With the new school term nearly upon us and so, it is only natural that some kids are going to want to have an eco friendly start to the school year. One way that this can be done is by providing them with some eco friendly school equipment; these are essential supplies so why can’t they be green.

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Terracycle make a whole range a school supplies, these are almost entirely made from recycled materials and are designed to show the world that are with the original designs. Maybe this could be the start of a trend!

Source [Got 2 B Green]

It is very interesting that so many items are now being made from wood, this clearly is a step back in time to when there was no metalwork’s or foundries. However, these have the feel of something like you would get in a Chinese restaurant, made from a nice soft sustainable wood. The set is eco friendly to produce and is biodegradable to dispose of when finished with.

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Features and Specs:

Made of 100% organically grown bamboo.

Set of two forks and two spoons. Dishwasher safe.

FDA approved food-safe

No bleaches or dyes

After disposal, biodegrades in 4-6 months.

Made in China.

Fair Trade.

Priced at $14.99

Source [This Next]

Making items from recycled materials serves two purposes.

Firstly, there is the recycling value where old pieces of fabric, plastic bottles and clothing are reused and secondly there are new items made, in this case, jewelery cases by Aster and Sage Elizabeth Jewellery.

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Features:

Perfect jewellery envelope

Measures 5″ x 5.5″

Zippered main compartment

Interior pocket to keep jewellery separate

Button flap conceals felt panels for securing pins and earrings

Cotton lining

Colours available: Apple green, Scarlet red, Sapphire blue

Price $33.00

Source [The Green Loop]

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There is no doubt that plastic has been getting some bad press recently, in fact it probably goes back around ten or twelve years when plastic was first named as an eco badguy. It’s been deemed an eco badguy with good reason, too. After all, plastic hangs around the planet for hundreds of years after initial use, and sadly, the plastic pile just keeps growing.

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Fortunately, a company called Metabolix, based in Massachusetts, has come up with a Bioplastic that they named Mirel. Mirel is actually grown within the blades of real grass through a unique process where  the genes of the plastic and organic materials are merged. The end result is used to make anything that is traditionally made from plastic, while the by-product can be used for Biofuels.

Source [Eco Friend]

Jatropha Plant

In these times, where oil is perhaps one of the hot topics the world is talking about, the search for alternative fuel is rampant. We have seen the suggestions of such alternative fuel like algae and biodiesels. However, in India and the Philippines, a plant called Jatropha can perhaps add to these alternatives.

Jatropha is a tree, growing in the Gambia bush. The seeds contain oil that can be used as fuel: about 1/3 of the weight of the seeds is oil !
The oil can be used for:

Fuel for cars and generators.

Production of soap

As a fuel for cooking, so no longer need for charcoal or wood

Evening lights, as a substitute for candles

Increase your income by selling the oil

Source

While the whole world is clamoring for fuel, here is a potential answer to the oil woes. The only question is when will they consider it for inclusion towards alternative fuel and discoveries needed today.

Many of the USB flash drives on the market at the moment contain some very nasty materials, which can be harmful to the environment and in some cases are even highly toxic, these include:

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Lead

Mercury

Cadium

Hexavalent chromium

Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)

Fortunately there is an alternative available, iClick custom USB flash drive pride themselves on not only being eco friendly, but personalised for business needs too. So what makes these flash drives different from any other brand?

USB drive including the PCB board, solder, memory chip, and electronic components

Housing or casing including those made of plastic, aluminium, steel, leatherettes, and silicone

Source [iClick]

I suppose that the humble toothbrush is not likely to get much attention, after all, they are mainly made from plastic, and therefore they should be hidden away in the bathroom well out of sight from any visitors.

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However, not you are able to use your toothbrush with pride as these ones are made mainly from recycled yoghurt pots, which is a good use for them.

Features:

Soft, virgin nylon bristles placed in a tri-level configuration with softer outer rows to protect your gums and tooth enamel

Available in Medium, Soft, and Ultrasoft

Curved, easy to grip handle makes it easy to reach every part of your teeth and gums

Handle is made from 100% recycled plastic, including Stonyfield Farm® yogurt cups

Priced at $4

Source [Hippy Shopper]

This is really end of the world stuff, now a hundred months is around eight years. This is the time that the experts say we have left, before it is too late to anything about climate change.

The entire population of the world should be thinking about this one serious thing. It makes no difference where you live or how you live, climate change if left unchecked is going to affect you.

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However, surprisingly enough there are things that can still be done, and these will make a difference:

Ideas for Stalling the Climate Change Tipping Point

Avoid infrastructure that is fossil-fuel-dependent (such as the construction of new airports, coal-fired power plants) that lock us in patterns of future greenhouse gas emissions, radically reducing our ability to make the short- to medium-term cuts.

