- Emily Pilloton Discusses the Hippo Roller and other Designs for Humanity (Part One)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part Two)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part One)
- Andy Revkin - Climate in the Obama Age
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part Two)
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part One)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part Two)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part One)
Entries for February 20, 2005 - February 26, 2005
Total this week: 36
Random: Buy an MBA spot on Ebay
by TreeHugger on 02.26.05
Friend of TreeHugger, Karel Samsom, is a professor at the International MBA program at Nyenrode University in the Netherlands. In keeping with the entrepreneurial and stakeholder focus of the school, as of March 1st, it will be possible to bid for a spot in their MBA program on Ebay. The winner gets to attend the $50,000/program at whatever they end up paying (still have to meet basic entrance requirements).
"Proceeds from the auction will go toward charity, most likely a needy elementary school in New York City" as Nyenrode is committed to the traditional Dutch concept that business has a commitment to profit and employees, community and environment. TreeHugger thinks this is a fun idea and notes that besides an entrepreneurial focus, they also are strong on environmental subjects. So..you Greenie MBA hopefuls out there...Let the bidding begin. ::Nyenrode Website ::Nyenrode Email [by Graham Hill]...
Recycler: 5 TreeHugger Bags Made from Strange Materials
by TreeHugger on 02.26.05
Bags from skateboards, marker tops, industrial waste, cedar and
old car upholstery? Who'd have thunkit? Know any other fun bags?
1.Becky from recycled skateboards.
2.Redizioni from industrial waste.
3.Just Beg from recycled marker tops.
4.Kim White from old car fabrics.
5.Monacca from cedar.
[by Graham Hill]...
Bio of John Laumer
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 02.25.05
Anarkali Plastic Purses: Patchwork Perfection
by TreeHugger on 02.25.05
These pretty little purses look almost like they're made of stained glass, or some ancient long-lost lacquer technique. You'll be surprised to learn that they're actually recycled plastic bags. These purses are made of a sandwich of heat-laminated reclaimed LDPE bags -- re-laminating them uses much less energy than recycling. They are hand made by cooperatives in India, and fairly traded. Each bag is unique, and they come in a variety of color mixtures.
:: Anarkali Recycled Bags at Overstock.com [by DM]...
Global Population Density Destiny
by TreeHugger on 02.25.05
A new report from the U.N. warns that the world's population is expected to get really, really, really big, and sooner than was previously expected. Currently we Earthlings number about 6.5 billion, and by 2050, that number is expected to rise to 9.1 billion. Couple that with the fact that 2004 was listed as the first year when more than half the world’s population were urban dwellers (that figure’s posed to be amped up to 70% sometime soon), along with the fact that we’ve just come off the hottest year on record, and we’ve all got something pretty serious to ponder: How can little ol’ Earth support all these human beings?
...
Radio Flyer’s Earth Wagon
by TreeHugger on 02.25.05
Ah, the wagon. Brings back memories, right? Your Radio Flyer is probably still out in the shed or garage, needing a new coat of paint for your own children. Well check this out: here’s one that won’t rot, split or need new painting because it’s made from 100% recycled plastic. Radio Flyer is known for its durability, and with this model the green and tan colors are infused throughout the boards so the colors won’t chip or scratch so it never needs to be repainted. Radio Flyer has taken recycled plastic jugs and has converted them into an environmentally friendly, yet classic wagon. The size is the same as the famous Town & Country model with the red base and the tall wooden sides can also be removed. Each Earth Wagon is equivalent to 230 one-gallon milk jugs that have been diverted from the landfill. Talk about a great way to enable your children to experience first hand the potential benefits of recycling. After all, who doesn’t love a wagon? We looove this one. Via ::Green Home [by KD]...
Wind-Powered Cell Phones?
by TreeHugger on 02.25.05
Students at the Department of Industrial Design at Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, India have attached a pocket-size wind turbine to a mobile phone. The electricity generated by the turbine when could charge a cell phone when no other power source is available, and would be especially well-suited to coastal areas where there’s, duh, lot of wind. That’s the good news. The bad news is that all this tech talk is sort of full of, well, hot air. That’s because the main point of the turbine is to “extend mobile connectivity” when electricity is not available, i.e. you’ll never again be spared again the relief of a dead cell pone battery in the hand of the yapper next to you on the bus—all he’ll have to do is stick his phone out the window at 60 m.p.h. The device, according to scientists who created the prototype, does saves a bit of energy, but not a significant amount—that’s not what it was created to do. Via ::Gizmodo ::Rediff.com [by MO]...
