th comments
ygogolak said: "@Teetee, Brad Pitt has nothing to do with the design of these homes. The man volunteered his time and money to charity and you can only bash..." [read]

The Author said: "IGCC makes as much economic sense as shooting our trash into the Sun. Yeah it's possible, but there are plenty of other much more effective, and ch..." [read]

ygogolak said: "@Traciatim: 1. It's an apartment. A resident can't just go in and do their own upgrades to the mechanical systems. 2. A person is not ..." [read]

Mike said: "You can get something similar at Target for about 8 bucks. It's not quite as fancy but they are LED powered, only come on at night, and only come o..." [read]

april said: "RT muchosam, Tim, Anonymous: Thanks for catching that. ..." [read]

said: "What's with the picture of the Focus?..." [read]

Way Basics Offers 20% Off All Furniture Products

by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 06.18.09
Design & Architecture

treehugger deals way basics paper furniture
Image via Way Basics.

A few days ago we covered Way Basics, a company that has invented simple, basic furniture that is practical and versatile. The Way Basics line of modular furniture is made from the company’s signature zBoards, a super-durable board made from post-consumer recycled paper that weighs much less than particle board. Each zBoard comes equipped with 3M double-sided tape, eliminating the need for tools or hardware and making assembly as easy as peel, stick, done.

Article continues: Way Basics Offers 20% Off All Furniture Products

Earn Extra Income By Renting Out Your Excess Space

by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 06.14.09
Design & Architecture

For Rent: Walk-in Closet... $150, Food Pantry... $75, Couch... $50 a Night

The struggling economy has brought new opportunity to the budding entrepreneur. It is called renting out your excess space, and it means more than just renting out a portion of your house to a trustworthy tenant. Renting space can be anything from a single bedroom, closet, garage, or even just a couch for the night. Do you have more home than you really need? Perhaps you can capitalize on it and make a nice monthly income in the process...
Article continues: Earn Extra Income By Renting Out Your Excess Space

Emily Pilloton on When Sustainability Takes a Back Seat in Design (Video)

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 02.23.09
Design & Architecture

emily pilloton at compostmodern photo

We recently had an interview on TreeHugger Radio with Emily Pilloton, founder of Project H, about the projects her non-profit accomplishes - one of the most well known being her work with the Hippo Roller. She also spoke at Compostmodern this weekend, and we'd like to show you a bit more about the redesign of this water transportation system, as well as an interesting point she brings up about sustainable design...something she calls her "personal beef with sustainability."

Article continues: Emily Pilloton on When Sustainability Takes a Back Seat in Design (Video)

BoB, the Eco Clothes Hanger Made from Cardboard and Reused Water Bottles

by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 02. 5.09
Design & Architecture

BoB Hanger made from recycled cardboard and reused water bottles PHOTO

Designer Joan Nadal took on the challenge to re-design one of the most common everyday objects: the humble clothes hanger. A small object with a large environmental footprint if we consider that of the 8 billion polystyrene or polycarbonate hangers manufactured per year, only 15% are recycled. That is enough to fill the Empire State Building 4 times! The solution: make recyclable hanger from just one material, and if you can, recycle something along the way. BoB Hanger does exactly that: it’s made from recycled cardboard and needs two reused bottles to function.

Article continues: BoB, the Eco Clothes Hanger Made from Cardboard and Reused Water Bottles

'Pocket Library': Book Storage for Small Places, by Ariel Jacubovich

by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 10.14.08
Design & Architecture

Library storage small spaces Ariel Jacubovich Photo
Photos: Not made in China.

From our great archive of ideas that show less is more you get it: we love small spaces. Especially important in times of economic stress, they make us think about what we really need, give maximum usage to what we have, and they take a lot less energy to keep running. And of course, we love clever furniture that helps us live better in those places.

We've showed you the Kenchikukagu apartment from a box, the Cube 6 dining room furniture and the amazing BEDUP.

Now from Argentina comes a simpler but still beautiful idea, this book and CD storage device that folds into a 21 inches (55 centimeters) cube. Watch it roll in the extended.

Article continues: 'Pocket Library': Book Storage for Small Places, by Ariel Jacubovich

Haworth, Inc. Tests Ending Use Of Cardboad Containers For Product Shipping: Reports 20% Reduction In C02 Footprint

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 09.18.08
Design & Architecture

haworth office desks tables Vancouver Wood photo To give the headline context, here's Haworth's Profile
The market Haworth, Inc, a Michigan-based distributor of commercial "workspace solutions", covers is diverse, including walls, floors utilities, systems, seating, lighting, desks/casegoods, storage, and tables. They boast a LEED Gold Chicago Merc showroom, have published goals and metrics for improving, and offer a 2007 pdf report on Sustainability

What is business like without cardboard?
Haworth recently finished a 2-month test of shipping chairs and tables wrapped in protective blankets instead of cardboard containers. By using 'straps, bars and plywood tiers, the company fit an average of about 65 percent more products into its trailers, reducing the number of loads needed and eliminating cardboard waste.' The packaging apparatus is re-usable of course.

Probably means more labor by dock workers and customers you say? Sure but there are economic advantages for supplier and customer. Haworth does not need to pay for and build space to store cardboard; and "customers said they appreciated avoiding the labor of unpacking boxes and disposing of cardboard waste."

Article continues: Haworth, Inc. Tests Ending Use Of Cardboad Containers For Product Shipping: Reports 20% Reduction In C02 Footprint

African Seed Bank Deposits Arrive In Norway

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 02. 4.08
Design & Architecture

second_view_entrance_to_seed_vault.jpg

TreeHugger April updated us on construction of an international seed bank (shown here in front view) in her post called Chilling Down Svalbard's Seed Saver. This followed Tim's post on the early planning stages called Norway Seed Bank: A Hedge Against Food Loss. The shelves are up, and the first load of seeds, from Africa, are enroute for long term storage in Norway.

blockquote%20copy.gifTwenty-one boxes filled with 7,000 unique seed samples from more than 36 African nations were shipped to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a facility being built on a remote island in the Arctic Circle as a repository of last resort for humanity’s agricultural heritage...

Article continues: African Seed Bank Deposits Arrive In Norway

It Slices, It Dices: Smith Storage & Stool by Jonathan Olivares

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.14.08
Design & Architecture

jonathan-olivares-smith-stool-storage.jpg

Just as "Smith" the surname has many uses (as the most-employed in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand) as a family name, "Smith" the storage and stool has many uses around the house. Designed to have seven different functions, the utilitarian piece offers bookshelf-like interior storage space, a surface for sitting or use as a tabletop and casters for easy moving between various home and workspace-related uses.

With so many possibilities, it's ultimately up to the user to define what Smith fits best; we think it'd work pretty well for a handful of different things, and can probably be the less to your current more. Available at Nova68 via ::Better Living Through Design

We'll be working on better category archives soon. In the meantime, take a look at the weekly archive if you really want to dig around, or use the search box at the top of the page.

TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!

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