Michael Pollan on changing "the cheap-energy mind"
Why Bother?If you do bother, you will set an example for other people. If enough other people bother, each one influencing yet another in a chain reaction of behavioral change, markets for all manner of green products and alternative technologies will prosper and expand. (Just look at the market for hybrid cars.) Consciousness will be raised, perhaps even changed: new moral imperatives and new taboos might take root in the culture. Driving an S.U.V. or eating a 24-ounce steak or illuminating your McMansion like an airport runway at night might come to be regarded as outrages to human conscience. Not having things might become cooler than having them. And those who did change the way they live would acquire the moral standing to demand changes in behavior from others — from other people, other corporations, even other countries.
All of this could, theoretically, happen. What I’m describing (imagining would probably be more accurate) is a process of viral social change, and change of this kind, which is nonlinear, is never something anyone can plan or predict or count on.So says Michael Pollan, in this past Sunday's New York Times Magazine (The Green Issue). I found this article to contain a convincing argument for the power of the individual in the face of seemingly insurmountable problem of climate change.
go green, brooklyn style
Habana Outpost, New York's first (and only?) solar-powered restaurant, in Fort Greene, Brooklyn will kick off its 2008 season with an Earth Day Expo (the restaurant is only open six months of the year - the sunny months!).
Owner Sean Meenan is often sought after for information about sustainability and green business practices - and so he organized the first annual Earth Day Expo at Habana Outpost. The focus of this two-day event will be to provide a place for the community to access information about sustainability in a fun and interactive way through a series of free events and workshops.
From 12-6pm, both days, shop green: local vendors and designers (including
black sheep heap) will showcase green products and services in an outdoor market.
There will also be electronic waste recycling, a bio-diesel demo, and composting workshops.
Habana Outpost Earth Day Expo
April 19th & 20th, 12-8pm
EcoEtsy Blog shout-out
My tree tee was featured on the
EcoEtsy blog today.
EcoEtsy is a group of like minded people who are coming together to spread the word about reducing, reusing and recycling. We concentrate on educating other
Etsyians to be more aware of the waste we create when packaging our items and therefore offer tips and tricks to help other members create a greener way of life in their shops and in their personal lives.
EcoEtsy is open to all sellers who want to waste less in the process of selling, packaging and shipping, and to encourage buyers to do their part as well.
green pop!
Poppytalk Handmade is a curated monthly online street market to showcase, buy and sell handmade goods of emerging design talent from around the world. Currently they're having an eco-themed market.
Read about it on
Crafting a Green World, where Black Sheep Heap got a shout out!