Adopt a Lemur

The National Wildlife Federation runs this very interesting symbolic adoption that allows you to do good while getting something you need. You can choose what level of support you want to give to the National Wildlife Federation, and they put the money to use in one of their many successful conservation programs. The added benefit to you is that you get a calendar, binoculars, and a few other perks out of the deal. While you will definitely be paying more through this donation program than you would spend on the items themselves, the point is to have a positive impact on an important organization.

iGive Trees

This group is one of the better groups I’ve found out there that is supporting the diversity of the rainforest. They are a small group that was able to plant more than 4,000 trees in the rainforest last year alone. While that may not sound like a lot to some people, I can say that I personally planted a total of no trees in the rainforest last year– so it’s something. They always have something new going on for people that donate (it’s only $5) so you’ll have to check out their site to see what they’re offering people that donate a tree.

In Powering the Dream, Madrigal delves deeply into the history of the renewable energy movement and gets into the options we have moving forward. It’s written in a very accessible style that I think will be great for people that don’t have a whole lot of grounding in the renewable energy arena. I think it will also raise a lot of questions for further thought in people that have generally found themselves to be opposed to renewable energy investment. This is a great opportunity to both learn about renewable energy yourself and maybe raise the issue with family or friends to help move the dialogue forward on this important issue.

If you are interested in learning about the book, I’ve attached a couple different links to where you can buy it. I know that not everyone deals with Amazon, so I’ve also attached some other links from other stores where the book can be purchased.

Majestic Goods Office Supply Leather Desk Set

This is a great thing for the office manager or for yourself if you run a small business out of your home office. Not only are you able to get a great look and feel in your office, but you will also be able to do so in a more environmentally friendly way. This is especially useful if you run your own home office. Since organization is key and you have a small amount of space to work with, this desk set can go a long way toward keeping you organized. It’s constructed out of responsibly sourced materials and doesn’t take up that much space at all.

Eco-Friendly Tape

There are a few different types of office supplies that are now being marketed as eco-friendly alternatives to the older, traditional office supplies. 3M has been really pushing its environmentally friendly versions of its traditional supplies recently. Not only can you get tape, but there are also eco-friendly versions of almost every single part of 3M’s traditional lineup of products. You can use this stuff the same way as you would use any other 3M product, and it is not any less durable.

However, just because it’s a good thing to do, that doesn’t mean you know how to use all your old stuff to make new, useful stuff. A lot of us just aren’t the “crafty” type, myself included. I look at a bunch of old socks, and I see maybe something I can clean a rifle with or that I can use as stuffing in a quilt. Others, however, see a doll. If you are like me, and you have a hard time conceptualizing what an old sock could possibly be turned into, then you need to get your hands on a book or two that goes over what kind of possibilities there are out there.

One book like that is Sock and Glove by Miyako Kanamori. This is a really great text that shows you how to do tons of different things with old socks and gloves that are past their usefulness. Don’t like dolls? Then there are a lot of other things in the book that you can make, and all of them come with very simple instructions so you can get moving right away. After all, who doesn’t have a few socks that are on their way out? Instead of just dumping them in the garbage, you can now easily come up with some amazing craft ideas to put them to use. As long as you make sure you wash them first, you should have a bunch of cool little pieces laying all over your house.

A lot of this is due to the fact that we’re not really taught to do things for ourselves anymore. Doing work seems to be scorned as something that we just shouldn’t have to do if we’ve lived our lives the right way and made the right choices. I don’t agree with this at all. There is nothing but honor to be found in doing stuff like this for yourself and being more self sufficient. If you are in my camp, but don’t know much about this stuff and would be embarrassed to ask for help, then there are a number of really great books out there that you can use to get a better idea of how to do all this stuff.

Design*Sponge At Home is one of these books and it really does a great job of making the information both accessible and very engaging for the average reader that doesn’t have a whole lot of know-how in this field. If you want to get more involved in your own DIY projects around the house, this is really the book to get. Not only does it have a lot of great tips in it, but it even has some regular projects that you can get started on right away.

I love books like this. Not only can you do your own DIY projects at home, but you can have a great time while you’re at it.

Motherboard is one of those companies. Their full name is “Motherboard Gifts and More”, but they don’t work with just motherboards. They work with a huge range of old, worn out electronics and spruce them up into awesome little trinkets and useful stuff. For example, they have this new money clip out that uses the pieces of old mouse motherboards to snap the money together. They use old circuit boards, computer housings, really anything that they can get their hands on.

