Paper Bottles

This is a great attempt at solving the crisis of the growing plastic water bottle waste. These bottles are made from paper and are 100% recyclable and they look pretty cool as well. There is a lot of potential in this idea and this could be a solution in the near future I hope.

Plasma Trash Plant

Here is some amazing stuff that has so much potential in the future. As landfills continue to grow in size, we are stuck with the environmental issues and the buildup of in-disposable waste. With this amazing plasma technology, we can now vaporize trash, and at the same time create energy to power homes. A plant in St. Lucie County Florida will use 10,000 degree plasma to vaporize trash 1,500 tons of trash a day, and harness enough energy to power 50,000 homes. The plant will also be able to melt down inorganic materials to be reused for other applications, such as in roadbed and heavy construction. Overall a pretty amazing technology.

Turn your plants upside down

Plants are a great thing for the home, they brighten up rooms and they help clean the air. Here is a product by Boskke, where they turn the house plant upside down. Not only is it visually stimulating (and different), but it uses a watering system that saves up to 80% less water than a conventional potted plant. Now you can be green, have some green, and save some green...(cheesy I know)

Polar Bear Preservers

Polar bears are in danger, and as humans (who are causing their landscapes to melt away) we should do something to help. Here is a great concept to help Polar bears swim and hopefully continue to survive. However, I feel bad for the chap that has to strap a Polar bear up in one of these things... Good luck ADDI concepts

O-Ba-Ma

I am so proud of America and the president elect! Here is just a cool thing I found. It is a picture composed of all dominos.

Interactive Mirror

Interactive Mirror from Alpay Kasal on Vimeo.

This stuff is really cool. It is amazing to see how far touch technology has come in the last few years. It seems like this item could be in homes everywhere in a few years. Here is a little more about this awesome mirror:

In an effort to dive deeper into HCI (Human Computer Interaction) by hacking together parts easily acquired, I set out to build something especially "non-computery" - introducing the Interactive Mirror. On paper, this construction looked like it'd be novel and fun. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was way more fun than expected once I fired it up.

The cognitive machine that is your brain automatically deals with things like size and distance and perspective, a job it hopefully does fairly well, you don't have to give a mirror's reflection much thought. However, interacting with buttons and animation layered on your reflection and the world behind you is unlike any other touchscreen experience. This unexpectedness, to me, is precisely the allure of HCI and all things touch-capable.

I thought to build this version of the Interactive Mirror after I saw some dielectric glass mirrors with LCD panels built into them. They're meant to be the bathroom of the future, complete with news and weather to accompany your toothpaste in the morning. Sounds nifty, but it looked completely un-fun. It lacked a human touch. I brainstormed with friend Sam Ewen and soon started cutting aluminum t-slot.

There are some tricks built into this installation: like internal mirror bounces for greater projection throw (wide angle lenses are expensive) and a projection running at an aspect ratio of 9:16 rather than 16:9. I'm also using mouse emulation, which is key in my opinion. Much like the Lasergames set up, I'm able to repurpose some of my previously created flash work or set up any game on the installation for instant action, making it a very dynamic system.

Plastic Logic Electronic Reading Device

This device uses plastic screen to display all types of documents. It is not breakable, can be used in bright day light, has a touch screen, has a battery life that lasts days, and weighs less than a pound. This reading device is great in that it will alleviate tons of paper, which will in turn help the environment. Overall, an advancement in technology that has been long overdue.

Solar Tree

Here is some cool design working to turn solar panels into something that everyone can use in their homes as a decorative piece as well. The tree is similar to a bonsai tree and there is a very zen quality to the design. Very cool.




Recharge your cellphone and camera with this universal & usb solar-cell tree charger.
Thanks to 54 tiny photovoltaic panels this device will store energy in a battery during the day, allowing you to reload your stuff whenever you need.
All wires are plugged and hidden under the electronic bonsai tray.
This object is made of several modules fitted together by a 3.5 jack connector.
You can rotate each part individually and produce an endless number of different shapes.
It’s ecological and decorative.
[Vivien Muller]

Hruska by Martin Zampach

After being in the Czech Republic for a good portion of this summer, and after discovering their design work and art history, it is great to see a Czech designer make some news. This glass/bottle combo is stylish and very Czech. I like it a great deal!

