We just launched our I ♥ Urban Metabolism t-shirt fundraiser, which will not only give you the chance to put the “urban” on your metabolism but allow us to further develop our Urban Metabolism Information Systems (UMIS) platform to help planners, researchers and communities analyze and visualize cities and their ever-shifting flows of resources.

Designed by San Francisco artist and Ecocity Builders friend Anselm Yew, we think these shirts will make great conversation starters around the issues of ecocity design and circular economies that are so important to the wellbeing of the planet and its ecosystems. While we’re usually not the type of organization that encourages the accumulation of more stuff, we thought we would make an exception with an item that is utilitarian, educational, and fun, all at the same time.

Here is how it works: The I ♥ Urban Metabolism t-shirt fundraiser will run until December 6th, at which point all the orders that have been placed will go to print and ship out to contributors. This will guarantee that the shirts will be delivered in time for the holidays, just in case you were thinking about a thoughtful gift for your friends and families. There are 4 different shirt types to pick from (unisex / women’s / long sleeve / hoodies) in a few different colors and all sizes, so make sure you pick the right one.

There’s more info and a video about urban metabolism on the campaign page, but you can also get a bit more of an insight into the concepts behind it in an article I wrote a little while ago, entitled Understanding your city by understanding its flow: towards Participatory Urban Metabolism Information Systems.

Here’s to a looping metabolism, a circular economy, and healthy ecosystems!