Appeal to governments to stop defecting blame and responsibility: “It is wildly unrealistic to think that individuals alone can effect a comprehensive re-engineering of the [West’s] fossil-fuel-dependent energy, food and transport systems. The government must lead.”

Governments should launch a Green New Deal, similar to the one launched in the UK last week, taking inspiration from President Roosevelt’s famous 100-day program implemented in the face of the dust bowls and depression.

Rein in reckless financial institutions and use a range of fiscal tools, new measures and reforms to the tax system, such as a windfall tax on oil companies.

Resources should be invested in a massive environmental transformation program that could insulate the economy from recession, and create countless new jobs.

Overhaul a nation’s building stock, and tackle the city. First up, he says, remove the money of oil companies pouring into cities. Re-list these companys’ resources as “unburnable.”

Instead of using vast sums of public money to bail out banks (because they are considered “too big to fail”), banks should be reduced in size until they are small enough to fail without hurting anyone.

With oil prices wobbling around $130, there is a huge amount of unearned profit waiting for a windfall tax (companies made profits when it was $10 a barrel). Money raised would go towards a long-overdue massive decarbonisation of our energy system.

A rolling program to overhaul heat-leaking buildings and homes will massively cut emissions and tackle fuel poverty.

Weaning agriculture off fossil-fuel dependency.

The “one person, one car” on the roads, should be transformed to a variety of clean reliable forms of public transport. This should be visible by the middle of our 100 months.

Source [Treehugger]

Well of course the dress is not green, it is in fact pure white but the concept behind the dress is definitely green as the this dress which has been made for Celine Germain by celebrated artist Sandy Drobny who designed a gown out of recycled newspaper bags.

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This wedding dress has been made in the same manner, but this time by using recycled plastic shopping bags. However, you would not have known it because even from the images the weave and the shape of the dress look like regular material. Maybe one day all wedding dresses will be made like this.

Source [Honolulu Advertiser]

Most of us would have seen how bio fuels are made, it takes some basic equipment and the ability to be able brings the mixture to the boil! See at this point I get really put off from doing that, there is something about boiling a mixture of vegetable oil and diesel that simply scares the hell out of me.

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However, some have the need and courage to produce their own fuel, the oil comes from fast food places and the cost of a litre is around 70p (140 cents) is a good deal, until it all goes wrong.

An unnamed man had built a bio fuel factory in his garage, when things went wrong. He suffered twenty per cent burns and had to be airlifted to hospital.

Source [BBC]

This “Chuck” trash bin has been made from a process known as “Trash to Trash” because it has been made from 100% recycled cardboard by Studio Meld. They have been cleverly decorated in a style, which will suit a wide range of customers, from children’s rooms to offices.

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Flat packed, 12 per case pack
Made in the USA
Sturdy 100% recycled cardboard
Multiple, cool, stylish designs
Great for home, dorm room, office or playroom
Printed with Low VOC, water based inks
100% recyclable
Easy fold and tuck assembly
Sized to accept 3-gallon trash liners
Handy push-n-lock liner device
Customizable designs for re-branding
Design by StudioMeld
US Patent Pending

Source [Nature Repurposed]

We have seen various alternative ways to create energy and this one is something worth looking into. From the usual solar energy panels to hydrogen power, imagine energy being generated from potato waste. Now that is something.

In my previous post I already put out a post that some groups in the world today are looking to transform their trash to energy. While there were no specifics, this is because there are a lot of different waste categories to choose from. It is not solely from “trash” alone.

Potato Waste

Farmer Philip Johnson asked Durham County Council for permission to produce electricity – enough to heat 1,200 homes – from potato waste from the Walkers’ crisp factory, in Peterlee.

With the request granted, about 1,000 tonnes of potatoes a year will be pumped through an anaerobic digester, along with about 7,000 tonnes of agricultural crops and 2,000 tonnes of manure.

That will generate 500kw of electricity for the National Grid and 8,000 tonnes of fertiliser.

(Source) The Northern Echo

Just because you go to the gym or like to do a bit of exercise does not mean that you have make do with just any old equipment, that is made from virtually anything and you know is definitely not eco friendly just by looking at it. But now there are green alternatives, like the Lotus pad Mat, these are green and come in some great designs too.

Features:

All mats measure 24”x68”x5mm.

100% biodegradable + recyclable

Thick (5mm) + comfortable with a matte feel

Reversible dual-sided colours and organic patterns

Closed-cell construction resists sweat, bacteria + fungus

Lightweight, easy to carry

Made from TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer)

Priced at $40

Source [Fit Sugar]