Sundance Channel

Green tech finds: the power-free kitchen appliances edition

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:42:39 +0000

Refrigerate and cook food without electricity? We've got finds this week that get you pretty close, along with mushrooms that eat plastic, and plans to reuse dirty diapers (really!). The DIY, electricity-free refrigerator: Ever heard of a zeer pot? This very old concept for keeping food chilled only requires two clay flower pots, and some sand and water to build yourself. (via @dothegreenthing) And then cook that food without power: Well, not exactly, but with a lot less power. The Wonderbag keeps food cooking after the heat's turned off, and was originally designed for very poor people who couldn't afford much fuel. (via Inhabitat)

Green tech finds: from solar power to the Super Bowl

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:51:54 +0000

Super Bowl Sunday is coming up, and while I don't pay enough attention to say whether it'll be a good game, it will definitely be a green(er) game. That, plus cooler roofs for more efficient solar power, and a very quick look at over a century of global warming: your green tech finds for the week. Buy renewable energy for your Volt: While the arguments about the energy sources for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are generally really overblown and oversimplified, many EV drivers do want the cleanest power they can get for their vehicles. So, GM is developing a system for its OnStar platform that would notify Volt drivers when there's renewable energy available on the grid so they could plug in at the right time. (via Earth 911) What does global warming look like? If you're thinking big picture in response to that question, the folks at NASA have released a video that shows 131 years of global temperature fluctuations in 26 seconds. (via Climate Central and @NRDC)

Green tech finds: big ideas in small packages

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:12:53 +0000

A "camper van" built over an electric bicycle may not attract a lot of buyers, but a 480 square foot off-grid cabin (with plenty of amenities and style) just might. Those and more in this week's green tech finds.

Green tech finds: Architects to the rescue!

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:22:14 +0000

Can good design save the world? Well, maybe the Great Lakes, anyway. That, plus community-based solar, clothing recycling, and more: your green tech finds for the week. The DIY bike seat: Ever wanted a second seat on your bicycle, without investing in a tandem? Or just carrying space without a trailer? Israeli designer Yael Livneh has you covered with his concept made from a used plastic milk crate. He's entered the concept in Designboom's Seoul Cycle Design competition. (via Unconsumption and @dothegreenthing) Occupy the sun: We generally think of solar power as something that individual home and building owners do, but Francesca Rheannon at CSRWire takes a look at community-based efforts to adopt solar technology.

Green tech finds: Wildlife goes virtual, Farmville gets real

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:09:28 +0000

Assembly lines rolling out the Focus Electric: Think Nissan's the only game in town for a true electric vehicle? Not anymore: Ford's started production of its 2012 Focus Electric in Michigan. (via @edbegleyjr) Ranger Rick comes to the iPhone: Your kids bug you to play games on your smartphone? The National Wildlife Federation has created a way to make sure they're learning something. The new Ranger Rick mobile apps provide games for kids as young as 2 (yes, 2!) to sharpen their knowledge about wild animals.

Green tech finds: Recycled guitars and impromptu speakers

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:46:54 +0000

Cool concept cars and planes, speakers that turn ordinary objects into amplifiers, and the potential environmental cost of washing your jacket: this week's green tech finds. Honda's very cool, very light electric concept vehicle: Unfortunately, "concept" often means we'll never see one on the road. Still, Honda's EV-STER (which rolled out last week at the Tokyo Auto Show, and is pictured above) shows the company combining electric power with light weight (through lots of body elements made from carbon) and sweet styling; maybe they'll keep thinking this way as they work towards new production vehicles. (via Earth Techling)

Green tech finds, 10/20/11

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:17:25 +0000

Underground skyscrapers, smart windows and more problems with natural gas drilling: Your green tech finds for the week. Charge your car with your phone: Well, not exactly, but a new app developed by IBM and Swiss utility EKZ allows for better management of when your electric vehicle is charged and what sources of energy are used to charge it. Find out more in the video above. (via @greeneconpost) The grain silo hotel: While not as green as it could be (because the structures used were built for the project), Silo Stay, a nine-unit New Zealand hotel built from grain silos...

