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

Polling Place Photo Project

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by Ann Benoit · 11/08/06

Although I’m pissed that Prop. 87 didn’t get passed as a result of yesterday’s election, I am psyched that the cool design folks at AIGA, Design Observer, Design for Democracy, NewsAssignment.net, and Winterhouse Institute have created The Polling Place Photo Project,

a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that seeks to empower citizens to capture, post and share photographs of democracy in action. By documenting their local voting experience on November 7, voters can contribute to an archive of photographs that captures the richness and complexity of voting in America.

With citizens’ images and the information that accompanies them, the Project becomes a research tool on how voting happens in America and how it can be designed to be easier, less confusing and more enjoyable. The project intends to collect photographs of every polling place in America, so you are encouraged to participate no matter where you vote, how large or small your polling place is, what kind of ballot you use, or what your party affiliation.

At the Polling Place Photo Project, voters can post their polling place photos from yesterday and rate their overall experience. Hopefully this project and other projects like it can help this country eventually create a better, less confusing voting environment, so that more people are comfortable taking the time out of their day to vote for the important issues.

AIGA, design, Home, journalism, local, News, party, photographs, Vote

DON"T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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by Danelle Brown · 11/07/06

Today is Election Day.Please take action; make a stand in our present and our future. This is a very important election and is a time for us all to utilize our power to VOTE. If we want there to be any drastic changes as to how our government addresses our world’s environmental issues, then we have to vote. Remind your friends and family to do so as well. Please visit Rock the Vote, to learn more about the issues at stake in this election. Off to the voting booths.

dress, Eco-Chick, Vote

Red State, The Movie

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by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 09/06/06

Many of us awoke the morning after the 2004 presidential election feeling disillusioned and despondent. The victory that George Bush was enjoying left millions around the world asking; “How could this happen?”

Last week, my friend Michael Shea, was on Sam Seder’s radio show, The Majority Report, on Air America discussing his documentary film Red State. As the title implies, the film delves into the “red states” of America as Michael and a small crew of three travelled accross the country interviewing people from all walks of life. Without coming across as an angry, jaded liberal, but more from a humanitarian stance, Michael gets people to reveal their philosophical leanings as they are embodied in their vote. The discussions are entertaining, disturbing, and at times, hilarious. If you are at all curious as to why Bush succeeded in ’04, you have to see this film. From an ideological standpoint, it is fascinating and frightening. The next screening is on October 10th at the Acoustic Cafe in Bridgeport, CT for those of you in the tri-state region. You can also purchase a copy of the movie from the website linked above.

Bush, interview, skin, travel, Vote

Arcosanti

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by Starre Vartan · 09/01/06

For some reason, in my life, Arcosanti keeps appearing whenever I’m doing research on something else. I’m drawn to this experiment in human living and I think that means that someday I will end up there. Paolo Soleri, and architect who studied with Frank Lloyd Wright, is the father of Arcosanti, which is run by the Cosanti Foundation.

The Foundation’s major project is Arcosanti, a prototype town for 5,000 people designed by Soleri, under construction since 1970. Located at Cordes Junction, in central Arizona, the project is based on Soleri’s concept of “Arcology,” architecture coherent with ecology.

Arcology is Paolo Soleri’s concept of cities which embody the fusion of architecture with ecology. The arcology concept proposes a highly integrated and compact three-dimensional urban form that is the opposite of urban sprawl with its inherently wasteful consumption of land, energy and time, tending to isolate people from each other and the community. The complexification and miniaturization of the city enables radical conservation of land, energy and resources.

An arcology would need about two percent as much land as a typical city of similar population. Today’s typical city devotes more than sixty percent of its land to roads and automobile services. Arcology eliminates the automobile from within the city. The multi-use nature of arcology design would put living, working and public spaces within easy reach of each other and walking would be the main form of transportation within the city.

An arcology’s direct proximity to uninhabited wilderness would provide the city dweller with constant immediate and low-impact access to rural space as well as allowing agriculture to be situated near the city, maximizing the logistical efficiency of food distribution systems. Arcology would use passive solar architectural techniques such as the apse effect, greenhouse architecture and garment architecture to reduce the energy usage of the city, especially in terms of heating, lighting and cooling. Overall, arcology seeks to embody a “Lean Alternative” to hyper consumption and wastefulness through more frugal, efficient and intelligent city design.

Arcology advocates cities designed to maximize the interaction and accessibility associated with an urban environment; minimize the use of energy, raw materials and land, reducing waste and environmental pollution; and allow interaction with the surrounding natural environment.

As you can tell from the pictures, Arcosanti is quite beautiful and original, as well as ecological. Arcosanti runs all kinds of environmental education classes, as well as conversations with Soleri, art shows, concerts and more, and is available for overnight (or longer) visits. Arcosanti gives me hope for a future where human beings can go back to living in harmony with the natural world, without going back to the stone ages.

agriculture, architecture, cities, community, conservation, consumption, design, eating, Eco-Chick, Energy, Food, Lighting, media, pictures, Pollution, reduce, resources, spa, sport, Theory, transportation, urban, Vote, waste

Stars Come Down to Earth

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by Starre Vartan · 08/22/06

Not surprisingly, now that environmentalism is ‘hot’, the stars are coming out in support of various green causes. Of course some notable celebrities have long shined light on various aspects of the environmental movement (Leo, Darryl, and Woody, I’m talkin’ about you!)

So I was really excited when I found out that two smart folks had joined my US Magazine reading self (only online! I swear!), and green obsessive self on a new site. Ecorazzi gossips about stars do-greening all over the place, and offers plenty of funny and snarky commentary. Those celebs that do the green thing deserve recognition, and Ecorazzi gives it to them. Via: Treehugger

 Speaking of going green, America’s Royalty has been busy:

Hollywood stars Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth joined 60,000 festival-goers at Japan’s Fuji Rock festival to bless the launch of Global Cool.

According to Morrell, Fuji Rock’s spotless credentials as a carbon neutral festival singled the three-day event out as the ideal launch pad for Global Cool and it’s ten year plan to cut global CO2 emissions by 10 billion tons. Via: Hugg

Brad Pitt, a lover of architecture with green roots, is helping to judge the Global Green competition Green Building Designs for New Orleans.

All of the submissions feature green building principles for affordable housing complexes that would save residents money by reducing energy costs. The designs improve the health of the community and reduce the impact on the environment. They will also serve as model projects for the healthy green rebuilding of New Orleans.
Via: RemyC

Charlize Theron is into Hip and Zen, which has launched a new South African-based line.

“Online retailer HIP & ZEN specializing in sophisticated, sustainable and organic products, has announced the launch of its new South African Chic Collection. This unique offering of handcrafted fashion accessories and artifacts designed by South African artisans brings awareness to the rich creative culture of the region and benefits women and children with AIDS via the Topsy Foundation .   Via: Ecorazzi

accessories, Africa, architecture, brad pitt, car, carbon, celebrities, children, community, design, emissions, Energy, Fashion, health, Hollywood, magazine, model, New Orleans, Organic, reduce, sustainable, treehugger, Vote, women, wood