Lulu and the Lampshades. I love everything about this video – it’s simple and beautiful. And seriously makes me wish I had more rhythm.
Lyrics here.
November 3, 2009 • 5:09 pm 0
You’re going to miss me
July 28, 2008 • 4:00 pm 0
On Relocalizing Fun
With more people staying closer to home this summer, high gas prices are actually helping to revitalize the local economy in some towns. In a recent TIME magazine article, Amanda Ripley discusses 10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas, including the return of previously globalized jobs, less traffic, and less pollution.
Groups around the world are putting their creative minds together and organizing events that are safe, free, and fun for all ages, that foster collaboration, community spirit, and sense of place. This summer, take some time to think about the kind of community that you would like to live, work, and play in.
Roads represent a huge amount of public space within a city or town. More and more, people are turning to the streets as more than just transportation arteries. Here are a few examples:
Bogota, Colombia is often cited as an example by alternative transportation advocates where over the last ten years, the transportation network has undergone a revolutionary shift from automobiles to public rapid transit and cycling. They have also introduced Car-Free Sundays and Holidays to allow local residents to take back their streets and public spaces for recreation.
Last month in Portland, Oregon they held a first Ciclovia-style street closure, Sunday Parkways, which despite poor weather early in the day, was a huge success with several thousands of city residents taking part as walkers, cyclists, joggers, bladers, families, and pets exploring the “new” 6-mile parkway.
Street Painting Festivals – Each year the local square and market in Raleigh, North Carolina is filled with over 300 artists with 27 hours to deliver their creations, using Martin Street in Moore Square as their canvas. Past themes have included Celebrate Raleigh: Urban Renaissance (photo to right). See listings for street painting festivals around the world.
Here in my hometown of Vancouver, BC, neighborhood-based volunteer-driven groups organized a series of car-free festivals, celebrating community car-free culture and public space.The Commercial Drive Festival launched in 2005 and was the first community-driven Car-Free Festival in Vancouver. This year the program expanded to four other neighbourhoods – each organized locally by volunteers – Kitsilano, West End, Main Street, and Commercial Drive. The ultimate goal is to have car-free festivals in every neighborhood across the city. Interested in seeing what it takes to organize a carfree day in your neighbourhood? Download the Sierra Club of Canada: How to Stage a Carfree Day in Your Community.
Photo: Commercial Drive Car-Free Festival 2008, Vancouver, BC
Here’s a video of the Main Street Car-Free Festival:
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Photo credit: Raleigh Street Painting Festival, BellaBim
August 28, 2007 • 12:43 pm 0
Black Balloon Climate Protection Campaign
(high resolution at http://www.blip.tv/file/291933/)
Victorian Government campaign produced by George Patterson Y&R Melbourne demonstrates the result of energy use in the home and greenhouse gas emissions using a black balloon as a tangible and easy to understand unit of measurement.
1 black balloon = 50 grams of greenhouse gas.
20 black ballons = 1kg of greenhouse gas
200,000 black balloons = 1 tonne of greenhouse gas.
The problem becomes very clear.
The following ads illustrate the impact of various actions that we can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
