Design 127: Environmental Consciousness

BioBag  

http://www.biobagusa.com/ 

BioBag is the world’s largest brand of certified biodegradable bags and all the products are certified to meet the ASTM D6400-99 standard for compostable plastics.  BioBag products are made from Mater-Bi, the main component of which is corn starch and use no polyethylene in the production process and contain no additive to stimulate decomposition. The BioBag bags biodegrade between 90-180 days, depending on the composting method  

Chico Bag Reusable Shopping Bags     

 http://greenfeet.com/

Use the ChicoBag Reusable Nylon Shopping Bag for everything – trips to the grocery store, farmers market or out shopping. The Chico Bag reusable shopping bag’s made from strong, durable nylon. It’s ultra-lightweight and tuck itself into a little bag making it perfect to fit into your purse, pocket or glove box. They’re easy to pack, durable and hold a lot. Machine washable. 1 year manufacturers warranty against defects in material and workmanship. 

Kill A Watt       

http://www.worldcentric.org/store 

The Kill-a-watt: Do you know how much energy you use?

Find out which appliances are sucking energy and money right out of your pocket. Simply plug your appliance into the Kill A Watt™ and a large LCD display counts consumption by the Kilowatt-hour just like your utility company. Use the kill a watt to monitor the quality of your power.

Stonescape

http://www.american-biltrite.com/Flooring/estrie/stonescape/home/stonescape-Home.htm

Stonescape is an environmental-friendly alternative to traditional sheet vinyl flooring or VCT. It is PVC free and does not emit VOC’s into the environment. Stonescape has been used in healthcare, educational, and office applications. 5-year warranty. 

 BioShield 

 http://www.bioshieldpaint.com/index.php?main_page=index 

Bioshield is a paint company who sells “healthy living paints” that contain natural and easily-renewable resources without harmful chemicals, toxins and additives. The company offers a variety of vibrant colors.

1. Euraba Paper Co.

– The company uses the cotton fibers cut offs from clothing to make their paper.  These pieces are usually discarded to the landfill.  The company collects these fiber cut-off pieces and put them through the paper making process.  Their company offers stationary sets, artists’ paper, paper packs, and art cards.-        

website: http://eurabapaper.com.au/paper_making_process.php 

2. Living Tree Paper Co.

– This company uses non-wood fibers, flax-straw and hemp, and post consumer waste to make their papers.  They offer uncoated and coated printing & writing paper. -         Website: http://www.livingtreepaper.com/index.html 

3. Wausau Paper Co.

–This company produces beautifully colored paper. 80% of their papers are produced with at least 30% of post-consumer waste.       

Website: http://www.wausaupapers.com/about/envCommitment.aspx 

4. New Leaf Paper Co.

–This company makes their paper products out of post-consumer waste, agricultural by-product, de-inked post consumer, sustainable harvest fiber including non-wood fibers such as hemp and kenaf.  They process their paper without using chlorine so it doesn’t pollute the enviornment like other paper printing processes.        

Website: http://newleafpaper.com/ecopaper.html 

5. Eco-products

–This company offer paper supplies such as paper plates which are made out of 99.9% of recycled paper and completely biodegradable and compostable.  They also offer paper towels and napkins that are made of 100%recycled paper.-         Website: http://www.ecoproducts.com/Home/home_paper_products/home_index_paper_products.htm

http://walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=679

Wal*Mart stores has introduced corned-based clothing hangers to their customers.  These hangers are durable yet they are made with biodegradable materials which makes it more enviornmentally-friendly than the classic plastic hangers.  These corned-based clothing hangers appear to be almost identical to the plastic hangers, but they do not contribute to destroying our home.  I like the fact that Wal*Mart stores are stepping up to the plate and making a enviornmental difference in the world.  Everytime a consumer purchases this simple biodegradable hanger, they are somehow decreasing the amount of plastic hangers being made.  The Walmart corporation is sending a positive message across the nation so hopefully more consumers will switch to corned-based clothing hangers.

http://consumer.simplegreen.com/index.php

Named the “Original Green Cleaner”, Simple Green is an all-purpose cleaner invented by a father and son for the purpose of keeping their family safe from harmful chemical products. Simple Green is a concentrated, non-toxic, biodegradable, non-abrasive, non-flammable, and economical consumer product. The cleaner/degreaser is environmentally sensitive and can be used on any washable surface from floors and walls to laundry and vehicles. Because it is a concentrate, Simple Green can be custome diluted to clean just about anything dirty. It replaces most cleaners, detergents, degreasers, and laundry pre-soaks. Simple Green removes tough stains such as dirt, grease, oil, pet stains, coffe, juices, lipstick, blood, and adhesives. Simple Green is a versatile product without harmful bleach that keeps the family and environment safe.

