Simply Put, this is one of the best movies out there. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it. Many people have seen it more than once. Many people also ask what the best way is to help get through to people who just “Don’t Get It”. This is a sure fire way to get their attention. There’s nothing they are leaving untouched: the mustard, the okra, the bringe oil, the rice, the cauliflower. Once they have established the norm: that seed can be owned as their property, royalties can be collected. We will depend on them for every seed we grow of every crop we grow. If they control seed, they control food, they know it — it’s strategic. It’s more powerful than bombs. It’s more powerful than guns. This is the best way to control the populations of the world. The story starts in the White House, where Monsanto often got its way by exerting disproportionate influence over policymakers via the “revolving door”. One example is Michael Taylor, who worked for Monsanto as an attorney before being appointed as deputy commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1991. While at the FDA, the authority that deals with all US food approvals, Taylor made crucial decisions that led to the approval of GE foods and crops. Then he returned to Monsanto, becoming the company’s vice president for public policy.
Thanks to these intimate links between Monsanto and government agencies, the US adopted GE foods and crops without proper testing, without consumer labeling and in spite of serious questions hanging over their safety. Not coincidentally, Monsanto supplies 90 percent of the GE seeds used by the US market. Monsanto’s long arm stretched so far that, in the early nineties, the US Food and Drugs Agency even ignored warnings of their own scientists, who were cautioning that GE crops could cause negative health effects. Other tactics the company uses to stifle concerns about their products include misleading advertising, bribery and concealing scientific evidence.
Did you know that on average a woman will use and dispose of 12,000 tampons or pads in her life time? Add on all the packaging and wrappers, and you get a LOT of waste polluting the planet.
Because Lily Cup Compact is reusable and lasts for years, you'll greatly reduce your eco-footprint. It feels great to know that you're reducing your contribution to environmental waste!
Save Money
The disposable nature of pads and tampons doesn't only impact the environment - it's a strain on your wallet too... you're throwing money away! One Lily Cup Compact can last for years, so you'll save up to 75% of your menstrual care expenses and never have to run to the drug store again.
Stay Healthy
Pads and tampons may seem harmless, but they can contain nasty chemicals like dioxins and furans, pesticide residues, and fragrances. And did you know that most tampons are not made from cotton, but rayon, which is chemically treated wood pulp?
And, because tampons are absorbent, they can cause dryness, irritation and can mess with your intimate balance.
Lily Cup Compact is made from 100% medical-grade silicone. It is hypoallergenic, latex-free, phthalate-free, and contains zero toxins. Silicone is non-absorbent, so it respects the pH and flora balance of the vagina.
Forget about your period
When inserted, Lily Cup Compact stays in place to keep you protected all day, and gives youup to 10 hours of non-stop protection*. The silicone of the cup has an incredibly soft and smooth finish; you don't even feel your cup when you're wearing it.
*On a medium flow day, on heavy days you will need to empty it more often.
Video tip: How to use it:
Now, we know that switching to a reusable menstrual cup can seem like a big change. But once you try it, you won't ever want to go back!
Using Lily Cup Compact is actually very simple. Because it is so soft and flexible, it can fold very small, so inserting it is not much different than a non-applicator tampon.
Lily Cup Compact comes in two sizes for the perfect fit. It is best for light to medium flow.
You will have the opportunity to choose your size via a survey once the campaign is successfully completed.
Did you know that menstrual cups have actually been around since the 1930s, the same time as the first commercial tampons were introduced? But cups have always struggled to gain mainstream attention, relegated to specialty health stores. We want to change that.
Choosing the softest, most flexible silicone
We found a medical grade silicone that is so much thinner and more flexible than the silicone used in other cups, and used it to create the original Lily Cup, which we launched in 2012.
Lily Cup 'Classic', launched in 2012
With the original Lily Cup, we redefined the look and feel of a cup. We had, at the time, the biggest evolution in menstrual cups with the Lily Cup. But we pushed ourselves to create something revolutionary, to truly make menstrual cups the leading choice for menstrual protection.
