Winston’s career began in TV, writing shows for the now defunct MTM company, E! Entertainment Television and
ABC Family. He branched off into publishing, advertising, editing and eventually web design all the while honing his
unique creative voice in several short films and two novels. His professional associations include Premiere maga-
zine, Divine Entertainment, Miramax, Brillstein-Grey Productions, Illume Candles, Regency Enterprises, 20th Century
Fox Film Corporation, Warner Bros. Television, The X-Files and Penthouse Online. Winston is especially proud of
his volunteer efforts for AIDS Project Los Angeles, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Special
Olympics and looks forward to using this same passion to educate the world about our world through his work with
G Living.
The ability to take one of the world’s oldest sustainable fabrics and spin it into a sleek, luxury designer line is exactly what G Living looks for. And this writer has a special fondness for hemp. Enter Viridis Luxe, where hemp is sexy and luxurious.
Hemp as a fabric is a time-honored tradition dating back to the Italian Renaissance. History would have us believe that hemp denim was even used in the creation of the very first pair of Levi’s.
Focusing primarily on fabric made from sheer silk hemp (you have to see their jersey tops), the Viridis Luxe creative team of Hala Bahmet and Amadea West have designed a collection of fashionable sweaters, skirts, wraps and tunics. (There’s also a terrific line of exotic bamboo t-shirts.) Their hands-on approach to beautiful, sustainable creation involves long fiber hemp harvested by hand, along with the use of all-natural dyes and routine supervision to ensure healthy factory working conditions.
There are plenty of things I didn’t know about the Hector’s dolphin. In fact, until recently, my only knowledge of them was the most troubling fact of all – that they’re among the rarest dolphins in the world. But seeing as how I’ve always been fascinated by these amazing creatures, I wanted to know more. And more importantly, I wanted to learn something less troubling about them. And what, if anything, we can do to help them.
Found only off the coast of New Zealand, the Hector’s dolphin was named for Sir James Hector (1834-1907), the curator of what is now the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand. The most influential local scientist of his time, Hector was the first to examine this particular species of indigenous dolphin. Primarily grey, black and white with a distinctive stripe running across its belly, this cetacean (air breathing, water living mammal) is the smallest dolphin in New Zealand’s waters and is most recognizable by its lack of discernible beak and its round dorsal fin. (The fins of New Zealand’s other dolphin species are pointed and crescent shaped.)
Aside from their beauty and playfulness – if you’ve ever watched dolphins, you can sense how much fun they’re having playing in the surf and exploring the shallow water – what has always fascinated me is the built in sonar they use to track down their prey. Using echolocation (seeing with sound), they send out streams of high frequency noises that travel through the water, bounce quickly off moving objects and then back, easily identifying what sort of fish is out there, where it is and how quickly it’s traveling. Incredible.
Hector’s dolphins live off the coast of New Zealand’s South Island. There are an estimated 7,400 in existence. (The physically and genetically distinct subspecies living off the North Island, known as Maui dolphins, are often considered to be Hector’s dolphins.) Part of the problem with this particular species is its very infrequent breeding. The females (which are larger than the males) don’t become fertile until around age seven, and after that only breed one calf every two to four years.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, there were once over 26,000 Hector’s and Maui dolphins.
Classified as nationally vulnerable by the Department of Conservation (DoC) and endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Hector’s dolpins won’t survive without our help. Set nets are an enormous threat – the lungs of a Hector’s dolphin are about the size of a human’s, and when trapped in one, it takes about the same length of time for them to drown as it would a person. Another major concern is marine pollution. Not only does polluted water breed disease, there is a large risk of the dolphins eating or getting tangled in plastic bags and other carelessly discarded garbage.
What can we do?
Most obviously, stop polluting the oceans and storm water drains. (And the next time you’re at the beach, feel free to pick up and dispose of some of the trash left by others. The life you save might be a Hector’s dolphin.) You can also write to the New Zealand Minister of Fisheries and let them know that set nets should be banned from Hector’s Dolphins’ habitats, as they have been the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.
We’ve lost so many species already; let’s make Hector proud by keeping his dolphins off the list. To make an online donation to the Hector’s dolphin fund, or for more information on this amazing animal, click here.
Cute video from New Zealand About the Hector Dolphin
What’s black and white and carried all over town? Not a nun in a parade…Considering how trendy it is, I’m surprised more retailers aren’t offering reusable shopping bags for customers. I’m not talking about the high-end grocers that charge you $15 to buy a “sustainable” bag that lets you walk around town advertising for them. I’m talking about the every day sort of store that cares about the amount of plastic they spread around the planet.
Well, here’s a BYOB idea every store can fly with: Handmade Expressions (whose motto is “Fair trade = justice + peace + love”) has cool grocery bags that measure 12”x16” and are made of several layers of used newspaper and sturdy cardboard. They’re inexpensive and customizable. Best of all, they save new paper from being produced by using paper that would otherwise go into a trash bin.
