RSSThe Largest Ever Upcycling Program?
July 31, 2008
In 2001, Tom Szaky founded TerraCycle whose eco-friendly products are sold at major retailers like The Home Depot, Target, Wal*Mart and Whole Foods Markets.
Upcycling is the art of taking used goods like packages and materials that are challenging to recycle and turning them into affordable, high quality goods. Beginning with making products from waste, such as Worm Poop, that are packaged in old containers, they have now announced a new partnership with Kraft Foods, that will greatly expand the number of collection sites TerraCycle has available across the country and will help prevent a significant amount of packaging waste from going into landfills.
Several Kraft brands, including Balance bars and South Beach Living bars, Capri Sun beverages, and Chips Ahoy! and Oreo cookies, are now the lead sponsors of TerraCycle Brigades. These nationwide recycling programs make a donation for every piece of packaging a location collects.
It’s good to see major brands make moves towards providing solutions for the problems they, and consumers, create however part of me wonders what other environmental policies Kraft has in place and whether this is partly greenwashing. Maybe I’m becoming cynical, TerraCycle does seem like an excellent company and has great products and policies, the bags do look kind of cool in a retro way, and the trash would have otherwise been sent to landfill. What do you think?
The Best Bag Reusable Shopping Bag Eco Product Review
July 30, 2008
The Best Bag is another reusable shopping bag, made by Performance Packaging. Made from rip-stop polyester, the bags are another addition to our chart of reusable shopping bags.
The bag is available in a few different colors, is machine washable and carries a five year guarante. Along with carrying a lot of shopping too (ho ho)! It can be folded up just like you would fold anything, but also it has an internal attached pouch that it can be folded into. Just follow their simple how to fold guide.
The bags are only currently available for bulk orders online, though you can pick them up from a few selected grocery stores. You can also get your logo printed on the side, which would be good for corporate gifts. They have a Best Bag Blog too.
nvohk Becomes First Community-managed Eco-clothing Brand
July 29, 2008
nvohk is a company I’ve talked about many times and I’ve promised to keep you all updated on my progress as a “co-founder”.
They’ve hit their launch target of at least 400 sign-ups and now have members from over 20 countries (with 50% coming from outside the U.S). Next the member packet (including a co-founder t-shirt and member sticker) will ship out by the end of August/early September. You can see my video of my sneak preview of the t-shirt here.
They they will present nvohk’s logo design options the week of August 18th for the first member vote. Around 10 member/co-founder submitted designs plus 10 designs from nvohk’s Creative Director will be up for voting.
As soon as a logo is selected, members/co-founders will be able to submit their own t-shirt designs. We will collectively select 3-4 t-shirt designs, which will then be produced and offered in both men’s and women’s styles.
Going forward, the plan is to repeat the t-shirt process for 1-2 new t-shirt designs per month starting about 45-60 days after the initial t-shirt designs are offered for sale. All t-shirt designs will be available via www.nvohk.com and members/co-founders will receive 25% off the online retail pricing.
You can read more about how nvohk works, and sign up for $50.
I’ll update you again when the member pack arrives.
Green People Factor 22 Sun Lotion Eco Product Review
July 28, 2008
Green People wins awards all the time and is one of the most recognisible organic cosmetic brands around. Its sun lotion (or suntan lotion as I always thought it was called) has been voted the best by Natural Health & Beauty magazine. But that means nothing, did we agree? As I’ve been locked indoors, I gave its Factor 22 Sun Lotion with no scent to my father, a well-known pale skinned person that likes to burn easily even in the British summer. Wanting to put it to the test he went and sat outside for a few hours watching some tennis or something. Here’s his prosaic review:
“It’s dark but the morning light is filtering through the net curtains, it’s hot, very hot but it’s only dawn in England, then there’s the pain, the one that seems to envelope my whole being and another of greater intensity that bites across the top of my shoulders. My eyes are so swollen I can’t open them for three days; my whole body is like a radiator on full blast; too late I had donned a t-shirt only to find the neck wore away at the already tenderised skin, first blistering then turning red raw.
