Tree Theory Bags 'Harvested From the Urban Landscape' : Opening and on-sale this Friday!

This spankin' new company: Tree Theory Bags, addresses the topic of waste streams, reuse and revitalization of used materials with their new messenger bags and satchel designs.

They create their bags from materials 'harvested from the urban landscape': the tons of billboard vinyls lying in dumps and by ripping out old seat belts from the junkyard cars.


This product design concept is popping up more and more on the smaller production scale, and its so refreshing! Tree Theory Bags are made in Chicago, my backyard! Why rip those precious materials from Mama earth when there are plenty of usable materials lying all around us just waiting to be discovered. It ties right into the movement of only buying used items, but repurposed new items are ok in my book.

Revitalize! Reuse! Design! Their opening is this Friday too! Check it out!

Announcement! Crystal's going to grad school

So, beginning in August, I will be writing from Karlskrona Sweden, where I will be attending the Blekinge Institute of Technology.  Yay!  I'm joining their masters program for a really long title...'Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability'.  I should be learning buckets of stuff for exciting new posts.  

Ocean wind turbines: good, bad or both?

Imagine slender white windmills grazing the ocean's horizon.  They produce a steady flow of power to the land nearby letting you cook your dinner and wash your clothes with power generated by the wind.  It's not just a dream anymore, although it isn't quite a reality yet either; as these are more expensive than the turbines on land).  

While harnessing ocean's current and it's constant wind patterns may seem like a good answer to our energy dependency concerns, there are a few things we could think about (that I haven't really heard discussed yet, let me know if you have!)  Would these wind farms affect aquatic life?  They must stretch deep into the bowels of the ocean to anchor, perhaps disturbing the ecosystem.  What material would they be made of?  Would it leach into the water?  Some folks are concerned about 'views'  and that is a valid point too.  We already see so much of our land cluttered with buildings, sidewalks, infrastructure, do we want our oceans teeming with it too?

I'm not trying to knock wind turbines on the ocean, I think its actually a fantastic idea.  But I wonder ... if those who put in the first roads saw what our landscape is today, would they have done things differently?  

Its just as important to design for today as it is for tomorrow.