I recently received two complimentary pairs of Okabashi shoes for the purposes of this no-strings-attached review:

For consumers looking to support a zero-waste based company with every step they take, Okabashi’s a shoe in – their collections are 100% recyclable and they contain 30% recycled material. (more…)

Designer Benjamin Caldwell and his BRJ Designs create unique furniture that emphasizes both form and materials. His Binary Collection (pictured above + below) is constructed from the recycled remains of obsolete computers and electronics.

The pieces are constructed entirely of recycled motherboards, computer chips, hard drives, computer screens and assorted salvaged detritus of the information age.

BRC will have a booth at the upcoming ICFF show in NYC May 14th – 17th.

My job often takes me on client visits to self-storage facilities. These visits are ones I particularly look forward to because it seems I always walk away from them having learned something new and interesting. One trend I’ve begun to notice in recent visits is the way people are now incorporating eco-friendliness into their packing and storage methodologies. I’m seeing a lot of new products and a lot of good ideas. Many of them are not only practical but amazingly resourceful as well. Here are just a few examples:

Biodegradable packaging materials:
Plastic bubble wrap and polystyrene peanuts are slowly becoming things of the past. Now I see a different kind of peanut that’s starch-based and biodegradable. This peanut has proven itself to be a very effective packing solution and you can dispose of it by simply dissolving it in a sink! And for cushioning applications, the plastic bubble wrap is slowly giving way to paper-based protective wraps which are not only biodegradable but in many cases consist of completely recycled content. A new packing product on the market known as MycoBond is made from crop waste materials which have been inoculated with a mushroom treatment. This product is particularly efficient compared to traditional foam packing material because it requires much less energy to produce and generates a comparatively small fraction of the carbon dioxide yielded by foam.  (more…)