Out My Window

I’m on a film kick. Last weekend I watched a few movies, and my last two posts were unabashed testimonials of a minor YouTube obsession. Bear with me while I share another visual beauty. This one comes via my husband, Ted.

Ted and I wholeheartedly embrace environmental issues, and we share our thoughts and ideas about the subject often. As with most marital relationships, we usually notice different things. Ted is an environmental planner and he sees important environmental concerns that many people glaze over (me included sometimes), like wetland delineation, signage, transportation issues, zoning changes and permit regulations to name just a few. While he is a champion at writing comprehensive plans for municipalities, his passion is sustainable community development. He sent me a link from Smart Growth with a documentary about vertical suburbs (yawn). It came as no surprise that I passed right over it. After a few prompts, I took a reluctant look and almost dropped my laptop.

Out My Window is an online documentary that gives a 360 degree view of apartments in different urban regions around the world. The director, Katerina Cizek hopes to bridge the realities between suburban and urban areas, and to raise awareness for proper access to public transportation, infrastructure changes (water and roads), and the cultural needs of the apartment dwellers. While the 49 stories from 13 different apartments come from diverse areas, a GOOD article says: “It often feels as though the subjects of Out My Window could be found in the same building in some global metropolis.”

For the interactive experience of Out My Window, CLICK HERE.

Music Feeds The Soul (with video)

"If music be the food of life, play on." ~ Shakespeare

Music’s relationship to brainpower and wellness is truly music to my ears. The NAMM Foundation website outlines the positive effects of music-making on stress hormones, the development of new skills, confidence level, memory loss, self-esteem and overall mood.

To find some benefits of making music that you may have never heard about, read my full post HERE.

Possibly, even more remarkable than all the glowing accolades from the NAMM reports, is how music feeds the soul. Music, the book by photographer and filmmaker, Andrew Zuckerman is sure to be holiday gift hit. In this highly entertaining trailer for the book (via SwissMiss), musicians from different musical genres describe their relationship with their "food of life" ~ music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o1hP_Mlc_A

Photo from Ben Fink

More econesting music: Living With Green Music Oil and Water Don't Mix (with video) Dar Williams Talks Sustainable Living, Music And The Book That Kicked Her Ass (Interview) “One World, One Love” – Charity and Peace In The House of Marley

I Feel The Chalk

chalkboard600As the summer winds down, price cheap I feel, taste and smell the chalk. See, I was a teacher for many years and chalk was a constant companion. I stumbled on this whimsical video over on Poppytalk and it made me smile. Maybe some of you who are heading back to school or putting kids on the bus? Are you feeling the chalk too?

https://youtu.be/6gvOVWKKxmo

Image: Keith Haring Chalkboard

8 Reasons To Rock-On With Meat-Free Monday (with Paul McCartney and Gwyneth Paltrow)

I don’t generally get star struck, and food is not one of my writing niches, as the cook at the ‘ol econest is my husband, but when a Beatle and an Oscar-winning actress get involved in something I care deeply about, like whether or not to eat meat, I’m over the moon. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has a blog. She and Paul McCartney, a dyed-in-the-wool vegetarian, have a story to tell about the environmental impact of raising livestock.

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Recycling Can Make Being Green Hilarious (VIDEO)

The folks who design for our future are looking to us for clues to helping people go greener. How about using humor? I recently wrote about how designers are incorporating people's behavior in their "design thinking." This 'power to the people' premise only goes so far (although, it is virtuous to always consider the consumers needs). The next common sense step to sustainable design is to implement a shift in people's behavior towards, let's say - garbage and recycling. My family was recently reminiscing about a trip we took to Spain to visit relatives. I asked one of my kids...CLICK HERE FOR MORE