Saturday, March 26, 2011

Garbage Warrior - Sustainable Housing That Will Change the World

"Imagine a home that heats itself, that provides its own water, and grows its own food. Imagine that it needs no expensive technology, that it recycles its own waste, that it has its own power source.
And now imagine that it can be built anywhere, by anyone, out of the things society throws away. Thirty years ago, architect Michael Reynolds imagined just such a home – then set out to build it."

An earthship in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Michael's designs are changing the lives of victims or natural disasters. 

Garbage Warrior is a must see for anyone interested in humanity, the environment, or just plain incredible ideas. Architect Michael Reynolds has been building sustainable housing from 'garbage' for over 30 years. He creates beautiful homes that are self-sufficient: they produce their own food, catch their own water, and even heat themselves. How? You'll have to watch the documentary to find out, but among his methods are building south-facing structures to fully utilize the sun's power, water catchment systems that negate the need for wells, and greenhouses that grown an abundance of delicious homegrown nutrition.

The full value that these "earthships", as they are called, can provide the world is astounding. The documentary shows Michael traveling to third-world countries to implement these building techniques; in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, for instance, much of South-East Asia was devastated. Michael and his crew travel to these destroyed areas to show those affected how to rebuild their own housing out of trash that, this time, can stand up to earthquakes and tsunamis.

Watch the full length documentary below. Enjoy, and let this be a reminder to keep thinking outside of the box!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Zainab's Story - Realities from Pakistan

Pakistan is no doubt a country riddled with troubles, from the flooding that affected 22 million of their citizens last year, to the ongoing Taliban presence. Honour killings are still common in the country, as is rape and domestic abuse.

Many people know about these issues, however it is rare to hear first-hand accounts of the hardships of living in Pakistan. And so I introduce you to Zainab, a beautiful young Pakistani woman who completely embodies the notion of courage. She survived two acid attacks, and I highly recommend watching her story below, for a dose of both reality and inspiration.


If you're interested in hearing more about Pakistan and it's people, I would highly recommend checking out gawaahi.com, which presents "stories of abuse and survival, the testimonies of the survivors of the worst floods in Pakistan’s history, and the narratives of Pakistanis celebrating their individual identities".

Monday, March 21, 2011

Water, Wind, Earth, Fire


Sardinia
Via Flickr - kaneda99
Stanton in Peak, England
Via Flickr - Alex is late
Saintes Maries de la Mer, France
Via Flickr - kaneda99
Male, Maldives
Via Flickr - Hani Amir
Hurricane winds from the Atlantic at Jupiter Inlet Beach
Via Flickr - Captain Kimo
The 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia
Via Flickr - mtchm
Kilcunda, Victoria, Australia
Via Flickr - Steve Lacy
West Beach, Sanibel, Florida
Via Flickr - Today is a Good Day
Via Flickr - astrocruzan
Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California

Via Flickr - Justin Kern
Via Appia Antica, Rome
Via Flickr - Giampaolo Macorig
Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
Via Flickr - shchukin
Via Flickr -  | HD |
New South Wales, Australia
Via Flickr - Alex Kess

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Banish Doubt

"What we need to do to allow magic to get hold of us is to banish doubt from our minds ... Once doubts are banished, anything is possible."
- Carlos Castaneda / The Power of Silence

Via Flickr - Phil Gibbs

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Factory Farms Want to Make Helping Animals Illegal

I have started this post out with about 5 different sentences and deleted them all. Why? Because I'm so frustrated with the topic I want to introduce and am trying to frame this situation so that everyone will see how utterly ridiculous it is.

What is getting me so worked up?

That Iowa wants to pass a law which states that "undercover investigators who take agricultural jobs to gain access to animals and record their mistreatment, will face penalties, up to a $7500 fine, and five years in prison."

This is in the wake of animal-rights activists gaining employment at a factory farm, and filming horrific abuses, such as:
  • Cows on their knees being shocked and beaten 
  • Pigs hit and dragged across the floor
  • Chicks ground up alive or left to suffocate in a disposal bin.

Via Farm Sactuary

Basically, the agricultural industry, in plain language, is saying "if you try to protect the animals we are abusing and exploiting, we will put you in jail".

Ok, since when did "recording mistreatment" for those who don't have a voice become illegal? Would these same lawmakers have a problem if I were to record and publicize the mistreatment of child slaves in Bangladesh? Probably not. Actually, I would probably receive a pat on the back if I fought for those who couldn't fight for themselves.

So what makes this any different?

Maybe the fact that the agricultural industry is responsible for $24.7 billion in sales. Yet again, money trumps morals, but is that really the kind of society we want to live in?

You decide.

We may not all be high powered lawyers, but we can still contribute positively to this issue.
I offer the same advice I did for stopping dead zones: (weird how everything is connected, isn't it!)

Buy local and organic, and eat less meat.

{Update: The bill was passed Thursday morning. } 

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Animal Testing at the University of Texas

Last month, I posted about animal testing and the despicable practices the industry employs. This month, the University of Texas has shown itself to be a part of that inhumane industry.

A whistleblower recently called PETA to share some rather disturbing methods the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) has been using. The insider reported that dogs, cats, monkeys, sheep, goats, ferrets and mice are all being used in painful experiments. These animals have been burned, mutilated, and cut open, while at the same time are surrounded by untrained staff, careless handling and severe neglect.

Experimenter Daniel Traber has allegedly subjected these animals to third degree burns on 40% of their bodies, while forcing them to inhale smoke.

"Scientists" and experimenters also intentionally:
  • Caused spinal cord injuries in sheep.
  • Operated painful surgical procedures on animals and offered no anesthetic either during or after the surgery.
  • Imprisoned highly social animals to tiny stainless steel cages.
And more!

Click here for more information, and to send a letter to the UTMB President urging him to take action.

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