Puff is attached near the exhaust pipe of your vehicle. Its color changes dynamically, visualizing the amount of pollution your car is producing. Green indicates the lowest rate of pollution, red the highest.

Modern artists have often tackled environmental and ecological issues head on, such as through incorporating litter and refuse into sculptures, while other artists (such as photo, video and film artists) have sought to document industrial waste and/or have taken strong oppositional/advocacy stances in their works.

In recent years, many artists have sought to move beyond these “reactive”, commentary, and  documentary approaches and create objects and devices that serve practical purposes (if still a bit fanciful in appearance). One such artist/designer is Karolina Sobecka, whose car emissions monitoring device, ‘Puff’ , provides colorful feedback to the car owner on how “cleanly” (or efficiently) he/she is using/burning gasoline.

This author recently contacted Ms. Sobecka and asked her about this device (’Puff’) as well as her other designs, and her artistic/social/environmental goals.

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With bike weddings, bike parades, hundreds of naked bicyclists, bike fashion shows, popular & interesting cargo bikes, and travelling bike pubs, Portland is #3 on this great bicycle city photo tours list.

Portland has great bicycle facilities (colored bike lanes, bike boxes at intersections, great bike signs, off-road bicycle paths, etc.), a large number of people using the bicycle for transportation, and a bike culture that brings the fun of bicycling to another level.

As a result of these factors and more, Portland was the first large city in the US to achieve the Platinum level Bike Friendly award from the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) — the Platinum level being the highest level possible (above Gold, Silver and Bronze). It is truly a world-class bicycle city now, and the amazing photos in this photo tour help to show that.

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From bicycle lovers to lovers on bikes, bike art to art on bikes, the largest bicycle sharing program in the world to some of the smallest bikers, enjoy this bicycle city photo tour of Paris, France!

Paris doesn’t have a long history as one of the best bicycle cities, but with the introduction of the largest bicycle sharing program in the world, bicycling in Paris has boomed and the city is becoming commonly associated with the bicycle now. Its whole culture is changing due to the bicycle’s increasing relevance in the city’s daily life.

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Groningen would be number one on this list if we were looking at percentage of residents who bicycle for transportation purposes. About 57% of travel in Groningen is by bicycle!

The city has been named the world’s best bicycle city a couple of times (1993 and 2006). It is a university city which is part of the reason why it has so many people bicycling, but it has done amazing things to make the city more bicycle friendly as well. The bicycle facilities you can see on the following pages will probably blow your mind away.

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Berlin is a great bicycle city! Full of bicyclists, bike art, bicycle infrastructure, and unique bikes for a variety of different purposes, Berlin is #7 on this “great bicycle cities” list.

If you go to Germany, you will probably hear some Germans saying how much they love their cars (i.e. Mercedes, BMW, Audi). However, you will probably be surprised to see how many people actually love their bikes. Berlin is perhaps the best example. You can see people from across the class spectrum using the bicycle for a wide range of purposes. Even the postal service and other delivery services use bicycles.

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Artist Jason de Caires Taylor has sculpted a series of human figures in the world’s first underwater sculpture park. This exhibit is an evolving art exhibit available to divers and glass bottom boats of the Grenada reef that is aimed at promoting conservation awareness.

Jason’s “sculptures highlight ecological processes whilst exploring the intricate relationships between modern art and the environment. By using sculptures to create artificial reefs, the artist’s interventions promote hope and recovery, and underline our need to understand and protect the natural world.”

This is the world’s first underwater sculpture park that includes environmental education.

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The three summits of Mount Rainier: Liberty Cap, Columbia Crest,and Point Success (unaltered image)

Most of us would consider a trip to a state or national park to be a chance to get away from the pollution that plagues our cities. But it’s seldom easy to escape the effects of urban, industrial air pollution. Now, with a new art project called ECLIPSE, the web viewer or park visitor can see real time air quality data “imposed” on the otherwise scenic landscapes of our state and national parks.

ECLIPSE, based on an open source program, is the handiwork of artists Cary Peppermint and Leila Christine Nadir of EcoArtTech, and is a sponsored project of New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc. for its website turbulence.org.

