it’s winter on the east coast and we’ve seen our share of snow (more than usual for some of us).  what better time to make the connection between the clean up involved with an environment we have no control over and maintenance needed to catch up on our lives and convictions at a time where so many of us are struggling financially.

this struggle plays out often in the supermarket isles. the best in us hopes to seek out local, organic, or otherwise sustainable choices, but when alongside more conventional, environmentally unsympathetic and less expensive options the decision is hard.  we all have our bills to pay and in poor economic times we need to pinch pennies wherever possible.  can we do this without throwing our sustainable principles under the bus?

i think it’s most important to keep the big picture in mind.  our choices go beyond the supermarket shelves.  that inexpensive can of whatever probably comes from somewhere far away; it was shipped many miles or possibly overseas and processed in such a way that the majority of its nutritional value has been lost.  It’s also likely to be swimming with chemical preservatives and born of a pesticide-laden environment.  on the other hand the choice to buy local and sustainable supports our economy by supporting small regional businesses.  as we pump more money into our local economy we help to improve our own financial situations.  even though these products may cost more we have a better opportunity to know what’s involved with how a item is made, who made it, and what impact it may have on our environment.

back to the snow analogy; one snow storm is easy enough to dig out of.  when we’re hit with storm after storm the cleanup begins to wear on us, it become difficult and more expensive.  more of our time is consumed by the inconvenience and we begin to lose track of our priorities.  the same philosophy that governs keeping your cool while shoveling applies to keeping our environmental concerns in check when struggling to make ends meet: one shovelful at a time.  let’s not be overwhelmed or too harsh on ourselves if we have to make a more financially responsible choice so long as we remember all that’s involved with that option.  before we know it, it will be spring.

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Over two years ago now I had the privledge of traveling to Uganda with the social enterprise BeadforLife.  just recently I came across a short article I wrote detailing one day that we spent in the Namugongo slum in the capital city of Kampala.  In light of the BeadforLife paper bead necklaces we’ve begun to sell on the f4 website.  I thought I’d share my observations here:

Simply described as one of Kampala’s sprawling slums, Namugongo is a captivating place of displaced expectations and overwhelming hope and love.  On October 21st 2007 I entered a world both foreign and familiar forever changing my global perspective.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I would experience. We see video and pictures on television and in print of what would appear to be depressingly impoverished slums.  Images of starving children, disease stricken adults, and crumbling shacks flood our hearts with despair.  I admit to being uneasy about my visit here, but as it turns out my time in Namugongo was one of the most uplifting and enriching experiences of my trip to Uganda.

Upon entering, we were greeted with smiles and good wishes.  The children emerged to hold our hands and marvel at my tattoos.  Residents were genuinely pleased to see us and didn’t resist the urge to reach out to us as we passed by.  There was no begging, embarrassment, or disdain resulting from our presence.   The people we encountered were dignified and proud to share their lives, homes, and thoughts with us.

I do not deny that extreme poverty and its effects exist in Namugongo.  I was impressed, however, by the will of this community to overcome their circumstances and live the best lives they can with the tools they have.  The people here do not share the entitlement and expectation we come to embody as Americans.  I believe this to be the reason for their successes.  We have so much to learn from those who appear to have so little.

Among the burning piles of trash there are children at play. In a maze of jumbled mud slicked alleys, people create community. Disease and death are abandoned for health and life. Where there is no electricity there is light.

learn more about BeadforLife at www.beadforlife.com.  buy paper bead and sterling silver necklaces at fountation4.com. a percentage of every sale will be donated to BeadforLife to support thier programs in Uganda.

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By drew diley

one of our brightest lights was extinguished today.  Barbara Jackson was one of the visionary women who pioneered the MonkeyBiz Project in South Africa.  an artist in her own right she was quite simply one of my greatest inspirations and I was privileged to consider her a friend.  she will be greatly missed and my hope is that her vision for the women (and men) of Cape Town (and the world) will continue to inspire and affect change.  Please visit the MonkeyBiz website and learn more about this inspirational woman and the project she devoted her life to.

