Insights (Blog)Insights (Blog)http://areyoubarefaced.com/blog/2008-06-09T05:03:05ZSquarespaceNo Sympathy for U.S. AutomakersEco-Friendlyhttp://areyoubarefaced.com/blog/2008/6/9/no-sympathy-for-us-automakers.htmlAdmin2008-06-09T04:46:36Z2008-06-09T04:46:36ZIn a fit of dispair, GM has decided to close 4 manufacturing plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico that make trucks and SUVs. This of course is a reaction to our economy and gas prices, but at this point can anyone really feel bad for them? Their growth and profits have been planned around selling bigger and bigger cars for city driving for the last 10 years. Ouch. No one saw this coming? Now here we are with $4.50 gas prices and GM finally stopping and reconsidering their business model. Toyota made 1 new car that put them back on the map. GM and Ford never even tried in our opinion! Instead, now Ford is selling pickups at reduced prices and offering a $3 gas guarantee for 3 years. Come now... make a better car not hedge gas prices!

GM is also going to take a long hard look at their Hummer division to see what to do with it. I hope they have insurance before they light the fire.

A friend of mine spent $130 dollars last week to fill up her Suburban. Owners of SUVs can't even resell their cars, so they are just being parked. Finally!

As we sit here and watch more jobs collapse and say that the world economy is taking our jobs I just need to shake my head. This game was blown. GM hasn't turned a profit since 2004 and their whole model was to make more SUVs. No sympathy for stupidity.

See the Greenbiz article.

]]>Barefaced is Collecting Used Bikes!Bicycleshttp://areyoubarefaced.com/blog/2008/5/6/barefaced-is-collecting-used-bikes.htmlAdmin2008-05-06T13:48:25Z2008-05-06T13:48:25ZBarefaced is collecting used bikes! If you have a used bike that you would like to donate, or sell, please contact us here!

]]>Biodynamic Viticulturehttp://areyoubarefaced.com/blog/2008/5/3/biodynamic-viticulture.htmlAdmin2008-05-03T17:00:55Z2008-05-03T17:00:55ZBiodynamics is to organic as vegan is to vegitarian. When it comes to wine, according to morethanorganic.com, there are two main things that distinguish biodynamic techniques from other forms of organic farming.

  • The use of a complex system of herbal sprays and composting techniques, known as 'preparations'.
  • The timing of the operations on the land, which is strictly regulated by the movements of the spheres.

The practice was created and based on the ideas of Rudolph Steiner who apparantly was fully aware that parts of his practice would be criticized as a little kooky.

Basically, biodynamic farmers use organic techniques such as allowing animals to graze and roam around the vines to fertilize the area and introducing insect predators (such as lady bugs) as pest control and then they throw the hammer by planning all of their work and schedules according to planetary movement believing that it influences the vine growth. The thinking being that if something is wrong, then something is out of balance. It is like yoga for vineyards.

We are going to give it a try and see if we can get aligned. GQ suggests M. Chapoutier Crozes Hermitage,"Les Meysonniers" Red 2006, $30.
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Also, if you haven't played Long Hot Summer Night by Jimi Hendrix in a while, today would be a good day to throw it on.

]]>BioBags! 100% Compostable Plastic-Like Bags!Eco-Friendlyhttp://areyoubarefaced.com/blog/2008/4/27/biobags-100-compostable-plastic-like-bags.htmlAdmin2008-04-27T17:24:40Z2008-04-27T17:24:40Zsm_biobag.jpg

At last! A bag that looks and feels like that good ol' fashioned plastic bag, but its environmentally safe! We got ours in a gift bag and they are great. Use em for trash and don't worry about them being around for the next 450 years!

"BioBags are designed to be composted and returned naturally back to the earth. If BioBags are placed in an “open” or “turned” landfill they will decompose at a rate similar to other biodegradable materials in the same setting."

Check out the website here.

And buy em here at Buygreen.com

]]>Even VegOil Addicts FightAlternative Fuelhttp://areyoubarefaced.com/blog/2008/4/22/even-vegoil-addicts-fight.htmlAdmin2008-04-22T02:52:32Z2008-04-22T02:52:32Z37996919.jpg

It appears that our long loved Lovecraft is in a battle for customer loyalty. Such a shame but, being in business ourselves we understand when a transaction goes wrong. We still love you Lovecraft. Our hope is that the ownership disputes don't disrupt good ol' fashion vegoil truckin. If you ask us, the most gracious thing as the seller is to walk away... love your sell price, and support the movement.