So, how does it work? Just select a State/National park from a drop down menu, click the “apply AQI (air quality index) conditions” button, and ECLIPSE then performs two “data scraping” functions…if air quality data is available for that park, the program sorts through Flickr.com for images tagged with that particular park’s name, then, the program “corrupts” or alters the image to reflect air quality data (culled from the most recent AQI updates on the www.airnow.gov website) of the nearest, large city within a 65 mile radius.

The air quality rating system uses the following scale: good – fair – moderate – unhealthy – very unhealthy –hazardous*. The AQI rating is a measure of particulate matter in the atmosphere, based on a range of 0 – 500 parts per million, with “good” being 0 - 50 ppm, and “unhealthy” being 151 ppm or higher.

Airnow.gov maintains 300 monitoring stations in cities across the country. With the ECLIPSE program, the more pollution present in the atmosphere of the park’s nearest city, the more visually “corrupted” the image becomes. This alteration process utilizes various algorithms that affect color, saturation, and contrast, and, additionally, impose intermittent mirroring, deletion, or cropping functions on the image’s data file.

Air quality is determined by the presence of particulate matter in the lower atmosphere. Particulate matter is a complex mixture of moisture and small particles of dust, soot, soil, various acids (e.g., nitrogen or sulfur containing acids) and trace metals.

The artists’ website notes that, In 2008, the EPA’s own Clean Air Scientific Advisory Council (CASAC) protested that the EPA was not upholding its mission to protect air quality standards according to
the scale.

*Note that U.S. air quality ratings are different than Canada’s AQ rating system, for example. The U.S. system has more gradations of air quality in which “moderate” in the U.S. system is rated as “unhealthy”  on the Canadian scale. The site offers a visual comparison of air quality ratings between the US and Canadian indexes.

Biking Through History

Brandenburg Gate

Reichstag (home of the German Parliament)

Image Credit 1: tehf0x via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: Pesterussa via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 3: helter-skelter via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 4: pixelroiber via flickr under a CC license

Bike Sign & Lights

Image Credit 1: welu-berlin via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: swizzled via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 3: Fanny B. via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 4: Schockwellenreiter via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 5: Songkran via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 6: The Infatuated via flickr under a CC license

Bike Sports

Image Credit 1: Ollie T. via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: Ollie T. via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 3: Ollie T. via flickr under a CC license

Bikes for Two or Three Babies!

Bike Buckets for Kids!

Image Credit 1: john-aïves-1946 via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: derpunk via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 3: sualk61 via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 4: Johann C. Rocholl via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 5: Johann C. Rocholl via flickr under a CC license

Group Bikes & Big Bike Taxis

Image Credit 1: boliston via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: -[j á n o s]- via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 3: thomas.ritz via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 4: fredpanassac via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 5: tellmewhat2 via flickr under a CC license

Bike Parades

Image Credit 1: Schockwellenreiter via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: Schockwellenreiter via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 3: Schockwellenreiter via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 4: viernullvier via flickr under a CC license

Strong Bikes & Strong Bikers

Image Credit 1: Baptiste Pons via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: smallcaps via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 3: extranoise via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 4: cloud_nine via flickr under a CC license

Bike Postal Service & Other Delivery Services

Image Credit 1: adamgreenfield via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: Kunstee via flickr under a CC license
Image Credit 3: Zachary Shahan
Image Credit 4: Zachary Shahan
Image Credit 5: demimismo via flickr under a CC license

Bike Antique as Bike Planter

Car Heaven is a Bike

Image Credit 1: Andreika via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: elmada via flickr under a CC license

As we face the Autumnal Equinox, I watch the interior dome light shift as it does with my landscaping. The daily light beam changes with seasons.

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Founded by Donna Karan and Sonja Nuttall, the Urban Zen Foundation has the mission to create, connect, collaborate, and “to raise awareness and inspire change in the areas of well-being, preserving cultures and empowering children.” Being both well-known fashion designers in the US and UK respectively, they bring both credibility and immense skill and creativity to their efforts to “design forums, partner with exisinting organizations and bring together experts to define solutions and implement action.”

UZF has a retail/giving center. Here you can browse fashion and fine art, such as these famous photographs on auction, that have been donated by world renowned photographers to help the Urban Zen Foundation causes.