Here are some words from the designer:
HRUSKA glass collection designed by Martin Žampach for Květná Glassworks will be presented at 10th DESIGNBLOK in Prague early October. (7-12.10.2008)

Inspiration for glass collection “HRUSKA” is markedly simple. What a delicious fruit! Wine and champagne goblets are positioned on very decent stem and stronger crown giving to it great stability.

With the shape of the bottles it’s even more obvious where the design came from; special features are those caps which also may work as shot glasses. Collection closes with whisky and cocktail glass.

Whole collection consists of: wine 250ml, 350ml, 450ml; wine bottle 1000ml; liquer; liquer bottle 750ml; champagne fluet; champagne bowl; beer glass.

Manufacturer: Moravské Sklárny Květná.

Available for purchase from end of September.
[dezeen]

On the Rocks!

Here is something I came across while on Swissmiss. These are very "cool" rocks that will make your drink cold and are actually cleaner than ice. Pretty sweet!

Nordic Rock is mined from ancient Swedish pollution-free base rock. It is the purest way of cooling your drink - literally 'on the rocks'. Stone does not melt, which means no unclean water in your glass. They are also reusable making them very eco-friendly. To use, simply place the stone ice cubes in the freezer for approximately one hour before use. For a normal glass, two or three Nordic Rocks will be fine. They give off their cold gradually and equally. Nordic Rock: Stone Ice Cubes
[swissmiss]

Tire Changing Help

This is something that could help everyone. I like the innovation here.

Traffic Wall Lights

Here is a cool concept for a solution to traffic lights. The idea is that there is a wall of lights that change colors. This wall will help people stop behind the line and will give the pedestrian an even safer crossing. While the concept is interesting and good looking, I don't know if traffic lights need to be replaced or changed to this new design. There are also some unresolved issues like turning right on red and such. With these walls it might not be possible? I don't know, I would have to hear some more information on this design in order to pass any final judgments.

Hanyoung Lee's clever "virtual wall" traffic light concept provides a visually strong barrier that would hopefully prevent motorists from blocking the box. And if the visual barrier isn't incentive enough, perhaps they could up the wattage of the lasers....
[Core77]

Disappearing-Pattern Tiles

Here is a really neat and innovative solution to water conservation awareness. The simple idea of letting a person know how much water they are using, by visually showing them is a great idea. Just like the energy monitoring device, this one will help save water and money from your water bill. It also looks pretty darn good...

According to STATIC! here is how it works:

Heat is a form of energy that is often taken for granted, invisibly escaping from appliances, boiling water, lamps and radiators. Energy lost through heat may be visualized if artifacts communicate leakage in various ways. In the example ‘Disappearing-Pattern Tiles’, bathroom tiles are decorated with patterns in a thermo-chromic ink that reacts to heat, fading away to reflect splashes and intensities of hot-water use. The longer the shower, the less decoration on the wall! The architectural surface acts as a subtle reminder of personal energy use over time, reflecting the duration and waste of water during a shower.
[STATIC!]

Energy Curtain

This curtain is an innovative solution to raise awareness on sustainable energy systems. It is a simple step in the education process where one can actually see the results from collecting sun energy and reusing it. An informative solution that looks cool too.

Though guilt is a common and effective remedy for changing wasteful behavior, it’s certainly nobody’s favorite. In order for sustainable ideas to catch on, they need to be pleasurable and desireable. Not many products consist of equal parts ecological responsibility and innovative design, but Re:Form has struck the balance. Their Energy Curtain is a window shade woven with solar-collecting and light-emitting materials that store sunlight during the day and emit it at night. By choosing how much sunlight to collect and how much to use, the curtain “acts to stimulate reflection on the trade-offs of a local, sustainable system and [help the user] evolve a relationship with their own energy behaviors over time.”

Re:Form is one of several research studios under the umbrella of Sweden’s Interactive Institute. The studio explores new technologies such as smart home interiors and interactive textiles for fashion. Prototypes from their current project, Static! are being exhibited in part at Future Design Days beginning today in Stockholm. Static! (which includes the Energy Curtain) is a design research project that uses interactive design to increase awareness of energy consumption. There are a number of other products in this collection that are as unprecedented in their technology as they are in their ability to make ecological consciousness decidedly cool. Be sure to take a look.
[Inhabitat]

Energy Monitoring Device

Here is a product that lets you know how much energy your home is using at the moment. This device could be very useful for everyone, by letting people know how much energy they are using, it will allow them to cut back on their energy use and at the same time shave some money off of their electric bill. Overall an innovative, simple and elegant solution to the energy consuming problem.

