Oh hello Etsy!

Chocolate Lab Puppy (this one sold, but there is a new one posted)

I decided to post some of my small sketches on Etsy yesterday. I think a lot of hobby painters get to the point where they do more "warm-up" works than anything else, and I'm certainly no exception. My small apartment has one large room dedicated to my art equipment and it's over flowing with older, smaller works - so I figured I'd try putting them out there in the world. 


For example, last year, for one of my classes I painted 36 8" x 8" puppy paintings. This repetitive painting project was aimed at creating multiple similar, yet unique portraits of a number of the breeds most commonly found to be produced at puppy mills in N. America. 

Puppy Mill Project Installed

Each 8" x 8" painting is produced using a series of stencils and some freehand painting. Each painting is a unique combination of colours – so while they look remarkably similar to one another, they are each their own dog.


A number of these puppies are available on Esty for a tiny $19 - $5 of which will go to the Montreal SPCA, as I feel like those folks have to deal with a lot of unwanted dogs resulting from this kind of cruel, surplus breeding.

International Conference on Degrowth in the Americas

Next May, Montreal universities will host the first International Conference on Degrowth in the Americas. This conference presents an opportunity for students and the general public to interact with scholars, artists and professionals interested in reshaping society into one that is more just and sustainable.

"Twenty years after the Earth Summit in Rio, the linkage of sustainable development to economic growth requires profound rethinking. It has not offered a convincing solution to one of the most dramatic crises in history: how to avert ecological collapse while enhancing social justice and improving life’s prospects. In advance of Rio plus 20, our Conference seeks to challenge and move beyond the sustainable development agenda. A degrowth perspective will help us visualize and build towards a truly prosperous world." Read more...

There is an open call for proposals with the intent to "build a degrowth movement in the Americas with rigorous examination of issues, involving academia and social movements, arts and sciences, thought and living experiences. For this purpose it will be a "slow" one-week long conference to experience degrowth." Read more...

Propaganda Techniques Bingo!

As we enter the dark depths of winter, I would like to share with you a new take on an old game I've developed for those of you who are occasionally brave enough to watch news television. This is is a game that you can play alone or with the whole family, no matter your political persuasion - as persuasion seems to be the only thing cable news is up to these days. 


For your family entertainment pleasure: Propaganda Techniques Bingo!

  
The rules are simple: 

1. Learn a little bit about Propaganda Techniques.
2. Turn on, say Fox news, or even CBC's The Lang and O'Leary Exchange.
3. Prepare bingo card, use loose change as tokens
4. Pay less attention to the content of the program, but rather the methods of communication employed by guests and/or "journalists."
5. place a token on appropriate square when the inevitable technique to used. First one with a complete line wins. Note: you can even play alone - if there is a winning card, journalism automatically loses.

Note: The above graphic is designed using a free ecofont. Saves toner.

The Clinton Global Initiative for Universities

Again from a recent email I received, this may be of interest to some folks out there: 


"The Clinton Global Initiative for Universities is an initiative created by ex-President Clinton to engage the youth of the world to commit to social justice and concrete action that could help people in their community, and in their world.

The main activity of the Clinton Global Initiative for Universities is to raise awareness about the CGI U general meeting. In 2011, the meeting assembled thousands of student leaders, dignitaries, and national youth organizations together to discuss issues of global importance. The speakers included Mandy Moore, Sean Penn, and Bill Clinton himself.

Students can apply to this meeting by committing themselves to solving a social issue. This can be in conjunction with efforts that they are already putting in to solving either problems at the local, national, or international level. CGI U aims to foster these commitments, and then help support them with any resources available at our disposal.

While applications and commitments are on hold for CGI U 2012 as the final meeting date and place are being set, interested applicants can apply for the campus representative team at http://www.cgiu.org/about/campus_representatives.asp."

Course in Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in Canada and the Global South

Montreal's Social Justice Committee is coordinating a new Certificate course on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in Canada and the Global South.


From an email I received today:

The SJC invites you to take part in a new certificate course: 
Economic, social and cultural rights in Canada and the Global South 



What are economic, social and cultural rights? What are the agreements in place to protect them? What are groups doing in Canada to defend these rights at home and abroad? 

This five-week popular education course will serve an introduction to economic, social and cultural rights. Participants will learn from guest speakers, share their knowledge, and work together to develop strategies for social change.

September 20 - October 18, 2011, Tuesday evenings at 6:00pm
Cost: $35 (Contact us if a sliding scale is needed)
Location: Centre St-Pierre, 1212 Rue Panet, Montreal (Metro Beaudry)
Wheelchair accessible. Childcare available upon request. Food and drink provided. 
To register, and  for more information on participating speakers, visit www.sjc-cjs.org.
 Course schedule:
Each week guest speakers will explore specific issues related to economic, social and cultural rights, and discuss their work defending these rights in Canada and the Global South.

Week One: Introduction to economic, social and cultural rights with a focus on the right to an adequate standard of living•    Equitas on the history of economic, social and cultural rights
•    Project Genesis on anti-poverty activism in Montreal
•    Social Justice Committee on how debt and international trade affect global poverty

Week Two: The right to work and labour rights•    PINAY on the rights of migrant Filipino women workers in Quebec
•    Children’s Care International on child trafficking and international child labour

Week Three: The right to health and social security•    Head & Hands on young people's access to sexual health care and education in Quebec
•    Handicap International on anti-landmine agreements and the rights of the disabled globally

Week Four: The right to family life•    LGBT Family Coalition on the legal and social recognition of LGBT families in Quebec
•    Canadian Crossroads International on women’s rights and gender-based violence in Africa

Week Five: Self-determination and the rights of indigenous people•    Chief Ghislain Picard on Plan Nord and the self-determination of First Nations in Quebec
•    Father Ernie Schibli on Canadian mining and the rights of indigenous people in Latin America

This project is made possible by generous donations from the Human Rights Program, Canadian Heritage and L'Association québécoise des organismes de coopération internationale (AQOCI).

Materials Analysis Tool Animation

I've been keeping busy working on a project with McGill's University Services to develop a tool to help their designers and consultants make more sustainable building and maintenance product choices. The tool is called MAT, short for Materials Analysis Tool.

We are just in the testing stages right now and are hoping to launch mid-to-late September. In the meantime, I'm working on a short promotional video to for McGill's Sustainability Projects Fund, the organization that funded the project.

Here is a little teaser - this short animation introduces the criteria that are used in the framework of analysis for  MAT.

What to do with your old helmet.

an old roller derby helmet makes an excellent hanging basket for spring flowers

(for those of you who didn't get the #7734 before, I hope it's obvious now)

In any sport where hitting your head is such a risk that wearing a helmet is either a rule or generally advisable, you occasionally have to replace them. Any time you take a major blow to your helmet, it becomes is compromised in that area and may merit replacement (learn more about single v. multiple impact helmets here). As a result of several years playing derby, I have amassed a few of these and I just can't throw them out, as I feel there is too much useful material still intact. 

This year I have decided to make a few hanging flower baskets out of them - as demonstrated in the above photo. I lined them with an old plastic bag and then poked some holes in the bag through the helmet vent to allow for drainage - filled them with dirt and seeds and that's it.