Archive for December, 2009
Cardboard toys can be really cool since the materials used to make them are recyclable or compostable, durable enough to last for awhile but not so durable that they’ll stay in the environment for forever after the toy breaks and no one wants it anymore. Treehugger.com wasn’t into this product. But hey I dig it! I introduce you to Gizmodo’s environmentally friendly slinky. It’s sold for $18 on uncommon goods, which suggests “Take it for a walk down the stairs, or turn it into a cardboard sculpture. You never thought you’d have this much fun with cardboard!” Consider this the first time...
It’s cute, it’s plump, it comes complete with a curly tail….that lights up. It’s the energy savings piggy lamp. Created by Ariel Rojo Design Studio, the lamp is intended to send a message about energy savings…but it actually sends two. Alternative Consumer writes something true enough, “Are we ‘piggish’ in our power use or – transitioning to an energy conscious approach that benefits both our pocketbook and the planet? I don’t think you”ll light-up a 1,000 square foot room with one of these CFL-tailed little porkers, but they’re symbolically enlightening nonetheless.” Indeed, it could be good as a little night light. But...
Ah, the day after Christmas – if you’ve been greening your holiday thus far, why stop now? One of the simplest ways to keep up the great eco-work is to recycle that colorful mound of ripped-up wrapping paper left in the aftermath of all these wonderful holidays. If you need ideas, we’ve Inhabitat.com has 5 easy ways to reuse your giftwrap, so check it out now!...
I’ll never learn quiet how to adapt to the winter. My Latin blood does not adjust well. However, I do enjoy any excuse I get to drink warm beverages, especially hot cocoa. When I learned that there existed such a thing as eco cocoa through Grist.org’s recent tasting, I could resist but to share. Check out some really insightful views on the following seven cocoa’s. Hopefully it’ll help you select your next brand of choice as it did me! From Grist.org Green & Black’s organic hot chocolate drink Ingredients: Organic raw cane sugar, organic fat-reduced cocoa powder, organic dark chocolate...
Hidden deep within the Venezuelan jungle stands the tallest waterfall in the world. It’s so tall, rising to a height of 3,212 ft, that the roaring torrent of falling water is reduced to a mere mist before meeting the rocks below. Due to its remote location, the magnificent cascade wasn’t known to the outside world until 16 November, 1933, when American aviator Jimmie Angel chanced a glimpse of it from the cockpit of his monoplane. Four years later, Angel, with his wife and three companions ventured back to the falls, hiking eleven days through the jungle. When they returned,...
Bicycle Design is always trawling up remarkable cycle oddities. This one, the work of UK artist Ben Wilson, is modeled off the kids toys Ben remembers from youth. Though more art than daily mule, ARTIKCAR is steered by leaning the body. It was conceived for a parade masterminded by Walk the Plank, a UK “creative force of artists, theatre makers, pyrotechnicians and event engineers.” Other of Ben Wilson’s art bikes include the Monowheel we covered back in ’08, and the Seebikesaw, commissioned by Brooks, the legendary leather saddle-maker. HIT FROM: Treehugger.com...
While you are taking time off during the holidays check out the latest from Grist.org Grist has rounded-up the best green news stories of the last decade. Pretty Cool. Everything from celebrity environmentalism to sustainable food, climate change to the greening of business is considered. It’s a great look at where we’ve been this decade—and how far we still have to go in the next....
After a year of engineering, modeling, and trials, the world’s largest Christmas star now hovers above the A9 Autobahn near Munich’s northern gateway. Affixed to the three blades of the massive wind turbine–70-meters tip to tip–are 9,000 light-emitting diodes (LEDs), all of which use less power than a hairdryer. The surreal pinwheel is a collaboration between Siemens, a world leader is wind power, and multi-media artist Michael Pendry. We’ve seen LEDs used in similar fashion to create patterns and imagery (go Pac-Man!), but this is, well, way big. The hovering eco-art piece can be seen every day from 4:30 p.m. to midnight...
As computers become more and more our BFFs (singularity, anyone?), we need greener ones: less toxic, more efficient, and easier to upgrade and recycle. Hailing from Korea, this interesting specimen is custom and hand-built, made by a company called Design Hara. Details are a bit sparse–at least for the non-Korean speaker–but here is the basic profile: the Design Hara computer is “built with recyclable green materials,” and constructed with an eye for end-of-life disassembly. Inside is an Intel Core2Duo processor (a cooler running chip), the 4 gig RAM can be upgraded to 8, and the terabyte memory is solid state, a significantly...
