repurposed sign gives birth to new-old restaurant

[Image: David F. Gallagher of Lightning Field]

I was walking up Flatbush Avenue a couple of years ago when I noticed this great old sign in a window attached to an empty store front. In gold leaf lettering it read "Prime Meats." My first thought was, I hope someone saves that sign, it's just too great to get rid of.

Walking past that same building this week, I noticed the sign was gone. In fact the whole face of the store was gone; only plywood and building permits were visible. I got a little sad for that old sign, but kept a glimmer of hope that someone had salvaged it.

Then I was looking on New York magazine's site and on the first page of the restaurant section -- the sign! And in front of it, two restaurateurs known for their delicious use of local foods: the two Franks of Frankies Spuntino.

One of the Frankies spied the sign just as I had, and thankfully had the perfect spot for it. Inspired by the restaurants of yesteryear that procured goods locally, the Frankies are opening a new place called, of course, Prime Meats, right by the old one in Carroll Gardens.

You can read the preview info here.

I can't wait to try it, and see that old sign in a new-old place.

the simple truth about coal

And the truth is... it'll never be clean. Coal is a dirty substance. It's polluting and devastating to mine, and polluting to burn. It dirties our water supply with mercury and our air with carbon dioxide. It is a leading contributor to climate change.

So what can you do about it? Speak out against it. I know, I know. It can be scary to speak up. It's much easier to fret it and forget it. But that won't make the problem go away.

Check out This Is Reality to get the facts about coal and then sign up to be a part of the movement that puts a stop to the dirty burning fossil fuel. This Is Reality has a, if I dare say, cute and simple website that makes it all clear. The little canary will show you the way.

stop gas flaring in nigeria

At the same time Chevron runs ads urging you to “leave the car at home more,” it is wasting massive amounts of natural gas by burning it in the open air. In Nigeria, these poisonous gas flares release toxic fumes day and night, causing asthma and cancer and worsening global warming.

I just signed a petition at http://www.foe.org/gas-flaring and hope that you will join me, and thousands of other activists, to call on the Nigerian government to put a stop to this horrible practice.

Thank you!

[via Friends of the Earth]

hurray! inauguration day!

Watch the swearing-in ceremony live starting at 11:00 a.m.

Share your inauguration day party photos and stories here.

And text OBAMA to 56333 for instructions on how to send in congratulation messages and pictures from your mobile phone.

save handmade toys and clothes!

This is sad, but true. It will soon be illegal to sell toys and clothes handmade in the US, Canada, or Europe unless they are put through the same rigorous testing that is now required for large-scale manufactured goods from China. In an already hurting economy, this will put many small business owners, work-at-home moms, and crafters out of business.

In an article from TreeHugger:

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), as passed by the US Congress in August, 2008, inadvertently threatens to take many handmade toys and children's clothing items off the market. According to the Handmade Toy Alliance, "The CPSIA simply forgot to exclude the class of children's goods that have earned and kept the public's trust: Toys, clothes, and accessories made in the US, Canada, and Europe. The result, unless the law is modified, is that handmade children's products will no longer be legal in the US." 'How can this be,' you may be wondering? Look below for details.

According to the Handmade Toy Alliance, cottage industries - among the smallest of small businesses - simply can not afford the hundreds or even thousands of dollars private labs are charging to certify a product, as per requirements of the CPSIA.

Big corporations are directly responsible for causing the lead contamination problem by outsourcing toy and clothing production to China. Paradoxically, now, small US businesses established to serve a market segment which specifically wanted to avoid purchasing lead- contaminated, made-in-China goods is being squeezed out by a rigid and insensible CPSC regulation, which is cost effective only for high-volume manufacturers.

Read the rest.

But you can help!
Sign the petition to save small businesses making handmade goods.

