Your Daily Breeze

Make your Own Bike Charger

Take 2-3 hours out of your life, and a little bit of investment to make a charger that you power! Suitable for your phone, laptop, and TV, this effective power supplier will save you tons in electric bills and whittle your waistline in the meantime.

An MIT Experiment: In preliminary calculations, the students predicted that a bicyclist should be able to produce up to 75 watts continuously--far more than the 30 watts needed to power the laptop." They now have a working model for a human-powered excersize machine/laptop.

Build Your Own:

Bicycle Generator

iPod Charger

Gas Prices and Drilling for More

New drilling for oil, especially offshore or in ANWR, will not produce any usable oil for at least 10 years. What will we do until then? Let's unify, support, and spread the word about alternative forms of energy that help the environment and our future. Use your consumer power to lower prices and emissions!

Other ways to reduce your need for petroleum based products:

• Don't idle your car. Shut it off if it's going to be idling more than 30 seconds.
• Walk, run, or bike your next errands.
• Consolidate your trips into town by doing at least five things (like go to the bank, post office, etc.).
• Find friends who need to go to the same stores as you and carpool.

Tell your Congress person you won't stand for deception at the pump. Drilling will not solve our current crisis, alternative transportation will.

Photo by David Lee on SaveMobile.org

Shameless...

This weeks "featured artist" is the founder of a small shirt printing boutique, an even smaller animation studio, and the writer of this blog. Although it may seem like a self-promoting piece, it is, but there is also cool tibdits and some good art.

This particular 27 year-old designer, fine artist, and animator does what she can to help the earth, and it seems, that's all she cares about. What a hippie. Emily Dodge, of SustainabiliTee, is currently designing and printing tee shirts to raise funding for a feature length, animated movie she has dreamed of doing ever since she was a wee little one. It's going to be made from trash, beautiful trash...like these sets and puppets shown here.

Until she can devote 24 hours a day to making, dreaming of, and creating her movie, she has sidetracked herself with a tee-shirt printing company, of which she runs a small online boutique at SustainabiliTee.com. The unusual designs originate from her favorite and most admired inspiration: nature (mixed with a little bit of humor, activism, and/or dorkiness).

Emily screen prints her hand-drawn designs on tees that are super-soft, and make you feel good, look compassionate (even if you aren't), and help save the earth all at the same time. Since she is fortunate to live by an oceanic body of water, she dries the tees in ocean breezes, which she hopes transfers to the person opening the envelope.

I know Emily well, and paramount in her life is her desire to help others less fortunate, those without a voice, those without rights. May I suggest supporting Emily and her endeavors by using this blog often, visiting SustainabiliTee, and watching StartMotions animations.

To further support Emily and her recycled animation project, click here! Please put "StartMotions" in the 'Designated Donation' box, and Healing Earth will give Emily your present.

Bag for Life

Here's a bag that adds functionality and style to compassion. These lovely makeup bags are made from repurposed designer upholstery fabrics, which are exquisitely crafted into fashionable, durable, and tangibly pleasing make up bags by Donna, of Tiny White Whale. From inside to outside, the bag has lovely features including a hand strap, a zipper, and a great shape.  My personal favorite aspect of the bags are the interiors, which compliment the outside in a tasteful and playful manner.

Useful things are especially pleasing, but this one in particular could be used for many purposes, such as: fill it with a tee shirt and you have a nice, cheek-soothing pillow (ergonomically correct too), put a small towel and swimsuit in it and go swimming, put delicate things in it (because it's surprisingly protective), or put your notebook, some pens in it and go out sketching. Whatever you do with this bag, it will serve you well and for a long time.

Donna is spectacularly talented, but adding to her high-quality work, is the environmental bonus. This makeup bag shown here showcases some of the finest post-consumer recycled material: fabric samples! Thanks to the efforts of volunteers and the generosity of the design community, beautiful fabrics, tassels, and trims are rescued enroute to landfill. Artists, craftspeople, and designers, are using this and other resources like this  one to make a tremendous positive difference in our world. See more about their amazing work here, at FabMo.org. Check out their Gallery and you'll get excited about the immense possibilities offered by repurposing!

Every detail, even the very bottom of the bag, is still a pleasure to look at and touch, and yes, even smell! Well-crafted, perfect sized, and pleasurable to hold, this wonderful bag will make your days.

