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"Permaculture" is quickly becoming something of a buzzword. But what exactly does it mean? Wikipedia defines permaculture as "an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies." It is a very broad topic, but essentially refers to living sustainably with our environment in every way imaginable. The......read more
The grass lawn is as conventionally American as the white picket fence. Most homes in this country are surrounded by green grass. To stay healthy and green, grass requires large amounts of inputs, including water, fertilizer, and energy. Sure, grass lawns have some aesthetic and recreational benefits, but so do parks. Considering the state of the climate, it may be due time to reconsider the idea......read more
JIA Inc. partnered with Gearlab from Taiwan to create a one-of-a-kind coffee pot made from their native zisha and bamboo. Zisha, also known as purple clay, is natural clay unique to China, found around Taihu in Jiangsu during the Northern Song Dynasty (1000-1200 A.D.). When fired, the purple clay assumes a fine and sandy texture that retains the temperature of the tea held inside longer than......read more
Great piece in Design Observer from a couple months ago exploring the new economy of the Christmas tree, which is being redefined by growing environmental consciousness and recession frugality. Highlighting some of the tensions that exist in the Christmas ritual - pagan vs. Christian, natural vs. artifical - the essay goes on to underline some of the welcome trends in Christmas tree production......read more
I’m not really against food coloring, but I’ll happily go the natural route when possible. There are so many amazing colors in food — so why not use them? There are some brands that are now selling natural food colorings, but I love to DIY. There are a few points to keep in mind if you want to try it yourself at home. 1. Choose the source of color Sources for natural......read more
Constance Rosenblum for The New York Times: They aren’t what you might think of as typical sanitation workers, but Haley Rogers and Lisa Brunie-McDermott, two Sanitation Department employees, are women with a mission: to persuade New Yorkers to separate orange peels, eggshells and other organic waste from the rest of their trash. Ms. Rogers and Ms. Brunie-McDermott, both on the cusp of......read more
Joseph Erbentraut for the Huffington Post: CHICAGO -- When 27-year-old Luke Saunders told his former boss he was turning down a substantial raise and promotion to create a vending machine that would sell exclusively organic, restaurant-quality salads and snacks, he was met with looks of disbelief and confusion. "They still think I'm nuts," Saunders, the founder of Farmer's Fridge,......read more
Long the dumping grounds for various types of toxic waste, the Great Lakes have faced no shortage of pollution problems over the years. The latest, while tiny in size, is one of the trickiest and most dangerous issues yet. Scientists have discovered that plastic microbeads, a common ingredient in facial scrubs and toothpastes, are finding their way into the Great Lakes--the world's largest......read more
In what could prove to be a landmark development for waste energy technology, a chemical company announced this week that is has produced commercial quantities of ethanol from nonfood vegetative matter, including wood waste. The company, INEOS Bio, is a subsidiary of the European oil and chemical company INEOS. It produced the fuel at its Indian River BioEnergy Center in Vero Beach, Fla. From......read more
How many people has McDonald's served at this point? A trillion? The thought of all those fast food bags getting tossed into the garbage makes us shudder. Japanese artist Yuken Teruya spins that thought on its head with this delicate paper bag wor titled Notice-Forest: What Victory Tastes Like. The discarded bag piece builds on his growing repertoire of work made from mundane......read more
