Leaf Republic

Leaf Republic turns leaves into paper plates

Making plates out of leaves has been practiced in India for centuries, and eating on banana leaves is not unheard of in other countries, such as the Philippines as well. German company Leaf Republic has taken the concept and taking it to the rest of the world too with their disposable leaf plates.

The plates are a fully funded Kickstarter project and they were shipped out to customers beginning in January 2017. They’re made from leaves of a creeper that grows wild in Asia and Southern America, which are sourced directly from local villagers. They also stay green after being pressed, too, and the plates are waterproof. Some people have asked if they can be reused; according to Leaf Republic’s Kickstarter FAQ, the plates can last for weeks if used for dry food, but cleaning them is difficult, and hot water would compromise the stability of the plates. They’re also biodegradable and have a life span of 28 days, but only if you put them in your compost heap–they won’t fall apart if they’re just stored in your cabinets.

They’re definitely much more attractive and interesting than your usual paper plates and would be an eyecatching choice for your next party, and they’re also great for use during camping.

Leaf Republic ships all over the world.

Photos from Leaf Republic

Vertical forest

Vertical forests to clean the air in Nanjing, China

In 2011, plans for a vertical forest in Milan were announced. Stefano Boeri Architetti was the brains behind the project, and Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) was formally opened in October 2014, featuring a pair of residential towers in the Porta Nuova district of Milan. Bosco Verticale has since won quite a few awards; the jury of International Highrise Award (IHP) 2014 considered the project the world’s most innovative highrise, and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat promoted by the Illinois Institute of Technology of Chicago has recognized Bosco Verticale as the Best Tall Building of 2015.

The second vertical forest by the same company is set to rise in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the project features apartments, a gym, offices, and a restaurant on the top floor. Construction is set to begin this year on the 117-meter-tall building, which will be called “La Tour des Cedres” or “The Cedar Trees Tower.”

Now the vertical forest concept is being brought to Asia for the first time with the Nanjing Towers, which will rise in Pukou District of Nanjing, China, and is expected to feature 1,100 flourishing trees from 23 local species, as well as 2,500 cascading shrubs and plants. Overall, the buildings are expected to produce 132 pounds of oxygen every day. The taller tower (200 meters tall) will house offices, a museum, a green architecture school, and a private club on the rooftop. The smaller tower (108 meters tall) will house a Hyatt hotel and a rooftop swimming pool, and the podium will contain restaurants, a conference hall, and shops, among others.

Photo: Stefano Boeri Architetti

Hickman's egg carton

Arizona egg farm uses egg cartons made from 100% recycled PET

Hickman’s Family Farms, an egg producer in Buckeye, Arizona, has made the switch to egg cartons made from 100% recycled PET from water and soda bottles thanks to the help of California-based recycler Global Plastics Inc. The company recycles four million bottles a day, and one of the issues to which it needed to find a solution was what to do with the green and amber bottles that they pick up for recycling. And that’s where the idea for a recycled egg carton was hatched. Dan Bahou, whose father started Global Plastics, pitched the idea to Hickman’s, who were receptive to the concept of the egg carton.

Five bottles are needed to make an 18-count egg container, and a 12-count egg container can be made from three bottles, with a 24-egg carton on the way, too. Aside from being eco-friendly, the carton is also carefully designed to reduce egg breakage and to ensure convenience for customers.

Working with a packaging designer, along with Billy Hickman and his brother Glenn from Hickman’s, Bahou developed the 100% post-consumer RPET egg carton. The innovative design for the egg carton includes “lock-in” support pillars that offer protection for the eggs by allowing them to be fully beneath the lid of the package. Additionally, the bottom of the egg rests in a perfectly formed raised indentation for added protection. Additionally, the transparent package eliminates the need for the customer to open the carton to inspect the eggs. These features have reduced egg breakage as well as damaged packaging. Read more.

Given that Hickman’s is able to break, pasteurize, and package 100,000 eggs per hour, and that they donate truckloads of eggs to food banks throughout the state and even to Korea, they’re definitely bound to use their new egg cartons quite a lot and help save the planet in the process.

Emma Watson on IG

Emma Watson highlights eco-fashion on Instagram

Emma Watson is always involved in important causes, and one of her advocacies is the environment and eco-friendly fashion. She’s currently on a press tour for the upcoming live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, and she’s also using Instagram to feature the sustainable, environmentally friendly, and socially conscious clothing brands and beauty products she’s using on the tour. Her posts contain descriptions of what she’s wearing and what makes them different–and good for the planet.

Check out her latest post and follow her too–maybe you’ll get inspired to not just cop her looks but also find out how clothing brands can be green and ethical.

