News from the Frontiers of Planet Friendliness!

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Dear YERTians,

We have an Earth Day/Week/Month special for you today: an exciting snapshot of cool ideas from frontiers of the green movement as introduced to us on our West Coast Tour (more or less). People couldn't help but tell us all about the cool things they've heard about, and we want to share the highlights with you...

News from the Frontiers of Planet Friendliness!

  • Friend and YERT interviewee Wallace J. Nichols encouraged us all to give away blue marbles as a "thank you" to eco-friendly people around us. You can order them here: http://bluemarbles.org
  • Author Michael Shuman shares a clever tip for creating a self-directed IRA that lets you invest your retirement savings locally.
  • I hear that the 2012 International Permaculture Conference/Convergence will be held in Cuba, but I can't find much online about it. Let me know!
  • Perennial Plate is a great road-trip and food themed web video series that has some solid green sensibilities.

  • Portland-based Depave group is working to replace pavement with soil and real-live plants!
  • Mark Lakeman of CityRepair is working to build public spaces for and by people.
  • The Transpartisan Alliance is working to bring people together in spite of political differences. Indeed, to find better solutions because of our diverse views. Video here.
  • A friendly viewer at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival encouraged us to check out David Blume's book "Alcohol Can Be A Gas." We'll be checking it out to see the latest news about biofuels.
  • Tugg.com gives moviegoers a clever way to bring movies to their local theaters-- pulled by the crowd! Kind of like Kickstarter for movies.
  • Impact Dashboard is being developed by Google and the Sundance Foundation to help measure the impact a film is having. Little intro video here.
  • Khan Academy is educating people about all sorts of things online for free. Check out Khan's TED talk.
  • The Grange movement. Have you heard of it? I hear they're making a comeback. Kind of like a farmer's support group-- and there are chapters (and Grange Halls) all around the country.

  • Fate of the World is a computer game that allows players to try to avoid catastrophic climate change. Find other "Games for Change" at an annual festival here.
  • A fun thing to do with your community: host an UNtalent show. Demonstrate your lack of talent shamelessly and for the benefit of others.
  • Watch video together with friends online with Xmobb - J says you can log in via Facebook. And you can set up a little film festival with social elements.
  • We were encouraged to check out the latest attempt, and possible success, at cold fusion. Here's a related Wired article.
  • Tata Motors appears to be preparing to launch a car that runs on compressed air.
  • Interested in creating an ecovillage or sustainable community? This book might help: Creating a Life Together by Diana Leafe Christian.
  • Blu Homes makes awesome green homes-- pre-fabricated. Check out their Breeze House design as an example.


We know that there isn't always a ton of good news to share during Earth Day/Week/Month, so hopefully these will give you some food for thought and a little inspiration to share with those you love. Don't forget that we're also posting almost daily to our Facebook page if you want more updates.

Happy Earth Day!

Cheers,
Mark, Ben, and Julie
team@yert.com








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