of paper and things

can delight awesome pendant lights recycled from spray cans by zek .

goodbye detergent line of scrubs and pads which require no dishwashing detergent designed by hiroki hiyashi made of recycled food materials including corn cob and peach skin powders, and crushed walnut shells {via treehugger }

nice garden studio by joseph sandy made of reclaimed redwood fence and other found materials.

britian's 3rd largest supermarket chain, sainsbury's, just unveiled a new kinetic energy system that generates electrical power from the movement of vehicles into the parking lot. very cool. the store also features rainwater tanks, solar power, and a system whereby waste generated is processed at a biomass plant rather than shipped to landfills. + more here and here .

remade usa converts old leather jackets into great handbags. i love this clutch! + the website even has a nice tutorial on the process. {via haute*nature }

incredible green (literally) advertising! last year, edina tokodi was commissioned by the southeastern pennsylvania transportation authority to develop a campaign to help commuters understand the positive environmental impact of regularly mass transit use. the installation included green walls and navigable moss icons in the market east station.

love these! limited to a series of 10. the design was achieved by scripting digits to create a halftone effect. the designs are famous images of utopian skyscrapers designed in the beginning of the 20th century. utopian bamboo skateboards by test collective .

tyler hays from bddw ( unique handmade furniture company ) is now experimenting with analog stereo systems, made from sustainable, recycled and repurposed materials, and he's founded phila audio to design and make the systems. i think the results are incredible! {via re-nest }

beautiful laminated bamboo pendant lamp. dissolve by hiroyuki kato .

by allicette ideally, we are all growing or buying only organic produce. but when that just isn't feasible, it's useful to know which non-organic fruits and vegetables contain more pesticides and are therefore the least safe to eat. if possible, you really should buy the organic version of these: peaches, pears, green beans, apples, squash, strawberries, raspberries, spinach, potatoes, and tomatoes. {via the good human }

brilliant. zilka hanger by ryan frank . made of 100% recycled newspapers, and fully biodegradable. {via re-nest }

tomorrow i will be meeting with an aveda rep, who will present me with (a whole lotta!) money raised through the every drop matters campaign ~ i'm the fundraiser for a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and protecting a river, which provides my area's drinking water. a local aveda salon/spa adopted us as the recipient of its earth month campaign activities, for the past two years. what they've been able to raise through cocktail parties and spa events to support our mission is remarkable. before being involved in this effort, i didn't know much about aveda ~ i knew that i liked their products, but i had no idea how deep their commitment to environmental stewardship is: ingredients ~ organic and naturally-derived responsible packaging ~ material use reduction and recyclable content manufacturing ~ uses 100% wind power in the process earth fund program ~ grants to environmental organizations they also have a great program for recycling plastic bottle ...

my heart is on my sleeve by songs for the skies 1bog (one block off the grid) organizes big groups of people together who want to get solar energy, and gets them a huge discount. here's how it works: 1. sign up with 1bog 2. tell your friends/neighbors to sign up 3. once 100 people have registered in your area, 1bog will pitch and propose and negotiate with installers. it's free to contract with 1bog to arrange the program ~ they are paid by installers, not you. and because they work on behalf of communities (organizing buying syndicates = big group discount rates) you can have access to solar energy for as little as $1,000 ~ that's equal to just under 3 months of electricity for me!

kulla. ~ industrial design studio based in israel, with a range of products made of recycled plastic shutters and birch ply. the series includes a chair, stool, wall, and shelf. {via notcot }

bamboo bikes studio mission: to provide every cyclist the experience of building his or her dream bike from scratch, while advancing sustainable entrepreneurship and development through financing bamboo bike factories in africa and south america. the studio offers weekend classes ~ you build your own bike (how cool!) and the proceeds from that workshop directly support their efforts to create jobs and provide better access to commerce, education, and other essential resources by supporting bamboo bike factories. the current project is in ghana. {via cool hunting }

3_times_a4 light prototype by i need my device made of machine wire screen, which is used in large scale paper manufacture and is a non-biodegradable waste product. the commercial lifespan of this screen, used to drain paper pulp, is particularly short. three a4 sheets of this material - referencing the product that it is used to create - are formed together to create a product that celebrates reclamation, turning a throw-away product into something beautiful. cool! thanks jackie for the link! {via treehugger }

straw straw by yuki iida winner of last year's muji award 03 the original meaning of the term "straw" was "wheat straw". straws of wheat are forms created by nature; they are materials that return to the soil. there is no waste in either the shape itself, or in its actual existence.

recipes for homemade natural cleaning products. hint: i add a few drops of essential oil (bergamot or lime in the spring) ~ makes the house smell great.

pretty freestyle embroidered pillows of hemp + kapok by enhabiten {via mstetson design }

phenomenal! handmade dreaming spires willow playhouse by judith needham . willow...is annually renewable and will gradually degrade over about 5 years - which is about the length of time a child will remain interested in using a playhouse. at the end of its life, it can simply be recycled in your own garden ~ as kindling, compost bin or as garden mulch.