Check out the article here.

]]>Music We Think You Should HearEntertainmenthttp://areyoubarefaced.com/blog/2008/4/18/music-we-think-you-should-hear.htmlAdmin2008-04-18T06:45:43Z2008-04-18T06:45:43ZIts been a week of working on the Barefaced Mobile getting it all shined up, soon to have a new stereo and another round of touchup paint, throwing together some propaganda, and getting the beginnings of our first t-shirt done. It has been a solid week. Not surprisingly, the week also had quite the sound track, including a quick trip to the Hollywood Bowl Wednesday night so see Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z.

So in the spirit of sharing what we would consider good taste... here are 22 of our favorite albums of all time, and the perfect time in the week to listen to them. Enjoy.

]]>Sustainable Tees - First Design Round DoneFashionEco-Friendlyhttp://areyoubarefaced.com/blog/2008/4/17/sustainable-tees-first-design-round-done.htmlAdmin2008-04-17T18:34:57Z2008-04-17T18:34:57ZAs of today we have our design. Please contact us with feedback. Currently we are sourcing and research is being conducted to ensure smooth production and success of the project.

Front & Back View svo_front_back.jpg

Check out the beginning of the project!

See the Barefaced Sustainable T-Shirt Gallery for Photos and Closeups of the art.

]]>New Website Launchinghttp://areyoubarefaced.com/blog/2008/4/16/new-website-launching.htmlAdmin2008-04-16T15:45:02Z2008-04-16T15:45:02ZWell it seems wordpress just isn't cutting it. So we are moving platforms. Luckily this was discovered early enough that it is not going to set us back too much. The site may be down for 24 hours or so. We will see. We are also going to repost all of the previous articles and see if we can't organize them a little better.

For now check out our newest project.
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]]>Barefaced Mobile Update - New Window Tinthttp://areyoubarefaced.com/blog/2008/4/15/barefaced-mobile-update-new-window-tint.htmlAdmin2008-04-15T22:21:38Z2008-04-15T22:21:38ZThe Barefaced Mobile stepped up another point today. We are not 100% sure about the sun-strip on the windshield, but we will roll it for a few days and see how it goes.

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]]>The New Skinny on Plastic Bagshttp://areyoubarefaced.com/blog/2008/4/12/the-new-skinny-on-plastic-bags.htmlAdmin2008-04-12T21:41:19Z2008-04-12T21:41:19ZCalifornia officially passed a mandatory recycling program that goes into effect on July 1st 2008. Californians use approximately 19 Billion plastic bags a year, and while they are recyclable, most of them end up sitting in landfills and the side of the road. The new legislation requires Supermarkets and retailers with over $2,000,000 in sales or 10,000 sq/ft of retail floor space to install plastic bag recycling bins to prevent them from being strewn about our streets.

The effort is actually being pushed by the plastic bag manufacturers so they can show that the bags are 100% recyclable. One of the major uses turns out that they are melted down, blended with wood chips and pressed into weather resistant wood products.

There is further legislation on the table in California attempting to layer on a $0.25 charge for every plastic bag that is given out at a supermarket or other large retailer. The immediate argument here is that no one is going to pay a quarter for plastic bags so we would just be going back to paper.

According to DailyNews.com:

“Paper bags require 40 (percent to) 70 percent more energy, double greenhouse-gas emissions, increase waste by 80 percent and dramatically increase water use.”

Paper on the other hand is biodegradable, so while the upfront cost is more, the cradle to cradle aspect may be less impactful.

It doesn’t seem to us that the $0.25 charge will work. We also agree that it will mostly affect the poorest shoppers out there.

Ikea, reduced its Plastic bag usage from 70 million bags to 35 million bags in a 12 month period simply by charging $0.05 for a plastic bag and $0.59 for a reusable bag!

Much better idea!

Ikea is now set to remove plastic bags from its US Stores completely by October and it already has in the UK and Australia. Whole Foods is on the same train and even China (read: EVEN CHINA) is banning the production of plastic bags by June 1st of this year.

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Read the Articles

IKEA to Phase Out Plastic Bags in U.S.

Nation’s first mandatory recycling program for the pesky containers kicks in July 1st

Lawmaker urges 25-cent fee for plastic grocery bags

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