Green Options

Last year we shared our admiration for Brazilian shoe maker Melissa and the evolution of their footwear designs and this year their recycled plastic shoes never looked so good!

“The environmentally sensitive sandal is ethically made in Brazil in a closed loop system so there is no waste. The Gladiator is made from recycled MEFLEX plastic and provides amazing comfort for your battle weary feet.”

Department store giant Sears is jumping on the green bandwagon by announcing plans to offer “green” clothing in May - suits made from recycled PET bottles with NO petroleum used in the manufacturing process. Made in partnership with the US arm of Japan based Teijin Fibers Limited, each suit will be 54% recycled polyester, 42% wool, and 4% spandex, and will be fully machine washable.

Last season we gave away an earth friendly yoga mat from Gaiam. Now we are back with a contest to win this recycled plastic, floral patterned, reversible all-weather floor mat.

This truly is a product that gives back:

“Make any room, whether indoors or out, that much more inviting. Our recycled plastic floor mats are handcrafted by Thai artisans who receive a fair wage for their craft. Made entirely from spent soda bottles, the durable multicolored polypropylene strands stand up to foot traffic in mudrooms, kitchens, or anywhere else there are plenty of comings and goings.” Made with love in Thailand.

Win this Free Floral Floor Mat ~

A Japanese company has come up with yet another use for old plastic bottles. Earlier this month, Teijin Fibers Ltd. announced that they are now supplying recycled polyester fibers to Toyo Tire & Rubber for use as cords in a new line of automobile tire marketed for use on environmentally conscious passenger cars.

The last time you went to a Japanese restaurant, did you use your chopsticks? Maybe, maybe not. But if they were on the table, they got thrown away after you’d paid your bill and walked out the door, and most likely you thought nothing of it.

In the U.S., disposable wooden chopsticks are not very common — except in the occasional restaurant serving some type of Asian cuisine — but in Japan, they throw away 68.5 million pairs of disposable, wooden [...]

i-plas , a UK based company has invented a building material known as i-plas, from recycled plastic that would otherwise be destined for landfill, to produce products which outperform the traditional alternatives of wood, steel and concrete.

According to the company, recycled composite plastic helps reduce carbon emissions, conserves oil and is extremely cost effective. The recycled composite profile has a wood like appearance, its surface is contoured giving it better slip resistance as well as visual appeal.

This chair design takes healing house-plants to a whole new level. It is the “Let’s grow some balls! ” seat by Doreen Westphal who presented this object in april at the Salone Internazionale de Mobile as part of the Tuttobene (www.tuttobene.nl) exhibition in the Via Tortona. Their blog post explains:

“Let´s grow some balls! is a combination of lounge chair and plant container from recycled plastic. The design is a spontaneous and yes; very direct reaction on the ‘tegenlicht’ documentary here in Holland which introduced the cradle2cradle production principle. Let’s grow some balls! is a call to us designers to take more responsibility for the things we make.”

The shape changes every time, depending on the plants grown inside the ball. Some examples include the mediteranian herbal garden, tulips or exotic plants,

Pretty cool: the Muncie (Indiana) Sanitary District plans to use a $5,000 state green grant to outfit its employees in fleece jackets made from recycled soda bottles. Tres chic y vert, n’est-ce pas?

Photo courtesy of David Monniaux via Wikimedia Commons