Would you have thought that these trees are meant to rotate?

For this year’s biennial arts festival in Liverpool, UK, the guys responsible for the Blur Building, Diller, Scofidio and Renfro, are going to introduce the visitors to their “Arbores Laetae” installation, also known as the Joyful Trees. Yes, these three trees in the middle of other 17 trees are the only ones moving confusing all those passing by.

I know the festival is all about the contemporan art and the weird, but I’ll have to be honest that I’d wish these guys would have come up with a motto or a slogan for their rotating trees, that would determine people to go home, buy a tree and put it in the ground for the many years to come.

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Niue (I had to look it up, too) will become the first country to launch the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative. The goal is to be the first country in the world for every child, all 6 of them?, to have a laptop. The population of the whole island is less than 1,700.

In truth, there are about 500 students in both Niue primary and high schools. The laptops are the students for life and are their library to the world said Jimmie Rodgers, the director general of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

The laptops cost about $200 and 5,000 of them have been ear marked for the Pacific. Education is a good thing. For a child to have access to the world’s information is a grand thing … until they ask, “What’s McDonald’s?” And want to know other such things Western as might spoil their paradise in the south Pacific.

Of course, education is not just having access to info but being able to discern which info is credible and relevant to the learner. No?

Not sure if Michael Phelps is vegan, loves animals or if he recycles, but I’ll have to be honest he really managed to amaze all of us after breaking seven world records and one Olympic record in just one week. He did it, in part, because of his amazing dolphin kick.

I’m no guru in making the world a better place but there’s obviously something we can learn from Michael ‘Dolphin’ Phelps and his hard work.

1. More sports for kids. What if they bring swimming activities to children, too? Call it an anti-obesity program or a way of spending quality time as a kid, I’m sure it would be a great idea.

2. Hard work and determination. Even though the guy was “built” like a fish with a long torso and relatively short legs, thereby decreasing resistance, he also had to train. And he trained hard not for the last weeks, months, but years. Five or six hours a day, almost everyday Michael Phelps was in a swimming pool trying to improve his times.

3. Focus and never give up. I was amazed to hear that he had his goggles filled with water in one race. Not a pro-swimmer here, but I do know you’re somehow blind when something like this happens. What he did? Focused even more. It was another obstacle he had to go over. He counted the number of strokes per length to know where he was and reached his goal.

4. Can he power our cars? GreenDaily has a couple of great ideas for Phelps to “serve his country”. I’d sure put him the head of all clean energy companies. With his determination we’d most likely get a world record on sustainable energy.

Again, I’m not sure of the reasons why this should go well on GreenPacks but such a guy should inspire many.

Image courtesy of M@rcopako

I am living in the wrong country and shopping for the wrong products from the wrong sales people. Female Berlin employees dressed down, to nothing but an apron to sell cosmetics from Britain called Lush. So, why naked? They were protesting the use of too much packaging by wrapping themselves up in less.

And this is getting the point across how?

The girls of Berlin want there to be less packaging of beauty products and toiletries, so they figured they make a statement. I say that the girls should be less wrapped, too!

So, seriously, where do we draw the line? How much is too much packaging? How much is not enough? I say we bring the girls to my house and we sit down and have a talk. Leave the aprons at home, please.

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In some circles I suppose Paris Hilton is doing her part to heat things up, cause more global warming, maybe, and in others she is just making a fool out of herself…and me, too for caring what she thinks. In any event, people read about her, look at her…and I hope, never listen to her.

Hilton’s energy plan - “We can do limited offshore drilling with strict environmental oversight while creating tax incentives to get Detroit making hybrid and electric cars.”

I’m betting she either read that off a script, it was tucked into her travel magazine, or someone was whispering it in her ear.

Offshore drilling is not outsourcing dental care, Paris.

Can you spell ‘environmental’ Paris?

And, what do you know about oversight, Paris? Who’s watching over you.

Incentive is not putting a penny into the arcade machine to get a souvenir, Pairs.

And, how much does it cost to fill up your limousine and jet to go gallivanting around the world?

One last question - Do you know where Detroit is?

In any event, the world is getting hotter each time Paris and the likes blow hot air and strip down just to heat things up, no?

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Beijing has been trying to reduce the smog in the city in the lead up to the Olympics. They start this Friday!! Whoopee! But, the Australian government is still not buying into the green Beijing, fresh air thing. In fact, the Australian government has voiced its concern about the effects that the air might have on its athletes. Yeah, and the Aussie government expects China do what that they haven’t done already?