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by drew riley

what better way to reduce carbon emissions than riding a bike instead of driving or taking public transportation.  granted, we don’t all have the option of riding a bike to work, the store, etc, but we do all have the opportunity to champion and respect those who do… right?

i ride my bike to work almost every day, weather permitting.  i didn’t always, but i do now and i’m enjoying the freedom and health benefits associated with this activity.  i will also say that bicyclists are increasing and bike lanes are popping up everywhere, making my ride easier and safer.  we are still, however, in desperate need of a shift in awareness when it comes to bicycling and road use in general.

not too long ago i was commuting to work on my much loved 1965 Schwinn Collegiate when i was struck from behind by a minivan.  details of my injuries and recovery aside, the driver was speeding to beat a traffic light in a 25mph zone.  i was moving into the intersection to get a head start on the cars waiting with me for the light to change.  if the driver had obeyed the speed limit and slowed for his yellow light, he surely could have avoided the collision. he was kind enough to honk his horn in hopes that i would hurry out of his way, but not generous enough to hit the brakes.  to my surprise, some of the witness’ at the scene expressed their displeasure of the bike lanes that had been added in their community, claiming that the increased bike traffic put pedestrians at risk.

i happen to ride in New York City, not everyone will share my experiences, but i think it’s important to site a few truths and point out a couple of things we can all do to make our travel safer for everyone involved.  bicycles are moving vehicles driven by individuals and subject to the laws and protections governing our roads.  click here for a listing of all state bicycle laws.

drivers need to respect bicyclists as the moving vehicles they are.  a driver wouldn’t make a left turn from a center lane if there was a car traveling in the left lane, but i’m often grasping my brakes to avoid a collision with a car who has chosen to make that turn despite the fact  that i’m riding right next to him/her on my bike.  it is also illegal to drive, park, or stand in the bike lane.

pedestrians also need to respect bicyclists as moving vehicles.  before crossing the street, you wouldn’t walk halfway into a car lane while you waited for a car to pass, so why stand in the bike lane?  the bike lane is also not a track.  running in the bike lane is incredibly dangerous and like jaywalking it’s illegal.

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bicyclists don’t have the right to run red lights, ride on the sidewalk, or weave in and out of traffic… also illegal.   you wouldn’t speed through an intersection against a red light in a car so why do it on a bike?

i was hit at an intersection where a bike lane ends and the two lanes of one way traffic merge into one lane.  i always try to inch out when the light is changing there; otherwise you run the risk being pushed off the road as the drivers are only focused on merging with the other cars.   this intersection needs a light allowing the bicyclists to have that head start safely (such a traffic signal exists).  until more safety measures are taken, there is a hierarchy that cannot be ignored.  cars yield to bicycles ALWAYS and bicycles yield to pedestrians ALWAYS.  it doesn’t matter who has the right of way, EVER.  we should never assume we have the right of way in any situation, but instead be aware of our surroundings and respect one another despite how we each choose to get from point A to B.

on a sad note, I never did see my Schwinn again after the accident.  it’s been replaced and i’m back in the saddle, but i’ll forever miss that old girl.

there are increasing organizations who work to create awareness about bike safety and advocate riding a bike.  the advertisement at the top of this blog post was created by www.looknyc.org. click on the below logos and further enlighten yourself…  if there is a great bicycle related resource in your community please leave a comment and let us know about it.

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by drew riley

we’re all so very insulated from the complexity of the world.  it’s often luck that we get fleeting moments of awareness.  even those of us who pride ourselves for our heightened consciousness can occasionally be surprised at our ignorance.