The 3D design process
Our brand manager, Amandine Pranlas-Descours, was struck by inspiration while in Japan when she saw an elegant, collapsible drinking cup. After 2 years of development and collaboration between our designers and gynecologists, we had Lily Cup Compact.
Lily Cup Compact - a revolution in menstrual cup design.
What we've done is create a menstrual cup that is so comfortable and convenient that it no longer needs to be seen as an alternative to tampons and pads, but as the very best choice in period protection.
If you are new to Kickstarter, here is how it works: If you like Lily Cup Compact and you want to help us make it available to women everywhere, you can make a pledge by clicking the green button on the top right of the page. In return for your support you will be among the first to receive a Lily Cup Compact and other great rewards, but only if we reach our funding target! So please spread the word and help make our project happen.
*You will be able to choose which size cup: A (light pink) or B (dark pink) you would like via a Kickstarter survey at the end of the campaign.
Additional products:
Triple Action Feminine Wash is the only intimate cleanser specially formulated for long-lasting freshness during your period. The ultra-gentle wash cleanses, deodorizes and soothes.
Monthly Spa Tablet is a soothing effervescent bath bomb ideal for those discomforting days of menstruation. Infused with calming aloe vera to nourish and restore the skin.
Lily Cup is the original new generation menstrual cup with a soft flexible shape that can be rolled as thin as a tampon.
Laselle Kegel Routine includes three Kegel exercisers of varying weights that can be used individually or combined to effectively build pelvic floor strength and tone.
Feminine Moisturizer is a water-based solution enriched with aloe vera to supplement your body's intimate moisture.
Intimate Accessory Cleaner is an easy-on, alcohol-free spray for cleaning products intended for intimate use.
Production Costs:
We've trialed small scale distribution in Europe, but the research and tests for this product have been prohibitively expensive. Your contribution will help us to scale up manufacturing and logistics for a proper, period changing launch.
Awareness:
Today, only a small percent of women are aware that there are alternatives to pads and tampons. Pad and tampon manufacturers make huge profits from the guaranteed monthly repurchase of their disposable products, which fund massive advertising campaigns that we can’t compete against. Right now, no major US drug-stores stock menstrual cups on their shelves - we want this to change.
By making a pledge today, you are showing that there is a demand for menstrual cups and that women want more choices about what goes in their bodies. By sharing our campaign with your friends we can make more women aware of their options.
We consider risks to be minimal, but possible challenges may be faced, such as logistic delays.
Lily Cup Compact has already passed numerous quality tests and the supply of the medical-grade silicone is secured. We will begin production of your Lily Cup Compact as soon as we meet our target.
Although we are a small team, we use professional manufacturing resources and we assure you that we will do our utmost to ensure you receive your product within 4-6 weeks after our campaign ends.
With your support, we can then start large scale manufacturing and get Lily Cup Compact to stores worldwide, and you can be proud to know that you made it happen.
Leonardo DiCaprio addressed world leaders assembled for the United Nations Climate Summit early Tuesday morning, urging them to take action to address "the greatest challenge of our existence on this planet."
Leonardo DiCaprio addressed world leaders assembled for the United Nations Climate Summit early Tuesday morning, urging them to take action to address "the greatest challenge of our existence on this planet."
"As an actor, I pretend for a living. I play fictitious characters often solving fictitious problems. I believe humankind has looked at climate change in that same way," he said at the summit.
"My friends, this body -- perhaps more than any other gathering in human history -- now faces that difficult task. You can make history... or be vilified by it."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently appointed DiCaprio to serve as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, calling the actor a “new voice for climate advocacy."
Both Ban and DiCaprio participated in Sunday's 400,000-strong People's Climate March in New York City.
Take a look at DiCaprio's speech above. You can read a full transcription below.
Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General, your excellencies, ladies and gentleman, and distinguished guests. I’m honored to be here today, I stand before you not as an expert but as a concerned citizen, one of the 400,000 people who marched in the streets of New York on Sunday, and the billions of others around the world who want to solve our climate crisis.
As an actor I pretend for a living. I play fictitious characters often solving fictitious problems.
I believe humankind has looked at Climate Change in that same way: as if it were a fiction, happening to someone else’s planet, as if pretending that Climate Change wasn’t real would somehow make it go away.
But I think we know better than that.
Every week , we’re seeing new and undeniable Climate Events, evidence that accelerated Climate Change is here now. We know that droughts are intensifying, our oceans are warming and acidifying, with methane plumes rising up from beneath the ocean floor. We are seeing extreme weather events, increased temperatures, and the West Antarctic and Greenland ice-sheets melting at unprecedented rates, decades ahead of scientific projections.
None of this is rhetoric, and none of it is hysteria. It is fact. The scientific community knows it, Industry and Governments know it, even the United States military knows it.
The Chief of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Locklear, recently said that Climate Change is our single greatest security threat.
My Friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task. You can make history...or be vilified by it.
To be clear, this is not about just telling people to change their light bulbs or to buy a hybrid car. This disaster has grown BEYOND the choices that individuals make.
This is now about our industries, and governments around the world taking decisive, large-scale action.
I am not a scientist, but I don't need to be. Because the world’s scientific community has spoken, and they have given us our prognosis, if we do not act together, we will surely perish.
Now is our moment for action
We need to put a pricetag on carbon emissions, and eliminate government subsidies for coal, gas, and oil companies. We need to end the free ride that industrial polluters have been given in the name of a free-market economy, they don't deserve our tax dollars, they deserve our scrutiny.
For the economy itself will die if our eco-systems collapse.
The good news is that renewable energy is not only achievable but good economic policy. New research shows that by 2050 clean, renewable energy could supply 100% of the world’s energy needs using EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES, and it would create millions of jobs.
This is not a partisan debate; it is a human one. Clean air and water, and a livable climate are inalienable human rights.
And solving this crisis is not a question of politics. It is our moral obligation - if, admittedly, a daunting one…
We only get one planet. Humankind must become accountable on a massive scale for the wanton destruction of our collective home. Protecting our future on this planet depends on the conscious evolution of our species.
This is the most urgent of times, and the most urgent of messages.
Honored delegates, leaders of the world, I pretend for a living.
But you do not. The people made their voices heard on Sunday around the world and the momentum will not stop. And now it’s YOUR turn, the time to answer the greatest challenge of our existence on this planet... is now
I beg you to face it with courage. And honesty. Thank you.
Glow in the dark road markings have been unveiled on a 500m stretch of highway in the Netherlands south east of Amsterdam.
The paint contains a "photo-luminizing" powder that charges up in the daytime and slowly releases a green glow at night, doing away with the need for streetlights -- and all the energy they require.
Daan Roosegaarde's inspiration came from the undersea world, and he has been working on several ideas for sustainable roads that he calls Smart Highways.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir
When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States after being absent nearly 70 years, the most remarkable "trophic cascade" occurred. What is a trophic cascade and how exactly do wolves change rivers? George Monbiot explains in this movie remix. Source: Visit http://sustainableman.org/ to explore the world of sustainability. For more from George Monbiot, visit http://www.monbiot.com/
Music Credits: "Unfoldment, Revealment, Evolution, Exposition, Integration, Arson" by Chris Zabriskie (http://bit.ly/1c2uckW)
FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 106A-117 of the US Copyright Law.
The Window Socket is an idea so fabulously simple, it’s slightly amazing that we haven’t seen one before. Designed by Kyuho Song & Boa Oh, the charger sticks to a window and draws solar power to an internal battery, which enables one to either plug in small devices to the outlet right there and then, or save the stored power for use during night time hours.
