Surf legned Shaun Tomson has just launched a new iPhone/iPad application for kids 3 - 10 years old. Surf Creatures is beautifully illustrated with catchy, sing-along rhymes for kids. ... The Surf Creatures collection includes 26 children’s rhymes about ocean creatures that live under Tomson's surfboard.
Tomson is known as one he most influential surfers of all time, and was world surfing champion in 1977. Born in Durban, South Africa, he moved to Santa Barbara in 1982. Tomson is an avid environmentalist and global ambassador for the Surfrider Foundation, the world's largest enviromental group dedicated to protecting oceans, waves, beaches—and surf creatures.
Tomson's Surf Creatures is a fun family game, especially since its the first and only APP of its kind to feature Storytalk, a cool interactive feature allowing up to four people to record their own voices so the whole family can rhyme about the surf creatures.
You'll recognize some of the animals—elephant seals and tiger sharks—but there are also the lesser know Zambezi shark, pufferfish, and hammerheads.
It doesn't get any better than Big Sur for a relaxing get away. The beach, the mountains, great food, and if you are lucky: no cell service, television or Internet.
Views from every angle.
Deetjen's Big Sur Inn is the desired place to stay. Book ahead.
Locavores alive and well in Big Sur. Try this Mountain Main Soap from the Big Sur Soap Company.
More Big Sur artwork. A pen and ink sketch by Michael Allen for Deetjen's Franklin Room journal.
How far does your food travel to get to your plate? Most food travels an average distance of 1,500 in the United States, and thousands of miles from outside the U.S. to deliver off-season fruits and vegetables. Did you know that you can purchase most everything you need for healthy – and tasty – meals right here in Santa Barbara County.
Santa Barbara’s Eat Local Challenge – running through October – gives you a chance to get to know where your food comes from, and to benefit from the experience of joining with your community to eat locally produced food. You choose the scope of the net, just as long as you eat local.
How it works > Eat only foods produced within a 100 or 150-mile radius of your home, the tri-country region or California.
Why Eat Local > Why limit your diet to only foods grown or produced close to home? Eating local means you’ll have a wider selection of fresh and flavorful food, and it also gives you a chance to support local farmers, reduce fuel consumption, know first hand the source of your food, and to support our local economy.
How to Eat Local > It’s easier than you think. If you visit one of Santa Barbara’s farmers market then you are on your way – the modern day farmers market features local bread, wine, eggs, cheese, pork, lamb, beef, olive oil, nuts, butter, and pasta. You can also participate in garden exchanges, buy fruits and veggies from a farm stand, or shop at a market, such as Isla Vista Food Coop, that specialized in sourcing local foods.
The Living Roof at San Francisco's California Academy of Science spreads 2.5 acres and plays home to 1.7 million native plants. Its more than a rooftop garden, it provides significant gains in heating and cooling efficiency. The six inches of soil substrate on
the roof act as natural insulation, and every year will keep
approximately 3.6 million gallons of rainwater from becoming stormwater.
The steep slopes of the roof also act as a natural ventilation system,
funneling cool air into the open-air plaza on sunny days. The skylights
perform as both ambient light sources and a cooling system,
automatically opening on warm days to vent hot air from the building.
The High Line, one of New York City’s newest and most unique
parks, is in full bloom this spring as the park readies itself for its first
anniversary on June 9. The park
blends wild, flowering plants and trees with sundecks, viewing platforms of the
Hudson River and the city skyline, an amazing water feature, and a
traffic-viewing theater all housed on an elevated trail that winds its way
through three of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods.
Creative
and forward-thinking New Yorkers have found a way to go locavore with
innovative solutions. Ben Flanner and Annie Novak—-along with the chefs at places like ABC Kitchen and
Soho's Crosby Street Hotel—are leading the way in a new kind of urban
locavorism: rooftop farms and gardens. Flanner and Novak have transformed an
old, unoccupied bagel factory in a corner of Brooklyn (Greenpoint neighborhood)
into a rooftop farm complete with honey bees and chickens.
Give mother earth a break: upcycle something old into something new to you.
Santa Barbara's biggest Flea Market -- held annually during the first weekend in May -- gives you the chance to upcycle everything from art to clothes to goods of all sort. Held in Montecito (5 minute drive from Santa Barbara) at the Music Academy of the West, May Madness features clothes, furniture, art, kitchen wares.... well you name it, its there at rock bottom prices. While rummaging don't forget to check out the Treasure House -- filled with antiques and fine collectibles.
Citizens Against Paredon Initiative is a grassroots group of
community volunteers deeply concerned about the future of our small
town. Made up of Carpinterians from every walk of life and every
political persuasion, we have come together because Carpinteria is
facing a threat that could change not only the physical face but also
the social fabric of our community. That threat is the Paredon Oil &
Gas Development Initiative.
