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By admin, September 1, 2009 11:51 am

The problem with abundance is that it makes us lazy and wasteful. The more The GreenFly flies around, the more we see this.  We have to be at the precipice of disaster for us to use our resources carefully.

And so it is with animals and their use in testing:  from pure research like genetics and behavioral studies to applied (e.g. commercial) research such as biomedical research, drug testing and toxicology testing for the cosmetics industry and pharmaceuticals.  Animals are even used in defense work (the GreenFly has always claimed that even a monkey could shoot a gun!).

Of course in the current climate of pull-your-own-damn-self-up-regardless-of-whether-you-can-read-write-or-even-hold-a-fork the running attitude is that animals are just another resource that we can exploit:  our pals at The Onion show how totally ridiculous this “logic” is if we run it out to its absurd conclusion:

The Onion News: Should Animals Be Responsible For Their Own Rights?

The GreenFly knows that if animals could unionize, possessed opposable thumbs and had any sense of our history with them on the planet, mankind would be in line for the biggest whup ass ever!  We’ve captured this spirit in one of our shirts

See the little man in the needle?  You’ve been warned!

But since that’s not in the cards we need to start thinking about our animal sisters and brothers as not just another resource that’s been made available to us for our exploitation willy nilly.  Once we do that we can start thinking of other ways to conduct scientific experimentation, exploration and testing.   And the time is now to start thinking about alternatives to just exploiting animals for whatever we need.

The Humane Society of the United State’s website states that:  “The term “alternative” in the context of animal testing is used to describe any change from present procedures that will result in the replacement of animals, a reduction in the numbers used, or a refinement of techniques to alleviate or minimize potential pain, distress and/or suffering.”

And even if a complete replacement of animal testing with alternative test methods is not realistic forn the immediate future. Still, the fact that alternative test methods are being discovered, promoted and implemented is pretty freakin’ encouraging.

A recent article in the Tennessean reported that David Cliffel, a Vanderbilt University chemist, recently received a grant to develop an alternative to animal testing from the Alternatives Research and Development Foundation to “assess the potential of an advanced cell monitoring system for reducing the use of animals in toxicity testing. . . . Cliffel’s system focuses on methods that evaluate chemicals’ effects using human cells and cell cultures instead of relying so heavily on animal studies.”

This form of testing is particularly dependent on animal systems so any new method will have to show itself to be at least as effective.  But there may be other bonuses:  less cost, faster cycling in testing. simpler lab methodologies (without the necessity to feed and house living animals before and during testing) as well as possible simpler assessement and analysis of results.  And of course we get to dispense with the horrible practice of breeding hundreds of animals only for them to be euthanized. This could be the future of alternative toxicity testing and hopefully David Cliffel’s new system proves to be the bellcow to lead all those other sheep, uh we mean, scientists to alternative testing systems.

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By admin, August 23, 2009 1:11 pm

The GreenFly hangs out on many walls so we speak with authority when we say that graffiti is as green as it gets! Now we’re not talking about ego-driven, it’s-all-bout-me, BS no-talent tagging (see bottom of this post). No we’re talking CMYK-righteous, double-fisted, spray-can-wielding street art, like this image from United Graffiti Artists, vintage 1973:

United Graffiti Artists in 1973. From left, first row: COCO 144 and Hugo Martinez; second row: Rican 619, LEE 163, and Nova 1; third row: Rick 2, Ray-B 954, Cano 1, SJK 171, Snake 1, and Stay-High 149; fourth row (standing): Stitch I, Phase 2, Charmin 65, Bug 170. Photo at right, a LEE mural from 1982. (Photo: Courtesy of Martinez Gallery)

And who but some anal-retentive nutter is going to complain about this creative revitalization of decrepit space, derelict buildings, and crumbling subways:  oh somebody for sure.  But The GreenFly delights in  such civil service masquerading as disobedience – the very fact that a drab and totally utilitarian space suddenly assaults your senses with colors and shapes rioting together forces our attention on our surroundings! drawn into those surroundings, give us something visually stimulating and also forces us to think!

