Goodlifer: Observation

Take responsibility for your actions, stay hopeful, be healthy, tirelessly strive, love unconditionally, and approach everything with a positive attitude (even the laundry that has to be hauled two blocks to the laundromat and back), those are the goals I want to set for myself in the new year. Resolutions tend to not work out all that well, maybe since they’re commonly bound to guilt — not something we want to carry with us constantly. cont.

Endangered Foods

We have all heard about endangered species, animals at risk of perishing because of altered conditions in their natural habitats, some caused by humans. Many do not know that the way we grow, transport, cook and shop for food is depleting our food varieties in a similar way. Foods that were once plentiful are disappearing and with them the cultural traditions that they embody. cont.

The future is bright, green & filled with opportunity.

Changing the world is tricky business, but it can be done. Being surrounded by hundreds of forward-thinking minds at this year’s Opportunity Green conference at UCLA in Los Angeles, it was impossible not to be inspired by all the drive, passion and hope on display. OG, for short, is a gathering like no other. It is a business conference, yes, but goes way beyond people in suits. cont.

A Quiet Grass-fed Revolution

Something exciting is afoot in upstate New York. Quietly unworked dairy farms have been transitioning into grass-fed beef operations under the passionate stewardship of unconventional farmers. This new breed of Farmer comes to grass-fed farming for economic, political or even environmental reasons, but one thing that cannot be ignored is that the land was made to be grazed. cont.

Good Ideas: Pure Living

On October 20, PSFK and Nissan will host a Good Ideas Salon in Tokyo. For the event, Piers Fawkes of PSFK will moderate a conversation on “Pure Living” with two panels of distinguished guests, including Marc Alt – Green Visionary, Founder at Marc Alt + Partners (and Goodlifer contributor), Mark Dytham – Creative Catalyst, Partner at Klein Dytham architecture, and Founder of Pecha Kucha, cont.

Skillsharing

How often have you seen a friend do something impressive and told them “Dude! You have got to teach me that!” (or something to that effect)? The best way to learn is through friends, teachers or mentors, and we all probably know how to do something really well.

Skillsharing is a new movement of freestanding weekend events featuring workshops and classes, taught by regular people who happen to be really good at, or possess deep knowledge about, something. cont.

The Dalai Lama says: take a break from technology.

“I think technology may have some benefits for a smart brain, but no capacity to produce compassion,” Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama told about 12,000 devoted fans at the opening session of the 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit. cont.

An outside perspective on the American health care system.

Healthy people are not very profitable, this fact defines the corporate health care system we have in America today. When companies are allowed, even encouraged, to profit off the unhealthiness of the people, why would they have any interest in keeping us healthy? cont.

Yellow Michelle Obama.

At the National Design Awards, Michelle Obama came out to greet the honorees in the White House’s East Room, wearing a sunny yellow suit. A Goodlifer-yellow suit. cont.

At WSU, Pollan is required reading, then not, then again.

Last week, Washington State University announced that it was pulling Michael Pollan’s best-selling book The Omnivore’s Dilemma from its required Common Reading Program for all incoming freshmen, seemingly due to pressure from corporate agribusiness. The book was selected in March of this year, by a committee at Washington State University, as this year’s common reading selection for all incoming freshmen. cont.

Fashion & Identity

I love clothing, in every way shape and form. It’s fascinating how what you choose to wear on a particular day can determine your whole persona; the way you see the world and the way the world sees you. This may seem shallow, but is nevertheless true. We are inherently trained to judge by appearances, it is a trait that carries through from our hunter-gatherer days when the ability to make snap-judgements could mean life or death. cont.

Crafting a New Food System

Most of us in the Western world do not really eat food anymore, instead consuming what Michael Pollan calls food-like substances, engineered by food scientists to provide maximum “nutrition” (read calories) at minimum cost. Our food is so diluted with chemicals and genetically modified ingredients that our bodies have a hard time recognizing that which we eat as food. cont.

Hello, this is Earth.

Since you decided to make today all about me, I have decided there are a few things I would like to tell you. You humans have inhabited my surface for but a millifraction of my existence, yet you have managed to drastically change me in a very short time. In the last thirty five years alone you have depleted one third of my resources, and I am just wondering how this could happen. cont.

Give Bees a Chance

I have been thinking about bees a lot lately. While the world is worrying about economic collapse or who will be crowned the next American Idol, I am bummed about the empty hive that was buzzing with bee activity just six months ago. Their collective hum was unmistakable, the distinct smell of honey sweetened the air. Now, the wax shell is void of all activity, and I don’t know why. cont.