Designer Kris Lovett’s RePly project utilizes used skateboard decks, products of male-dominated skateboard culture, as the raw material for striking pieces of female-dominated fashion. The shoes are intended to embody some of the aesthetic qualities of the skateboard decks. Recycled footwear for Eco-conscious women.

see more of Kris’s conceptual design projects @ krislovett.com

a couple more shots of RePly after the jump Continued »

Why put nasty, toxic chemical drain cleaners into your plumbing and septic systems when Drainbo Natural Drain Cleaner can get the job done. Drainbo enlists a seven strain bacteria formula and the natural process of biological decomposition to get rid of clogs.

This stuff even has a fresh lemon scent. Drainbo can be used for slow running and clogged drains, septic systems, recreation vehicles, portable toilets, dog runs, garbage cans and more.

$29.95 a gallon @ drainbo.com

• No ’spin’ here, only the finest in deductive reasoning. Fox News Says Al Gore is the Reason for High Food Prices - ecorazzi
• Politics and lobbying, just like in the USA. Amazon Defender Quits Brazil Environmental Post - reuters
• Now about those corn subsidies…Latest Potent Biofuel Made From Sweet Sorghum Sap - yahoo! news
• No this isn’t about your DWI record. (video) Invention Mixes Alcohol, Driving - msnbc
• China Quake a ‘Worst Case Scenario’ for California - livescience
• A lot of entertaining stuff first appears in Britain.  Files Released on UFO Sightings - bbc
• The 6 Most Frequently Quoted Bullsh*t Statements - cracked.com

• One, big “Make it Yours” festival via This and That (The New York Times, and tanx for the tip, Mark B)
• PBS‘ Nightly Business Report presents a special, 4-part series Tuesday, May 13 - Friday, May 16 — Greener Options — all about renewable energy options and the race to bring them into the marketplace. And beginning May 20 - another series kicks off — “Pain at the Pump.”
• I’m just a sucker for men in tights - ABT’s Le Corsaire May 20-26 at the Metropolitan Opera House. Or give Twyla a whirl June 3-7.
• Sundance Channel’s The Green Tuesday’s 9p-12mid.
• Green Earth Expo - Orlando, FL May 15-18
• Time’s Up Goes to the Dogs - First-ever Doggie Parade - Saturday, May 17, 2p
• Comedy Central - Mon-Thu 11p-12mid, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert - it just doesn’t get any better. Don’t miss Colbert’s new segment on Lobbyists.
• Saturday, May 17 Central Park Conservancy 9:30a, no rez required “Manhattan Adirondacks Tour” - a very local event.

I happen to own a pair of these fine eco-sneakers and after putting them through an arduous series of tests from cocktail parties to wiffle ball games, I can firmly attest to their comfort, style and eco-friendly construction. These babies contain no animal byproducts or even regular animal products. This men’s ecoS is vegan friendly and veggie friendly with hemp uppers, sidewalls made from a recycled bike tire, organic cotton linings, recycled PET (that’s recycled plastic bottles) laces, PET pedbeds and even the paper pulp foot forms are 100% post consumer paper. The outsole used to be a car tire so the bottoms can have some ‘character’ and the tread isn’t designed for rock climbing or running wind sprints at the NFL Draft Combine; other than that you’re good to go.

$70 @ simpleshoes.com

Okay, now that we’re using reusable bags to cart our goods from market and we don’t have those retail-provided plastic shopping bags to line our trash cans, what do we do? Rather than purchase non-biodegradable plastic liners that contain polyethylene and require non-renewable oil in its production — here are a few, more eco-minded alternatives. These options will cost a little green in order to be green when lining those trash cans:

• BioBags - 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable, made from Mater-Bi. Available at most natural food stores across the country. There are many etailers that offer the line, here are a few options to compare pricing: worldcentric.org, greenfeet.com, littlegreenhouse.com and planetgreenspot.com
• EcoSafe Bags - “will totally degrade and compost in 12 to 24 months, made in the USA.”
• Eco-Products - offers BioBags as well as their own line of “corn plastic” bags that are biodegradable and come in 10 ltr, 20 ltr or 30 liter sizes; bulk orders only. (thanks for this suggestion, Wendy).

Feel free to jump in with your ideas and tips.

