Dropping Seed Bombs Like a 21st Century Johnny Appleseed

To help spread the burgeoning guerrilla gardening movement and its goal of transforming decaying urban landscapes from grey to green,  two design studios have created their version of  “seed bombs”.

According to Common Studio (LA):

Made from a mixture of clay, compost, and seeds, “seedbombs” are becoming an increasingly popular means combating the many forgotten grey spaces we encounter everyday-from sidewalk cracks to vacant lots and parking medians. They can be thrown anonymously into these derelict urban sites to temporarily reclaim and transform them into places worth looking at and caring for. The Greenaid dispensary simply makes these guerilla gardening efforts more accessible to all by appropriating the existing distribution system of the quarter operated candy machine.

Whether you’re a business owner, educator, or just a concerned citizen we’d like to work with you to get Greenaid in your community. You can purchase a machine (or two, or ten…) directly from us and we will develop a seed mix as well as a strategic neighborhood intervention plan in response to the unique ecologies of your area. You then simply place the machine at your local bar, business, school, park, or anywhere that you think it can have the most impact. We will then supply you with all the seedbombs you need to support the continued success of the initiative.

If you are interested in getting a quote, please contact us at: 
info@thecommonstudio.com

Likewise, Cincinnati’s VisuaLingual has their own version of the seed bomb. They’re available in three region-specific mixtures—East Coast, West Coast and Midwest—each yields it’s own mix of wildflowers.  These  “seed bombs” come in a screen printed muslin bag for $7 and sell through the company’s Etsy shop.

posted by: Brent Carter

Watch: Audi’s Super Creepy Super Bowl Ad

I am all for preserving and protecting the environment, but for carmaker Audi to imply in their Super Bowl ad that we need a Stasi-like “Green Police” force  searching through our trash, setting up eco-checkpoints which violate the 4th Amendment, and illegally arresting people because of a purchase is beyond a misplaced message, it’s stupid and dangerous.

Seemingly Audi’s message is simple, a fascist state based on fear and big brother surveillance is the next step in addressing our environmental woes and only by complying with the “Green Police”  (ie buying the correct Audi) will you avoid arrest and earn societal perks like easing through eco-checkpoints. Beyond arrest Audi never reveals exactly what punishment is in store for the offenders, but we’re led to believe by a television news reporter that whatever the outcome, like in the case of the yellow-clad yuppie with the incandescent light bulbs, it will be a “tragedy.” What exactly is so tragic about this man’s punishment is anybody’s guess but you would have to assume it’s something far worse then replacing a few light bulbs.

Now I realize commercials are inherently simple-minded attempts to persuade people into buy products they don’t need, often pandering to the lowest common denominator through juvenile humor, but with the continued application of the Patriot Act and the warrant-less wire tapping, illegal search and seizure, and unlawful detainment of foreign prisoners that come with it, does a joke about America employing fascist tactics seem all that funny or appropriate?

On its website, Audi states the Green Police are “caricatures of today’s ‘green movement.’” But Audi also seems to endorse the faux-force, writing they are “a humorous group of individuals that have joined forces in an effort to collectively help guide consumers to make the right decision when it comes to the environment.”

Other forms of government throughout the world and even within the United States have already established their versions of “Green Police.” In the UK for example, the Green Police have the power to serve warrants, take property, and view business records based solely on the authority of a pollution inspecting network. New York City’s Department of Environmental Conservation has a team of twenty officers called the “Green Police” with the jurisdiction to enforce environmental regulations and issue citations to environmental violators. For instance, the Green Police currently have the authority to pull over vehicles thought not to be complying with emission standards.

Concerning a multidimensional issue such as this, the last thing we need is a car ad using fear or humor to marginalize an otherwise serious debate about the tug of war between our civil rights and the right of the government to legislate every aspect of our lives.

But hey, on the plus side I have another reason to dislike the music of Cheap Trick.

by: Harold Johns III

“Tower of Tomorrow” by William McDonough

What better to fill the empty lots in our urban jungles than the metaphorical tree designed by William McDonough which he calls the Tower of Tomorrow. Its vegetation-covered roof hopes to transform the city’s upper canopy in order to systematically recycle rainwater while also reducing the urban heat island effect created by the tar covered rooftops most buildings employ.

In a project commissioned by Fortune Magazine, green-guru McDonough has created another conceptual building with feasible roots. Biomimetic functions prevail throughout the exterior and interior of the building, including: self-cleaning interior spaces from plants filtering the air, the aerodynamic shape reduces wind load on the facades, and a water reclamation system redistributes greywater for toilets and other non-potable systems.

posted by: s.a. johnson

“Living Tower” by SOA Architects

The Rathaus’ own s.a.johnson examines the first of six architectural projects dedicated to vertical farming, renewable energies, and the construction of a better, greener 21st century. Our first installment features the work of SOA Architects and their Living Tower project.

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