Take Two

You can't turn on the TV, or open a newspaper, without hearing some reference to "being green", reducing your carbon footprint, reusing, recycling, etc, etc. I advocate this and try to apply it to my daily life. But here are some people who take it to a whole new level–ART. (Found via NOTCOT.org)

Jeremy Mayer de-constructs old typewriters to create fantastic sci-fi creatures.

Beverly Ng's "Spark Lamp" collects solar energy by day, and becomes a night light once the sun sets. Additionally, it provides digital feedback to your home computer to track your energy consumption. Pretty smart little lamp!

Recycled skateboard jewelry by Maple XO. I love their motto: "Save Landfill Space in Style."

A new use for the everyday lightbulb. Who knew they were so pretty? Buenos Aires-based sustainable design studio Minimahuella creates these smart reminders of the choices we make.

Now, what will you create? {Submissions are encouraged!}

Wild Thing

Seriously? Just too good.... good product, good packaging... love the opener. And good for you... Organic, fresh-pressed vegetables. Too bad it's not readily available, I'd love to try it. But I can see it catching on. I'd like some just to line my kitchen counter with. The colors are outstanding!

Packaging design by Seed.

Click here for the Wild Bunch & Co website.
Click here to see more of Seed's work.

I Heart Method

Ok, so I've written about Method before. But it deserves another honorable mention. A while ago, I started reading the blog of Tom Fishburne. He's a blogger, a cartoonist, a marketer, a creative mind, and he is working on launching Method in the UK. Busy guy.

Anyhow, I've started to frequent Tom's blog. He has interesting insights on brands and marketing, and he really cares about eco-products. When I asked Tom about finding Method products in London, he was kind enough to send me a box full of fabulous products. I love the thought that went into it... a personalized note, all the products were the same scent and color (see pix above), and he sent some of their coolest products, since he knew I was a designer.

It's that attention to detail that really makes a company stand out from the competition. There's such a difference between a company that "talks-the-talk and walks-the-walk" and a company that just talks. These guys know how to walk.

The products are now proudly displayed on our kitchen counter. And, if you know the size of our flat, that really is a place of honor, since there's not much room to begin with!

The best part is that they smell great, look great, and really do work. Thanks, Tom!

Visit Method here.
Visit Tom's blog here.

Felt Rocks

There is an interesting company from Vancouver, Canada called molo. From their website, molo is: is a design studio dedicated to materials research and an exploration of space making. As a design and manufacturing company, molo creates and distributes unique and innovative products to clients around the world.

I saw some of their work featured at 100% design. And while I'm not sure exactly what you would do with it all, it's was beautiful and worth sharing. I particularly love the felt rocks! The soft seating is also intriguing. Made from kraft paper with a flexible honeycomb structure, piece can compress like a big book for storage, and fan open for use into stools, benches and loungers. It's also made with 50% recycled materials, so that make me happy.

Click here for their website. Below are products from their : Soft line, and the felt rocks.

100% Design (Part 2)

I'll continue reporting on the materials section of the show for the moment. I was really happy to see so many reused, recycled and sustainable products on the market. The great thing is that they don't always scream "eco." They are smart, and well thought out, and simply beautiful.

I fell in love with the products from a company called 3-Form. According to their website: 3 form is the leading manufacturer of award-winning, eco-friendly materials and architectural hardware solutions for the Architecture + Design industry.

Beyond their more natural looking panels, they have an offering called "hi res," which reproduces graphics on large sheets of EcoResin. You can achieve a stunning and dramatic look, especially if the panel can be back lit. Just gorgeous! Check out their portfolio here.

Below is an example of "hi res", along with some of my favorites from their Organics line including: bamboo rings, bear grass, birch grove, and ithemba (beads and wire). And a few from their Graphic line! The pictures are great, but I wish you could see them in person when the light filters through. It's unbelievable.

Shopping

Well, yes, we also managed to do a little shopping on our tour of Scandinavia. Mostly we bought some beautiful pieces for the home, that will remind us of where we have been. But I was also keen to snap up a few design pieces. My first victim was a set of greeting cards. They're so beautiful, that I plan on framing them.

The company is called 1973. And while they're located in the UK, I actually found the cards in Copenhagen. Go figure. The series is called Paper Nature and was designed by the talented Emma Emerson. They are printed on an earthy brown card stock, and stamped with striking foil figures. I've posted some eye candy below.

And, in line with my love of all things green (environmentally speaking), I was happy to read that 1973 has gone green with cards printed on recycled materials, and vegetable based inks.

For more info on 1973, visit their website here.

Fight Dirty

Ok, I don't know how I missed this brand. It has everything that appeals to me - nice design, fun packaging, and a commitment to the environment. The company is called Method. They have the best tagline: "People against dirty." They create a range of cleaning products for the home and body. Their formulas are made from biodegradable ingredients, their packaging is made from recyclable materials, and the don't test on animals (nor do their suppliers). Yay for Method. Even better? It's sold throughout the US, Canada and the UK.

Some of their bottles are designed by Karim Rashid, and really are a work of art... not something that gets hidden away in closets. And their fragrances are natural. None of this headache inducing chemical smell. I have got to get some of these.

Changing the World

I've just received my very own copy of "Change the World 9 to 5," which is the sequel to "Change the World for a Fiver" by We Are What We Do. If you recall, this is the company behind the idea for the famous Anya Hindmarch "it" bag, which continues to cause quite a stir (see previous post). The book was written by Steve Henry, and designed by Antidote.

Not only is the book adorable, smart, witty AND well-designed, but it has great easy tips for reducing your impact on the earth AND making it a happier place to be. Things such as:

Action 058 - Pull the plug on mobile phone chargers- 95% of the energy used by the charges is wasted because people leave them plugged in. They're only doing their job (charging phones) 5% of the time.

Action 082 - "Aspire not to have more, but to be more" Archbishop Oscar Romero

Action 089 - Ring the IT help desk just to see how they are

I think we could all learn a little something from this book and movement.

Eco Cute

Baileys Home and Garden site is full of cute products for your home, garden, office, kids... just about anything. A lot of their products have been created from found & recycled materials. (You know I love that!) And they now have a line of eco-friendly cleaners... better for your home and health. Besides, the packaging is adorable! Take a look below, and click here for the website.

Pure

We have a lot of friends with new babies, so I'm always on the look out for something different, cute or interesting. The products from "Natures Purest" fulfills all of those requirements.

Cute products, cute design, great idea. Dubbed as the UK's "first organic nursery collection." Unfortunately, I don't think they ship to the US, but you can contact them to verify. Currently their range is small, but hopefully they'll expand it in the future.

Click here for the website.

Some products:

Going Green

I'm still excited about my eco-shopping bag. I've already put it to good use! I've come across a few more "green" things that I thought were worth a post. I'll be back to finish up trend icons tomorrow.

The first is that Home & Garden now has a "living green" section on their site. Check it out for great products and tips. They certainly prove that you don't need to sacrifice style to be considerate of the environment.

Secondly, it was announced on CNN.com yesterday that the final Harry Potter book will be the greenest yet. At 784 pages and a first print run of 12 million, it's a big deal. There will also be a "deluxe" edition (100,000 books) which will be printed on 100% recycled waste-fiber. Click here for the full article.