If you’re into swapping for conservation efforts, there is a new game in town. it’s called Dig N Swap.

This one works essentially the same as some of the others, the main difference is Dig N Swap focuses on clothing and accessories. You sign up, add the items you want to swap, and then find others who have something you dig. Get it, Dig N Swap. Sorry couldn’t resist that one. You do bid for the items you like.

The service is free to use both for swapping parties during the initial start-up phase. Try it out!

Source: [Alternative Consumer]

If you think chopsticks were mainly needed by the Chinese or the Japanese as their form of utensils, they are a good alternative towards buying the usual aluminum and silverware we often want in our homes. This time around, chopsticks made from bamboo will be exported no less by Ethiopia to help grow the awareness and the use of these ancient chopsticks which seem basic but need the usual hand in getting used to them to use.

This along with other bamboo potential products like doors and floor tiles are among the items that Ethiopia aims to export. With a growing demand in the market for alternative resources, bamboo is not only needed but should be conceptualized to suit the needs of the public market worldwide.

A bamboo processing plant, set up in Benishangul Gumuz Regional State of Ethiopia, is to start production in the coming two months. The plant would start with chopsticks, doors and flooring tiles. It is the first to produce such items from the ample bamboo resource in the region.

Michael Gebru founder and director of LSDE told Capital that the company would be harvesting and re-planting bamboo, hybrid eucalyptus and other non-wood crops that could be used in the pulp and paper manufacturing process.

(Source) Ethio Blog

EcoGeek has just written an article on how one can now go to Walmart (and select) Sam’s Club stores to arrange for solar panel installation.

solar panels kiosk at sams club

Essentially this is done via a KIOSK system. You enter in your information and the self service kiosk will generate partners contracted with Walmart to sell and install solar panels in your home.

Some argue it is not feasible for the average American to add solar panels to their homes, as the price of install is still too high. When the prices come down abit more, widespread adaptation will be seen.

Will this increase use of solar energy in American homes?

I’m sure it will some, but i concur with those who argue the price is still not within the reach of many. Kiosk or no kiosk. It will create awareness and buzz though.

Via: [EcoGeek]

Some celebrities go all out and support various causes and put their money where their mouth is. Then there is Gwyneth Paltrow.

Gwyneth Paltrow Wearing (And Promoting) FUR

Ms. Paltrow who is in the uber popular Summer flick Iron Man, is a vegetarian/vegan who cares about what she puts in her mouth. But apparently doesn’t give a hoot when it comes to fashion that is cruel on animals.

Gwyneth Paltrow is sporting fur in a recent ad campaign for an Italian company called Tod’s. She has caused quite a stir with this move, and i for one don’t get it. It’s not just about the fact that she is wearing FUR, she is promoting FUR.

To me the move is totally un-progressive and is like taking 20 steps back. In a time where celebs are all shooting from the rooftops look at me, “I’m Green”. Gwyneth Paltrow is shouting, look at me, “I Don’t Care”.

In NYC this week the the first solar powered film festival kicks off. The green fest will also feature environmental films and documentaries.

Solar Powered Film Fest

The Solar-Powered Film Series is the first in New York City to use the power of the sun to construct an outdoor “eco-theater” like no other. Solar One’s independent film venue integrates natural and human-made components of our urban environment creating the city’s “greenest” motion picture showcase. This free six-evening program features nightly screenings of environmental documentaries. Each night will focus on a different theme including water, energy, food, waste and more.

The solar powered film fest will be in New York and will take place this week from August 21st to August 23rd, with environmental films showing at 7:30pm. The film line up can be seen on the Green Edge NYC website, which also is the film festival host.

Source: [Upcoming]

I found a wonderful green resource for you to add to your RSS feed reader or to your social bookmarks. This resource is part directory, part news portal, and part education center.

HappyHippie.com

I’d like to introduce you to Happy Hippie. This site features an eco friendly directory, some of the categories include:art/gifts, books, hemp clothing, re-usable bags, food, green building, and more. It seems new green businesses are added via this contact form, and they do charge a small annual fee to cover costs.

