Discarded Dreams: Mattress Competition

A co-worker and I recently entered a design competition - the challenge was to create innovative ways of converting used mattresses into useful products. To view our entry online - and rate our project - please look for HELIX (our product name). The winner will be announced in February I believe. I have a lot of wishful thinking - but you know how these things can go. Please do take a look - if only to see a different aspect of my design life.

borderline obsession

Ever since KV and I saw Twilight last weekend, I can't get it out of my head. Maybe it's the melodrama or the cheesy acting - but for whatever reason, I can't wait to see it again. The movie was barely violent, which I really appreciated, and it seemed to focus more on the relational aspects of vampires than what they actually eat. I've never been a fan of vampires or wolves and all that, but now I'm determined to read the book and see what else I missed.

Maybe I'm just crazy or maybe this is some weird subconscious way of dealing with some of the stress of grad school applications and fast track projects at work but I love it!

rub on the lime

The causes of cancer remain vague while the instances of cancer keep increasing. I've thought about changing my job title to "cancer prevention specialist" b/c that is what I do - in design, I strive to reduce the probability of cancer by reducing toxins and volatile organic compounds and dioxins and heavy metals and phthalates... and a multitude of other chemicals and materials that if stored in the body long enough, commonly result in cancer. We are exposed to these materials in built environments - the same spaces we build to keep us safe, to provide us shelter - also hide within them the ability to slowly deteriorate life. This type of work doesn't seem to keep the spotlight for very long - due to things in life that destroy life far more quickly. You might not care now... now that you are young and in your twenties. But what about in twenty or thirty or forty more years... when 1 out of 10 of your friends are plagued with some variation of the same disease?

This is what sustainability is all about - life cycle. not just the immediate effect but the effect of a lifetime. It is hard enough to keep our attention focused on something to see it all the way through. We see the initial cost and the immediate benefit, and move on to something else, leaving the uncalculated costs to someone else like the landfill guy (aka. our state government) or the corporation that manufactured and produced it (b/c after all they value human life over profit, right?)

The more I focus on cancer prevention in the built environment, the more opportunities I see in other environments such as household cleaning products, makeup, laundry, vitamins (most vitamins are petroleum based and barely digestible)...

This fall it has moved a little more into my personal hygiene - into deodorant. I've been learning about the products that I used to buy from Target and all the hidden ingredients (that corporations are not required to list on the label). Just one article, of many, discusses the addition of parabens - a preservative that has been shown to seep into the skin and store in the breast. As one who is fortunate to own a pair of these, I've taken notice and am not quite sure it is worth the risk.

So I've been on the search for alternatives for a few months now. This is one hard product to replace. All those parabens and metals (such as aluminum) were put in there probably for a reason - for a better immediate effect. I've tried a few all natural, aluminum free substitutes only to end up carrying it with me constantly (to reapply repeatedly throughout the day) and with a resistance to adjust to the new scents. No amount of lavender can cover up that body funk.

In my frustration, I am resulting to a new product - the lime. It was recommended to me a few months ago by a tree-hugging type of friend and I laughed. But these are desperate times. Every morning I cut a sliver of lime from the refrigerator, squeeze and squish it onto my armpit - and move on. Guess what? It works. No smell. I can't even believe it.... in fact I still don't. So I'll carry out my experiment for quite a bit longer to see. I have a feeling it is great for the day to day things - but no going to the gym and playing a soccer game and expecting to smell like baby powder. Maybe this switch is also turning into a de-commercialization exercise as well in that I have to break down the idea that sweating and smelling (after a workout) is so bad. Did I just fall into a marketing trap by these corporations and am now overly concerned with sweat? We'll see... maybe my friends and husband will have a different view in the coming weeks.

What is Mosaic??

Occasionally I get the pleasure of answering this question, typically asked by a co-worker. They start to wonder what keeps me so busy outside of the office and why I arranged to work a 35 hour week instead of the average 45 or 50. Because KV has been working with or for Mosaic for over three years now, I've had some time to test out different answers and this is what I've found to be the most effective in communicating who and what we are...

We are a non-profit community in Berkeley that focuses on aspects of humanity such as spirituality, self awareness, relational intelligence, leadership and creativity. All of these things, along with our core values and convictions, are based on the life of Jesus. Our main goal is to empower people to live the life that only they can... and we partner with them in all kinds of ways in order to do this. We host events around social justice, photography, foodies, spiritual activists, etc... whatever interests and passions our participants share, in hopes of serving the greater community in which we all live. We are an inclusive community that values relationships and character above all else. Only our volunteer staff are required to commit to a certain set of values, in the same way that other organizations require. Please feel free to come check us out or stop by at one of our weekly meetings, held on Sunday nights at the Gaia Arts Center at 5pm.

Disclaimer: These thoughts are solely my own, based on my experience and interaction with Mosaic as a volunteer, and based on my own spiritual and personal journey through life.