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.

keeping clean

Along with Crystal I have been working to develop some household cleaning recipes that are non-toxic with a reasonable half-life. I've tried a variety of concoctions, most resulting in some form of sticky or sludgy product that doesn't really work out that well. Through all of this experimenting, I have come up with a system: I buy white vinegar and baking soda in bulk - The biggest packs they have at Costco, I keep a spray bottle of diluted vinegar on hand for surfaces, and I add baking soda whenever I need to scrub something off. These ingredients work fantastic on counters, stove tops, as a laundry boost, as a drain maintainer, as a pest deterrant, and then some.

Unfortunately, sometimes all of my scrubing and experimenting go nowhere, and I'm still not satisfied with the cleanliness of my tub, or my clothes. If I feel like I have to have something from the store I go here:
www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/projects/formulat/formpartc.htm

happy cleaning!
Gisele

Craigslist, what a sharing world

My friend Linsey directed me to one of the nicest craigslist ads.  This ad is an endearing example of how we thoughtfully make the world better: less stank in your fridge after vacation and healthy food in anothers tummy.  This particularly looks like a sweet arse veggie soup finished off by a grilled pineapple dessert.  Yum!

local food: in illinois legislation!

Did you know that Agriculture is Illinois' largest industry but 95% of that is exported? Now a days it seems everyone is sucking in that deep expansive breath and focusing a little more on what's under our noses. The Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force is promoting legislature that will help keep 20% of the Illinois' food consumption LOCAL! With the local food network well underway on niche buyers, this will expand the focus on prisons, universities, and mental health centers.
This is going to help Illinois farmers have more diverse thus sustainable farms, reduce oil used for transportation and encourage awareness of what local foods are!

Revitalized Objects

I am in love with slash jealous of Sarah Cihat's work. So beautiful! Its all found ceramics from resale shops/thrift stores, and she gives them a new identity through glazing techniques.

This brings me to discuss: I don't get the 'Going green! Getting rid of everything!' ad's on Craigslist. I totally support if you need a new table, buying a new bamboo table (rapidly renewable material) and I also support buying something that totally exists and updating it (a la Sarah's rehabbed plates). But come on, getting rid of everything to buy all new 'stuff' is a point missed.

Let me digress, I found these on craigslist, so these people aren't landfilling their old things by any means. I simply think this shows how the 'green movement' is being marketed in such a way that reduces this movement to consumerism and a way to sell us more schtuff, and more labels to sort through: low fat/ organic/ green.

Where we choose or choose to not put our cash is one of the most impactful votes we can give, daily. I totally appreciate Sarah's work and the new value she has given to old things!