Chicago Sex Toy Company Offers Bicycle Delivery

Randy Chicagoans who find themselves lacking in the sex toy department in the middle of the night can now get instant gratification from Kinky Llama, which delivers via bicycle. That’s right, a delivery guy will show up at your door bearing not pizza, but sex toys – within an hour of placing your online order. Your purchases will be in nondescript white bags, so it looks like you’re just getting Chinese.

From Treehugger:

Antony Mikrut got the idea for his small business the Kinky Llama at 3 a.m. one night/morning, when his girlfriend (he says) got a hankering for some sex aids. What they soon found out, as Mikrut told the Chicago Tribune on the video clip, is that ordering a pizza or even a beer delivery in the wee hours is easy. But ordering up sex toys is a bit more difficult. So Mikrut set himself up in business – crowding his apartment with shelves of sexy stuff. The sustainable twist is that Mikrut makes his deliveries to 27 Chicago zip codes in the dark of night (and of course, in daylight also) by his bike. Mikrut says 98% of his bike deliveries are to women, who don’t seem to want to wait for gratification, while a nearly equal percentage of his mail-order is to men. Next day delivery of order is free…delivery within one hour is an extra $5.

Now if Kinky Llama would start stocking some eco-friendly sex toys instead of the usual plastic stuff, they’d really have something – companies like Earth Erotics and Love Me Naturally are already offering such items made of glass, metal, silicone and other earth-friendly materials.

For now, at least, Chicagoans can have some naughty green fun knowing their “adult purchases” were delivered carbon-free.

Link [Treehugger]
Photo credit: Flickr user Joe Shlabotnik

Rain-Swollen Lake Bursts Bank and Disappears

Nature doesn’t mess around. One look at this photo makes it clear how much power the forces of nature really hold, and how helpless we can be to their destruction. The photo shows two employees of Tommy Bartlett’s Water Show trying to clean debris and dead fish out of the empty bed of Lake Delton in Wisconsin, which was once a picturesque 267-acre vacation destination.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Weekend rains of biblical proportions dumped so much water into Lake Delton that it literally burst its banks.

Tens of thousands of gallons of lake water barreled through the woods, taking with it a roadway, several houses, boats, fish and lake bed. It emptied into the nearby Wisconsin River and was gone in hours.

On Tuesday morning, some 24 hours after the catastrophe, the massive lake is nearly drained. The lake is a muddy moonscape of cracked earth. Fish bake in the sun, flopping until their deaths. Mounds of dead fish are piled high. The shoreline is jagged and cracked. Boats hang in the air suspended by what is left of the docks. In parts, the little water that is left meanders like a silent brook. The roadway and earth that held the river back is now a grand canyon.

Lake Delton was formerly a lively scene of water skiing, fishing, and other recreation. State officials have vowed to refill the lake as soon as possible, but residents are afraid the lake will never be the same again. And it may not – the lake was artificially created by damming Dell Creek. Sounds like nature took things into its own hands and turned the man-made lake back into a creek, as it was originally.

Link [Chicago Tribune]
Photo credit: Chicago Tribune/ E. Jason Wambsgans

Chicago Plans New Harborside Green Space with ‘Eco-Bridge’

Chicago may just become America’s greenest city before long; they’re already working on a green roof program and a green alley project. Now, the city is working on an ambitious plan to provide residents with green space via an ‘Eco-Bridge’. The Eco-Bridge will be a semicircle around the Monroe Harbor, serving as a breakwater that will give Chicagoans calm waters for sailing and rowing. The bridge itself will also serve as recreational space, containing public parks and fountains.

More details from Inhabitat:

The Eco-Bridge was originally conceived in the early 1900s as part of the 1909 Burnham Plan of Chicago. The bridge is now being designed by hometown firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. The Eco-Bridge is the last of the major recommendations drafted by the master plan to provide recreational opportunities, views of the city, and calm water for rowing and sailing. The two-mile bridge will connect opposite ends of the city center and Grant Park.

To give a modern and sustainable twist to the original idea, wind turbines will also be incorporated in the project to add economic value and show Chicago’s dedication to sustainability. An observation tower will be placed at the center of the bridge, providing spectacular views of the lake and city. The bridge also provides a chance to showcase the ecology of the Great Lakes and provide a safe environment for fish and water plants.

Chicago hopes that the Eco-Bridge will further enhance their bid for the 2016 Olympic Games – they hope the observation tower will be used to house the Olympic flame. It’s really a wonder why it’s taken so long to get this going, it seems like a great idea to promote the city’s sustainable initiatives, add recreational space, and create a draw for tourists.

The bottom photo shows the original 1919 plans for the Chicago City Center.

We’re proud to see this great city lead the nation in eco-friendly initiatives (EarthFirst headquarters are located in Chicago) and look forward to seeing more exciting things from the Windy City!

Link [Inhabitat]

Extremely Phallic, Clean Techonology Skyscaper makes our Editorial Intern Think Dirty Thoughts

Caroline likes…

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture of Chicago are working on a new wind-powered skyscraper that will make you need to cross your legs.

The curved tip of the building will be covered with a photovoltaic helmet, and turbines up and down the (ahem) shaft of the proposed structure will direct the windy cities’ wind inward for power and insulation. The eco-ingeniousness alone is enough to make you want to rub up against it. Then, you take a look at the slick, strong lines of the building and there’s no holding back. Seriously, the building looks exactly like a skyward-pointing, throbbing male organ complete with glorious mane of lush, green pubic hair. Can’t wait until it’s erect..ed.

Link [TrendHunter]