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Ladies of Be Nice
Hello Earthlings of Be Nice!!!
We here at Be Nice want to wish you a Happy Mid-Summer and to celebrate we are having a sweet summer sale! All shirts are now $25 from $40 just like that. Boom!
We also updated the website’s “Photos” section with new photographs from 2011. Which brings me to this, Be Nice would love for our loyal patrons to send us pictures of yourselves in Be Nice shirts, doing anything, anywhere. If you so choose to accept this challenge you may be the insanely lucky winner of a fantastical Be Nice shirt of your choosing. You will also be featured on the Be Nice homepage for the months of October and November. Not too shabby!
Here are the simple details on how to enter the Mid-Summer Photo Competition. From August 14th to September 30th, email photos@ubenice.com your full name, contact email address, photo title and attach your photo. That’s it!
Last but not least we have updated the “Wind Turbines Are Good” black and white t-shirt design. Check it out here! Super model Sabrina Whiteman making Be Nice shirts look even better once again.
Just a reminder that each Be Nice shirt is printed with water based ink on Alternative Apparel, super soft, organic cotton shirts. Thay are all done by hand in our Brooklyn, NYC studio. Each shirt is one of a kind. You know that is pretty bad ass.
Be original with Be Nice.
Sincerely yours,
Cara E. Reynolds
Be Nice
P.S. – Don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook to get the 411 faster or follow Be Nice’s super important tweets here. :]
Wind Turbines
I am not going repeat what I already wrote here. A quick synopsis, starting August 1st, 2010 I will publish a picture I take that day everyday for a year (well to be exact I will do this everyday until July 31st, 2011). This is the 106th of those photographs. Also, there is a Flickr collection called “The Awesome Leftovers” where I put the daily shots (if any) that didn’t make the cut.
Just in time for the New Year, Be Nice, the awesome organic t-shirt company I own released a new version of “Wind Turbines Are Good“!!! Sabrina Whiteman is sporting the fantastical new look and is looking particularly fly doing so. This shot was taken at The Cloisters in Manhattan in the Fall of 2010. The redesign totally brings to life an already cool concept. Get yours here!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
-Cara
What a great time for Who Stars and Homosapien Friendly to debut in the midst of three gift giving holidays. You’re welcome! Pick yourself up one or two or all of Be Nice organic t-shirts here at ubenice.com. If you’re not sure which Be Nice super fly, organic tee to get your friends why not get them a Be Nice gift card instead?
Since it is “The Season” we would like to offer our super fans a sweet deal on our fresh threads till the 26th of December. Use the promotional code, “Holiday“ for 15% off your “Tis the Season” order!!!
We have also redone some of our more popular shirts’ screens. One example that is already up on the site is Robot Girl aka Fem Bot to some. Robot Girl’s screen has been updated and she is now bigger and more beautiful than ever before. You to can have your very own fantastical, organic cotton, handmade in Manhattan, inspired by my very own marvelous mind, super soft, ONLY $40 t-shirt if you’d like, just click here. Technology can free us and Robot Girl is here to show us the way.
I will keep people updated on the other screens we have redone as we list them on the site. FYI the next re-design is Wind Turbines!
Don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook to get the 411 faster or follow Be Nice’s super important tweets here. :]
Spread the love.
-Cara
Who Stars Chic
That’s right Be Nice is launching yet another amazing design, Who Stars, by me. :] I love owls. I have been slightly obsessed with them, super heroes and the stars at night forever, which is how this shirt came together. The question remains who is this owl in disguise? What is the story behind the mask? Stay tuned to find out more.
What a great time for Who Stars to debut in the midst of three gift giving holidays. You’re welcome! Pick yourself up one here, http://ubenice.com/shirts/girls-guys/who-stars and sign up for the newsletter to find out more on this awesome owl. You can also like Be Nice on the book of face here.
Spread the love.
-Cara
You Are Loved
I am not going repeat what I already wrote here. A quick synopsis, starting August 1st, 2010 I will publish a picture I take that day everyday for a year (well to be exact I will do this everyday until July 31st, 2011). This is the 102nd of those photographs. Also, there is a Flickr collection called “The Awesome Leftovers” where I put the daily shots (if any) that didn’t make the cut.