Keep a look out for these bags, they are one of the carefully selected items featured in the up-coming photo shoot, brought to you by a collaboration of SustainabiliTee, YourDailyBreeze, and all the eco-friendly designers who are participating.

 

 

Find More...

Find more Independent designers and craftspeople on Indie Blog Directory. What a great concept, compiling all kinds of great individuals into one easy shopping and information site.

Fake Meat Jerky

What can be better than satisfying a beef jerky craving with uniquely refreshing fake meat!?! One satiating strip provides 3 hours of hungerless joy, and a superior after taste. Primal Strips, (especially "Texas BBQ") are enormously tasty and have a great texture. And, for all you health-conscious people, it's low fat and is a great source of soy protein.

Primal Strips

Make A Butterfly and Hummingbird Attraction

There's a Hummingbird that sits on the top branch of a dead willow tree in our yard. The tiny bird loves to sit on the tippy top branch, so high up and thin it looks like there's a miniature UFO hovering above the tall tree. It's great to hear him or her zoom by my head and see them eat from the window boxes out front...

A good and short project that'll bring you much joy, is the creation of a Butterfly garden. It doesn't have to be much; just a few of their favorite plants and you'll witness some of natures most beautiful beings: Hummingbirds and Butterflies, who migrate many miles to get the best 'fruits' of each season.

They love nectar, but also need places to rest, hide, and find little bugs that comprise up to 50% of some Hummingbirds diets. Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies naturally is rewarding and simple. The feelings generated from watching a live garden grow, change, and provide a permanent home for the Birds and Bees is overwhelmingly amazing.

Potted Garden

If you have seemingly no space for a garden, you may still be able to make your own version. Small pots or window boxes, full of soil (organic, if possible) and petunias, impatients, trumpet vines and Honeysuckle can provide nesescary energy to the tiny animals. If you're in a city, it may take longer for them to come back, but convince your friends to do it too and the Hummingbirds, Butterflies, friendly Bees) will eventually find you!

Small Space Hummingbird Garden

Perennial Garden:

This project is much more involved, but will show you long-term benefits, and even increase the value of your house if done properly!.There's a bit of research involved to find plants that are native to your area (native plants are recommended both for the benefit of the hummingbirds and the environment), but it's worth it.  Fortunately, it's all so rewarding:)

How to Attract Hummingbirds
Hummingbird Plants and Habitats
Hummingbird Plants by Region
California Hummingbird Garden

Don't Forget to Breathe

This edge-of-your-seat nature thriller features two competing African predators, lions and hyenas. It is intense! It is called Eternal Enemies - Lions and Hyenas, and it will amaze you!

There is  a scene, after a great amount of tangible, suspenseful tension between the hyenas and lions, where one of the Prides' male Lions chases (with clear intent) the leader of the hyenas. It is filmed in slow-motion, with excellent camera work that only adds to the suspense. Details such as his flowing mane, the eye whites of the hyena, and the dirt and begin kicked up by the running animals are just one great part of this epic documentary. Though it can be hard to watch, it is a most noble form of survival. This documentary depicts a cycle that is successful and sustainable. See it today, and don't forget to breathe!

National Geographic: Eternal Enemies - Lions and Hyenas

Summer Dress

This weeks featured product is the oh-so comfy looking dress by Patagonia. Made from organic cotton, it's a simple staple to every girls wardrobe (sorry boys).

YourDailyBreeze welcomes Patagonia as a new affiliate. They have great earth-friendly outdoor gear and give percentages to great grassroots organizations who are doing good.

Every time you purchase Patagonia products use YourDailyBreeze as your bridge to get there and you'll help support this blog!

One Giant Step...

This may be the only time you'll hear a politically involved person mentioned here. But, last night, on BBC World News they were talking about U.S. gas prices and how the U.S. government is working on a plan that involves solutions on lowering gas prices by drilling in local and offshore areas. Here are some quotes from the broadcast and article:

"Plan's impact on oil unclear."

"...off-shore drilling would take at least a decade to have any effect on oil supply..."

(Regarding Obama's solution to invest in alternative energy: ) "I will see if the American people subscribe to [the plan]."

Oh Heck Yah! I subscribe! I'll buy 8 years of issues in advance! Many alternative energies are incredibly efficient and inexpensive to run. What a great thing to promote! I'm glad someone with such influence has the guts to say what big bad corporations don't want to hear and what good businesses need.

