Let’s take a break during a hectic week and talk about fashion that will drive you bananas.

  The Australian swimwear aussieBum has released an irresistible video promoting its Banana Briefs, which as far as we know are the first clothing manufactured with banana fiber.

  No, they aren’t mushy, but they do give new meaning to the term banana hammock—or whatever other term you may use in describing your skivvies.   (more...)

LinkedIn's spectacular growth and importance in the working world means more distracting posts and sharply-worded reminders from folks who think they are the arbiters of what and what is not appropriate social media interaction.  True, LinkedIn is still an indespensible service.  Nevertheless, what about taking a break from LinkedIn and becoming a big fish in a smaller pond?

Once upon a time there was a site called Monster.com.  The site used to have great job postings, but now is relegated to offers to become an insurance agent or to work from home making fabulous sums of cash while doing nothing.  A few years ago, a great site called Facebook allowed you to connect with your junior high friends, but now those same friends (that you still don't talk to) are littering your news feed with status updates like, "Mai-ling achieved Global Baker Queen status by baking 25 trays of baklava, 40 kilos of sohan, and 150 different flavors of mochi" on Cafe World."  And now LinkedIn lets you connect with any professional in your function, industry, previous employer, or social cause.  You can peruse jobs and participate in discussions.  But now, job boards on LinkedIn are full of MLM schemes, LIONS (the ones who have millions of contacts) send you connection invitations with the frequency of a cheap ham radio, and discussions include topics like, "10 ways for your resume to get noticed." (Why, why, does there always have to be 10 reasons for something?  Aren't 7 1/2 enough?)

So what is a LinkedIn fanatic like me to do? (more...)

LA's mayor's about to announce that all of LA will be off coal by 2020. A press conference will start soon!

Okay, sorry. That blurb from my Blackberry was more appropriate for a Twitter Post, but I was at JETRO's (Japan External Trade Organization) Greening the City event in downtown LA this afternoon when one of the mayor's deputy announced the plan to get LA completely off coal by 2020.

It is about time.  You would think that a city that basks in sunshine and has several outstanding universities would be a leader in solar and other energy technologies.  While the LADWP has been polluting LA's suburbs with its Intermountain Coal Plant, the utility until resisted any move towards allowing residents to install solar on their homes.  Of course that was not brought up today, but while Antonio Villaraigosa's deputies gushed about how much LA was doing, Japan has taken a lot of action over the past 35 or so years.

True, Japan is a small country with limited resources, so it behooved them to wean themselves off of oil rather than be subjected to oil price spikes and globalpolitical turmoil.  But the Japanese have done it, and have even embarassed the Europeans in the race for energy efficiency and cutting-edge technologies.

Japan is having its problems with huge public debt and a sclerotic bureaucracy, but its people are making impressive gains and are leading with impressive sustainability programs, which I look forward to sharing over the next several weeks.

So expect more from Brazil, Japan, and of course, Korea, in the months ahead!  They can give Angelinos some pretty good lessons . . .

Yesterday, we had a fantastic turnout for our work on Parkman Triangle. I asked Ara Babaian to share his thoughts on this project. I will invite others working on Parkman Triangle to give their views and hopes for a plan that we hope catches on in LA. Let me start with Ara!--LK/GGP

 

On Saturday, March 13, 2010, over 20 residents of Silver Lake and a few others from as far away as Brentwood volunteered at the future site of  Parkman Triangle to spread, mix and compact the fill dirt with clean base.  Parkman Triangle will be a micro-park situated in this high-traffic, urban residential part of Silver Lake—an “urban lounge” of sorts where walkers will hang out for a few minutes, get some shade, and then move on.  This urban lounge, to be called “Parkman Triangle” because of its triangular shape and its location at the intersection of Silver Lake Boulevard and Parkman Avenue, will provide much needed green space to this part of Silver Lake just south of Sunset Boulevard.  But Parkman Triangle will do more than just add some green—it will also serve as the focal point for this part of Silver Lake which is not quite as developed as the areas near the Reservoir and at Sunset Junction. (more...)

Special thanks to Materials & Applications (a jewel in Silver Lake's architectural and design scene) for helping to get the word out, and to Stacy at C.D.G. Materials in Riverside for the great pricing and outstanding professionalism of their truckers, who made a dicey delivery seamless!

This week I started writing for TriplePundit.com, an online media company for the business community that seeks to raise sustainability and environmental awareness.

My first week has been an exciting one: I had the opportunity to cover favorite companies including Continental Airlines and Method, as well as virtually taking myself back to Paris and discuss the revival of bicycle delivery. With all the buzz this week about developed countries being able to cook the books since so many of their emissions can merely be outsourced to nations like China, I felt compelled to write about that issue, too.

I was asked by several folks whether GreenGoPost.com is going away. Absolutely not! In ten months I’ve managed about 300 postings, and I’ve enjoyed the opportunities I have had to meet and talk with great people around the world. I plan on writing a minimum of three articles a week: Mondays will be business-oriented issues; Wednesday or so will be tied to sustainability issues in LA or globally (I am not done with Brazil!); and Fridays will be light-hearted, focusing on art and culture. I hope to write about the revival of Carmen Miranda, thanks to the email friendship I have struck with her North American publicity agent based in New York. By the way, you can also see my postings in GreenTeaMagazine.com, brought to you by Kuuala, and ambitious office supply company that vets, and then sells, eco-friendly office products.

To get a view of the types of topics that I am covering for TriplePundit, view my articles here. If you think you have a lead (especially for their Start-up Friday series), please contact me: they are open to stories as long is it fits their tone.

I am always open to great content, too. Have a great weekend! Parkman Triangle is calling.

LK/GGP

It's a simple technology, but there's something magical about a funicular, no matter where you are in the world. Emanating from the Latin word for rope, a funicular is simply an inclined railway in which two cars, connected by a cable, move up and down a steep hillside, with the weight of each car counter-balancing each other. The most famous one is probably Hong Kong's Peak Tram, but my favorite include the two charming funiculars in Italy's medieval city, Bergamo; Istanbul's sleek modern line connecting Kabata? and Taksim; but the best, by far, are the several romantically creaky hillside trams that line Chile's bohemian seaside port, Valparaíso. Surprisingly, I ran into another one yesterday in downtown LA, Angel's Flight. Shocking, I know, as rail in LA seem to make as much sense as . . . palm trees and snow. (more...)