Denise and I were checking out The Market the other day and in it was this woman, Sky Koltun who this card ‘You Are Loved‘ is photographed above. She makes this really cool jewelry, which over 80% of the pieces are created from reclaimed, fair trade metals and stones. Already you know I am all about that. When we were talking to her she was saying how some of the silver in the jewelry comes from old film reels (the silver screen). That means it is possible you may have a piece of Greta Garbo from “Queen Christina” wrapped around your little finger when you wear Sky’s rings.
That’s hot.
-Cara
Fem Bot
I am not going repeat what I already wrote here. A quick synopsis, starting August 1st, 2010 I will publish a picture I take that day everyday for a year (well to be exact I will do this everyday until July 31st, 2011). This is the 84th of those photographs. Also, there is a Flickr collection called “The Awesome Leftovers” where I put the daily shots (if any) that didn’t make the cut.
Again, I am doing some self promotion. This is an amazing reprint of Robot Girl and watch out world, she’s bigger and better than ever before. That’s right, I said it. You too can have your very own organic cotton, made in Manhattan by my very own hands, inspired by my very own mind, super soft for only $25 dollars t- shirt. Here’s where you can find her amongst other cute tees.
Rock the robot.
-Cara
Zeitgeist Addendum, it’s a great Sunday night movie.
Part three, Zeitgeist: Moving Forward is scheduled to be released in January 2011.
Who wants the poster? :]
Let’s do this.
-Cara
Homosapien Friendly
I am not going repeat what I already wrote here. A quick synopsis, starting August 1st, 2010 I will publish a picture I take that day everyday for a year (well to be exact I will do this everyday until July 31st, 2011). This is the 57th of those photographs. Also, there is a Flickr collection called “The Awesome Leftovers” where I put the daily shots (if any) that didn’t make the cut.
Today’s photo of the day is an obvious bit of self promotion for Be Nice, my organic cotton, hand printed, unique designs t-shirt business. I printed up two new designs for Be Nice this last weekend. One being Homosapien Friendly, a design by Marine Boudeau, which is today’s picture of the day. The second new addition to Be Nice’s repertoire is Who Stars, a design by me, Cara Reynolds. There are also the two slightly altered-for-the-better tees, Binary Queer and Wind Turbines. To check out all these new additions go to Day 57 – Be Nice.
You may pre-order the new designs if you so desire. :] Please send an e-mail to info[at]ubenice[dot]com for this special promotion before they are released on the site to all. Be Nice shirts are only $25. Send the email and we’ll get the ball rolling on delivering your new, soft, hand printed, organic cotton, super fly tee to you asap.
Much love.
-Cara
Let’s use this Democracy we are so blessed to have. It will work if you work! Sign this petition that Care2.com hosts, urging the U.S. Senate to pass strong legislation that will lift this $75 “chump change” million dollar cap, and make BP and other multi-billion dollar polluters responsible for the damages their disasters have on our communities, environment and shared resources. Stand up and be counted.
Target: U.S. Senate
Sponsored by: Food and Water Watch
Fishing boats are docked, seafood prices are skyrocketing and oil is still washing up on the shores throughout the Gulf of Mexico. We may not know the full impact of the BP oil rig explosion, yet one thing is clear: the oil spill is BP’s fault and they should pay for the harm they’re causing.
The current law puts a $75 million cap on how much an oil company has to pay in the event of a disaster. Unfortunately, the fishing communities, restaurant owners, tourism industry and other individuals affected by the oil spill have already lost more.
Urge the U.S. Senate to pass strong legislation that will lift this cap, and make BP and other multi-billion dollar polluters responsible for the damages their disasters have on our communities, environment and shared resources.
It’s time to bring electric cars to the forefront, solar panels, wind power, water power…
-Cara
I have been super obsessed with trash lately. I think about it with every piece of garbage I throw out. Most of the thoughts I have revolve around, could I have I recycled that, if not, why? I feel that everything we make should be able to be recycled and if you can’t recycle it, don’t make it. Let me also emphasize that means if you can recycle it without releasing deadly toxins into the air, water or land.
I am no saint, I don’t want to have to clean my yogurt container, aluminum foil, plastic everything ever really. I do it, but I do not enjoy the process. I think it has to do with America and its not very user friendly local recycling processes. There is no national recycling marketing machine out there educating us on what we can and can not recycle throughout our lives. We are not given the tools, for example, recycling bins clearly labeled on what should be contained within them. It is not second nature and could be quite easily. I learned many things about fire prevention from Smokey the Bear. The Ad Council is a powerful tool to get some recycling PSAs out there.
