Foxythings

World Changing Book

Change is good, especially when we're talking about Worldchanging: a Users Guide for the 21st Century. Of course, I say this without having read the book but based on the WorldChanging website, the hard copy is worth buying. About the book:

"From consumer consciousness to a new vision for industry; non-toxic homes to refugee shelters; microfinance to effective philanthropy; socially responsible investing to starting a green business; citizen media to human rights; ecological economics to climate change, this is the most comprehensive, cutting-edge overview to date of what's possible in the near future -- if we decide to make it so."

The WorldChanging folks are  touring the new book around North America. Check the tour dates here. Maybe I'll see you at the Toronto date.

My single beef with World Changing is that its list of contributors are all from the U.S., Canada, or Europe. I hope that in the future, they'll include more contributions from Africa, Asia-Pacific and South America. To create change, we need to engage as many people from as many places as possible.

Bread winner

Adopting Stanley Kubrick's sterile, eerie desolation of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Our Daily Bread focuses its lens on the world of industrial food production. Directed by Austrian Nicolaus Geyrhalter, the film contains no narration; only the whir of machines and the silent activities of factory workers provide the soundtrack to Geyrhalter's beautifully shot images of modern architecture and the mechanization of getting grub to our tables.

The 90-minute documentary won the Best Film award at the Ecocinema International Film Festival in Athens this year, and will be shown during Toronto's Planet In Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival, which runs November 1-5.

Sew your SEEDs

Yep, Audrey Hepburn has returned as fashion's muse, and even etnies jumps in with their take on '50s simple elegance. The California-based maker of footwear and apparel applies oh-so-pretty polka dots to their Spring 2007 collection, mish-mashing the charmingly dainty pattern with their rugged designs for boarders and bikers.

But wait! There's a method to this mini-dot madness: It's all a part of etnies' SEED project, which aims to use sustainable and recyclable materials — like hemp, organic cotton, and bamboo — for its products. The company has also aligned with 1% For The Planet, an alliance of businesses that will donate at least 1% of their annual net revenue to environmental organizations.

Get a preview of the SEED collection here.

DiCaprio, Hollywood Eco-star

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has signed on to be the co-creator and co-executive producer of E-Topia, a new reality TV show that takes a small American town  from faded to eco-friendly. E-Topia is currently shopping for a network but it looks like reality television could be making a turn towards the positive. Co-executive producer Craig Piligian (Survivor) said:

"We're going to take a devastated community and help transform it as a prototype for the future. At the end of the day, we're all going to have to change the way we live, the way we burn and use fuel ... We're trying to show the country and the world by example, town by town by town, how we can change the way we live and fight global warming."

DiCaprio, best known for staring in films like Titanic, Basketball Diaries and The Departed, has been one of Hollywood's most vocal friends of the earth. He also narrates the upcoming feature film, 11th Hour, a documentary about the natural environment.

Atslopes

Atslopes [to have or go in a direction other than perpendicular or horizontal] is a designer based in Westchester County, NY.  Inspiring and beautiful are just a few words that describe his work.  More after the jump.

Reclaimed wood bracelets

This hornbeam wood wave bracelet is gorgeous and although I'm not one who buys a lot of jewelry, I'd love to have this on my wrist. It's handmade with reclaimed hornbeam and the same design is available in reclaimed ash and reclaimed elm wood.

(via Great Green Goods)

Wind Building

We've seen rotating buildings before, but this design by California-based designer and artist Michael Jantzen is not only aesthetically interesting, but is also a lightweight renewable energy solution. The Wind Shaped Pavilion is a fabric structure with six levels each serving as a wind blade. They capture wind energy and use it to illuminate the building at night. The wind moves the levels whichever way it pleases, constantly changing the appearance of the building and the view from inside.

(via Inhabitat)

Discover Re-cover

Re-cover Journals was the 2005 Mobius Environmental Award recipient for innovation in waste reduction. The Halifax-based company makes reusing and recycling look good by recovering old books and LP covers to create one-of-a-kind journals and photo albums. From the Mobius website:

Using simple technology and leaving nothing to waste, Re-cover Journals manages to divert about 2,000 lbs of old books and 300 lbs of old LPs from the landfill each year. There materials once considered waste are converted into high value craft items and sold to over 60 retail outlets across Canada. Re-cover Journals is an example of ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit.

(Via Globe and Mail)

Dance dance revolution

Your good vibrations on the dance floor (and arguably elsewhere) can be used to energize other parts of a nightclub. The technology developed by Dutch company Döll redistributes the energy from your moonwalk to the lights on the ceiling, the music in the air and the toilets in the restrooms. This exceptional concept will début this Saturday, October 14th at Rotterdam's "Sustainable Night Club" with its debut event The Critical Mass.

Watch the video and see how green technology is no longer well, just green.

(via Treehugger)

Lego ice trays

More proof that Lego has stayed cool decade after decade. Lego party!