The Wattson allows you a direct and simple means of understanding just how much energy your home consumes. The gadget has a sensor which takes a measurement of overall domestic energy consumption as well as assessing individual appliances. It displays the reading as a number and also “non-verbally,” with an ambient red light that dims according to how much power your electronics are sucking through the outlets (which makes it a great educational and interactive nightlight for kids).

On top of its utility, the Wattson has a lovely clean wood meets space-age design - not the kind of device you want to hide in the closet.

The Wattson works wirelessly, so that you can take readings anywhere throughout the house, even for machines in Standby mode. You can learn about your power use in terms of wattage or in terms of costs (in this case, pounds). You may find your microwave costs you 50 pounds a year just to tell the time and wait for you to ask it to do something…

The device stores energy data, which can be downloaded onto your computer for long-term chronological reports on your home’s energy consumption. The computer connection also enables Wattson users to join online conversations about effective strategies for reducing energy use, and compare their own discoveries with those in similar domestic circumstances.
[Inhabitat]

Privacy Glass

This is a great way to change a space very fast from an open environment to a private environment. This glass has the potential to really open up space and inspire designers to create great work environments as well as other things like store fronts or dressing rooms. The possibilities with this glass are nearly endless. An innovative and great solution to the standard dressing room door...and did I mention that it saves energy, pretty sweet!

Imagine a high-tech glass that you could change from transparent to frosted with the flick of a switch… You could use it for home windows (eliminating the need for blinds), for store fronts (at night), and even for bathrooms (requiring users to stretch for a new level of trust in technology). Although Privacy Glass is not in common use yet - the technology has actually been around for quite a few years, and there are many stunning examples of this smart material in use all over the world. French company Saint-Gobain produces an “intelligent” glass called Privalite, which can be switched from an ordinary-looking clear glass to a foggy-looking frosted glass by running an electrical current over a polymer liquid-crystal film sandwiched between two plates of glass.

Apparently the Koolhaus-designed Prada flagship store in SoHo, New York, utilizes privacy glass in the dressing rooms. I’ve been to the store on several occasions, but I’ve never quite made it as far as the dressing rooms (bloggers can’t afford Prada), so I have yet to see this in the flesh. Fortunately New Yorkers don’t need to be well-heeled to see Privacy Glass in action. Inhabitat reader John tells us that there is a more accessible (and fun) implementation of privacy glass, right around the corner from the Prada store, at Bar 89 (89 Mercer Street in NYC)

Privacy glass works according to the principles of polymer liquid-crystal optics. The laminated glazing comprises two sheets of glass, either clear or tinted, and a liquid crystal film. Both faces of the film are covered with a transparent, electrical conductive coating. When the glass is switched off from its special power supply, the liquid crystals are randomly scattered and diffuse light in all directions. By switching the glass on, the crystals line up and reorient themselves, turning the SGG PRIVA-LITE glass totally transparent. Switching from the non-transparent state to the transparent state is almost instantaneous and can be repeated as often as desired.

According to the above article, this smart glass technology could potentially save billions of dollars on heating, cooling and lighting costs by being installed into traditional residential windows. Bring it on!
[Inhabitat]

Hydro Wall

Here is a great idea on how to improve our issues of water shortages. Not only could this concept be applied to the U.S. but it could really help out third-world countries that have clean water problems. I hope that this is produced someday because it has a lot of potential and it is quite innovative.

We’ve been anxiously awaiting the results of Metropolis Magazine’s Next Generation 2006 Competition, and we are excited to say that this year’s winning project raises the bar for ecological sustainability and future-forward innovation.

Virginia San Fratello’s winning project, the Hydro Wall is a concrete and thermoplastic wall system that combines a rainwater catchment, storage, filtering and recycling to supply a building with an efficient and renewal water supply.


San Fratello imagines fire stations utilizing the recycled water from the Hydro Wall to fill trucks, while schools and municipal buildings could use collected water for heating and cooling, watering the landscape and as a gray water supply for the building. What a fabulous idea!

San Fratello will receive a $10,000 seed from sponsors Herman Miller and Maharam to create a prototype of the Hydro Wall. The concept clearly has potential to be beneficial in a number of geographic areas and to a great many populations whose water supplies are unstable or severely limited.
[Inhabitat]

OLED's

This technology has so much potential to do great things in the near future. The flexibility and the potential wide range of uses of this product makes it very appealing to many companies and designers. This technology will be the inspiration of many innovations to come.

