Archive for the ‘Urban Green Trends’ Category
Nov
11
People TowelsDid you know that every day over 3,000 pounds of paper towels are thrown away in the US? Or that, in one year, the average person uses between 2,400 and 3,000 paper towels at work?
People Towels wants to change that. They produce eco-friendly reusable hand towels for individual use. The idea is that if we all carry around reusable towels and cut out using paper towels and even air dryers, we can reduce the amount of waste going into the landfill, and even reduce our carbon footprint. From their website: “PeopleTowels’ mission is to empower ordinary people and socially responsible companies to contribute to a sustainable environment by replacing paper towels with reusable PeopleTowels.”
People Towels has several options for environmentally-friendly themed towel designs. They’re even selling limited edition Breast Cancer Fund designs. People Towels even has an ambassador program, People 4 People Towels, where participants can earn reward points by signing up and spreading the “B. Y. O. Towel” message. Check out their video: People Towels also just celebrated their 1-year anniversary this month! You can find them on Facebook or Twitter.
Oct
17
Welcome To The Blue House
Located on Steiger island, one of seven man-made islands located in the Amsterdam IJburg lakes, this beautiful, fascinating home boasts a deep blue facade and some pretty cool eco-friendly features. This building, a product of the visions of architect Peter Weijnen of Faro Architecten in the Netherlands, captures rainwater to use in its toilets and washing machine, large windows open up to the South to let in light and warmth, and the ventilation system is based upon old Arabian cooling towers!
The interior also features recycled materials, like the beams made from old wood bollards taken from nearby IJ Lake, and copper taken from an old church roof reused to make the suspended kitchen/living area ceiling. Faro Architecten has other, equally impressive sustainable projects you can see on their website (here’s the English version). You’ve never seen rubber inner tubes look so chic. Kathleen Nowak Tucci of “My Sister’s Art” creates unique, striking, elegant wearable works of art out of recycled rubber. Her sister, Margaret Nowak Dobos, promotes her work and represents it to clients from all over the world. From their website: “She makes all of the jewelry by hand, and her necklaces, earrings, and bracelets are crafted meticulously. For Kathleen, creating is a necessity, not an option. Her line of eco-art rubber jewelry is constantly expanding as her creativity knows no bounds.”
A Gulf Coast resident, My Sister’s Art’s jewelry was featured in an oil spill-themed spread in Italian Vogue in August 2010. Their line of jewelry includes necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.
Every college student knows the feeling of dread when that time of year rolls around again: time to buy another semester’s worth of textbooks. Buying textbooks new often costs hundreds of dollars, hours of your time waiting in lines at crowded bookstores, and frantic nights of catch-up reading because the books that you ordered online arrived late. In short, it’s a nuisance, but there isn’t really a way to get around buying textbooks for class–those 200 page readings are just a part of the college experience. In an attempt to cut down on waste, energy, and publishing costs, Arizona State University is partnering with HP to run an on-demand textbook printing technology, along with only two other schools in the country (The University of Kansas and Portland State University). According to an article from ASU’s website: “HP has developed new technology that can print a perfect-bound book, with a laminated color cover, within minutes, and is rolling out the concept in a pilot program with three universities.” “What we’re excited about is that we’re literally never out of a book if we have the digital file,” Mekelburg noted. And, he added, the “print a textbook on demand” process is very ecologically sound. “The books aren’t printed on the East Coast, stored by the publisher and shipped here.” In the article, Thurman Holder (director of new business for HP’s Imaging and Print Group), states that on-demand printing can reduce the publishing industry’s footprint by an estimated 25%. The cuttings from the printing process are even collected and reused to make note cards. What do you think of this technology?
Sep
15
Fresh-Wave.com
We’ve blogged about eco-friendly cleaning products before, but this time we’re highlighting one company in particular that makes excellent green cleaning products: Fresh-Wave.com. From the website:
Not sure where to start? Check out the “odor guide”, which will tell you which products to use depending on what stinks. For example, the Soy Candle is recommended for “Kitchen” “Basement” “Skunk” and “Smoke”. Fresh Wave’s sprays are particularly versatile, effective on odors ranging from “Athletic” and “Bathroom” to “Upholstery” and “Nursery”. They also carry Vacuum Pearls, Multi-Purpose Additive, Carpet Shake, Pearl Packs, and Pet Shampoo. If you’re looking to make a gift of green cleaning products to a particularly smelly someone, they carry kits: particularly, the Stinky Dorm Room Kit and Green Home Kit.
It’s a pretty exciting time for Fresh Wave–their Continuous Release Crystal Gel recently won the iParenting Media Award for excellent products in the housewares category! In addition, in accordance with a recent agreement between OMI Industries and the Chicago Bears, Fresh Wave products are now being used in all luxury skybox bathrooms and suites at Soldier Field. Head on over to their website to learn more. We already knew that green buildings use up less energy and resources and have a decreased carbon footprint, but now it seems that they have a positive effect on those who live and work in them, too. A recent article from the LA Times reports on a study done at MSU that employees were more productive, happier, and healthier when they worked in green buildings versus regular ones: “Researchers from Michigan State University did two case studies evaluating the physical and mental health status of people who moved from traditional to green office buildings. One scenario involved 56 people and the other 207, and employees were asked through surveys about absenteeism from work in both types of buildings for asthma, allergies, depression and stress-related conditions. They were also asked about productivity in the two settings. …Being absent from work for asthma, allergies, depression and stress decreased following the move into the green buildings; for example, hours absent from work due to asthma and allergies was on average 1.12 per month in conventional buildings and 0.49 in green buildings. The average number of work hours affected by illness per month also declined after the move. Productivity improved.”
Have you ever worked in a green building? What was your experience? How does the economic environment affect green consumers? (A “green consumer” is simply someone who buys/uses green products and services). The Green Confidence Index is a resource that gauges green consumers’ views, buying habits, and more. From GreenBiz.com: “The Index measures Americans’ attitudes towards and confidence in how leaders and institutions are perceived to be addressing environmental issues, the adequacy of information available to them to make informed decisions, and their past and future purchases of green products.”  Interestingly, the monthly survey found that when participants were asked what company came to their minds when they thought of a “green” company, Walmart and Clorox beat out companies like Whole Foods and Seventh Generation. The current index number is 101.4, which is only a little higher than the baseline of 100, established in July 2009.
Aug
14
Baumraum TreehousesHave you seen the amazing (and green!) treehouses made by the German company Baumraum? If you ever built or fantasized about the perfect treehouse as a kid, take a look at these. They are installed with great care taken not to harm the trees they’re built on and around, and Baumraum has a wide selection of sustainable materials clients can choose from for the making of their treehouse.
From the website: “Baumraum is specialised in the planning and realisation of treehouses and other constructions in natural surroundings. We transform your individual ideas and wishes into ingenious and inspiring dwellings that combine versatility with craftsmanship of the highest quality and maximum safety standards. A major objective thereby is to handle the trees and their surroundings with the utmost care, ensuring their protection and preservation.”
Aug
8
DIY Recycled Home DecorLooking for a little inspiration for spicing up your home? Take a look at Recyclart.org, which is a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration for creating your own recycled home decor items. It’s truly amazing how many forgotten items or things that our first impulse is to throw out can be made into unique, quirky, cute and beautiful decorations for the home.
DIY projects with recycled materials save money and energy, and, best of all, can be tailored exactly to the needs of your home and your vision.
Ever wonder how, exactly, solar energy works? Watch the video for a short but sweet explanation of how the sun’s light is transformed into electricity. |
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