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For Labor Day I thought I would share a little something my mind has been laboring over. It’s called a kilt. I like to call it, a glimpse of heaven. If heaven consists of recycled leather, fabric and hardware combined to make delicious ‘kilts’ in varying colors and patterns, I beg you, transport me there immediately.

Pure Bohemian, congratulations. You’ve constructed the most incredible skirt I have ever seen. Period.

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Steven Psyllos interviewed Harris recently for New York magazine to discuss his inspiration, artistic process,  and to unveil a new animated plastic bag beast; the video was shot by Jonah Green.

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“Spend a year tickled pink with flowers and leaves native to northern california and oregon, and sometimes found in other parts of the western u.s.“ with the the floral leaves datebook or “spend a year in the forest and the coral…lush green interior pages with 8 repeating original illustrations of all the little details found in the forest and in the tidepools.“ with the forest coral datebook!

They’re 100% recycled paper and have beautiful front and back covers in full-color printed with vegetable-based inks on reincarnation paper.

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Queral started using phonebooks when off looking for some wood and happened upon some abandoned phone books. They can be advantageous to use as they are often a free material that can be found in recycle bins and trash piles. Queral carves the famous faces into the phone books and slowly peels away the layers to create a low relief sculptural portrait.

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When the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced that it was deaccessioning part of its textile collection, artist Robert Fontenot was on the scene. He hit up three separate auctions and acquired 50 pieces, almost half of the items the museum was getting rid of. The resulting work is sometimes arty, sometimes functional, and all beautiful! He embroiders the accession number into each finished piece.

The project is still a work in progress, and I just love this quote from his artist’s statement: “Although each item has not yet been used, each item can have a use.” Yes! I think that can apply to materials in a much larger sense, and his work is a fantastic reminder that old pieces can take on a whole new life with just a little bit of love.

Want to get your upcycle on? Thrift stores and even the back of your closet are full of textiles that can take on a whole new life! Here are a few ideas to get you going:

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After writing an article last week on if the UN was making a mistake in their plans for gorilla conservation, titled “Are Gorillas Doomed, Is the UN Making a Huge Mistake,” I got a lot of great feedback from readers. In the article I pointed out some of the things that we as individuals can do to help gorillas. Reader, naturalist, and artist Dave Derrick commented that there is an art for gorillas program on the Year of the Gorilla 2009 Website (http://www.yog2009.org) that he is a part of. Special thanks to Dave for pointing this out. You can check out Dave’s Artwork who’s proceeds go to gorilla conservation here. The art for gorilla program also has some fine photographic prints available for sale.

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The special premieres August 1 and airs throughout the month on most PBS stations. Check local listings for dates and times in your area at PBS.org.

“Through music we can get enlightenment.“

Monday August 10th, 2009 From 7:00 - 8:15 pm ; Marshall, Michigan, USA

the Marshall District Library will host a talk by David Begg about gorillas and the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon. Door Prize: Family Pass to Binder Park Zoo. This event is FREE. Contact Marshall District Library (269) 781-7821

Tuesday August 11th, 2009; Marshall, Michigan, USA

The Marshall District Library will host a walk-in program for kids. Activities include making “Save Gorillas” posters. Prizes will be awarded for best posters within age groups. 10 AM - 2 PM, FREE. Contact Marshall District Library (269) 781-7821 www.unitedinservice.info

Tuesday August 11th, 2009 At 6:30 pm; Marshall, MI

the Marshall United Methodist Church will host the screening of “GORILLAS IN THE MIST”. The film will play in their Theater Room. Parental Discretion Advised - this is not a film for younger children. Running time just over 2 hours. Reserved seating. FREE! Contact Marshall United Methodist Church to reserve your seat (269) 781-5107