Green tech finds, 10/6/11

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:30:29 +0000

A plug-in outdoor table, and how your labtop might contribute to rainforest destruction: this week's green tech finds. Wisconsin as a microgrid hub: There's more than ugly political battles going on in the Badger State. A university-industry consortium announced an initiative to establish "microgrids" at UW campuses in Milwaukee and Madison over the next two years. (via @RepowerAmerica)

Method’s “Ocean Plastic:” green or greenwash?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:03:15 +0000

The idea of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - a massive island of plastic garbage swirling around in the ocean - has captured the imagination of both die-hard greenies and concerned citizens alike. Our visions aren't quite in line with reality (it's more of a "soup" than an island), but we've generally got it right on the massive part: it may be twice the size of the continental United States. So when the home cleaning products brand Method announced the launch of "a bottle made out of plastic collected from the North Pacific Gyre" (aka the Great Pacific Garbage Patch), those of us in the green media jumped at the notion of a company making an effort to clean up this mess. As it turns out, we probably should've looked just a bit closer before we leaped (he wrote sheepishly).

Green tech finds, 9/22/11

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:10:28 +0000

Roads that charge your electric car, biofuel from orange peels, and sucking CO2 out of the air - your green tech finds for the week. Look out, Volt! The plug-in Prius is here: Car hackers have been converting the Toyota Prius into a plug-in hybrid (like the Chevy Volt) for years. The Japanese automaker has finally gotten in on the trend and released a plug-in version of its popular hybrid for the 2012 model year. That's it above. (via Greenwala) Charge your electric car while driving it: The concept of "electrified roadways" that could charge electric vehicles while they're moving has been around for decades, and Japanese researchers may have now come up with a viable model. "Electrified metal plates are buried under roads, which 'up-convert' energy via a radio frequency to a steel belt inside a car’s tires, as well as to a plate sitting above the tire." (via smartplanet and @greenamericatv)

Green tech finds – 8/18/11

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:17:46 +0000

Old school shipping, CO2 as a source of fuel and yet another new solar technology for charging your phone: this week's green tech finds. Another recycling robot: While not as directly practical as the ZenRobotics Recycler we mentioned in an earlier post, Florida Robotics' Dr. R.E. Cycler is designed for educational purposes - essentially, to show kids what happens to the aluminum cans that go into those blue bins. Take a quick look at it above. (via Fast Company and @TaigaCompany)

Upcycling a billboard into a bag: Relan

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:31:39 +0000

Vinyl, aka PVC, is everywhere... and, as we've noted before (and as the film BLUE VINYL argued), it's pretty nasty stuff. The best thing we could do is to stop making and using it, and substitute more environmentally benign materials. Second best... make use of all that vinyl that often goes to landfills.

Recycling tornado debris: finding opportunity in disaster

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:54:30 +0000

As tornadoes have left wreckage across numerous parts of the US in recent months, a number of people are looking at all the debris left behind... and seeing opportunity. In Birmingham, Alabama, for instance, Southeast Renewables has set up station at the North Georgia landfill to sort our recyclable materials... a process that will make the company money, and save some for the city on disposal fees: the company claims it can recycle up to 80% of the tornado wreckage. In North Carolina's Triangle area, individuals are the ones taking the initiative: local television station NBC-17 reported on a couple collecting scrap metal debris and taking it to a recycler... and making about $300 a day.

Green tech finds (5/26/11)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 26 May 2011 19:51:52 +0000

Diaper-eating mushrooms, recycled oil booms, and global warming's effects on your wi-fi signal... this week's green tech finds.

