In the days leading up to Earth Day, my inbox fills up with green-themed PR pitches. Here’s a selection of the best and the worst…
Category: Products
Mobile Devices and the Environment: a Toxic Relationship [Infographic]
140 million phones go into landfills each year. This infographic spells out the environmental costs all of those mobile devices that don’t get recycled.
Custom Snowboards Made from “Right in Our Back Yard” Wood: Empire Grown
I’ve become really tired of the word “artisan” (or “artisanal”) on products: as far as I can see, it generally means “expensive.” I rarely see that such products involve the [ … ]
How to Buy an Energy Efficient Fridge (in 2014)
While still responsible for about 13 percent of your home’s energy use, fridges have ditched bulky insulation for slim line panels, drastically cutting down on their consumption and giving us much more space for the energy we use.
The Best of Green Tech: 7 Modern Gadgets for a Greener, Smarter Home
Here are seven new energy- and resource-saving gadgets that will, like Ironman, help you correct some of humanity’s biggest mistakes.
Grow Your Own Edible Insects: the Open Bug Farm
Insects are chock-full of nutrition, and require little space, effort or expense for farming. Compare this to, say, growing a cow or a pig yourself, and you’ll understand why 2 billion people around the world already practice entomophagy (the fancy word for “eating bugs”).
The Cool Techie DIY Beehive: Another Tool for Colony Collapse Disorder
The Open Source Beehives project publishes printable plans for honeybee shelter that are ready for a computer-controlled cutter (and that can be made really techie with sensor kits).
Repurpose Your Used Smartphone into a Home Energy Monitor/Remote Control
Got an old smartphone or tablet laying around? Probably: we Americans tend to upgrade such devices every couple of years (and, of course, the big carriers would like us to [ … ]
How to Reuse Candle Wax: Make More Candles…
This is pretty cool — the opposite of planned obsolescence, this little candleholder pictured above turns your old, burning candle into a new one ready to be burned. I think you get the idea from the pictures, but in case not: The candle burns, melts…
How to Keep a Leaking Toilet from Blowing Up Your Water Bill: Aqua Mizer
Got a low-flush toilet in your home? Probably – they were introduced in the early ’90s, and later mandated for all new installations. So, you’re saving water when you’re flushing… [ … ]
Organic Cotton Fabric: Beyond the Harvest
Most of love our clothes made of cotton, but more and more of us also realize that cotton grown by conventional agricultural practices is a pretty dirty crop: massive amounts [ … ]
Plastic in the Ocean Turned Fashionable: Pharrell Williams’ Bionic Yarn
From mass producing ‘closed-loop’ garments to coloring t-shirts with waterless dyes, technological advancements are helping the sustainable fashion industry evolve into a powerhouse. Innovators are coming up with ingenious ways [ … ]
Another Home Aquaponics System for the Beginner: AquaSprouts
Got a 10-gallon aquarium laying around in the basement or garage? The detritus of a failed attempt at adding tropical fish to the home decor? Austin, Texas college sophomore Jack [ … ]