Urban Hardwoods: Saving Forests One Tree At A Time
by TreeHugger on 02.25.05
Grow Fresh vegetables in the City
by TreeHugger on 02.25.05
Here's a great solution to gardening in the city. The Horturba table gives you the chance not only to cultivate your own vegetables in your terrace, roof or concrete back yard, but also not to make a mess while doing it....
Recycler: TreeHugger heart Plants!
by TreeHugger on 02.25.05
TreeHugger is very pro-plants. Check below for a bunch of posts from our archive (over 900 posts now!!). They reside in the botanical category.
Keeping your keys company.
Microplants on your keychain.
Cleaning your apartment air.
Top 5 plants to improve indoor air.
Growing food on your windowsill.
System using aeroponics!
Out the window of the tram.
Grass is better than asphalt.
To send to your lover.
Organic bouquets.
Send us more botanical tips please! tips at treehugger dot com. also looking for botanical writer...[by Graham Hill]...
Bucket Pendant Lamp by Butter
by TreeHugger on 02.24.05
From Lindsey Adams Adelman and David Weeks, founders of Butter, a collaborative and product design company focused on simplicity and affordability, comes the Bucket lamp. Bucket is nifty because it’s a born-again bucket liner. No longer relegated to being stuffed inside a five-gallon pail, Bucket lamp is ready to light up your home and your life for just 56 dollahs, if you want the swish, silver-coated, 60W light bulb, or a mere $48 if you choose to provide your own, more efficient light source. ::Butter [by MO]...
Ecopod: Green Coffins -- Bling Optional
by TreeHugger on 02.24.05
Seriously, we swear we're not unhealthily fascinated with death... It's just that human funerary technology is going to be a serious concern in the next few decades, because the world population is growing to a point where we may need new ways of looking at burial and death. As we've pointed out before, a good start on that path is to look at biodegradable coffins which allow nature to take it's course with the remains, rather than preserving them uselessly. But your loved ones shouldn't have to give up their stately lifestyle just because they want a treehuggable funeral, and they don't have to, thanks to this beauty....
Laurenceleste Children’s Clothing
by TreeHugger on 02.24.05
They’ve been in Organic Style, Oprah’s “O” Magazine and InStyle. Stylish celebs such as Téa Leoni and Sting purchase their clothing line for their kids and as gifts. Lauren Murphy and Celeste Bayer were on a mission to be organic entrepreneurs and it seems like they’ve turned into just that. They’ve created an upscale children's clothing line, Laurenceleste, that’s stylish, cuddly and soft as well as ecologically responsible. Laurenceleste, offers EcoSpun fleece (a smooth, supple fleece produced entirely from recycled beverage bottles), organic cotton, and recycled-cotton outfits and accessories for babies and toddlers. Lauren and Celeste believe strongly in helping the planet so fabric scraps that can’t be used in next season’s line are donated to quiltmakers and local schools. Slightly flawed or leftover clothing is sent to an orphanage. Laurenceleste’s new spring 2005 line can be found at ::Pangaya. [by KD]...
Sustainable Group’s Recycled Binders
by TreeHugger on 02.24.05
What’s a better way to keep organized than a 3-ring binder? Most of us have used them since the 6th grade but if these were around years ago we would’ve definitely convinced Mom & Dad they were cool. Luckily we can use them now in the office, at home and we can buy them for our own kids. The recycled binders, or Rebinders, have covers that are made from specialized, sturdy corrugated cardboard (35-38% Post Consumer Recycled) that is 100% recyclable unlike those vinyl binders. In addition, Rebinder’s ring metals are affixed using two screws and t-nuts that can be reused without any waste. Custom printing is also available to personalize for your company and kids can personalize the binders themselves. Look for Repocket, a two-pocket folder made from 100% recycled fibers, being launched in March as well as Refolder in the future. Rebinder is assembled in the United States by Goodwill Industries, a company that provides quality vocational services to disabled and disadvantaged members of the community through education, training and job opportunities. ::Rebinder [by KD]...
Vincon Bin made from recycled tires
by TreeHugger on 02.24.05
Cute little bin to hold firewood or laundry. Stuff made from old tires typically sucks. This one doesn't. And there are a lot of frickin tires out there. 55 Euros at Vincon in Barcelona. [by Graham Hill]...