Imagine a house without a single light fixture - but instead walls, ceilings, furnishings, and accessories all sources of light. Thanks to research at Princeton University and the University of Southern California (USC), almost any surface in a building can become a light source with OLEDs.

Researchers have made a critical advancement from what was once single-color displays to highly efficient and long-lasting natural light source called OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes). The invention was the brain child of 13-years of research in the OLED program headed up by Mark Thompson at USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Stephan Forrest, vice president for research at the University of Michigan (formerly at Princeton).

Thompson states that the OLED process enables us to get 100 percent efficiency out of single, broad spectrum light source. Completely transparent when not in use, the devices can be used in windows and a skylight, mimicking the feel of natural light once the sun goes down. Imagine the energy saving possibilities! Or, for gadget geeks, OLEDs could make for the flattest flat-panel TV imaginable. Watch out when OLEDs hit the mass market, it could transform lighting as we know it.
[Inhabitat]

Modified Mac

Here is something that probably took a lot of time, but the end result is spectacular and cool. If I were brave enough to mess around with my mac, I would want to do something similar to this someday...

Richard Hunt's Mac hack. After the screen crapped out on his Powerbook, he couldn't bring himself to throw it away, so he turned it into a desktop machine using acrylic plastic from a shower, perforated steel and some chrome pipe.

It's like making an inverted-bucket sandcastle, then turning to see the guy next to you has built the Taj Mahal.
[Core 77]

Robot Legs for the Elderly

Here is something that is innovative and will help the elderly become mobile again. It is a simple idea that is probably more appealing than a "hoverround scooter chair"

It's nice to see Japanese scientists developing technology that can actually help the elderly help themselves for a change, rather than creating more robots that ostensibly are designed to minister to their needs but may well have ulterior motives. To wit: Honda is developing a lightweight walking assistance device that can be worn around the hip and thighs to help ease a person's gait.

The mechanism works with brushless motors that get their cues from hip angle sensors and commands from the control CPU, according to press release. Being that this is Japan, however--the land that's headed for a human-free society--a robot's influence was still key to this invention. Fareastgizmos says that the R&D that went into Asimo, Honda's celebrity "advanced humoid robot," was used in developing this automated walker.
[Crave]

LED light bulbs

Here is something that I believe a lot of people were expecting to come along eventually. We have the fluorescent light bulbs, but LED's get so much more light for how much energy is required to power them. So, naturally this seemed like the future for the light bulb.

High price and a strange color. No, we're not talking about a hairdo. Those are the two factors that have kept light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, from becoming a mainstream light source.

But that might change soon, said Zach Gibler, chief business development officer of Lighting Science Group, which plans to announce distribution deals with major retailers for its LED bulbs that screw into a regular socket.

LED bulbs for household use have already been around for some time, but their success has been limited. The main obstacles have been that they cost more than incandescent lightbulbs and emit a sometimes unnerving color of light.

Lighting Science Group this week plans to introduce a portfolio of LED replacement white lightbulbs that it hopes will attract more consumer interest. The product line uses the same sockets as Edison bulbs.

According to Gibler, the bulbs perform well on a warmth and color rendering index--blue looks blue, yellow looks yellow, etc.--they have a long life cycle, and consume 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs.

Gibler believes 2008 could be "the year of LED" for residential use and lighting in general. The market potential is big, particularly considering that legislation will outlaw the sale of incandescent bulbs by 2012, he said. He compared the adoption of LED lights in homes to another lighting product, the flashlight.

"Three years ago you could hardly find an LED-based flashlight; today it's hard to find one that is not LED light," he said.

Lighting Science Group sells its products through wholesale stores and on its own Web site, but it expects to announce soon distribution deals with one or two retail chains to make the new LED bulbs more available.

At $40 to $110 apiece, the LED "in-screw" bulbs may still seem too pricey for a lot of consumers. But Lighting Science Group's pitch is that a 50 cent Edison bulb will last for 750 to 3,000 hours, while an LED has to be replaced only every 50,000 hours (or 10 to 30 years). The company says the cost savings is almost $740 over a lifetime due to much lower energy consumption.