Another perk: longevity. With all of the success that ec0-minded businesses have been having over the past few years, there are a lot of fly by night companies out there that work hard to look like they’re environmentally friendly. However, the reality of these places is that they’re just online to make a quick buck, and they won’t be around for long. Motherboard Gifts and More has been around for over 20 years now, making it one of the oldest vendors of recycled merchandise in the entire country. Put great ideas, longevity, and a lot of disused electronics together. What you get out of that mix is an ingenious little company that offers a unique product that nerds around the world will love.

This is just one more example of how eco-friendly products are not just for your standard hippie types. We really do throw away way too much crap on a day to day basis, and these companies are really just filling a void created by that river of waste. They really do exemplify the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Not in a bad, eating out of the dumpster kind of way, though… In the good “stop throwing all this crap away I can do something with it” kind of way.

Then I started thinking about personal solar panels. Right now, it may not be the best time of year to talk about these things. After all, the sun isn’t really a big part of anyone’s life during the winter. However, those sunny days will rear their heads once more in a few months, and then these solar panels will be a great investment to have around.

I didn’t really know how great of an investment they were until I started looking into them a bit more. I was expecting them to cost about four times as much as they really do, which is a funny little indication of just how far the technology has come over the years. Five years ago, a little charger to charge your phone would have run you around $200 bucks. Now, it’ll run you about $50. It’s crazy how times change!

So I ordered one for myself. I decided to go with the Kiwi U-Powered Portable Power Source. I’m just planning on using it to charge my phone, but I think it’s pretty cool to possibly use it as my sole source of power to charge my phone once the sun comes back. I’ll let you know how everything turned out once I finally get to use it, so stay tuned for any updates. This is just another great example of the ways that we can all rescue ourselves from the technological slavery that oil is putting us into. If this one works out, I’m definitely going to be thinking more about solar in the future for my other projects.

A recent design competition for the London Olympic Games Information Pavilion generated a number of projects that will make use of recycled materials and solar power. The competition hoped to encourage and reward design excellence at a small scale which integrates function, structure, details, as well as the spirit of the games. The aim of the international competition was to design a temporary, freestanding information pavilion to be build within the world famous Trafalgar Square in the heart of London.

A group of Portuguese architects won the competition with an Olympic rings-shaped pavilion that showcases recycled steel. Solar panels will be installed on the top of the pavilion to generate power for use in the pavilion. Sustainable design plays an important role in the info pavilion.

The winning entry was designed by Jose Carlos Cruz, Ines Guedes, Miguel Santos, and Antonio Cruz. The rings are extruded into rooms where visitors can find out information, relax, shop, or grab a drink.

ArchDaily

Photo by Patrick Gillooly via MIT News

“The sheet of paper looks like any other document that might have just come spitting out of an office printer, with an array of colored rectangles printed over much of its surface. But then a researcher picks it up, clips a couple of wires to one end, and shines a light on the paper. Instantly an LCD clock display at the other end of the wires starts to display the time,” reports MIT news.

If a technology like this made its way into homes, it could dramatically change the average person’s access to alternative energy sources. The paper solar cells can even be folded without breaking the cells. The new technology uses vapors instead of liquids to print onto the material. The printer operates at a cooler temperature than conventional printers and the printing actually takes place in a vacuum chamber.

One of the most unique proposed applications for this new solar cell technology is in the fashion world. Cells could potentially be printed on fabric and incorporated into clothing and accessories. It is already popular to add solar cells onto bags and backpacks, but now those still solar cells could be replaced with even lighter and more flexible versions. The potential for these new printable cells is limited only by the imagination.

TreeHugger

The MEV HUMMER HX is the only proportionally correct licensed resort vehicle currently on the market. Its design matches the infamous Humvee and includes the characteristic louver grille, custom wheels, door sills, styled seats, and floor mats.

MEV, or My Electric Vehicle, was formed in 2006; initially trading as Mini Hummer Europe and achieved year on year growth because of its introduction of luxury golf cars manufactured by others to the European market. As a result of poor growth and lack of sales from third party suppliers, a decision was made in 2009 for the company to design and develop their own products.

The greatest thing about this new Hummer is that it is not a gas guzzler like its predecessors. This Hummer is electric and can be charged from a 12V charging point. Despite the fact that General Moters closed the Hummer automotive plant in 2010, it is believed that the little HX model could have saved the brand.

Just before closing the factory, MEV managed to sign the worldwide exclusive rights to manufacture the HUMMER HX as a mini electric vehicle.

Source: My Electric Vehicle