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A Beloved Breadmaker Goes Net-Zero
Since its inception in 1983, the family-owned Bread Alone has set itself apart thanks to artisanal techniques—making natural sourdoughs using traditional methods and long fermentation—and a hyper-local ethos. Now, the Hudson Valley staple is leading the charge on the environmental front with a $4 million makeover of its Boiceville Bakery and Cafe into a net-zero energy facility.
Designed by Dino Sanchez and Piotr Woronkowicz, the 8,000-square-foot headquarters is the first commercial bakery in the U.S. fully powered by renewable energy. Outfitted in fixtures and furniture pieces from brands such as Workstead, Menu, and Muuto, the light-filled space showcases the natural beauty of The Catskills through vaulted windows. What hasn’t changed is Bread Alone’s dedication to fresh and chewy loaves made from organic regional grains and ingredients. Supplying its four Hudson Valley cafes and farmer’s markets in New York, the original Andre Lefort wood-burning ovens are still churning out fan favorites like whole-wheat walnut and Norwegian farm bread—only now they’re fueled by renewable scrap wood.
The More of You Kit by Glossier…
Glossier drops a candle version of its signature You fragrance in time for Mother’s Day.
“After months of social-media requests, the brand has finally launched a candle version of its signature You fragrance—and we predict it’ll be swiftly added to the brand’s long (long) list of sell-out successes. The Glossier You candle is available as part of a limited-edition More Of You kit that has now landed on the site—just in time for Mother’s Day. The set features a full-size bottle of the brand’s best-selling You fragrance as well as, for the first time ever, the much-requested matching scented candle.” —[H/T Red]
Microplastics have been found in human blood for the first time and can damage cells.
“Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested. The discovery shows the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs. The impact on health is as yet unknown. But researchers are concerned as microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory and air pollution particles are already known to enter the body and cause millions of early deaths a year.” —[H/T The Guardian]
Qatar announces plans to build three new museums ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
“The small, oil-rich state of Qatar is moving ahead with plans to build three new museums, including a new institution called the Lusail museum designed by the high-profile Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron which will be ‘home to the world’s most extensive collection of Orientalist paintings, drawings, photography, sculptures, rare texts, and applied arts.’ The Art Mill project, a vast new Modern and contemporary art venue planned for Doha, is still in development, seven years after the project was first announced. The plans were released on 27 March by Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the chairperson of the state body Qatar Museums during the Doha Forum, an online ‘global platform for dialogue.’” —[H/T The Art Newspaper]
Video still of “The 45th Parallel” (2022) by Lawrence Abu Hamdan…
An opera house on Canada’s border is screening a new film by Lawrence Abu Hamdan.
“It sounds like a riddle: What kind of opera house has no stage, and what sort of library has no books? The answer is the Haskell Free Library, which sits on the border between the United States and Canada. The site doubles as the set for a new film by former Turner Prize joint-winner Lawrence Abu Hamdan, which debuts this week at the Toronto Biennial of Art.” —[H/T Artnet News]
Ukraine has raised more than $67 million in financial support from cryptocurrency alone.
“Ukraine, which has waged a staunch defense against Russian invasion, says it has pioneered a new source of financial support: People around the world who have donated millions of dollars directly to its war effort via cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. Since Feb. 26, when Ukrainian officials began tweeting calls for cryptocurrency donations, the Ukrainian government says it has taken in almost $67 million of its $200 million goal as of Saturday.” —[H/T Associated Press]
MIT establishes a design academy for cross-disciplinary education and research.
“MIT President L. Rafael Reif today announced the creation of the MIT Morningside Academy for Design, a major interdisciplinary center that will build on the Institute’s leadership in design-focused education and become a global hub for design research, thinking, and entrepreneurship. The new academy, which aims to foster collaboration and innovation on campus, will be housed in the School of Architecture and Planning. Projected to launch in September 2022, it will create and administer academic and research programs across MIT, especially between the School of Architecture and Planning and the School of Engineering.” —[H/T MIT News]
Pringles…
Today’s attractive distractions:
The Queen of England is hiring a full-time decorator to revamp Buckingham Palace.
Here’s how Pringles accidentally named its mascot after a practical Wikipedia joke.
A new male birth control pill has been found to be 99 percent effective in mice.
Geosmin, a compound often found in soil, is behind that distinct smell of spring.
