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At an age when most kids are just learning to not pick their noses and eat it, Vanis Buckholz is running a business with an eye on helping not only the planet but also the less fortunate folks in the community. The 10-year-old from Corona del Mar, CA is the CEO of My ReCycler, which collects recyclable waste for delivery to the local recycling plant. Launched when he was only 7, My ReCycler......read more
What if there were something that could create 1.5 million new jobs, reduce carbon emissions equal to taking 50 million cars off the road, cut dependence on foreign oil, increase exports, save water, improve air quality and reduce toxic waste? What if it were low-cost and readily implemented? Wouldn’t everyone do it? At a time of wildfires, droughts and persistent unemployment,......read more
Overfishing isn't the only reason to be concerned about the commercial seafood industry. According to a 2009 United Nations FAO report, abandoned and lost fishing gear accounts for about 10 percent of the trash that collects in the world’s oceans. Discarded nets cause the particular problem of "ghost fishing," whereby they trap fish and other sea animals like turtles, birds, dolphins and......read more
If you're anything like us, Christmas present wrapping gets done on Christmas eve or, if we're lucky, the day before. For all us last-minuters out there, MNN has outlined some simple instructions for wrapping things in an eco-friendly manner. Here's the low-down on keeping your gifts gorgeous but green, from MNN correspondent Cy Tottleben: If you love the game of creating a beautiful mystery......read more
Summer may be officially over, but there's still time for a good gardening project. This vibrant vertical pallet garden is just the one. Spotted on Design*Sponge, this DIY idea comes from Fern Richardson at Life on the Balcony, a gardening blog with tons of great growing ideas. It's been modified by Steph from the local spoon, whose directions are excerpted here. Materials a pallet......read more
According to Jetson Green, there are two billion wooden pallets circulating around the world, and upwards of two/thirds of them are used only once. So smart design that makes use of upcycled pallets is an important and fertile realm of creativity. The Pallet Armchair from French designer Pierre Vedel is one of the best uses of the ubiquituous shipping material we've seen yet. The ingenious design......read more
With a design practice focused on the endless possibilities of found materials reuse, Cologne, Germany-based designer Michael Konstantin Wolke conjures truly inventive new uses for old discarded stuff. His coolest creation may be these wardrobe units, which consist of from bicycle inner tubes wrapped around a metal frame. Super smart. Also check out his recycled cardboard light......read more
Israeli industrial design studio Tenenbaum Hazan has found a surprising use for the plastic window blinds that have been replaced by lighter, stronger alternatives made of aluminum. The flowing, curvaceous TRIS chair features old plastic roller blinds held together by a closed wooden contour that keeps the form in place. The side where you sit is flexible while the other side......read more
In the shift from the wasteful and earth-damaging ways of the past toward a more sustainable future, technology is our pal. Advances in renewable energy systems, materials production, and waste recycling have transformed our ability to live greener lifestyles. Recently, researchers at the University of Warwick made one such advance in the realm of plastics recycling. Typically, only around 12%......read more
Electronics are the fastest-growing waste stream in the country, and only 15% of American e-waste gets recycled. The Los Angeles Times reports on a California company looking to do something to deal with it. This week, ECS Refining is launching ecollective — a network of drop-off points to recycle electronics for free. Californians can get in on the action by visiting the website and searching......read more
