LOVE AND HATE

THIS I LOVE

The "Fenced In" by UHURU a Brooklyn based design+ build furniture company. Their work is as beautiful as it is utilitarian. They hand make all of the items and use reclaimed or repurposed materials. Unique, green and awe inspiring work.

http://www.uhurudesign.com/work.php


THIS I LOVE ALSO

a convo between the original environomentalist, "Two Trees" , about the emotion with a bad rep

RED BLACK AND GREEN - Why Black People Hate Environmentalists

I recently gave a lecture called Black and Green. One of the areas I tried to examine was what the barriers to sustainable lifestyles may be for Black people and the public idea of environmentalism. In my humble opinion there are many, but a few stick out for me :

Expense - Whole Foods is a tad outside of most people's budget. Shame because those one bite brownies are a right not a privilege.

The Dominant Voice - Al Gore, Leonardo Dicaprio and others ...lovely people I am sure ...not a lot of credibility in Bed Stuy

Prescriptive - No one wants more crap to do.

Perception -Early on seemed like a lot of hairy underarmed tree huggers..the modern environmental movement seems like celebrity and tragically hip urbanites. Majora Carter needs more urban exposure...maybe an interview in Black Hair magazine guest appearance on Flavor of Love? Whatever it takes man.

Political - No one is legislating in the Black community for better access to Solar panels and maybe they shouldn't. I am sure a conversation about the asthma rates due to pollution, land fills in the hood, and Green collar jobs may resonate though!

Cultural Disconnect - Sorry Polar Bears are not our priority.

So on a more positive note. Let's talk about the things we ALREADY DO. Environmentalist like to beat up on the rest of us. The lovely Rhea Combs Brown gives us urban dwellers a pat on the back. We are actually doing things everyday and becoming more Green by the minute.

AT THE VERY BEGININNG ..A VERY GOOD PLACE TO START

Julie Andrews never said it better. I am a procrastifarian. So after two years of this blog living in my head I am finally sharing it with anyone who will listen. The concept is simple...Fun info and conversations about fabulously frugal design and lifestyle stuff for us! On one hand I am constantly shocked and amazed at the resistance among my people to all things "Green". But on the other hand I understand that The Green movement has been somewhat co-opted and suffers from a PR problem. I am amazed because despite the angle of the trendy conversation, we are pioneers in this world of sustainable living. I think we just have to remind ourselves. I hope this blog will do that. For me being Green should be fun, and pretty. It shouldn't feel like a dictate or deprivation. Let's re-define this movement for ourselves.

Here is a teaser from many years ago, a conversation among four friends about "the problem" and how to engage our community in all things eco...