Jacqueline Novogratz is founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a groundbreaking organization focused on building small businesses in some of our world’s most impoverished areas.  they do this not through charity or traditional microfinance.  Acumen Fund invests in businesses owned and operated by the less fortunate who cater and work to improve the lives of their neighbors.  Acumen fund does this with simple loan structures and flexible terms, a practice they like to call “patient capital”.  their model is proven and may work so well because Acumen accepts the complexities of the third world and recognizes failures as learning opportunities.

an organization like this doesn’t materialize out of nowhere.  The Blue Sweater is Jacqueline Novogratz’s journey, with the help of many, to get to where Acumen Fund is today.  she speaks of her time at Chase Manhattan Bank and her decision to leave to pursue a life devoted to uplifting the “invisible” people of our world.  whether skipping through fields of sunflowers in Pakistan or dancing in the slums of Kenya, the subjects of this book are treated with reverence, awe, and humor.  we meet a host of individuals who, through their acts of perseverance, love, and sometimes evil have shaped the author’s experiences and influenced the projects she has championed.

Ms. Novogratz offers her impressions of Rwanda in the years before and after the genocide.  her unique perspective is born of knowing men and women on both sides of the conflict. in sharing her experiences we may come no closer to understanding the horrors but are cautioned of the dangers of assuming an opinion of a situation too complicated for certainties.   the bulk of the book is, however, a collection of triumphs and a few setbacks of a quest to deliver a better quality of life to all people including those of us who enjoy a privileged existence.

if nothing else The Blue Sweater delivers the message that we are all connected. the story of the book’s namesake perhaps illustrates this point best.  at a young age Jacqueline Novogratz is gifted a blue sweater, one that becomes well worn and loved.  like most childhood possessions that are outgrown the sweater is donated to Goodwill only to resurface, eleven years later, on the back of a young boy in Rwanda, her name still written on the tag.

if you are looking for some inspiration and motivation look no further than this book.  if you’re merely looking to be entertained and engaged… look no further than this book.

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we’re back in Brooklyn this weekend at Brooklyn Flea!  sorry for the late notice, but we’ve just found out ourselves… surprise!  this is you’re chance if you missed us at Go Green Greenpoint last Sunday and if you’ve never been to Brooklyn Flea I highly recommend it, there is so much to see, buy, eat, etc.  It’s also going to be a beautiful day to be outside…  we will again be showcasing our goods and offering big discounts on the website prices for most items. 

you will also have the opportunity to checkout our new African wax print pillows and Paper Bead necklaces that are being sold to raise enough money to sponsor a vocational student in southern Uganda, through our friends at Beadforlife.

also on display will be our lighting and home accessories from South African designer, Heath Nash which is rarely seen in person in the US. 

SUBWAY
A/C to Lafayette Ave.
G to Clinton/Washington Ave.
2/3, 4/5, B/D/Q, M/N/R to Atlantic Ave.-Pacific St (use Hanson Place exit/elevator, walk up Hanson Place to Greene Ave.,
then follow Greene Ave. 4 blocks and turn left on Clermont Ave.)

BUS
B69 (Vanderbilt Ave.) to corner of Lafayette Ave.
B38 (Lafayette Ave.) to corner of Vanderbilt Ave.
B52 (Greene Ave.) to corner of Vanderbilt Ave. (walk one block north to Flea)

CAR
From 278 West/BQE, take Exit 31 (Kent/Wythe Avenue);
Stay straight on Williamsburg Street for 0.3 miles;
Williamsburg Street becomes Williamsburg Place for 0.1 miles;
Williamsburg Place becomes Park Avenue for 0.3 miles;
Turn left on Vanderbilt Avenue for four blocks until Lafayette Avenue.

From 278 East/BQE, take Exit 27 (Atlantic Avenue)
Take Atlantic Avenue for 1.7 miles;
Left on Vanderbilt Avenue; 4 blocks to Lafayette Avenue.