And they’re totally affordable. At 60 cents a bag, now even Mom & Pops can get you to walk around town advertising for them.
Here’s a prefab that caught my eye: a modern home made of one of the planet’s most sustainable materials – bamboo. Not surprisingly, it’s another innovative concept from Montreal-based Gau Designs.
It’s only a concept – but after looking at these photos, I’m ready to sign on the dotted line and move in. Sure they had me at “sustainable”, but the building’s design takes comfort and functionality to another level. Two levels, to be exact. From the green roof to the spacious rooms, which are lined with textured bamboo along the walls and floors and interrupted only by large picture windows (view sold separately, I imagine).
Listen up, fashion conscious women with a conscience: if you want to be as well dressed as A-listers Cate Blanchett and Sienna Miller, check out Ciel, the new label from British designer Sarah Ratty.
Hip, luxurious and special are words that come to mind, style-wise, when perusing the latest collection from the designer who brought you Conscious Earthwear. Smart and aware also come to mind. Created with green fabrics and practices, Ciel’s signature pieces make a more ethical and environmental choice available to stylish women.
For those of you not fortunate enough to be on this year’s guest list (or able to pay $500 for a ticket) G Living will be your eyes and ears at this year’s 17th annual Environmental Media Awards (EMAs). We are taking G LIVING’s REAL G on location, couch and all. We will make sure Nobel Prize winner, Former Vice President Al Gore, and all his Hollywood friends get cozy on the G Living Couch and get real!
Recycled wood gets a big thumbs up from me. As does great design. Especially when it’s for the office, where I seem to be spending most of my time these days.
But this “Xcetera” desk isn’t working for me at all. Designed by Basten Leijh of Bieijh Concepts & Design, whose aim (according to his company’s website) is to “combine esthetics and function”, this new line of furniture was created with Westra, a Dutch company with a flair for office funkiness. And this desk is the first of many offerings in the collection that be brought to market in the hopes of visually jazzing up the workplace through its use of lively colors and groovy shapes.
Blue-Eyed Son’s Andrew Heilprin is the former front man for 40 Watt Domain (the group that created the sonic surf smoke punk genre) whose album “West of Lincoln” shows off the singer/songwriter’s stripped down, acoustic side. An avid surfer and outdoorsman, Andrew recently stopped by to perform an exclusive 2-song set on The Real G and chat about his environmental concerns.
I caught up with Andrew this afternoon via telephone to find out what he’d been up to since his “great” (his word) experience on The Real G. He said he’d gone “to Mexico and scored some insane surf,” which he’s editing footage of right now for possible use on his website.
Since reports of endangered animals usually follow the same trajectory, I’m thrilled to report an anomaly.
For three-quarters of a century, the Mauritius Echo Parakeet has been dying out at an alarming rate. When the breed entered the “critically endangered” category on the World Conservation Union’s annual Red List of threatened species, it was expected to go the way of the dodo.
But after years of controlled breeding experiments, this bird has done an incredible thing: not only has it managed to hang on to life, it’s actually upped its status from “critically endangered” to simply “endangered”. Continue Reading / See Additional Photos
There’s no excuse for not carrying your own reusable shopping bag. Easy words, I know, but now it’s true. The excuse I hear (and use) most often is “I keep forgetting to put the bag in my car” or “It doesn’t fit in my glove box” or “my purse” or “my pocket”.
Clearly, Flip & Tumble had that in mind when they developed their low-density, strong nylon 24-7 bag. Small and lightweight, it’s designed to be with you at all times, whether you keep it in your purse, your backpack – or your car’s cupholder.
How does a reusable bag fit into all those places? Four simple words: scrunch, flip, flip, tumble. (Okay, technically that’s three words. But it’s four procedures.)
When not in use, the 24-7 Flip & Tumble lives in a small ball-shaped pouch only 3” in diameter (approximately the size of a peach). And if you find yourself suddenly buying organic produce on your way home from work, all you need to do is (from the Flip & Tumble site):
G / Design It’s amazing how easy it is to now go completely leather free, with amazing leather like fabrics by Joseph Noble. They make a range of fabrics with feel better than leather and last longer
G / Food The Ultimate Sausage and Pepper Pizza – RAW It’s Rawfully Tempting!
G / Food Chocolate Fruit and Almond Bark – D E C A D E N T and H E A L T H Y! Sooo Rawfully Tempting!
G / Food The edible cups are made entirely out of agar agar (a gelatin substitute).
G / Design a solar-powered collapsible lamp lights up when unfolded.
G / Food The Ultimate Sausage & Pepper Pizza by Rawfully Tempting
G / Food Creamy Mocha Mousse Cake
G / Video A visual poem by Tanya Davis. How To Be Alone
G / Food Killer Chocolate Fudge Mousse & Banana Parfait.
This is one DECADENT dessert and not for the feint of heart.
G / Style Well, this o so stylish hat called Double Crown O’Thorns, is definitely a bold look, especially if you wear the entire black head to toe suggestive accompanying outfit.