Solar and wind power for apartment dwellers: Jonathan Globerson's Greenerator concept allows apartment dwellers to harvest both wind and solar power from their balconies. (via Inhabitat)
GM recycling oil booms into Volt parts: Lots of oil booms left over from last year's BP oil spill. Instead of letting them get tossed into landfills, GM is collecting these materials and recycling them into air-deflecting baffles for the Chevy Volt. (via Earth 911)

Boxsal – the compostable picnic

Perrin Drumm — Mon, 23 May 2011 15:30:07 +0000

Last week Gilt Groupe had a sale on the fashionably recyclable picnic boxes made by Boxsal. Or wait, was it Gilt Home or Gilt Taste? Oh, who can keep track anymore. Unlike most Gilt deals, the sale didn't actually save buyers any money - the picnic boxes still go for $25 on their own website, but at the price who's complaining? No, the "sale" was really more of a promotion and, well, it worked. Boxsal, which calls its products "part Oscar de la Renta, part Oscar Meyer," claims to be "bringing the picnic back into fashion," and with recyclable cardboard picnic boxes available in three different designs (see images below), it just might.

How sex toys get recycled

Em and Lo — Fri, 20 May 2011 17:00:52 +0000

Last week our friends at the UK sex toy retailer LoveHoney.co.uk launched a short, fascinating video about how sex toys (and other stuff like toasters) get recycled. It’s part of their Rabbit Amnesty program: you send them your battered and bruised sex toys and they give you Lovehoney loyalty points (“Oh points”) that you can [...]

Green tech finds (5/19/11)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:30:22 +0000

Off-grid in the Big Apple, and geothermal energy capture that doesn't cause earthquakes... your green tech finds for the week.

The recycling robot: Finnish start-up ZenRobotics claims its ZenRobotics Recycler, a robot designed to sort recyclables from other waste, has correctly identified half the materials presented to it in tests. See the "trailer" for the robot above. (via Good News from Finland)
Can electric vehicles work in car sharing programs: Electric Vehicle Update discusses the potential issues, and solutions, for incorporating EVs (with their long charging time) into "on-demand" car sharing services. (via Cleantechies)

Amazing upcycle: old furniture into planters

Perrin Drumm — Thu, 12 May 2011 17:30:17 +0000

Milan Design Week may be over and done with, but so many incredible ideas made their debut on the vast showroom floor that the event still has us buzzing. Take this deceptively simple idea from Italian designers Peter Bottazzi and Denish Bonapace that turns used up and useless old furniture into artfully rendered homes for plants. Called Da Morto A Orto, or from redundant to abundant, Bottazzi and Bonapace took various pieces of furniture and combined them into hybrids - a rolling desk chair with a wooden dresser drawer and an aluminum lamp or a plush armchair with metal pots sprouting out its back. The combinations are endless and these pictures are the ultimate inspiration for DIY-ers.

Student music video trains peers on recycling

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 11 May 2011 18:00:46 +0000

Ever get frustrated when you see someone throwing away a recyclable item... right next to a recycling bin? Or throw a recyclable item in the wrong container? High school junior CJ Joseph certainly has, and has played the role of "recycling police" (or "recycling nazi" if you prefer) at Queens' The Renaissance Charter School: "If I see somebody I'm like, 'You're throwing that out in the wrong bin. Follow the signs people! I know you’ve heard it: Papers go in the blue (bins), and bottles in the green." But as many of us have learned, badgering only gets you so far... so CJ decided to apply her other passion, music, to her recycling fervor, and wrote the song "R to the E to the Cycle." If you read the lyrics, you'll see they're not much different from her "recycling police" instructions... but definitely more catchy!

Green tech finds (5/5/11)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 05 May 2011 19:51:12 +0000

Blimps, chicken feathers, and viruses... your green tech finds for the week.

