By Matthew McDermott
Once we’ve gotten our priorities straight regarding reducing the massive amount of oil we use in transportation – largely because we’ve built our communities into places where most people need to drive rather than walk, bike or take public transit -there’s another conceptually big issue that needs to tackled: What to do with plastic?
Now, plastics alone don’t amount to much out of a single barrel of oil compared to liquid fuels, but their utter ubiquity in our lives combined with the resultant massive waste management and water pollution issues means we’ve got some serious contemplation to do.
Trees are glorious for many reasons. Aside from providing inspiration and relaxation for millions around the world, they also provide habitats and shelter for billions more. Steven Burke’s art made me chuckle though. Sometimes shit’s just dead on you know? Poor little trees.

As the story goes, the Poet’s Daffodil sprang from the dead form of a beautiful boy, who, while admiring his own image in the water fell in and drowned, the victim of self-love. Also known as the Narcissus poeticus, the Poet’s Daffodil commemorates the name of the boy’s identity. Originally from Southern Europe, the Poet’s Daffodil thrives along the coast lines of the Mediterranean. With soft white petals around a yellow and red corona, the Poet’s Daffodil is the perfect flower to let her know you care.

One of the dopest things about science is the fact that it’s always an open book. At any moment, we might just make a discovery that shifts our entire perception of the world, and how we imagine it to be. Last week, researchers discovered evidence of Leviathan Melvillei, a prehistoric whale measuring approximately 50 feet, large enough in size to eat smaller whales. Named appropriately enough after Moby Dick author Herman Melville, Leviathan was thought to have lived just over 13 million years ago. Pretty geeked if you ask me. Check below for the full story, via NPR.

Okay, so this is encouraging. Over the course of the past two decades, Americans have been taking billions more biking and walking trips annually. As the chart above shows (courtesy of Good), the measurable increase in both those things has spurred an increase in government spending on programs that encourage foot-powered travel (check here for the full-size image). It shouldn’t take a massive oil spill for us to realize it, but we still have a long way to go on this one. If the data above is right, you’re looking at about 13 biking trips per person, and 140 walking trips. On the other hand, how many people do you know that drive almost every day of the year? In any case, it’s good to know things are moving in the right direction. Government spending aside, it’s up to us as individuals to keep that trend going.
By Matt Patella
The first time I heard about eating raw I was at a Buddhist monastery in California. I had just spent 10 days there under a vow of silence, and on the 11th, my roommate and I were finally allowed to talk. He was describing an obscure Japanese discipline which sounded to me like tai chi while fucking when the conversation turned to eating raw. “It makes you feel great” he said, “I just keep getting higher and higher.” While I’m not quite as eccentric as that guy, three years later I decided to give eating raw a try.

Do you kind of feel like we’re in the midst of a battle between good and evil? Like there are folks fighting on both sides to ensure that the world turns in their favor. I’d like to believe that you and I are fighting for the good, while BP, Fox News and Plies are fighting for the evil.
Fortunately, it seems as though the designers at Common Studio are also on our side. Recently developing a garden-centric vending machine, the Common Studio team has created an innovative way of promoting the environment in a very tangible way. Initially sprouting up in San Francisco, and now Los Angeles, the repurposed gumball machines dish out “seed bombs,” consisting of seeds and compost encased in clay. From there, it is up to you to choose where you drop the bombs, as the seeds will gradually grow in the environment they’re placed in. Better yet, all the proceeds from the vending machines will be donated to Project H Design, who’s purpose is to improve the lives of the socially marginalized. Seems like a win win win to me. One point Good.