Dell a veteran PC manufacturer and global supplier to the masses, has just introduced a NEW! line of green desktop computers, The Studio Hybrid.

Source: [Alternative Consumer]

The Studio Hybrid is their most power efficient pc and the smallest ever from Dell. Billed as:

Dell’s most unique, stylish, and conscientious desktop PC. Designed to fit into your environment while protecting the environment.

The Studio Hybrid is 80% smaller than Dells’ regular desktops, uses 70% less power, meets Energy Star 4.0 standards, the packaging is comprised of 95% recycled materials, and comes with a recycling kit.

Specs:

Intel Core Duo Processor

Windows Vista

Up to 4gb Ram Memory

Up to 320 gb Hard Drive

Available in six bold fashionable color sleeves, or in an eco friendly Bamboo sleeve. Price: Starts at $499

On my previous post, we covered a DIY Hemp Necklace project, on this one we discuss recycling a t shirt into a sexy halter top.

Lorain from the DIY Fashion portal at About.com, is the one who enlightens us with her DIY prowess. She has loads of projects on her blog, ranging from the basic and simple, to the more complex.

I like her style of instruction, and she does a fantastic job of covering all the bases, in her do it yourself guides. The picture above shows a t shirt recycled into a brand spankin (new to you) halter top. Doesn’t it look good? I think it looks awesome.

As with all her DIY projects, Lorain tells you what supplies and materials are needed (if any), and guides you from start to finished product, step by step.

For the guide on the DIY T Shirt into Halter Top, proceed to her blog.

No matter how large or small your home is, the cost of furnishing it is always going to be high, that is unless you make a conscious decision that you will only buy from certain places and definitely at certain prices which would normally be limited to well below the retail price tag.

Of course we all know that when it come to bargains the one place to look is eBay, some people do not like it, but others swear by it, like the guys over at Apartment Therapy. They know how to search around for some great bargains, which in a sense is recycling isn’t it?

Source [Apartment Therapy]

Mobile phones are perhaps the frontrunner as far as how to secure new ones and at the same time recycle old ones. The frequency to which phones are changed can really be astounding and for most people, identifying where to throw their old phones (assuming they are busted), has been something people would least care about.

Thanks to Nokia, a well-known mobile phone manufacturer, aggressively promoting their mobile phone recycling program is sure to be welcome news. This is sure to increase the phone recycling issues so that people don’t just throw their phones towards the nearest garbage can they see.

As part of their new aggressive recycling program, Nokia is attempting to educate the public about the recycling of mobile phones. By now everyone has heard about the survey that shows a measly 3% of discarded mobile phones are recycled. Even though we know that the materials can be used for other important products, most of us simply don’t do it - even when it’s easy.

One popular web site that offers valuable information regarding recycling schemes and community facilities is the we:recycle website. The web site can supply information about local recycling facilities around the world and if you are located in the U.S. you can even use this Nokia site to obtain a pre-paid shipping label to return your phone for recycling - all at no cost to you.

(Source) Recycle.co.uk

In an effort to help sort out and identify the recyclable materials, blue trash bins have become a way to allow local citizens in Auckland in helping the recycling effort. They are now placed there so that people can help in the trash sorting process. Only recyclable materials are allowed to be placed there. Otherwise, they will not be collected.

But to date, many Auckland folks are still ignoring the real use of these blue trash bins. Stickers have been placed to remind them and should they continue, they will just find their trash piling up.

Perhaps this is a good example we can follow especially if we in our local areas are having trouble contributing to the entire green effort.

The city’s new collection service began on Monday, but blue crates still lined the kerbs alongside new 240-litre wheelie bins.

A council spokeswoman says recyclables put out in the old crates won’t be collected.

Instead a sticker is being put on the crates to remind residents to use the new bins.

“Rubbish detectives” have been going ahead of trucks this week to check for contaminants in the bins, and leaving notes for offending residents.

(Source) Stuff.co.nz

If there is one thing that many of us need in today, it is the combination of getting the eco-friendly ideas as well as meeting people who share the same interest. With the boom of social networking over the web, Commuto.com is certainly one social networking site to check out.

With Commuto, you can trade with other eco-friendly minded consumers. Launched just this June, it follows the usual sign-up process done by standard social networking sites today. As for trading, if they agree on terms and the conditions of the trade, they make arrangements to meet up online to consummate the transaction.

Stephen Arbib, President and founder of Commuto, says, “Commuto’s vast product database makes trading movies, games, books or any other item quick and simple.” He adds, “Once members have agreed on a trade, they arrange a time and place to meet in their community. Commuto’s eco-friendly service is membership driven and involves personal exchanges of goods to avoid shipping delays and delivery charges.”

Designed to help users minimize spending, and thus being ‘wallet friendly’, Commuto is already being recognized for its ‘Eco-friendly’ elements. The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising has commended Commuto as part of its ‘Go Green 2008′ campaign. Named the ‘Green Tip of the Week’ on fashionclub.com, Commuto is described as “a new site that allows you to swap…anything you can think of. Talk about eco-friendly!” An April review by independent Trendcentral.com, says “..swapping has become the latest means of recycling…” and describes Commuto as a “Cool online swap meet”. Apartment Therapy called Commuto “a great alternative to ebay”.

(Source) PR Web

With eco friendly ideas being virtually everywhere that you go these days, it is hardly a surprise that at sometime this trend is going to appear in the jewellery that we chose to wear or buy as gifts. These necklaces are ideals as gifts because they display the credential of the person who is going to wear it.