Related: BioBags for food, lawn and pet waste (6.16.07)

Just Say “No” to Disposable Plastic (2.9.08)

• It’s called ‘pandering’.  Democratic Candidates Play Up Clean Coal - reuters
• It could equal the amount produced by nuclear power.  Wind Could Provide 20% of Nation’s Energy - msnbc
• China: Quake Left More Than 18,000 Buried in One City - msnbc
• Did you know that many of the cars depicted in Grand Theft Auto IV are hybrids…just kidding.  Now it’s Easier to Play Green - cs monitor
• (audio) Denver Drivers Learn How to Boost Fuel Economy - npr
• (pix) Volcano Blankets Chile in Dust - scientific american
• Must have been imported beer.  Driver Buckles Beer in Car — Not Child - cnn

Tired of staring forlornly at your solar grill waiting for that weener to get bronzed? Maybe it’s time to move up to this mega-sized, German-made, parabolic solar cooker which is said to cook up a storm in more than 90 countries around the world. The El Sol is reputed to be capable of cooking a spread for up to 12 people at a time, enough cooking power for a family or a small off-the-grid restaurant. Checkout Canadian, Steve Kerrs blog, for some good recipes and El Sol successes.

The 1.4m parabolic reflector (a man-sized 4.5 feet) focuses all the sunlight that falls on its surface on a single focal point, deep within the heart of the dish where the pot holder is located. The power output of the cooker on a clear sunny day is not less than 690 watts. Three liters (.63 gallons) of water can be brought to boil in about 25 minutes. Continued »

Gotta love a company who’s reaching out to kids and teaching them how to upcycle. TerraCycle, the makers of that fine organic fertilizer, Worm Poop, has hooked up with both Capri Sun and Honest Tea in an effort to encourage kids to participate in recycling their drink pouches and help transform the otherwise landfill-bound material into handbags, pencil cases and totes.  At the end of their use, these purchased items can be sent back to Terracycle to continue the process.

TerraCycle operates the program while Capri Sun and Honest Tea fund the project, paying schools 2 cents for every used pouch their students collect. According to TerraCycle, the upcycled items will be available at local shops so that kids can appreciate the value of their efforts. The recycling effort saves some of the 5 billion of drink pouches discarded every year in America’s landfills. There are currently 500 locations in the Capri Sun/Honest Tea Drink Pouch Brigade collecting over one thousand pouches a day. Visit terracycle.net/brigades to join in and sign up.

Empowering kids to participate in a product’s life cycle is a good thing — generating a more eco-conscious society whereby we all work together to ultimately eliminate the waste cycle entirely and create a more sustainable world. You can participate in recycling programs with donations going to various charities via TerraCycle’s efforts with Clif Bar wrappers, Stonyfield Yogurt cups and Chips Ahoy/Oreos. Or become a sponsor of the Bottle Brigade effort.

Related:

etsy.com - Upcycling for Greener Living

fyrelf.com - Upcycled Corporate Garbage

Upcycle defined @ wikipedia and sustainabilitydictionary.com

Sustainable defined @ merriam-webster

previously on altCon - Zero in on Zero Waste (4.22.08)

Princeton Dropout Makes Gold from Garbage: youtube and terracycle video

Sometimes you just have to save a precious heirloom by slapping it back together with some glue. Here’s a greener adhesive for DIYers hellbent on gluing stuff together. Eclectic Products markets this water-based, eco-friendly adhesive under the understated name, Amazing EcoGlue. It’s purported to strongly bond to a wide variety of materials — wood, stone, metal, ceramic, glass and cloth.

Some features of this sticky stuff:

• water-based
• less than 1% VOCs
• virtually no hazardous air pollutants (less than 0.165 by weight)
• no animal derivatives
• excellent water resistance
• 100% recyclable packaging
• indoor/outdoor use

Available at Ace Hardware, Hobby Lobby and True Value.

$5.49 @ hardwareandtools.com

more info @ ecoglue.com

• Let there be light. McCain Pledges to Combat Climate Change - yahoo! news
• Invasive species get cooked. Microwaves ‘Cook Ballast Aliens’ - bbc
• Snail mail just got more expensive. U.S. Stamp Prices Increase Today - cnn
• Is It Better to Eat Locally or Eat Differently? - npr
• Geothermal baby! Tapping into Australia’s Unique Hot Energy Resources - science daily
• What if you’re a heavily wrinkled teenager due to your 3 pack a day habit? Wrinkles Could be Key to Buying Cigarettes in Japan - reuters

Nicholas Furrow, yet another fine artist from Brooklyn, transforms common, discarded household items into glowing, light fixtures. The honey jar lamp is coated with an uneven layer of beeswax that emits the faintest smell of honey when heated. The angled suspension adds to the illusion of pouring. Just add a 40 watt bulb.

view more creations from found objects @ nicholasfurrow.net