Ideal Bite

Here's a gem worth adding to your lineup of holiday films: Objectified. I love this movie. Love. It reveals the thought that goes into everyday things we take for granted through interviews with high-profile industrial designers like Jonathan Ive, and behind-the-scenes looks at the process of creating an object - from brainstorming to manufacturing (there's even some ewaste recycling footage - woo!). It covers what defines good design, the challenges of sustainability, and (just in time for the gift giving) the psychology of consumption and the meaning we give objects in our lives.

Dieter Rams, the former design director at Braun, says in his interview: "That's what particularly bothers me today, the Read the full post... 

…everyone recycled. This coming Sunday is America Recycles Day. A suggested itinerary:

Slip on a pair of Teko Socks (made with recycled polyester). Kick back and read A Biter's Guide to Recycling at the Office with your coffee. Recycle Domaine Carneros bottle post-brunch. Take the pledge.

-Jenifer…off to play out the rest of the third day…
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At an HSUS (Humane Society of the U.S.) town-hall meeting in SF last week (for other cities, RSVP here), I chatted with the president, Wayne Pacelle (see photo), and got updates on everything from factory farming to wild horses (this just in: As of Jan. 1 here in CA, tail-docking of dairy cows is banned, thanks to a bill from Senator Florez).

In honor of National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week (this week), I thought I'd call out HSUS's new Shelter Pet Project (video intro here), which is aimed at removing the stigma of shelter animals. Many potential pet owners assume that shelter animals are behaviorally difficult or sick (most are Read the full post... 

After a trip to the drugstore the other day - overflowing with Halloween everything - I got to thinking. First: Halloween is fun. Really fun. Second: $40 for a string of plastic, pumpkin-shaped LED lights. That I'll use for one night. Hm…

Instead, I'm going to use a string of white LED Christmas lights that I already have - I hope to fix them to a broomstick-hangar frame (still working that part out…) and drape a sheet over it to create a glowing ghost. Other options: a string of orange, round lights to hang along the mantle like little pumpkins, or green lights (sans overheads) for an overall eerie glow. And when December comes, they'll go to use in a cheerier setting.

In other dual-use lighting news, check out this Read the full post... 

Thanks to persistence, it's in the bag - my dry cleaning, that is, and I mean it's finally in the reusable, plastic-free Clothesnik bag that my dry cleaner finally accepted. As the PS in our last dry-cleaning tip reported, my original request was snubbed. It took me asking. And asking. And asking again, but last week my schmancy dresses, bright and clean, came back to me tucked inside this cotton bag rather than plastic.

-Jenifer…off to figure out a new way to make myself annoying, I guess…
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There's nothing that relieves stress quite like getting outside, particularly if you're standing under a moss-and-fern-bedecked waterfall on a clear, bright weekend morning. That is, until you look down and see a plastic water bottle floating around…argh!

So under the watchful gaze of two chipmunks, I managed to fish it out with a stick, then carried it two miles back to my cabin to chuck in the recycling bin.

-Jenifer...off to hope the next view is trash-free…
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I just read an article about ways to change your ordinary linen closet into a truly usable space. I love these kinds of articles; I'm sure that's because I have three rather enormous closets in my apartment that I use to practical, but hardly inspired, effect. As I contemplated how to best repurpose them last week - one I hope will become a pretty little dressing room, one an office, and the other, um, storage - I ran across a report on one plan for using SF's Bay Bridge for apartments, a park, even a suspended swimming pool. There are plenty of cynics (just scroll down)…and I can't say this particular plan is genius…but as the world gets more crowded and space more valuable, let's hope we can make the most of the space we have through Read the full post... 

The shiny, bright-red, perfectly ripe organic tomato I bought last weekend included a little something extra - a fat, wiggly, green worm that induced a girlish scream, flashes of panic and bewilderment, then action: I took a very quick photo, ran it downstairs, and flicked it into the overgrown ivy behind my apartment.

Putting the pest in pesticide-free…

-Jenifer…off to figure out how much the weight of that guy added to the price of my tomato…
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For those of you who didn't end up spending the holiday weekend in the great outdoors (I was lucky to squeeze in some stress-squelching kayak time on a lake in the beautiful Sierras), here's a little escapism for you:

Check out the winners of the Wilderness Society's recent photo contest here (45 gorgeous shots), and later this month, try catching PBS's series National Parks: America's Best Idea (by Ken Burns).

-Jenifer…off to book my next vacation at a national park lodge...
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So theoretically, marigolds can help repel certain pests (not including slugs) in your garden - you can even make a homemade plant spray from them. There is a big flower box of them directly adjacent to my herbs and lemon tree. I have no idea whether they're responsible for helping keep my "crops" bug-free, but they are bright and beautiful.

For all the fall brides out there: Marigolds are still in season; have a rich, autumn-y color; and make gorgeous decorations. For ideas on how to use them, first watch Read the full post...