Vrinda Bhandarkar, a research analyst at Mountain View, Calif.-based Strategies Unlimited, said she is impressed if the "bulky looking lamps" actually perform as well as the company says. But the price has to come down a lot before consumers--and not just businesses--start buying them, she said. For a proper light in the kitchen it would take at least four big bulbs, which would cost about $440.

"They will be used for retail display, hotel lobbies, for paintings that hang up high, and places where you need a high ladder to change lamps," she said.

Gibler, who has a lengthy career in the lighting industry and took on responsibility for business development at Lighting Science Group last year, believes the price for LED lights will come down as chips get cheaper.

"They will be half the cost in another two years," he said.
[Crave]

Innovation Training Games

Here is something that I believe has a large amount of potential in the future for teaching our kids, and possibly making homework more enjoyable/ easier on teachers as well. The ability to teach children lesson plans through video games, is something that has already started happening, however Microsoft wants to take it to a larger scale and for all sorts of age groups.

Earlier this year, Microsoft released ESP, a tool that lets companies create their own training games. It’s the first time a major software maker has entered the non­entertainment video game market with a product to help others build their own simulations. The software license costs $799 vs. the $500,000 or so to hire a developer to design a single project. ESP, used by Northrop Grumman and robotics maker Science Applications International, is based on Microsoft Game Studios’ popular “Flight Simulator.” Microsoft’s working on an upgrade that will let teachers customize history lessons or salespeople simulate virtual deals.
[Business Week]

Folding Grill Tools

Here is a stylish solution to our grill tool storage needs. Instead of storing big and bulky grill tools, these fold up nicely; and they look great too.

Save some storage space with these collapsable Folding Grill Tools. Made of forged stainless steel with eco-friendly pakkawood handles, the collection includes a folding brush ($20), folding tongs ($20), and folding spatula ($15).
[Uncrate]

Solatube

Here is an innovation that helps mother earth and our homes. This is a skylight that can be placed virtually anywhere, thus saving energy!

Brighten up your dwelling and save some energy at the same time with Solatube ($TBD). Like a skylight you can use anywhere, the Solatube system captures the sun's natural light and sends it down a highly reflective tube into your living area. Since it draws no power, it also helps lower your energy costs, making your home more eco-friendly. The perfect way to celebrate Earth Day.
[Uncrate}

Bluetooth Earbuds

Here is an innovation that might already be out on the market, but this one in particular is very stylish and high quality. This product is bluetooth headphones that plug into any and every MP3 player and most cell phones. Awesome!

Go wireless with your iPod and your phone using the JayBird Bluetooth Stereo Headset ($130). Using the Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP protocol, the JayBird allows you to connect your music player and phone at the same time, and also comes with a great-looking charging station with the ability to charge the JayBird Bluetooth Adapter for iPod ($50; $180 bundled with Headset) as well. Goodbye, wires.
[Uncrate]

Algae Power

Corn and soybean derived biofuels have long been the most promising options on the table for escaping the clutches of fast depleting petroleum. However, acquiring the space necessary to produce ethanol and biodiesel at the same consumption rate as fossil fuels would be impossible, so sustainable fingers are pointing to oilgae, or algae fuel. Algae produces 30 times more energy per acre than corn or soybeans and can grow in salt water, our worlds most abundant source. There are several startups bringing pond scum to fuel tanks, among them Solazyme who were caught driving around Sundance Film Festival this year with an oilgae-powered car.

US Biotech firm Solazyme unveiled an algae-fueled Mercedes C320 at the Sundance Film Festival in January marking the first real-world road test of biodiesel made from algae. Solazyme president and CTO Harrison Dillon said the Sundance test drive responds to “the need for a near-term solution that will also be cost effective and sustainable. Our technology combines all the key components: low carbon footprint, environmental sustainability, certified compatibility with existing vehicles and infrastructure, and energy security for our country,” in a press release. The company has since coupled with the Chevron Corporation and plan on producing algae-derived fuels for consumer use in the next three years.

Solazyme grows algae in fermentation tanks without sunlight, by feeding it sugar. Algae suitable for biofuels can be grown in open ponds or lakes or enclosed in heated greenhouse structures to promote year-long growth. And since the production of algae doesn’t hinder food and livestock feed production like corn and soybeans, its effect on the ecosystem and the food chain is significantly reduced.