During spring cleaning, I find it tough on myself to use all the abrasive products made separately for different rooms of the house. I have so many products used to cover different surfaces that I can’t keep them straight. I also have to deal with my sneezing and skin iritation from the chemicals. Plus, my dogs don’t react well with the chemicals either considering that they usually sneeze and run to the other side of the room. Simple Green sounds like a very useful product making it easier on me and my family when it comes to cleaning. I won’t have to worry about the sneezing or the dozens of different products. I can save money because I’ll only need one cleaner. All at the same time, I’ll be keeping my environment safe, too. I feel like a better citizen already!

http://www.sector9.com

Sector 9, based out of San Diego, is one of the largest and most well-known longboard companies today. Their bamboo series of skateboards are made from 100% bamboo, rather than using maple wood as most decks are made from. Bamboo can regenerate itself up to 4 feet a week, making it a great alternative to slow-growing trees. Their T-shirts, meanwhile, are made from 100% certified organic cotton and printed with water based inks. This negates the need for pesticides and fertilizers which are needed to make regular cotton t-shirts, chemicals which normally end up in the environment. I like their bamboo series of longboards because they are actually even stronger than traditional maple boards, and not only do they reduce the amount of trees which need to be cut down, but they are the best and fastest selling series of longboards at Ground Zero Davis. The cotton T-shirt is perhaps one of the most common garments in the modern wardrobe; by using organic cotton and water based inks in all of their shirts, and as a large and well known skate company, Sector 9 is making a strong statement that clothing can be both Green as well as attractive and profitable.

http://www.ahappyplanet.com/

This bedding company, A Happy Planet, offers everything needed in order to sleep “green.” All the bedding is made from organically grown fibers, such as cotton and hemp. The pillows use chemical-free wool from organically raised sheep and organic buckwheat hull which offers gentle head and neck support. This company uses no plastics, oils or flame retardents in their mattresses, and they use only sustainably harvested wood. According to their website, “One set of conventional sheets requires over 1.5 lbs. of toxic chemicals to produce, while organic sheets require none.” Also, their website offers a great learning section that answers questions regarding eco-friendly products.

www.ecoproducts.com/Business/food_services/food_containers/fs_containers_corn_food_pack.htm

This site sells PLA containers that are made from 100% corn based resin and decomposes within 45-60 days under commercial composting conditions. These containers hold cold and warm foods, but no hotter than 110 degrees -most foods stored in non-decomposable plastic containers are usually no hotter than 110 degrees anyway. I really like these eco friendly containers because many places, from fast food restaurants to supermarket delis, all use non-decomposable plastic containers to store foods for sell, but with these containers, it acts like plastic containers and is safe for the environment. Many people do not bother with recycling the plastic containers that their foods come in when they purchase it at fast food restaurants because most fast food places do not have a separate trash can for recycling, so these compostable PLA food containers would be wonderful use to fast food restaurants.

I found this chair at www.steelcase.com.  The Think chair (http://steelcase.com/na/think_products.aspx?f=11845) is has been certified by MBDC as a Cradle to Cradel Gold product.  The Think chair is highly recyclable and safe for the enviromental health.  Steel case says that this chair is up to 99% recyclable by weight.  44% of the chair is made of recycled content.  This chair is design to be both egronomic and also enviromental.

I found this product on www.betterlivingthroughdesign.com. The product is a chair called the FlexibleLove 16 Chair, and is made entirely of recycled paper and wood. The designers used a honeycomb accordian technique to create this chair so that in its collapsed form it can fit one, but if you stretched it to its full length, it can fit 16 people (4000+ lb). I like this chair because you can easily share this experience with your friends and family. When this chair is produced, it is useful for more than one way and its function is quite flexible. You can pull it out and arrange it into interesting curves so that it’s not just in a bench shape. Even though you can visibly see the wood and paper, its function really shows that it is a high-end product.