Another thing is there are no real negative consequences for people who are not recycling, nor are there positive ones for people who do. We all enjoy a little positive reinforcement now and again. There are laws in America against littering in public places, but not for littering in define places. That seems ignorant. We should not be able to litter anywhere. Landfills are a disaster.
I did a little research on garbage decomposition to get myself more motivated. Here is what I came up with.
Glass…most forms of glass will never decompose or biodegrade ever. There is this glass, Obsidian, that dates back to the Cretaceous (Latin for “chalky”) geologic period and system from circa 145.5 ± 4 to 65.5 ± 0.3 million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the Cenozoic era. For those who don’t want to do the math, that means about 36 million to 65 million year old glass. That’s crazy, some poor dinosaur foot cutting glass. I said it. :]
The good thing about glass is how simple it is to recycle. Virgin glass is primarily made of sand, lime and soda. A glass manufacturer’s boiler must run at about 2192 degrees Fahrenheit (1200 degrees Celsius) to melt the sand, soda, and lime into glass. Making glass from recycled glass uses 32% less energy than making virgin glass because it melts at a much lower temperature. This process is to shatter the glass into small fragments called “cullet”. You then melt that down to make new glass. Products made from recycled glass save on the extraction of raw materials and produce approximately 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than virgin glass. Point, recycle your glass don’t just throw it out.
I think I’ll stop with glass for today, maybe we’ll catch up with plastic bottles and bags at a later date.
Recycle, Reuse.
-Cara
I have been having trouble with some mildew in the shower and needed a refresher course on how to handle it friendly to the environment style. I did a little research and came up with this…
Mold Remover
Vinegar is a great all-purpose cleaner; use it straight for tough jobs, or dilute it with water. Tea-tree oil is a natural fungicide and can help disinfect surfaces — mix 2 teaspoons with 2 cups water. To whiten stained tiles or grout, use a mixture of 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide to 1 cup water. All of these solutions can be sprayed onto a surface, allowed to dry, then wiped with a damp cloth.
Tub and Tile Cleaner
Vinegar works well on soap scum and mineral deposits, but rinse thoroughly, as it can corrode some fixtures and etch glaze on tiles. You can also try tea tree oil — 2 drops tea tree oil with 1 cup water — in a spray bottle. A natural antiseptic and fungicide, tea tree oil costs more than vinegar but will kill most types of mold and help prevent growth; as with all concentrated oils, it should be used with caution, as it can trigger allergic reactions if it comes into contact with skin.
I stumbled upon these great natural carpet stain remover tips as well…
Pour a small amount of soda water onto a fresh carpet spill, and blot with a towel. Don’t rub, as you may mat the fibers. If the stain is set, try hydrogen peroxide: Pour some onto a clean, white cloth, then press cloth to carpet. Wait about 15 minutes, blot with a clean cloth. There should be no need to rinse.
I am going super green style in 2010!
-Cara
Martha chats with Robert Kenner and Joel Salatin about the behavior and impact of the commercial food industry.
That is right I said it, as someone who will be enjoying a delightful, sure to be delicious, vegan Thanksgiving feast at our friend Joanna’s abode today and has had the guilty pleasure of being a stalker of all things Stewart for many a year, this is great news. I know her daughter Alexis is a vegetarian and has helped Martha to see the light that fur is not cool, but still, the classic Martha Turkey Day blow up…vegetarian? That my friend is revolutionary if you wrap your mind around the whole picture.
I have heard about Food Inc as well. It looks like an amazing movie and sounds like a great Christmas (or Yule, Chanukah, Kwanza, Three Kings Day, Day of Ashura, Holiday…) gift! :] I will definitely check it out.
I hope at some point to be the person that does not have to keep watching these types of movies, videos, etc to remember why everything we choose to do is so important. I am very tired of how people can not see what is right in front of them or choose to not be inconvenienced. This show with Martha Stewart promoting this film, Food Inc is inspiring to me as I do not expect someone in Martha’s position to promote something so risky. This coming from someone that was previously set up for a fall just to be taught a lesson…a lesson it seems she thankfully did not learn.
Martha Stewart is a rebel!
-Cara
I know all my stalkers like to know when they can catch a glance of me from a safe distance of 20 to 30 feet, well tomorrow is your lucky day! Marine and I will be selling our cute, handmade, organic, soft shirts at The Market NYC for the first time. This all courtesy of our green little company, “be nice“. If you would like to learn more about it, you can on the “be nice” blog!
