Building Alive, Designing to Thrive

Well, although this blog tries not to encourage you to buy, buy, buy. Particularly during the holidays I've compiled a list to get you through the holiday season. Many of which will require only things you already have around the house- so there are some REUSE options in here too! 1) Homemade cookies/ treats on a reusable.recyclable plate. Maybe you have an old family recipe, or maybe you always wanted to try your hand at a fancy maple butter cookie. Maybe your only talent is buying the pre-made dough and using a nifty cookie cutter- whatever the result, the love and time will be evident in this delicious token of holiday cheer! 2) A hand- knit/sewn stocking. You can steady your hand with knitting needles, get the pattern to make these on a knitting loom, or even just cut out patches of old clothing in stocking form and stitch them together. Then stuff the bottom with a little newspaper to hold the shape, and fill to the brim with little candies, your homemade cookies, or some of t

What an honor it was to be invited to a film premiere! On Tuesday Night, I muddled through the rain and crowds of New York City to the Village 7 theaters to attend Green Building Professionals Night of "The Big Fix" film showing. "The Big Fix" is a documentary film created by a husband and wife film team venture to the Gulf after the BP Oil Spill almost a year and a half ago. Here's some quick highlights of things I did not know about the oil spill that YOU should really note- 1) It is still leaking, BP confirmed within the past week that the oil plug was not a cure-all, and the Deepwater Horizon disaster continues. 2) The tax quarter after the oil spill, BP still had $16 billion in profits. But because it was not their expected $32 billion, the US government shot them a tax break for over 10 billion dollars. 3) Corexit, the dispersant used to break up the oil slicks we saw on the surface of the water. Is completely toxic to humans and animals. It can cause misc