But what’s a great idea without a catch? In open systems like natural ponds and lakes algae is susceptible to bacteria and contamination, and at the whim of the water and air temperature and access to light. In closed systems, algae grows in contained ponds or pools eliminating much of the risk of environmental variables, though requires more attention, equipment, and space. One of the commercial readiness hurdles is managing production at a feasible market price. Algae biofuels are still being researched and tested throughout the world and will someday (hopefully soon) offer us a cleaner way to get around.
[Inhabitat]

Educational Treehouse

Prince Charles has been invited to open the New Forest Study Centre’s new educational treehouse, a sustainable building that places city kids right in the middle of nature. The Countryside Education Trust (CET) has commissioned two classrooms-on-stilts to be built, enabling 10,000 children a year to learn about rural life and build a connection to nature - an experience that some one million children in the UK have never had. With an eco-minded design and purpose, the treehouse project will be a catalyst for environmental awareness.

The treehouse was designed by 22-year-old Samantha Sherwood of Oxford Brookes University, who won a student design competition open to five South Eastern architecture schools. She’s been working closely with Novoe Ltd and treehouse specialists Blue Forest Ltd to develop her plans into a workable solution, with additional advice from sustainable environmental consultancy XCO2.

Samantha’s design features a biomass boiler, solar panels, rainwater collection and a glass roof. Construction materials will be sourced within the region, where possible. A walkway suspended 16 feet from the ground will enable students to move from one classroom to the other. Only the toilet block and facilities office will be located on the ground.

The new center replaces two dilapidated classrooms that the centre acquired second-hand. It will be “a model of sustainable and environmental design, technology and energy conservation” serving the environmental education center and local community groups. Construction is underway and, if the Prince accepts, the center will open when the treehouse is completed in Fall 2008.
[Inhabitat]

Floating Buildings

A set of zero-carbon floating buildings has been chosen by RIBA as the winning design for the visitor center at the new Brockholes Wetland and Woodland Nature Reserve in Preston, northern England. Nicknamed ‘A Floating World’ and chosen over five other shortlisted entries, this design from Adam Khan Architects uses buildings made of low embodied energy materials such as thatch, willow and timber, drawing on the heritage of wetland dwellings and embodying a sustainable agenda.

Off-site prefabrication and on-site energy generation and waste treatment further reduce the project’s impact. Built on an island of floating pontoons over a former 67-acre gravel pit, visitors are reassured with the guarantee of ‘unlimited flood protection’. The connection they experience with nature is greater through close proximity of the café, shop, gallery, education areas, and meeting rooms to the reeds and wildlife of the surrounding wetland environment.

The design is part of the £59 million Newlands Scheme, which intends to turn over 900 hectares of brownfield land into community woodland and green space, and grabbing national and international attention along the way. As well as supporting recreation and wildlife, the center plays a key role in enhancing the local area both socially and economically.
[Inhabitat]

Light Emitting Wallpaper

I personally think that this product is very cool. Incorporating technology into our surroundings like that is very inspiring and enjoyable.

With alternative lighting solutions becoming a typical consideration in sustainable interior design, Jonas Samson’s illuminated wallpaper is set to take the Salone Internazionale del Mobile and its design junkies by storm. A clever mix of the graphic, textile-inspired papers of the recent-past and organic technologies of the future, his light-emitting wallpaper happily straddles the fence between kiddie night-light and inventive design feature. It’s eco-credentials: turning a two-dimensional surface into a light source versus the traditional bulb/lamp construc
[Inhabitat]

LED Desk Lamp

The Loop LED Lamp puts traditional desk lamps to shame. This stylish desk light uses LEDs and needs only 5 watts to light up your work space and, perhaps, inspire your own eco-creations.

In addition to being a sleek, functional desktop accessory, the Loop lamp shines with impressive energy efficiency. It produces 600 lumen with just 15 Watts of power and the light source has a long expected lifespan of more than 50,000 hours. Since Loop takes advantage LED, the color of the light can be changed to fit any mood or set any ambient lighting feel, making it a versatile design that goes from work to play easily.
[Inhabitat]

Cover Pouf's

Here is a well designed, and sleek looking stool, that is not harmful to the environment.

Designer Alain Bertreau creates simple furniture that cuts out excess materials and effort, leaves an overall serene and minimalistic impression, and packs light. We’ve covered Bertreau’s Instant Chair and his Modular Fence Chair but we only just glanced at his latest project, the Cover pouf, and it deserves a second look. Cover challenges our notion of package design by turning a cardboard box into the base of a waste-free pouf that is fun, functional and easily recyclable.

