An adventure to Taiwan to some of the largest factories on the planet, to help The North Face tell their sustainability story for the first time to the general public. I think I worked harder on this project than anything else in 2011, the road to sustainability is certainly complicated and hard to communicate. After working with TNF on an athlete level for the last 6 years it was an honor to go deep behind the scenes and learn about these important initiatives in this way.

David Attenborough, watch your back.

One of the amazing ideas that has gained some publicity in 2011, this simple project is genius.

High in the Canadian Arctic, 5 friends venture to the frozen fjords of North West Baffin Island during spring time. Ancient and colossal, these branching hallways of rock are the domain of seals and polar bears, and relied upon by local Inuit hunters. For visiting skiers, the fjords are nothing short of a dream. In every direction, giant couloirs ascend thousands of feet above the sea ice, weaving in between some of the tallest and cliffs on the planet. Baffin Island: A Skier's Journey EP2 [Season 2] is a step through these magical spaces.

Healthcare Management Degree

Sitka presents a travel journal from Vancouver BC to Los Angeles CA.

The making of "Hero," a drawing composed entirely out of 3.2 million ink dots.

How did you count all the dots?

The number of dots is an approximation, not an exact number. But it's a very very close approximation. I filmed myself in just about every section of my drawing and got an average of 4.25 dots per second. That translated into 3,213,000 dots if you multiplied that by 210 hours, which is what I logged in for the entire drawing. Because I know it can't be exactly accurate, and because I think I might be off just a few thousand dots or so, I rounded it off to an even 3.2 million.

How long did this take?

I logged in exactly 210 hours of just stippling, but it took nearly one full year to complete from start to finish.

A quick education in thinking.

Stunning visual impact used to try to unite and promote awareness.

Look forward to seeing more collaborations between environmental issues and 'pure' sports like this.

Wake up laissez-fairers.

Little bit of festive spirit, produced by friends down at the Tubestation.

There is not much optimism around the climate talks going ahead in Durban tomorrow but the symbolism depicted here is important as an emotive campaign to unify people on the pressing issues.

If your beloved ski hill ran out of money and had no choice but to close, what would you do? With time running out for majestic Shames Mountain in Northern BC, local skiers from Terrace, Prince Rupert, and Kitimat have decided to take matters into their own hands and buy the ski hill as a community co-operative. Friends of Shames: A Skier's Journey EP1 [Season 2] is a look into what's at stake for the people who call Shames home, and sheds light onto a different way of owning & operating a ski hill. And of course, there are plenty of deep turns and stunning terrain along the way.

Clever and fun animation.

In the heart of Vancouver stands a stunning example of green urban design--the Vancouver Convention Center. This state-of-the-art facility is covered in over six acres of native grassland. Home to more than 400,000 indigenous plants and four beehives, this "living roof" is the largest green roof in Canada and the largest non-industrial living roof in North America.

A little summary on oil.

Amazingly shot subversive and counter cultural artwork.

Giving it some style.

It was just over two centuries ago that the global population was 1 billion — in 1804. But better medicine and improved agriculture resulted in higher life expectancy for children, dramatically increasing the world population.

As higher standards of living and better health care are reaching more parts of the world, the rates of fertility — and population growth — have started to slow down, though the population will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.

U.N. forecasts suggest the world population could hit a peak of 10.1 billion by 2100 before beginning to decline. But exact numbers are hard to come by — just small variations in fertility rates could mean a population of 15 billion by the end of the century.

This has been a big hitter on the web, soo mind blowing.

Been stoked on this band since seeing them back in August.

Wakeskating has got to be the fastest developing boardsport of the moment..unreal.

Have not had a chance to read into the occupy wallstreet stories but they appear to be a tone of the general discontent of western society and values we are going to see this generation.

