CONCRETE jungle: September 2011

DC Fashion Week ; Green Edition

DC's Fashion Week is here !!

Eco Fashion Designers who are gracing the streets of DC.

Aidah Collection
Elizabeth St John
Kelly Tang
Natalia Sanz

The Eco Fashion Show premiered Monday, September 19, 2011 and was sponsored by Inova & Perkins + Will.

Tuesday, September 20 premiered the "Second Lives: the Age-Old Art of Recycling Textiles". This highlighted how people from different cultures have efficiently repurposed worn fabrics to create beautiful new textiles. This took place at the Textile Museum.

If I would have known there were going to be eco-fashion, I would have made it my mission to attend!

Pipeline Explosion in Kenya kills 75

75 Kenyans died last week due to a pipeline explosion in their neighborhood. Pipelines are popularly and dangerously used in the African communities in efforts to transport oil for production and consumption. It is no secret that the oil companies have no problem exploting the villages of Africa for their own greed. These pipeline are above ground and easily infiltrated.

a section of pipe had burst near the river that cuts through the slum and gasoline was pouring out. Men, women and children grabbed pails, jerry cans, anything they could find to collect the flowing fuel.

Mwangi had planned to get a bucket and join them - he'd done so before with earlier diesel leaks without any problem, he said, and a bucket of fuel could pay a month's rent. "Everybody knows that fuel is gold," the 34-year-old said.

The "importance" of oil to corporations is clear. This goes to show the dangers of the oil industry. It is sad that innocent people lose their lives every day in order to obtain this "black gold". There is a flagrant disregard for the value of human life when it comes to oil. The oil companies are savages when it comes to obtaining this "gold".

Unfortunately, unnecessary situations like this happen everyday. The only alternative to oil, is alternative energy.

cantaloupe , my poor cantaloupe

If you are anything like me, you must be devastated over our precious cantaloupe. Apparently, a cantaloupe farm from Colorado has sent out a recall of the fruit due to a deadly Listeria contamination. People in Colorado, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Montana and Texas, and four have even died from the outbreak. If an infected cantaloupe is eaten, it can paralyze you. Even some 25% of the people who ingested the contaminated cantaloupe have actually died from it. They recommend that people actually scrub cantaloupes clean before eating and even then, they are still susceptible to infection being that the contamination can hide within the pores of the cantaloupe.

Jensen Farms in Holly, Colo., said Wednesday it is voluntarily recalling cantaloupe it shipped to Illinois, Wyoming, Tennessee, Utah, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania between July 29 and Sept. 10.

The source of the contamination is unknown.

This is horrible. Cantaloupe are my favorite fruit. Fortunately, cantaloupe are not even in season so if you are shopping eco-friendly, then you have nothing to worry about.

Whoa is me .

According to Did You Know Facts ..

Since 1981, every Chinese citizen over the age of 11 has been required to plant three trees per year.

I think that is pretty awesome :)

Seasonal Fruits

Here is a list of produce that you should shop for in season. Shopping for fruits and vegetables while they are in season will leave less of a carbon footprint and is essentially eco-friendly because it requires less energy to produce. Also, the produce that are shopped in season are a lot more fresh. I hate listed the popular produce. For the complete list of seasonal produce, click here.

Fall;

Apples

Artichokes

Beets

Broccli

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Cranberries

Edamame

Eggplant

Garlic

Grapes

Green Beans

Green Onions/Scallions

Lettuce

Limes

Mushrooms

Pears

Peppers

Pomergranates

Potatoes

Pumpkins

Spinach

Turnips

Zucchini

and more..

Winter;

Fall and Winter have most of the same seasonal produce. Here are a couple of the winter produce that are not grown in the fall.

Grapefruit

Kiwis

Lemons

Mandarins

Oranges

Tangerines

Squash

and more..

Spring;

Apricots

Asparagus

Cherries

Garlic

Parsley

Peas

Spinach

Sweet Onions

Turnips

and more..

Summer;

Apples

Basil

Apricots

Avocados

Bell peppers

Blackberries

Blueberries

Boysenberries

Cantaloupes

Carrots

Cherries

Chickpeas

Corn

Cucumbers

Grapes

Mangoes

Melons

and more..

Eco-Friendly Shopping

Produce;

Shopping at your local Farmers Market for produce such as fruits and vegetables is a an excellent way to shop. It leaves less of a carbon footprint, meaning you are being environmentally friendly. Shopping at your local Farmers Market is recommended because;

Fresh fruit and vegetables. Produce is picked ripe and sold that day. Supermarket produce, on the other hand, can take up to two weeks to travel from farm to store. Flavor and appearance can suffer.

Support your neighbor! Farmers’ Markets put more money in the farmers’ pockets. Commercial farmers get only twenty-five cents of every dollar’s worth of produce sold in supermarkets.

Less pollution. Distance produce travels from farm to you via a grocery store is often greater than 1000 miles. Transport to and storage at the store often requires refrigeration, and these result in carbon dioxide emissions. At our farmers' markets average distance traveled is less than 50 miles and there is no refrigeration or storage. Buying at a farmers' market results in less carbon dioxide emissions.

Save money. You can save money, especially on organic produce.

Shop seasonal produce. Shopping for produce that are in season leaves less of a carbon footprint. Shopping produce that are out of season causes refridgeration to store the produce and also distance traveled for produce grown elsewhere.