted to uncovering the truth behind topics like the marketing of bottled water and the disposal of trash in America.

Starre Vartan is determined to prove that green can be fabulous, fashionable and not too expensive.

The unifying tone of the panelists is one of levity and humor toward a crucially-important topic: Green doesn’t have to be dull or scolding.

Plug into Green will be held on the 4th Floor of PS 107, which is located at 13th Street and 8th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Tickets are $15 online at www.ps107.org or $20 at the door.

All books will be available for sale.

This esteemed topical literary series continues to raise funds for the newly renovated fourth floor library/art/performance space of P.S. 107 and has featured everyone from Pulitzer prize winning authors such as Jumpha Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies, to leading journalists including George Packer of The New Yorker.

The series this year will continue through the spring with evenings devoted to making theater happen in New York and Brooklyn nov

The Art of Dumpster Diving

For many, the thought of going near a smelly dumpster, let alone touching, wearing or using the contents from inside of a dumpster is dirty, if not completely revolting. I say it’s wonderful!

Ok, ok, rewind. Though I have never riffled through the trash myself, I must admit to having tremendous respect for those who do. “Dumpster diving,” aka urban foraging, skally-wagging, garbage picking, binning, skip-raiding, skip-weaseling or trashing is very eco—an excellent way to cut back on today’s excessive landfill waste, pollution and rampant squandering of non-renewable resources. Think about it! By salvaging that which is still usable, garbage scavengers, or divers as they’re commonly referred, lower landfill levels while preventing the energy-sipping manufacture of resource-robbing objects.

As Americans hold the not-so-spectacular distinction of producing more garbage per person than any other country (source: Energy Information Administration), “Dumpster Diving” is gaining a newfound respect and practice amongst the environmentally concerned. It’s no longer just for Vancouver’s gutter punks and the hopelessly broke. Now, eco-sophisticates from Scobey to San Francisco (well, duh) are rolling up their sleeves in what many are calling an act of “consumer defiance” and “common sense conservation.” It’s very groovy!

If you think our consumer society and its willy-nilly throwaway mentality have become unbearable, consider taking the plunge—into a smelly dumpster near you. First, a few tips and words of caution . . .

1. Bring A Friend . . . Just in Case the Lid Closes on You

2. Quality not Quantity
Don’t take items that are beyond repair or flat out unsanitary. Do a sniff test, check for burrowing holes and critters. The last thing you want is a four-legged roommate with typhus.

Photo courtesy Disney.com

3. Timing is Everything
Not to capitalize on other’s misfortunes, but the 7th of the month is an excellent day for diving. Evictions happen on the 8th and well . . . it’s a tough world out there.

4. Hit Up the Gold Mines
Nothing says, “plethora of barely-used stuff” like college move-out day. Hung-over and drained from finals, most college students can scarcely move, let alone pawn off their Bed Bath and Beyond Booty. Take advantage. If you live near a university, especially one with rich and lazy students (i.e. Princeton . . .), make friends with the janitors. Pop-up hamper, multi-colored Yaffa Blocks or a water bong . . . you’ll be glad you did.

Photo courtesy swiftspeech.blogspot.com

5. Beware of Compactors
Please, never EVER enter a dumpster that includes a compactor—yes, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’” Shredder survived, but he’s a black belt certified villain. He’s also a cartoon.

Photo courtesy Legos.com

6. You’re Not Above the Law
It’s no surprise that identity thieves use dumpsters to scam your social security number and bank statements. Frustratingly, these few bad apples have ruined it for the honest diver. Several cities punish dumpster diving with heavy fines, even hard time. Research your local laws.

7. Beware of Biohazards
Best to pass up those dumpsters labeled “medical equipment,” “hazardous waste,” or “radioactive.” Also smart to keep up with immunizations.

Photo courtesy freelabs.com

8. Let God’s Creatures Forage Too
Always best to knock politely on the side of a dumpster before entering. This gives the rats, squirrels, possums, coons, black bears or fellow divers a heads up before you bombs away.

