San Luis Obispo has a sense of humor.  Where else can you spend the night in a caveman-themed hotel room or eat a five pound hamburger solely for sport and the respect of your peers?  In addition a visit to the Madonna Inn and a meal at Sylvester’s Burgers, residents of San Luis Obispo enjoy a fledgling circus scene.  From clowns to aerial dancers, the county is home to a surprising number of performance artists.

Suspended Motion: Ever dreamed of flying?  Now you can spin, flip and glide through the air with classes from Suspended Motion, a collective of Central Coast aerial dancers. These  performers offer instruction in aerial silks, hoop, trapeze, net, rope and hammock. Exhilarating and challenging, aerial performance is a creative way to build strength and flexibility through the arts.

Bike Happening: Each first Thursday of the month, after Farmers Market, bicycles, tall cycles and unicycles swarm downtown.  Decked out in costumes in accordance to each month’s theme, riders make a loop beginning at the Mission and extending through Higuera and Marsh streets. For themes, routes, and rules of the ride, visit the Bike Happening website.

Juggling and Circus Skills Club: Every Friday afternoon, join jugglers, acrobats, unicyclists, hoopers and spinners meet for skill training  and hang-out sessions on the Cal Poly campus near the Architecture building. Practice begins  at 5:30.  Come trade tricks and have a great time learning something new!

Circus Vargas: This month, the circus is coming to town!  Circus Vargas will be pitching a tent at the Madonna Inn from June 30- July 4.  Marvel at the flying trapeze, laugh at clowns, and thrill over the death-defying feats of acrobats, contortionists and motorcyclists.  Tickets are on sale now.

If all of those diversions weren’t exciting enough, keep an eye out in the coming months for Circus Open-Mic nights, tall-bike riding pandas and subversive whoopee cushions — you never know where they’ll strike next!

Meet Bill Ford, great-grandson of Henry Ford and Executive Chair of the Ford Motor Co.  As the head of a large auto company, one might not think he would have many environmental proclivities.  However, from a childhood filled with fishing trips through the lake country of Michigan to an early fascination with H.D. Thoreau and Aldo Leopold, Ford has held nature as a powerful and formative influence on his life.

Hoping to leave a legacy that extends beyond gridlock and pollution, he hopes to institute smarter urban traffic systems, cleaner cars, and more efficient, smarter vehicle communication technologies.  Once thought to have ideas too radical for the company’s old school corporate culture, Ford was told at one point in his career to stop associating with environmentalists.  Now, his views concerning lowering emissions and untangling global congestion problems are attracting attention.  To hear what Bill Ford plans for the future of his company and the worldwide auto industry, watch his TED talk, “A future beyond traffic gridlock“.

What are your thoughts?  Can a car company lead the way for a more sustainable future, or do profit margins obstruct any positive progress?  Should we invest in restructuring our cities to accommodate new vehicles, or work towards a higher quality public transport system?  As a developed nation, do we have a responsibility to adopt cleaner technologies as a way to set an example for rapidly growing, undeveloped countries?

Bambu Batu is proud to announce our newest bamboo t-shirt designs printed with sustainable, environmentally friendly inks, brought to you by local printer, Rebellious Nature.  This San Luis Obispo company offers affordable rates for simple designs and small-batch orders for hoodies, shirts, long sleeve tees, kids clothing and tote bags.  Each item is hand-printed on a manual press, ensuring a high level of quality and attention to detail.  Rebellious Nature uses PVC and phthalate-free inks, recycles their textiles, and uses only US made organic materials for their private line of apparel.  For a peek at some of their handy-work, check out  AnarchTee Political and Social Activist T-shirts and Bambu Batu’s Be happy and San Leisure Obispo tees.

Why are pthlalate-free inks a better choice for your health and the environment?  Pthlalates are petroleum-derived chemicals used to soften PVC based compounds.  They were first introduced in the 1030′s and became more widespread beginning in the 1950′s.  They are found in a number of products including toys, adhesives, flooring, detergents, cosmetics and other personal care products.  Combined with pigment and PVC resin, they compose most of the plastisol inks utilized for conventional textile printing.

Studies have linked a class of these chemicals called ortho-pthlalates to disruptions in the endocrine system, reproductive problems, learning disabilities and cancer.  Several of these compounds have been banned from use in products marketed to children, while others have been severely restricted.  Due to the possibility of these chemicals leeching into their environments and causing harm to both producers and consumers, many have started to use more environmentally friendly, vegetable based inks.

Enjoy peace of mind and comfort of body by wearing sustainable, natural fabrics with safe, earth-friendly inks!