View Brooklyn Flea map

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come join us for a day of sustainable fun. foundation4 has signed on to exhibit at this years Go Greenpoint 2009 event at McCarren Park in Brooklyn. we will be bringing all of our home and personal accessories for all to view in person as well as a couple of exciting new additions that will debut exclusively at the event. in addition to ecologically mindful vendors there will be food and music. now that the New York weather is improving we expect a big turn out, and why not, there’s no rain in the forecast and the event is free!

in this slumpy economy, it’s more important than ever to support products and services that do more than fulfill our need to consume. we hope you can stop by and have a more intimate experience with foundation4, our products, and mission. Go Greenpoint! will take place at Nassau Avenue and N. 15^th St. by subway, take the L to Bedford Ave. or the G to Nassau Ave. by bus take the B61 towards Long Island City and ask the driver to let you out at McCarren Park. see you there!

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probably the most obvious blog title but appropriate nonetheless.  what is green anyway?  who makes the rules?  who determines who’s following them?  sure, we’re all concerned about the environment and want to make choices that won’t harm it in any way, but can we really rely on something solely because it has a “green” label.  the simple answer is… no.

as Americans we want to be efficient.  we don’t want to waste our time researching every product we buy or service we pay for.  product manufacturers and service providers are counting on that mentality and using the word “green” (and sometimes just the color) in their promotional materials and on packaging to appeal to our desire to be environmentally conscious.  we like buying “green”, we may seek things “green”,  but this designation is as individual as fingerprints and to endorse anything simply because it’s “green” is not enough.

the truth is there are few regulations in place for deciding what’s “green”.  there are some great private and federal institutions that help us, like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC wood certification) and the USDA (organic food certification), but to gain this certification is often expensive.  to only make purchases certified by one agency or another would limit your choices significantly and cause you to overlook some otherwise wonderful companies who devote themselves to a “greener” way of doing business.  don’t get me wrong, its great to have the FSC and the USDA creating standards  and we can breathe a sigh of relief when we see their seals, but we have to know that there are other options out there for us.

any company can claim their product or service is green.  they don’t even have to give you a reason why and often we buy and feel good about it.  just because a vase is made out of recycled plastic doesn’t mean that it’s good for the planet.  do you really need a recycled plastic vase?  is there no other suitable material for containing water and making flower arrangements in?  what if the vase is made locally by developmentally disabled adults in your community?  what then?  is it “green” now?  The point here is that there is no unquestionable method for making a “green” determination and we’ll all be better off if we just consider “green”… a color.

we need to train ourselves to ask multiple questions in the supermarket, department store, or online and not just “is it green?”.  below are some things i think about, admittedly maybe too much, that help me make decisions:

made in where? i love to buy local products or utilize local services.  Doing this stimulates our immediate economy and supports our neighbors.  buying product from far away means a bigger carbon footprint and often questionable manufacturing practices.

organic?  it’s wonderful to buy an organic cucumber, but it’s better to buy a cucumber from a local farmer who doesn’t use pesticides.  check out your neighborhood farmer’s market.  most of these farmers can back up their organic claims by allowing you to visit their farm.  even if you can’t spend the day in the corn fields, the very fact that it’s an option for you is a good sign.  small farmers often cant afford to become USDA organic certified and we shouldn’t fault them for that.

who’s the fairest?  the world economy plays a major role in the success of business in the developing world.  it’s up to us to buy items that were made by people working in clean, safe facilities and paid a fair wage.  the World Fair Trade Organization and similar associations offer us standards that we can trust.  we should remember, however, not to overlook those that cant afford the certification process but conform to the standards just the same.  our global economy should be a social economy.

i’m touched.  never underestimate the good done by buying products made or services rendered by hand.  machines are great and they make life easier for us all, but they emit pollutants and waste natural resources.  a hand knit scarf is carbon neutral (well if the yarn is handspun wool from a local farm, but you get the picture).  You’re also supporting a valuable craft often industrialized to the point of extinction.

