The inspiration for this documentary: recent college graduates Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis find out that their generation could have a shorter life span than their parents because of what they’re eating — corn. The following are four of many reasons that I’m glad I spent an hour and a half of my time watching this documentary in which two young men travel to Greene, Iowa to plant and track a single acre of corn.

• I learned that a certain type of corn, a commodity corn that has been genetically modified, can be found in A LOT of things we eat. Think about the endless number of foods that have corn starch or high fructose corn syrup in them. To our non-vegetarian readers, what do you think comprised the diet of the last cow that you ate — lush green grasses? Chances are that cow was corn-fed.
• (more…)

We just tried Gaiam’s new video streaming service, GaiamTV, and what do we think? … We love it, here’s why:

• it’s easy to use, eco-friendly and fun
• you can watch what you want, when you want
• no DVD’s pile-up in your home or need to be shipped anywhere
• unlimited access to quality programs with no commercial interruptions
• selection of programs is first-rate (designed to entertain, educate or inspire)
• signing up & navigating is easy
• membership is risk-free and reasonable: Membership includes a FREE 10-day trial and then it’s $9.95/month with no long-term commitment, you can cancel anytime if you’re not satisfied

The service is so convenient – just click, download and experience your personally customized series of tv programming … wherever you and your laptop may be. After creating my account, I selected about a dozen programs and added them to my Playlist. The first video I viewed was Rodney Yee’s 15-minute, Desktop Yoga. The program was wonderful and the service is addictive. So far, I’ve enjoyed the feature-length doc, The Real Dirt on Farmer John; Ayurveda for Weight Loss; Donna Karan’s Dream and Kundalini. There are many other titles that I look forward to viewing as well.

The library is diverse — not only can you practice yoga, Pilates or T’ai Chi, or tone & condition with the best in the fitness biz, you can receive inspiration Deepak Chopra, the Dalai Lama and top

personal growth & spirituality teachers; choose features and TV programs for you or your kids; explore metaphysical topics or learn about how to Green your Home with Danny Seo. In addition, they feature the online Mayo Clinic Wellness Solutions Series (12 videos) with helpful guidance on weight-loss, insomnia, back pain, heart health and diabetes — available in GaiamTV’s Wellness Center section.

Give it a try @ GaiamTV.com and let us know what you think.

DisneyNature’s new release, African Cats, opened in theaters nationwide on Earth Day. We caught a sneak peek and here’s what we think: it’s a beautiful story, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and illustrated with lush photography. Although the story is targeted toward kids, because of the spectacular photography and incredible soundtrack, it has great appeal for adults, too. (more…)

I think there’s a green message in here somewhere.  Anyhoo…we like it.

Here’s a little video I shot…an Alternative Consumer exclusive…Brooklyn-based eco-fashion designer Samantha Pleet unveiled her Spring/Summer 2011 collection at the GreenShows during Fashion Week in NYC.  A Pratt grad, Samantha’s been ecofashioning chic, wearable lines since 2006.

Her presentation was a fun way to close the 3-day green fashion runway event…a  mix of fresh sustainable designs, Fair Organic Vodka, deejay, video projections and cute, disinterested models filled the Metropolitan Suite as we looked forward to next spring.  more @ samanthapleet.com/

We were in NYC last week catching all the ecofashion runway action at the GreenShows.  With fabrics made from recycled PET, bamboo, cotton and coconut, designer Ashton Hirota of Ashton Michael Black Label, debuted his collection for spring/summer 2011 in all its androgynous glory…

Catch our video – JoAnn Berman Spring/Summer 2011 takes off at the GreenShows in NYC…Fly Berman Airlines…Designer JoAnn Berman’s runway event – a  trippy trip back to the 1960′s with pieces featuring vintage and reclaimed fabrics, and designs based on some drug addled 60′s vacation – courtesy of Pan Am or some other defunct airlines…

Opening Night at the GreenShows in NYC, ecofashion designer Luis Valenzuela unveils his stunning spring/summer 2011 collection…masterful creations handmade from “upcycled and found materials.”

Related:  Luis Valenzuela Kicks off The GreenShows in NYC (previously on altCon; September 14, 2010)

Electrolux will be announcing the winner of its 2010 Design Lab Compact Living competition later this month.  Here’s a look at the eight futuristic finalists:

• You can pop over to the Design Lab site to vote for your favorite.  I could probably do without the virtual reality cooking gizmo.