Design & Architecture

Two years ago, I posted an article about bidets, and it generated a lot of healthy discussion. Since that time I've gathered more information on this topic, and I've been testing out a bidet for about three months. I now consider bidets to be a key green technology, because they eliminate the use of toilet paper. They also provide important health benefits. These include increased cleanliness, and the therapeutic effect of water on damaged skin (think rashes or hemorrhoids). But let's look at some figures on toilet paper usage:

Design & Architecture

In our quest for efficient water use, this might be the first time we’ve come across a shower that recycles its own water for reuse [we’ve already looked at behavior-related conservation tips, like the navy shower and the selective flush, and we’ve also featured a wide-array of technologies, from low-flow showerheads to gray water recycling systems]. The Quench Shower system, originating in Australia, involves a two-step process – the first being a regular shower where you soap up and rinse off, and the second in which you allow the shower basin to fill up and then let the Quench system recycle and reheat that water perpetually. So you can enjoy as long a shower as you like without using any more water. In principle we like the idea, but it has its drawbacks.

Recent Comment by edjusted : "...or for that matter, what's the difference between that and a *single person* bath? Y..." [read]

Design & Architecture

Petz wrote earlier about E-Base 2041, described by explorer Robert Swan: " We are using green, innovative and sustainable materials and applying them to the cleanest coldest place on earth. The E-Base will serve as a model globally and locally.” Scott at Envirolet informs us that they have a composting toilet (double conflict alert: 1) they advertise on TreeHugger and 2) I own one just like the one in Antarctica) and by all appearances in the video, they seem to be very happy with it, calling it their "prized possession." I am surprised that it would work in such temperatures but evidently the heater is strong enough to keep it all from freezing.

Swan makes a big deal about leaving no trace and taking everything out; we wonder what they are doing with the compost. ::E-base 2041 via ::Envirolet Buzz See also TreeHugger: Thinking about Crap: Should Houses Have Composting Toilets? and The Governor General on Composting Toilets

Design & Architecture

First, it was slow food, the slow food movement and then slow homes and slow design in general. As slow food gained prominence, so too did the "100 mile diet" and local food, so it makes sense that the local focus would make its way to design as well.

Remodelista shows us a great example of the 100 mile bathroom remodel in San Francisco. Mixing vintage and locally manufactured items into their ideas for modern bathroom design, they've come up with a whole new take on bathroom design ideas. Hop across the jump to see some of their bathroom design photos.

Recent Comment by John Taylor : "When a project is a "one-off" then local purchases are not as necessary. It is when you..." [read]

Design & Architecture

After our initial launch, we were thrilled to find Crate & Barrel's Kona rug. And over the past few years we’ve covered the company's various eco-products, such as their glass food storage containers, their Bamboo Bento collection and, in the past year, their “green sofa.” Nowadays, we’re amazed at what they’ve come up with.

At first, we were skeptical of Crate & Barrel’s most recent e-newsletters, touting their commitment to sustainability, but we’re beginning to see that this might not be a case of your average green washing. “The best place to start making the world a better place is right at home,” reads the introduction to the environmental part of their website. “At Crate & Barrel, green is not a trend. It’s an ongoing mission.”

Design & Architecture

Getting every last bit of soap from a bar to do its job can be tricky; the smaller it gets, the harder it is to handle those slick little buggers. Instead of trying to mash them together, or into a new bar, the Korean design team DesigNoDoubt has a solution: just deposit it into the bank. Their "Soap Bank" is a slick little device that collects and helps you get your money's worth from the small remains of soap. When your bar gets too small to get a good grip on, just drop it in the slot and give the bag a rub when you need some soapy goodness. Cha-ching!

The Bank is designed to stick on any interior shower wall (it's a suction cup) and the top is a good place to keep you soap until it's small enough to fit in the bank. It might be the only time it's convenient to drop the soap. Get cleaned up with more pics below the fold. ::DesigNoDoubt via ::Yanko Design

Design & Architecture

Here’s a new shop paradigm for you: Shop according to the revealed ingredients of every object. Because those ingredients sure look yummy with a range of products made from sustainable wood, cork, bamboo, organic and recycled materials. Monica Potvin in Barcelona and Anu Suominen in Finland have joined forces and created ‘a new version shop presenting a collection of objects for living made as sustainable as possible’. Matteriashop is finally a shop that guarantees eco-smartness as well as fabulous design.

Through close collaboration with designers all over the globe, the Matteriashop offers a unique transparency and behind-the-scene information on each carefully selected product, taking into account its entire lifecycle. Monica Potvin explains:

Recent Comment by Jensen : "Not targeted for US at the moment (must email them for a US shipping quote)..." [read]

Design & Architecture

Photo credit (right): joyner0101

Low-flow showerheads are one of the standard answers to the question, "How can I conserve water at home?" There's no real sacrifice involved; you can still clean yourself every day, you just use less water doing so. We've featured lots of the water-saving devices as part of our advice for saving water when you shower, but this one is worth a special mention.

See if this sounds familiar: you stumble in to the bathroom in the morning and turn on the shower. While waiting for it to warm up to "wake up temperature," you check yourself out in the mirror, pick at your teeth, rub the sleep out of your eyes, pat your head and rub your belly, or do whatever until you can verify that hopping in the shower won't be like joining the Polar Bear Club. Unless you've been standing there with your hand under the tap, waiting for it to get just right, chances are that a precious few drops (or a precious few gallons, depending on your showerhead and how long you've been preening) have escaped down the drain.

That phenomenon is a thing of the past with this smart head; when the water temperature reaches 95 degrees (plenty warm for getting started, at least), it automatically shuts off, letting you know that it's warmed up and ready; you can finish brushing your teeth or gazing at the scale at your leisure, since you aren't pouring water down your tub's drain anymore.