With 2012 in full swing and resolutions made, allow us to suggest 5 SHFTS to help you become a more sustainable version of yourself: 1. Optimize your energy use There are many small ways you can reduce your consumption of energy. A few we would suggest are unplugging any chargers and turning off monitors when not in use. Also, replace old appliances in favor of more efficient Energy Star grade......read more
Sneaker shoppers will be taking home their next pair of PUMAs in something sustainable. The apparel company's new eco-conscious packaging and distribution system, which was unveiled on SHFT last year, will start hitting stores soon. Designed by Yves Behar's fuseproject studio, the so-called "Clever Little Bag" is part of PUMA's footprint reduction strategy. It's claimed that the packaging......read more
In the wake of last week's catastrophic oil spill, still growing in the Gulf of Mexico, many people are feeling helpless as to what they can do in their personal lives to stop supporting offshore oil drilling and the use of oil in general. Fortunately, our everyday lifestyle and purchasing decisions matter. We as individuals have the power to help reduce our country's reliance on oil,......read more
New York Times auto writer Christopher Jensen took the all-electric Nissan Leaf and the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt for a spin. Read his review at NYT Wheels Blog. Principles of sustainability are gaining traction in the fashion world. The new issue of JC Report has a nice feature on trends in sustainable fashion design, covering eco-minded brands like Chistopher Raeburn and Bodkin. Graphic......read more
If someone told you there is a Silicon Valley startup selling bottled air to China, you would probably think it’s a joke. And it is; the startup is actually in Alberta, Canada. Vitality Air produces and sells “hand-bottled” air from Banff and Lake Louise, two Canadian locales known for their Rocky Mountain surroundings and crystal clear bodies of water. The startup has......read more
In Rio de Janeiro, where world leaders are meeting for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), two gigantic fish are rising from Botafogo Beach. The public art installation has been created entirely from discarded plastic bottles collected on and around the beach. By day, the plastic sculptures shimmer in the sun, against the gorgeous backdrop of Rio's mountains. By night, the big......read more
Nebraska designer Garth Britzman has made what may be one of the coolest recycling projects we've ever seen. Britzman collected 1,500 plastic pop bottles and partially filled them with colored liquid to create an amazing, wave-like parking canopy for his car. Called (POP)culture, the stunning installation seeks "to stimulate creative alternatives for recycling and reusing materials." More info......read more
Sometimes, to think outside the box you gotta think within it. Such is the case with Boxed Water Is Better, a Michigan startup that has created a sustainable alternative to the eco-abomination known as bottled water. Company founder Benjamin Gott calls his venture "part sustainable water company, part art project, part philanthropic project, and completely curious." Boxed Water's......read more
For a long time, Senegalese-French furniture designer Bibi Seck, one half of product design duo Birsel + Seck, wanted to produce local furniture in Senegal. But it wasn't until he linked up with Transtech, a maker of cisterns and septic tanks using recycled plastic, that the project became feasible. The fruit of the partnership is the Taboo Collection of furniture, made in Dakar,......read more
Aurora Robson's exuberant sculptures, beautiful and mindmelting in their own right, hit brain orgasm status when you come to grips with the fact that they're made from detestable objects of pollution. Her space-exploding works are constructed from discarded plastic bottles that she cuts up, paints, and melts together. Some are outfitted with solar powered LED lighting, others fill......read more