Under My Umbrella
by TreeHugger on 02.24.05
This is the story of a product not yet made: a solar collecting, electricity storing and sharing, urban-café-dwelling, deck umbrella. I herald its arrival in the present tense because the components are mostly off-the-shelf. Good design and green entrepreneurship is what’s needed. Its so far nameless, though, partly because the domain names “ebrella.com”, “solarbrella.org”, and "sunbrella.com" are claimed (but show no evidence of this idea). Better, then, to let popular culture coin one....
Recycler: 5 Protos TreeHugger would like to see go Prime-Time
by TreeHugger on 02.24.05
Adjustable-height heels, waterless dishwashing, full-on eco-condos? Let's hope these eco-macgyvers push to make their concepts into realities. Like, now.
1.Adjustable height heels. Low for work. Medium for the important meeting. High for that hot lunch-date.
2.Waterless dishwasher. Win all the "most efficient way to wash your dishes" arguments with this baby.
3.WWU Saw+Tin Jug Coffee-can plus old handsaw handle = very cool jug.
4.Sustainable Condo. The whole shebang, furniture to skin to water-systems. And cool-looking.
5.Bikestations: Commuting in the future. Think Park+Ride but for bikes and way better.
[by Graham Hill]...
Closing the PET loop: re-cycling water bottles
by TreeHugger on 02.23.05
Call it collective, tacit guilt but every consumer who quaffs their daily ‘branded’ water knows that the plastic (PET) bottle is, generally, on a one-way trip to a landfill site. Our appetite (or is it gullibility?) for bottled drinking water is rising globally. Bottle-to-bottle recycling is a regular activity in the United States but has been slow to take off in the European Union, although that’s set to change as de-polymerisation plants are being introduced. Approximately seventy percent post-consumer PET waste (that includes your bottles) ends up being shredded and recycled as PET fibres for textiles and padding. An unseen multiple waste stream from the bottled water market is the shrink wrapped packs with a cardboard tray used for distributing bottles to the retailers. A German company, Franz Delbrouck GmbH of Bieberkamp thinks the LighTray, made entirely of recycled PET, will ensure the distribution and retail packaging can be disposed of in one waste stream. A neat solution but that still leaves the user holding… the bottle. Enter Nicolas le Moigne's imaginative re-use…
...
TH's Favorite Flexible, Folding Bikes from A to B
by TreeHugger on 02.23.05
Transportation specialists talk about ‘mobility pathways’. In realspeak that’s how we move from one mobility mode to another on our journey from A to B. So an office worker, for example, might walk to a bus stop, catch a bus then hop onto a train and walk from the station through the Central Business District to the office. Linking up is the key to a smooth and hassle free journey. Bicycles that can be folded for easy stowage in a car, bus, train or aeroplane have long been regarded as an inherently sustainable transport mode. Choice is everything say the consumer gurus, but with over twenty manufacturers worldwide selecting the right bike for you can be a daunting task. In the extended entry is the one-minute guide from TreeHugger, created with great help from ::A to B who provide an excellent summary of top brands of folding bikes....
Eco-classics? IsokonPlus and Voxia plywood furniture
by TreeHugger on 02.23.05
IKEA bent ply lounge chairs grace urban apartments around the globe. These ubiquitous domestic artefacts are inspired by the iconic 1930s designs of Alvar Alto, Marcel Breuer and Gerald Summers, but are definitely not in the same league. A quick glance at Breuer’s Isokon Short and Long chairs, designed in 1935-36, and still manufactured by IsokonPlus in the UK, reveals ‘truth to materials’ and the modernist ethic of design to improve well-being. It’s no surprise that the Isokon Furniture Company, founded by Jack Pritchard in 1935 with former Bauhaus guru Walter Gropius as Controller of Design (nice title), is still around 70 years later. Perhaps this is what’s meant by ‘sustainable business’. This is clearly design that sustains – it is durable, patinates with age, endures across generations and comes from renewable resources. Recognising stable market demand for quality furniture, other Scandinavian manufacturers, beyond IKEA, are bending plywood to the limits…...
Vegan Hemp Candles
by TreeHugger on 02.23.05
Like Soylab and Madisyn Taylor these candles are made from soy wax as well. But what makes these candles different is that they are made with a 100% hemp wick that is unbleached and undyed. Some cotton wicks have lead or other toxic metal cores and most are bleached with chlorine, which adds more unnatural toxic compounds. These candles are also 100% vegan, meaning they do not contain petroleum, animal products, synthetic fragrances, fixatives or chemical glosses and involved no cruelty to animals. Made from renewable plant wax they are biodegradable and clean burning unlike paraffin wax. As far as the scent goes, synthetic fragrances add to the toxins and soot emitted into the air of your home from burning candles – not so sweet smelling after all. But these candles are made from 100% essential oils and are available in six yummy scents. One last little tidbit to convince you – profits from these candles help support the environment and help fight animal cruelty. $15-$18
::Rawganique.com [by KD]...