Hope to see some non-crazy peeps there as well.
:]
-Cara
Green Americans and allies have been calling on the federal government for years to stop destructive mountaintop removal mining practices. Thanks to the thousands of people who have spoken up, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now taking a stronger stance on permits for this destructive form of mining. The EPA recently reviewed 79 permits for mountain top removal operations submitted by the Army Corps of Engineers and found that all of them would likely violate the Clean Water Act.
The permits are now being revised by the Army Corps of Engineers for re-submission. Coal companies are going to be using all their influence to get these permits approved. We need you to join us today and ask the EPA to stand firm on mountaintop removal mining. Together, we can make sure that the EPA has the support it needs to stand strong against the coal industry.
And, together we can encourage the EPA to go even further, and move to end all mountaintop removal mining, preserving communities from this threat for years to come.
-Cara
Guess what I am doing tomorrow…
Human Countdown: Climate Wake Up Call
On Sunday, September 20th, 2009, people of all walks of life will come together in New York’s Central Park for a bold creative action to tell world leaders that the TIME TO ACT is RUNNING OUT. More than 2,000 people will form a moving human sculpture of our world in a race against time—a massive, living Earth and Hourglass to be picked up by the media worldwide.
On the cusp of the UN climate summit, our Human Countdown will urgently call for a fair, ambitious, and binding new climate treaty, and launch global actions for Climate Week NYC and the Tck Tck Tck Global Climate Wake Up Call.
We will assemble in two groups. The first group forms the living Earth and convenes at 9am in the morning to rehearse the movements. All others come at 1pm to form the hourglass. We will perform the Human Countdown together at mid-afternoon, hear from notable national and international speakers, and conclude by 4pm.
We need a global climate treaty. This is the time, this is the place to make history – we need YOU to join the HUMAN Countdown! All are welcome!
The goal is to show our leaders that time is running out to act on global warming. Video of the image we create will be broadcast the next night at The Age of Stupid global film premiere and delivered to world leaders.
Come to the Wollman Ice Rink in Central Park (Southern end of central park by 6th Ave) this Sunday at 12.30pm.
Click here to RSVP [I found all this stuff thanks to AVAAZ:
http://www.avaaz.org/new_york_climate_action
While action on climate is always urgent, this is an especially important moment for public action. This December in Copenhagen, world leaders will meet to negotiate a new global treaty to avert a climate catastrophe.
This is going to be awesome.
-Cara
‘be nice” my sweet store co-made with Marine Boudeau is having its first sale. We’re offering fresh deals on original, handmade, organic tees. This is the last of our first collection…one day they will be worth millions!!! :]
Get them while you still can.
I said it!
Cara Reynolds
Co-Founder Of Be Nice
Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry Leaves)
I started a juice fast today. Well, today to start the juice fast I am only eating raw fruits and veggies and then tomorrow will begin the all juice fast. I will get more into it in a later post. This particular post I will focus on one of the many teas I can drink to replace my million cup a day coffee habit. I am not only scared for me, but honestly, I am a little afraid for the world. The first tea I started today with is an organic raspberry leaf, so to make it more interesting I have done some research on said tea. I can say for sure, it does not taste nasty…or bad for that matter, which is good. :]
Species Rubus idaeus, family Rosacaea, raspberry is a relative of the rose, famous for vitamin C in the rose hip. Raspberry leaves (and fruit) are rich in citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, citrate, malate and tartarate of iron, potassium and calcium, calcium and potassium chloride, sulphate and phosphate, pectin, fragrine (an alkaloid that tones the tissues), a volatile oil, vitamins A, B, C, E, and fructose. The action is astringent, tonic, refrigerant, parturient, hemostatic, anti-septic, anti-abortient, anti-gonorrheal, anti-leucorrheal and anti-malarial.
If you grow your own raspberries or live where they grow wild you should harvest the raspberry leaves in spring or mid-summer for maximum potency. Use them freshly picked, but if drying them for storage, do so away from light. They dry nicely spread thinly on a cotton sheet hung hammock fashion from the ceiling, according to Norma Whitehead.