Photo courtesy http://clintjcl.wordpress.com/tag/journal/

9. Dress for Success
Sturdy clothing and gloves are a must. If injury prone, consider investing in a rubber onesie (Batman’s rubber bat-suit recently auctioned for 103K). Some seasoned divers advocate a costume to keep hecklers, law enforcement and archetypal do-gooders off your tail. I recommend the double knit-polyester food service uniform and matching hairnet. This makes you look like a hard-working employee, minding your own business and taking out the trash.

Photo courtesy filmnewz.com

10. Tools of the Trade
If you’re especially on top of your game, get one of those poles with a grabber at the end. Those are awesome and come in handy when playing tricks on annoying siblings. A miner’s helmet with attached light is great too, especially for night dives and buried loot.

Photo courtesy cactuspruner.com

Global War by Dawn Maxey

I was introduced to Dawn Maxey’s spoken word poetry at the recent AIGA Compost Modern event.

Here’s some excerpts from her very spirited poem, “Global War” about eco-hype:

But then/ just the other day,
I began to notice people at Whole Foods with entire shopping carts full of ‘organic’ and ‘go green’ items. These people are the same ones that say things like “did I bump into you? I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect this ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE dishwashing soap to be so heavy.”
I want to pour environmentally safe salt in their eyes.

In fact, I imagine a day when things get so bad you’ll live in a glass house so that everyone can see you wake up in the morning, get out of your organic soy bean bed and pack your “this is not a plastic bag”, bag. You’ll open a box of Tony the tiger’s non hydrogenated hypoallergenic free trade grain flakes, and drive your not-tested-on-animals bicycle to work. Then you’ll help Nike ‘save’ the rainforest by branding large red swooshes on all the lemurs or maybe organize a photo shoot for Abercrombie’s new cotton free cotton underwear.

Green is chic now, but when the stock market of trends crashes
no one will want to be caught dead with biodegradable polos, environmentally safe dirt, or toilet paper made from corn husks.
the earth will be just as trashed as Lindsay Lohan in a Bacardi factory
and people will care
even less

So how do you fix the problem?
Make being green
sustainable
show people that it’s not hip or trendy or fun to be green
it’s an obligation

Macbook Air: Green Equals Sexy!

Steve Jobs just finished giving they keynote speech at the MacWorld 2008 conference, where he unveiled the super-sexy new Macbook Air (check Gizmodo for more techie coverage). So, besides the fact that this computer looks totally gorgeous, it is also a serious GREEN MACHINE.

The ecofriendly stats, from Jobs’ speech:

-It’s got an aluminum case, which makes it easy to recycle

-Mercury- and Arsenic-free display

-The circuit boards are PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and BFR (bromine) free

-Less packaging waste; packaging was reduced by 56%

-It’s as skinny as it looks: 0.76 inches at the thickest part, and just 0.16 inches at the thinnest. It’s so slim Jobs slid it inside one of those manila office envelopes. And not very heavy either, which makes it light on your shoulders when you have to lug it around all day, and also costs less in CO2 emissions to ship to you from California.

Why don’t we want this stuff in our computers? Because when they are eventually trashed, all the nasty crap gets into our air (if garbage is incinerated) and water (if it’s landfilled). And making PVC, especially, also poisons the air.

Mercury: There is no safe level of mercury exposure according to the WHO and the UN, especially for young women; mercury can cause neurological problems in developing fetuses, and it is stored in the body, so it can harm a developing child even years after exposure)

Arsenic: Uh, it’s a poison. Didn’t you read “Flowers in the Attic”?

PVC is known as “The Poison Plastic”; it causes immune system problems, cancer, and disrupts hormones. It is one of the plastics scientist believe cause baby boys to hormonally become more feminized.

Bromine is a carcinogen. It’s especially interesting that they eliminated BVR after Apple fought Greenpeace tooth and nail in the media trying to say bromine was OK to use in the iPhone)

Congratulations and applause all-around to Apple for making good on all their promises to make their computers and peripherals more eco-friendly.

Thanks to Chris Baskind for showing me the sexy green!