The Cover stool comes in or, depending on perspective, as a sturdy box with a foam pad inside. Just zip the pad around the box and you’ve managed assembly and clean-up in one fell swoop. When the pouf reaches the end of its functionality in your life, you can send the box-turned-furniture off to recycling.
[Inhabitat]

Recycled Jewelry

Now I do not wear jewelry, but I am around girls enough to hear what they like and what they dislike about their jewelry. And I think that because of that reason, is why I like these pieces.

Sid Vintage Jewelry pieces are one-of-a-kind necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets crafted from a bevy of unwanted (though extremely valuable), reclaimed vintage clasps, dead stock chains, and cast-off heirloom baubles found in jewelry boxes of yore and as e-bay flotsam. With the keen vision of a thrifty hunter-gatherer, designer Nanci Bennett locates, resuscitates, and adeptly incorporates all of her findings into stunning creations that neatly define eco-chic style and awesomely resourceful materials usage. When else can you be green and enviro-conscious with deliciously glitzy gobs of sparkly chains and recycled baubles dripping off your neckline and earlobes? Sid Vintage Jewelry takes (re)living in excess to a whole new level – that of personal value recycled and celebrated for one more round of hip and unique storytelling.
[Inhabitat]

Recycled Tires

Rubber Tubs


Rubber Tote

Here are some great products sold at DWR. It is a great way to recycle tires and do it in a good looking way. There are lots of different products offered and they all help the environment!

Americans alone toss out about 300 million tires every year. The big thinkers of the world are working on creative ways to reuse this vast quantity of rubber – ideas include mixing ground-up tires with urethane to create sidewalks or burning them like coal to produce energy. Meanwhile, some designers are thinking a little smaller. With the large Rubber Tote and Rubber Tubs, discarded tires are hand-cut and hand-sewn into a vessel that can be used indoors or out as planter for a small tree, carrying container, space for gardening supplies or anything else that can benefit from solidly constructed storage. Modeled on ancient leather-crafting techniques, these durable containers are each unique and offer a functional alternative to the landfill. Not guaranteed to be watertight. Made in Egypt.
[DWR]

Maun Windsor Chair

Here is a chair that does more than just let you sit on it. This is a great example of how design can help all types of people.

With the North South Project, Canadian designer Patty Johnson is extending the positive effects of globalization to places that have yet to benefit. In the case of her Maun Windsor Chair (2004), that place is Botswana, Africa. To create the Maun, Johnson went to Peter Mabeo, the founder of the Mabeo Furniture factory in Gaborone, Botswana, with a design brief for a collection of high-quality wooden furniture that could be produced by hand. The Maun Windsor is a new interpretation of a classic American chair. Its Shaker-inspired clean lines meld with the abstract quality of African wooden sculpture, and the tight linear grain of the white oak further emphasizes the chair’s form. Handcrafted from wood that’s harvested from well-managed forests, it’s finished with an all-natural soap flake finish. The Maun’s design and manufacture is ecologically, aesthetically and culturally sustainable, while bringing long-term benefits to the local craftspeople and community. Made in Botswana.
[dwr]

Soundtrack T-shirt

Here is something that reminds me of the Family Guy episode where Peter had a personal soundtrack, and now finally someone has developed a shirt that offers all of the soundtracks for every mood you are in. Overall a great and innovative shirt.

For many of us, our iPods supply the soundtrack to our lives — but it's kinda hard to let everyone else hear it. An April Fool's joke turned real product, the Personal Soundtrack T-Shirt ($40; pre-order) overcomes this with a working speaker embedded into the front of the shirt that's attached to a pocketable remote which lets you select from more than 20 different musical themes and sound effects.

[uncrate]

Human Parachute

Here is something that is really cool. An innovative way at redesigning the parachute, this full body suit allows for a new exciting take on sky diving. The body suit allows for longer dives and it gives the feeling of flying. The squirrel like suit makes for an interesting shape and design and it makes the sport more interesting and exciting.

Aqua Climb

Get all the health benefits of rock climbing without the danger with the Aqua Climb ($8,000). Designed to be installed over a swimming pool, the wall features adjustable, interchangeable handholds, a 10-degree angle to ensure that you fall into the pool, protective padding along the sides and base, and a 304-grade stainless steel frame that can handle years of use.
[uncrate]