TresSugar

Say What? Barbarella's Daughter Speaks

TresSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:27:54 -0700

“Before that, nobody had seen on screen any space for women to be sexual or to own their sexuality. The shock was that here were women doing what we’ve all seen men do. This was exploding the myth that if a woman was consummate in her sexuality, then she must be a slut.”

- Vanessa Vadim on mother Jane Fonda's starring role in the camp classic Barbarella, directed by her late father Roger Vadim. Besides being the daughter of celebrities, Vadim is an eco-advice columnist, a single mother, a documentary filmmaker and an organic farmer. She’s also a fan of glass dildos and cucumbers as eco-friendly sex toys.

Want to Save the Planet? Use Contraception

TresSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Society's focus on green technology is a waste of time, according to the London School of Economics. What we really need to do to prevent climate change is to boost access to contraception.

Economists claim that family planning is the cheapest way to reduce carbon emissions. Every $7 spent on improving access to contraception would reduce carbon emissions by more than a ton, which is a great return. Conversely, you need to spend $30 on green technologies to see the same reduction.

The analysis focused on fulfilling current contraception needs that go unmet. If people who want access to services like the birth control pill got it, unintended births would be reduced by 72 percent, and thus future carbon emissions would be reduced. Fewer people, less carbon.

The London School of Economics isn't the first to point out that reducing the number of children you have is a powerful way to cut back your total environmental impact. Earlier this year, an environmental adviser for the UK controversially called on the government to provide better access to contraception and abortion as a crucial piece of its anti-global-warming policy.

Do you think getting contraception to people who want and need it should be the focus of climate change policy?

One Dress, One Year, One Child's Education

TresSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:00:41 -0700

I'm a sucker for charitable causes with an artistic flair, and The Uniform Project is particularly adorable. Sheena Matheiken (pictured) has vowed to wear the same dress every day for a year with the goal of sending an underprivileged Indian child to school for a year.

It's actually seven versions of the same dress, one for each day of the week; I'm assuming this is for cleanliness's sake. Each day, Matheiken posts a Cindy Sherman-esque photo of what she's wearing and drops a dollar in her virtual tip jar. After a year, she'll donate it to the Akanksha Foundation, which raises money for uniforms and other school expenses for children in Indian slums. Meanwhile, you can rate her ensembles as batty, brave, hot, cute, or "try harder."

The whole thing is pretty brave, if you ask me. To see what Matheiken has to say about her endeavor, read more.

The project was partly inspired by Matheiken's own childhood in India, spent wearing countless school uniforms and trying to suit them to her own style. But this time, she's also trying to be eco-conscious:

"Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accoutrements, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies."

By the end of the year, the Uniform Project tip jar will have enough money to send one child to school for a year. But you can also donate to the cause to add even more. Since a majority of you said you would go naked for a few hours a day to save the earth, would you wear the same dress for 365 days to send a kid to school?

Depressed? Ecotherapists Say, "Go Take a Hike!"

TresSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:30:00 -0700

Although some depressed people think they should see a psychotherapist or get meds prescribed (or both), psychologists from the burgeoning field of eco-therapy have a simpler prescription: go outside and mingle with nature.

We humans, they argue, evolved to interact with nature and the outdoors, but beginning with the Industrial Revolution two centuries ago, we've largely become alienated from that world. Now that more than half of the world's population lives in cities, and those lives are increasingly taken over by computers and BlackBerrys (or iPhones), some people don't go outside at all except to travel from their homes to their offices. In fact, eco-therapists say that when their patients' begin writing in a nature journal to record how much time they spent outside, their records are pretty pathetic: most people spent less than 15 to 30 minutes walking to and from their cars!

I went on a long weekend in Yosemite recently, and although I'm not the type who loves not bathing for four days - it was wonderful not to get one email or phone call. Instead, I slept soundly from hiking so much and woke up looking at mountains, trees, and woodland creatures. We don't all need to go camping to cure the blues, though. Researchers have found that simply taking a walk outside every day could have the same effect as an antidepressant in treating moderate depression. I believe it.