For a nice cup of tea using bulk herbs, pour one cup boiling water over a teaspoon of dried leaves and let it steep at least 15 minutes. Raspberry leaves are abundant in potassium (441 ppm), calcium (121 ppm) and magnesium (93 ppm), it is also rich in all important trace minerals such as manganese (.52 ppm), zinc (.35 ppm), iron (.04 ppm) and chromium (.02 ppm). Raspberry leaf tea is a gentle, soothing, nourishing drink – morning, noon and night. Most prefer to take Red raspberry leaves in a tea. It can be drank warm or cold depending on what you like. You can also find it in capsule form.
Red raspberry leaves have been used for many years dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It has also been widely used by and Native American women. Some of the illness they used red raspberry leaves to treat included the flu, gum disease, rubella, upset stomach, hangovers, diarrhea, fevers, vomiting, menstrual problems, and inflammation.
It is also said to tone the uterus and provide many vitamins and minerals to the body. They recommend drinking one cup of the red raspberry leaf tea daily during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy and then increase to two or three cups a day during the last three months. Some say not to use in the first trimester if you have a history of miscarriage it is always best to consult your doctor before starting any type of herbs. Red raspberry tea with red clover (one or more cups daily for several months) promotes fertility in men and women, prevents post-partum depression and hypertension, and with blessed thistle, increases breast- milk production. Remember again, it is always best to consult your doctor before starting any type of herbs.
The red raspberry leaves may change the way the body absorbs medications so if you take any other medicines take the red raspberry at least two hours before hand.
Red raspberry leaves have also been used for a mouth rinse to treat sore throats, thrushes in your mouth (a yeast infection) or canker sores and drinking raspberry tea can soothe the pain they cause.
Raspberry tea reduces the blood flow in females who bleed heavily during their menstrual cycle. It also helps relieve cramps. Later in life, during menopause, it can support the adrenal glands as they try to compensate for the reduced functioning of the ovaries. To regulate a menstrual cycle drink two to three cups of the red raspberry leaf tea a day. After two or three months the menstrual cycle should be right on schedule.
Red raspberry leaves can also be used on the skin as an astringent to relieve irritated skin and it is good for people suffering from acne. It also helps the tissue become firmer and tightens the skin’s upper layers.
Red raspberry leaves have also been found to lower blood sugars in people with diabetes. If taken in large does the red raspberry leaves may cause blood sugar levels to drop too low.
When using the red raspberry leaf to treat diarrhea you will need to drink six cups a day. If the diarrhea continues you should call the doctor.
If you want to treat a cold or flu try drinking only red raspberry leaf tea until the symptoms are gone. Then start back on raw fruits and vegetables. It is important to not eat anything else while fasting on the red raspberry leaf tea or the symptoms of the cold or flu will return.
Men whose bodies have cut down on testosterone production can drink it to help aid adrenal gland performance. It can also help with bed-wetting by toning pelvic muscles.
I read somewhere that it is good in a popsicle form, but I have yet to try that.
That is a lot of good stuff.
-Cara
Last night I was watching a movie I found somewhere, somehow called, “Ecological Design: Inventing the Future” [1994]. We have known a lot of eco stuff for along time, now we need more action. I challenge you to find this movie, watch it and be creative with a cool eco-design. That’s right I said it, a challenge.
One super fresh topic covered in the film was the Whole Earth Catalog. The Whole Earth Catalog was published regularly from 1968 to 1972, the founder, Stewart Brand. According to the catalog, “Whole Earth eschewed politics and pushed grassroots direct power—tools and skills. At a time when New Age hippies were deploring the intellectual world of arid abstractions, Whole Earth pushed science, intellectual endeavor, and new technology as well as old.”
To check out some of the older catalogs online, click here.
Technology and ecological design are awesome.
-Cara
Do not fear. There is a way to avoid the assassin…at least if you live in the Northeast.
Here is a cool link for the seasonal fruits and veggies in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can also use this interactive map to see what’s fresh in any area, by month.
Eat fresh.
-Cara
Here’s what is on my mind…who is the person that will invent a Facebook-like social network and use it only for good, sustainable stuff and not unleash a fafillion marketing widgets, gadgets, capsules, snippets, modules, minis, badges, webjits, flakes, games, programs, pop-ups and gutter ads for unsustainable crap on the masses? …and no it’s not me, I’m busy!
I killed most all of my social web 2.0 drama like LinkedIn. I figured why am I part of a group called Linked In when all I really want to do is get off the grid. That whole scene is not my deal. I also killed my MySpace. Listen people…Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp…really? If you don’t get that, do some research. I don’t want to be any part of Fox News and all those brothers’ drama. Friendster, what is the point? I slowly killed most of them.