Santa Barbara Farmers Markets make it easy for anyone in the South County to have access to fresh, local produce, eggs, poultry, beef, breads, cheese, fresh fish, pasta, plants... and on and on. With markets happening every day at every end of the city, there's no excuse for not supporting local farmers and eating healthy and with the seasons. Here's some of my current favorites....
Roots Farm. New batches weekly. Try these for yummy sauces with long-stemmed artichokes.
TED Prize Winner Jamie Oliver Plans to Change the Way We Eat!
He's my favorite chef, and now he's on-board with my favorite mission. Winner of the prestigious TED Prize for 2010, Jamie Oliver plans to start his own Food Revolution, and needs your help. Here's the plan as outlined by the TED Prize:
The Plan
Set up an organization to create a popular movement that will inspire
people to change the way they eat. The movement will do this by
establishing a network of community kitchens; launching a travelling
food theater that will teach kids practical food and cooking skills in
an entertaining way and provide basic training for parents and
professionals; and bringing millions of people together through an
online community to drive the fight against obesity. The grassroots
movement must also challenge corporate America to support meaningful
programs that will change the culture of junk food.
The Needs
Help to establish the organization, with funding, office space and
facilities.
Find partners to equip and run the community kitchens, and food
suppliers to provide the fresh ingredients.
A partner to build and maintain a fleet of food theatre trucks.
Education experts, graphic designers, artists and writers to develop
and produce creative, fun teaching materials.
Communications experts to create messaging for the movement.
Web designers and developers to create and build the website.
Establishment of a food line that generates a sustainable income for
the movement.
Corporate partners to invest in cooking and food education for their
customers and champion honest food labelling.
Save California's Iconic Places This year, California's Fish and Game Commission will decide whether to protect Southern California's coastal gems in underwater parks - places like south La Jolla; Swamis Reef; Laguna Beach; Rocky Point; Catalina Island; Point Dume; and Santa Barbara's Naples Reef. Millions of locals and visitors frequent these special places to enjoy their favorite coastal activities: surfing; diving; kayaking; and tide pooling.
1% for the Planet has put together some great musicians for their first digital download music album. Each musician dontated an exclusie or rare track to help 1% for the Planet do more good things around the world. Every note on every song helps 1% for the Planet continue to support environment non-profits in every continent on Earth.
Santa Barbara High School senior Erik Choquette has won the 2009 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest for the second year in a row, and now he has a new line up of film festivals showcasing his work. You can watch his ground-breaking work here or on YouTube.
Sponsored by the Nuclear Age Foundation, the competition hosted 120 three-minute (or less) videos. The theme, Breakthrough: Putting the Nuclear Genie Back in the Bottle—How can we achieve a world free of nuclear weapons by the year 2020? was animated by Choquette to help get the genie back into the bottle.
One Percent for the Planet: The Weekend Hippie Way
When I conceptualized Weekend Hippie it was Yvon Chouinard’s 1% for the Planet model I had in mind, but on an individual scale. If my friends, and family, and distant friends, and future friends and supporters of Weekend Hippie could just give 1% of their time….it could really make a difference for them, and for mother earth.
When Chouinard hatched his brilliant idea, 1% For The Planet, in 2002, he asked corporations and non-profits to give 1% of their annual sales to environmental groups around the world. Just 1% was all he asked. Years later we can see how it has all added up: Chouinard’s 1% for the Planet now has nearly 1300 hundred business members worldwide that give 1% of their annual sales to just under 2000 environmental groups. One percent can make a difference.
And that’s how you can be a Weekend Hippie. Dedicate just 1% of your time, your life, to making a difference. Go ahead, make a small statement—change your light bulbs, wear TOMS shoes, give a micro loan to a Kiva entrepreneur, travel eco-mindfully, shop at your local farmers’ market, pick-up Patagonia clothes made from recycled plastic or an organic cotton t-shirt from Weekend Hippie! It works. Each small statement adds up… It is not important what you do: just do!
Want to join Chouinard’s 1% for the Planet, here’s how you can help.
For you—and your friends, and their friends—that 1% will add up
pretty quickly, and eventually you’ll find yourself living the Weekend
Hippie lifestyle not just 1% of the time, but 100%. The Weekend Hippie way!
Wow! What a season! The fruits and vegetables and culinary arts now available at farmers markets are the best of the year. The late summer meets the early fall, and the rewards are many!
Shopping at a farmers market is the easy way to eat locally. The food source is known to you, in fact, the farmer is right at the stand, so ask any questions you need to about how something is grown, what's in season, and even how to prepare fruit and vegetables that are new to you.
In Santa Barbara, eight farmers markets spread from end-to-end of town and happening on varies days of the week, make it easy to eat locally and healthy. Plus, you get to support local farmers while doing it. Like many farmers markets, Santa Barbara's markets have grown quickly to now include almost everything you need to make a healthy meal for your family, while contributing to the local economy...including meat,
eggs, fish, bread, pasta, vegetables, jam, olive oil, and fruit.