The environmental minister down under said, ‘I think it’s a real issue for authorities there and also for the Australian team and for athletes generally, and I know that the Australian team medical staff will be monitoring the conditions really closely.’’

And I say, “Okay, so what do you recommend China do in the three days leading up to the Games?”

Or, is the minister just blowing smoke? Doesn’t he realize we need less of that? Let’s enjoy the Games and applaud China for putting on their best face. Is it the best? Could they do better? The point is, China is throwing a party and doing their darndest to do the best they can at it. How about some acknowledgment instead of criticism for a change?

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“Every day, 1.1 billion people have to wash with, bathe in and drink dirty water.
That’s the same as the population of North America and Europe.
We can’t live with that fact. Can you?”

After seeing this video I understood that there are places on Earth were people don’t have the time and the power to think about solar power, gas prices or car emissions. No food for tomorrow or water they can’t drink or shower with are bigger problems for them.

There’s not much I can do other than sharing this video with all the readers, friends or family.

This hard hitting viral video by World Vision wants to emphasize the fundamental importance of clean water for daily life, sanitation and hygiene. Everyone should have access to the basic human needs, don’t you think?

It’s not the high crude oil prices causing high gasoline prices that are driving up food costs. It’s not the fault of the US invasion of Iraq and upsetting the oil bucket. It’s not even the global warming monster that is causing food shortages, hunger among the poor, increased poverty or social unrest. It’s not even the demands of the growing economies in India or China.

The World Bank has concluded that its the EU and the United States and their drive for biofuels that has had the biggest impact on food supply and prices. When what would normally be used for food is fed to cars, people are left wanting.

Let me think this through. The push for biofuels is the result of high gasoline prices, no? If crude was more affordable then no need to push biofuels, right? What I really want to know is how many farmers in America and elsewhere are still being paid to not grow anything? Have the government subsidies stopped? If not, why not?

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Remember the salmon skin bikini? If not, you should. I’ve been on the look out for one of these for some time now. Well, there’s a guy in China, 71-years old, who thinks he’s found a way to stay cool. Following through on an idea that he had more than 30 years ago, the man has started making shirts out of fish scales.

When his son caught a fish with thumb-nail-sized scales, he remembered the original idea. So…he spent 15 months attaching 14,000 fish scales to one of his shirts. FWIW, it would take me 15 months to count to 14,000. The result, the man says, is cool comfort in the oppressive summer heat. That, he says, made it worth the effort.

I don’t care how cheap labor in China is, if it takes 15 months and enough fish to supply 14,000 scales, I won’t be able to afford one.

This man’s effort reminds me of another Chinese dude who was able to do something with beer bottles that large companies everywhere and scientists are racking their brains to try and do. Solar energy from beer bottles? Okay, then…a shirt made from fish scales.

Twenty six years ago, I was 26-years younger (duh!) and didn’t mind the hassle of handling baby diapers. Now, there’s a new baby in the house. Right, a 26-year old and a 5-month year old. You can stop laughing now.

Image by Lance McCord

Messing around with cloth diapers is a pain, and with all the water used I am not sure it’s the best alternative anyway. But, disposable diapers don’t sit well with us. And, we can’t let the baby run around with her bottom out. What to do?

NaturalPath has a list of four green options for disposable diapers.

1. “Tushies brand diapers are gel free and made with non-chlorine bleached woodpulp and conventional cotton for natural high absorbency.” I explained that to Mia (my little girl) and she responded with a “I like the name” smile.

2. “Seventh Generation’s diapers and training pants are extremely absorbant and chlorine-free (chlorine bleaching, used in most mainstream diapers, produces the pollutant dioxin).” Mia asked, “Papa, what generation am I?” She didn’t like the name.

3. “The Swedish-based Nature Boy and Girl diapers feature a GMO-free cornstarch cover, rather than the typical plastic (making them compostable in municipal facilities). Mia’s response was “Huh?!”

4. “Tendercare diapers are made by Tushies in the US, but contain SAP and woodpulp, rather than cotton.” Not so absorbent say moms but they are thin and easy to get around in. Yeah, how would the mom’s know unless they … okay, I don’t want to think about that.

Honey! Let’s see if any of these green options work on Mia. Hmm … price?

Read more at NaturalPath.