Think Green Live Clean

Have you ever dreamed of getting in a van and driving south until who knows when? I know I have, and in 1968 Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins lived this dream.  This 10,000 mile trip started in Southern California and “ended” in Patagonia, South America.  This trip changed the lives of the explorers and now, because of these two men and their work, over two million acres are under permanent protection.   Their epic adventure was recently recreated and made into a documentary/ travel/ surf film called 180 Degrees South. Produced by Woodshed Films, the film depicts a group of surfers/ explorers making their way from Southern California in a sailboat. The destination was Patagonia but where they ended up along the way could never have been predicted. The film is set to release this spring and from watching this trailer one word comes to mind: Epic.   Enjoy…

Kristen Taylor

“What we’re excited about is not just the offshoot conversations about public space and sustainability and carbon footprints, but it’s also the fact that one of the things we love to do is make jam with people we don’t know.”

Such is the sentiment of David Burns and his fellow artists Austin Young and Matias Viegener. The three Silverlake artists are the cofounders of Fallen Fruit, an LA-based art collective that combines and preserves fruit, art, and sustainability. The group was founded in 2004 with an initial intention to survey fruit growing in public spaces, “or on the perimeter,” as it is commonly referred to by the artists. The idea was to gather information and “fallen fruit” that had met its end on the public sidewalks, alleyways, and streets beyond the walls and yards of private property.

Think, had you ever wondered about the fate of the grapefruit, lemons, or oranges that hang upon the overburdened branches of your neighbor’s tree? More than likely you have contemplated picking the delicacies that dangle beyond the reaches of private space. Read more…

Photo Credit: Lee Tang Joh

Wine has been a staple of our social lives and culture for many years.  Now, the staple wine region of California has set an example for others to follow.  Beyond the third party wine audit system recently announced by the Wine Institute of California, this particular initiative pushes California’s wine standards even higher.  While the audit system is certainly sustainable, the Napa Green Program is to some, the “best, most well thought-out program” the industry may have seen yet.  In fact, it is the industry’s most comprehensive “best practices” in land-use and wine production. Read more…