green of the day: no impact man

This is a re-post from triplepundit.com. Because I’m lazy. Can’t wait to watch this, though. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a modern-day, urban cavewoman/hunter-gatherer. yeah, really. i really have.

There is No Impact Man the blog. There is No Impact Man the book.

And coming soon to a theater near you, there is No Impact Man the documentary, the chronicles of an “extreme” one-year experiment to answer the question, “Is it possible to have a good life without wasting so much?”

Colin Beavan, a writer for Business Week, decides to completely eliminate his personal impact on the environment for the next year.

The No Impact Project means eating vegetarian, buying only local food and turning off the refrigerator. It also means no elevators, no television, no cars, buses, or airplanes, no toxic cleaning products, no electricity, no material consumption and no garbage.

Hard enough for one single person, but complicated by the fact that he and his family live in Manhattan.

A review in Grist explains, “While Beavan gets all the attention and the superhero nickname, his wife and their 2-year-old daughter, Isabella, are dragged along for the un-motorized ride. That’s a good thing for the film, because Conlin (his wife) emerges as the most vivid character for the simple reason that she struggles to make such drastic changes in her life.

Watch the clip and keep your eye out for the movie. If you are in the Bay Area, Beavan has several speaking engagements scheduled in mid-September.

umm. this is some kind of awesome.

there’s nothing like a dope arrangement of MJ songs, a darling hapa boy (at least i think he’s hapa), and youtube magic to brighten up your day. you can thank me later.

(thanks, bien!)

happy birthday to me!

if i owned this shirt, i’d wear it everyday. especially today.

(via threadless)

monday mantra

wish me luck!

(via my awesome photoshop skills)

friday favorite: tikki tikki tembo

a while back, i started a collection of books that i used to read as a kid not only to satisfy my own inner child, but also in hopes that one day my own chickadees would revel in the magic of my childhood (hopefully, they don’t just think i’m a big dork). while i have my known list of favorites, sometimes i’m serendipitously reminded of a book that i once loved as a kid but have since forgotten. today’s one of those days. as i was going through my daily reads, i happened upon a blog post titled, “tikki tikki tembo” over at booooooom. gasp! wide eyes! i remember how proud of myself i was when i finally memorized the name, tikki tikki tembo no sa rembo chari bari ruchi pip peri pembo.

if you’ve read it, then i’m sure you’re delighted, too. if you haven’t, lucky for you, there’s a youtube video! this guy’s voice is the classic “old-white-grandpa-narrator” voice of yesteryear. haha. enjoy. and have a lovely weekend.

monday mantra

inhale life.

(via formeforyou)

Happy Friday!

i love this illustration by gemma correll.

it seems that all my friends are planning camping trips this summer. have a wonderful weekend everyone!

(via formeforyou)

happy JOY day.

six years ago (i can’t believe it’s been six years), on october 6, 2003, elaine joy aton de la cruz – daughter, sister, fiery leo, passionate poetess, tireless activista, proud babae, fearless, radiant, lovely, honest, vulnerable (the list goes on and on) sister-friend – left.

it’s never really seemed fitting to ask, why? i imagine this world, this life simply couldn’t contain her anymore.

today, august 6, is her birthday. i wonder what her earthly celebration would’ve looked like if she were still here. what kind of awesome craziness would she have gotten into? then i found this web entry from the last birthday she spent with us in 2003:

***

08.07.03

MEMORABLE BIRTHDAY

My birthday festivities made an impression, or at least caught the attention, of a couple people I did not even know:

Waiting on the sidewalk outside of the Note:
“Hey, how was your birthday?”
Actually, it’s almost her birthday, I explained. Vanessa’s birthday starts at midnight.
“Wasn’t your birthday yesterday?”
Yes.
“And did you have a good time?”
Fabulous, I said.
“How do you know him?” Liza asked me.
I don’t, I shrugged. Curiosity caught me later, and I walked over to introduce myself.
“It’s Joy, right? I heard you do a piece on the street last night. Something about loving poets… and then one of your friends did a poem too. A bit, um, risque, right?”
Right. Since they only go halfway through the list at the erotica slam, since most everyone around me was a poet, and since leos are rarely shy, especially when they have an excuse like their birthday, I requested poetry. Friends performed as we loitered on the sidewalk, erotica if they were so inclined.

Scoping out Zentra:
“Hey, I met you the other night. Were you at Sinibar?”
No, I wasn’t. I’m not actually from Chicago, I said. From out of town.
“I did meet you. It was your birthday, right?”
Depends on what you saw me doing on my birthday, I joked.
“Does that mean you were getting into trouble on your birthday?”
Just dancing…
“And drinking?”
I laugh as he reminded me about that night at SubT: dj Ddouble called me out on the mic — “Slow down birthday girl!” he announced — when he saw me down my Cosmopolitan. I just wanted to dance without worrying about spilling. Martini glasses are cumbersome that way.

***
yep, that’s joy. potent.

do something joyful today:
carry around pocket change in a ziploc bag.
do the octopus dance.
bat an eyelash.
lick your lips.
ask a stranger to buy you a drink (actually, these days, maybe that’s not a good idea).
stuff left-over pizza in your filing cabinet.
lose your shoes.
take the bus in the suburbs.
drag home a giant piece of cardboard and turn it into an art piece.
recite poetry on the streets of wherever.
call your homegirl’s boyfriend to remind him how awesome she is.
get arrested. on purpose.
make a giant puppet.
work at the aquarium.
have sex.
eat cheesecake.
speak softly. but HARD.
make chapbooks out of office supplies.
doodle.
spend the night at your nearest cross-cultural center.
bite your tongue for no one.
love fiercely.
write like there’s a gun to your head.
don’t postpone joy.

i miss you, sis. love all the time all around everywhere. hard.
-dianne

find more of joy’s writings here.

august 5, 2009.

notes to self:
remember today.
celebrate life.
farewells and homecomings are one and the same.
laban. for everyone/thing you love/believe in.
full moon.

welcome home, corazon aquino. RIP.

welcome home, laura and euna.

charlyne yi is dweeberiffic.

saw this just a few moments ago. so post-worthy. charlyne yi is the epitome of weird, awkward, geektastic…and totally cute and charming. i’m saddened by her recent split from actor, michael cera (also swoonable), but still can’t wait to catch the pseudo-documentary, Paper Heart, starring the two geekballs.

Paper Heart is in select theatres this Friday.