A Wisconsin business is turning traditional farming methods upside down, or rather, vertical. Natural Green Farms grows lettuce without the use of pesticides, fertilizers or soil, and instead opts for a scalier alternative — treated fish wastewater.Housed in portions of a four-story, formerly abandoned manufacturing building in Racine, Wis., the farm uses recycled wastewater from fish tanks housing 24,000 finfish to help grow 7,000 heads of lettuce a month
http://eatdrinkandbe.org/blogarticle/vertical-fish-farm-green-006-0820
Interesting business idea like to see where this goes
Via Design Sponge
Cork is a new mini trend in design.
Crowther, an online marketing consultant in Racine, Wis., has developed some strong opinions about those two-by-three-and-a-half-inch pieces of paper that are an essential networking tool. “To me, a business card is a small brochure,” he says. He carries nine different versions of his own card. “It’s as much a marketing piece as your website, your brochure or anything else that you do.” Several of his cards include a photograph of himself taken from above, and one has an offer on the back of 20 free tips on how to use social media to build a business, if you get in touch. He says that 20% of the people who get that card send him an e-mail.
Forbes.com
This new flashy business card isn’t something brand new, but it is a good look for a Racine businessman definitely a new age of thinking compared to the typical business cards handed out today.
Shares in American Apparel plummeted 25.9 percent on Tuesday, to $1.03. They have fallen 67 percent this year
American Apparel said in a regulatory filing that it had received a subpoena from the United States attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York and inquiries from the Securities and Exchange Commission over the resignation of Deloitte & Touche as the company’s independent auditor. NY-times
Look like trouble for American Apparel… does this mean a shut down for one of the biggest urban clothing companies just in time for back school shopping?
RACINE – The U.S. Postal Service plans to put the Downtown Racine post office on the market in the near future, part of an effort to cut costs to deal with “incredible financial challenges.” Postal service representatives will discuss the planned sale with city officials at a City Council meeting later this month, said Marge Oehlke, a spokeswoman for the postal service. “At this time we need to right-size our operations,” Oehlke said. The solution allows the postal service to “reduce operating costs, generate additional revenue … and provide local municipalities with additional property tax revenue.”
post office for sale
For Immediate ReleaseAugust 3, 2010Contact: Shawn Smith, Victory Center Coordinator, 262-705-1910Bill Folk, Chairman, 414-975-3600Racine County Republican Party Announces the Opening of Victory Center…will have an Open House for Victory Center on Thursday, August 5.On Thursday, August 5 from 6-8 pm the Racine County Republican Party will officially open its campaign Victory Center, 829 S Green Bay Rd, as part of the Wisconsin Republican Party 2010 Victory Program. “We are proud of what local Republicans do for conservatives throughout the state,” said Bill Folk, Racine County GOP Chairman. “The state party incorporating Racine into their Victory Program shows that Racine is expected to have a major impact on this year’s election.”Shawn Smith will be the Victory Center Coordinator and as a Racine native is excited to come home to help Racine this election season.”Racine has proven to be a great source of volunteers and with their help will hit our call and door totals on a regular basis,” said Smith.If you’d like to volunteer at the Victory Center, please contact Shawn Smith at 262-705-1910 or leave a message for the Racine GOP at 262-864-1010.Office hours will be:Monday – Saturday: 9:00am – 9:00pmSunday: 10:00am – 9:00p
http://caledoniaunplugged.blogspot.com
While some location-based apps are still finding a way to be useful, Zillow is already there. The online real estate mavens have created an app that lets you stroll through a neighborhood and find out the estimated value of any house you can see—including the home of your boss or nemesis. And if you’re in the market for a new home, you can see which houses are on the market in the ‘hoods you’re walking through…without having to click through dozens of photos on your desktop.
building 43/
While conducting market research in Phoenix recently, our consultants Peter Dennehy and Ken Perlman toured a project in Gilbert, Arizona that was unique to them – despite their combined 37 years of experience! Here are some highlights:• Energy Savings: Homes at Lyon’s Gate by Meritage Homes in Gilbert, Arizona are 80% more energy efficient than homes built only 5 years ago. The advanced solar and thermal, the high performance walls, the spray foam insulation and all the other features on display in the model come included. • Creative Marketing: Touring the deconstructed model homes was so much fun, Ken said, ” I felt like a kid in a science museum.” Walls are torn open, floors are jack-hammered apart, and buyers are encouraged to climb around on the roof so they can “experience” the combination of products used in the homes. Creative demonstrations had buyers staying longer, touching and feeling, running the numbers and telling their friends about the experience. • Monthly Payment: The marketing revolved around what mattered most – money. When a builder gets buyers focused on the total cost of homeownership, the math can be compelling. Many buyers don’t realize a new home with energy efficient features can actually be cheaper than a resale on a monthly basis when you are considering utility costs. • Standard: Buyers were surprised and excited to realize these features were no extra cost for a home that was already competitively priced. Building product manufacturers have been touting energy savings for years, with little (in our opinion) builder and consumer acceptance. The lack of acceptance was primarily attributable to the additional cost. However, the products are now both environmentally friendly and money-saving. For example, here is a focused application of new technology that claims to save 40% on heating and cooling activities.Our conclusion: In markets where consumers care deeply about the environment and their monthly utility bills, we recommend differentiating your homes with energy efficiency. It will result in strong sales, great branding, and possibly even better relationships with local city officials
John burns real estate consulting
Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’ve got laptops and netbooks in our sights — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month
Engadget guide
On August 12th from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Racine Art Museum, located at 441 Main Street, live music by the group “Fly Box” will be taking place. “Fly Box” is a mixed-media, presentation, incorporating original recorded and live music, photography, fishing flies, poetry and textile art. The music is in three movements, based on stages in the life cycle of a water insect. Electronic, acoustic and vocal music portray the “nymph”, “dunn” and “spinner” phases. Poetry and prose related to insects and fly fishing, featuring selections from “The Complete Angler”, 1663, by Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton, will be sung and spoken.
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