Dockable Dwelling by Matias Creimer
by TreeHugger on 02.23.05
Though this Matias Creimer Studio project isn’t spankin’ new, it has enjoyed a fairly recent revival in the press and it’s damn cool looking, so we’re bringing it back, too. Using kits of parts, sets of cards, puzzles, machines, and mechanical processes as inspiration and for generating forms, Creimer created the Dockable Dwelling, an efficient, affordable housing prototype with pop style. A factory-assembled modular system, the dwelling couples the house’s components like the cars of a train (the cars of the future, fyi)... ...
QOTD: Cesar Vergara
by TreeHugger on 02.23.05
--Cesar Vergara, "accidental environmentalist" and National Design Principal at Jacobs Civil, Inc. Vergara, who specializes in trains and transportation, recently contributed to the redesign of France's high-speed train, the TGV. [by MO]...
Be Green, Get Clean: Belvisi Solar Shower
by TreeHugger on 02.23.05
While full on solar water heating is becoming more and more affordable, and may soon be available easily to the average do-it-yourselfer, it's not the only way that you can cut energy consumption from hot water. If you've got a backyard pool, or belong to a club which has outdoor pools, consider the energy saving potential of the Belvisi Solar Shower. It 5.5 gallons of water heated in an internal reservoir using solar energy. When you want to rinse off from the pool, you adjust the hot/cold mix for the perfect temperature -- up to 130 deg. F! That's hot enough to make even the most jaded water-heater junky take notice. Solar heat can be yours for around $250.00 US.
:: Belvisi Solar Shower at SolarDirect :: and at Hammacher Schlemmer [by DM]...
Vincon Hat Light by Curro Claret
by TreeHugger on 02.23.05
You arrive home after work, throw your hat on this stand and SHAZAM! You've got yourself a fun little light. Now, not many of us wear these Clark Kenters these days but the idea is great and one that TreeHugger would like to see more examples of. Got any? Essentially, the hat performs 2 functions so that the total amount of materials (lamp+hat) is lessened. Along the lines of making the basket function of grocery carts separate from the cart function (see john's hybrid design post). [by Graham Hill] *base pic in extended...
Eco-furniture: A broad and very subjective list, by David Bergman
by TreeHugger on 02.22.05
David Bergman, eco-designer extraordinaire, professor, and Viridian, has recently uploaded a new list of eco-furniture sources to the Viridians Web site, called “Eco-furniture: A broad and very subjective list.” His guiding principle: “What if green design were just good design?” a question first proposed by our friend and yours, Bruce Sterling, the a.k.a. Viridian “pope.” David’s mini-site classifies resources into general stuff, organic-y stuff, green =good design, down n’ dirty: found objects and dumpster diving, universal & ergonomic, temporary/disaster/catastrophe, outside the box, pre-owned, and conceptual. No time to sort through it all yourself? Don’t worry, we’ll be pilfering info from here for weeks to come. (Heh heh.) ::Viridian: Eco Furniture [by MO]...
Green Drinks, Green-Links
by TreeHugger on 02.22.05
From the hipsters behind Green Drinks, a networking event that gets people from a spectrum of fields in various cities together to talk eco-shop, comes Green-Links, an incredibly useful online resource for folks like you. Green-Links is a New York-focused Weblog that works by helping environmentally-minded people network through events and activities listings, discussion topics, idea forums, and loads of scoop on green resources and info throughout the Big Green Apple. Though much of the info regarding organizations, careers, and events is indeed New York-centric, there’s plenty of room here for everyone’s ideas to grow—even those of us who don’t live in the center of the universe. Green Drinks NYC occurs on the second Tuesday of every month. Groovy location always guaranteed. It started in NYC, but is spreading throughout the country, and has even sprouted a head in Santiago. ::Green-Links [by MO]...
Coca Cola is Going Green
by TreeHugger on 02.22.05
Yes, coke is going green. Well, green-ish. At least in Japan. We told you about how a . Japanese burger chain is turning their burger-and-bun waste into energy to power a local steel mill. We told you about a town in Vermont that gets its power from local cow poop. Back to Japan and the junk food business: Methane processing is making its way into the beverage industry. ...
