Strangely, travelling is one of my more relaxing experiences. Not to overlook the strain of the TSA (complicating matters is the fact that I saved space in my suitcase by wearing my bulkiest jacket and high-heeled boots, not exactly easy to take off & put back on in a rush) or even the physical strain…
Tag: environment
Conflict-free, Fair Trade, and 3D Printed: How Consumer Electronics can be made Ethical and Ecofriendly
As a writer, I’m acutely aware that my chosen profession is not exactly eco-friendly. Many trees have died for my journals and publications–although a handful of books are now being printed on recycled plastic, making them both waterproof and a potential solution to overcrowded landfills–and it seems like even when I move away from hard…
Say Yes! Women’s Crowdfunding Campaign
I am not done with blogging about crowdfunding, it seems. Today my Fair Trade Friday post up at the Amani DC page is dedicated to an awesome new campaign which combines ecofriendly ‘upcycling’ (recycling in a way that creates a product with greater value than the original) with women’s empowerment by supporting refugees in the…
We didn’t choose the Folklife, the Folklife chose us–and other updates
So I’ll start with the sad news, because the past two weeks have been tough: I got to visit Las Vegas for the first time, but under some of the worst possible circumstances. My uncle living there passed away and I went to attend the funeral and visit with my cousins (and also some immediate…
Print Books that are *Good* for the Planet
Being surrounded by the printed word (and intending to remain so my entire life–much as I enjoy ebooks, I like to keep paper copies for backup), I remain acutely conscious that it’s called “dead tree”s for a reason. Also, ever since my trip to Ghana I’ve had a horror of plastic. It’s bad enough seeing…
The Plants of Middle-Earth: Botany and Sub-Creation by Dinah Hazell
What a charming book! Like The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges’ Library of Babel, this was a find made in the American University library shelves. It stood out not only for the title (of all things it was sub-creation I was drawn to; the concept is Tolkien’s gift to the fantasy genre far more than any number…