Posted by GreenStreet.net on January 14, 2010
Yeah you read that right – April Fools Day has not come early. Houston, USA, company Recompute has developed a fully working computer where the usual materials made to construct a PC (ABS plastic, aluminium, steel, etc.) have been replaced by recyclable and renewable corrugated cardboard and non-toxic white glue. Electronic components are kept to the bare minimum.
Sustainable computer made from cardboard
With 8 USB ports it is designed to take advantage of existing / recycled hardware. A keyboard from a previous computer or portable hard drive can be used for example.
And for disposal, Recompute can be disassembled quickly and easily without tools allowing the electronics and cardboard case to be recycled easily. Thus, sustainability is maintained throughout it’s lifecycle of manufacture, use and disposal.
But will the design conscious Mac fan boys and tech savvy Windows geeks view this as a serious alternative to their desktop PC’s? With dual Windows and Ubuntu operating systems Mac fans at least can appreciate the real clever design that has gone into producing this, and Windows techies can geek out at the fully loaded specifications.
The Recompute has just gone into production and we sincerely hope to eventually see this alongside the existing computers in our local PC World. Time will tell how the product fares in the wider market, but it at least shows the major manufacturers that you can produce a full spec, well designed, sustainable computer without using harmful products that end up in polluted landfills in developing countries.
For more information, visit: www.sustainable-computer.com
Posted by GreenStreet.net on November 8, 2009
Save energy - and cash!
You want to do your bit to protect the environment, but you’re not sure how? Start fighting climate change today, with these easy steps.
You can cut your carbon footprint by making your home more energy efficient – and save money at the same time. Now that’s difficult to argue with!
Top 10 tips for saving energy at home
- Tweak your timer
Set your heating and hot water to come on just when you need it, not all the time.
- Be a curtain twitcher
Close your curtains to stop heat escaping through the windows and check for draughts around windows and doors.
- Trigger happy
Always turn off the lights when you leave a room, and avoid leaving appliances on standby. Remember not to leave laptops and mobile phones on charge.
- Is your laundry economical?
Try to fill up your washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher before switching it on. One full load uses less energy than two half loads.
- Go green: buy energy saving productsKeep an eye out for energy efficient electrical products by looking for the Energy Saving Recommended label and European energy label (rating of A or higher).
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Use 31% less energy with the Eco Kettle
Hubble bubble, boil and trouble
You’ve heard you should really boil just the water as you need. But that can be tricky, right? Try the Eco Kettle, which uses an average of 31% less energy than any other kettle. Its recommended by the UK’s Energy Saving Trust, so it must be a winner!
- Drip, drop…
If you’ve got a dripping hot water tap, in one week it will waste enough hot water to fill half a bath! So hurry up and fix that tap, and make sure they’re fully turned off!
- Let there be light
Energy saving lightbulbs may not be pretty but they last up to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs, and just using one could save you around £40 – £65 over the lifetime of the bulb.
- Ask the Experts: contact the Energy Savings Trust
Do a home energy check online. Just answer a few questions to receive a free report showing how you can save up to £300 a year on your household energy bills. It’s worth checking: you could be eligible for money off insulation or other energy related home improvements.
Do you know someone who needs a helping hand being green at home? Share this post with your friends and followers!
Posted by GreenStreet.net on September 12, 2009
A selection of the Fairtrade sculptures from Craft Village UK
Craft Village UK is a sustainable business with no religious or political affiliation, working directly with rural Africa artisans to develop unique, sustainable, copyright-protected product lines.
Their goal is to promote fair wages and job creation in poor African communities and attract a new audience to the Fairtrade movement via contemporary statues of popular animation and film characters.
They have an exciting range of ‘Simpsons statues’ that will have a direct positive impact on the remote village of Tabaka, Kenya, where the sculptures are hand crafted by a team of master carvers and finished to a high-quality sheen by the women of the village.
The range includes 12 intricately carved busts, each standing approximately 12cm high, unique in colour and contour, signed by the individual carver and boxed in bespoke Simpsons branded packaging.