The 10,000 year heat pump: Heat pumps aren't sexy; they are, however, an incredibly efficient technology means of heating and cooling buildings. Researchers in Norway are experimenting with a new, more simple design framework that they think will create a heat pump with a "dramatically longer life." (via @adamwerbach)
Tracking e-waste: Where do your old electronics end up? The basement? The trash? Or in a developing country for "recycling?" The UN's StEP project wants to find out, and the US EPA has provided them with $2.5 million to track US electronic waste. (via @TerracomChicago)

Billboards to beach sandals: Paper Feet

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:44:40 +0000

Billboards don't just "litter" our roadways... they create an awful lot of waste: according to Jimmy Tomczak, founder of Paper Feet, "Every year in the U.S. alone, so much billboard vinyl is thrown away that, if laid out, it would more than cover the state of Massachusetts." For Tomczak, that mass of printed vinyl going to landfills turned out to be the perfect material for a product he envisioned while an undergrad at the University of Michigan: minimalist "barefoot" sandals that protected his feet while still providing the feel of going shoeless.

Earth Week green tech finds (4/21/11)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:41:26 +0000

A new green smart phone, water from diesel, and the dirtiness of your data... your Earth Week green tech finds.

Recyclemania at Dell: The Austin, TX-based computer and electronics maker announced it recycled more than 150 million pounds of e-waste in 2010. (via GreenTech Pastures)
Google, Department of Energy mapping EV charging stations: The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is working with Google to map electric vehicle charging stations, along with other alternative vehicle fuels. (via Earth Techling)

Green tech finds (3/31/11)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:05:53 +0000

LSA In Action from Sticky Advertising on Vimeo.

Plastic made from meat wastes, and "self-charging" cell phones... these and more in this week's green tech finds.

Floating solar panels: "Offshore renewables" has generally meant wind or wave power, but an Australian company has developed a prototype for floating solar panels... and Indian company Tata Power is going to give the concept a go. Check out the Liquid Solar Array in action above. (via Calfinder's Residential Solar blog)
Plastic bottle schools: Plastic bottles get recycled into all sorts of consumer products... but the Bottle Schools Project is turning them into literal building blocks for schools in the developing world. (via Springwise and @COSEnergy)

Green tech finds (3/10/11)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:10:42 +0000

Lots of apps this week... for Freecycling, sharing your juice with electric vehicles drivers, and teaching the kids about rainforest ecosystems.

Organize your Freecycling: Like to search for used treasures on service like Freecycle and Freegle? The Trash Nothing online app allows you to organize your activities at various recycling groups.
i-Tree 4.0 is out: OK, this won't garner the attention of the iPad 2, but the latest update of the US Forest Service's i-Tree online tool for urban and community forest analysis features new applications for tree placement planning for individual land parcels, and "modeling the watershed-scale effects that vegetation has on local hydrology and water quality."

Green tech finds (3/3/11)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:23:30 +0000

An electric unicycle, iPad recycling, and creating your own bike lane on the go... this week's green tech finds.

California farmers leading the way on renewables: According to the USDA's new On-Farm Renewable Energy Production Survey, "California farms and ranches now make up more than 20 percent of all operations in the nation with solar, wind and methane digester use." (via Calfinder's Residential Solar blog)
Harvesting energy from slow tides: That's the concept behind Minesto UK's Deep Green technology, a "kite-like device [which] is tethered to the seabed and is steered by a rudder, which allows it to adjust the speed at which water enters the turbine." The UK's Carbon Fund has awarded Minesto £350,000 to test the device.

Green tech finds (2/24/11)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:57:01 +0000

Going off-grid as economic necessity, quiet compostable chip bags, and green beer... your green tech finds for the week.

Green beer in the Last Frontier: Juneau-based Alaskan Brewing Company faces some relatively unique challenges and costs in making its beer... and has implemented some relatively unique green technology (for a craft brewer, anyway) to keep a lid on both economic and environmental costs. (via Utne Reader)
Adjust the thermostat with your phone: ecobee, the makers of the Smart Thermostat, now offer an Android app that allows you to remotely adjust your home's temperature.

