So Fresh and So Green

The environment is everything that isn’t me.”
~Albert Einstein

Today is March 14th, Pi Day and the birthday of Albert Einstein, winner of The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921.

Pi Day celebrates the mathematical constant pi 3/14/2010; since 3, 1 and 4 are the first three decimal digits of pi. Pi is represented as the Greek letter π and is considered an infinite, irrational number, meaning it can go on forever without repeating.

Pi is 22 divided by 7 and some people like to actually divide that and trace pi as far as they can. For all you nerds like me out there and curious spectators piday.org have already traced pi to the one-millionth place for you. I guess you’ll have to find something else to do with the rest of your day now that that’s already been done!

You can also celebrate today by eating pie, but here at sofreshandsogreen.com you can also marinate on Einstein’s quote above. Talk of polar ice caps melting and Amazon forests being cut down can be so abstract to some. (more…)

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Hello my name is Silent Jay. I’m a fellow blogger and friend of Madam Toussaint and she’s been gracious enough to allow me to do a special guest post on her site. I have list of 5 things that we can all do not only improve the environment but I also believe will improve our communities.

Here’s the good news, none of these things require you attend a meeting, a seminar, or a forum. They’re just things we can all do everyday. (more…)

If you like it then you shoulda put a bookmark on it!

Artwork by Madam Toussaint

Earlier this month some alarming questions were raised about where your money goes when you support Fiji Water. The water brand is the most popular imported bottled water to the United States and is a favorite among celebrities from Paris Hilton to President Barack Obama to Mary J. Blige, who demands ten bottles of the stuff before concerts.

The profit money from the product has been said to be funneled into the pockets of Fiji’s military dictatorship and the company’s practices are having a negative impact on the environment. So it’s a 2fer!

According to their website Fiji Water fires back at critics: “We strongly disagree with the author’s premise that because we are in business in Fiji somehow that legitimizes a military dictatorship. We bought FIJI Water in November 2004, when Fiji was governed by a democratically elected government. We cannot and will not speak for the government, but we will not back down from our commitment to the people, development, and communities of Fiji…

Check out some journalsim below. (more…)

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Gigi Bio’s “PRISMS ON BUSHWICK” From the album: “PHOTO JUXTAPOSITIONS” reminds me of my environment, the city I love. The hard angles remind me of the urban landscape while the curve and flow flow recall the dynamic and energy of the city that never sleeps. Gotta love the graffiti too.

As a Black person from New York City I take issue with a lot of green marketing and I guess what I would call “green imagery”. It seems like a lot of “going green” is supposed to be geared towards white folks that live in Seattle. That’s fine and all but it isn’t only their responsibility to get involved and they certainly would not be the only ones to benefit from everyone being more environmentally conscious.

It bothers me that in sifting through images for this blog the majority of the “green images” I saw were of white adults and children in lush fields of green, green grass. You’ve seen those images. Maybe there are a few puffy white clouds in the blue-green afternoon sky. Oh yeah, with lots and lots of sunlight drenching everything. No beginning, no end, no context, just holy awesomeness as God intended! Maybe some strawberry blonde haired little girl is picking daisies and running around, whatever. I’m not going to take issue with the lack of non white persons in this imagery right now, but instead I’d like to discuss the lush, green field.

To buy this single click on Brooklyn-Queens

I grew up in New York City and I have a problem with imagery that leads one to believe lush green fields are worth being more conscious for and saving while implying cities aren’t and the hood isn’t. (more…)

If you like it then you shoulda put a bookmark on it!