Is That a Fish in Your Ear? ranges across the whole of human experience, from foreign films to philosophy, to show why translation is at the heart of what we do and who we are. What's the difference between translating unprepared natural speech, and translating Madame Bovary? How do you translate a joke? What's the difference between a native tongue and a learned one? Can you translate between any pair of languages, or only between some? What really goes on when world leaders speak at the UN? Can machines ever replace human translators, and if not, why? The biggest question is how do we ever really know that we've grasped what anybody else says - in our own language or in another? Surprising, witty and written with great joie de vivre, this book is all about us, and how we understand each other.

Have been meaning to look up TED for a while. This project is awesome.

I am reading about human arrogance towards nature at the moment, this sums it up pretty well!

Soo stoked to see this..

A well rounded summary of the now popular fixed culture.

Great band, great song.

Would love one of these, expensive no doubt but as mentioned made of super long-lasting and environmentally friendly material.

Vital life long learning skills.

Epic adventure.

I start a masters course in September in Environmental Politics and Policy. This clip demonstrates the limits of my knowledge on the subject. Need to get reading.

I don't drink coffee but this video sold it to me! Went down to this cafe last week and experienced an expresso that tasted unique to anything else I had ever tried. Go check it out Leeds people.

The brief for this campaign was to enhance public understanding of Fairtrade a rational level, and create a connection with Fairtrade at an emotional level; bring the idea of ‘empowerment’ to life in a way that inspires the public to buy Fairtrade; and engage new audiences through the use of digital technology.

Love this, so clever.

Slick.

Illustrator and graphic designer James Smart talks about the creative process behind his work.

Great work on this by friends at Pure Focus Films

Another massive winter swell hit Sydney's coast over the last week generating monster sized waves putting on an impressive display of power and beauty along the coastline.

People spend hours and hours perched atop the cliffs at Bronte (pronounced Bron-tee) marvelling at the sheer power of waves crashing ashore observing surfers taking on the huge swells. What do people think about as they look out onto the huge swells rolling in and crashing up against the shore? Always wondered.... it appears to be quite therapeutic for so many people.

As it was a southerly swell generated by a huge low pressure system off Australia's southern most point in Tasmania only a couple of Sydney's city beaches are rideable in these conditions.

Found this through a link. Would have to say I think it is a bit biased to the left but I think my views lie somewhere in the middle, leaning more so left but taking aspects from the right. Pretty interesting, would like to see stats sources though.

In discussion with Professor L. D. Danny Harvey, who describes the coming consequences of the peak in our ability extract and supply oil.

Great new album out by these guys.

In this new RSA Animate Professor Renata Salecl explores how capitalism’s shrill exhortations to ‘be oneself’ can be a tyranny which leads to ever-greater dissatisfaction and how the insistence that choice is a purely individual matter obstructs social change.

Is western individualism and freedom of choice really the future and lifestyles we have always dreamt of? It's a fine line... I look forward to seeing a post-consumer society where we move towards community again.

Three days walking at a moderately slow tempo through the beautiful city of Praha with a Go Pro HD and a few Czech koruna in my pocket.

An animation made to compliment a live action surf film, commissioned by the lovely guys at Surfers Against Sewage. All drawn and coloured with pencil and paint.

Real cool sketch.

Nice little promo vid.

Festival of the Bike

An event being put on by a family friend, sounds like a great day out.

The earth turns and the sun disappears over the horizon. Flip the switch, and the lights go out. Slumber begins and the mind awakes, taking us to places we’ve never been and witnessing things not yet seen or imagined.

From the enchanted powder forests of Japan, the historic streets of Moscow, to the unthawed mountains of Western America, and everywhere in between – Level 1 invites you into our spectrum of reality to see a succession of images, visions, sounds, and sensations quite unlike those of the conscious world.

Experience it for yourself – our dream, our vision of skiing.

Oh wow!

Why are we so concerned with what other people think, say, or look like?

Awesome project taking skating around the world.

Created in its entirety in just 7 days, this piece explores parallel experiences of the moments created by playing in the mountains.

Another amazing piece shot in British Columbia.

Here's a short edit of a run through our local park in Leeds as our entry to the Howies Summer Shorts competition.