Here is my dilemma, the Facebook still has a hold on me. I think it may be because a lot of people that I had lost contact with and who were a significant part of my life found me on the book of face, more than on any of the other social network sites. It is nice to know all these people are easy to get a hold of, you are reminded whose Birthday it is (see Tony), you can check out what new pictures they have up, what drama they are up to, ETC!!! You know to be able to be a welcomed voyeur of people’s life…that’s good stuff. :]
So who wants to invent the book of face for good?
-Cara
Here’s a simple trick for all users of hand soap, dish soap, and all other liquid soaps. When you get to the bottom of the soap vessel and think you are all out of your precious cleaning elixir, this is when you add a little hot water to the remaining soap and voila, you’ll get at least a few more days of washing. Good times.
Waste not, want not.
-Cara
Why save water?
Of all the water in the world, only 3% is fresh. Less than one third of 1% of this fresh water is available for human use. The rest is frozen in glaciers or polar ice caps, or is deep within the earth, beyond our reach.
To put it another way, if 100 liters represents the world’s water, about half a tablespoon of it is fresh water available for our use.
Remember that our local water supplies are part of a bigger global water cycle.
Fix those dripping faucets. If it drips every second it can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year.
Filling up your tub can require up to 70 gallons of water, where a 5 minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons.
When you brush those teeth of yours don’t run the water. That way you save about 8 gallons per day.
Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or cleaning.
Don’t let water run while shaving or washing your face. It’s just a waste.
Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator. You snooze you loose.
I myself save water by never drinking it except in restaurants. ;-]
Just some things to think about.
-Cara
Zeitgeist (n) – the spirit of the time; the spirit characteristic of an age or generation
Addendum (n) -something to be added
I never watched Zeitgeist: The Movie. I came across Zeitgeist: Addendum the other day and since my thinking hasn’t been the same. It has given me a better sense of focus, new ideas to think about and hope. Look, I am not saying I am drinking the Kool-Aide, there are things I don’t agree with; for one, their take on religion. I get where they are coming from, but I am enlightened to something else.
I will not go on and on about the movie. If you want to watch it for free you can here (although I am not sure why they would choose Google Video to host the movie. It is part of the problem, not the solution. Maybe they feel it will reach a bigger audience, but I am not too sure that is the way to go. UPDATE 1-22-2011 I JUST CLICKED ON THE LINK AND IT GOES TO VIMEO NOW. THAT’S COOL.). I myself downloaded it from someone else. I am going to watch Zeitgeist: The Movie at some point, but for now I still have a lot to think about with Zeitgeist: Addendum, so I’ll wait. Addendum can definitely stand alone.
I would love to hear people’s opinion after watching the film. I have already had a few cool conversations about it. I have burned it for a couple of people. I would like to keep passing it around and then people can pass their copies around and see how fast it spreads. I want a better world and I know it is possible.
Do not fear the robots.
-Cara
Here’s a little blurb about what’s going on with my organic, handmade t-shirt company I run with Ms. Marine Boudeau.
Good times.
-Cara
Join us at Pridefest this year in the West Village:
Hudson St. between Abingdon Sq. & West 14th St
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Come check out our handmade, organic, super fresh t-shirt collections, hang out, take pictures and buy plenty of shirts for you, your peeps, lovers, family…
Sign-up for our newsletter to receive any Pridefest updates and possibly discover many other amazing and interesting things.
To learn more about this super gay weekend visit NYC Pride.
Cara & Marine
Founders of Be Nice
If you live in New York City and have electronics you want to get rid off in a green, eco, recycling way. Here are two upcoming events I found on the Lower East Side Ecology Center’s website:
April 26th, 2009
Central Park
West 67th Street and Central Park West
and
May 2nd, 2009
119 W 23rd Street at Tekserve between 6 & 7th Avenues
Manhattan
Here is what techotrash consists of:
Working and non-working:
Computers (laptop & desktop),
Servers, mainframes
Monitors
Printers, scanners, fax-machines, copiers
Network devices (routers, hubs, modems, etc.)
Peripherals (keyboards, mice, cables, etc.)
Components (hard drives, CD Roms, circuit boards, power supplies, etc,)
TVs,VCR & DVD Players
Audio visual devices
Radios/Stereos
Cell Phones, pagers
PDAs,Telecommunication (phones, answering machines, etc.)
