The Velocipede Races: Back a YA Novel on Kickstarter

I recently heard about a Kickstarter project that piqued my interest: The Velocipede Races. Emily June Street has penned a feminist steampunk novel, in which an 18 year old is forbidden from bicycle racing. Elly Blue, a feminist bike zine publisher extraordinaire, is spearheading the project, using Kickstarter to fund the printing of the novel.



I've backed Pedal Zombies, a hilarious speculative fiction anthology edited by Elly Blue recently, as well as reviewed the fabulous how-to book she wrote, Everyday Bicycling: How to Ride a Bike for Transportation (Whatever Your Lifestyle). So when I heard about this novel, I needed to add it to my collection & immediately forked over my $15 to back it. The novel was fully funded within a week, so it's a sure thing at this point. You can still back it to get a copy of the book, as well as an assortment of other goodies like signed copies, other books by Emily June Street.

Back a Kickstarter Product That Turns Any Cup Into A Spill-proof Sippy

I feel like I've been talking about sippy cups a lot lately, with the Tommee Tippee Truly Spill Proof Cups review & giveaway that I did last week, but I came across a new product that's on Kickstarter right now that I had to share. It's not exactly a sippy cup, but a lid that turns any cup into a sippy or straw cup, called SipSnap.

SipSnap is made of silicone, free of BPA & phthalates, & as you can see, it will fit on all kinds of different sized cups. I think it'd be great for bringing along to restaurants & cafes, keeping one in the diaper bag for when you go out. You could even use this instead of buying sippy cups if you prefer not to use plastic or you just want to save space in your kitchen.


If you're interested in getting one of the very first ones available, you can back the Kickstarter project to help them get it to market. Click here to help fund SipSnap & get a set of the first ones.

*Disclaimer: I was not compensated for writing this review & as the SipSnap hasn't had a full production run yet, I haven't personally tried it.

Follow Spokesmama here too:

Ten (Mostly Bikey) Links to Check Out

LOVE this jacket!

Thought I'd share with you some of what I've been reading online lately. Yes, it's a bit bike-heavy, but it's varied: from how bikes affect our brains, to bike clothing that actually doesn't look dorky, to kids on bikes, to why bike infrastructure is good for us all. With a little sewing & semantics thrown in for good measure.

Here are my last ten bookmarked pages:

1. One of the reasons I bike as much as I can is because it makes me feel good. Reading this article in The Independent gave me some insight as to why, as well as how cycling may be part of the solution for the treatment of ADHD, Parkinson's & even the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
2. Whenever I post a list of great links I've read, Annie's blog, PhD in Parenting is on there. Her post about the term 'mompreneur' is an interesting read & it's definitely worth reading through the comments too. What do you think about all the terms that have 'mom' attached to them, like mom blogger or mompreneur? 
3. I'm reading Elly Blue's Everyday Bicycling: How to Ride a Bike for Transportation (Whatever Your Lifestyle) & discovered that she's got a project on Kickstarter at the moment. It's to fund the production of "Disaster!", the latest issue of Taking the Lane's quarterly journal. a collection of empowering nonfiction articles on bicycling.
4. I also found this skirt on Kickstarter--can't remember who linked to it somewhere in SocialMediaLand--& since then at least three people have sent it to me. So I'm telling you about it: it is a pencil skirt that transforms into something practical for cycling. Check out the Iva Jean Reveal Skirt. I think I'm going to have to order one when they come out in April...
5. A lot of people seem to think cycling infrastructure is wasted money because the majority of people still drive or use other forms of transportation. However, improving our roads for bike riders benefits everyone, as explained by this Yes Magazine article.
6. Reading about this family's short cycling tour made me want to take a bike trip with Sprout ASAP. It's a personal story with some handy tips for riding with kids. 
7. Speaking of tips for kids, check out this tutorial on how to take a shirt from stained to adorable with reverse applique on This Mama Makes Stuff.
8. After seeing this 100% recyclable Loeka jacket on Let's Go Ride a Bike, I now covet it. (in red, of course).
9. You've heard of a "walking schoolbus" or a "bike train", maybe? Well here's an actual schoolbus that's powered by children, as well as a few other innovative ideas around cycling like the world's largest bikeshare in China & a public bike repair station.
10. I'll finish off with something inspiring: meet Toby Field, a morbidly obese man in the UK who started cycling to work with on a bike bought through a government tax incentive plan. (WHY DON'T WE HAVE THIS IN CANADA??) I'll let you read the article & watch the embedded video there to see what happened over the next two years.

