Last week I was fortunate enough to make it to the 4th annual Healthy Neighborhood Festival held at the California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities near Chinatown in Los Angeles. It was a block party for downtown Los Angeles residents that offered fun ways to get fit and lead a healthy lifestyle. All activities were free and included hoola-hooping (a serious workout that I highly recommend), dancing, rock climbing, making fresh salads and health screenings for families.
It was great to see all of the kids enjoying their salads and fresh fruit; no one was asking for chips or candy. They were running around from one activity to the next with big smiles on their faces. Check out the video to learn more about the event and see some kids learning a new dance…
And check out the California Endowment for more information about how you can join the healthy lifestyle movement! www.calendow.org
Ring the bell and call in the band, we finally have the winners of this year's YouthNoise/Nike-sponsored Beat Gasoline competition! It's been a long journey but the tallies have been counted. Now it's time to give credit where credit's due. Among the winners are:
No words were needed to make this video, "Bicycle" unfolds magically using moving imagery set against a hardcore musical soundtrack. This 2-minute story takes the viewer through a day-long journey from the point-of-view of one lone biker blazing through the streets of Los Angeles with two pedal-powered wheels. Well-crafted and uniquely produced, khizamazwi gets high fives all around for this masterpiece!
1st place winner receives a BMX bike, $1000 Global Giving Card and a Nike prize pack!
Rene, an 8-year-old skater phenom would certainly give P-Rod a run for his money! This 30-second video features Rene doing what he does best and making yours truly seriously consider riding a skateboard to work -- uh, well, maybe through Central Park. It only takes seconds for viewers to appreciate Rene's story and quickly recognize that he'll most certainly become an inspiring adult athlete one day. Mad props to Rene for using his passion as a way to beat gas!
2nd place winner receives a $750 card and a Nike prize pack!
Jkeevil's video requires the viewer to do more than just watch, but also engage with its moving imagery. This artistic piece is from the point-of-view of a San Fransisco rider observing the city while riding through its pristine, yet environmentally challenged streets. One memorable shot in particular is of a ship likened to an oil rig boat. The camera shot mimics the perspective of peeping through a submarine ship's periscope, as if looking at itself through itself. The camera shots function as a self-reflective metaphor, asking us not to simply exist within our environments but to contemplate our purpose within these environments, particulalry in making them better and more sustainable. Big ups to Jkeevil for making us think beyond the surface!
The People's Choice award winner will recieve a $500 card and Nike shoes.
Super-duper congrats to all the winners! Another BIG shout out to all of the contestants that participated in the Beat Gasoline contest. Your efforts mean so much for the cause. Even though the Beat Gasoline contest is over, the movement of finding new and alternative means of transportion has just begun! Continue to make change by spreading your videos and photography around to family and friends!
You have probably heard about Rudy van Prooyen, the guy biking across the country to raise money for safe drinking water around the world? (DebbieD Had a chance to interview him, and I recently had a chance to mingle with the people behind him at Blue Planet Run.)
Rudy just came through LA on his bicycling route and checked in to the socially-conscious and posh Viceroy in Santa Monica. Only, after biking all the way from San Francisco over a period of a few weeks, Rudy was so grody they thought he was some kind of derelict homeless man! Ha. We think he's awesome, of course. You should check out his national route, he might be coming to your city. (Do a double take at that 'homeless' man you see in the park, 'cause if he's got a bike, it might be Rudy!) Kidding.
Anyways, last Friday I went to check out the Viceroy myself - and partake in the "Drink for Water" Blue Planet Run event. Afterall, drinking martinis was the sporting event for the evening, and I intended to be smooth like James Bond. Also, the Blue Planet Run Martini has blueberries in it, yummmy. Check out the event, the lovely Sabrina Walasek, and the Viceroy:
I didn't realize just how many people were affected globally by lack of safe drinking water - and how easy it is to change. Whether you like martinis or not, if you can run, swim, bike, dribble, pitch, whatever, you can get on board with Blue Planet Run. Seriously, almost any kind of sport you know how to play can be used to help people across the world transform their lives. Completely.
These days I don't have to force myself to think alternatively when it comes to transportation.
