Elisa's Green Scene

Cats create art to support California shelter | This Dish Is Veg - Vegan, Animal Rights, Eco-friendly News

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles (spcaLA) has been using an iPad App called Paint for Cats. Paint for Cats captures the cat's contact to the iPad, creating a unique piece of art.

via www.thisdishisvegetarian.com

Brilliant...I just bought a bunch of boxes of these. They're very affordably priced and will make lovely gifts for...well, some occasion.

Now if only my own Backyard Kitty would show any interest at all in the cat games for iPad I downloaded. Maybe I should try Paint for Cats instead...maybe he doesn't want to do anything as frivolous as play games...he's an artist man!

EcoCrap?

Treehugger takes a look at the most questionable "green gadgets" they saw during 2008.

In most cases it's not that there's anything particularly non-green about the items, but rather that they self-proclaim their green-ness all over the place without being any more green (and sometimes less so) than existing alternatives. 

Personal favorite from the list: The EcoKaddy

"There isn’t anything special about it to make it stand out as green, other than it’s a reusable basket. It isn’t made from recycled plastics, manufactured by a charitable organization, doesn’t offset the carbon emissions from manufacturing or offer some cool recycling program for busted baskets. Nope, it’s just a reusable cart."

That's just hilarious, isn't it. In a sad, greenwashing kind of way.

I think this is where I draw the line

No, you know I loves me some recycled gear. You know I loves me some recycled aluminum can pop tab gear. I've got the purses, the cell phone bags. I've waxed rhapsodic about the earrings.

I think they're clever, attractive, functional, affordable. I think they're little mini-word of mouth machines, because every time I wear this purse I get asked many questions about it.

But I think I just met a recycled aluminum can pop tab creation that goes too far. I found it via a little "Recommended for you" email from ThisNext, and while I can see why they recommended it, given my recycled aluminum can pop tab fetish, I can assure them I won't be trying this one out:

A pop-tab bra. See, I am not really sold by this piece of copy: "Can it be worn? Probably not and if it could be it probably would not be comfortable. Still it is quite attractive and colorful underwear. "

Um, for what? Color me confused.

Bananas, Cucumber, Zuchini and more target the size and strengh of the male sexual organ. It's true!

OK, I don't usually use blog post titles that are bound to bring me a ton of disappointed Google searchers, but I couldn't resist.

Why? Because a friend just sent me this link, Whole Food Signatures

Of course, I first read it to say Whole Foods Signatures, and I was wondering if Whole Foods Market made its employees include one of these pearls of wisdom about different fruits and vegetables at the end of each email they sent.

But no.

It's just a list that highlights how different foods look like different parts of the human body...and happen to be good for those exact parts.

Example: " A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes."

Another example: "A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebelums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuro-transmitters for brain function."

And my favorite: "Bananas, Cucumber, Zuchini and more target the size and strengh of the male sexual organ. It's true!"

Hence the Google-bait post title :)

Learn something new (and disturbing) every day

Someone invited me to check out Instablogs today. While I don't really need to adopt yet another blogging tool, I did check out the inviter, Irani's blog: It's Your Environment!

Sounds right up my hip & zen alley, no? Well, yes, it does, but one post caught my eye, forwarding me to a story that I just wasn't expecting:

A Thai zoo has planned a “human-like way” to encourage its two pandas – living here for four years — to breed in captivity. It is next month; the officials will play “porn” videos for the six-year-old male panda — Chuang Chuang – who doesn’t know how to mate!

Well, OK then!

Random but wonderful blog find of the week

OK, you yoga fans...just in case you sometimes find yourself taking yourself and your yoga practice a little too seriously, here is the site that can cure that. I give you yogabeans!

This adorable site is the work of a blogger who shall not be named, but goes by the moniker Elastigirl.

She takes her child's plastic action figures and puts them through their yoga paces. Not only that, she writes scripts for the figures, playful, imaginative dialogues that are, frankly, kinda hard to explain. No, this is definitely one of thsoe sites you have to see for yourself to truly appreciate. So check it out!

technorati tags:yoga, humor

Rationale of the Year?

Treehugger.com is making the case that the iPod nano is the "Green Product of the Year." Why? Because it's small (no doubt), because it's solid state, with fewer moving parts, so likely to last longs (remains to be seen) and because shifting to downloaded music eliminates the wasteful and space-taking CD and its attendant packaging. On the plus side I would also add that iPods have tremendous re-sale value, so that as iPod aficianados like me move from one to the next bigger and next cooler and next must-have, we can sell or give away our iPods no problem. But...I'm not quite ready to give them the Eco-friendly seal of approval yet. Don't get me wrong, I loves me my iPod(s). I just got a new iPod Video for Christmas, and I am one self-satisfied puppy.

But there are a couple of reasons I would hold off on crowning it a Green product:

1. The packaging is way cool, and has definitely gotten smaller as the iPod itself has shrunk, but it's not no impact.

2. Have you seen the rampant consumerism that immediately afflicts all iPod owners? We need lots of accessories and gew-gaws to go with our iPods. And as we graduate from iPod to iPod often those accessories can't graduate with us, being relegated to the dead accessory heap while we go buy a new, cooler accessory.

3. And we start buying music off of iTunes at a rate far greater than we would buy CDs. What's wrong with that, you might ask? Well, nothing if you don't mind spending the extra money. But then don't forget, now you're recommending more music, and encouraging the non-mp3 converted to go out and buy the CDs. Or, if you're forward-thinking and concerned that "owning" a downloaded mp3 isn't the same as really owning your music, if you really like something, you go out and buy the CD too! (Listen, it's not just me that thinks this way.)

My tongue may be slightly in-cheek, but while I do give props to Treehugger for the year's best rationalization, I'm not sure I'm ready to give the iPod props for being the year's greenest product.

Presents for Pets

I know I am not the only person who gives her pets Christmas presents, so if you're looking for a few good items for your pets, or to give a pet owner friend, Treehugger.com features a couple today.

First we have organic and recycled toys for cats, from a company called WorldWise. And we also have a hemp dogleash from a company called Hemp Sisters. Looks ike some good pet present purveyors!

(And yes, that's my 18-year-old diva cat in the picture...I was going for that fish-eye look that's so poopular now, and she obliged.)

The latest in the fight against Global warming - heated bras!

Well, it was probably only a matter of time before it came to this.  Underwear maker Triumph International (Japan) has unveiled it's new Warm Biz Bra, a new bra made of material that saves warmth.  The bra has removable pads that can be heated in the microwave, and long furry straps that wrap around the neck like a scarf.  The project is in response to Japan's "Warm Biz" program, a government campaign to urge workers to dress warmly so that heating in government buildings can be reduced to 66 degrees, and private companies 68 degrees. 

I can just picture the line at the cafeteria microwave...

hip & zen joke for the day

I sent out a little blog birth announcement this afternoon, letting my friends and colleagues know that the hip & zen pen was alive and kicking over here.

One such friend and colleague replied only with this:

Q: why doesn't buddha vacuum under the couch?
A: the buddha has no attachments.

Cute, huh?

And if you don't think so, then blame it all on Chris Carfi of the Social Customer Manifesto. And he will tell you to blame it all on JoDee, proprietrix of the La Di Da cafe in Half Moon Bay, who told him that very joke this very morning. Coinky-dink, huh?