Help Save Your Teeth and The Environment with the Source Toothbrush

Famous for their unique toothbrush designs, the Radius team created a wood/plastic composite toothbrush that is in a class of its own. The Source brush has a long lasting wooden handle made form a wood pulp and thermal plastic. The handle has a removable head that can be swapped out for a new one. The reuse of the handle greatly reduces waste, as only the replacements heads are discarded. All Radius products are ADA approved and their brushes are made locally in Pennsylvania. All the waste created from production is recycled back into the manufacturing process.

The Source Brush and a 3-pack of replacement heads retail for about $5 each.

Check out the Radius Website for more information

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Building with Bamboo

Thanks to the efforts of Yan Xiao, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California, bamboo can now be turned into structural beams to build and support houses and even bridges. Initially reserved for cosmetic and non-load bearing applications, bamboo is now a viable alternative to traditional hard wood lumber. Xiao’s invention, called GluBam, is a structural lumber made from laminated bamboo veneers that are pressed into beams. The beams can be cut and handled like traditional lumber, but come from a rapidly renewable resource.

Yan Xiao’s GluBam is currently being used to construct classrooms and homes across China and was even used in a bridge in the town of Leiyang in China’s Hunan province. The bridge is the first ever to be constructed using structural bamboo and is a testament to the great strength and range of use that this new bamboo derivative has.

GluBam will also be a great aid to developing countries like China that have vast bamboo forests but lack more robust traditional hardwood resources. By transforming the bamboo stalks into manageable beams, GluBam can be used for a variety of applications and can perform just as well as its hardwood counterparts.

To find out more see GluBam’s feature in Popular Science

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Green Festival rocks San Francisco

This weekend, the Green Festival gave San Franciscians a peek at what various industries have to offer, from trips to North Korea to handbags constructed primarily of candy wrappers. The turnout was enormous, which just goes to show people are looking for more than just biodegradable cutlery and hybrid cars.

At first glance, the festival looked like any tradeshow with an identity crisis. But about five steps in, you noticed that everyone, vendors and attendees alike, had one thing in common – they were all looking for new or improved ways to be nice to the earth.

Though it was difficult to steer away from offerings of yoga classes, herbal remedies and free samples of organic treats, the festival managed to touch many demographics. For instance, a need for environmentally and healthy products for children is on the rise. Zo-Li, a company specializing in baby products, produces BPA & Phthalate free products including baby bottles made from polyethersulfone – a type of plastic that can withstand high temperatures without emitting hazardous chemicals.

Another noteworthy exhibitor was a unique cell phone company that goes by the name of Credo Mobile. Their business model is not only socially responsible (the more you talk, the more they donate to various charities), but they provide you with a solar powered phone charger and all of their literature is printed with soy-based ink on recycled paper.

Based solely on the turnout of the festival, it is obvious that the public is veering toward alternatives to their otherwise less sustainable current ways of life. It is truly admirable that mass consumerism has created a society, be it San Francisco and otherwise, that thinks twice about what’s being taken out of and put back into the earth.

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Design Solutions Inspired by Nature!

Some of the most elegant and creative design solutions have not come from famous architects or designers, but from the natural world. Today the design community is becoming increasingly interested in natural systems, and a new website called AskNature.org plans to bring nature’s design solutions to the masses.

Created by renowned naturalist Janine Benyus who is the founder of the Biomimicry Institute. AskNature.org is a project being sponsored by Autodesk as a public domain database where users can search and study nature’s solutions to an array of design challenges. The database is searchable by design and engineering functions, and seeks to promote biomimitic solutions to help create more sustainable and efficient buildings, products, and ideas. Users can browse a broad range of natural solutions to gathering solar energy, the use of natural adhesives and dyes, to the filtering of air and water. AskNature.org is truly an inspirational resource with a wealth of information and allows users to easily tap into the natural worlds’, 3.8 billion years of R&D.

For more information, see AskNature.org.

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Bamboozled by Bamboo?

Bamboo has been touted as the new wonder fabric, it is rapidly renewable, requires little or no pesticides, and is soft to the touch. Today consumers can find many “eco-friendly” products that are made from bamboo but can it really be all that sustainable?

