So Fresh and So Green | Madam Toussaint on Going Green, Art, Hip Hop, and Politics

“She’s incredibly green, taking materials that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill. It lets people engage with recycling without the finger-wagging”~ Kerry Kirwan

This race car is fueled by leftover chocolate and with components made from carrots, potato starch and flax thereby making it the world’s first sustainable Formula 3 racing car.

Kerry Kirwan is one it’s designers at England’s University of Warwick on hand to show it off at the MIT Energy Conference 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts. How rude of me calling it “it”. Lola, as she is called by her researchers, is eco-friendly and the world’s first racing car retrofitted with renewable and sustainable materials.

So how fast does it Lola go? Well, Tracy Chapman would be proud of this fast car. This baby’s top speed of 135 miles per hour and it can go from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds…on chocolate!

Take that foreign oil suppliers!

I can’t get this song out of my head. “Nissan, Honda, Chevy” is just as catchy and repetitive as Lloyd Banks’ original “Beamer, Benz, Bently” and shows that Hip Hop will continue to withhold support of Toyota in their time of need. (more…)

Sure it looks like that naked guy is about to jump off the top of that building in Manhattan but no worries. He’s not some crazy New Yorker with tons of issues (shout out to DMX, nobody lights up TMZ like him). Instead, this guy is art.

Confusing and alarming I know, but (more…)

Photo Credit: AP Photo

Laborers looking to help rebuild the World Trade Center are rallying to urge the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the property, to make some progress in the rebuilding efforts. (more…)

The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th” ~Canibus

We all remember that line from Canibus on the anniversary of the day that the Notorious B.I.G. died. Maybe we should take this as a good time to remember Canibus too. He’s still making music that you don’t seem to care about.

Anyway, it’s not his day, it’s Biggie’s, but I take issue with a few things here. (more…)

Photo Credit: “Green Equipment Still Life” by Gigi Bio

“We’re doing a tribute so we can send some of this warm energy towards his well being” ~DJ3D

“It would be good to finally do a tribute to someone who is doing well hopefully instead of someone that’s passed.” ~DJ C-Reality

Recently Guru, half of the legendary Hip Hop group Gang Starr, suffered a heart attack and was in a coma due to “controlled medications” according to hiphopdx.com.

Not only was there sorrow and warm wishes in the Hip Hop community there were a lot of questions regarding the emcee’s status, whether his family was being allowed to see him or even know about Guru’s illness.

Download below the jump (more…)

My governor is going through a lot right now. Governor Paterson has been in the news every night lately and there are plenty who want him out of office even though the majority of the people would like him to finish his term. As a New York City resident and former NY State Parks employee it’s distressing to know that the scandal ridden governor still has tough choices to make like reducing funding for parks to balance the budget.

It seems the part of the park I worked at will be closing along long with other whole parks and historic sites on April 1st. This doesn’t seem to be a joke though. (more…)

For African Americans and other people of color, I hope you can support the clean energy solutions that will make our communities more prosperous. This isn’t the time to surrender to feelings of hopelessness and despair. It’s time to tell our friends, neighbors and elected officials why clean energy is good for our communities and our country.”
~Omarion

R&B singer Omarion has recently decided to kick the truth to the young Black youth and everyone else about clean energy in an op-ed post.

Omarion also explains that he recently finished The Hip Hop Caucus Clean Energy Now! tour with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO, Green For All and none other than Biz Markie among others. The tour was designed to bring together the youth, African Americans, the Hip Hop community, and various faiths to get active about the need for clean energy jobs and a greener future for all Americans. (more…)

Photo Credit: “Cylone Nathan’s Wonder Wheel Astroland” by Josh Goldstein

Today is the birthday of artist and bodega enthusiast Josh Goldstein. Josh has been doing some big things lately including participating in a huge Times Square ad for Target, museum exhibitions with fellow artist Gigi Bio and some new online treats at etsy.com.bodegaNYC.

You can get you very own (more…)