Electronic waste recycling via “ATM”

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:36:33 +0000

Got old cell phones or other electronic devices laying around because you plan to recycle them... one day? Yep, so do I... There are options out there for recycling electronics past their prime, but none of them are quite as convenient as curbside pick-up of other materials. The ecoATM is one approach that's attempting to close that convenience gap... and also to pay users for recycling their old electronics. If you've used a Coinstar or Redbox kiosk, you already understand the concept: one machine can not only accept those old cell phones, but also figure out their value, and pay the user with cash, a gift card, a trade-up certificate, or even a charitable donation. The video above demonstrates how the ecoATM works.

Scrap metal recycling: a money-making byproduct of river clean-up

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 19:00:46 +0000

Recycling scrap metal isn't just an activity for greenies anymore... with prices for these commodities on the rise, collecting aluminum cans or metal construction debris has gotten profitable. I know I even regularly see stories on the local news about copper thieves... One source of scrap metal that didn't strike me until reading a story on American Recycler, though, is waterways. Turns out that dumping your broken refrigerator, or your clunker car, in a stream or river was relatively common just a few decades ago. While laws have curtailed the practice, there's apparently still a lot of junk metal in our waterways... and non-profits dedicated to cleaning them up have discovered a new revenue stream.

Green tech finds (12/16/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:17:29 +0000

Plastic bottles you can eat, a tiny solar home, and hybrid street sweepers… this week’s green tech finds. Audi’s green history: You likely associate the phrase “green cars” with Toyota and Honda; Denis Duquet at The Car Guide thinks Audi should be on that list, also… More bang from your bike: Fandi Meng’s I-Green battery [...]

Polli-Bricks, the stuff of miracles

Perrin Drumm — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:39:21 +0000

I never thought I would get excited about a brick, but the Polli-Brick is a potentially life-changing building material that can't be talked up enough. The Polli-Brick is, essentially, a 6-liter plastic bottle made of 100% post-consumer PET. The bottles have a gear-like structure that allows them to lock together into light-weight but insanely strong panels that can withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. Stack enough of these panels and voilà, you have a building.

Green tech finds (12/2/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:00:56 +0000

Google Earth's new "tree view," state-by-state run-downs on solar power, and LED holiday lights... your green tech finds for the week.

Energy Star Plus: Paul Smith at Triplepundit profiles Energy Forward, a Northwest-based electronics efficiency standard that claims to exceed Energy Star standards by 30%.
Missouri a great state for solar? That's right... as are Arkansas, Mississippi, and Wisconsin. A new study out of Arizona State University ranks the optimal state for solar development based on environmental and economic factors.

What do you do with a used vuvuzela?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:13:25 +0000

Last Summer's World Cup may seem like a distant memory, but if you really got into the South African soccer-fest, you may still have a vuvuzela laying around the house. You're not alone: according to Triplepundit, sales of these plastic noise horns reportedly reached 20,000 per day during the football frenzy. Now that the party's over, what can you do with that vuvuzela... besides tossing it?

Giant pink snails set to invade Miami

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:14:39 +0000

Want to get a discussion about recycling going in your community? You might organize a Meetup, create a website, or put up flyers. The Cracking Art Group and Italian Galleria Ca d'Oro have a different approach: giant pink snails made from recycled plastic. Forty-five of these "creatures" will take temporary refuge in Miami Beach, Florida tomorrow (Nov. 18).

Boulder environmental education program focuses on zero waste

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:21:33 +0000

Traditionally, environmental education involves classroom lessons supplemented by field trips and hands-on learning. In 24 elementary schools in Boulder, Colorado, however, learning about waste, recycling, and composting involves going to lunch. OK, that's not the complete program, but Boulder's Green Star Schools go beyond the standard environmental education curriculum in focusing on zero waste... and implementing these ideas in the cafeteria, where kids separate out recyclables and compostables.

