A couple of weeks ago I posted about Alice Cooper's newest project, The Rock, a teen center focused on at-risk teens in the Phoenix-metro area.
Next Saturday, May 9th, Alice Cooper and company will be hosting a day long music festival at Grand Canyon University's Outdoor Amphitheater in Phoenix, AZ.
Admission is free, and Alice will be there playing along with Halo of Flies, Runaway Phoenix, and a few other great acts.
The Project Unicorn team will be out there from 11-7 supporting Alice Cooper and The Rock. So stop by and say hello!
We did a music review on Bayonics' self-titled album last year. They incorporate a wide range of genres into their sound, and they're a great Monday, or Tuesday, pick me up. Check out this one, "On the Grind."
Try being this guy: Anthony Lehmann, a radio host by day, went after the Guinness World Record of most jokes in an hour. He needed 500 to break the record...that's right...500 bad jokes. (He ended up breaking the record with 549 jokes...and is still the record holder almost four years later.)
Earth Day is like Christmas for my inner tree-hugging, hybrid-driving self. Last year, in my debut post to UnicornSightings, I wrote about fantastically simple things musicians and bands are doing to green up their tours. (Still a great read in my opinion, but then again, I may be a little biased.)
This year, I wanted to do something a little different to celebrate this high holiday...by bringing you a few things that you can do to green up your life in what I'd like to call, 9 Ways to Go Green in '09.
Going green can be as simple or as complicated as you'd like to make it, and these suggestions run the gamut. So, without further ado...
1. Clean Green
This is one of the simplest things you can do to green up your living. Cleaning products are everywhere in our homes and offices: on dishes, countertops, furniture, clothes, floors, windows, and floating through the air.
Most of the conventional cleaning product we all grew up with are petroleum-based and have dubious health and environmental implications. Instead of opting for cleaning products that annihilate everything in their path, there are plenty of natural products and methods that keep a house clean and fresh-smelling, without the toxic side effects.
Check this out for a few ideas on environmentally friendly cleaning techniques:
It should be noted that here at Project U we also use plastic corn cups. It's a great way to invest in our future, and they certainly aren't as scary as they sound...
2. Start an Organic Garden
The benefits of organic gardening are endless. For starters, organically grown food is significantly higher in essential vitamins and nutrients, and because organic food production doesn't use any pesticides, growth hormones, fertilizers, or artificial additives, organic food also greatly reduces the intake of harmful chemicals.
Organic gardening can also be a form of relaxation and exercise. Need a little spiritual rejuvenation? Try a little gardening!
I'll be the first to admit that gardening of any type seems more than a bit overwhelming. If that's the case, check out this video with organic gardening expert Katherine Whiteside. She's got some great tips on getting started:
3. Make a Compost
I've always wanted a compost, but I've never really considered my living condition suitable for one. It's a requirement that you live in the country on five acres of land, right? Wrong.
I discovered this little video, that makes it easy for almost anyone to start their own compost, with only a few simple steps and materials you can almost certainly find right in your home.
Take a look:
John Schaeffer, President of Gaiam Real Goods, goes through the steps of urban-living composting. It's much simpler than I could have imagined, and I'm pretty positive that I could do it on a smaller scale...
4. Use, or Make Your Own, Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a domestic renewable fuel for diesel engines derived from natural oils like soybean. Galen Bowen, a mechanical engineer for AGR, LLC, show's us here how to make it. This might be a little tricky for most of us, but it's interesting none the less:
5. Build a Green Home
Building a green home has got to be expensive, right? Not necessarily.
Catherine Childs, a net zero home owner, takes us through the benefits, and the cost effectiveness, of owning a green home:
6. Go Solar
If building a green home from the ground up is too big of an undertaking, why not start by using solar power? As the solar market keeps growing, solar panels are becoming an effective and efficient way to power, heat, and cool your home.
Pete Rodgers, a solar home owner, discusses the benefits of solar power. He even hopes to eventually be able to power an electric car from his roof:
7. Take it to the Bedroom
So perhaps even solar power is a little much for you right now. Alright, let's start small. How about green bedding?
There are enormous amounts of resources you can use to invest in organic bedding, from organic cotton mattresses, to organic sheets and comforters....all at comparable price points to regular bedding.