Friday August 14th, 2009 from 7pm to 10pm; North Marshall, MI

join the Gorilla Daze Team has organized a special karaoke event, the “SING FOR GORILLAS” Fund Raiser. Come for an evening of family oriented fun. Sing, listen, or do both as we eat ice cream and enjoy a few surprises. Dennis Gorsline will be the Master of Ceremony. Jim Oliver will be our Special Guest. One lucky karaoke singer will be selected to sing back-up on Mr. Oliver’s music video in our own gorilla-style American Idol!  There is a Door Prize of two free tickets to the Detroit Zoo. We will also have a great Silent Auction, including a Website designed and set up by Skategarden Web Design, a $100 Gift Certificate from Artistic Expressions of Battle Creek, a one hour Massage from Mary Ann Churchill of Z’s Salon, and a Gift Basket from Maplewood of Marshall. We’ll also have cool gorilla stuff!  100% of all proceeds will be used to help save gorillas and their habitat. This event is free and open to the public, and will be held at the Marshall United Methodist Church 14711 Old US 27 North Marshall, MI. For more detail visit www.unitedinservice.info or call (269) 781-9627. The purpose of Gorilla Daze is to raise awareness of the threat of extinction of gorillas. The Sing for Gorillas event hopes to raise money to support non-profit organizations working to protect gorillas and their habitats.

Sunday August 16th 2009; Marshall, Michigan, USA

Two lucky winners will be driven to the Detroit Zoo to see live gorillas! To find out where and when, you can register to win two FREE tickets to the Detroit Zoo. Read the event listing for August 14th. Winner may opt to provide their own transportation and choose an alternate date.

Saturday August 29th, 2009 10 am; Los Angeles, CA

“The New Gorillas: The state of gorilla biology and conservation in 2009”  by Dr. Craig Stanford (Professor, Department of Anthropology and Biological Sciences, University of Southern California; Co-Director, USC Jane Goodall Research Center)  Date: August 29, 2009 10 am  Location: Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Witherbee Auditorium; 5333 Zoo Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90027-1498 Contact: Please RSVP to Laurel Colton, Tel. 323-256-8406 Comments: $10 general public (plus Zoo ticket); $10 L.A. Zoo members. Light refreshments will be served. Free parking.

Saturday August 29, 2009, 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM and Sunday August 30, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM; Los Angeles, CA

Go Gorilla! Weekend  Find out more about gorillas when you visit the L.A. Zoo’s Campo Gorilla Reserve. See examples of current conservation projects that are helping to save endangered gorillas. Hear docent and enrichment talks about the Zoo’s gorilla family and bachelor groups. Play games that teach about gorillas, threats to their survival, and what we can do to help save them. Become a Junior Gorilla Researcher and learn how data collected during field studies helps us discover more about gorilla populations and behavior. Visit the L.A. Zoo for this special weekend and Go Gorilla!  Date: Saturday-Sunday, August 29-30, 2009  Time: August 29, 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM and August 30, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM  Location: Gorilla Campo Reserve, Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens; 5333 Zoo Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90027-1498. Tel: 323-644-4702.  Comments: This event directly follows Dr. Craig Stanford’s gorilla lecture (at 10:30 AM in the Zoo’s Witherbee Auditorium). Go Gorilla! Weekend is free with L.A. Zoo admission.

Friday September 25th, 2009 Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine Street Cincinnati, USA “Through the Congo” Thematic day

Saturday, October 10th 2009; Los Angeles, CA

Lecture by YoG Ambassador Ian Redmond & Auction  It’s Our Nature lecture series presents “Save the Gorillas to Save the World” — Lecture by Ian Redmond, OBE. A reception and auction fundraiser at the L.A. Zoo directly follows the talk. This event will benefit the Year of the Gorilla conservation projects through the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. Ticket prices to be announced. DATE: Saturday, October 10, 2009 TIME: 10:30 AM LOCATION: Witherbee Auditorium, Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027-1498 CONTACT: Please reserve seats 323-644-4702.

