ARCHITECTURE: Farmscrapers Let's face it - Earth has before it the daunting future task of producing enough food for the skyrocketing human population. Agricultural farming, as it is widely practiced today, typically exhausts the land, uses a significant amount of fresh water, and contributes gross amounts to global warming. When the amount of land left to cultivate for food has dwindled, where will humanity look? The answer is up, or vertically to be more precise. Vertical farming has swiftly become one of the most pragmatic and beguiling possibilites to create healthy, environment friendly, and sustainable food crops. The 'farmscraper' would function by using the green house method hydroponics, and would rely on recycled resources. Transportion energy and costs would be significantly reduced, as the farmscraper would function in large part as a sovereign, gigantic green house. The erection of a colassal building, a skyscraper filled with farmland known as a 'farmscraper' is one to that could hold a plethora of benefits, such as the production of organic crops, continuous crop production, water recycling, and the impediment of the mass extinction of plant and animal life. The idea of vertical farming originated in 1999 through the combined efforts of a professor of environmental health sciences and microbiology at Colombia University, Dickson Despommier, and his students who were tired of studying the depressing facts of the future of agricultural sustainability. News sources and magazines such as The New York Times, Popular Science, and Time, among others, have all featured reports on vertical farming.

CAMPAIGN: Time for Climate Justice The fate of the environment will be partially adjudicated by decisions reached about the climate crisis by the United Nations this December at the United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009. The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 will be substitued, and the replacement could mean reductions in the amount of emission and pollution, especially in certain areas, which industrialized countries are allowed to release. A campaign that aims to raise invaluable climate change dialogue and act as a medium to unite those who champion tighter safety and more equal regulations, is Time for Climate Justice, which was created by Kofi Annan. The virtual petition timeforclimatejustice.org has already become a modern day grassroots success. Global warming has a significant impact on humans rights when increasing temperatures lower the quality of life for already afflicated, typically low-income or indigineous social groups and communities. In order to become a Climate Ally, one must simply upload a video onto their website saying the work 'tck' to symbolize the countdown to the United Nations meeting December. Famous members already include Bob Geldof, Jet Li, and Lily Allen.

TECHNOLOGY: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind In 2001 William Kamkwamba was a fourteen year-old Malawain from a family suffering from financial hardships. Unable to pay the $80 tuition fee required to continue attending school he turned instead to his own inventiveness to continue his education and development. After acquiring a book called Using Energy he brilliantly created a windmill for his family's house that would eliminate the need for kerosene energy. This was only the first step, and one of many projects William initiated all before the age of 20. Debuting September 29, 2009 is Kamkwamba's book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. The full documentary following the history Kamkwamba's inspiring creations called Moving Windmills: The William Kamkwamba Story will debut in 2010, while the documentary short appeared at the international film festival, Pangea Day in May, 2008 where it won the North American Filmmaker's Award. Some of Kamkwamba's current projects include the Wimbe Primary School Windmill, which will provide energy for radio's for children and mobiles for adults, while the Books for Village Library initiative is an attempt to expand the library where Kamkwamba found the book that helped begin his career. Kamkwamba's past projects have included everything from malaria prevention, to solar power and lighting for six homes, to the creations a deep water well with a solar powered pump for clean water, to even providing uniforms for the village team Wimbe United. And he only recently turned 22. Watch William speak at TED here.

FASHION: PACT for Sustainable Beauty Underwear is considered by some to be the hidden portrait of a person's disposition - assuming that the color, material and shape express fundamental character attributes and values. That is not to say that if your undergarments are sustainable so is your soul - but hey, it's a start. PACT coined the motto 'CHANGE STARTS WITH YOUR UNDERWEAR,' and they mean it. PACT prides themself on paying farmers fair prices for materials, and for refraining from using dyes laden with heavy metals. The underwear itself consists of 95% organic cotton and 5% elastane, which means that they are certified organic. Despite that, PACT wants to avoid the typical organic clothing image of healthy and sustainable yet almost unwearably bland and unattractive. PACT underwear is actually really cute. Each pair of underwear comes wrapped in a reusable plastic bag, and you even donate a portion of each purchase to a cause of your choice. Lingerie that is pretty, good for your skin, the Earth and everyone involved in the process of its production is no longer just a great fantasy, it's a sexy reality.

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