Who will be affected?
A friend of mine recently expressed interest in getting a handmade doll for her niece -- something she knew would be safe. I did a little search on Etsy for dolls and quickly realized that the craftspeople on this wonderful handmade marketplace who make children's goods will be forced to shut down due to the new CPSIA ruling. To bring attention to this new law and perhaps fund the inevitable, many Etsy crafters are putting hefty price tags on otherwise affordable goods to show how much they will have to pay in order to provide the public with "safe" products. Here are some of the handmade products in jeopardy:

CPSIA Special Floral Vine Jumper 12M-4T by starrclothing ($2,980)


CPSIA Blocks- Don't be Owly Baby Blocks by owlpeople ($6,736.50)


CPSIA SPECIAL Upcycled, handmade and certified lead-free Elsa the Elephant stuffed toy by SnuggleHerd ($900)


JUST ANOTHER CPSIA endangered Specimen - 12 inch CUSTOM MADE WALDORF style DOLL by germandolls (regularly priced at $125)


Related videos
In the news: Will CPSIA put stay at home mom...out of business?


One activist's perspective: CPSC will kill the handmade industry



Just in case you need more persuasion, 101 reasons to buy handmade [via PoppyTalk]


Remember today, the words of MLK:
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

happy MLK jr day!

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

smell assault

They put the signs up just a day before they committed the heinous act. The signs said they were to begin painting the common areas, including hallways and apartment doors in our building. It was too late. I couldn't put in my two cents even if I wanted to. Well, maybe they know better, I thought. Maybe by now everyone knows that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that emanate from substances like paint were, as the name suggests, a toxic assault on the health of those who inhale it. I was giving them the benefit of the doubt -- maybe they chose low-VOC or no-VOC paints like Aura or Mythic.



No such luck. I could smell it as soon as they began. It doesn't take much. VOCs like those in paint really smell toxic.

I was surprised to see the painters weren't even wearing masks, and they're breathing in the stuff all day. I wonder if they know that the off-gassing of VOCs causes dizziness, aggravates asthma and could lead to kidney and liver damage and possibly even cancer. We at least had a door separating us from the sullied air. And even still we could smell it, so we lit some beeswax candles in our apartment to neutralize the odor.

Paint isn't the only household product to contain VOCs. Here are some ways to avoid these harmful chems in your home:

• Choose furniture that's formaldehyde-free and doesn't use petrochemical-based adhesives (eg, Vivavi, Totally Organic)
  
• Opt for carpeting that's made from natural materials (ie, wool or seagrass)
• Use laundry detergent, fabric softener, and other cleaning products that are petrochemical-free (like Seventh Generation)
  
• Try natural air fresheners made from essential oils and beeswax candles without synthetic fragrance
  
• Choose beauty products without harsh chemicals, like nail polish that's formaldehyde-, toluene-, and DBP-free

There are also house plants that filter out VOCs, like the peace lily and lady palm. Here's a list of the top 10 purifying houseplants.


Ah, I'm breathing easier already.

a mutt for the white house

What's more American than a mutt? A creature, like me, who is of mixed origin. I can rattle off at least 5 different ethnicities that are in my family history. I'd like to think that gives me some kind of genetic advantage.

I'm not putting down the purebreed. But here's why mutts are so great. They're usually really interesting looking and don't have crazy genetic disorders. Like, an albeit adorable, brachycephalic French Bulldog or a German Shepherd with hip dysplasia.

Plus, you're probably not going to find a mutt at a breeder. Mutts are the ones who need to be from rescued the shelter, often from an untimely death. Inspired by a recent movement, I think it's time for the White House to adopt a mutt instead of getting a purebreed puppy.


Read Shepard Fairey's take on Obama's potential decision to adopt a mutt for the White House...

A MUTT LIKE ME

The day Obama stated his interest in adopting a dog from the shelter was a slightly brighter one for the approximately 7 million adoptable dogs & cats killed each year in this country. The staggering reality is that for each one sold at a pet store or by a breeder, another perfectly worthy one is killed. Our nations shelters are filled to capacity with all kinds of amazing adoptable animals including, as Obama put it, “Mutts like me.”