Easy ways to help stop this 'need' for oil drilling:

Sign a Sierra Club Petition: Stop the oil drilling, sign the petition today and tell your friends, quick!
Buy local.
Drive less, walk more, bike, support public transportation.
Get a Human Powered Lawn Mower.
Write to your local representatives and tell them what you think.
Write to federal, state, and local officials.

The good thing about all this is we all have the power to help improve the situation drastically. Yay!

Below is the Alternative Energy tee, let's promote the message that alternative energy is good for everyone!

Good News

SustainabiliTee just had its best day ever! Thanks to a mention in "Notcot.org", SustainabiliTee was the humble receiver of many, many tee shirt orders. The positive messages and artistic designs must have really hit home because almost each design was chosen. People love Fake Bacon, Surface Tension Master, and National Wildlife Refuge, to mention a few. This recent spurt brings SustainabiliTee that much closer to the ability to donate 20% to chosen organizations, it funds an artistic and innovative endeavor, and helps educate the world in a fun and stylish manner.

 

The earth-friendly tees are being sent to their new owners in 100% post-consumer packaging supplied by StartMotions, or Pemetic Elementary School (where multiple boxes, packing material, etc. are rescued).

Thank you to everyone who purchased a SustainabiliTee, your support is greatly appreciated:) Thank you! You're wonderful:)

Image taken at sunset in Maine. Uma (the inspirer of the tee shirt) is in the "Dog Fan" position.

Take a gander at this pleasing and pleasant work created by Rebecca of "Art and Philanthropy", a wonderfully conceptualized endeavor that promotes happiness and peace.

Rebeccas' work is imaginative, her color palate is diverse and powerful. It's strong yet subtle and perfectly administered. Her wide selection of art, will please everyone.

"The goal for my art is to show that you can create beautiful things out of items we throw away everyday." says Rebecca. Even the tote bags and lunch bags are made from organic or recycled cotton and vegetable inks! 

She is currently collaborating (and donating $5.00 of every special piece purchased) with PeaceMexico.org, a non-profit that works with rural Mexican families helping to improve their living conditions and environment.

Her compassion is inspiring. Her work is eye-catching and whimsical, simply pleasant to look at. Please take a look at all her pieces at her Etsy shop and support her wonderful endeavors.

Earrings that Enlighten

If you desire earrings that float delicately beside your neck and adorn your face with beautiful color and texture, then these are the pair for you.

These particular earrings, aptly named "Ear Bouquets", are the epitome of lobe decoration, and look especially lovely when intermingled with hair. The eye-catching earrings, found at AngelHearts, are made by Melynda who "deconstructs, redesigns, and recycles vintage and antique jewelry, such as necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, all with a romantic flair." The end result couldn't be better. Available in many colors, the flower Ear Bouquets really hit the spot. They are delicate, decorative, lightweight gems. You will love them.

Keep a look out for AngelHearts in the up-coming photo shoot! In the meantime, please support AngelHearts' innovative creations and YourDailyBreeze. Thank you:)
Photos taken by a Nikon D100 and 85 mm Nikkor lense; camera similar to: Nikon D300 Digital SLR Camera, lense similar to: Nikon 18-70mm Nikkor

RAAK

Image by: Marie Winn's Central Park Nature News

Today, when leaving a grocery store, I was witness to a new movement. Random Acts of Kindness, targeted at...a little butterfly. "Random Acts of Animal Kindness" (RAAK).

A woman and a child were stooping near the open doors of the store. As we walked by, the woman gently (but seemingly expertly) uncupped her hands and scooped a Yellow Monarch Butterfly out into the fresh air, into freedom. 

I told her "Thank you!" as I passed, but that statement can't even fathom how thankful I really was. The Butterfly was given a chance to live on, but that's not even half of it. Four people saw it, one of whom wrote about it (here), and one was a child who will grow up to practice the same actions. Plus, seeing a Random Act of Kindness directed toward a wild animal, especially a bug, is the most wonderful thing in the world to witness. It made my year.

Thank you lady and little boy, for corralling a erratically flying Butterfly into the safety of the wild. Thank you.

Feel Good...Search

GoodSearch allows you to help good causes for free. You  also get to choose who you want your donation to go to, which is great! Just put a keyword in the 2nd box down, such as "Panda", and choose from the organizations to donate to (by clicking "Verify"). You can also check to see how much they've raised so far! Cool huh?