Thursday October 29th, 2009; Bristol, UK

How can we save primates from extinction? Bristol (UK) Conservation and Science Foundation 2nd annual symposium –  Following the 2008 symposium on evidence-based conservation, the Bristol Conservation and Science Foundation has invited primatologists from the field and zoo sector to discuss success stories and challenges in primate conservation programmes. The meeting aims to bring together evidence on how well we are doing to date in saving primates from extinction, and to suggest ways forward to ensure the survival of our closest relatives beyond the 21st century. Special emphasis will be given to the role of zoos in primate conservation.  Invited speakers include: Prof. John F. Oates Ian Redmond OBE, Year of the Gorilla Ambassador Dr Anthony Rylands Dr Anna Nekaris Dr Jean-Marc Lernould  The one-day symposium will be held in the Clifton Pavilion at Bristol Zoo Gardens, starting at 10.00 am and finishing at 5.30 pm. Registration fees are £75 per person and include a buffet-style lunch as well as coffee/tea breaks between the sessions and entry to Bristol Zoo Gardens. A list of accommodation in Bristol is available on request.  To register, to submit a poster abstract or to find out more, please go to http://www.bristolzoo.org.uk/about/conservation/symposium2009.

Saturday October 31st, 2009; Crawley, UK

Gearing Up 4 Gorillas presents the 2009 ‘Gorilla Gala’ To be held at the Arora International Hotel, Crawley, UK  G4G looks forward to welcoming you to a colourful Congolese style evening of music and dance. Kasai Masai, an exceptional band whose rhythmic, lively music is the very essence of Congolese culture, will perform. To complete the evening, the one and only Mungo Jerry will perform memorable hits to ensure no-one is left seated before a finale to remember……!  As Ambassador for the ‘Year of the Gorilla 2009’ and with his long experience of great ape conservation and intimate knowledge of the world of the mountain gorilla, G4G is honoured to have Ian Redmond OBE presenting the after dinner speech.  A variety of raffle prizes and auction items will delight you as ‘Gearing Up 4 Gorillas’ (G4G) raises awareness and funds to support mountain gorilla protection in Virunga National Park, eastern DR Congo. Every individual guest will automatically become a ‘Camp Bukima Custodian’ for 2010, entitling them to a certificate, photographs of the rangers they will be supporting and four editions of our G-Bulletin.  View the invitation here (Pdf)  If you feel you could offer an auction item or for other questions/input, please call Linda Nunn on (+44) 01725 553149 / 07801 531205

Wednesday December 2nd, 2009; London, UK

Royal Geographical Society Event, Gorillas: The Gentle Giants and Their Role in Our World 7pm  Travel Africa Magazine in association with Evans Mitchell Books and Wild Frontiers are hosting a lecture at the Royal Geographic Society in London. Letitia Farris Toussaint, author of Gorillas: The Gentle Giants, and photographer Martin Harvey will be joined by Ian Redmond OBE. Gentle Giants: an overview by Letitia Farris Toussaint Having studied primate behaviour for many years author Letitia Farris Toussaint provides an insight into the life, habits and fight for survival of these magnificent creatures.  Gorillas: Eye to Eye by Martin Harvey Award winning photographer Martin Harvey has spent over 15 years photographing wildlife. As co-author of Gorillas: The Gentle Giants, he will share his experiences, both hair raising and hilarious, of photographing them.  Break  Save the Gorillas to Save the World by Ian Redmond OBE As a tropical field biologist and conservationist, Ian Redmond OBE is renowned for his work with gorillas. The severe threat faced by these amazing animals is being further highlighted this year, with the UN declaring 2009 The Year of The Gorilla. As one of the Ambassadors for Year of the Gorilla 2009, Ian will highlight the importance of gorillas in the overall eco-system, and the importance of their survival for climate stability.  9pm finish  For more info and to buy tickets for the event, go to www.eventelephant.com/gorillas

-Source: www.yog2009.com

-Image Credit: tiswango on Flickr

But Artevist is a community of artists, not just another graphic tee company. There are no mass-produced designs, sweatshop garments, pesticide-laden cottons, or plastic inks here.  Artevist shirts are made in America from sustainably grown organic bamboo and cotton fabrics, and are printed without using pthalates or PVCs. Each unique limited-edition design is created by an eco-conscious artist, not a corporation.

How does the Artevist model work?

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I think it was smart to change the name of the magazine to WedVert which pretty much means green wedding, which is what Portovert is all about. Now it just makes more sense for the common folk that couldn’t pronounce Portovert.

Another change is that WedVert has now partnered with WedShare and eco-designer Yoko Chapman to provide personal wedding website designs matched with the very first 100% carbon neutral wedding stationery line, VERT.

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