Replating is the term coined by design studio Language In Common for the simple act of giving away leftover food by leaving it on top of garbage cans. Sort of a small scale version of City Harvest. The replate idea is being spread by their website and with downloadable posters and stickers that explain the process. They started this open source food activism campaign as an easy way of channeling this potentially wasted food to the homeless and others that may desperately need it. There are some potential problems in the widespread roll out of Replating such as the food drawing rodents, or the lack of flat surfaced garbage cans in New York City. Overall a good concept, and a step in the right direction.

Replate

[via Neatorama]

In a nutshell, gasification is a process of heating up any carbon-rich material in a special container that produces carbon monoxide and hydrogen which is then burned as fuel. These materials includes coal, petroleum and more importantly, biomass, plastic and items we would consider garbage. Besides running the squat on gasification, they also successfully powered cars by the process.

Perhaps the best news of all is that the waste product (called carbon char) is actually beneficial for the environment.

The key in making a 21st century environmentally friendly process out of an old 20th century machine is the char left over after gasification. In the Amazon rain forest, scientifically mysterious processes create a charcoal known as terra preta (“black earth”) or “agri-char,” which has been used for thousands of years to enrich the soil and boost agricultural productivity. More recently, it got a glowing write-up in Scientific American in May 2007 and made Wired’s “JargonWatch” this March.

By taking the leftover carbon char and plowing it back into the ground, gasification might do more than the mostly carbon-neutral act of burning biofuel. The process is potentially carbon-negative, keeping most of the carbon in the ground rather than the atmosphere while helping plants grow faster, which takes still more carbon out of the atmosphere.

Reason Magazine: Power To The People

So, we’ve locked down our event space and our date for our next event: July 17th at Fort Mason by the marina. We’re gradually building our list of speakers - it’s the same general theme on trends and creative ideas and we’ll present local inspirational speakers.

Do feel free to buy a ticket now as they sold out early at the last event.

Details & tickets: www.psfkconferencesanfrancisco.com

We hope you guys can make it.

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Last year, over 45,000 people from all across the country (and beyond) came to the Bay Area to celebrate the world’s premier event for DIY creativity. This year, May 3rd and 4th, the event returns to the San Mateo Fairgrounds once again, for what will be the biggest and wildest Maker Faire yet! Put together by Make Magazine and Craft Magazine, Maker Faire celebrates things people create themselves—from electronic gizmos that would make James Bond jealous, to “slow made” foods and homemade clothes that would make Martha Stewart swoon. The event is a non-stop “wow-fest” where surprises and inspiration are as ubiquitous as the festival air.

“At the surface, Maker Faire is a fun event for people of all ages,” explained Event Director Sherry Huss. “But more than just a weekend of creative entertainment, we want people to leave feeling inspired—that they too can create things, express themselves, and engage the world around them. Our goal is to resuscitate the spirit of American innovation!”

Named “Best Special Event” at the 2007 FOLIO FAME Awards, the 2008 Bay Area Maker Faire will put a special emphasis on “Green” living. There will be a huge exhibit featuring Farm Aid’s Homegrown Village, a local farmer’s market, Swap-O-Rama-Rama’s giant used clothing swap, DIY workshops and fashion show, Bazaar Bizarre’s crafts fair, a live Prius plug-in car conversion from Bay Area’s Calcars.org, and much, much more.

Included in this exhibition are portraits of the pregnant Demi Moore, Nelson Mandela in Soweto, and George W. Bush in the White House; searing photo-journalism from the siege of Sarajevo; haunting landscapes from the American West and Jordan; and personal photos documenting the birth of her three daughters and other scenes of private family life.

Join us for these huge parties with a purpose. You’ll enjoy more than 200 visionary speakers and 400 green businesses in each city, great how-to workshops, green films, yoga and movement classes, green careers sessions, organic beer and wine, delicious organic cuisine and live music.

Learn: Attend lectures and workshops by thought leaders, business visionaries and community activists shaping the green movement.

Network: Connect with like-minded individuals and organizations who are committed to the possibility of a better world. Get Involved! Learn about organizations effecting positive and sustainable change in our region, our country, and the around the planet.

Socialize: Have fun interacting with others, for the sheer joy of it. Meet interesting people who share common interests. Spend some time at the food court and listen to local musicians. Parents, find a place to relax in the Family Rest Stop.

Eat Well: Sample delicious, healthy, organic, and sustainably produced food prepared on site. ALL FOODWARE IS BIODEGRADEABLE - COMPOST! WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO BRING YOUR OWN FOODWARE TO THE EVENT.

Greening the Event: We believe in deep sustainability - to achieve intergenerational equity, we must design equity into the present. We try to address all aspects of the event - beginning with our own consciousness and the budgetary process.

The Green Economy Expo: If you are a green business of any size, this could be the perfect place for you to connect to your target audience. Call 1-877-727-2179 to exhibit your products. See who’s Exhibiting in 2005.

Shop at the Green Festival for all of your Holiday Gifts! Purchase goods and services from 300 exhibitors who practice the principles of sustainability, ecology, and social equity. Go shopping online - we’ve identified online resources for green goods.

After Seattle, the party heads to Chicago.