Filmed by Rupert Barry

Featuring Joe D'Arcy & Mike Dickens

Music: Against Me! - A Brief Yet Triumphant Intermission

Equipment: Canon Powershot, iPhone4

Unfortunately we didn't win. Next time a GoPro will be involved. HD quality here we come!

An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of Brandon Boyd's first-ever mural project. Our cameras were with Brandon through the entire process to provide a unique perspective of the artist, surfer, singer and activist's first collaboration project with Hurley.

Timing your road trips in the spring is everything, especially this year with winter holding on longer than most of us out west were bargaining for.

Super smooth and styly riding..

'World Around You' by Rubik, from the album 'Solar'

Really like this bands uplifting melodies.

Trekking from Kelowna, British Columbia to Tofino in February 2011. Stopping through Nanaimo for some bungee jumping, Cathedral Grove for some tree loving, and finally Tofino itself to catch some waves. Although temperatures were close to freezing in some parts of the trip, it was toasty warm swimming in the Pacific Ocean wearing the wetsuits.

What a way to finish school.

Find out how your pension is involved in oil and how you can use your power as a pension holder to push BP and other companies beyond oil.

Skateistan: To Live And Skate Kabul is a beautifully shot film that
follows the lives of a group of young skateboarders in Afghanistan. Operating against the backdrop of war and bleak prospects, the Skateistan charity project is the world’s first co-educational skateboarding school, where a team of international volunteers work with girls and boys between the ages of 5 and 17, an age group largely untouched by other aid programmes.

Im a big fan of this riding and soundtrack.

Loving this.

Skiers Chad Sayers and Tobin Seagel travel halfway around the world to Kashmir to ski the high altitude Gulmarg gondola, only to find the snow pack is a ticking time bomb. Never the less, they find safe areas to ski and discover the beauty of Kashmir and the Himalaya - its people and its landscape.

Real nice.

Some ripping going on here..

'Coalition of the Willing' is a collaborative animated film and web-based event about an online war against global warming in a 'post Copenhagen' world.

The film offers a response to the major problem of our time: how to galvanize and enlist the global publics in the fight against global warming. This optimistic and principled film explores how we could use new Internet technologies to leverage the powers of activists, experts, and ordinary citizens in collaborative ventures to combat climate change. Through analyses of swarm activity and social revolution, 'Coalition of the Willing' makes a compelling case for the new online activism and explains how to hand the fight against global warming to the people.

Look forward to seeing more set-ups like this!

www.richemmerson.com

Check out my buddy's travel photography albums at the link above. Awesome shots.

Scandi shredding..

A dream of a back garden. I guess some things you are just born with!

Liking this guys stuff, chilled summer vibes and sweet vid..

This is cool, again another case of humans try to personify everything. Why is that?

What the impossible hamster has to teach us about economic growth.

Will have to get working on my street cred.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 – Vol. 1, Number 4 in the Shaking Through 2010 Series features a one time pick-up band of familiar faces called The Man Suits (mems. of MeWithoutYou, BC Camplight, Dr. Dog, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, and featuring Charlie Hall and the Silver Ages). The project is curated and produced by Shaking Through Guest Curator, Scott McMicken (of the band Dr. Dog), who assembled the group to perform one of his songs, “Spirit, Oh Spirit”.

The funny thing about fairy tales, is that we forget about them so fast
And we grow up, we buy things, we build up fences
We sell our innocence and forget our dreams
We forget who we are in order to be something we're not
And we'll keep believing in this so called truths, until we forget how to live
Or until we open our eyes, and wake up.

Last night's leftovers battle for their lives.

http://www.tubestation.org/

A short animated film about the feedback loops likely to lead to catastrophic climate change, by Leo Murray.

“AZADI: Freedom”, is a cultural documentary as seen through the eyes of skiers. Set in the disputed region of Kashmir, an area deemed the “most dangerous place in the world” during the violent militant insurgency of the 1990's. What director Anthony Bonello and crew find in 2010 is an aesthetically beautiful landscape and a people eager for Kashmir to once again become “a paradise on earth.” Whilst exploring the mountains surrounding the world's highest skiable gondola, the crew meet vibrant local characters, ski picturesque forests and thin alpine air. Through beautiful cinematography, interviews, animation and quiet pauses, this backcountry ski film will give you a greater understanding of one of the most negatively publicized regions on the planet... and leave you yearning for winter.

