Green Options

As our country is mired in creative destruction, a massive grassroots effort is spreading throughout our nation that can help to positively reshape our economy. Millions of people are moving their money from huge, self-serving corporate banks into locally owned community banks and regional credit unions. The Move Your Money Project is growing faster than our country’s rapidly increasing unemployment numbers.

Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki directed this Move Your Money video, utilizing the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” as a metaphor for how our banking system has deteriorated.

“People all over the country are choosing to move their money out of bigger banks and into smaller, community-oriented financial institutions that generally avoided the reckless investments and schemes that helped cause the financial crisis.“

Topping yet another bicycle list, Amsterdam is #1 here because of the great bicycle photos to follow along with the fact that 40% of traffic is bicycle traffic in Amsterdam and the city is full of bicycle facilities, including a 10,000-bicycle parking garage at its train station.

Amsterdam may not have as high a percentage of bicycle commuters as its Dutch neighbor to the north, Groningen, or as much bike-crazy counter-culture as Portland (Oregon), or the largest bicycle sharing program in the world like in Paris, or naked bicycle rides like in Barcelona and Portland, but compared to these and other world cities I think it is pretty well established now that it and Copenhagen are in a tight competition for the top position. Amsterdam tops this list because of the great photos to follow.

The photos here show love and kisses on bikes, tons of bike parking, creative family bikes, flower bikes, and various cargo bikes, among other things.

Everyone rides a bike in the Netherlands, even Santa Clause (or Sinterklaas). Riding a bike doesn’t take away from women’s fashion at all either, but adds to it here. Biking is a part of normal life — perhaps that is why the Dutch are so calm.

There is only one way to avoid the collapse of our species on the planet earth: we have to consume less. And I believe that the world renowned  Reverend Billy Talen and the Church of Life after Shopping can show us the path to sustainable righteousness.

Tracey Noelle Luz took this photograph of Reverend Billy Talen and a group of holiday elves actively promoting the liturgy of the Church of Stop Shopping.

Congratulations Naia Rico, who received the winning contest announcement for Chíc Eco’s Best Eco-Creative Men’s Fashion Designer Poll while in India doing what she said she does best, ‒ designing and prototyping garments with intentions to make heads turn and to improve buying behaviors towards organic fair trade next summer.

Although this write is about men’s fashions, know that Armed Angels is a sustainable street brand for all adult genders. It’s just that in comparison to women’s apparel, it’s not very often one can rave about a men’s collection.

Another reason for recognition is because the Product Manager, Sanda Nevjestic, is third runner-up as the Best Eco-Creative Men’s Fashion Designer in a recent poll contest conducted by Chíc Eco. Sanda happens to be very modest about this because varied street designers are the actual inspirations for Germany’s Social Fashion Company GmbH.

What do you get a kick out of in the fashion world? All who look at fashion as art sense an endocrine rush out of admiring a design they treasure. Some turned on by this, some that.

I confess that I get my kicks out of discovering “green” innovative design talent that I’m convinced has a bright future. Some friends tell me about their similar intuitions, such as predicting the fame of upcoming actors and actresses. Then others about musicians and singers. You get the idea.

As humans, many of us enjoy embracing the beauty of art. Adding a piece of creative work to your home often means it is delegated to hang on a wall, gathering dust. Sol Mesz, founder and crafty force behind Sillice, seamlessly blends the worlds of design and practical, everyday items - all while using recycled glass and natural colors. Plates, candle holders, soap dishes, board games, and jewelry are just a few of

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According to the EPA, Americans produced approximately 245.7 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste in 2005. Much of the trash we throw away ends up in landfills, but with just a little bit of creativity, artists are proving that we need not doom so much of our waste to this fate.

Art has a long history of examining society and leading to change. Many artists today have "gone green" as environmental consciousness grows.

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