Climate Central's Bobby Magill at The Huffington Post: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled out restrictive new greenhouse gas emissions standards for new power plants at the end of September, but they are unlikely to have much of an impact on the nation’s overall climate change-fueling carbon emissions. Part of the Obama administration’s Climate Action Plan, the EPA's......read more
Good looking adventure brand Poler Stuff turned up on our radar a few weeks ago, when the company sponsored a Portland screening of Corey Adams' weirdo skateboard flick, Machotaildrop. The PDX-based company offers tents, accessories and apparel for anyone who's "looking for something that looks good, is a good value and is all about having fun on road trips and in the outdoors." That would......read more
The portfolio of Venice Beach-based photographer Pascal Shirley is heavily weighted toward images of outdoor travel and beautiful women -- and combinations thereof. This selection, discovered on his personal photo blog, sticks with that general theme. The photos were shot on a recent camping trip to Big Sur, that rugged coastal landscape that has inspired so much great art, music and literature......read more
Our economy is at a crossroads. Unemployment is rampant, consumer and government debt is spiralling out of control, and food prices are going through the roof. According to Jeremy Rifkin, the American economist and president of the Foundation on Economic Trends, these are signals that the fossil fuel economy has reached the end of the line. In its place, decentralized systems of clean......read more
Designed by architect Chris Price and his partners at Park City Design + Build, the Treehaus is a beautiful blend of modern mountain architecture and cutting-edge energy efficiency. Nestled into the pines of Summit Park, Utah, the clean lines, stacked segments, and dark cedar exterior create a fine figure, seamlessly integrating the 3,643-square-foot abode into its sylvan surroundings.......read more
It's hard to describe the intoxicating thrill that comes with a visit to Japan. Luckily we don't have to, thanks to Australian filmmaker David Parkinson, who recently visited the country with his girlfriend and put together this gorgeous, evocative video documenting their trip. Set to Message To Bears’ plodding remix of Bon Iver’s "Holocene," Parkinson takes us on an intimate......read more
Barcelona electro-pop act Delorean have delivered a video for "Unhold," starring guest vocalist Caroline Polachek of Chairlift. The clip was shot on location at the Opus 40, a 6 1/2 acre bluestone sculpture park built over the course of four decades by one man, Harvey Fite. There's an odd aura about the place, and director Eric Epstein adds to it with a trippy warping effect that stretches......read more
For Dirty Projectors' sixth and final video from last year's Swing Lo Magellan, director Adam Newport-Berra shot on location in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks (pre-government shutdown). The director, who also worked on the NYC band's similarly woodsy "Stillness Is the Move" video, casted his brother Alex as a long-distance runner in the video the Swing Lo track "Impregnable Question,"......read more
We always look forward to getting our minds expanded by new work from Shabazz Palaces (aka Black Constellation). This gorgeous short film from the Seattle-based hip-hop collective does the trick and then some. The piece, which carries the unwieldy title of Ode to Octavia part 12: (Sparkles)... Recollections of the Wraith, was shot on location in Methow Valley, Cascade foothills and in......read more
With a history dating back over 1000 years, Hampstead Heath is an ancient urban park that has evolved into one of London's most beloved green spaces. At 790 acres, the heath is a sizable piece of (managed) nature in the heart of the city. Local photographer Andy Sewell brilliantly captures the serenity of the space in The Heath, an atmospheric series of images collected in a book of the same......read more