Victory Gardens
I love the Twin Cities. I really do. But here’s an example of a really cool, simple social program, and it ain’t here. Check out Victory Gardens. A small start-up non-profit dedicated to taking small urban plots of dirt and growing food, in San Francisco. And when i say small plots, I mean small. They’re transitioning “backyard, front yard, window boxes, rooftops and unused land into food production areas.” People have plots of dirt, which can produce food. Simple, elegant solutions. Taking inspiration from WWII era food production, Victory Gardens is (if it works) really impressive. If anybody knows of something like this in MSP let me know.
My first home…
…looks nothing like these. LivingHomes is a developer focusing on modular housing and sustainable architecture. They’re currently located out of southern California, so us middle-coasters are out of luck. Ray Kappe and David Hertz are their main architects, and their modernist design philosophies are apparent in their work. More than anything else, I was impressed with their environmental commitment to building homes with minimal ecological footprints. If you’re buying a house, think modular.
Green Apple Quickstep
A greener apple. So this little manifesto popped up on the Apple site the other day. Before I get too far into this, a little disclosure. I own a mac. Actually I own three macs, two ipods, a ton of apple software. I even find the commercials kinda funny.
That being said: A Greener Apple. Mr. Jobs posted this up on the web, and it should be a lesson to all big corporations out there. Transparency, and honesty WILL get you everywhere. He owns up to Apple’s products being bad for the environment. He spells out (even if it is a bit technical) the actual environmental breakdown of the the ingredients inside the pretty white box. Now, did they do this out of the goodness of their hearts, or is it a ploy to appeal to our enviro-conscious pangs? Did Jobs even right this? Turns out… I don’t care. Whatever the motivation it’s a good thing.
For those of you with busted ipods out there…http://www.beyondthepod.com/ will buy your busted ipod. Recycling + cash money = the sweetness. I’ve never used their service, this is not an endorsement.
