As we mentioned yesterday [www.sundancechannel.com], downloadable designs could, and should, definitely be a part of our greener way forward; it’s a great idea, but that’s about as far as it’s gotten, with one notable exception [www.sundancechannel.com]. The downloadable model is a ways from reality — we have the digital infrastructure (computers) necessary, but not the…
Offering a synergy for design, global talent and local materials, downloadable design is a concept TreeHugger can really get behind. We’ve touched on this idea before [www.sundancechannel.com], but it certainly deserves more attention; after all, we live in a download-happy, digital world, so there’s no reason why we can’t extend that beyond downloading pictures from…
60 year-old wallpaper company Graham & Brown [www.grahambrown.com] is turning over a new, green leaf with their chic, modern new collection. Thanks to a collaboration with design students from Central St. Martins University in London, the new collection is colorful, fun and (perhaps most importantly) green. The company asked 22 students to submit some designs;…
This week, we’ve pretty well covered how to green your pets [www.sundancechannel.com], so today we want to talk about another kind of “PET” — the plastic kind, also known as “polyethylene terephthalate” or “number 1 plastic.” As Wikipedia tells us [en.wikipedia.org], PET is “a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in…
An any pet owner will tell you, having a furry friend or two is about more than having something to warm your lap; pets actually do help improve our quality of life. The truth lies inside the numbers. 75 — percent less likely that kids who have two or more pets will develop allergies later…
Ah, the pitter patter of four-legged feet as they whip through your living room at overclocked speeds or uproot your prize gladiolas with manic fervor. But Snookiepuss and Mrs. Fluffypants are practically family, right? So why should they settle for anything less than top drawer when their health and wellbeing are at stake? Throw the…
For lots of us, a pet is just another member of the family, garnering similar attention as a child (something we covered quite extensively last week). It’s not surprising, then, that there are lots of ways to help make your pet’s life greener, too. Throw the planet a bone; we’ve got the goods on how…
All this week, we’ve been talking about a few of the ways that parents and kids can make the world a healthier, greener place. Lots of these ethics are embodied in the work of Celery Furniture, a hip, modern collection of furniture that combines great green ethics with a sleek, cool aesthetic. If you want…
Parents, you know what sort of influence you have over your kids — it’s a lot, right? — but TreeHugger knows that it goes both ways, and that kids can show their folks a thing or two, as well. After you’ve greened your baby [www.treehugger.com] and greened your kids’ toys [www.treehugger.com], check out some of…
To say that parenting, like any new activity, requires a bit of a learning curve is an a big, big understatement. There are piles of books, resources and ideas about the proper way in which to bring up baby; the sheer volume of it all can be quite overwhelming, and the same is now true…
As TreeHugger contributors Kenny [www.treehugger.com] and George [www.treehugger.com] know first-hand, having little TreeHuggers changes the your world in 1000 ways; by the looks of it, almost all those changes are good, but it does require a new way of approaching and dealing with the world. Here are some TreeHugger tips for starting out your new…
There’s nothing like getting new TreeHuggers started early, but babies are a handful without all the green considerations. This TreeHugger is watching some good friends attempt to raise their firstborn in a green-leaning way, and the verdict after six weeks is: a mixed bag, so far. It’s not as easy as it might seem, but…
TreeHugger never tires of finding examples of companies and designers that have discovered that there is a better way to do things. Safer, healthier materials, designs that will last for generations and manufacturing that considers the planet and its people are all hallmarks of this “better way” and the latest example we’ve found is Austria-based…
Okay, so let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. We’ve been talking all week in abstracts and numbers; let’s get serious about really saving water, right now. 1) Dual flush options help match the flush with the, uh, cargo. Caroma [www.treehugger.com] and numerous other options exist to fix you up; this Argentine toilet [www.treehugger.com] design lets…
Water is an amazing resource, that gets wasted in amazing numbers. Check out the sobering numbers below, and keep ‘em in mind when the faucet starts to drip. 2.5 — in gallons, the amount of water that most of the developing world gets by on per day. 400 — in gallons, the amount of water…
So, you’re in to this water-efficiency thing, eh? Really want to cut back, do you? We though you’d never ask… 1) Ease up on the meat. To produce 1 kilogram of boneless beef, it takes 6.5 kilograms of grain, 36 kilograms of roughage (coarse grains and pasture), and 155 liters of drinking water [www.treehugger.com]. Eating…
As a material, corrugated cardboard has comes a long way in the sustainable design world. From its humble roots as moving boxes and the like, it has blossomed into something that can have form, structure and function in our daily lives. We love it because it’s often recycled, highly recyclable, and goes from two dimensions…
As we’ve seen this week, green cleaning goes way beyond baking soda and elbow grease; opening up the aperture a bit wider shows that there are lots of things, many of which we consider each day, that can be done to further embrace green cleaning. Ever considered green dry cleaning (we didn’t think so)? How…
Cleaning is one of those micro-level things that seems small — something that goes in the “I’m just one person; what difference could it possibly make?” category — but can really add up over time and with widespread green best practices. How much does it add up to? Here are some numbers to help give…
Using green cleaning products [www.sundancechannel.com] can go a long way toward making your home healthier, cleaner and greener, but there’s a lot more you can do to keep dirt at bay without employing toxics that can harm you and the planet while they “clean.” Here’s a few tips ‘n tricks to help you avoid making…
Cleaning products are everywhere in our homes and offices: on dishes, countertops, furniture, clothes, floors, windows, and floating through the air. In our war on dirt and germs we may often actually be making things worse. Most of the conventional cleaning products we all grew up with are petroleum-based and have dubious health and environmental…
With the goal of taking “organic” from hippie to hip — something that TreeHugger loves and tries to do a little bit each day — ModGreenPod [www.modgreenpod.com] was founded by sisters-in-law Nancy and Lisa Mims because they loved swank design and sustainable goods, but they couldn’t find anything that combined the two; refusing to choose…
TreeHugger has to be careful to contain itself when we get started talking about transportation by bicycle; in a perfect green world, everybody would do it, every day, and we think both the world and us as inhabitants would be better off for it. The world isn’t exactly a perfect one, sadly, and there are…
Greener cars, like this one [www.sundancechannel.com] (and greener driving ideas) are great, but bicycles have always really gotten our motors running. Considering they’re the world’s most energy-efficient form of transportation –using just 35 calories per passenger mile — and that they don’t pollute, it’s pretty safe to say that they’re our favorite way to get…
Whether you’re a daily commuter or a weekend wanderer, there are lots ways to green your car use, beyond taking the bus, hopping on your bike or simply not climbing behind the wheel as much. For the times when only four wheels, powered by internal combustion will do, here are TreeHugger’s favorite tips. 1) Going…