Just had to jump back in with another rant on conserving water, if you didn’t see my first take at this please check out my previous post save the water. Today I saw a video with a headline “oceans will be filled with more plastic than fish by 2050,” I didn’t have time to watch the video, but if I do get a chance and it’s good I’ll post it here. The topic of water pollution and water waste are very serious and time sensitive and something we take very seriously at Idealize La. It is both a local problem and global problem and something I think we should all individually strive to make positive impacts at. I want to share another great way to reduce your water consumption whether in LA or anywhere else in the world. Todays way to save is by conserving your pool water, whether to evaporation or simply waste. Many of us have pools or know someone who does. In my opinion I think pools are to a large extent unnecessary, but that doesn’t change the fact that many people have them and that a lot of people waste a lot of water because of them. I learned this a long time ago because a friends dad owns a pool remodel company in Phoenix, and he took the topic of wasting water very seriously, you can check his company out at poolremodelphoenix.org, to see some of the stuff they do. I asked him to give me a few good ideas for people to help people reduce the amount of water they waste annually. So here are a few things he told me that you can employ yourself or share with someone that you know owns a pool that will save water and money.

Biochar

Posted by LA_Rise89 | Uncategorized

Hey Everyone, I want to introduce something cool that has been introduced to me over the past few years and something I think many of you might find fascinating. It’s called Biochar and I believe it will be the next wave in the sustainability movement in the next few years. It’s nothing new but something that has been recently rediscovered and actually dates back to the Incas of Peru. It seems to be the current trend to rediscover ancient wisdom and technologies in order to get our current developmental trajectory back on track. But anyways, it’s totally awesome and could be a serious game changer for a few different reasons.

What is Biochar?

Sustainability

Posted by LA_Rise89 | Sustainability

I just want to rant real quick about something that has bothered me for so long and something I think we need to re-examine. The word sustainability. It’s a popular word that is being thrown around in the green movement community and around the world in reference to being environmentally friendly, and in many universities has even become a field of study. But my question is, what the hell is sustainability? It’s becoming very evident that our world is driving itself off a cliff environmentally, so are we suppose to sustain that, or just come to some solution that can be sustained environmentally? I understand the thought process..lets finally do something that we can sustain longterm, but I think that is really limiting thinking. Why should we just be getting by and sustaining? Instead I think we should thrive. How about “thrive-ability”?

Lets create a system that constantly enhances the planet, and continually betters itself and not just sustains.

 

Just my thoughts…sorry to rant.

Today I just wanted to spend a little time discussing GMO’s. I know the term has become a popular word to throw around and something we all are hearing more and more about. I think it’s awesome that organizations and companies like Whole Foods have brought attention to this term and the serious implications associated with it. Today I just wanted to shed a little light on GMO’s and help inform the public about the health, and environmental concerns associated with them.

What Are GMO’s?

Save The Water!

Posted by LA_Rise89 | Sustainability

Nobody is ignorant to the water scarcity we experience here in LA, and the overall consideration we must give to every resource we consume. With frequent electrical outages and water shortages it’s imperative we all stay conscious about how much we use, and how often we use it. Just recently I experienced a constant leak in my downstairs bathroom. It was just an occasional drip, but I knew long term it was amounting to a significant amount of water. A friend recommended I call this water damage company out of Phoenix, because they do free home inspections for leaks and water damage in your home. Apparently they do a significant amount of business here in the bay area, because many of the homes have old piping, and leaks as a result. The representative who came out for the company was awesome and super down to earth. After he inspected my runny faucet, and fixed the problem free of charge, which I thought was awesome, we began chatting. He told me that I would be shocked by how many people have similar leaks in their home but never do anything about it. They simply let it run for months and usually years without every doing anything about it. He said the amount of water wasted just in the bay area was more water than certain small countries even had access to. He said inefficiencies in residential plumbing are resulting in massive water waste here in California and throughout the country.

Factory Farming

Posted by LA_Rise89 | Nature/ Society

Today, nearing the end of March in the year 2016 we head towards new records in almost every industry and sector of the economy. Considering our earths ever-growing population, we must allow our production to grow with it, to account for all our consumers. With the population now at an astounding seven billion, we must ensure that our business’ can meet the demand of all these individuals. This means bigger factories, quicker production, and optimized efficiency. Though this business plan sounds smart and effective for mass production, what does it really mean? Sure we can create and manufacture products at record speeds, but can we ensure the integrity and reliability of our product and means of production a hundred percent of the time? And if not, what does that mean for our farming industry?  In this post we will take look into factory farming and its effects on animal welfare, as well as the environmental harms that come along with it.

Over the past few weeks we here at Idealize LA have taken a deeper look into the ethical duty and moral obligation we as humans feel we have to the earth and its well-being. We have heard theories and pondered concepts that have been on the minds of environmentalist since the beginning of time. Recently a few of us have been reading “A Sand County Almanac” and “Into the Wild,” and contemplating the perspectives on an age-old dilemma – the frustrations of modern society, and the draw to the natural beauty found in the wild. Aldo Leopold (A Sand County Almanac) tells an endearing story and gives detailed accounts of natures simplicity along with all its overlooked complexities. The enthusiasm and devotion to nature bleeds through Leopold’s writing and gives his audience a new perspective on something we have been over-looking for far too long.  Krakauer’s Into the Wild is comparably moving but in a different light. His description of McCandless, the main character, leaves readers inspired to take a leap of faith into the unknown, but also reprehensive of what dangers may lurk outside our comfortable city dwellings. Both stories share themes of the wonderful essence of nature and its stimulation to the human complex.

Our History

Posted by LA_Rise89 | History

LA obviously didn’t just rise out the ground as the big megalithic city it is today. Equipped with the food, music, and culture that currently inhabits it. It obviously arose over the course of the last hundred years on the backs of the American industrial revolution. I don’t know if anyone anticipated the exponential growth that was going to take place here in LA, and all the negative consequences that were going to come with it. As we idealize LA, and envision the potential of this great city, and even the potential for the whole world, we must first acknowledge where we came from, and what got us here in the first place. To discover what set us upon this trajectory in the first place.

A good place to start is probably in the biological old regime…a time before electricity, locomotives, and modern politics.

Better Future…

Posted by LA_Rise89 | Uncategorized

LA is a beautiful scene, with the people, art, music, and culture, but behind the scene lies an out of control environment. Levels of pollution and toxic dumping that are quickly diluting the beauty that once attracted everyone here. We see it as our obligation to the city that has served us, to serve it back. It’s not just L.A. that we aspire to change, but rather the whole world. By using the microcosm of LA we can discuss the macrocosm (the whole world), and develop a discussion and movement, that can make in #impact.

We hope that you believe in the cause as much as we do!