My DIY

So I've recently gotten into doing some DIY projects and by some I mean one.  However, I think this nifty driftwood plant terrarium thingy was definitely a success. Even though the idea was from Sunset I think the execution was excellent.  If anybody else has a DIY project they have done recently, maybe a cranberry wreath or something, it'd be cool to see some pics.

 

It's Christmas Time!!!

ECOnews

As some of you already know, about a month or so ago I started a worm composting system.  The system is called Can-O-Worms and is manufactured in Australia.  It's a multi-layer system, as you can see here

I was a bit shocked to learn that the Can-O-Worms manual suggested starting with a minimum of 1000 worms.  Given that the worms are about $20 for 300, I decided I could just start with 600.  Apparently, with proper feeding they can reach a capacity of 15,000 to 20,000 after 2-5 years - pretty crazy.  So far, they are still aren't eating as much as I was hoping for but I guess thats what happens when you skimp on the worms.  They can eat up to half their own body weight every day and can double their population every few months.  All in all, the purpose of my new composting system is to reduce the amount of waste I contribute to our landfills and hopefull give a nice boost to the garden too.  San Francisco and Seattle both require people to compost by giving them a food waste bin in addition to their recycling, trash and yard waste bins.  I wish LA would get on the ball and do that too, but in the meantime, this is what I got.

Book Recommendation

Hey friends, I hope everyone had an awesome holiday.  I have been a little sick recently which gave me plenty of time to catch up on some reading.  I just finished the most fantastic book called Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.  He pretty much gives an accurate description of it on the cover, "A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" but it also goes into some really interesting detail about the sport of ultrarunning in general and how running and human evolution is intertwined.  So even if you aren't that into running, I'd still recommend it.  The books website is http://borntorun.org/.  Check it out!

ECOnews

The ZERO Race - Occassionally I do projects for a Washington D.C. based international business consulting firm.  Recently, I was asked to do a project in conjunction with the ZERO Race, an 80 day race around the world using emissions-free vehicles (i.e. a zero emission race).  The race is co-sponsored by one of my company's clients in Switzerland.  On August 16th, 2010, four vehicles from Germany, Australia, Switzerland, and South Korea, began the race in Geneva, Switzerland. 

The objective of the race is to promote renewable energy as a reliable and ecological solution for human transport.  Along the way the racers will stop at key cities to do press conferences and give talks, including a visit to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun at the end of November.  Prior to reaching Mexico, the Race will stop in San Francisco on November 16th, and give a press conference midway across the Golden Gate Bridge, and in Los Angeles on November 19th where they will give a press conference at the Santa Monica Pier.  I will be attending the event at the Santa Monica Pier and a talk at CalTech in Pasadena, CA.  The full route is as follows 

So if you get a chance, come out and support the ZERO Race and their mission.  You can track the race and get more info at http://www.zero-race.com/en/. 

Key Places and Dates:

November 16th - San Francisco, CA (press conference Golden Gate Bridge)

November 19th - Los Angeles, CA (press conference Santa Monica Pier)

Mishka - Lonely

For those of you who don't know, Mishka is an up-and-coming reggae musician who was born in Bermuda and raised sailing around the Caribbean on a yacht with his family.  He was 'discovered' by Matthew McConaughey who signed him to his j.k. livin' label in 2006.  Mishka has released five albums (Mishka, In Dub, One Tree, Above the Bones, Talk About) and was recently made the face of O'Neill's new eco-friendly clothing line ECO'Neill.  To check out more of his music, check out his website http://mishka.com/ 

An Introduction

Here is a collection of musings about the world and some of the essential truths I have discovered.  It is a rambling story about my travels and adventures, music and literature, and the state of the natural world and its' very uncertain future.  Feel free to contribute.