What have you been reading on the ol' interwebz lately? Found any gems you'd like to share? Add them in the comments below!





Nothing says “best gift ever” like a caribou!
 
Starting at just $40, Gifts of Canadian Nature help protect habitat for Canada’s native wildlife. A Gift of Canadian Nature lasts for years to come and is a gift that gives thrice! Once to the recipient with a personalized certificate and a beautiful calendar, once to the giver with a charitable tax receipt, and once to Canadian wildlife. This year we are featuring the snowy owl, the grizzly bear, the caribou, the gray fox and the Canada lynx. Click the image or follow this link for more information.

Turn Fish Poo into Pesto

You too could turn fish poo into pesto! Okay, wait, I skipped a few steps. Let me start from the beginning. I recently came across a cool project on Kickstarter: Back to the Roots' Home Aquaponics Kit. The Home Aquaponics Kit is at its essence a closed-loop ecosystem small enough to sit on your kitchen counter. Plants on top, fish beneath.

Besides the great ecology lesson for your kids, what's great about the Home Aquaponics Kit is you won't need to clean the aquarium. The fish poo gets broken down by beneficial bacteria into nutrients, then that waste-water from the fish is then pumped up & upcycled as an awesome organic fertilizer for the plants. The plants take up the nutrients &, at the same time, clean the water which then falls back down for the fish. There is no soil - the plants are growing on rocks - all the nutrients coming from the fish. With no need for any artificial fertilizers, it's all organic!

I said closed loop, but I lied. Just a little. You will still need to feed the fish, but that's about it. The Home Aquaponics Kit comes fully assembled, with everything except the fish. Here's what's included:

• The tank & garden top - food and pet safe! 
• Air pump to bring your nutrients up & oxygenate the water
• Five pots with pebbles (growing medium for the plants)
• Organic seeds (a mix of various herbs)
• Fish food & water conditioners to get started right away

Just add water, a fish & watch your system grow! Though the fish you see above is a betta, there are many other kinds you can have in the system. 

So where does the pesto come in? Well, one of the plants you can easily grow on top of your aquarium is basil, which you could now make fresh pesto out of. Mmm... pesto.

If you think this is really cool like I do & you're raring to get one, I've got good news & bad news for you. The good news: you can order one right now! The bad news: it won't arrive before Christmas.

Remember I said it was a Kickstarter project, right? If you didn't know what I meant by that, it's basically a website that allows entrepreneurs to crowdsource funding. Nikhil & Alejandro, the guys behind the Back to the Roots Home Aquaponics Kit are looking for funding to produce the first run of kits in the spring of 2013. The great thing about Kickstarter is that pretty much anybody can back a project: the minimum pledge is only $1. For a pledge of $50, you could get yourself your own aquaponics kit including shipping to the US. (add $50 for shipping to Canada) The future retail price will be $75, so it's a good deal to get in early. :)

There are only seven more days to help fund this project, so don't wait. Check out the Kickstarter page of Back to the Roots' Home Aquaponics Kit now!

For more information on Nikhil & Alejandro's project or their company, you can check out the website of Back to the Roots, on Facebook, on Twitter or on Youtube.

Disclaimer: Back to the Roots is sending me a mushroom kit as a gift, & I will be receiving an Aquaponics Kit to review when they come out in the spring. I haven't yet seen the kit, the information above comes from Back to the Roots. The words & opinions are mine, however.



Nothing says “best gift ever” like a caribou!
 

Starting at just $40, Gifts of Canadian Nature help protect habitat for Canada’s native wildlife. A Gift of Canadian Nature lasts for years to come and is a gift that gives thrice! Once to the recipient with a personalized certificate and a beautiful calendar, once to the giver with a charitable tax receipt, and once to Canadian wildlife. This year we are featuring the snowy owl, the grizzly bear, the caribou, the gray fox and the Canada lynx. Click the image or follow this link for more information.

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