The news portal section of Happy Hippie focuses on all types of green news, and is on the homepage of the site. Some featured recent stories include: Migrant Laborers Dying In Severe Heat, The Many Uses Of A Lemon, and First Us Town Powered Solely By Wind

Then there is the education center appropriately titled “Hippie 101“. Here they have articles on Hemp, Sustainability Issues, Health, and The Animal Kingdom which focuses on animal issues such as animal rights, endangered species, and vegetarianism.

Keetsa Verdict

I love the name, the site has a nice design, and the information is solid, plus they have good eco friendly businesses listed in their directory, The Happy Hippie is a must add in your bookmarks.

Panasonic Vivi RX-10S Bike

Here is another bike you should watch out for. Through the months, we have brought to you various bike concepts each having its own advantage as far as eco-friendly and healthy travel is concerned. While the Panasonic Vivi RX-10S bike has almost the same features, its key feature is the dynamo on the front wheel which is connected to a rechargeable battery by the rear wheel.

So if you are going downhill, you can recharge the batteries through a freewheeling downhill motion which may eventually power the bike later on if you get tired pedaling.

“In principle, the idea is simple. When the bicycle is at the top of a hill, that is potential energy, and when it is moving downwards we have kinetic energy. Normally that kinetic energy is converted into heat from the friction of the brakes, but in this case it is used to power the battery,” said Peter Hall, professor of chemical engineering at Strathclyde University.

(Source) One India

We talked about the NEW! eco friendly computer from Dell last week, and today i found a neat video with someone unboxing the Studio Hybrid PC.

Basically the video gives you a nice 360 degree view of the Studio Hybrid fresh from the box. Watch it below.

Leila Hafzi has had her share of fame owing to her being featured in Eco Fashion World and now she is getting ready for another round of trendy eco-fashion clothing inspired by NASA’s images from the outer places of the universe.

“We use different techniques, everything is hand-made. First, to get the vibrant colors, we premiered AZO Free dyes in Nepal. These are the legal standard dyes in Europe, but most Asian countries don’t have that regulation and work with dyes that are extremely harmful to the workers’ health… For the paler colors, we are experimenting with herbal Ayurvedic dyes to preserve the purity of the organic materials.”

(Source) Eco Fashion World

In this case, the design may be catchy but it is really the materials that they use which adds a little bit more spice to why Hafzi’s eco-designs are getting much publicity. And among her best customers at the moment happen to be the celebrities. With that, you can imagine why she is gaining ground from all her designs and work.

The kitchen area of our homes is the last thing we would think about when it comes to applying a green and eco-friendly touch. While we only identify a kitchen as a place where we cook our meals and storage for raw food resources such as meat, vegetables and canned goods, the other aspect of applying the following kitchen practices can be great for making an eco-friendly kitchen setup:

1. Water Conservation
2. Energy Conservation
3. Think Recycle
4. Eco-Friendly Appliances
5. Garbage Disposal

These tips may look familiar and you would normally say that you do them. But read more on them and determine the level of your eco-friendliness. Chances are your level of being green may be falling short of how eco-friendly standards are expected these days.

(Source) Jamaica Cleaner

For the catering and fast food chains in operation in the world today, here is a good alternative as far as plates and utensils requirements are concerned. Surely, there are a lot of requirements for these items since business in the food industry normally requires disposable for a better way of enjoying catered food.

The Aware Utensils

The Aware! range includes Ecotainer hot cups and lids, non-wood fibre plates and bowls and cutlery made from Polylactic Acid, a plastic made by extracting sugar from corn starch, sugar beet or wheat starch, which can also be composted.

Whether the name used has to do something on stressing what these utensils are made of is really something appealing. Whatever the case may be, the important thing is that we go eco-friendly while enjoying food and meals wherever we may be.