Recycling wooden pallets for America Recycles Day

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:58:47 +0000

Yep, today is America Recycles Day, so if you spend any time at all in the green blogosphere, you'll be seeing lots of recycling stories and tips. Much of that will focus on the typical household materials -- paper, plastic, and aluminum -- along with electronics (since e-waste has become such a huge issue). My own browsing around this weekend brought me to another item that probably won't get as much attention: the wooden shipping pallet. If you've spent any time at all around any kind of warehouse operation or shipping/receiving docks, you've seen these... and know they generally go straight in the dumpster. You may not know, though, that these humble items represent a massive waste of wood.

Recycled t-shirts: a new green fashion trend?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 19:15:22 +0000

When I wrote about t-shirt refurbisher Stay Vocal in September, I said this was the only company I knew of recycling t-shirts in this particular manner. Turns out the idea is out there... though still relatively under the radar. British green social media site Green Thing is now in the recycled t-shirt business: it's SAVED initiative takes donated used shirts, adds some embroidery and other fun items, and then sells them.

Green tech finds (10/21/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:43:03 +0000

Hybrid CFLs, more convenient e-waste recycling, and Steven Chu on Youtube... this week's green tech finds.

Floating wind turbines pay off: A new study from Energy Technologies Institute finds that floating offshore wind turbines are both technically and economically feasible because of stronger, more consistent winds. (via Cleantechnica)
Grades are out on electronics takeback...: And while no one'd doing a stellar job, Dell, Asus, and Samsung received the highest marks from the Electronic Takeback Coalition in their new Recycling Report Card. (via Mother Jones' Blue Marble)

Green tech finds (9/16/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:07:42 +0000

Sell your e-waste, build your own e-bike, and get your Fritos from electric vehicles... your green tech finds for the week.

Green tech patent information goes online: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launched its IPC Green Inventory today, which consolidates information on patents and patent applications involving "environmentally sound technology" into one database. (via eGov Monitor)
Middle Eastern mud buildings: Arwa Aburawa at Green Prophet takes note of some of the phenomenal (and sustainable) mud buildings in the Middle East (like the one above).

Green tech finds (8/5/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:58:37 +0000

NASCAR, bicycles, and recycled guns... your green tech finds for the week.

It all started with the bicycle: Trade pub Mechanical Engineering sings praises to the bicycle... not only as an engineering breakthrough for its time, but also as a "platform" for other transportation developments.
NASCAR goes solar: Well, sort of... the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania now operates the tenth-largest solar farm in the US (and the biggest of any sports arena in the world).

Green tech finds (7/8/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:04:42 +0000

Industrial hemp... you can't smoke it, but, apparently, you can run your car on it. That and more at this week's green tech finds.

Recycle your iPod, buy an iPhone 4: Apparently, that's what a lot of people are thinking. UK recyclables buyer MoPay has seen a 70% surge in iPod recycling since the release of the new iPhone. (via IT Pro Portal)
The solar smart phone: Puma's new smart phone can run on solar power, and displays how much energy a user is saving when in sun power mode. Unfortunately, it's only available in Europe right now... (via Springwise)

School fundraising goes green

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:50:33 +0000

Though the kids are probably home for the summer at this point, the PTA, band boosters, or other school organization may already be discussing fundraising plans for the coming year. More efforts to get the kids knocking on doors to sell wrapping paper and nasty pizza kits, right? Fortunately, a number of eco-entrepreneurs have gotten into the fundraising game, and created opportunities for either selling greener products, or leveraging activities like recycling to raise money for school activities and organizations. A few of the companies involved in this niche after the jump.

Michigan siblings upcycling aluminum cans into jewelry

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:17:57 +0000

Most of your aluminum can likely go into the recycling bin (because we're certain you don't just throw them in the trash!). Scott Bertelsmeyer, along with his sisters Sue, Sherry, and Shannon, thought something even more valuable could be done with those recyclables: they could serve as the drivers for economic redevelopment in their hometown of Vassar, Michigan (which, like the rest of the state, suffers from high unemployment: currently 13.7%), while still keeping them out of the landfill. Their company Cangles makes jewelry from the cans... which is now sported by celebs ranging from Paris Hilton to Kelly Rowland to Ian Somerhalder.