Media (floppies, cd’s, zips, VHS tapes)
I have a bag of stuff I have been saving up for the next techno recycling gala event. This is such a sweet deal.
Goodbye old and improperly burned cds, printer ink cartridges, old laptop batteries, etc…goodbye.
-Cara
The first thing to do with ketchup packets is not use them. When you order delivery remember to say, “no condiments” and “no plastic utensils” is also a good way to go. I bet you have ketchup at home and I am sure most people have utensils, so you don’t even need them.
I have a hard time remembering this as I looked at ketchup packets siting on my counter this morning from last nights delivery. I decided I need to look up some information on said ketchup packets that will really push me to remember the little things that make a big difference.
Here’s something I found,
Heinz sells 11 billion single-serve packets of ketchup per year around the world. That’s 2 packets for every person on earth. That means that 11 billion packets are landfill-bound. This is just Heinz packets.
Enough said.
-Cara
Marine is doing some research for our organic t-shirt business, be nice and sent me this web site, http://actionnetwork.org/. They are a part of Environmental Defense. One of their featured action alerts has to do with humans increasing resistance to antibiotics. Go here to send a message to your Congressperson and Senators.
I, myself have never been a big fan of Western medicine, especially that flu shot. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, that flu shot is just the government doing some crazy testing on us or something to that affect. I am sure of it! It is the same way with goldenseal root and penicillin, if you take them for too long or just take too much you become immune to their positive/healing effects. I also think that Western medicine mostly covers up the aches and pains of sickness till you heal, unlike natural vitamins and herbs that act as a preventative measure and heals you rather than covering up the sickness.
Heal naturally when possible.
-Cara
New Reality ad directed by the Academy-award winning Coen Brothers.
In reality, there’s no such thing as clean coal.
Learn more. Join the campaign.
-Cara
Living in NYC, it is strange to wrap my mind around all that nature and chimpanzees swinging around everywhere. I think any of those jobs would be cool. The coffee sniffing, the chimpanzees studying and the farming, but maybe not on such a large scale. I’m more of a fire escape gardener than coffee farmer.
I love organic coffee, chimpanzees and fair trade!!!
-Cara
Underground Art Gallery, is located on Satucket Road, one half mile from Brewster Grist Mill and herring run in Brewster, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Malcolm Wells, a former office building designer, just trying to undo the horrible damage he did by paving more than 50 acres of land for buildings and their surrounding asphalt, created the 1,200-foot gallery he designed. It was built in 1985. Originally the Gallery was planned as Malcolm and his wife Karen North Wells’ home, but they ran out of the funds to add living quarters. So now they live in a nearby tiny shingled bungalow built in the early 1900s from a Sears-Roebuck catalog kit.
The studio opened in 1990 with 250 tons of earth as a roof, supported by ten tree trunks. Because of the earth that surrounds three walls and the roof, the gallery is exceptionally quiet and insulated from outside noises. In the summer, fall, and spring, the roof comes alive with the blooming of wildflowers, wisteria and grasses.
The gallery employs passive solar heating and cooling techniques to keep naturally warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Hardwood trees in front also add cooling shade, while the all-glass southern exposure allows sunlight to heat the gallery in the cold winter months. Wells heats the gallery by burning just 2 cords of wood in a small stove every year.
The privy features a waterless, odorless, composting toilet with an aerating vent to the roof, allowing people to use the facilities in comfortable privacy while saving fafillions of gallons of fresh water per year.
That is fresh.
-Cara
Word is the beetle infestation plaguing the pine forests of the Western Slope is likely to get far worse in the next couple of years.
Reports indicate that the mountain pine beetle has, as expected, successfully crossed the Continental Divide and is now boring through trees in Fort Collins, Boulder, Greeley, Loveland, Berthoud and Windsor.
The Boulder-based National Center for Atmospheric Research released preliminary findings indicating that by wiping out acres of forest, the beetles may alter local weather patterns, like beetle induced drought conditions.
Pine beetles burrow beneath bark to lay eggs. Larvae fan out, feasting as they mature. The following summer, they take flight from trees rendered a dead orange to seek new victims. Beetles claimed 500,000 new acres of trees in 2007, according to the annual aerial survey of Colorado’s forests, making the total kill 1.5 million acres.
It seems the mountain pine beetle is flapping its wings and creating its own hurricane.
-Cara
The Day After An Inconvenient Truth 
What Did You Say?