The metal is pewter and each pendant which measures 0.75 inch has either the recycling logo or the word “Greeniac” on it. The chain is eighteen inches in length, but can be cut to which length is more suitable for the wearer, these are available from Bibelot Shops at a price of $20 each.

You may have thought that a simple tie would not be useful for anything else after the owner has finished with it, but there is nothing that a good designer cannot do with a piece a fancy cloth and a bit of imagination. All for just $16 by Replay Ground.

In fact this holder can be useful for any other too, it does not have to be an iPhone at all, it could be for the iTouch or any other cell phone or gadget that you may have. There nothing to stop a good idea taking form, that is apart from the lack of ties. That’s the problem with recycling!

With millions of CD’s and DVD’s being thrown away each year it might be a good idea to see if there is any way of recycling them, other than using them for coasters or Frisbees that is.

Neko Design were founded in 2005 in Mexico City and they do have some really great ideas on what to do with those old CD’s and DVD’s that would have otherwise taken nearly five hundred years to completely decompose. But they have turned these into beautiful jewellery which is combined with sterling silver to make a unique piece of jewellery.

coaster, coasters, Consumerism, Fair Trade, Fashion and Beauty, frisbee, ideas, Jewellery, Jewellery, Jewelry, mexico, recycling coaster, coasters, Consumerism, Fair Trade, Fashion and Beauty, frisbee, ideas, Jewellery, Jewellery, Jewelry, mexico, recycling

This is a bag that has been specifically designed to someone with the recycling duties as the bag has been given some dividers which keep the bottles from clinking together and smashing, which will not do the recycling scheme any good at all.

Its great for using when you take the empties down to the bottle bank, in actual fact the Biome Lifestyle Bottle Recycling Bag looks so brilliant that it could be used for going to the wine store and putting some new full bottles into, this would using one of those cardboard wine carriers that the store provides, and at a price of just $20, you cannot go wrong with that.

It’s clever how some people have vision and the skill to create large pieces of art, which have people thinking about recycling. These structures have been made from old coke cans as part a new promotion for Recycle Week here in the UK.

These sculptures have been made entirely from old coke cans; this means that someone must drunk quite a bit of coke in order to get their hands on so many empties! Well actually it is debatable as to whether these are old coke cans or just empty new cans. As this entire collection of replica structures have been ordered by Coke Cola as a promotion.

The thing about recycling is once you get started it is like something has taken over your life, you begin to look at other things around your home and even surroundings that could be recycled. But once you find something that works and also looks great then you could have the basis of business.

Take this eco designer who has found that they are able to make a fully functional clock from recycled materials and can sell them for around $20 a piece. It’s great! Like any simple idea this has become a small business which produces a useful product while at the same time recycles anything that is lying around.

Source [Hippy Shopper]

This is a really novel way of recycling older clothes which have either outlived their usefulness or just do not fit anymore for whatever reason that may be.

The clothing has been designed by Ximena Orozco, who has some really great design lines covering baby clothes and accessories, bags and soft furnishings, like these cushions, which have been design to replace the man in your life!

If you live in a small town like me, then you already know it can be quite difficult to recycle. The resources for mass use are simply not in place. In my small town the closest recycler is almost 50 miles away. Yikes!

(the bins above NOT available in most small towns)

I believe this distance pretty much cancels out the environmental benefits of recycling. If one has to drive 45 minutes (or worse) to recycle doesn’t this invalidate the effort? Small towns really get the short shaft when it comes to recycling resources. Whereas bigger cities and towns such as Chicago (my hometown) residents are provided with blue bins for easy recycling and nearby recycling centers abound.

However there are things we small town folks can do to somewhat alleviate this recycling problem. We can still apply the other two R’s, Re-use and Reduce. Below is a list of things i re-use.

Things I Re-Use:

• Milk Containers (re-used as plant containers)
• Paper (use back side, cut into small squares and use as note paper, etc)
• Any and all Plastic Bags
• Pringles Cans (use as coin holders for the kids)
• Composting (the re-use of certain food products for outside soil)
• Old Tee’s (re-used as rags)
• list goes on and one

Another pet peeve of mine, if you will indulge me abit, is consumer packaging. It is completely out of control, i am amazed at times, at the sheer waste in certain procut packages. For example, my roommate likes to munch at KFC (nazi-chicken killers, if you ask me, explanation = i’m a vegetarian) and their packaging is insane. You get gobs of GIANT plastic containers for small food pieces, it is a ridiculous amount of waste. They could easily streamline this up and go with much smaller containers, and sans lids. Improved packaging alone would help SMALL TOWN RESIDENTS who may (or may not) be able to recycle, to curb waste locally.

Let me get back to my post. I see i went off on a tiny tangent there. I reuse alot of items and essentially re-purpose many of them.

Re-ducing and Re-using are but two ways small town residents can turn a negative into a positive. The negative being not many options for in town recycling, and easier access to recycling resources. I would like to open this topic up to you, with a reader question.

Reader Question

If you live in a small town, how do you practice the three R’s - recycle, reuse or reduce?

Brighton in the UK is to hold their first sustainable eco festival called the Green Wave Festival. It will be held in the largest green space in the city, Preston Park and will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday the 5^th and 6^th of July 2008 the festival will be open from 11 am to 5 pm.

The park will be split up into zones, like Wellbeing, Transport, Recycling, Water, Energy, Science, Earth, Music, and Schools and Youth Zones. Not forgetting that visitors will need to eat there will also be a fresh produce market.