Another GreenFly graffiti fave is Edina Tokodi whose work is essentially guerilla-gardening graffiti – an inspired mix!  Her moss installations of animal figures and camouflage outgrowths are totally cool.  Abigal Doan of “Inhabitat” writes: “The work of Tokodi is meant to be touched, felt, and in turn touch you in the playful ways that her animated installations call to mind a more familiar, environmentally friendly state in the barren patches of urban existence.”  Just what the numbed urban soul needs:  a green, fuzzy bunny to tickle on their way to the subterranean subway dankness.

The Fly’s current favorite environmental activist, okay, lawbreaker, though is Peter Gibson, a.k.a “Roadsworth”, who kicks it up a notch!  A frustrated cyclist, Gibson began painting fake extra bicycle lanes onto Montreal roads back in 2001. He enjoyed this combo activism-street art so much that he decided to expand on his talent.  We dig his whimsy and philosophy; to whit, the following quote, taken from Peter’s inspiring artist statement, is the best read we’ve had in a while.  Go read the whole thing. It would take you more time to make a Hot Pocket and this won’t make you want to kill yourself later.

“For a long time I had been grumbling about the ill effects of a society dependant on oil and bent on over-consumption in general and our seeming unwillingness and/or inability to confront these issues despite our better intentions. The more the litany of complaints grew over an overstrained health-care system, obese children, bronchial disease, traffic congestion, pollution, global warming, war etc and the human misery these cause, the bigger and more fuel guzzling cars there were, the longer the lines of traffic grew and the hotter and smoggier the summer seemed to get. At best this apparent disconnect between our behavior and its consequences was symptomatic of a society grown complacent and unable to overcome its own inertia. ..

The ability that street art gave me to respond, to express these perceptions in some way not only gave me a sense of empowerment but also helped relieve a certain amount of frustration that I attribute as much to personal factors as I do to societal ones. But there were other aspects that motivated me. There was the creative, artistic pleasure I derived from it. A desire to inject a sense of playfulness into my own life and surroundings. ..

To express oneself outside of the ‘accepted’ context however is to risk a certain amount of criticism. After all, who am I to impose my opinions on others? I don‘t pretend to have answers for anything and the complexity of the world is beyond the scope of my understanding but I still believe that I have the right to ask  ‘Who are you to push hamburgers on me?’ or ‘Who are you to pollute my air?’ or ‘Who are you to tell me to go to war?’ Despite my cynicism, I feel … that an industrial-age mentality is no longer adequate to the challenges that humanity is faced with. Though maybe not purely altruistic, there is an awareness that the interest of others could also be in ones own interest. Big words for a vandal.”

Note To Roadsworth:  Hey impose your opinion all you want if you do it with art that presents a new perspective all by itself!

Then there’s  Kurt Wenner and Julian Beever, two extremely popular street artists who, like Peter, also manage to surprise mass of amounts of people with their public displays of perspective.

Wenner is famous for inventing three dimensional street art, the transformation of average sidewalks into huge realistic 3-D scenes through the use of pastels. One of his most famous chalk drawings is Gears of War. Here’s Wenner’s “opinion”:

“Street painting festivals seem to fill a great need for the artists and the public. The artists are able to set aside their fears and self-doubt and share the process of creating a work with the public. The public is delighted to see the process and have it accessible.”

Wenner’s amazing work inspired many other street artists, including Julian Beever, a.k.a “The Pavement Picasso.”  This video of how he created his famous Crevasse painting underscores one of The GreenFly’s pet peeves:  that things aren’t always what they look like!

