What’s New at The Body Shop?

As part of its Nature’s Way to Beautiful campaign, the first marketing effort since its purchase by L’Oreal, The Body Shop has launched its Wellbeing line of  beauty products in 100% PCR (post-consumer recyclate) bottles, and will feature in-store displays describing the environmentally friendly nature of their products.  According to a Body Shop spokesperson, the company intends over the next 12 months, to convert all of their PET bottles from 30% PCR to 100%, with significant gains in PCR expected even before the end of 2008.  In an effort to get customers to stop using plastic bags, they have also introduced the Bag of Life, a shopping bag made of organic cotton-canvas, with $2.00 from each purchase being donated to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  In the long term, The Body Shop intends to become carbon neutral by 2010.

The Body Shop

Bag of Life

Meet the ReUse People of America

As their Mission Statement articulates, “The ReUse People of America reduces the solid waste stream and changes the way the built environment is renewed by salvaging building materials and distributing them for reuse.”  With headquarters in Oakland, CA, and a number of branches throughout the country, TRP is busy spreading the word about salvaging the overwhelming amount of materials from construction sites, in an effort to minimize waste flow to landfills.  Begun in the immediate aftermath of catastrophic floods in Tijuana, Mexico in April, 1993, with the help of San Diego and Tijana government and business leaders, the firm set out to provide over 400 tons of donated material to help rebuild devastated communities.  Once they acquire materials from construction sites, The ReUse People of America will then either sell them to customers at one of their facilities, or donate them to Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity.  The company also offers demolition services for homeowners, whereby one may acquire tax deductions based on the overall value of salvaged materials, and provides online inventories of available materials according to location at regional TRP warehouses.

Please visit The ReUse People of America for more information.

The Designer’s Field Guide to Sustainability, by LUNAR

The LUNAR Elements team has recently published “The Designer’s Field Guide to Sustainability”, a tool designed to help all designers and engineers, no matter what their level of experience, design more sustainable products.

A quick note about the guide: None of these tips is a turn-key solution. They are very complex issues that often warrant added thought and discussion. Together, they provide a good start, and can help form a checklist of considerations to take along the design path to ensure that no sustainable opportunity has fallen through the cracks. Reviewed often, they can help us to make sustainability a fundamental part of our design and engineering processes.

Click here to download the guide in PDF format.

Ah, Le Mini Paris!

To most people, used cans, jars, cardboard boxes and other discarded household wares are just things to either be thrown in the trash or recycled.  To inspired Frenchman Gerard Brion, however, they are the brick and mortar with which he built a detailed 1/130th scale model of Paris, France over the past 15 years.  Located in his own backyard in the southern French town of Vaissac, 70 km north of Toulouse, Brion’s creation is open to the public, and even has a (human-size) cafe and various nearby attractions in case you get tired after an hour of strolling its mini streets.  It goes without saying that Brion’s work shows how a little creativity (and a LOT of dedication) can change the way we perceive of refuse, and perhaps even suggest the permanence of many of the things we think just “go away” when we throw them away.  Anyone interested in visiting should hurry, as the park will only be open through September 30th!

For more information please visit Le Petit - Paris

How Lilypad Cities May Save Future Climate Change Refugees

Looking like something out of an Arthur C. Clark novel, the Lilypad is a large-scale ecotectural concept designed by Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut, for housing the potential future victims (50,000 within each structure) of climate change in coastal areas. From Callebaut’s description of his intention on his website, it is quite clear that he takes seriously the many predictions of mass migration away from worldwide coastal zones following inundation by the potentially catastrophic rise of sea levels brought on by polar and glacier melting. Although such a dire scenario is not inevitable if the powers that be band together to stave off the seemingly relentless rise in CO2 levels, Callebaut is one architect who doesn’t want to wait and see until it’s too late.

Aside from their sheer aesthetic beauty, the self-sustaining Lilypads incorporate the latest (in some cases not yet feasible) approaches in clean technology and aquaculture. From rainwater purifying lakes, undulating solar roof panels, and wind turbines, to a tidal power station and CO2-absorbing titanium dioxide exoskeleton, the structures offer a well-thought out approach in how to incorporate complex technologies within a dynamic community. Some may say this concept is so far reaching and grand in scope to deem it wishful thinking, however its incredible potential suggests that bold thinkers like Callebaut, may indeed help the world come up with remarkable solutions to the daunting challenges which lie before us. With the introduction of his Lilypad concepts, he has surely gotten people thinking about his dynamic vision of things to come.

For more information, please visit Vincent Callebaut Architectures.

Yarn From Old Newspapers

Today’s news, tomorrow’s textiles. A graduate from Design Academy Eindhoven, Greetje van Tiem, has found a distinctive and creative way to recycle old newspapers that have been sitting around. As part of a school assignment, van Tiem completed a project that turns newspapers into yarn, and although not quite the same as regular yarn, it can be spun tighter and woven into something like a mat to be nearly as durable and functional. These newspaper threads can be woven into products like rugs, curtains and upholstery for the home, to help create a very distinguishing look. The delicate yarn is handspun and requires few supplies: a pair of scissors, a spindle, and of course, the newspaper itself. Twenty yards of yarn can be made from each sheet of newspaper. Van Tiem calls the project Indruk. She says that it is possible to transpose yesterday’s news into tangible memories.

http://www.greetjevantiem.nl

Nau We’re Talking!

For anyone who missed it, Nau (the cutting-edge, amazing eco-friendly clothing brand) who closed their doors this May, have announced they will re-open this October. Their new line will release for the fall and holiday season, incorporating the same design philosophy of balancing beauty, performance, and sustainability. The re-opening of Nau is being taken on by a group of former Nau employees, and they’ve found a partner to purchase the bulk of the company’s assets. The partner company, called Horny Toad, is a successful Santa Barbara-based lifestyle apparel business. Nau will continue to source materials and produce garments in the most environmentally possible ways, while adhering to their high factory standards and practices. Clothing will still be available for purchase on nau.com, however they will not be operating their own retail stores (at least not yet) upon this re-launch. To quote their site, “we’re coming back. Smaller and a little wiser, our ambitions tempered a bit by the experience, but our passions most definitely intact.”

To learn more about Nau and their re-launch, visit their blog - The Thought Kitchen.

A Twist On The Classics

SKATE STUDY HOUSE, also known as ‘SSH’, is a line of products conceived through the eyes of a skateboarder. The furniture aims to mix contemporary lifestyle, art and sports culture, and align with some of the bestselling modern furniture, while paying tribute to the renowned Case Study House. “The SKATE STUDY HOUSE finds its inspiration here by recreating furniture, and giving a feel of déjà vu-with-a-twist by incorporating skateboard decks. The introduction of this new element responds to the popularity of action sports, street art and design culture with a consciousness on our environment.” You might ask where they got all of these decks from which to construct the furniture. It’s easy to realize when you discover that the project is a collaboration between Jim Gray and Jonjon of ACME, Steve Lake of Sector 9, Chris Bullard and Al Collins of Premier Displays, and designer Eric Crandell.

Learn more at skatestudyhouse.com