Living in New York City, I've gotten use to relying on bikes,
skates, and my dogs (i.e. feet) to get from point A to point B. It's a
good thing especially because I've probably dropped several pounds since I
moved here from LA (all I do is walk, run, and climb hella
steps everyday!).
But I admit, I miss my car. A friend of mine and
I were talking about having a car in the city, and while it's not
really practical, it does give you a sense of freedom; as in I can get
in my car and just 'go' whenever I please. (Growing up in the 'burbs
places this unfortunate sense of entitlement on your shoulders when it
comes to driving and owning a car.)
In any event, city living has
been good for me and for my personal carbon footprint. Living in such an
environment keeps me on my toes . . . literally. Thinking of
alternative means of transportation isn't a rarity out here, it's actually a necessity.
All
of which begs the questions, where do you live and how do you get
around? If you find yourself relying too much on the moving metal box, can
you think of other ways that might off set such a dependence?
While you ponder, check out a cartoon strip I put together for the Beat Gas contest sponsored by YouthNoise/Playcity and Nike. I had so much fun working on this video alongside my newly found friend (via Craigslist) AkiraOni, who created the illustrations.
Basically, I came up with this poem a few weeks back and I thought it
would be really cool to show cartoon characters doing responsible
(and very cute) things all in effort to beat gas.
Beat Gas: The Cartoon
Beat gas with your toes
Beat gas with your nose
It’s easy breezy beautiful days when you can beat gas and smell a rose.
Beat gas with a friend
Beat gas using tin
Beat gas on a roller blade, a skateboard, or in a tent.
Beat gas with a cape
Beat gas with a date
Beat gas on green flippers in the ocean or a lake.
Beat gas in a yellow car
Beat gas with a yellow bar
Beat gas on a city bus, painted purple with pink stars
Beat gas on one wheel
Beat gas on two wheels
Beat gas on three wheels, with a flag and a banana peel
Beat gas in a balloon
Beat gas at high noon
Beat gas on a hot day eating a Popsicle in June
Beat gas down a hill
In a bubble or a tire wheel
Beating gas ain't just responsible, it’s fun with a thrill!
Beat gas to lose weight
Beat gas and beat hate
Beat gas for your health and for the planet to feel great!
This time I guess I considered myself somewhat of a regular- after having watched the De la Hoya/Pacquiao fight at Nike’s amazingMontalban Theater, I now had previous boxing experiences to draw from. Was Pacquiao as good as they said? Or did he just beat a washed-up old fighter?There were many doubters, but I must say that I am a fan and believer in thePac Man. I am not a huge fan of boxing (I find it unsettling the way that twomen beat on each other until one is rendered unconscious while the crowdimpatiently waits for spilled blood), but I immediately loved Pacquiao.
While other boxers come out into the ring punching theair and their own faces, looking angry and tough, the Pac Man enters the ringwith a smile on his face. Is it just me, or is he the cutest athlete ever? Hecould definitely kick my ass (as well as De la Hoya’s, and certainly Hatton’s),but he really does seem like a genuinely likeable guy. In all the interviews Ihave seen, he stresses his own work ethic and coaching as the assets that ledhim to victory, rather than bad-mouthing opponents or pointing out theirshort-comings. As far as I can tell, he is the only boxer to talk this way. ButI suppose when you are the Pac-Man, your boxing can speak for itself.
In the pre-fight festivities, my partner in crime, JerryDarko, and I interviewed the crowd, making our best guesses for match ahead.Nike had all guests make predictions not only about the winner, but in whatround. Most people seemed to think it was Pacquiao (although I wasn’t sure ifwe were talking to a bias crowd, considering Pacquiao is sponsored by Nike),but many thought it would go to the judges for a final decision. They reallycouldn’t have been more wrong. Your guess?
Jerry portended Pac Man in the 5th, but he did it in the 2nd. The 2nd round?! Yes, it was unbelievable. Lessthan 6 minutes of fighting and it was over; Hatton was down for the count, somesaying it may have been a career-ender. But in that 6 minutes, the Pac Manpacked in all the excitement of a full fight, and spared me an extra 10 roundsof ass-kicking. I have done my best to give you a quick recap of our fabulousevening in the following video. However, my recommendation: next time comewatch Pacquiao fight at the Montalban. I may not watch any other boxers, but Iwill watch the Pac Man.
