New Shoe Concept: Recycled Shoe Gets You Aquainted with Local Shoemakers

Jennifer Rieker has designed a new shoe concept which helps acquaint purchasers with their local shoemaker. 

Creo Shoe by Jennifer Rieker

"Called the "Creo Shoe Concept," the flat-pack footwear is mailed to you in a vegetable-tanned calf leather envelope -- which becomes the inner shoe -- with adaptable rubber soles; a pair of footbeds, made out of cork, latex and jute; a pair of shoelaces, and directions for you to put it all together, along with the help of a local shoemaker."

A local shoemaker sews the inner shoe together for your assembly. Jennifer Rieker hopes this initial introduction will encourage shoe repair rather than full-fledged replacement. And with replacement eventually inevitable, the shoe's unique composition allows for a simple parts-based replacement.

Equally exciting, the shoe is constructed of renewable and recyclable materials, and is free of glue!

Cheers to Jennifer Reiker; on not only her completely innovative Creo Shoe Concept but her other unique designs as well.

Babel

Reusing Wire Hangers

From Northwest Edible Life

"If you or a housemate work off the farm at one of those jobs that require clean, starched shirts, you probably have a lot of dry-cleaner's wire hangers kicking around the house. We return our wire hangers to our dry cleaners for re-use (better for the earth and helpful to the small business owners who run our laundromat) and they can also be recycled. Some people haven't gotten the message, though, because 3.5 billion (with a B!) of these hangers get tossed into landfills every year. That's a lot of coated wire floating around."

From Lifehacker

A few more garden-related uses for your wire hangers:

• Make a simple wind chime or bird repellent by tying shells, bits of sea glass, or old silverware to the straight edge of the hanger, and hang it from a tree or awning as a decoration or in a garden bed (especially one in which you have corn or berries planted) to frighten birds away.
• Straighten the hooked end of the wire hanger, then use pliers to shape the wire hanger into whichever shape you prefer. Stick the straightened end into a pot, and you have a great, free topiary form to grow ivy or other climbing plants on.
• Use them to make plant labels for your vegetable garden.

Mike

Trash Concrete

How to use trash like bricks.













Mike

Grow A Plant Curtain

Information on using plants to help cut cooling cost.











Mike

Freecycling (Free Recycling)

Freecycling, which is sometimes referred to as Free Recycling, is the act of giving others your usable, unwanted items rather than throwing them away.  Take a look around you, perhaps you have some items cluttering your home which could be used by another.  And, it works both ways; so if there is something specific you are lacking, post a "Wanted Ad."

These sites made Freecycling (Free Recycling) a cinch for me, personally:
http://www.freecycle.org/
http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites (Select your area. Under For Sale, select Free)

Wikipedia also suggests the following sites:
http://www.reuseitnetwork.org/#groupinfo
http://recyclinggroupfinder.com/
http://trashnothing.com/
http://fullcircles.org/

Have a great night, Babel.

Earthship Photos

Keep in mind that these houses are made from mostly recycled materials; so you could use whatever you have around! You may have noticed a lot of round glass which are beer and wine bottles in the walls that create a beautiful  lighting effect. These are affordable, recycled, naturally warming and cooling homes. Earthships also use water harvesting techniques, gray and black water septic systems, solar & wind electricity, huge windows to provide natural lighting, amongst many other things these sustainable homes can offer you.


MIKE

Earthships are the way of the future

If You had to pick a single home that you could live the rest of your days in what would you pick? I'd probably want something that would heat itself, provide the water I need, grow my food, and of course give me shelter. Well if you're like me, then your in luck, because researcher Michael Reynolds has created such a home. It's called an earthship and can provide year-around heating, cooling, lighting, food, and water harvesting, just to name a few. Best of all is the fact that they are mostly built out of recycled tires, which people will pay you to take from them.

http://earthship.com/

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Earthship

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/earthship.htm


http://www.dreamgreenhomes.com/plans/earthship.htm

MIKE

Methane Harvesting, Water Heating, and Dirt from Composting

This is just absolutely amazing! Apparently Jean Pain had figured out ways to harvest methane, heat his water and get plenty of dirt for food from a compost heap (which is just your waste) back in the 70's. So why aren't humans doing this collectively and living smarter not harder? Jean was able to heat water to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) at a rate of 4 liters a minute which he used for washing and heating. He also distilled enough methane to run an electricity generator, cooking elements, and power his truck.

Some sites on the matter and how to do it yourself; of course your going to need to be creative, but we are human after all and should be able to manage.

http://onestraw.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/enter-the-house-of-pain/

http://onestraw.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/the-methane-midden-epic-shit-jean-pain-composting/

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Jean_Pain



Mike