On the heels of Obama’s comment, I got a call from Pia Salk, an animal advocate who works with North America’s largest non-profit pet adoption website, Adopt-a-Pet.com. Pia simply asked if I might be willing to collaborate on a way to have my art help these animals.
As most of you know, I’m a big believer in speaking up for all who suffer injustice, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation or in this case, species! And I’m all for adopting from the shelter. My wife and I share our home with 2 pooches, George and Weezie, who is a rescue. They are the happy canine siblings to our 2 human daughters.

The image I created for this print reminds me of a dog I had as kid, a mutt named Honey.
We have created a limited edition run of 400 signed and numbered silk-screen prints that will be available at: www.muttslikeme.com. The January sale date will be announced soon and proceeds will go to getting the furry non-partisan U.S. residents, who share our country, saved and into homes through: www.Adoptapet.com

Check out the site and search for adoptable animals in your area or other ways to help.

-Shepard Fairey

cleaning up dirty: a web roundup

From the oxymoronic "clean coal" to green clothing care, here's a little collection of articles and ideas on how to keep the world a little cleaner.

The no 'poo method: Wash your hair the non-toxic and economical way, with these tried and true baking soda and vinegar recipes
[One Green Generation]

Lighten up in '09: A buyers' guide to the most energy efficient (ie, less carbon-spewing) and least mercury containing CFLs
[Environmental Working Group]

Butts for fashion: Keeping cigarette butts out of the wastestream by creating yarn from it for knitting, crocheting
[Treehugger]

Goody gum drops! Tips for removing chewing gum from clothing, the eco-friendly way
[Planet Green]

Dirty snow: It's an energy-sucking industry -- tips on choosing ski resorts with a smaller carbon footprint
[Care2]

Dirty, dirty coal: It'll never be clean!
[GOOD]

It becomes a game of rhetorical bait-and-switch. Point out that there are exactly zero commercial power plants in the U.S. that sequester any carbon emissions, and “clean coal” advocates talk about how they’ve reduced “emissions” (though not greenhouse gasses). Mention that coal-burning power plants are still the country’s largest source of acid-rain-causing sulfur dioxide pollution and airborne emissions of birth-defect- and brain-damage-causing mercury pollution—or that they’re responsible for roughly 24,000 deaths every year in the United States—and ACCCE will tell you that they’re a mere ten years away from perfecting the art of carbon capture.

5 actions you can take right now

A message from Michelle Obama



1. Get involved in bettering your community and country: organize or join a National Day of Service event (with the Sierra Club)
President-elect Obama is calling on all Americans to participate in service projects over Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend, January 17 through 19. The Sierra Club is answering the call and asking its members and supporters to organize service events in the name of the Club.

More info on the National Day of Service, organized by Michelle and president-elect Barack Obama, here.

and...

2. Protect national forests: sign a petition to president-elect Obama
The Bush Administration removed it, so please, Mr. Obama, reinstate protection on more than 58 million acres of pristine, roadless national forests.

3. Support green schools to help the economy: sign a letter to your representatives
Greening America’s schools must be a priority to help: 1) stimulate a new clean energy economy, creating millions of new jobs in green technology and energy-efficient school construction; 2) help strengthen America’s global competitiveness by providing safer, healthier, and better overall learning environments; 3) help schools become more energy efficient – saving schools enough money to hire two additional teachers – while protecting our environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

4. Protect NY state farmland: sign an email alert to your legislator
The Governor is proposing staggering cuts of almost 40% to agricultural programs in the Environmental Protection Fund, like the Farmland Protection Program, meaning that almost 90% of farmers interested in protecting their land this year will be turned away.

5. Tell the EPA to regulate nanosilver: sign a petition
Hundreds of consumer products incorporating nanomaterials are now on the market, including cosmetics, sunscreens, sporting goods, clothing, electronics, baby and infant products, and food and food packaging, many of which contain nano-silver. Help ensure that these products are safe by supporting a petition to the EPA.

saving products that are comparably more sustainable

I am continually striving to eliminate the amount of products I use in my home. That even goes for products that are labeled 'eco' or 'green.' Ideally I'd like to clean my home with a few key ingredients, like what's listed here at the Berkeley Ecology Center's website. But I understand that not everyone is ready to abandon ready-made cleaning products just yet.

