29 mars 2012

Buffalo Exchange

Cash for Fashion!
New York Store
(google)
Buy, sell and trade clothing at a local shop (US). Pretty much your general vintage shop but does that little bit extra for the environment! They donate 5 cent for every purchase to a charity of your choice and much more. Check it out on www.buffaloexchange.com 
or
check out their blog on www.buffaloexchangefashion.com/

27 mars 2012

A convenient truth

Curitiba in Brazil is a city with limited resources but with great resourcefulness!
To battle the problem of floodings, but without the finances to build dams, they built beautiful parks. Not only did this take care of the flooding issues but it improved the lives of the people previously living in favelas around these problematic areas. These people were payed to move to other areas with better quality housing increasing their living standard. This was payed for by the increased land prices around the parks, increased taxes were taken out and the parks opened up for new businesses to start up. It turned out that this approach was five times more profitable than building dams and embankments.
The government of Curitiba was the first city in Brazil to encourage and actually implement a recycling programme in the favelas bringing about a much cleaner and healthier environment. Four men, including the engineer, built a factory that separated the recyclable trash and sold it to private businesses. They employed recovering drug addicts and illiterates and as the business boomed cut work hours to four hours a day but paying them full-time wages. This way they could employ more people. However, not only did people work four hours for full-time pay but a bonus could be given if you got further involved by eg. staying updated in current events (reading the paper) or exercise. I'm not joking. They get paid to exercise!

Sounds too good to be true? Nope, have a look for yourself, watch A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil. (doc)

Responsibility

"All of us have to share the Earth's fragile ecosystems and precious resources, and each of us has to play a role in preserving them. If we are to go on living together on this earth, we must all be responsible for it."
Kofi Annan. 

25 mars 2012

Rugby League

Patsy-Ann and Ian invited me to go and see the bronchos vs the rabbitohs, rugby league game. It's was very exciting and I know all the rules and the players' names. Matt King has crazy hair... Well, I didn't really have a clue but the atmosphere was great!
I was looking forward to the cheerleaders but instead they
threw these little tiny cute kids onto the field.
Pretty entertaining as well...
 I was working all weekend and sadly enough got to bed at 9.00 pm Saturday night. Yep, Grandma style.
However, Grace and I met up with Golfis and his friend for a little Sunday session at the Left Bank.

How sad is it that crimes like burglery generate the same punishment as rape?! Basically, the legal system finds it equally serious to break into someone's property as they do rape. I guess the legal system hasn't really changed much since the 19th century where women were considered property... Shocking.

23 mars 2012

Roadie

I went on a two day road trip with Louise, Evelina and Hanna. South west we went!
Peppermint Grove Beach
Busselton
The Margaret River Chocolate Factory
mmmmmm
Samples.
We sampled alright. 
Winery
 Going through the forest
"The Kennels" - Manjimup
The home of the spotter pilots.
Welcome to the Dog House.
After 4,5 hours we reached the kennels, exhausted and on the edge of running out of fuel. We had prepared ourselves for sleeping in the car cause it was looking very somber a while... Damn australian signs! We didn't want to go too fast because of the roos and the risk of missing the small signs, so we ended up driving 60 km/hr in a dark forest very reminiscent of "wrong turn"... But we made it thankfully! A big thanks to the wonderful pilots for letting us stay with them! Good job spotting those fires!

The Lavender Berry Farm
Pemberton
Best breakfast Ever. 
Do NOT miss this place.
(and a small pancake is enough!)
 Ancient forest and tree top walk
Denmark
 Denmark

Benches can be found in all kinds of places with good views, which is really cosy, but something tells me they forgot about this one...
Evelina enjoying the nice views.
I suspect this bench has seen a lot of action....
A little sample of our road trip... If you are thinking of doing the same I recommend and insist you take more than two days to do it!

19 mars 2012

Mischievous Multinationals

Don't you just love our economic system?
Read this and you might not anymore...


The key facts about multinational corporations such as Coca Cola. Apparently they've been busy committing human rights crimes, torture, toxic waste dumping, child labour and sex trafficking. Just to name a few. Still feel like that coke?

Large global corporations have a larger turnover than most countries GNP. However, they pay in general less than 5% in tax, if any at all. (in the US)

It's an interesting read.

Share the World's Resources

St Paddy's Day

At Rosie O'Grady's. Where else?!
Macarena!

17 mars 2012

Asteroid

James Hansen, top climate change scientist
"Imagine a giant asteroid on a direct collision course with Earth. That is the equivalent of what we face now [with climate change], yet we dither"
Interesting and very important talk by Mr Hansen, however not the best rhetorical skills. 6 minutes in it starts getting really interesting, the beginning is mostly about the difficulty to get people (government) to listen and another example of corruption. Haven't heard that before...

Painted Fish Café

Screening of Gasland at a "café". Basically we were just sitting on the pavement in the back of a street. But you know what... That's what I love about Freo! Gas fracking is about to start (has started) in WA and now we're (I say we because we're all in this together, pollution has no bounderies) trying to get the public educated and involved about the real issues about fracking. Or at least get it properly tested and monitored. If it were to start at the moment they would basically not be subjected to any laws and regulations... So get educated people! So far only France and Bulgaria have prohibited fracking as far as I know. Pretty poor considering the unsafe way it's currently done in.
Screen was attached to a trailor. Love it!
Got a new job and celebrated by buying a
dress. Practice what you preach?
Well, everyone slips up sometimes....
Whispers Wine Bar
Si on veux une ambiance francaise
It's so cosy upstairs!
Bar is located on Essex st.
Rosie O'Grady here we come! Start pouring that green beer!

14 mars 2012

Homeless no more

My beautiful (massive) new room
As I don't have curtain racks yet my curtains decorate
my bed and wardrobe...
Wardrobe, very difficult to move...
 Will make some changes to it: the knob will go, will try to change the fabric but doesn't seem possible
and I was thinking of painting the wardrobe white.... All furniture is bought off gumtree (swedish blocket) 
Couldn't help myself but to bring some Paris in...

13 mars 2012

Ambivalence

In my unit Cities and Sustainability I have come across many innovative ideas, major issues and new perspectives. Today I realised my ambivalence towards the concept of sustainability. One part of me is frustrated over the extensive changes that will have to be made and the fact that the longer we wait for the bigger the changes are going to be. Our lifestyle is going to change radically. The other part of me is very inspired and excited over these changes! 
My professor said that the battle will be won or lost in the cities because since 2008 over 50 % of the human population reside in cities. If we can make cities sustainable, we can make the world sustainable.
Here are some awesome creative solutions:
Would I like to live here?
Yes please!
New York
Using infrared light to see where the heat is lost in
buildings. That way we can alter it.
Pretty cool.
Green roofs in New York
Interesting story. Green roofs have been around for a while but the mayor of New York is introducing blue roofs. These roofs basically tkae care of the rain water and separate it from the sewage system, a huge waste of a resource, which would overflow. The system is a century old so it's bloody time for some modernisation. The blue water would be used to water gardens, wash streets etc.
Fukuoka
Every now and again I lose faith in a sustainable world. Mostly when I realise the extreme changes that will have to be made to peoples' mindsets and habits. Sorry, consumption is no longer economics gift to human kind... We will have to find other ways to entertain ourselves... That's what sometimes gets me down. I love shopping, clothes, make-up, interior design etc. However, if I can stop so can you.
All pictures are taken from google.