According to Yanko Design, Kyuho Song & Boa Oh “tried to design a portable socket, so that users can use it intuitively without special training.” It sticks to a window with a suction plate that encircles the solar panel, and a basic outlet feeds the converted solar power to a device—and that’s pretty much it. As the designers point out, this is a charger/converter that can be used anywhere there’s daylight, particularly where there is restricted use of electricity, such as outdoors or on a plane.
At present, the Window Socket is still a concept, but in the near future the designers hope to increase its efficiency, energy storage and charge time. The battery on the Window Socket is very small; at 1000mAh the stored power might be about enough to charge a mobile phone—particularly if it were a USB outlet rather than a standard one, but it won’t be enough to power household appliances. And while it can provide 10 continuous hours of power on a full charge, it presently takes about 5-8 hours to fully charge. But even that can’t completely take a way from it’s awesome, simple design.
These teams are tasked with designing five “demonstration homes” that are at least 50–60 percent more efficient than local building code and within the DHA’s affordable housing cost parameters. Meeting this efficiency goal could allow for a small solar array (say 200 to 400 square feet of panels) to fulfill the entire home’s energy demands. The challenge not only gives the Denver Housing Authority models to use for future buildings, but those models will actually be built and lived in, providing five Denver families with homes that are efficient, healthy, and affordable.
One of the winners was Toronto's Ryerson University with The Harvest Home. Like the house in Las Vegas, it is designed with the real estate development industry in mind, if a bit of a different market sector. From the press release:
“The idea of the Harvest Home was to design a highly insulated building that can exploit natural solar energy to create a comfortable and pleasant home that would be appropriate for a developer home,” says faculty supervisor Mark Gorgolewski. “We wanted to be able to harvest the natural resources made possible by cycles of nature.”
They expand on this in the brief:
To harvest in the traditional sense of the term refers to the gathering of agricultural crops - a collection of resources made possible by the cycles of nature. The Harvest Home expands this definition beyond the agricultural context through the exploitation of natural solar and precipitation cycles in pursuit of superior building performance made possible through passive, contextually informed architectural design. The 1,175 square foot, two and one half storey row house aims to become a cost effective, Passive House certified, net-zero energy ready model home. Through the development of an optimized building form, envelope and material palette, the home’s preliminary construction cost is projected to be approximately $182,000 or a modest $146 per square foot. In addition to its inexpensive construction, the Harvest Home promises a significant reduction in annual energy costs.
A tight, efficient plan with lots of natural light
It is a straightforward plan, with an open concept floor to maximize penetration of natural light. In fact, it is pretty much a traditional Toronto side-stair Victorian house post renovation, although that would have three bedrooms instead of the third floor multifunction space. Perhaps it is convertible.
Designing a row house is already more efficient in terms of energy because of the dramatic reduction in exposure. However when you build walls to R-43.5 and roof to R-55.6 and add in carefully placed, modestly sized high quality windows, carefully work to eliminate thermal bridges, and you get an energy-efficient package that has estimated electricity costs of $ 376 per year. Invest in a little bit of photovoltaics and you are net zero.
Employing Passive House principles to significantly reduce energy demand and heating loads, along with consideration for future photovoltaic installation, the Harvest Home is Net Zero Energy ready. Designed air-tight and thermal bridge free, the envelope provides excellent continuous insulation and appropriate moisture control. Glazing distribution and solar optimized pergolas take advantage of the abundant solar exposure and reduce over-heating.
There's not really a whole lot of high tech in this house; a pretty standard 12,000 BTU Mr. Slim minisplit heats and cools the whole thing. The ERV unit and fresh air makeup system mixes it all up for even heat distribution. There's a big GE heat pump water heater with preheat using a power pipe. Really simple stuff.
But because it is built to Passivhaus standards, the annual energy consumption and cost is negligible. Because there is so little gizmo green, the maintenance costs are similarly going to be tiny. It is just a great example of why Passivhaus is so smart and net-zero so silly; you don't need acres of solar panels and complicated buy-back arrangements and feed-in tarriffs, you just need a shitload of insulation, careful design and siting, and a couple of warm bodies.