Hello USA! Brilliant day visiting @theellenshow and attending the @beautyandthebeast world premiere. Such a privilege to share the evening with the actor who brought the original Belle to life, Paige O’Hara, the very talented writer of the animated film Linda Woolverton, and the legend that is Celine Dion! 😮🇺🇸🌹 Ellen outfit jewellery by @article_22. Peacebomb, its first collection, is handcrafted in Laos from Vietnam War shrapnel. Each piece helps clear unexploded ordnance, making land safe and providing new metal to artisans. Article22 began working with a village in Laos in 2009, that now has 15 families, husbands and wives making Peacebomb jewellery. They work part-time and earn at least 5x the local hourly minimum wage, providing them with the disposable income for books, school, fuel and medicine that their subsistence farming livelihoods can’t. @burberry pumps handmade in Italy with organic silk #30wears Trousers are @oscardelarenta and were worn in Paris during the Beauty and the Beast press tour #30wears Fashion info verified by @ecoage #ecoloves Skin prepped with Heritage Store Rosewater Glycerin Water (a US brand who have been making natural products for over 41 years). Foundation and concealer is @rmsbeauty "Un" Cover Up and “Un” Powder, who avoid using refined, bleached, deodorised and high-temperature, heat treated ingredients in their products. Contour was created with @tataharper Very Bronzing. Bronzing is @VitaLiberata Trystal Minerals Self Tanning Bronzing Minerals and Tata Harper Lip & Cheek in Very Sweet. Tata Harper is made in the brand’s US-based manufacturing facility. It is not outsourced to another company as most skincare manufacturing is. @janeiredale Brow Gel and Eyeliner in Brown were used and lips are @absolution_cosmetics Sweet and Safe Kiss Lipstick in #19 Rose Franc. Absolution give 2% of their profits to the international charity @careorg who support a number of initiatives including gender equality. All brands are cruelty-free. Beauty brands verified by @contentbeauty

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Micro Wind Turbine by Nils Ferber

Collapsible wind turbine lets you charge gadgets in the wild

Some people might think it’s crazy to even bring gadgets while you’re out camping, given that camping is associated with unplugging and going on a digital cleanse, but what if there was an emergency and you needed to call for help? What if you’re using GPS for navigation during hikes? You’re definitely going to need your phone or whatever device you’re using for the purpose, and you’re going to want it to be charged.

Enter the Micro Wind Turbine by designer Nils Ferber. The two-pound turbine unfolds like an umbrella and produces a constant output of 5 watts at a windspeed of 18 km/h. The energy is stored in an integrated battery pack, or you can plug your gadget into the built-in USB port. Sounds like a great addition to your gear if you’re heading outdoors and your solar charger just isn’t producing enough juice.

Check out the video below to see it in action.


Photos by Christian Holweck/Jagoda Wisniewska/Nils Ferber

Mumbai airport

Mumbai airport toilets are being cleaned by bacteria

Instead of using your usual chemicals and cleaners to disinfect toilets, the Mumbai International Airport (Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport) has enlisted the help of bacteria and various microorganisms to clean 200 toilets, urinals, and a total of 4,000 square meters of surface area in Terminal 2. Flush a toilet and green chemical is released instead of water; water is used only when the toilets are being cleaned manually. As a result, the airport is saving 100,000 liters of water a day.

Photo from APAO India

Manduka X Yoga Mat

Manduka releases a new eco-friendly mat

I speak from experience when I say that Manduka‘s mats are eternal, and they’re so well made and sturdy that the only reason for you to replace them is because you’re donating them. And even if your Manduka mat has been with you for years, it still looks great and provides you with the cushioning you need during practice. In that way, Manduka, aside from the fact that they use “non-Amazon harvested natural tree rubber” for their eKO mats and make sure to practice nontoxic, emissions-free manufacturing, is doing its best to offer eco-friendly products, the latest of which is the X Mat, which “is free of chemical solvents and manufactured in an energy-efficient facility.” The X Mat is great not just for yoga practitioners, but also for cross trainers, and it keeps bacteria away, too.

Decibel

Decibel is the upgradable speaker you need to enjoy your music AND live green, too

So many electronic gadgets nowadays are so disposable and have short life cycles. Ever notice how some phones tend to conk out when it’s almost time for a new version to come out? Or how some computers start acting up right when your warranty expires? At some point, you just want to throw away and replace your gadgets, or maybe, you know, donate or recycle them?

But there has to be a better solution, and one of them is to make sure that gadgets are modular and upgradable so you never have to throw them away again–just open them up and replace them. The principle has been introduced in the as-yet-conceptual Phonebloks, and The Module Project is well on its way to making it a reality with the Decibel, a mobile wireless speaker that you can upgrade on your own. All you need is an Allen key to open up your speaker and then swap out the components as needed. What’s more, The Module Project offers updates only “when it is logical and genuinely beneficial to the owner,” meaning there’s no real pressure to upgrade and you can choose to modify the components if you want–and you don’t even have to if you’re still happy with your speaker.

Decibel components

The Decibel has pretty interesting features: it connects over Bluetooth and a 24-hour battery life. It also links other Decibel units, and you can charge it through fast charging via USB-C. We have yet to find out about audio quality, however, because the speaker will be shipped out to its Indiegogo backers in December 2017.