“Welcome to sunstroke; being fair of skin, if not of face, this teenage folly forged a firm, longstanding love affair with… you guessed it, sunscreen.
“The good news is that this organic offering works, the not so good news is that it that you can look like an extra from Shaun of the Dead. It’s so thick and creamy it’s almost impossible to rub in. As I washed, a layer of white scum floated on the surface of the water, lovely.”
I think he liked it. It contains things like aloe vera and edelweiss extract but also titanium oxide which helps block the UVA and UVB rays for the fair skinned. It’s free from parabens, lanolin, phthalates, artificial perfumes, petrochemicals and colourants and is vegetarian but not vegan due to the beeswax content.
The 200ml tub is £15.99 while the travel size 50ml tub is £9.50. Or for a limited time, Male Organics has 25% off Green People sun care, so it’s £11.99 for the large size.
ReJAVAnate Reusable Bag Eco Product Review
July 25, 2008
We’ve tested a lot of reusable shopping bags on Life Goggles and there is a huge variety in the style and type. You can see them all on our Reusable Bag Comparison Chart, and the latest bag we have proves that there is always something new.
ReJAVAnate take burlap from coffee roasters that would be otherwise sent to landfill (about 800,000 tons go every year), and make them into reusable shopping bags.
They work with a company called The ARC, who help over 140,000 individuals with developmental disabilities to find employment, to hand make the bags, and then they sell them to individuals and organizations who “want to make a statement about reducing paper and plastic bag consumption”.
The bag I received was lined and pretty large at 15″ by 15″. It’s very sturdy, I’m not sure what weight it can hold but was my choice for drink bottle and cans as it seemed one of the strongest bags I’ve used. It arrives in an old Vans shoe box, with a proud stamp on the inside that said “Shamelessly shipped in reused packaging”. I like it!
They have a variety of bags, medium and large, plain or with different logos, and lined or unlined ranging from $9 to $11. You can buy them online at ReJAVAnate.
Give Your Plastic Bottle A New Life
July 24, 2008
We Want Tap is a nice new idea. Essentially it’s just a DIY labeling kit for your water bottle.
Whilst we encourage the use of reusable bottles – plastic, steel or aluminum – there are times when they’re not practical due to size, or if you’ve forgotten to take one with with you. So when you’ve got a plastic bottle, We Want Tap packs each contain five large and five small labels to stick over the current label on the bottle. On the label is their patented Drink-O-Meter, you can keep track of your re-fills. Mark off each time you fill up and when you reach ten, recycle the bottle. The pack also contains 20 bonus fun size stickers, and is only £6 in the UK.
They will soon also sell reusable plastic bottles, including a nice small one, but no news on what type of plastic they’re made of. Take a look at We Want Tap, or our Eco Product Reviews of other reusable water bottles.
Green Chic – Saving The Earth in Style Eco Book Review
July 23, 2008
Green Chic – Saving The Earth in Style by Christie Matheson is a book for people who want to go green without giving up on great style. Being thoughtfully, consciously green makes a real difference in the fight against global warming. But did you know it’s also hip, classic and stylish?
I like to think I’m knowledgeable about green issues, and not in an obnoxious way, but I read a lot of green websites and books. However I’m completely open to the fact that a lot of people haven’t got around to it yet even though they would embrace the ideas. Green Chic is definitely a book for beginners, going through the basics covered in may other places (such as our own 100 Ways To Save The Planet), but puts a unique spin on it. Doing green things that make you look and appear better, and even save money makes Green Chic a good read for those wanting to do their part.
The book is wonderfully realistic between changes a person might do and those they’re unlikely to do. Honestly, there is always going to be a range from what someone SHOULD do to what someone is WILLING to do, and the book covers that really well. Yes, it’s “light green” in terms of actions, but with the facts backing them up to show that people can go further than what is recommended as being easy.
Reduce clutter, eat organic food, less red meat and so on are all tips given, but so is the main theme or don’t stop buying, just be more thoughtful when buying products about where they came from, and what they are doing to you. They’re things everyone can do, and the book proves it’s not hard to be green and chic. Available for just over $10 from Amazon.