Really, someone should tell the National Association of Homebuilders thatthis is the New American Home. Ryerson’s team consists of graduate students Patrick Andres, Mathew Carlsson, Antonio Cunha, Mark Grimsrud, Denver Jeremyn, Mitchell May, Moe Otsubo, Matthew Suriano, Filip Tisler, Matthew Tokarik and German Vaisman, with faculty advisors Mark Gorgolewski, Paul Floerke, Miljana Horvat, Vincent Hui, Russell Richman and Vera Straka.
Lloyd Alter teaches sustainable design at Ryerson University School of Interior Design, which was not connected to this project.
Motive Industries’ hemp car prototype: the Kestrel
TruthOnPot.com – Hemp is making a comeback in nearly every industry, transportation included.
Although hemp was first used by Henry Ford in 1941 and can still be found in many cars today, the Kestrel is the first modern car to be built primarily out of hemp.
Fittingly, the car was designed in Canada by Calgary-based Motive Industries Inc. Unlike the U.S., the Canadian government welcomes hemp farming and actively invests in the industry.
Hemp fiber is even stronger than glass fiber
The Kestrel is a three-door hatchback that runs on battery power and is made from “hemp composite as strong as the fiberglass in boats, yet incredibly lightweight,” Nathan Armstrong, the president of Motive Industries, explained to Popular Science. The composite is made from infusing hemp stalks with polymer resin.
Weighing only 2,500 pounds, the Kestrel has a better fuel-efficiency than other electric cars, Armstrong also stated. He’s optimistic that Motive has pinpointed what “might be the sweet spot for electric vehicles.”
The Chevy Volt also uses a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery
Unlike most electric vehicles, the Kestrel relies entirely on electrical power. A 16 kWh lithium-ion battery will allow the Kestrel to go up to 160 km per charge, with a top speed between 90 to 130 km/hr.
Over the last three years of prototyping, Motive Industries has received global interest from countries as far away as India. It’s also attracted the attention of celebrities such as Ziggy Marley, who reportedly gifted a Kestrel door panel to the owners of KNACKA – an Oregon-based hemp shop – last week.
KNACKA posted a picture of Ziggy’s gift on their blog
Unfortunately, delays have pushed the deadline for commercial production past Motive’s initial goal of 2012.
But when the Kestrel finally becomes available to buyers, the line-up will likely be long.
A preview of the Kestrel in red
Motive expects the hemp car to be priced at $25,000 – an investment that will surely appeal to the many drivers who see no end in rising gas prices.
Hemp fuel is a way out of oil! Planting only 6 percent of the continental United States with biomass crops such as hemp would supply all current domestic demands for oil and gas. Hemp fuel is a real alternative.
Did you know the average American spends 33 of 40 working hours to support their need for energy? It's true; 80 percent of the total monetary living expense for everything we do is ultimately wrapped up in energy costs; from the energy it takes to make the food we eat, to fuel for the cars we drive, to the manufacturing, storage and transportation of the products we buy. And 80 percent of solid and airborne pollution in our environment can be blamed on fossil energy sources. It is estimated that America has already exhausted 80 percent of its fossil fuel reserves. Isnt this a recipe for disaster? Hemp fuel is needed.
Industrial hemp is the number one biomass producer on earth, meaning an actual contender for an economically competitive, clean burning hemp fuel. Hemp has four times the biomass and cellulose potential and eight times the methanol potential of its closest competing crop - corn. Burning coal and oil are the greatest sources of acid rain; biomass fuels burn clean and contain no sulphur and produce no ash during combustion. The cycle of growing and burning biomass crops keeps the worlds carbon dioxide level at perfect equilibrium, which means that we are less likely to experience the global climactic changes (greenhouse effect). Hemp oil is the source for hemp fuel.
