Cozy Up!

I don't know if anyone has tracked (in pounds) how many disposable coffee cup cozies end up in landfills every year. In any case, these are pretty cute and can only help. The idea I like best are the sock cozies, they are cheap, cute and easily replaced.

1. sock cozy
2. owl cozy
3. knit cozy
4. wallet cozy
5. coffee coat

homes that represent how much i like housekeeping

1. tumbleweedhouses.com
These are the cutest little houses. I couldn't live in the same size house as Jay, the founder of Tumbleweed Tiny Houses, 89 square feet. Yeah...there are limits to my wish to live in a "cottage". I saw him on Oprah and his bathroom is some sort of a compost bucket. To each their own but "my own" bathroom doesn't involve any sort of bucket. With that said the home plans go up to 837 sq. feet, a completely doable size. Look how cute the house is. So sweet. I don't know that I need to live in the middle of a pasture. But perhaps a vacant corner in Pasadena, near Old Town......





2. tinytexashouses.com
These are salvage buildings - 99% pure salvage, that means that everything from the doors, floors, windows, lumber, porch posts, glass, door hardware and even the siding has been saved and re-used to create these houses. The houses are also (often) fit with antique cast iron, claw foot bathtubs. I think these houses are really cute, as long as you are a fan of the rustic look.



3. loftcube.net
I highly encourage a visit to this website. The loft cubes are designed for people who live a nomadic lifestyle. The cubes, themselves can be moved with a helicopter or crane to the rooftops of existing buildings. Can you imagine the view? Moving from city to city. London. Paris. New York. Different vacation locations. I think the moving/transportation costs would be quite prohibitive. But a genius idea.

(s)parks of insanity

California has 279 state parks, reserves and beaches; 220 of which the state is planning on shutting down because of the budget crisis. The savings would be less that 1% of the state budget and only consider the parks operational costs. What about the ranger and maintenance jobs that would be lost? (more people receiving unemployment and less payroll taxes collected for the state) The school field trips that would be canceled due to lack of destination? Possible store and restaurant closures that would happen because the proprietors rely on traffic to and from the parks for customers. (more job loss, unemployment recipients, less payroll taxes collected and it ripples outward in the local communities from there) Annual festivals held at these parks that would come to a halt. (example: The Poppy Festival at the Poppy Reserve in Lancaster.)

Outside of all the monetary arguments that seem to prove closure of the parks as illogical the unquantifiable arguments are even more convincing . The joy that these areas provide to the citizens and in difficult economic times these places provide very low cost getaways for families. Many of these locations are also near larger urban areas and offer children who are accustomed to their concrete jungle neighborhoods exposure to the beauty of nature. (In my own case I would like to suggest that mothers have destinations for temporary breaks in order to collect their thoughts and restore their sanity. I think that motherly happiness is reason enough. After all when I am happy the whole world sings. No?)

I wonder if the legislators are also cutting their per diem rates, state paid for car allowances and taking pay cuts?

links:

LA Times Article: Proposed State Parks Closure List is Not for the Faint of Heart
CA State Parks Foundation: Proposed List of State Park Closures

(picture credit)

reduce my carbon tire print

It would be a great thing if I was able to bicycle to work instead of driving. But my drive to work is 45 minutes long - without traffic and on a freeway. I have a little hatchback that gets great gas mileage and has 8 airbags. It is the best possible, eco-friendly car for driving in California, on freeways full of monster SUVs, with two adult size children and a "baby rhino" husband. If I lived closer to work, I'd like to think that I would walk or bicycle to work. (Notice I said that "I'd like to think".) It is part of my Mayberry dream to bike around and wave to all the town, where everyone knows my name. (My dream neighborhood would be a hybrid of Mayberry from the "Andy Griffith Show" and the bar from "Cheers" - without the drunks but with the personalities.)

Urban Outfitters has a new site, Republic Bike, where you can custom design and buy (within their guidelines) a bike they will build for $399. It's a bit pricey and best suited for Mayberry.

The folding bikes that are supposed to be ideal for college students and commmuters have been priced anywhere from just under $1,000 to more than $5,000. At those prices people could buy a car. But, I found a folding bike for under $200 - $159 to be exact. Pretty reasonable I think. Now if I can attach a motor to it, so I don't have to actually exercise we might be on to something. An environmentally friendly motor, of course.

eco-cute

I know that we are all supposed to compost, recycle, buy organic and free range everything, have a nearly negative carbon footprint, but it is almost too much. I don't measure up and can't accomplish all that I should and could be doing. At this point, I feel like, every little bit helps and I will slowly add things so they become habits.

All the stores I go to offer very affordable, reusable grocery bags and might I add, ugly and tacky. I know it shouldn't matter, but do I have to traipse around town with some hideous bag made out of old soda bottle? Can't do it. It doesn't have to be fancy and have ribbons and sequins but really can't it just be cute? Yes, it can.

1. paisley grocery bag



2. envirosacs

Crap Patch

I was unaware that the world's largest landfill is actually floating in the Pacific Ocean, stretches from the coast of California to Japan, is twice the size of Texas and the trash is 90 feet deep in some places. The majority (90%) of the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" is made up of plastic that ended up in the ocean from locations as far away as Iowa, mostly as a result of littering. This crap patch is killing plankton, sea turtles and beluga whales. Beluga are dying form breast cancer that scientists believe is caused by the chemicals in the plastic waste. (It is kind of scary how much plastic we surround ourselves with.) So gross and easy to solve. I hate litterers, who do they think is supposed to pick up their mess? Octopus apparently.