Check out some of your options here:
8. Shop Organic
One of the simplest things you can do to go green is to shop at an organic market. Organic grocery stores are springing up all of the country, and they're becoming more and more cost effective. Attending a local farmer's market is also a great way to shop organic, as well as supporting local farmers and business owners.
Check out one of the many small organic markets, Mana Foods with Michel Nischan, and find a market near you.
9. Go Zero Waste
Did you know that the average American produces around a tone of stuff every year? Crazy.
For those who aren't faint of heart when it comes to the green lifestyle, try going zero-waste. Gaiam's zero waste program takes recycling and composting to new levels. Watch and learn:
So that's it folks, 9 Ways to Go Green in '09.
Earth Day isn't about "being green" for one day out of the year. It's about education, awareness, and taking small-or big-steps to an on-going, more sustainable lifestyle. Challenge yourself do make one change today...and have a happy Earth Day!
Because I love it so much, I'm bringing you another one from the series. This one features Zoot Woman, an electronica/pop group out of the UK. I love this acoustic version of "Losing Sight." It's a different sound for them, but it's seriously fantastic.
We're having our own PC-Mac wars going on here at ProjectU (I myself just switched over to a Mac...and am loving it.), so I'm still cracking up over these Mac spoofs from Truenuff I discovered this morning. This is seriously clever stuff, and is it just me or does PC sound just like the guy in the commercials? Check this one out:
Alice Cooper with Project Unicorn CEO Bill Rinehart
Alice Cooper stopped by the office today...yes, Alice Cooper, the man, the myth, the legend himself.
We're very excited about the beginning of what we hope to be a a strong and continuing relationship with Alice (stay tuned for upcoming announcements!), but I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about some fantastic things he's working on....some things all of us here at Project Unicorn are really excited about as well.
Alice Cooper is on a mission to make a difference, and he's doing it where it counts the most-in the lives of children.
Realizing that a large part of his career was built on teens around the world and that he yielded a great deal of influence over the youth culture, Alice approached his good friend and youth pastor Chuck Savale with an idea. The two partnered together in an effort to make a significant difference in as many lives as possible, and for the past ten years, these two fathers and friends have focused on raising money to support other like-minded organizations and individuals.
To date, over $1.2 million has been donated; however, for Alice and Chuck, the dream is larger. These two men have envisioned a center targeted at teens, built on the premise of providing teens with an outlet where they can flourish and prepare for their life ahead of them.
Enter THE ROCK, where Alice Cooper's foundation, Solid Rock will provide a safe place in which teens can develop their talents in a community based on Christian values...with a focus on self-discovery, music, self-expression, and creativity.
What Alice hopes to accomplish for these kids is amazing; he's after a demographic that's commonly ignored, and he's doing it in a way that has the potential to be the most impacting: through music (what Alice described as "the common denominator").
Project Unicorn is very excited about what looks like a promising future with Alice Cooper and Solid Rock. Don't forget to come back for more details....we'll be keeping you updated on all the happenings here at the U.
For more info about Solid Rock and The Rock teen center, visit http://www.AliceCooperSolidRock.com.
Purple Yeahh, a snowboard freedom collage, is a fantastic trip through snowboarding, poetry, music, and great artwork. It comes to us from X-Treme Video and is a great addition to our extreme catalogue. Check out the first clip:
The Hubble Space Telescope, a collaboration between ESA and NASA, is a long-term, space-based observatory. By driving astronomical research, Hubble has, in many ways, revolutionized modern astronomy...making some of the most dramatic discoveries in the history of astronomy. Pretty cool stuff.
Enter Hubblecast, a fantastic series that brings these amazing discoveries right to you. In this episode, "Uncovering the Veil Nebula," Dr. J explores the exploding stars of the Supernovae. You'll see some beautiful images and maybe learn a few things while you're at it.
I just discovered this great little series, They Shoot Music-Don't They. It's a video blog that features indie musicians and artists.
This particular shoot features the group Seabear, with their song "I Sing I Swim." I'm really digging it, and thought it might just be perfect for this week's Music Monday. Check it out:
Alice Cooper stopped by the office today...yes, Alice Cooper, the man, the myth, the legend himself.