From the monthly archives:

March 2005

Attractive + Renewable = Metaoptimal

March 31, 2005

Attractive clothing that is also produced in co-ordination with our natural systems is metaoptimal.
These are styles made from organic fibers and natural dyes.
Benefits: Organic farming practices improve soil fertility, safeguard farm workers, health, and preserve the quality of the environment for future generations. Regular cotton is grown on roughly 3% of all cultivated land, yet [...]

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Book Review: Field Guide To Sprawl (De-Metaefficient)

March 30, 2005

Who would have thought sprawl could be so entertaining?
I guess its the combination of Dolores Hayden’s extensive collection of sprawl coinages and the aerial photography by Jim Wark that makes this book an intriguing coffetable read.
By glancing through the pages you see examples of curious sprawl phenomena such as “Pork Chop Lots”, “Boomburb”, “LULUs” and [...]

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A Lightweight Water Bottle that Doesn’t Leach

March 29, 2005

Yes — a water bottle that does not leach plastic or any other compound into the water its holds.
Klean Kanteen is a reusable, lightweight stainless steel container. Plastics containers tend to leach unwelcome compounds such as BPA during regular use, exposure to heat, and especially after cleaning.
Klean Kanteen is made from 304 L.N. Stainless steel [...]

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Upside-Down Tomato, Flower and Vegetable Planter

March 27, 2005

An interesting idea.
This planter can used to tomatoes, other vegetables or even flowers from a small area.
Hang on decks, patios, porches, balconies, or even from a tree.
The manufacturer claims feeding and watering is easy: you pour water or nutrients into the top of the funnel.
Web Site: Clean Air Gardening ($19.95)

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Anti-Metaefficient: PBDE: A Poison That Is Now Everywhere

March 27, 2005

PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl) is a toxic flame retardant used in many products, including computer cases, carpet pads and foam cushions in chairs and couches.
This recent article in the The Oregonian sums up the problems for humans:
Research has shown that the levels of PBDEs in American women are doubling every two to five years. Even low-level [...]

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Rubberwood: Renewable Timber

March 26, 2005

Rubberwood (also called Parawood in Thailand) is considered a renewable timber because it is only milled from rubber trees that have ceased to produce latex. After about 26-30 years, the latex yields from the tree become extremely low and the planters then fell the rubber trees and plant new ones. So, unlike other woods that [...]

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MP3 Boombox

March 26, 2005

This MP3 playing boombox stores 256MB of music. It connects to a computer via USB, and includes a headphone socket, alarm clock feature (wake up to music), FM radio, and travel pouch.
Update: We’ve heard this MP3 player has poor sound quality.
Available from: JR.Com
($149.99)

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Kasper Organics

March 26, 2005

Kasper Organics has a large collection of organic clothing for sale. There are many difficult-to-find items at affordable prices here, and their service is great.

Thanks for making it a bit easier to buy organically grown and produced clothing.
Website: Kasper Organics

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Raised Beds: Efficient

March 26, 2005

The “Raised Beds” method of gardening is certainly metaefficient, and should be included in our guide here. Raised beds are widely acknowledged as the method to obtain the greatest yields of vegetables per alloted space.

You can read about the benefits here: Aaron’s Home & Garden weblog (Aaron is an expert in Rainwater Harvesting).
Website: Aaron’s Home [...]

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How Clean Is The Air You Are Breathing?

March 22, 2005

The website Scorecard: The Pollution Information Site will tell you how clean the air is in your zip code. You can enter your zip code below to test it out:
Enter your zip code:
  

When the report appears, choose the “Air Quality Rankings: Health Risks, Exposure, and Emissions” link.
The site also has suggestions about how you [...]

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Hand Crank Blender: MetaEfficient

March 22, 2005

This Vortex blender might save you a couple minutes at the gym.
A useful device to mix a margarita while living off-grid, camping, boating or traveling.
It qualifies as metaefficient because: portable, energy efficient, and relatively inexpensive.
Priced around $50. Available from: Shop.Com or Campmor

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Cool Green Clean Kit

March 17, 2005

This attractive cleaning kit features biodegradeable components.
The ecological heavy duty counter cleaner takes out stains on a whole variety of surfaces, while the heavy duty home cleaner works wonders for floors, walls and furniture. The natural carpet deodorizer is specially designed to eliminate odors impregnated in carpets and thick fabrics, and it fills the room [...]

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Xtracycle: Efficient Bike Extender

March 16, 2005

Xtracycle is a 15-inch bike extender with dual racks. It turns standard bikes into practical transportation devices, capable of carrying sizable loads.
The inventor, Ross Evans, realized that by lengthening the wheelbase of an ordinary bike he could increase the portage capacity without significantly hindering handling. He arrived at a simple, elegant modification: Remove the rear [...]

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Nike Releases “Considered” Footwear Line

March 9, 2005

Nike has released a new line of footwear called “Considered”, which they claim is produced using sustainable manufacturing practices, quite different from the way most athletic shoes are currently made, and quite efficient if their claims are true.
Some examples: 80% less solvents and glues used; simpler designs involving fewer production steps including less stitching; materials [...]

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24-Hour Kitchen Composter

March 3, 2005

These composters efficiently break down and digest organic food waste by means of a proprietary “Composting Bio Mix” containing a blend of food digesting microbes and yeast cells which also act to suppress odors while they work.
Sharp claims that they reduce kitchen was by 92% in 24 hours.
The composters are only available in Japan.
Link: [...]

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Energy Monitoring “Flower Lamp”

March 3, 2005

This is a lamp that “blooms” when the energy consumption in your house has been low for some time, thus giving you tangible feedback.
More details: WorldChanging

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SafeCoat: Non-Toxic Paint

March 1, 2005

Why does almost all of the paint sold in the U.S. contain toxic ingredients? Because chemicals (such as formaldehyde and acetone) are cheap. The resources needed to study the long-term effects of the thousands of chemicals contained in paints, stains, and varnishes would be immense. The . Other non-toxic ingredient could be used — but [...]

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Agalia: Plant-Based Paints

March 1, 2005

Agalia Paints are plant-based paints produced by the Germany company Beeck’sche Farbwerke. All Agalia products are 100% natural. They are made with unique combinations of plant oil and minerals. Here is a full list of ingredients (PDF file) used in their paints.
They also produce wood finishes called Aquasol. The finishes are an alternative to solvent-based [...]

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