activist may

causes :: we definitely wouldn't complain about watching videos of justin timberlake, bradley cooper, and sean penn, but since it is for the DNA foundation, that makes it all the better! aimed at targeting the widespread sex trafficking problem, this campaign (directed by keith schofield of caviar) from demi moore and ashton kutcher's non-profit breaks down what a real man is. we are all about it!

3 likes  18 repins  

music to inspire :: rome was just released, and like anything danger mouse touches, we are loving it! if the music isn't enough for you, rome worked with the google chrome experiment to produce one of the most interesting art projects/videos we've seen in quite some time. and have we mentioned how much we love the google chrome "it gets better" project? yes? well, it definitely deserves a reiteration! the full album is available for download on itunes.

1 repin  

music to inspire :: rhino records pop-up store returns to westwood from may 27th to june 12th. a longtime los angeles favorite, we were sad to see the rhino records storefront shudder several years back, but we anxiously await its return at 10952 santa monica boulevard for these few glorious weeks. the shop will be stocked with its usual eclectic collection of vinyl, music paraphernalia and other nostalgic gems. and the best part? the charity tie-in to musicares, which "provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need." join the fun at the pop-up at the end of the month!

music to inspire :: we've written about best coast before, so excuse us if we are a bit redundant, but it really seems like may has been her month! coming off the success of her campaign with mtv to end sex trafficking (check out the "no exit" track produced by black iris music), we were able to catch her headline a free show at ucla to benefit anti-sex trafficking non-profits. she's talented, beautiful, and philanthropic - what a package!

music to inspire :: we can't quite figure out how we didn't catch on to redhot.org until now, but this not-for-profit production organization is amazing! they produce amazing work with proceeds going to benefit aids/hiv research. the red hot + rio 2 album is inspired by the tropicalia music movement and features some of our favorites, including beck, seu jorge, aloe blacc, jose gonzalez, beirut, david byrne, and so many more. we are quite excited for the release on june 28th!

music to inspire :: though by no means a new advent to the activist scene, we were shuffling through our itunes the other day and came across the "chickens in love" cd and remembered what a lovely project it is (and what great summer listening it makes)! local non-profit 826LA are the masterminds behind the effort, pairing students with musicians to create awesome songs, written and largely crafted by students in middle and high school. artists included on the project (which is available for purchase on itunes) include edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros, fiona apple, she & him, cold war kids, and more. we are particularly fond of the title track "chickens in love." give it a listen!

1 like  

eco-friendly living :: one of the downsides to living in wonderful los angeles is the lack of gardening space. natural mind salon in los feliz has remedied that problem by offering vertical gardening on the side of the building! we love this community effort not to mention the natural architectural beauty it lends to the salon. get your green thumb on!

2 likes  6 repins  

eco-friendly living :: good dining can be just as eco-friendly as making the decision to ride your bike or buying recyclable goods! cafe gratitude has delicious 100 percent organic vegan foods for your environmentally-minded palette. the community bowl is a fun feature of the restaurant too; it's gratitude's own equivalent of a grassroots culinary experiment.

2 repins  

eco-friendly living :: just when we thought etsy couldn't get any better, they launch eco-etsy, a blog counterpart which offers helpful solutions for green living! complete with fun tutorials and links to etsy shops where you can get some cute digs, this is a great tool for those of us who are trying to save some cash and our planet while we're at it!

eco-friendly living :: cicLAvia is a social integration. spawned from ciclovias in bogota, colombia, cicLAvia took over los angeles this past year or so, empowering our city citizens to park their cars for a day and explore la streets by bicycle. reducing emissions and promoting community, we are all about cicLAvia.

1 like  4 repins  

eco-friendly living :: chewing the cud's eco-chic line is the perfect environmentally friendly stationary. we fell in love with chewing the cud this winter when we ordered our holiday cards from them. we stumbled across their eco-chic line not too long ago and gosh-darn-it if they haven't stolen our hearts again!

causes :: so you've got your warby parker glasses and it's time to throw on those cute toms shoes. we may have mentioned in our sxsw top fives that we have a bit of a crush on toms founder blake mycoskie, but besides that toms is launching a very exciting new one-for-one campaign on june 7th. can't wait to hear what's next from them!

causes :: warby parker glasses are chic and charitable! warby parker has donated over 50,000 pairs of glasses to those in need. buy a pair of one of their many stylish designs and a pair goes to someone in need. reciprocity at its best!

causes :: the teacher salary project is "a feature-lenght documentary film, interactive online resource, and national outreach campaign to change how the best teachers are valued in our society." we were lucky enough to attend an early screening of the movie at the caa earlier this month, and we were quite impressed with the film and our big advocates of this effort. if that doesn't sell you, you get to listen to the smooth cadence of matt damon's narration. now that's a done deal.

causes :: the "it gets better" project from google chrome was created "to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach - if they can just get through their teen years." we can't lie, the commercial (featuring editing from our favorites over at The Whitehouse Post) did make us cry. we are inspired by dan savage and all of the contributors to this campaign. well done!

2 likes  8 repins