Earth-Friendly Disposal Of One Of The Most Unfriendly Plastics

Bisphenol-A is a key ingredient in polycarbonate plastic, used to make essential consumer products such as baby bottles, toys and other food containers. Recent studies have been showing correlations between the use of these products and increased blood levels of BPA as well as possible connections to health problems. Concerns over the human and environmental health and safety of the material has given environmentalists headaches over how to dispose of the 2.7 million tons of plastics containing BPA produced in the U.S. each year.

Mukesh Doble and Trishul Artham think they have discovered a way to safely deal with the material. By pretreating the plastic with UV rays and heat and then exposing it to three kinds of fungi – including the fabled white-rot fungus, used commercially for environmental remediation of the toughest pollutants, the scientists found that the fungi was capable of breaking down the plastic without releasing BPA to the surroundings. They have published their findings in ACS’ Biomacromolecules where they compared this method of disposal to a standard that had not been pretreated. They found that the pretreated plastic had begun to break down in 12 months whereas the non-treated plastic showed no signs of degradation.

Via ecogeek and Science Daily.

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Old Objects Fit New Purposes

Cigarette box toaster from Kingston Penitentiary.

iPod Nano case by Contexture Design.

The Royal Ontario Museum presented an exciting exhibition of creative redesign, playfully entitled Cut/Paste. Curated by Motherbrand, this display showed work that is made from salvaged and reused objects that have found new, creative niches.

What once may have been considered obsolete or of-the-past were repurposed to have more up-to-date functions. Cofounder of Motherbrand, Todd Falkowsky, says “Environmental sustainability is an issue that most of these designs address in some way. This is a powerful tactic for reducing our consumption of energy and materials; it forces us to reconsider what we consider waste.” This strategy, rumored to be the way of the future, is sure to successfully deal with the growing pressures from the struggling economy and environment.

The Cut/Paste exhibit ran from January 20th to 31st of 2010.

Via TreeHugger.

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To Create Without Waste, Using Waste

Everyone, save for Sandhi Schimmel Gold of Phoenix, hates junk mail.

Rather than immediately dispose of the paper nuisances, she turns junk mail into art! Using old cards, advertisements, menus, calendars and even personal tax forms, Gold creates portraits on repurposed canvases and frames with acid free adhesives and lacquers. No programs, dies, or technology of any sort were utilized in the creation of these intricate works. Everything Gold does, she does by hand.

There is a deeper meaning to her art. Gold says, “Where can beauty be found in a culture of conspicuous consumption? I believe we are an aggregate of tiny bits: who we are and where we’ve been – or who we want or pretend to be. Each piece expresses a mood – a calculated effect – high drama, serenity, sexuality or humor.”

Her paper portraits are currently on display at the Springs Preserve Museum in Las Vegas through March 15 of 2010.

Visit Gold’s website to see more, where “sophistication meets sustainability.”

Via TreeHugger.

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Furniture From Old Furnishings

Reconstituted wood and recovered wooden blinds sofa.

Recovered wooden tiles coffee table.

When you’re finished with home finishings, it does not constitute the end of the items’ lifetime. Argentine design studio Gruba has found uses for old blinds, wooden floor tiles, and other discarded materials.

The content and components of these furniture designs are not hidden; Gruba designers made sure to expose the beauty within recycled materials. Their primary intention was to showcase what is usually hidden, so these materials can be fully appreciated.

In addition to giving these materials a second life, each design has the ability to be disassembled and recycled even further.

Via TreeHugger.

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Students Display The Colorful Side Of Reusing Materials

More photos found at designboom.

Students from the German school, Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart (Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences) displayed their innovatively artistic side at the most recent home interiors exhibition of imm cologne 2010.

Their installation’s focus was on reusing thousands of discarded and collected bottle caps, utilizing them to create a colorful and eye-catching backdrop to their miniature furniture models. On top of their immense bottle-cap creation, the Stuttgart students also placed beanbag seats filled with even more bottle caps. While the comfort level is questionable, the creativity and eco-insight is greatly appreciated.

Via designboom.

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Designers Using Recycled Materials: Furniture From Available Objects

Malafor has come up with a simple and easily stored furniture design entitled the Blow Sofa. It is made of 100% recycled and recyclable (inflatable) paper dunnage bags, which are traditionally used for cushioning and stabilizing cargo amidst rocky transportation.

For a comfortable rest, one just has to blow up the bags, which are completely transportable and easy to assemble. The materials used to construct this sofa are the recycled dunnage bags, a metal rack, rubber straps (and air).

More new furniture from Malafor can be found by clicking here.

Via Daily Coverage.

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The Playful Side of Upcycling

Ryan McElhinney redefines upcycling with his new collection of lamps and mirrors. Transforming trash to treasure, McElhinney has created beautiful sculptural pieces from old toys and some high-gloss lacquer. Check out the rest of the collection here and keep your eye out for more innovative upcycling ideas and products!

Via Buzz Beast.

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A Greener Cell Phone

Nokia has teamed up with designer James Barber to answer our question Can a Cellphone Really Be Green? Their answer: yes. The new, green (literally) design looks at both energy consumption and the embodied energy in phone production. Because of the short lifespan of the phone, embodied energy was as much as 3 times greater than the energy used by the phone in its lifetime. As a result, Barber has developed a durable phone to last at least 5 years and to be roughly 85% recyclable.

The phone’s planned longevity – as opposed to planned obsolescence – features easy access and removal of components to allow the user to upgrade features as technology improves. The device comes apart with the removal of just one screw and features a list of ingredients on the inside of the cover so users can see just how much is recyclable. For example, the green plastic it is made of can be melted, re-molded and reused without any discoloration.

Problems, however, abound. The phone’s aesthetic design is seriously lacking and finding takers who are willing to hang on to it for 5 years might prove difficult. Contract renewal is every 2 years with major service providers and huge monetary incentives and rebates are offered on the latest and greatest technology, until we see this trend shifting, I doubt many consumers will be persuaded to stick with their current phone beyond the 2 year renewal period. Furthermore, it often seems to be the case that purchasing replacement parts and upgrades, as the design proposes, is more expensive and time-consuming than simply purchasing a new device, especially a cellphone.

Interested in green cellphones? Then you should also check out the Reclaim by Samsung. Featuring 40% corn-based plastic casing, free of phthalates and polyvinyl chloride, and near devoid of brominated flame retardants this phone definitely takes a stride in the green direction. The charger also lights up when the battery is fully charged to remind users to unplug. The manufacturers moved beyond the phone as well, improving other elements of the overall product — the packaging is made from 70% recycled materials; the manual is online only (rather than printed and packaged with the phone); and Sprint will also donate $2 to the Nature Conservancy’s Adopt an Acre Program for each Reclaim purchase.

However, please remember that the most sustainable and eco-friendly cellphone option is the one you already own and keep for as long as possible!

Via Treehugger and Green Packs.

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