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Seasteading: Open ocean soverignty

by The Green A-Team

There aren’t many places left unclaimed by one nation or another, unless of course your country is not on land.

Seasteading, or homesteading on the high seas, has become not only the subject of entertainment but the topic of serious research, design, and political philisophy for individuals seeking to demonstrate how to live sustainably and prosper.

In the book, Seasteading: A Practical Guide to Homesteading the High Seas, author Wayne Gramlich writes,

These aquatic pioneers will settle civilization’s next frontier through the unusual merger of green technology and free enterprise. Once there, they will experiment with new social, political, and economic systems, adding much-needed variety and innovation to the stagnant business of government.

So far, only one example of a recognized micro-nation of this kind exists off the coast of England known as the Principality of Sealand.  After a brief run-in with the British military, Sealand proved its soverignty in court and now has his own currency, national anthem, and passports.

For some amazing designs of these future floating nations, click the slideshow below and check out some of the following links.

The Seasteading Institute (Seasteading.org)

Seasteading: Homesteading the high seas (Green Upgrader)

Seasteading is the aquatic answer to the housing crisis (io9)

Peter Theil makes down payment on Libertarian ocean colonies (Wired)

Featured design by Emerson Stepp.

Slideshow by ejacobhansen.


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Back2Tap

by Rich Awn


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Mosquito warfare

by The Green A-Team

The bloodsuckers of summer are multiplying in our backyards so what are the best ways to control the mosquito menace without poisoning ourselves?

Metamorphosing in hidden pools of stagnant water in open trash cans, flower pots, puddles, ponds, gutters, culverts, bird baths and creeks, the summer swarms of mosquito larvae will soon sprout wings and mercilessly wreak havoc.  Desperate as we are to avoid what may be summer’s only bummer, we’re quick to reach for pungent chemical repellents thinking they must work by virtue of their effect on pretty much anything within smelling distance.

The most popular are DEET-based products.  DEET, while certainly a proven method of mosquito control, is known to be caustic when in contact with certain plastics and synthetics.  It’s not recommended for children as it can be a skin irritant and should be used with extreme caution.

Before you wage chemical warfare, save your family’s health and aggravation with these devastating battle plans to obliterate your local mosquito militia using nature as ammo.

lemongrass1.) For ground support, grow some Thai lemon grass.  It contains a natural chemical similar to citronella and a small plot can stay lush all summer.  Just cut off the tips, macerate the stalks, and create tinctures for spraying.  It’s pleasant on the skin and 98% effective with even the most aggressive mosquitoes.

bat2.) For air strikes, try building a bat house.  Bats consume up to 1,200 insects per hour and they feed every night.  Bat houses can be easily constructed and bought pre-made.  Hang them high in a thick tree and sit back and let our winged mammal cousins dive bomb the mosquito swarm under cover of night.

mantis3.) Praying for relief?  Let the praying mantis answer your call.  Their powerful pincers and devout stealth attacks don’t discriminate… even when snacking on their own kind!  Mantis egg cases are sold commonly in garden centers and while they may function better as ominous sentries than bloodthirsty bug contras, they’re interesting creatures to care for and study.

ladybug4.) Lure in the larvae in with the charm of nature’s femme fatale - the ladybug.  These cute speckled beetles are also voracious pest predators feeding mainly on the soft squishy larvae of the enemy before it even has the chance to reach their pesky potential.  Sold in pre-packaged broods, don’t let them fly away too quickly!  Release your lady killers in the evening and spray their wings with a little sugar water to keep them around long enough to do their job.

All’s fair in love and war except when you’re getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.  Making a little love with your with natural methods of pest control is the best way to serve and protect yourself and the habitat around you.  For more tales from the front line, check out some of the following links:

Ladybugs are your #1 natural pest control (Garden Stew)

Mosquito control (iVillage Garden Web)

The praying mantis, Tenodera Aridifolia Sinesis
(Green Methods)

Handmade organic mosquito repellent (Journey to Forever)

‘Star Wars’ scientists create laser gun to kill mosquitoes (CNN)

Toxic-free home remedies that repel pesky bugs (Sexy Sustainable Style)

Photos by Squirrel_bark, choyaw99, furryscaly, clkutz, Macaw-frey.


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Go-Go Grocery!

by Rich Awn

Who doesn’t love BINGO???  Wait, maybe you don’t but have you experienced the Rich Awn BINGO BANGO variety of entertainment???  If not, you have NO IDEA what you’re missing!

Anyway, it’s fun.  I’ll be calling yet another BINGO benefit this Sunday at 5pm at Red Bamboo in support of the Greene Hill Food Co-Op, a new food cooperative in the Clinton Hill/Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn.

What does it take to start a food co-op, you ask?  The answers you seek are in their FAQs but essentially it takes a whole bunch of people in the surrounding neighborhoods, but not limited to any particular neighborhood, to have the good sense to demand good food that doesn’t require an insane amount of wasted energy or resources to reach your mouth.

Hopefully I’ll see you there for some yuks and a righteous cause!


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Cargotecture: House of tomorrow

by The Green A-Team

How are leftover shipping containers becoming the houses of tomorrow?

A slow-down in the shipping industry has unused cargo containers collecting dust.  This means shipping companies are eager to reduce their surplus by selling these massive metal boxes on the cheap and a new wave of architects is eager to get their welding torches on them.

Dubbed cargotecture, this ingenious housing design strategy takes a fortified stackable structure built ready to withstand even the harshest elements and provides amenities one might find in a modern, newly constructed condominium.  Interior space is used efficiently through seamless shelving, tables, and seats that fold up into the walls.

Multi-family units and even public facilities have been constructed using clever variations on this shipping container craftiness.  The upcycling of what once took up space in a shipping yard has the potential to eradicate housing issues worldwide.

For some astounding examples of cargotecture, stay tuned for our exclusive walkabout with Chris Parachini and Patrick Martins, owners of Roberta’s Pizzaria and Heritage Radio Network in Bushwick, Brooklyn (pictured).

Also, flip though some of the following links!

Cargotecture: Assembly required (DIY Network)

Cargotecture (Inhabitat)

Photo by rich_awn.


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