Indian Women Asked to Plow Fields Naked For Rain

TresSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Modern women in eastern India have been asked to participate in an ancient tradition: plowing dry fields naked with the hope that it will embarrass the weather gods and urge them to respond with a much needed monsoon.

This year, Indian farmers are worrying over a very dry start to the monsoon season and having nude women plow the fields while chanting hymns is the most trusted custom among farmers. Interestingly, only unmarried women are allowed to participate.

If I were asked to plow fields naked to help California's drought problem, you could bet that more than the weather gods would be embarrassed.

Stranger Than Fiction: Berlin Brothel Goes Eco Green

TresSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700

With nary a hill, Berlin is a great city to ride a bike in and with legalized prostitution, it's also a great place to ride a . . . Anyway! Everyone is looking for ways to lighten their carbon footprint, especially when it disguises a marketing campaign. Maison d'envie, a Berlin brothel, is no exception. It's offering a $7 discount on its usual $100 fee to customers who bike their way in.

The recession has hit the prostitution industry so it makes sense that if a green hostel was going to grow, it would bloom in über-eco-conscious Germany. With three to five new customers taking advantage of the deal each day, owner Thomas Goetz said, "It's good for business, it's good for the environment - and it's good for the girls."

Source: Flickr User Mirosim

Earth Angel Hand Crank Vibrator: Crank It or Chuck It?

TresSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:00:00 -0700

I'm all for going green to help save the environment, but I'm not sure the Earth Angel battery-free, hand crank vibrator will make a dent in the million ways the earth is going to pot. (I suppose that one less discarded battery that doesn't leak cadmium, lead or mercury into a landfill will add up eventually.)

The Earth Angel will vibrate for up to 30 minutes if you crank it for four, but I wonder if you'd still be in the mood having to work this hard to get it going. Also - did I mention it's close to 100 bucks?

Would You Go Nude a Few Hours a Day to Save the Planet?

TresSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Need a way to save money, save the planet, and keep cool now that Summer's officially here? Try going nude a few hours a day.

A member of the Naturist Society explains:

"Living more hours naked each day results in a dramatic drop in my laundry, which in turn reduces my water and energy use (along with my related bills). It also reduces the amount of soap I release, in my case, into the Puget Sound."

Since I have to get dressed everyday to go to work, I'm not sure I would have a major impact by going nude at home a few hours a day. I could find time to dirty fewer clothes on the weekends . . . but I have a feeling my roommates would protest.

Does hanging around the house naked appeal to you?

Do You Know Anyone Like The Goode Family?

TresSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

An extremely politically correct cartoon-family is coming to a television near you. Mike Judge of King of the Hill and Beavis and Butt-head fame has created a new show - The Goode Family - which premiers on ABC tonight.

The Goodes are many shades of green. They use reusable shopping bags (not the ones made in sweat shops), drive hybrid cars, recycle, and ask themselves: what would Al Gore do? In addition to being environmentally conscious, they're also socially aware: they're vegans, have a dog named Che, and they even adopted a little boy from Africa. (Once they adopted Ubuntu, they found out he was actually born to white Afrikaans parents in South Africa. They still have him wear traditional African dress.)

The premise sort of reminds me of the South Park episode all about smug people in San Francisco. In that episode, the "smug" (smog) from preachy, hybrid car owners ends up causing an environmental disaster. Despite the similarities in using progressives as their targets, The Good Family does treat the earnest clan a little kinder than South Park would, making it apparent that the characters have genuine intentions.

Do you know anyone that tries a little too hard to do good(e)?

The World Celebrates Earth Day!

TresSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Happy Earth Day everyone! The world's been busy appreciating the environment today. Michelle and Barack Obama planted trees with a little help from Bill Clinton. The famous ball in Times Square, NYC was refitted with energy-efficient LED lights and rebranded the Earth Ball. In the Philippines, environmental activists rallied against reopening a nuclear power plant. And over in Indonesia, the US ambassador went underwater to feed sharks with the hope of calling attention to Indonesia's rich underwater biodiversity.

Over one billion people were expected to celebrate the environment today. Take a look at the festivities and demonstrations. Source

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