The Friday 5, Vol. 18

A weekly roundup of EcoSalon’s top stories.

Conscious Dying: The Right To Choose is a sensitive examination of physician-assisted suicide. Libby Lowe writes: “Jack Kevorkian’s recent death brought back a flood of memories for me. He was my grandmother’s hero. While she was admittedly—and quite proudly—a touch twisted, I happen to agree with her and Jack: We should have a choice when it comes to end of life decisions. Growing up with her in my life, it was impossible not to see suicide as an option. Our first conversation about this took place when I was four. She explained to me that it would be up to her, that made sense to me then and it makes sense to me today.”

In Part 4 of our series on The Post-Recession Fashion Industry, we take a look at the new Sewing Circle Rebellion and ask the question: “Did the recession birth new DIY designers tired of being branded with corporate logos?” Certainly in times of economic despair, there will always be a surge in the use of hands to quell the storm of financial uncertainty and to give meaning to otherwise challenging lives, but this new generation is more rebellious – and business-savvy – than ever.

Shelter Editor K. Emily Bond interviews Todd MacAllen and his creative partner at Molo Design, Stephanie Forsythe, about the Nebuta House in Aomori, Japan. In Merging Form And Function, The Nebuta House Captures The Japanese Spirit, Bond gets the Molo partners to discuss “the mercurial nature of the Nebuta House project, its new function as a community cultural space, and what he learned about the Japanese spirit along the way.”

This week EcoSalon Launches Our New Foodspotting Channel to help you navigate your way through the foodie world. As columnist Anna Brones writes: “In need of a place to eat? Use the mobile app to help you track what dishes are close to you and what looks appetizing. It’s visual, it’s positive, it’s global and we are in love with it.” To celebrate the official launch of our new EcoSalon Foodspotting channel, we want to hear what local foodie destinations you love. Is it a taco truck, a hole-in-the-wall vegan joint or a wine bar with a local selection of wines and cheeses? We want to know! Submit your own list of Top 5 Locavore Picks from your city and we’ll compile a Readers’ Picks guide with a selection of our favorites. Even better, the person with the most intriguing list will win a Root of the Earth Platter from our sister company, VivaTerra.

From Vegan Women Loving Meat-Eating Men: At the beginning of a relationship, any faux pas is sufficient grounds for termination. Columnist Abigail Wick writes:  “Love isn’t the exclusive domain of romantic partnership. Love is a choice about how you will show up in the world. Love drives my opposition to the death-penalty in America; it governs my decision to ride a bicycle rather than drive a car; and it motivates me to extend equal consideration of interest to animals. I am an animal. I am also an animal who doesn’t eat other animals.”

Amy DuFault

Amy DuFault is a conscious lifestyle writer, consultant and fashion instigator. She resides in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.