This past Sunday, power went out for PEPCO power customers across the east coast after unexpected flash storms and tornadoes hit the area. Some neighborhoods are still without power and are being told that power may not be restored until Saturday. If you find yourself without power have no fear all you need is an igloo cooler and a few tools you can get at Home depot and you can create your own IkePak Emergency Power Kit. Check out the link to the article for more information and instructions on how you can make your own life saver during the next power outage.
If you are tired of seeing poor little animals covered in oil, then have no fear Video Vixen Esther Baxter has decided to donate her time and her cakes for a psa on the oil spill. Click read more to see the pics and the link to her exclusive interview with Vibe.com (more…)
Diddy has added a new lady in his life and her name is Mother Earth. Hip Hop Wired is reporting today that the rapper/producer/Beast of Reality TV will open up an eco-friendly Sean John store made of all recycled materials. Check out the video of the store and click on the link to read the full post from Hiphopwired.com
Here at Checktheweather.net everyday is Earth Day but we always get excited when Earth Day or really Earth Month rolls around. We are even more excited about some uber-fly and eco-friendly events going on around the country. Check out our list of where you need to be this weekend if you are feeling fresh and green. read more for the full descriptions (more…)
Maybe somebody sent Slim Thug and Young Dro our post on how toxic Lil’ Wayne’s gold grill really is because now they have replaced the diamond encrusted grills for good ‘ol icy white veneers. Check this article from necolebitchie.com to see what we mean.
1,000 bucks and having your work featured on greenforall.org, man that’s dope. It’s also what’s up for grabs in Green For All’s first ever Dream Reborn Art Contest. People from all over the country submitted raps, videos, poetry and artwork that represent and support a transition to a clean energy economy that is strong enough to stop pollution and poverty at the same time.
Want an idea of some of the projects? Check out one of the video contributions from Youth leader Ebony Payne from Washington, DC:
Visit http://contestvote.greenforall.org/ Today (February 24, 2010) and cast your vote for the best piece. Hurry today’s the last day so take a moment and vote. You don’t want them featuring anything you can’t stand then you’ll have to see it every time you visit Green For All’s site (ugh that would be extra whack)
Thanks to our homies at Greenjar.net for the heads up.
When Adidas released the GRUN collection first in 08, they made a statement about eco-friendly street wear. They’ve re-released a new collection, this time with dope jackets and sneakers. The whole collection uses eco-friendly materials and an environmentally sound production process. Green capitalism? Maybe. But the hip hop generation can’t ignore its devotion to street wear as expression, especially from such a pivotal/historical brand as the 3 stripes. We gotta applaud for the effort.
This summer some of the hottest artist from John Legend to the Fray to Snoop Dogg are going green. GreenJar.net is catching up on all the action. Check out this video from Green Jar’s KidGREEN at the REVERB Concert with the Fray!
Songwriter, vocalist and eco-activist with New York based Urban Go Green, Ihsan Muhammad, has always known her voice was destined for greatness. At the tender age of five, Ihsan was making up her own songs and getting people to sing along. Today, she uses her powerful vocal skills and lyrical expertise to create a soundtrack for change in her world and her community. As part of our New Music Tuesdays series, Checktheweather.net sat down with Ihsan to discuss how she’s using her talent to advocate for Green Jobs, not Jails and help urban America Go Green.
Every movement requires music and I wanted to be a part of the creation of music that would inspire the mood and the movement.
CTW: When did you start singing?
Ihsan: I started singing at five. I was on a boat traveling down the Nile river in Egypt and I made up this song and everybody on the boat started singing my song with me. I became a professional singer in 2001 and it became somewhat meditative for me. It [singing] gave me something else to do with my voice. At the time I starting taking singing seriously I was working as a youth mentor and I noticed that singing was oftentimes more effective in getting my message across than talking.
CTW: What inspired you to write your two Green songs, Go Green Get Green and Ain’t Goin’ Let it Burn?
Ihsan: Go Green Get Green came from reading more and more about the green movement, learning about what it was and looking at it as an opportunity for our communities to go back to sustaining and supporting ourselves like we used to during the 40’s and 50’s. I want to communicate this movement as a way to healthfully sustain ourselves.
Ain’t gonna let it burn is a call and response song inspired by “the Roof is on Fire” It[ain't gonna let it burn] makes the audience feel accountable for the wellness of the planet. It’s a little more “angsty”. I wanted to make a song that would make the audience want to do something. If you don’t do anything than you are aiding and abetting. Every movement requires music and I wanted to be a part of the creation of music that would inspire the mood and the movement.
CTW: What is your vision of success for the Green Movement?
Ihsan: Artist who are activists tend to be marginalized but I think we can be helpful in the creation of a movement. My goal is that we will be able to get to a point where we reach a critical mass of awareness of what the Green Jobs movement is about. I have brothers in jail and I hope the energy I have created will help them get jobs once they get out. I see Green Jobs as redemptive for all who have contributed to demise of our culture whether they wanted to or not. They can give back in ways that can make them feel good about themselves and make them strong again.
CTW: Your vision is amazing do you have any last words for the readers of Checktheweather.net?
Ihsan: I want to commend ya’ll for what you’re doing building up checktheweather.net. This is a youth movement and we are the ones making it happen. We are all connected whether we feel it or not.
Want to hear Ihsan live in concert? She will be performing this weekend, July 11th along with Dead Prez, Green Lantern and the So-So Glo’s at the City Sol Concert at Stuyvesant Cove Park in New York City. You can also visit her myspace page myspace.com/ihsanmusic to listen to and download some of Ihsan’s hottest tracks.
Shouts out to Urban Go Green doing it up in Harlem! visit their page here
Amal-Bennett Judge, Howard University Junior and contributor on Checktheweather.net was recently highlighted in the Huffington Post and on Mother Nature Network.com
Bennett-Judge says she plans to continue running until she wins and makes it to the world-famous Miss USA pageant — on a green platform. It’s one of several big ways the college junior is pushing green initiatives in Washington, particularly at her school, Howard University, one of the nation’s top historically black colleges. Howard has also landed on college fashion top 10 lists in recent years, and Bennett-Judge hopes to use that attention to make an impact on students.