Recycle For Breast Cancer
by TreeHugger on 02.22.05
If you’re like us, then you cringe when people in your office throw old ink and toner cartridges in the trash. Isn’t there anything that can be done? Well there is in fact something that you can do, not only at the office, but also at home. Recycle For Breast Cancer is a national non-profit organization that collects used ink and toner cartridges, cell phones, palm pilots and more to help fight breast cancer and to benefit the environment. All of the net proceeds from the recycling program go to a national breast cancer foundation. The program is so easy to participate in and there’s no cost to you. So basically, there’s really no excuse to not be doing it. You can log on to the Recycle For Breast Cancer Web site and fill out a form to request a pre-paid shipping label for your personal use and you can also request free supplies for the office, including postage paid mailing bags, recycle pails and collection boxes. Not only are you supporting a good cause but you’re helping to protect the environment as well. ::Recycle For Breast Cancer [by KD] ...
SciFi + Art = lower electric bill
by TreeHugger on 02.22.05
What crazy TreeHugger equation is this? There already exists house paint that, when applied to interior walls in the normal manner, results in increased interior comfort and a significant reduction in heating and air conditioning bills. It does this using a technology similar to that deployed in “Low-E” windows. The paint is similar, but not identical to Low-E window functionality because, while Low-E paint reduces energy consumption year round, Low-E windows only are helpful during the heating season. The question comes to mind: “Why haven’t I heard of this before”? It’s fairly new and only one brand is currently distributed in the US. Plus it looks like every other water based house paint, and competes in a commodity market. Even Low-E windows took many decades to gain wide acceptance. How to speed it up?
...
Recycler: 5 Weirder than Average Posts from our Past
by TreeHugger on 02.22.05
1.Ye ol' solar vibrator.
Git your motors running in the Solar category.
2.Skiteboarding across Oz.
Wind power down under in the Transportation category.
3.Yo-yo ice-cream maker.
Keep the kids busy in the Kids category.
4.Cooking fish in your dishwasher.
People with too much time in the Food category.
5.Chickens + Chicken-Coop by Mail!!.
Your own micro-farm in the Outdoors category....
Subscribe to Treehugger Via RSS and XML
by Nick Aster of TriplePundit on 02.22.05
To make things easy for you, Treehugger is deliverable as an RSS feed. If you haven't the faintest idea what RSS is, have a look at my post about it here.
If you do have a vague idea, you may subscribe to our feed in the usual formats, or by using a ready-made service like MyYahoo. Click your favorite below:
For advanced readers, here are the urls you need:
Atom: http://www.treehugger.com/atom.xml
RSS 1.0: http://www.treehugger.com/index.rdf
RSS 2.0: http://www.treehugger.com/index.xml
Syndication for Sites:
If you would like Treehugger headlines to appear on your site, email "Nick at Treehugger", and we'll get you the code you need. ...
For advanced readers, here are the urls you need:
Atom: http://www.treehugger.com/atom.xml
RSS 1.0: http://www.treehugger.com/index.rdf
RSS 2.0: http://www.treehugger.com/index.xml
Syndication for Sites:
If you would like Treehugger headlines to appear on your site, email "Nick at Treehugger", and we'll get you the code you need. ...
Green Means Go: Greenlight Lighting
by TreeHugger on 02.21.05
Here at Treehugger, we're obviously thrilled that the cities all over the world have bitten the bullet and begun changing over their incandescent traffic signals to energy thrifty LED modules. They've got good reason to; California estimates that the switch has trimmed over $10 million from its yearly electric bill, and Portland, Oregon has saved an estimated $380,000 in annual electrical and maintenance costs. But, with all these new lamps going in, there are tons (quite literally, hundreds of thousands of pounds) of beautiful colored glass lenses being carted off to the landfill. Luckily for us Greenlight Concepts Lighting is taking the Man's trash and making it treasure......
Recycler: 5 Things For You Not To Own
by TreeHugger on 02.21.05
Sara Snow
by Sara Snow on 02.20.05
Random: Sivan Lewin Still-Life Photographer
by TreeHugger on 02.20.05
One of the frustrations that we run into is when we find decent eco-design work that is terribly photographed. Friend of TreeHugger, Sivan Lewin, does excellent still-life photography based out of New York. Please contact Sivan if you need help on this front. And perhaps other photographers out there who would be interested in helping out the cause, might include their urls in the comments section for this post. We live in a shallow world, for the most part, so if we´re going to take sustainability mainstream, let´s take our best step forward! ::Sivan Lewin [by Graham Hill] *Note that image above is one of her personal, more arty examples...