Take the Locavore Challenge and Support Local Farmers
There are plenty of ways to support local farmers—no matter where you live. Finding fresh, local produce in Santa Barbara has actually become quite
easy. If you don't grow your own food, you can find a farmers market in
the County on almost every day of the week. Garden exchanges hosted by Food Not Lawns provide a place to trade what you grow, and locally-owned produce centers help fill the gaps.
Several like-minded organizations including the the Isla Vista Co-op, Santa Barbara Farmers Markets and Edible Santa Barbara, are challenging you, your friends, and your family, to eat local for the month of October (and if you can do it during October, then try November, December.... and well, you get the idea. The idea being to make an effort. It's really not that hard.)
Follow these steps to become a Locavore:
1. Attend one of the many Farmers Markets. Buy only in season produce. Can't go to a farmers market? Have your produce delivered by Local Harvest.
4. Shop at non-chain stores that supply at least 50% of their produce from local farmers (in Santa Barbara Mesa Produce, Isla Vista Co-op). The Isla Vista Food Co-op has a long history of supporting local farmers and providing fresh, sustainably-harvested goods to the community. If you haven't visited the Co-op recently, you should check out their selection; you'll be pleasantly surprised.The Co-op is also the forerunner in setting locavore standards. Take their challenge to see how local you are. Download local resource guide.
5. If choosing a chain, make an effort to shop at one that supports local farmers by actually selling local produce. Many chains have categories of 'local' produce. In Santa Barbara the trend is towards three categories of local produce: California Local, Tri-County Local, and Santa Barbara County Local. Lazy Acres, in Santa Barbara, sells 30% Tri-County Local produce and 40% California Local produce.
Whole Foods, which opened their doors in Santa Barbara this week, makes a visible effort to sell, advertise, and educate the consumer about their commitment to local farmers. They also use the same three local categories, but only buy produce within a six hour drive of a selected store.
Through Whole Food's Local Producer Loan Program, Whole Foods also gives $10 million annually via low-interest loans to small, local farmers or producers. Trader Joe's sells no local produce. They buy and ship produce from around the world, shipe it ship it to a central warehouse for packaging, then re-ship to each store. Wow, that's some carbon footprint. The new Santa Barbara store features produce by John Givens Farms, including prominent promotional material.
The bottom line: It is easy to support local farmers. Eat what's in season, follow the guidelines, and before long it'll be second nature.
Antique Pharmacy Jar: Now Holds Sea Glass as an Art Piece
Moving on Up. Give Throwaways a Second Life
Old to New. Take your well-worn, destined for the dumpster discards, and give them a second life. Transform an item’s colorful history, its varied back-story, its one of a kind persona into a masterpiece—whole or by parts. Save it from a long life at the land ill. Upcycle It!
Coined by William McDonaugh and Michael Braugart in their book, “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things”, upcycling in the simplest terms is taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something new. It’s a sustainable practice that should happen weekly, if not daily. But what does it mean to you—to me—in our daily lives. How do we upcycle? How to we practice cradle to cradle to make a more sustainable future. Follow these simple tips:
Buy Upcycled Items
You won’t find what you need in your local Home Depot (you shouldn’t shop at Big Boxes anyway), so you’ll have to expend a little elbow grease to find a short list of upcycled items. But it’s worth the hunt from both a utilitarian perspective as well as the evolving the back-story of your new find. Before you purchase an item, look for an item that is equal in functionality but created from the parts of something old.
It's the height of the summer, and what better way to share your backyard harvest than at a summer Garden Exchange. In Santa Barbara, the growing list of garden exchanges comes compliments the hard work of Santa Barbara Food Not Lawns.
If you don't live in Santa Barbara, start your own exchange. You don't necessarily need a bounty of fruits and veggies.... encourage your neighbors to trade baked goods, recycled farm tools, magazines, and the like. It is a great opportunity to get to know your neighbors.
Chris and AnnPizzinat hosted today's event in their Santa Barbara backyard.... where they raise chickens, turkeys, and have two horses. Katherine Anderson of Blue Oak Ranch, brought two of her
goats and served chocolate goat ice cream (it was delicious and refreshing). She also had prepared goat cheese in six different yummy forms... it was a really nice treat....
Gardeners from Santa Barbara brought lemons, rhubarb, tomatoes, melons,
olive tree starters, apples, baked goods, and, compost, compost worms,
well you get the picture.
The broader point: Grow your own food, and then trade, share, or giveaway the extras. Grow enough for your family, then grow more. Read more about Food Not Lawns and then start your own backyard garden.
Welcome to Weekend Hippie: forays into realistic ways to live sustainabily in our busy modern world...because good food and a happy earth are good for everyone.
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