(Source) Big Hospitality

These days, there is no telling what may happen. Not to be too gross about it, but all of us have to be prepared for the worst and rather than banking on the large scale coffins that lack the eco-friendly adaptability we hear of today, the Essence Coffin is a good alternative that most of us may want to consider. The best part of it is that it is affordable too!

The Essence coffin is made from plywood rather than the traditional solid timber. This is what makes it lighter owing to its featherweight finish. The coffin actually weighs only 20kgs and can be held by only one arm making it more manageable for mourners to carry.

“I wanted to make an affordable coffin which used as few resources as possible. Using minimal materials makes the coffin extraordinarily lightweight. Celebrants and funeral directors have been telling me it will give friends and family more choices in who carries their deceased loved one.”

Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand president Neil Little said eco-coffins had been around for some time now and the attraction of this model may come down to its futuristic design.

(Source) Stuff.co.nz

Very neat concept that i just stumbled upon on Springwise. For those that dont know, Springwise is like a giant business idea portal. The green restaurant being launched via social networking is called Elements.

Essentially the restaurant and its concept is being formulated by group members, and each one has input into its development. It is the latest craze in the net world, as it plays on collaboration, web 2.0 tools, and something called crowdsourcing.

Without getting too technical, crowd sourcing basically is when you use (and harness) the collective power and efficiency of a group of like minded people. One way this is mostly employed, is online via social networks.

In the example of the green restaurant, the group meets at the online social network called Collective X, and it generates input from members there. Elements is the name of this restaurant project, and it is aimed at those who are progressive. It is, or will be an organic locally sourced, earth friendly vegetarian eatery.

We encourage balance in life. All of life is interconnected, thus our actions can have a great impact. We balance our needs—health, enjoyment, vitality—with the needs of others and the Earth. As an independent local business, Elements endorses the triple bottom line: we measure success in not only economic, but environmental and social terms as well. We support balance in our community by serving organic vegetarian food grown our own garden in a building that exceeds environmental standards. We support balance globally by cutting our waste, composting, and recycling, and by neutralizing our carbon output with offsets and green energy.

Wow, that is quite a mouth full. According to the restaurant page, the restaurant has already reached certain platues, and is currently at the finding a General Manager stage, among other steps.

Progress Map Below

As you can see above in the progress map, each step is outlined for members and maybe for possible would-be investors.

I quite love this idea, and it is something that im sure can only be pulled off, with the right group of people. Otherwise it could be total chaos, and/ or take forever to accomplish.

Other Examples Of Social Networks Doing Good

This idea of using the power of a group of people online, is pretty new but so far has proven to be effective. Another example i can give you is Kiva, an online portal (of anybody lenders) who join with others, and collectively micro-lend to small business owners and artists in developing countries. So far Kiva has been quite successful.

To read more on Elements, head on over to their group restaurant page on the web.

Source: [SpringWise]

Samsung E2000 Eco Corn Phone

After two successive launches of eco-friendly phones, Samsung Electronics has unveiled its 3rd model, a cellular phone made of corn. The whole outer case of this new model, E2000 Eco, is made from corn and will start to be available by next month in Europe.

With most cellular phone manufacturers going green, Samsung is poised not to be left out and this can be seen by the new E200 Eco phone which follows the footsteps of previous models, W510 and the F268 that were mainly catered to the Asian Market.

The E200 features a 1.3 megapixel camera, video messaging capabilities and an MP3 player.

Although the device will be available in Europe next month, it doesn’t yet have a release date in the United States.

(Source) Wireless Week

A healthy home is made by healthy green products. For Pacific Dry Goods, it is more than just offering green products such as the EcoTowl and the EcoSponge. It is about donating a portion of products sold to the Save the Earth Foundation which is sure to go a long way.

The EcoTowl is made from viscose, a natural fabric made from harvested fibers for trees grown in sustainable forests. It is reusable and also made from bamboo and corn.

So if you want a good sponge or towel in your homes, check out these products which cost between $5 to $6 for a two pack. They are certain to be great additions for homes gearing up for an eco-friendly setting.

(Source) Baltimore Sun