Save the Produce!
It’s summer and with all the produce you’ll be scoring at your local farmer’s market (hopefully you’ll be buying organic) it’s no doubt that your fridge will be fuller than usual. But on an average, Americans throw out at least 25% of the produce that they buy, due to spoilage.…
Volunteering, A Great Start to Activism
” Lately I’ve been thinking of ways in which I can help on a more local scale and get involved in the community. Yesterday, I found this great website, “Volunteer Match” that pairs people with an organization based on your location, skill set and availability. This amazing site currently has…
Wardrobe Refashion
My very talented and crafty friend, Este just brought this cool blog to my attention. Providing an alternative to purchasing new clothes, this site features interesting ways to give your old clothes a new identity. Although my sewing skills are limited to button sewing (!), this site makes me want…
Um yeah — "Did hell just freeze over?"
Maybe its my own pessimism, but the recent reports about Walmart’s plan to clean up its act have left me feeling like I’m reading a story from the Onion instead of the Times. After seeing the anti-Walmart film, “The High Cost of Low Price,” my feelings for the ginormous chain…
Holy Motherboard
Working in a field that requires I use only state-of-the-art computers, I often wonder what happens to the technological waste left behind when my computer becomes obsolete every 4 years. It comforts me to know that companies like Motherboard Gifts and More are discovering inventive ways to reuse some of…
Conform!
Conform’s “UM Carry” bags are at the top of my “things to buy once I secure a job” list. Well designed, eco-friendly and super hip— what more could you ask for in a bag? Conform’s products also have the unique ability to unzip and lie completely flat— perfect for storage…
Non-Plastic "Tupperware" — It Actually Exists
Like many people, the idea of non-plastic “Tupperware” was until recently— an urban legend to me (much like inexpensive, attractive and comfy shoes). I’d heard of people who owned the fabled goods, but had never actually seen it myself or knew where to buy it. On a mission to find…
A Coat Check—For Your Bike!
As a new Berkeley resident, I’m slowly discovering all the cool things the town has to offer. Just recently I came across Bikestation, a “non-profit organization that seeks to improve the quality of life in urban communities through the development and operation of bike-transit centers and related infrastructure.” Modeled after…
To Buy or Not to Buy?
Two years ago I had the pleasure of attending the American Institute of Graphic Artists’ (AIGA) 2004 Gain Conference in New York. Although the bulk of the conference included motivational speech about a designer’s social and environmental responsiblity, one speaker—Christopher Hacker, the then creative & marketing director of Aveda jumped…
