From the category archives:

Materials

Ultra-Efficient Design Meets Low-Impact Manufacturing: Patagonia Wetsuits

May 7, 2009

If you’re not a surfer or a diver, a wetsuit may seem like a fairly specialized or even obscure piece of equipment. But once in a while, a product arrives on the market that’s noteworthy not only for how well it performs its job, but also for how it’s designed and produced. Such is the [...]

Click to continue...

GreenFiber Cocoon Insulation: Energy Efficiency From Recycled Material

April 9, 2009

One of the simplest ways to improve a home’s energy efficiency and comfort is to make sure that it is properly insulated. Cocoon Insulation from North Carolina-based GreenFiber is a highly efficient insulator, offering more convenient installation and higher R-values than common alternatives, as well as utilizing recycled source material.

Click to continue...

Efficient: Bamboo Toys

May 9, 2008

The Contina line by Hape International is said to be the first range of 100% bamboo toys. They are colored with natural, water-based paints. The full range is available from Hape through Amazon. Found via: Eco Child’s Play

Click to continue...

Bloxes: Modular Cardboard Furniture

March 11, 2008

Cardboard can be incorporated in modern design pieces — check out this impressive gallery of cardboard furniture. Bloxes (shown above) are the latest option in cardboard furniture. The corrugated cardboard puzzle pieces lock together to form sturdy shapes such as chairs, walls, and play forts.

Click to continue...

Cocona: A Fabric Enhancer Derived From Coconuts

November 23, 2007

Cocona is a natural fabric enhancer that is made with activated carbon. The activated carbon is derived from coconut husks — it is a “waste” product of the water filter industry. But what does Cocona do exactly? It is said to help traditional fabrics resist moisture, control odor and shield ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Activated carbon [...]

Click to continue...

Optimal Material For Mattresses: Natural Latex

September 12, 2007

I’ve come to the conclusion that natural latex is the optimal mattress-making material. I’ve tried all kinds of mattresses: goose down, wool, foam, cotton futons and box spring mattresses. But I have to say that my first few nights sleeping on a latex mattress were the most comfortable I ever experienced.

Click to continue...

Color Grown Cotton: Fox Fibre

March 1, 2006

Some cotton is naturally colored — it grows that way and does not need to be dyed. “Color grown” cotton has its roots in the ancient Americas. Weavers cultivated native white, tan, green, yellow, red, and brown colored cottons for thousands of years. However, the fiber qualities of the cotton was not suited to modern [...]

Click to continue...

A Paint Stripper Made From Corn

February 27, 2006

Conventional paint strippers are usually very toxic substances that you’d be better off not bringing into your home. But one company, Green Products, has created a bio-based paint stripper and solvent called aMAIZEing.

Click to continue...

“Full Circle” EcoResins

July 15, 2005

Some interesting elements of nature are incorporated into this new line of “ecoresins” from 3Form.
Called Full Circle, the designers utilize renewable materials collected from artisans in diverse communities such as Inodnesia and Africa.
I’d be great if they could make Ecoresins more eco-effective — its currenly a polyester resin which incoporates a 40% post-industrial recycled content. [...]

Click to continue...

Biopavers

May 31, 2005

We mentioned previously that using porous pavers is an effective alternative to paving with concrete. They make patios and driveways less erosion-prone and they do not get as hot as hard-surfaced pavement.
Now a company called Biopaver is trying to take things a step further by introducing a new type of paver designed to catch storm [...]

Click to continue...

MetaEfficient: Metal-Free Inks by Ecoprint

April 15, 2005

Not many print houses put much thought into making their production processes more efficient or non-toxic.
Ecoprint, based in the Washington DC area, is different. They have developed their own “eco-inks”. These inks are specially formulated to be free from toxic metals like copper and barium. The Ecoprint shop also runs on 100% wind power, and [...]

Click to continue...

Metaefficient: Material: Rare Bamboo

November 21, 2004
Click to continue...

EPatch: Glue-less Stickers

October 14, 2004

EPatch is an innovative sticker that doesn’t use glue or water. The stickers are non-toxic, very durable, and are able to be bent, stretched or folded without losing their shape.
Made of rubber-silicon, the stickers are fade resistant, resistant to UV radiation and to temperature extremes up to 220 degrees – which means it is useful [...]

Click to continue...

SilenceAir: Noise Blocking Bricks

October 14, 2004

SilenceAir looks like a transparent brick, and uses “passive resonators” to allow fresh air into buildings while leaving 85% of the noise behind.
“Cities are noisy. When we block the noise from our offices and homes, we usually reduce the ventilation…the result is sick buildings and people,” says the inventor Chris Field.
Chris developed the concept during [...]

Click to continue...

Geämi: Metaefficient Packing Material

October 12, 2004

Geämi is a new biodegradable and very effective packing material. The name means “earth (ge) friend (ami)” in Latin and Greek.
The Geämi system expands kraft paper into a honeycomb with thousands of little hexagonal cells. The result is a lightweight, extremely protective material that reduces overall packing size. Geämi packaging is also easily recyclable and [...]

Click to continue...

Transefficient: Porous Pavers

October 6, 2004

Porous pavers are permeable replacements for concrete or other hard surfaces.
They reduce rain water runoff by 90% thus avoiding erosion. Less pollution reaches the waterways because the rain water penetrates the underlying ground more effectively.

Permeable pavement is slightly different — it looks like concrete but is structured to be porous so that rain water seeps [...]

Click to continue...

Book Review: “Transmaterial”

October 1, 2004

Transmaterial, a book edited by Blaine Brownell, covers “materials, products and processes that are redefining our physical environment.” The book is filled with surveys of metaeffective materials. The chapters include: ultraperforming materials, multidimensional, recombinant and transformational materials. The entire book is available as a PDF File (11MB).
See this review from World Changing for more [...]

Click to continue...

Metaefficient Hardwood Substitute: Eucalyptus

September 17, 2004

Eucalyptus is a very inexpensive hardwood and is comparable to teak or cherry in its strength and durability. Eucalyptus, however, grows quickly and can be sustainably harvested on plantations.
Its density, straight grain, smooth finish, and honey color make it an excellent choice for flooring and outdoor furniture.
Creative Woodwork International makes folding, transforming, outdoor furniture, [...]

Click to continue...

Translucent Eco-Resins

September 7, 2004

EcoResin™ by 3form is a specially formulated polyester resin which incoporates a 40% post-industrial recycled content (it meets the threshold for LEED credit).
The resins allow natural elements, textures and colors to be embedded in the translucent material, creating a striking effect. The interlayers can be arranged into thousands of combinations. Customization is encouraged by the [...]

Click to continue...

Not Very Meta-Efficient: Plastics

July 30, 2004

Plastics are not very meta-efficient. They are toxic to all forms of life, they don’t biodegrade. Practically all the plastic that’s even been made still exists – either in landfills or in places like the ocean. There are other materials that can often substitute for plastic such as ceramics or rubber. Bioplastic [...]

Click to continue...