Environmental Protection Innovations

Something as simple as a place to put your fishing line can save the lives of animals in the habitat the fisher used. I found this is South Carolina and was impressed that someone had the fortitude to design, fund and place this in the state park. Nice work.

This other find, is in Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor. This company looks at so many aspects of doing business that improves the community it serves. Not only does this flushing device save water, but it also lowers their water bill. Often doing what is right, is also smart in more ways than protecting the environment. Another good job by Zingerman's!

Oh, really?

If you can't read this, it says...

"CARIBOU COFFEE CARES

In an effort to reduce waste and take care of our environment, Caribou now offers the option to take a coffee sleeve or leave it if you prefer"

Hmm. That sounds good. Yea, I like that. Well, wait a minute. Don't they only serve there beverages in either plastic or paper cups? Even if I want to drink my beverage in their store? So, doesn't that make them a hypocrite? Come to think of it, they also use plastic cutlery. But wait, they will give you a plate! Uh, so they CAN and have the ability to wash items. So what is up with the glassware? 

It irks me to no end when a company CLAIMS to care about the environment, when in reality they don't actually practice what they preach. Hypocrisy at it's worst. Shame on you Caribou Coffee!

My Dream House!

Thirty years ago! 

This is my friends daughters stilt house. It has been built out of all recycled items, expect for the roof. (Apparently they didn't want to deal with possible leaks. Who could blame them.)

What I wouldn't have given for a personal space like this. The closest I came was a tiny balcony off the back of our house. We were told we would fall through the roof if we went out on it. Experience told us that if we were very careful and not to let the parents know, we were just fine. 

Don't worry Mom, Margie and I only crawled out once or twice. It wasn't as cool as we had thought it would be! Nothing like this house. 

I'm waiting for my invitation. Perhaps I should stop by with some warm freshly baked cookies?

A late edition...

... to my Christmas list. I love old vintage things like this. I have no idea where I would put it, but if I did have a large living room I'd treat is as a piece of sculpture. It is from a time when good design was used for all kinds of things. Today, things are designed to function more than to please the eye. What a shame.

So, this could be yours for a mere $4,000. Or if you were felling generous, it could be mine!

Serious recycling

We take recycling seriously.

These popped up around town recently. I'm waiting to see how they are received and how they work out.

The folks in my neighborhood don't know what is recyclable and what isn't recyclable. People who are making an effort place things in bins that won't be recycled because they are not recyclable items. No matter how the bins are labeled, they just don't bother to learn what is and is not. They end up creating more work for the folks that pick up the bins and much more work for those that have to sort through the receivables.

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be an effective way to get it through peoples heads. Over and over, it's the same week after week. Maybe these new bins will have a positive change among the masses. Maybe they will start to pay closer attention.... One can only hope.

Consciousness...? On the move...?

Conscious Good Alliance. 

That is how this bus is billing itself. It is a 1984 shuttle bus that has been modified to run on vegetable oil. It gets about 10 miles to the gallon. This group is touring the country promoting the Triple Bottom Line "a business philosophy that partners with, and is committed to, the social and ecological bottom line in equal partnership with traditional bottom line financial returns". 

I didn't buy it. The bus was full of hippy through backs who looked perpetually stoned and couldn't or wouldn't discuss ideas that didn't fall neatly into their spiel. They couldn't defend the position they were sent out to promote. My guess is people they encounter are mostly curious about the bus and do very little debating or even having a two way conversation about their "movement". 

I'm not sure what the qualifications where for this "job", but my guess would be the ability to live in close proximity to one another, better than average looks, and the ability to produce a 'dear in headlights' look of wonderment. Basically the classic sales technique that doesn't answer a question, but repeats it to the asker and is supposed make the asker feel foolish or not "normal". The way a slimy used car salesman would make you feel.

If a company is going to tout that it is not only interested in "the bottom line", then it's representatives ought to be able to construct a complete sentence. But alas, incompetence runs rampant everywhere. Nice bus, no one home.

Progressive Community

These are two examples of different types of infrastructure one will find in Ann Arbor. We are a progressive community and are experimenting with different methods of energy.

The wind turbine powers a light on the pole. It is difficult to see, but it is there. Not to be mistaken for the traditional light on the left.

The GIANT utility pole is a mystery to me. I have no clue as to why it is there, or what it's purpose is. What I do know is it sticks out like a sore thumb when you drive by it. It is huge and highly unattractive. Does anybody have any idea what is going on here?

The only thing I can think of that it is positioned right across the street from the new GIANT football practice area. Maybe it needs so much power to build the ugly building, that it needs hefty power lines that need the support of this strange power pole. 

Redneck Stonehenge

I love this! 

This farmer erected this car fence as a comment to his neighbors who complained about living next to a farm that they built their home next to. They didn't like the smell and bugs that were associated with farm life. They liked looking at the animals, but apparently the animals weren't supposed to have animal smells, noise or waste. 

Gotta love those urbanites!

The farmer has a great sense of humor as he has buried the cars so that they will easily be removed. He doesn't want to cause a rift. He just wanted to make a point that he was there first and it is now a little late to complain about the situation that they put themselves in. 

I'm sure they are also complaining about the cost to drive to their homes from the distant cities they left. 

Garbage Bags as Art!

If you've been to New York City, you've probably seen the subway grates that line city streets. Well, one student artist has added something you probably haven't seen before. At first look, it appears to be a gray garbage bag on top of a grate, but then the subway train goes by and the air shoots up through the grate. All of a sudden trash becomes art! The inflated bag becomes a wobbly giraffe!

The creator, Josh Harris, was inspired by tape blowing up from the subway grates. In his quest for artist recognition, he literally took his art to the streets to create the piece. "You walk down the streets, and all of a sudden trash jumps to life," he said. "It's not what you usually see."

To see it in action, click here! (Note the commercial before the video is short.)

For more fun, some of his first pieces included polar bears. You can see them in action here.