Off the Wall Green
July 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment
You may have heard of living roof – roofs that are grow everything from
native grasses to gardens. Now walls are getting their chance to grow not
graffiti, but an array of eatable plants. In Los Angeles, this summer a
Rochester, N.Y. company, Green Living
Technologies is making walls that you can eat. Just like with living roofs,
you get the same benefits of insulations to decreasing urban runoff from
rain.
MAKING IDEAS WHOLE - The Power of Language
June 30, 2008 | 1 Comment
Make no mistake, the discussion of language – even in the context of mere promotion - is about how language works to maintain and change power relations. And a common thread in ad agencies and boardrooms today is the mainstreaming of GREEN – and how to craft a message that can tie them down.
From the perspective of language, this begs an important question: Are GREEN principles being adapted by a larger demographic, or is it the GREEN aesthetic that is being co-opted by the mainstream?
Historically, being Green has existed as a fringe marketplace. It has survived in part defining itself as NOT being in the mainstream - somehow counter-culture. In fact, when we look at the very word “Green” we can see that we have been labeled by the old mainstream using an outsider’s pejorative. “Greenies.” Today’s consumers don’t even identify with it personally. They may Go Green, but they are no Green, personally.
But, thanks in part to smart companies, blogs like this, a failed U.S. energy policy, a few well-timed storms, a rockstar “Almost President,” and the initiatives and campaigns of Fortune 50 companies scrambling to establish some green street credit - we’re suddenly not so fringe anymore.
Just like any fringe group that talks only to itself, Dr. Paul Ray’s - one of the first to identify the fringe segmentation - prompting of “Authenticity.” when communicating with the GREEN consumer is dead on. But consider this - if mainstreaming America is chasing an aesthetic framing – a brand experience – rather than principles, I argue that “authenticity” may mean very little in the very near future.
So, what happens when this authentic language of the fringe is borrowed by the mainstream?
Think in terms of modern America adopting military language - like BlockBuster, a popular video store and a bomb dropped during World War II. Today, the military couldn’t use that word and still maintain any credibility as a big, bad monster. It adapts its language.
Or, look at urban street slang co-opted by white suburbia. When the skinny white kid steals your language, you don’t want it back. It is no longer subversive if it’s common.
What happens is that the language creator – the fringe – must push it further.
A language war is being staged between GREEN and the Mainstream. When language or expression is stolen, the language will evolve to distance itself from the mainstream. Things move fast today and so does language and it will change faster and faster. It is this way that the fringe has power. Mainstream only ever moves because of the fringe. It shifts.
What Is a Whole Home?
June 6, 2008 | 2 Comments
After your body, what reflects who you are? It’s likely your home for it is the place escape to, the place you invest in and the place you share with others.
As we focus on the health of our bodies and our planet, we are becoming concerned with the health of our homes. Are you living in a house that is a toxic dump, like the FEMA toxic trailers? As publications such as Natural Home Magazine tell us how to create and live in a clean environment, we learn how to detox our homes. What is happening now with our homes is very similar to the growth cycle of holistic health, which was once a fringe phenomenon. Now it is a huge market and the green building sector represents a $50 billion dollar annual market.
It is true that the weak economy is affecting the home improvement market. Yet, the green/whole sector continues to grow. We not only want to live in healthy homes, we want to live in homes that we enjoy and that nourish us. Esoteric arts such as Feng Shui are now commonplace. People are recognizing are realizing subtle factors such as the placement of a piece of furniture can affect the flow of the chi – the feel of a room.
The home was once considered a man’s castle. Today it is the family’s sanctuary from the stressors of modern life. Our homes are the base of operations for our whole life. Join us in sharing your thoughts and feelings around your home. What do you do to make your home whole? What are your plans for creating the whole home of your dreams?
What are your Pleasures of Life?
May 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment
What do you live for?
What do you think about when you go to bed? What do you dream about while you sleep? What do you lie awake thinking about? During the moments between other moments of action, what fantasies pop into your head? Are these experiences something you currently have in your life?
Sometimes in the pursuit of success, the enjoyment of life takes a backseat to the achievements of life. It’s time to surrender to the enjoyment of life in all its aspects. You don’t have to deny pleasure in the pursuit of success for success and happiness are not mutually exclusive.
Point of change
We are at a crossroads — we are being told that our future existence as we know it depends on us changing our behaviors. Our culture tells us that we must continue to grow to succeed. Our Declaration of Independence tells the world that we have a right to pursue happiness. Beyond these possibly conflicting positions is a place where the greater good for our fellow human and the planet is served as well as our needs.
New possibilities
One of our reasons for sponsoring Whole Revolution is to provide a vehicle and forum to support the changes the planet so desperately needs AND learn to enjoy the pleasures of the planet. Change that evolves from passion is much more sustainable and enjoyable than change that is forced upon on us for one reason or another.
When we slow down to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, we want to preserve them. A passion for healthy forests drives us to create better forestry practices. We shift from pushing from a place of rightness to leading from our enthusiasm. Internal or external opposing forces may then become our allies.
It is our hope at Whole Revolution that we can assist in co-creating a better life for all on the Four Worlds on the planet (plants, minerals, animals and humans) as our Native American elders refer to them. William McDonough, an internationally renowned sustainability architect, uses as his first criteria for design — “How do we love all the children of all species for all time?”
Our question to you is “How do we pursue our deep happiness while supporting the planet?” Please join us in sharing your passion of living a whole life.
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