Okabashi 2013

A picture of my feet wearing the old euro trash okabashis, because the Photo-of-Your-Feet meme should never have become passé, and I'm feeling nostalgic.  Read my other posts about Okabashis here, here and here - totally need to get new ones for me and DJ - these are just too comfortable!

Naked Bikeriding: Not just for nudists

I don't see helmets!

Yesterday was the 6th Annual Naked Bike Ride in Thessaloniki, Greece.  The bike ride, held in 70 cities worldwide, seeks to promote the use of alternative fuels and the joy of bike riding.  I don't think Gainesville does the World Naked Bike Ride, but if it did I would be either fully-clothed sober or at least commando with a couple of beers in me.  In case you were wondering.

Fat Tire coming to Florida

Just had to report on a great discovery this morning - New Belgium Brewing Company is set to start distributing their beer in Florida (I think the closest they would get was somewhere in Georgia.  I've been following this brewery for awhile, mostly because I've been fascinated with their sustainable brewing practices, and the fact that they like bicycling and bicycles, both things I can certainly get behind.  I had the pleasure of drinking some of this stuff while visiting family in Arizona this past December, and was simply enchanted with it.  Now they are finally coming to Florida!  Hooray!

Here's the only other post where I talk about NBBC.

Swiped the photo of my favorite beer from NBBC.

Sierra Club posts about Barefoot College

Solar oven

If you don't know anything about this project, please read this article on Bunker Roy's Barefoot College in the latest issue of Sierra Club's online home.  I talked briefly about this project in 2009, and am so glad to see that it is still going strong and still inspiring to witness.  Women in third world countries are given a 6-month course in how to build solar grids in their communities and it is just beautiful to think about these strong women more empowered in the task of helping their families and friends construct infrastructures that will inevitably help them as we deal with a changing world, both economically and weather-wise.

Here is a pull-out from the article:

Since 2004, the Barefoot College, in Tilonia, India, has trained about 250 illiterate and semiliterate women from rural, unelectrified villages in 41 countries to be solar engineers. After six months of training, these women have provided more than 15,500 houses with solar electricity in their home countries. The government of India covers all expenses—245,000 rupees (about $4,400) per woman, plus airfare. The college has trained an additional 700 men and women from rural India, including Moceiwasa's teachers.

Is that freaking amazing, or what?!  Imagine spending just 4400-dollars on each person in the US who wanted to learn how to build solar grids for their communities.