Enter Arm & Hammer Essentials. You're probably already familiar with Arm & Hammer Baking Soda or Super Washing Soda, both very useful cleaning agents that are light on the planet. Essentials is different in that it competes with conventional cleaning products (think Fantastik, Windex, Clorox). But what makes it better than the polluting competition is the way it is formulated and packaged.

The standard issue spray bottle arrives at the store (and ultimately your home) empty. A small container with the concentrated cleaning solution accompanies it -- just put it in the bottle and add water. This makes the product a whole lot lighter than products that ship fully constituted. Plus, when you run out of product, you just need to buy the concentrated solution instead of buying a whole new bottle full of chemicals.

Apparently, this product is at risk of being discontinued. It hasn't caught on with the public. Whether this is due to lack of marketing budget, distribution, or some other reason, I don't know. The advertising account coordinator who works on the brand started a blog ostensibly in an attempt to save the product, and probably his job.



Is this just a clever viral marketing campaign? Maybe. But this line of products saves a ton of petroluem-based waste in terms of plastic packaging and transportation fuel. I might buy that for $4.88

brooklyn greenway initiative needs support - tonight!

UPDATE: Impressive turnout of Kent-Ave-bike-lanes supporters at Community Board Meeting. Read more at Streetsblog.

Live in NYC and care about transportation alternatives, like biking? Now's your chance to get involved. This just in from the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative...

Greenway Supporters Needed to Support Kent Avenue Bike Lanes

Opposition to the Kent Avenue bike lanes, which were installed by DOT in anticipation of the Greenway, continues to pressure elected officials (Streetsblog: Speak Up for Safer Biking) and Community Board 1.

We at Brooklyn Greenway Initiative have been sympathetic to the needs for provisions for dropping off and picking up passengers, but now DOT has addressed these issues, particularly south of Broadway on Kent, where most of the opposition has been generated. DOT has replaced "No Stopping" signs with "No Standing" signs and has created 80 new parking spaces on the side streets adjoining Kent. So now it's time to bring an end to the conflict.

A big turnout tonight at the CB1 full board meeting is needed.

When: Tuesday, January 13th, 6:30PM (sign up before 6:15PM to speak)
Where: 211 Ainslie Street (corner of Manhattan Ave)

Please also reach out the the Council Members and Congresswoman Velazquez, who have been under pressure to remove the bike lanes, by signing on to Transportation Alternatives' e-fax campaign.

support sustainability with your cell phone

Be fish savvy with Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

I've been carrying around this little Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch card for a few years now. It tells me which fish are okay to eat, whether they're overfished or full of mercury or other contaminants. Well, now it's available as an app for iPhone. Since I broke down a couple of months ago and got an iPhone (that's another story...), as soon as I found out, I downloaded that puppy.

Seafood Watch app features

• Free, up-to-date recommendations at your fingertips
• Sushi guide lists fish by Japanese name as well as common market name
• Regional guides highlight the seafood that’s best in each area of the country

Got an iPhone? Get your free Seafood Watch app here, or at the iTunes store (did I mention it's free?).

No iPhone? Seafood Watch recommendations are available for all mobile devices with an Internet connection. Visit mobile.seafoodwatch.org for their online pocket guides.

No web phone? Do it the "old-fashioned" way, check out the website.

Raise awareness of endangered species with Rare Earthtones

Tired of hearing Samba, Fanfare, or Rondo Alla Turca when someone rings your cellie? How about giving endangered species a voice instead?

The Center for Biological Diversity has over 90 ringtones ranging from peregrine falcon calls to beluga whale songs. And they just added 7 new ones, including the cry of an elephant seal pup.

Over 200,000 Rare Earthtones have already been downloaded by thousands of people in more than 150 countries, including the UK, Canada, China, Japan, Iran, India, Poland, Germany, France, Brazil, Australia, and the US.

I'm going to download the Chiricahua leopard frog call right now. What will your endangered animal call be?

Get it here.