From the monthly archives:

November 2005

Handmade Toys

November 30, 2005

This Baby Elephant toy is handmade by artisans in rural Kenya. The octopus is created with natural wool yarn treated with natural vegetable-based dyes. It’s filled with acrylic (kapok would haven been better). The price is $22 from Branch.
The also have a number of other non-toxic toys available.

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Yaktrax Ice and Snow Shoe Grips

November 30, 2005

Here’s something that allows you to get traction on snow or ice while wearing your regular shoes. These Yaktrax grips are essentially a thick rubber bands, equipped with steel coils, that fit over the sole of your shoes. Apparently the idea was borrowed from the Tibetans. Priced around $20 per pair, available from Amazon.

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Efficient Material of the Year: Bamboo

November 28, 2005

Well, this year bamboo takes the prize as efficient material of the year. We’ve got to hand it to the grass that is showing us yet another side of its efficiency. Since bamboo products are still sometimes difficult to locate, we had to track down these items from a number of different sources.
First on the [...]

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iT House

November 28, 2005

Inhabitat reports on the iT House — a prefabricated housing system that uses glass and aluminum frames as its basis. Created by Bosch, the house is only 1000 square feet, and is designed to be constructed in 8 weeks. It makes use of radiant heat flooring and solar panels on the roof. Homeowners can customize [...]

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Knock-Down/Drag-Out Bed

November 26, 2005

This bed can be assembled with nothing more than a screwdriver. The quickly collapsible, and transportable, queen size bed is the latest in knock-down construction — something for the modern nomad without skimping on design.

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A Guide to Buying Non-Toxic Furniture

November 25, 2005

Wouldn’t it be great to sit in a chair and breath easily, knowing you are not inhaling chemicals like
“perfluorooctane sulfonate”. Sustain Lane has a short guide to help you to know what to look for when shopping for furniture. Here’s a summary: avoid PVC, other plastics, high-emitting particleboard, polyurethane foam and synthethic fibers for [...]

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Waterless Washing Machine

November 23, 2005

A waterless washing machine that removes stains from garments in a few minutes has been developed at the National University of Singapore, the facility said on Wednesday. The appliance uses negative ions, compressed air and deodorants to clean clothes. Industrial design students Wendy Chua, 21, and Gabriel Tan, 23, said they were inspired by the [...]

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Outer340 Clipper by Icebreaker

November 22, 2005

This newly released Outer340 Clipper jacket from Icebreaker is made out 100% New Zealand merino wool. The “Outer340″ refers the the weight of the wool (340 grams per square centimeter). It costs about $230 USD. See this previous post for details on why we think their clothing is metaefficient. This page has a [...]

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Pachira Hemp Hiking Boot

November 18, 2005

This boot’s upper and laces are made of a blend of 50% hemp and 50% cotton for durability. The soles contain 40% recycled hospital gloves (or car tires in the black soled version) and the tongue padding and insole are recovered foam from upholstery manufacturing. The removable insole padding and tongue are 100% recycled foam [...]

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Chameleon Lamps from Philips

November 16, 2005

Hold something in front of these lamps, and the lamp shade will change to the color of the object. There’s a standard light bulb inside, surrounded by a ring of LEDs which project the color onto the shade. These lamps will be released sometime next year by Philips. We also featured Philip’s interactive bulbs in [...]

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Bamboo Socks

November 15, 2005

Bamboo socks are efficient because they don’t retain odor and are very comfortable to wear. But we’ve also learned that producing bamboo fiber involves a great deal of chemical treatment. Socks made with hemp or organic cotton are the most efficient overall.

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Endless Hot Water: Takagi Heaters

November 15, 2005

Takagi water heaters do not have tanks, instead they heat water instanteously using a gas burner. They are efficient and powerful — even the smallest heater, the Takagi T-KJr., can produces 180 gallons of hot water in an hour, but weighs only 30 pounds and is 20 inches high. They run on propane or natural [...]

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Modular Dwellings

November 11, 2005

Modular Dwellings makes these compact, modern rooms. They are designed to be easy to transport and quick to assemble. They were created by Edgar Blazona, who is based in San Francisco.
The blueprints to one “shed” can be purchase from ReadyMade Magazine’s store for $35. It can be constructed from Plexiglas, steel, and prefinished plywood. The [...]

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Hybrid Taxis Arrive in NYC

November 11, 2005

A Reuters story today said the first six Ford Escape hybrids have entered the NYC cab fleet. City officials there are apparently saying that the city’s entire fleet of 13,000 taxis could be coverted to hybrids within five years. The Escape hybrid apparently gets double the mileage of the Ford Crown Victoria model predominately used [...]

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LIKEaBIKE: A Cool and Efficient Learning Bike

November 10, 2005

The LIKEaBIKE is a unique toy vehicle for children between the ages of two and five. It’s a learning bike with no pedals — children can push themselves along with their feet. It allows them to gain the confidence and coordination to ride a real bike. It can be used indoors and out. With its [...]

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Aeonic LED Lamp

November 10, 2005
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The World’s First Flushable Diapers: gDiapers

November 7, 2005

gDiapers are innovative diapers invented by a husband and wife team from Australia. They are being billed as the first flushable diapers, and will soon be available in the U.S. The system consists of an outer shell (similar to a diaper wrap), an absorbent flushable insert, and a nylon snap-in liner. The whole ensemble comes [...]

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Low Raffia Chair by Horchow

November 7, 2005

This low-profile chair is made of renewable materials like raffia and wicker. It’s priced at $349.90 plus $86 shipping (currently on backorder). Available from Horchow.

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Philips’ New “Simplicity” LED Bulbs

November 6, 2005

The new LED light bulbs from Philips will change color and brightness with one touch, squeeze, or turn. They are also energy efficient and last 10-20 years. Good work. Expect to see these in coming months or years. More photos here.
These LED bulb designs are part of the Philips Sense & Simplicty design project, which [...]

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Why Prefab Homes Can Be Compelling

November 5, 2005

Living Box is a site that has a nice cross-section of prefabricated homes. The examples seen there are actually intended to inspire entries in a design competition.
Prefab homes are appealing to us, due to their compact lightness and modern architecture. Another compelling factor should be the price, but designers have not full realized [...]

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