So in this spirit of turning visual assumptions on their ass, The GreenFly presents, last but not least, the greenest of the green graffiti art: Reverse Graffiti. Started by Paul Curtis, a.k.a “Moose”, reverse graffiti is created by cleaning select areas of dirt and general gross-ness off of a surface to form the art piece. Moose teamed up with GreenWorks in 2008 to create a documentary where he scraped and scrubbed his way to a new and improved mural of San Fransisco on the walls of San Fransisco’s Broadway Tunnel.

And what kind of role models would be if we didn’t encourage you to go out and paint your own town green?

Streetart is a collaborative weblog for photos of DIY posters, guerilla stickers, home-made stencils and more. The GreenFly wants you to let your subversive, green flag fly with this great tool and then send it our way at info@greenflyshop.com.

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By greenflyshop, July 18, 2009 6:35 am

Round up the PVC Novelty (aka Sex Toy) Executives and Shoot Them Full o’ Pthalates

In the spirit of The Fly’s Patron Saint, George Carlin (may he RIP), sex toys should be sick, not make you sick.*

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9GynoPVyRY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00]

The next time you get ready to snuggle up to your favorite purple porpoise for priapic pleasure, pause before you light your scented candles and take a deep breath. Assuming that your climax-cuddle-bunny is clean, we’re gonna wager that what you’re smelling is something like the brand-new vinyl shower curtain stench. We hate to ruin the mood, but there’s dirty, and then there’s downright dangerous. Most of your popular (and more affordable) sex toys are composed of a reeking combo of PVC, phthalates and paraben. These are the same toxic chemicals that were found in the huge number of children’s toys that Congress banned the sale of earlier this year. Check out the excellent investigative reporting on the risks of phthalates and what alternatives are available.

Full Disclosure: The Fly is still pissed that most of the phthalate research was done on animals.

If it were up to us we’d round up all these sex toy importers and give them a prostate exam with a plunger!

The Fly

*You can prick your finger, but you can’t finger your prick!”–G. Carlin

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By greenflyshop, June 29, 2009 8:05 am

Ahem. On July 4th we’ll be having a 25% off sale on all of our shirts. Just use your greedy little paws to enter the discount code 1776. You’re welcome.

Now for the real dirt.

You might want to sit down.

I recently decided to ask people if they knew what happened to their garbage after it got tossed in the trash can. My quest began with my 42 year old neighbor, who claimed that the Garbage Fairy was responsible for cleaning up after us. She managed to explain this idea to me between swigs of Long Island Iced Tea.

“The magical Garbage Fairy is kin to (hic) the Recycling Fairy, you know? She arrives on garbage day in her enchanted garbage truck once a week and empties my trash cans. Then she totes my old plastic bags and egg cartons off to her (hic) secret lair. Who knows where she hides her treasures or what crazy uses she has for them? I once left a note in my trash can with the suggestion that she use them to build a (hic) quieter vehicle, but the sly gal never answered. C’est la vie. In the end, she’s happy; I’m happy – it’s a beautiful relationship.”

Right. After I left her house I called my Dad to ask him the same thing and, let’s face it, to make fun of my neighbor.

“Isn’t that the most pathetic thing you’ve ever heard, Dad?”
“Hmmm?”
“Dad. You do know where your garbage goes after you’re done with it, right?”
“Oh yeah, yeah. In the trash can.”
“But after that. After it’s picked up.”
“. . . by the Garbage Fairy?”
“Are you fucking with me?”
“ (hic)”

That’s it.  I’d ask the rest of you in person but I’ve lost all hope in humanity. Redeem it, please.

[polldaddy poll=1744854]

The amount of things getting thrown away every day that could be recycled is insane. One of our fans obviously feels the same way, and has sent in a photo of herself wearing our “WTF? Recycle Already!” shirt.

Thanks for the love. Send in your own photos, videos or links that you want us to check out and we’ll reward you with a claim to fame right here.

Coming soon: More garbage and we give you dirt about inspiring people who are living green in unbelievably EXTREME ways.

Here’s to being trashy in the best way possible,
The Fly

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