Efficient things
Efficient things
Down is one of nature’s finest insulators. Nothing matches its warmth for weight, compressibility, and resilience. Its ability to absorb perspiration and cozily drape along the contours of your body is unparalleled by synthetic materials. Down is more expensive than other insulating materials. However, when you divide its cost by the number of cozy nights […]
Efficient: Down Filled Sleeping Bags Read More »
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.
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.
Yaktrax Ice and Snow Shoe Grips Read More »
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
Efficient Material of the Year: Bamboo Read More »
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
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.
Knock-Down/Drag-Out Bed Read More »
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
A Guide to Buying Non-Toxic Furniture Read More »
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
Waterless Washing Machine Read More »