take two: get a second cut of broccoliWith birds falling from the sky, more birds falling from the sky, mudslides in Brazil, sharks cruising flooded Queensland streets and scientists rebooting the zodiac, the year indeed seems off to an apocalyptic start. Hopefully we'll all be around for a bit longer to enjoy 2011... and broccoli.

A few days ago we enjoyed the largest, tastiest homegrown head of broccoli ever. Just picked, and lightly steamed, it leaves shop-bought broccoli standing... sadly it still looks like broccoli, so is, as always, a tough sell to

nanobreweries set to trend this year in the US

JWT - one of the world's largest advertising agencies credited with firsts like creating the first global ad agency network (by 1930 they had branches in 30 countries), employing the first female creative director over a century ago (1908), and creating the first television advert back in 1939 - has produced its annual trendwatching report: 100 Things to Watch in 2011.

They take a stab at predicting what will trend this year - companies, events, artists, products, cities etc. And they have a track record - looking back at the 2010 report - of at least getting some of their predictions right. Perhaps because of their standing their predictions even become self fulfilling...

Now we know who to thank for Lady Gaga.

I scanned their list of trends for signs of environmental/green/eco trends set to feature this year:

A dirty future?The deadline for submissions to the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP2 aka IRP2010) is this Friday 10 December 2010 (tomorrow, ulp). If you're anything like us you've left it to the last minute because life is complicated enough as it is without also having to worry about the country's energy plan for the next 20 years...

Well we should be worried. Although the IRP2 is intended to be a living document that is not cast in stone, in it's current form it is setting us on a course that is headed for a place I personally don't want to be in 20 years time.

Cut to the chase
If you're time-constrained jump to the end and see how you can act! If you want the nitty-gritty then keep reading!

So here goes
First off this IRP is an improvement over its predecessor which didn't allow for participation in the process (yay, democracy can work if we shout loud enough). The process has now opened up (at least seemingly), although it is still not

infirmia, the smell (fragrance?) of consumptionThis Saturday features a triple bill of cool events for those interested in a bit of planet preservation. We've posted about two already: The Hout Bay Green Faire and 350.org's solar picnic in Khayelitsha.

The third is less of an event and more of a non-event (at least it should be). Buy Nothing Day is about keeping out of the malls and refraining from consumptive behaviour. Step away from that shopping bag. All the more difficult given that it's Saturday and that Christmas shopping list is looming...

Whilst overseas BND are events planned, here in SA it will seemingly be more of an

check out all those solar cookers (as about to be seen from outer space!)Here's a reminder to be in Khayelitsha tomorrow and a call for volunteers TODAY for world's biggest solar picnic. Help make history!

Dear Friends,

We've found ourselves with lots of extra work on our hands to prepare for Saturday's solar picnic / climate art event (such as cutting wire into tent pegs to keep the huge 'picnic cloths' from flying away in the wind!).

If any of you can come to our office in Kalk Bay today to help paint direction boards, cut & shape wire, and fill sand bags (to stop solar cookers blowing away!), we'd be HUGELY grateful.

Our office is above Olympia bakery opposite the harbour, next to the Art Gallery on the first floor.

If you can come, please let us know plus when you'll arrive.

Thanks tons,
Samantha

--
Samantha Bailey ~ 350.org Africa ~ world.350.org/africa

This is a nifty little book that we were given a while back that is chock full of creative ideas for fun projects with your kids. Have a five year old that has raided your runner bean supports and delights in hurling the poles through the garden. Maybe he / she needs to have that creative energy "directed" in a more constructive manner...

Lisl Barry (and family) has produced a book that has some great ideas that will save your sanity on days where the little beauties need a "project". The book is also a reminder that some of the best things in life are free and that spending quality time with your kids is not about watching Shrek 2 for the tenth time. Rather the book encourages natural activities that can be enjoyed in your garden or kitchen and uses simple materials and tools to hand.

The book is divided into sections, one for each season, of ideas that are

350 EARTH Dominican RepublicThe world's largest solar picnic is happening this Saturday 27 November so if you live in Cape Town come and be part of it!
350.org's eARTh, is the first ever art exhibit large enough to be seen from space. Fifteen large-scale human art formations will photographed by satellite and shared with the world on the eve of the next round of U.N. climate talks.

The EARTH project has already begun with images from Santa Fe (a flash flood), Los Angeles (solar eagle taking flight), and New York (school roof painting) in the US, from Spain (girls face), from the Dominican Republic (person standing on roof, escaping sea level rise), from Mexico (a hurricane) and from Canada (a green footprint). And Thom Yorke (radiohead) is behind the aerial art formation at Brighton (a recreation of King Canute)

Cape Town is one of only two locations in Africa and 15 in the world, so you can bet we're going to be there and make history!

Bill McKibben says that these

Hout Bay Green FaireThere are three mucho importanto events going down this Saturday, 27th November, details of the others will follow...

The Hout Bay Green Faire is one of my favourite green events on the calendar and it is now in its fourth incarnation! There is always something new to checkout and it gets bigger and better each time. It's in the open air, away from fluorescent lighting, and is a great community initiative to support. Hout Bay is firmly in the lead when it comes to green initiatives happening on the ground, thanks to the hard work of Envirochild, Green peas and others.

Last year I took

Whilst on the subject of plastic... brought to you from the open plains of the asphalt jungle...

Yothu YindiHoney doesn't have a sound or does it? I'm not referring here to the buzzi-ness of bees either but to an album by Yothu Yindi which I've rediscovered in my CD collection and have been playing quite loudly and jumping up and down to this morning(sorry neighbours!). If you're into a fusion of didg and Australian rock (think Midnight Oil) with earth-centred lyrics this is a great band to check out. I'm enjoying their fourth CD - Birrkuta (Wild Honey) - thoroughly right now. The album has a few high energy rock tracks that get the blood pumping, some chilled out tunes and some traditional indigenous Australian arrangements. The lyrics are stirring with tracks like Spirit of Peace and Timor very moving. I've been reading the cover notes about the Yolngu's reverence for bees and the celebration of their heritage:

We hunt for wild honey at a particular time of year. There's always a group of us, women and children. It's a joyful thing for us. To outsiders it looks as though we're doing something very ordinary, but for us collecting honey is a way of paying homage to