Bamboo is a grass that grows up to two meters per week, and is cut and not uprooted when harvested allowing it to grow back quickly. It is extremely hardy and usually requires only rainfall to grow and thus many industries find it quite appealing as a source material. Unfortunately the majority of bamboo is derived from large plantations in China that are highly under-regulated. Many of the plantations were created through the clear cutting of forests, and although usually grown organically, bamboo is very invasive and can choke out native species and greatly affect local ecosystems. To be processed into fiber, a lot of energy is also consumed and toxic chemicals like caustic soda are needed to refine it into a wearable textile. The whole production process needs greater regulation and transparency to ensure its growth and production is more sustainable.

As with most products on the market there are usually trade offs in its production and use, and bamboo is no exception. Bamboo does have some great positive attributes however; It can be made into a variety of textiles that can be as soft as cashmere or as strong and durable as denim. Bamboo is also praised for its UV protection and its anti-microbial properties although further testing is needed to bolster these claims.

There is no doubt that bamboo is a highly versatile material. It can be used successfully not just for textiles but for a variety of other industries as well. For bamboo to truly be a sustainable material however, more attention must be put on its production and how it is harvested and processed. There is no doubt that bamboo can be a great sustainable material, but the hype surrounding it can be detrimental for the real facts to come out.

Visit the Organic Clothing Blog for more info

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Fold it, Stash It, Use it

Disposable plastic bags are everywhere. They’re in our homes, our offices, and the stores we frequent, but as more and more cities ban their use, consumers are now turning to reusable bags for all their shopping needs. The problem with reusable bags is that they’re not always there when you need them; enter Flip & Tumble. With unique foldable designs, Flip & Tumble has created stylish, versatile bags that can be carried with you wherever you go.

Flip & Tumble bags come in a variety of colors and when folded up, are small enough to live in a purse or messenger bag. The unique design allows the bags to be there when you need them and can be used over and over again. Flip & Tumble is also a company committed to the environment and is a carbon neutral business.

They offer two different types of bags, the 24/7 that retails for $12 and the Loopt that retails for $6. When you’re finished with the bag, you can simply send the bags back and they’ll be recycled.

To find out more check out Flip & Tumble’s Website

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Put a Little Hemp in Your Concrete

In Europe, the oft-stigmatized hemp plant is becoming a widely accepted, environmentally friendly alternative source to concrete or brick in the building industry, but sadly has yet to gain any real traction in the US market. Hemp based concrete, a mixture of aggregate hemp stalks, sand, lime and concrete, is becoming more widespread in Europe due to it being a rapidly renewable resource, its impressive thermal and sound dampening qualities and its small carbon footprint.

Hemp-based concrete cannot be used for load bearing walls but is still a very versatile material; it can be cast into blocks or in a solid mass around timber frames, and can even be sprayed onto many surfaces. It is extremely energy efficient and can be used in multiple applications including roof and under floor insulation, in casting solid walls and as wall filler around a timber-framed building.

The stalks of the hemp plant, once considered waste, are processed and used as a renewable, fast growing aggregate in the concrete. Hemp is an extremely hardy plant, requires little maintenance, pesticides or water but unfortunately has been mired in controversy do to its close ties with a certain close relative. Today, numerous companies like Tradical and Hemcrete are prospering in Europe and their hemp-based products have successfully been implemented in a wide range of projects. Like many large industries, America’s building industry is slow to accept and adopt new methods and technologies, but the promise of hemp-based concrete certain; its future in the US however is not.

To find out more visit www.americanlimetec.com

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Don’t Trash it, Sit On It

Recycled plastics are making there way into numerous consumer goods these days and a creative offering from the UK is reclaiming our old coffee cups and shampoo bottles and transforming them into high quality chairs and tables. Re-Form Furniture’s designs are conceived with simplicity and sustainability in mind. They are designed to be durable, fun and raise environmental awareness.

Along with post-consumer and industrial recycled plastics such as HDPE, and PET supplied from the innovative firm Smile Plastics, Re-Form uses locally sourced timber and natural oils in the production of their furniture. Their products are designed for easy disassembly and use minimal glue. Re-From furniture’s unique offerings highlight the potential of recycled plastics and help reduce the strain we continually place on our landfills.

Re-Form Website

Shearyadi’s World Blog on Re-Form

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