"We direct a minimum of 50 percent of revenues (this currently equates to about a penny per search) to the nonprofits designated by our audience."

GoodSearch.com, Yay!

Stop and...look at the clouds

When was the last time you looked up?

Next time your life seems to be racing by, go outside and look at the amazing condensed water up in the sky. Clouds are so easily overlooked, yet so incredible. They grow and change, dissipate and will never be that way again. But, they are usually there, in the sky, waiting to get heavy enough to let raindrops fall. Let's all notice them more, they feed our gardens, they supply our water and they just look so darn cool!

Some activities to do when there are clouds around:

Find a spot to watch closely, and look at the billows and uplifting puffs change slowly.

Another memorable thing is looking at a tree, or a telephone poll (the closer you are, the better), and look up at fast moving clouds...it seems like the earth is moving and the clouds are still!

See if the breezes touching you at the moment corresponds with the clouds movement up above.

Look all around, there's so many different textures and depths within the clouds.

Clouds (or anything in nature) can be so uplifting, and so can the act of visiting YourDailyBreeze.com every day!

Photos taken by a Nikon D100 and 85 mm Nikkor lense; camera similar to: Nikon D300 Digital SLR Camera, lense similar to: Nikon 18-70mm Nikkor

Life in the Valley of Death

Tonight on the Colbert Report, a gentleman named Alan Rabinowitz was interviewed about his quest to save large wild cats. He wrote a book called "Life in the Valley of Death: The Fight to Save Tigers in a Land of Guns, Gold, and Greed." It looks good, and he has a great point.

His endearing (and personally relatable) story about why he speaks up for animals is well worth-watching. Click here to see the full episode.

Here's another video of Alan Rabinowitz being interviewed.

If Only She Could Fly

In the usual quest to find interesting and considerate works of art, YourDailyBreeze came upon this unique piece by Sarah Zamora; aka Original Youth.  "If only She could Fly" is a mixed media featuring scraps of all sorts artistically composed on a wooden-ruler-framed canvas. It was created in March 2008, for exhibit in the Firehouse Art Gallery's 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' art show.

The three dimensionality of the piece works perfectly with the materials Sarah used, and the execution of the puppet-like character and the subtle attachments of the strings are rare additions to the piece's beauty. It's truly a unique piece that incorporates old discarded items into a pleasurable piece of work, giving it a new life.

This one-of-a-kind piece is composed primarily of recycled 'found' objects, including: foreign text pages, magazine images, tulle and lace, paper and fabric scraps, metal bits from the tool box, paint sticks, wooden rulers (framing), measuring tapes, and chipboard.

Sarah says, ""Living green is about more than just recycling once per week; the modern mixed media artist should seek to bring out the natural beauty in items that would otherwise be discarded, giving them a new life beyond their intended original purpose."

Keep an eye out for Sarah Zamora and her beautifully salvaged art. And stay tuned to YourDailyBreeze for more earth-friendly artists, fashion, and tips.

Less is Mower

"One hour of mowing is the equivalent of driving 350 miles..." People Powered Machines

So, YourDailyBreeze heartily welcomes its' newest affiliate, EcoMowers. Less expensive than your regular fume-emitting mower, this light, quiet and easy-to-push grass cutter can be as little as $160 dollars! And, you'll never have to buy gas for it, ever.

Have other lawn care and garden needs? Check out Arbico-Organics

(Fake) Hot Dog!

I love Fake meat. I eat fake hot dogs like it's my job, which is somewhat ironic...

After countless fake dogs, a favorite has been chosen. Of the four brands available in my town (Tofu Pup, Veggie Dog, Smart Dog, and Yves), there is a definite winner.

Yves fake hot dogs pleased the tastebuds the best. Both flavorful and texturally pleasing, this fake dog is excellent when cooked in a pan with onions, and a buttery or oily substance.

Recipe for cooking the ideal veggie dog:

Heat up a pan with oil (preferably coconut oil), and cut up some thinly sliced onions. Put the hot dog and onions in the pan, flipping the hot dogs and stirring the onions every now and then until their edges turn brown. When the hot dogs and onions are to your liking, toast your bun and voila! Fake Dog at your fingertips. Dress with your usual hot dog condiments.

By replacing a real hot dog with this fake one saves lives and countless resources including water, grain, energy, and so much more. Not to mention, there's nothing weird in them.