ZERO DEGREES explores winter in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, and our relationship with the freezing level. Every winter it rains and snows at all elevations from sea level to mountain top peaks. People living on the coast learn to appreciate what the rains bring and make the most out of all conditions. We love it here.

This sounds like an awesome project.

Tarp Pits - The Birth of Tarp Surfing

Interviewing local South African illustrator and street artist Mister Fuzzy Slipperz who ''creates a world where everything is blissfully beautiful and okay to be ugly at the same time,'' this film manages to deftly weave between the urban and dreamlike, mirroring Fuzzy's own style.

http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/lineup

Skateboard Handplane - Surf Sufficient
When the waves are small or you just need a change of pace, there's nothing quite like going for a body surf. And using a handplane can take it to another level.

A year ago, a massive oil spill began in the Gulf. The entire US was glued to the news until the well was capped, and then we forgot about it.
As the year anniversary was fast approaching I became curious, just how much oil was that exactly? Where would it have gone? What I found was shocking.

Thirty five years ago Scott Weaver had already begun work on this insanely complex kinetic sculpture, Rolling through the Bay, that he continues to modify and expand even today. The elaborate sculpture is comprised of multiple “tours” that move pingpong balls through neighborhoods, historical locations, and iconic symbols of San Francisco, all recreated with a little glue, some toothpicks, and an incredible amount of ingenuity. He admits in the video that there are several toothpick sculptures even larger than his, but none has the unique kinetic components he’s constructed. Via his website Weaver estimates he’s spent over 3,000 hours on the project, and the toothpicks have been sourced from around the world.

This is a sweet cut.

5 minutes of Syria

Seriously killing it!

Everything Is Spiritual

Casteller from Mike Randolph

Filmed over nearly three years, WASTE LAND follows Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of "catadores" -- self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz's initial objective was to "paint" the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives. Director Lucy Walker (DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND, BLINDSIGHT, COUNTDOWN TO ZERO) has great access to the entire process and, in the end, offers stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit.

wastelandmovie.com



http://daveysphoto.blogspot.com/



A Weekend in Cornwall & Rups' 24th from Joe D'Arcy
Sweet first ever video edit by Joe and Mike, nice one.

Cool sustainability project.

http://www.thisistruck.com/wood/

Check out http://offthewall.tv/show/Pass-The-Bucket for some other cool inspiring stories.

Aaron Weiss - Mewithoutyou.
Inspiring poet and thought provoking worldview.

This looks wild.

Renowned academic David Harvey asks if it is time to look beyond capitalism towards a new social order that would allow us to live within a system that really could be responsible, just, and humane?

Nooma Breathe 014

Is our physical breath actually a picture of a deeper spiritual reality?

One Man. No Instruments. Just His Body. from purefocusfilms

An experimental film to go along side Max Rawicz's multimedia production dissertation - 'Record of the Body'

The music in this piece was made entirely from body parts and nothing else.

Filmed around various locations in Oxford, the film follows a mysterious character exploring the city in a poncho.

Sweet piece of work by Matt and Max.

The UK Green Film Festival, launching in 2011, is a not-for-profit, national film festival showcasing films and filmmakers engaging with environmental and climate change themes. We're not here to preach. We're here to challenge, inspire, educate, learn and entertain.

Looking forward to seeing some titles I haven't seen...

The Mountain

All.I.Can.

The Sherpas (sherpascinema.com) are proud to present All.I.Can: a two-year feature film project that fuses our passions for riding and exploring the mountains with our potential to help the
environment. The film strives to unite global mountain culture and bind us together as the
leaders of a revolution. We must be inspired to do all we can for the environment,
and we must learn how to take that first tiny step in the right direction.

Looking forward to catching this when its out.