Sculpture artists compete to create recycled masterpieces

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:09:21 +0000

2009 Scrapfest Redux from SUCH Video on Vimeo.

Summer festival season is upon us, and towns and cities large and small are celebrating their history and culture (as well as trying to attract tourist dollars). In 2009, Lansing, Michigan's Old Town district added a new event to its Summer solstice celebrations Festival of the Moon & Festival of the Sun: Scrapfest. For the two weeks leading up to the midsummer events, twelve teams of artists root through materials at local scrap processing and recycling company Friedland Industries, and create a sculpture from their finds.

What do you do with a public art display when it comes down?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:42:29 +0000

For New York City-based artist Amy Wilson, the answer to that question was recycle it... into something useful that she could sell. Wilson was one artist of many participating in the Downtown Alliance's Re:Construction public art program, which "[recast] construction sites as canvasses for innovative public art and architecture." Her work, It Takes Time to Turn a Space Around, was located at West Thames Park, and consisted of a 130' x 5' digital print on vinyl of original watercolor (her primary medium).

Green tech finds (4/15/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 21:50:36 +0000

Your pre-Earth Week green tech finds...

Wind farms and weather: Wind power's one tool in our arsenal against climate change, but large-scale wind installations can end up creating their own "micro-climates" with unique weather effects. (via Greenopolis)
Greener summer road construction: Doesn't mean you'll get around it any faster, but the Missouri Department of Transportation is using warm-mix asphalt for road work (which requires less heat, and thus creates lower carbon emissions) while looking into materials consisting almost entirely of recycled glass.

Walla Walla’s green junk yard

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:38:06 +0000

In 1929, Emory Stubblefield opened a salvage yard; in 1944, he moved it to Walla Walla, Washington. Like most junk yards, Stubblefield's was full of rusting cars, old tires, scrap metal... the typical detritus you'd associate with such a business. Just before Emory's death at the age of 94 in 2008, he and his children took the business in a new direction: metal and scrap recycling... plus nature habitat.

Green tech finds (4/8/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:54:49 +0000

Ink-saving fonts, energy-producing homes, and pedal-powered prison television... here are your green tech finds.

No package? No pick up...: Sounds like a lead-up to dating advice, but it's actually the concept behind UPS' new Smart Pickup service for small and medium-sized businesses. Customers use a tracking service so that drivers only stop to pick up packages when there are some... (via SmartPlanet)
The font's the thing...: Want to save printer ink? Change your font.

Weird green building technology: recycling scraps into dog food

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:33:14 +0000

What do you do with food scraps? OK, some of them probably go into the trash can or garbage disposal, but you may also compost vegetable and fruit peelings and leftovers. If you're really die-hard, you may even use a bokashi system, which allows you to compost meat and dairy scraps.

Pedal-powered recycling pick-up… and more

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:39:48 +0000

Recycling does create energy savings overall, but if you watch those big trucks rolling through your neighborhood on pick-up day, you probably realize that there may be even more efficient ways to handle the collection of these materials. A couple in Northampton, Massachusetts, has found one: pick up those recyclables by bike.

Green tech finds (3/11/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:04:29 +0000

Homes wired for electric vehicles, artificial islands, and floating power plants... here are your green tech finds for this week.

Dell's new Optiplex -- most efficient desktop ever? According to Jaymi Heimbach at Treehugger, the new 980 model is, as it features a 90% efficient power supply, meets ENERGY STAR 5.0 standards, and has earned an EPEAT Gold rating.
No more downcycling for plastic? That's what researchers at IBM and Stanford claim their new development in plastic production does: the material can be continuously recycled. See the video above... (via Green Inc.)