Sundance Channel

Creative reuse: the Texas-shaped serving board

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:36:11 +0000

Got a Texan on your holiday gift list? As someone who grew up about 20 minutes away from the state line, I feel confident saying there's one things that all residents of the state like, and that's Texas itself. If you don't believe me, take a visit and start counting the "Don't Mess with Texas" bumper stickers - they add up fast. Abilene entrepreneur Kyle Douthit clearly understands this. And as a former countertop installer, he also knows how much of the material from a job gets thrown away. He put two and two together, and about five years ago started collecting pieces of acrylic countertop, cutting them into the shape of the state and giving them away as gifts to family and friends to use as cheese boards, bread boards, etc...

Green (and quirky) pet products

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:19:26 +0000

We pet people can be particular about the products we purchase for our furry (or feathered or scaly) friends. We not only want products that work, but that also make our pets happy and comfortable. So, when the team at Quirky works with a concept for a better retractable dog leash tonight, dog owners might want to take a look - and keep an eye out for the Kosoku leash at your favorite pet supply store.

San Francisco bail bondsman makes art from trash

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:51:41 +0000

You may not think of a bail bonds office as a place associated with either environmental consciousness or artistic talent, but Barrish Bail Bonds on San Francisco's Bryant Street breaks that mold. The 50-year-old business serves as a day job for artist Jerry Ross Barrish; his passion, according to KGO-TV, is making sculpture from plastic trash he finds washed up on the beach.

Mother-daughter team launches recycled vintage jewelry business

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:00:32 +0000

When William McDonough and Michael Braungart popularized the term "upcycling" in their 2002 book Cradle to Cradle, they were referring to industrial-scale recycling and production. The term, however, has really captured the imagination of the crafty community: you don't need to browse Etsy for long before coming across handmade products crafted out of used materials of some kind. And St. Louis' own Upcycle Exchange is just one example of an organization that's popped up to serve this niche though collecting and distributing materials that the more creative among us see as the basis of something new, useful, and likely even beautiful.

Green tech finds (4/1/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:04:31 +0000

No foolin'... here are this week's green tech finds.

Low-tech renewable energy storage: In Vinalhaven, Maine, they're testing out a system of distributed energy storage for wind power... and it's based on old technology. (via Green Living Ideas)
The green(er) bookmobile: A new bookmobile for Wood County, Ohio, runs on natural gas.

No foolin'... here are this week's green tech finds.

Low-tech renewable energy storage: In Vinalhaven, Maine, they're testing out a system of distributed energy storage for wind power... and it's based on old technology. (via Green Living Ideas)
The green(er) bookmobile: A new bookmobile for Wood County, Ohio, runs on natural gas.

Green tech finds (9/11/09)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:41:34 +0000

Tree-power and homemade submarines... all that and more in your green tech finds for the week.

Google... the solar company?: The company announced on Wednesday that it's "working to develop its own new mirror technology that could reduce the cost of building solar thermal plants by a quarter or more."
Wind power from the air conditioner: Renewable energy company EarthSure has announced its WindAir system, which is designed to "[transform] the exhausted air flow from central air conditioning units into a source of renewable, clean energy."