What does it mean to build healthy relationships in the world?

I think it’s safe to say that we all look for meaning in our lives in some way.  We try to build relationships with other people that will ultimately bring meaning, purpose, and hopefully love into our lives.

NightLight offers intervention for those who have been exploited, and hosts programs to help them rediscover their dignity and value in the world. The organization works one-on-one with every woman and child, and helps them realize their true potential.  One such example is teaching the women in the program to make handcrafted jewelry as an economic alternative to prostitution.  With each ring, bracelet, necklace, there’s a story to be told.

This is how the folks at NightLight not only change the world around them, but change their personal world. Building empowerment and changing the world really starts within the individual. We should take the time to realize the unique value that we can bring into today’s world before we go out and try to change it.

What if were to discover something unique within us that can really contribute to the world?  What if we developed a passion for a particular cause and invested our whole selves into that area?  The truth is that there is something out there that makes us unique; there’s something that makes us stand out.  What if we pursued that uniqueness, embraced it, and spread it to the whole world, whether it’s a story, an idea, a passion, or a desire?

Think of the positive change that we can see in the world today.  Think of how powerful a movement we can create together.  How do we live a life of meaning?  Or how do we try to pursue it?  Let’s start within ourselves and figure it out.

-BN with the Roozt team

What do rabbits and algae have in common?  If the word “prolific” popped into your head, you’re right on the Rooztbux.   But what makes the abundance of this green slime so important is the fact that, within your lifetime, your car might be running on it.  Certain species of this miracle plant suck in carbon dioxide and convert it to oil through photosynthesis (oh, the wonders of Mother Nature!).  The future of gasoline?  Maybe so, according to Ford.

“Ford has a long history of developing vehicles that run on renewable fuels; and the increased use of biofuels is an important element of our sustainability strategy now and moving forward,” said the technical leader with the Ford Systems Analytics and Environmental Sciences Department. “We look ahead from a technological, economic, environmental, and social standpoint at potential next-generation renewable fuels that could power our vehicles.”

As concerns regarding peak oil daunt politicians (and pretty much everyone in the developed and developing world), Ford is also looking into ethanol and butanol as alternative energy sources.  But the problem remains whether these alternative fuel sources have high enough EROEI (energy return on energy invested) to become competitive and to allow us to continue with business as usual, i.e. blindly depending on technology and risky oil drilling practices so we can continue driving our gas-guzzlers.

Oh, but then there’s always global warming…

The best solution: pull that good ol’ fashioned bicycle out of your garage!  Get some sun, take in the fresh air, and leave your fuel dependency behind.

See you in the bike lane,

GG at Roozt

Johnny Depp may be famous for his movies – and just being sexy in general – but these are not the only reasons that he has been on the radar these days.  Johnny Depp has (like many celebrities) been going green!

Back in 2005, Johnny Depp bought a 35-acre island in the Bahamas, which he nicknamed ‘F*ck Off Island’ – a place where he could avoid paparazzi and have some privacy.  To get there, you have to commute by boat.  The place is so private, it’s an ideal location to enjoy nature and just relax.  Depp told Vanity Fair in a recent interview, “I don’t think I’d ever seen any place so pure and beautiful.  You can feel your pulse rate drop about 20 beats. It’s instant freedom.”

The actor has aspirations to keep his island paradise as lush, eco-friendly, and sustainable as possible, so using diesel generators to power the island’s electricity simply isn’t an option.

So he turns to Mike Strizki – an inventor that created the nation’s first solar- hydrogen house in New Jersey – without sacrificing any of the amenities he had in his 3,500 square-foot home. Depp wants Mike to build a grid-independent solar hydrogen system for his island, and – depending on the size of Depp’s home on the island – the cost is expected to run between $250,000-$500,000. Which – for someone who owns an island – isn’t bad for unlimited clean energy.

Depp is currently still third in line to receive his eco-friendly system, so before we start crossing our fingers hoping he will give the media a sneak peak of his home when it’s all done, we can watch Mike Strizki’s video about how solar-hydrogen homes work from his less exotic system at his New Jersey Home:

Keep it clean,

ND & GG at Roozt