materialistic.   we live in a time of limitless materials. plastics have enriched our lives in many ways and recycling plastic is a great way to continue to use this stuff without producing more.  plastics that have been repurposed (i.e. not processed before becoming a new item) are even better.  renewable, organic, and biodegradable materials are always best and increasingly available.

these are just a few thoughts.  the truth is, most of us don’t get the time or opportunity to visit local farms or women’s collectives in Bolivia.  the point here is to ask questions.  sometimes the answers are there on the label and sometimes you might have to vocalize your concerns to the man behind the counter.  we all have different ideas of what’s “green” and our personal convictions may motivate us in different directions.  we can’t be too quick to trust the sustainability of a given product or service.  there will never be a comprehensive labeling system for “green” things and there shouldn’t be.  there are just too many considerations.  we all need to understand and accept how complicated being socially and environmentally responsible is and stop looking for the simple answer. that answer doesn’t exist and a “green” label might not be worth the petroleum-based ink used to print it.

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by drew riley

Heath Nash is an extraordinary designer from South Africa, who has consistently produced amazing work and has already left a lasting impression on the design world. graduating from the University of Cape Town and named Elle Decor’s South African Designer of the Year in 2006, Heath has made quite a name for himself in the recent past. Heath began and continues to work with cut and folded sheets of plastic and paper, but his truly amazing design contributions are inspired and produced by local South African artisans.

across sub-Saharan Africa and most notably in South Africa, a tradition of crafting objects from cast away items thrives. “trash” such as detergent bottles, soda cans, and telephone wire are transformed into baskets, toys, and tourist trinkets. This new cultural tradition springs from a population of indigenous people, marginalized by the privileged world and left to make due with limited resources, art born of necessity. Heath has allowed his design process to be influenced by these local crafts and the end result is unexpected and incredible.

in creating his work, Heath has also sought to employ the very artisans who have inspired it, providing much needed income for well deserving and hard working South Africans. Heath is determined to create relevant designs that speak to the nature of the place they are produced and the people who produce them. In many ways the work tells the story of indigenous craft but at the same time each light fixture or home accessory is a testament to design that is relevant and timeless.

flower ball is a favorite piece. it is a master work of flowers, hand cut from recycled bottles, and arranged on a hand wired frame. illuminated, the flower ball transforms any space into a magical display of shadow and light.

“its beautiful here” hat and coat rack exemplifies the undying spirit of South Africa and illustrates a reminder to us all to take stock of our lives and evaluate what’s truly important.

Heath is committed to producing his work in Cape Town and not outsourcing the production of his designs. as a result, production is expensive and done at a slower South African pace. it is no wonder that Heath Nash is not yet a household name and my never be. to purchase such a design outside of the African continent would require shipping overseas, not the smallest carbon footprint. foundation4 is so happy to be able to deliver a few of Heath’s pieces to the US market. although the costs of shipping are great, both environmentally and financially, we feel the work and its message are important and in need of a more global audience.

There is no perfect label for this work. It is more repurposed than recycled and in a country where organized recycling is virtually unheard of, Heath Nash is making a big impression. perhaps in time his efforts will usher change for South Africa and its citizens. Heath and his dedicated team of artisans are working to meet our worlds growing need to be more environmentally and socially conscious. the best way to help and support such an effort is to purchase Heath’s designs, a self serving proposal perhaps, but a good suggestion just the same. The face of charity in our world is changing and supporting those who practice sustainable business and positively impact local economy is the future.

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by drew riley

Hard to swallow insights on the character of wealth in our world. This book helps us understand where we fit in, what needs to happen to fix “the problem”, and what we can do, if anything, to help. A cautionary look at what drives us all and how that drive may turn out to be the root of human extinction. Hervé Kempf is authoritative, direct, but not preachy. He speaks to you, not at you and counts himself among the subjects he speaks about. quick read, no superfluous rhetoric, highly recommended.

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