Green Options » metal

ShakEnergy: A New Kind Of Recharable Battery

Christopher DeMorro — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:36:16 +0000

This past weekend while I was at the Syracuse Nationals auto show, my digital camera chewed through my extended-life rechargeable batteries. More than once I found myself without enough energy to get that last, important shot. The recharger I used took 3 hours to recharge them as well, so if I hadn’t have had eight of the batteries I would have been poop outta luck.

But a new idea for rechargable batteries might change all that. Need some power? Just shake your battery and it recharges itself! Or at least that is the concept behind the ShakEnergy from Mintpass.

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Genetically Engineered Viruses Remove Trace Metals

Amiel Blajchman — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:16:34 +0000

University of British Columbia Professor Scott Dunbar of the school’s Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering has pioneered a way to genetically engineer viruses to bind with minerals.

Along with colleagues, his team has developed a method to selectively “breed” a viral family to bind to specific minerals. In other words, they are developing viri that can find and bind to a chosen mineral in a sludge pile!

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Russia to Create Special Military Force to Protect the Arctic

Amiel Blajchman — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:50:31 +0000

Russia’s Security Council released its Arctic strategy for the year 2020 this week. The strategy includes the authorization of a special military force to “guarantee Russia’s military security in diverse military and political circumstances”, like the country’s controversial claims to large portions of the Arctic shelf. With the possible opening of the NorthWest Passage and the subsequent opening of natural resource deposits, Russia has also been steadily pushing its claims to the Arctic.

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Cute and Creative Ways to Reuse Metal

Lucille Chi — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:25:29 +0000

1. Sculpture: Look at this inspiring upcycled artistic re-creation of metal made by artist LadybugCircus on etsy for an interesting wall hanging, clock, or hook.

2. Furniture and Lighting: A light fixture made out of an old shredder, or cheese grater looks cool. Perhaps you are into the steampunk look or modern, recycled metal for cabinets, sliding doors, cabinets on wheels and storage containers all look slick…

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Green Cleaning Recipes Galore

Sonya — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:41:54 +0000

More than ever, homeowners are making and using green cleaning products at home.

So, what’s your favorite green cleaning recipe? The Clean Calgary Association’s Green Cleaning Guide For Businesses and Individuals by Lindsay Luhnau serves up green cleaning recipes galore.

First, it lists key DIY green cleaner ingredients: white vinegar, washing soda, castile soap, baking soda, Borax, olive oil, water, lemon juice and elbow grease. Here are a few of the guide’s green cleaner recipes:

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Crafty Convo: Chatting with Jeweler Ashley Hilton

Victoria Everman — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:31:57 +0000

The media has a new indie jewelry favorite - Ashley Hilton. Featured in press outlets around the world in just the past 6 months, Ashley’s creations embody a seamless mix of eco-appreciation and modern style.

“I try to reflect both the human and natural environment in my work by using symbols and materials that have meaning to me and represent where I come from. From street signs to native trees, my jewelery has always been a pretty literal representation of my surroundings,” he says.

Along with the natural theme of his creations, Ashley uses small scale mined metals from his home base in New Zealand. “I found that most of the gold from my suppliers in New Zealand is mined or recycled here and in Australia. Both these countries have a relatively good track record with regards to mining practices but the idea of using a local resource and streamlining the path of the metal from the ground to the customer really appealed to me,” he says.

It was my pleasure to chat with Ashley recently about his education of the art of make jewelry, sustainable metal mining, creative inspirations and more. Read on for our full conversation and all its “hand made” details.

What first got you interested in making jewelry? When did you decide to turn it into a career?

I was at a loose end really. I’d spent a few years traveling and working overseas as a chef and knew that that lifestyle wasn’t for me anymore. I did a weekend jewelery course and loved it, It just made perfect sense to me so I bought some tools and started experimenting. Originally I never thought it would be a career. It was never really a conscious decision, it just grew and grew until in about 3 years It was all I did.

Have you even gotten flack for being a straight guy in the jewelry biz?

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