Sound Of Sirens

First of all, I have to tell you that we had difficulties in deciding wether to write in english or german. Still have…So if any of you would like to know more or get some german input, let us know. Otherwise we’ll keep it english. We are in the process of meeting/exploring/exchanging with people working in similar areas or with similar interests, and there is a lot of great stuff happening in the UK, so here we go.

These are some of the activities on our list:

There will be a talk with Toni Spencer of the Schumacher College:
An Ecology of Making: A Community of Things
An exploration of crafts, design and the aesthetics of sustainability

a talk with Vandana Shiva:
The transformation of Societies. What comes after development?

There will be practical input like a pruning workshop, loads of permaculture and other projects to visit, we will participate in a Transition Town Training in Totnes and then head to London, meeting people from an acting school and more. That’s the rough outline. We will see what emerges around it…Maybe we’ll just enjoy spring for a minute!…

We’ll let you know about all that right here!…

So einige “erfrischende” Überschriften und Bebilderungen lassen dieses Instructable zu einer amüsanten Lektüre werden.

Never forget: “If it’s Yellow, let it mello, if it’s brown, flush it down!”

Viele andere, mehr oder weniger alltagstaugliche, aber definitiv sehenswerte grüne Instructables findest Du in den Gruppen: Energy Efficiency und Living Without Oil. Grundsätzlich finde ich übrigens, dass solche DIY-Communities einen schönen Beitrag zur Recycling und Rethink Kultur bieten und zeigen, dass Selbstmachen kein Verzicht bedeuten muss, sondern sogar Spass machen kann! Ebenfalls empfehlenswert ist das Make Magazine.

This is an text excerpt from Fritjof Capra’s ‘Hidden Connections’. Enjoy…

…We do not need to invent sustainable human communities. We can learn from societies that have lived sustainably for centuries. We can also model communities after nature’s ecosystems, which are sustainable communities of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Since the outstanding characteristic of the biosphere is its inherent ability to sustain life, a sustainable human community must be designed in such a manner that its technologies and social institutions honor, support, and cooperate with nature’s inherent ability to sustain life…

The german title of ‘Hidden Connections’ is ‘Verborgene Zusammenhänge’…

“MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES is a feature length documentary on the world and work of renowned artist Edward Burtynsky. Burtynsky makes large-scale photographs of ‘manufactured landscapes’ – quarries, recycling yards, factories, mines, dams. He photographs civilization’s materials and debris, but in a way people describe as “stunning” or “beautiful,” and so raises all kinds of questions about ethics and aesthetics without trying to easily answer them. […]”

I’m looking forward to see it in german cinemas. Check this adress for trailers and information and you can order a copy here.

The “5Rs” are an exploration of the themes Respect, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. These Earth-loving actions allow us to reduce our impact on our Earth and add deeper meaning and joy to our lives.

Respect: Have respect for the planet, for your own health, and for other people. It gives birth to less destructive habits.

Rethink: When you’re shopping give thought to the items you purchase. Think about where they come from and where they’ll go. Rethink your old ways of consuming.

Reduce: After rethinking, it’s easier to cut out items that could be harmful to you or the environment. reducing diminishes the amount of energy and resources used, reduses waste and pollution, and sends a message to manufactures - if we don’t buy it, they won’t make it.

Reuse: Instead of throwing away. It’s more than just recycling.

Recycle: If an item cannot be reused, then recycle it.

from ‘One Makes the Difference’, by Julia Butterfly Hill

Ok, what about make some time and bake some bread. Never done it? How does that work? Why put in all that time and effort, when you can just buy it at the corner? - Well, I think I won’t answer to that. What I can tell you is that there comes a whole package of sensations and fun with it…;-) I’m aware that it’ll probably cost more energy input than output if you count the quantifiable stuff. If you count the non-quantifiable stuff that’ll look different I think. Why not engage in getting some basic knowledge on the production of your own food. So here we go. Have fun…

Bake your own bread / prepare your own Sourdough Starter

Wholemeal flour
Water
Salt
(Nuts, Seeds, Olive Oil, Honey…)

Mix some spoons of wholemeal flour (rye works best) with some water and make it into a liquid paste
cover it, leave it in a warm place
Check it every day for four days, try to keep it the same texture
If it is warm enough after four days it will have bubbles due to fermentation
This is your starter

Preparation for 2 or 3 loafs/about 1,5 kilos of bread
The night before mix 1/10 of the flour (around 150g) with your starter, add some water and make it into a paste
Cover it, put it in a warm place, leave it over night so the yeast can spread
In the morning add the rest of the flour, water and some salt- and whatever else you want to add (some oil, nuts, seeds…)
Make it into a firmer dough then leave it covered for 2-4 hours in a warm place
If you want to keep some starter for your next bread separate some of the dough before adding salt and the other ingredients, put it into a jar and keep it in a cool place. It will keep at least for a week
Put the dough in forms, filling 2/3 of form, let it rise for 2-4 hours
Put in hot oven (240C) for 10 minutes then down to 180C for 30-45 minutes

The very detailed graphics are part of an art/graphic-design project from C-Lab - Columbia Laboratory for Architectural Broadcasting. “It’s meant to rethink waste management infrastructure, complete with ironic and colorfully alluring designs for private trash cans.”

Residents of Minneapolis gaze at it at Walker’s - the rest of us visits C-Lab online and/or reads the interview with Jeffrey Inaba (founding director of C-Lab) at BLDG.

All pictures in hi-res and more details (huge 3 but worthy MB):

via: BLDG-Blog

“Kenneth Cole is known for using socially- and politically-charged messaging in his ads, like the latest billboard that just went up in NYC proclaiming, “In the U.S. somebody is shot every 6 seconds. Is this what arms are for?”

Now he’s doing the same on the web, launching a blog all about social awareness called Awearnessblog (how cute!). The site is going to feature celebrity bloggers, who will post about issues close to their hearts and, hopefully, the hearts of consumers (Mr. Cole himself is planning to post once a week). Blogging will revolve around all manner of social issues ranging from poverty and homelessness to the environment and politics, and you can expect about 5 posts a day.[…]”

Hum. Greenwashing - erm blogging? The shoppping link is definitely conspicious, but we’ll give em a chance and review it later…

via: psfk crain’s

Didn’t know that Vista comes with a built-in adblocker! And how well it works…  :D

(via s2k - thanks to Miguel)

That was one of the thoughts, that stayed with me after seeing a lecture on the Maya calendar a few days ago.
It’s amazing how the Mayas understood and perceived the development of the universe and themselves, at least from what we - with our mind and culture setup - can grasp of it now.
Ian Xel Lungold has a very peculiar way, it’s fun to watch him. He gives a very structured and comprehensible picture of the whole thing. A lot of interesting thoughts and facts, many things I can relate immediately to, for example to the fact that the mind is just a tool and the role intuition is supposed to play.

It’s a pity that towards the end the guy has to predict what is going to happen within the next years, using the calendar as a tool for prophecy. This is not necessary and takes away a little bit.
Plus I think that he or ‘we’ are not able to understand the calendar completely anyway, it was embedded in a different culture and consciousness.

It gave me an understanding from a different point of view why I feel about our times and culture as I do.

Worth to check it out: click here