This unique mix of traditional sculpture and cartoon culture has received great reviews from CNN, The BBC, Sir Bob Geldof, and many happy customers. They also have received a personal message of support from Simpsons Creator Matt Groening. The range has strong appeal to two specific markets; the growing Fairtrade market, and the massive Simpsons collector’s market.
Homer Simpson and the packaging he comes in
We asked the founder of Craft Village, 32-year-old Paul Young, what inspired him to set up this unique business and to describe the journey to where the company is now.
GreenStreet.net: Tell us a bit about yourself, and your business background.
Paul Young: “Craft Village is my first business. I studied business and accounting at Leeds Metropolitan University. After University I returned to my hometown (Darlington County Durham) and worked in various temporary jobs, from the occasional office job to working on building sites. I could never find a vocation that I was passionate about or one that held my interest for very long. I had always wanted to set up my own business and around my mid twenties I had the idea for Craft Village.”
What was the inspiration behind mixing Fairtrade with popular culture memorabilia?
“My younger sister had been living in Uganda and had sent home various statues. I was looking at a row of small stone elephant statues…and thought to myself if the carvers (who’d made them) could produce something with a popular ‘western’ theme such as ‘Star Wars’ or ‘The Simpsons’ it would be interesting to see the results.”
Briefly describe the journey from idea to finished product.
“After the initial idea I researched stone carvers in various countries. Kenya seemed a good source of sculpture. I traveled to a village called Tabaka in the stone-carving region of Kisii, Western Kenya. I took various Simpsons toys with me and asked the carvers there to sculpt statues based on the toys. We tried many different designs and styles. Over a period of several months we perfected the designs.
I knew it would be difficult to get an official License for the products. To improve my chances I made a mini documentary about the statues: who makes them; how they are made; where they are made and who would benefit etc. I registered Craft Village as an official business and submitted my Simpsons product samples and my mini-doc to 20th Century Fox in Los Angeles. After many months of dialogue with Fox I secured an official worldwide Simpsons License.
After that I had to develop a website, and packaging, and research the best sales routes – this all took about a year. Craft Village finally launched late 2007. Things were progressing but unfortunately in early 2008 problems arose with my packaging and political and tribal violence erupted in Kenya. We had to delay things and the business was put on hold for another year. Craft Village eventually re-launched in Feb 2009.
The Craft Village business model has taken over four years to come to fruition, with many setbacks and false starts along the way… but we have a great product and I am confident we are well now placed to build on this opportunity and will have a massive positive impact in Kenya.”
The Master Carver group leaders
Tell us about the craftsmen.
“The craftsmen are amazingly talented. If they were born in a western country they would most likely be rich. We work with two groups, The Master Carvers and The Classic Carvers (approx 30 carvers in total). Ages range from early 20’s to mid 50’s. Most have no formal education and most have very big families. They’re very friendly and welcoming, extremely competitive and eager to see this project succeed.
Familiarizing the sculptors with The Simpsons was difficult. Until a couple of years ago there was no electricity in Tabaka. The carvers had no concept of what a cartoon was, let alone have any clue what The Simpsons was about. The issue of Licensing and Branding that come with a global property such as The Simpson was naturally a foreign concept to them. They’ve been very patient and very enthusiastic to learn and understand the background to the project.”
Craft Village worked with Fox Creative in L.A. to develop bespoke branding and worked with the artisans in Kenya to create a product that improves the lives of many. After many setbacks and delays due to initial problems with packaging and violence on the ground in Kenya (and significant financial difficulties that comes with delays) Craft village now have a company and product to be proud of.
Look out for Craft Village products on GreenStreet.net soon, but in the meantime head over to the Craft Village web site.
Master Carvers Enosh, Timothy and David with Paul Young, founder of Craft Village
Posted by GreenStreet.net on September 10, 2009
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- 10:10 Logo
By now you should have heard about the 10:10 campaign. If you haven’t – where have you been? It’s an ambitious project to unite every person, business, organisation and entity in the UK behind one common goal: achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010.
Launched on 1st September 2009 at Tate Modern in London, thousands of people gathered as Radio 1 DJ, Sara Cox, introduced a lineup of free live music performances, culminating with the attending masses signing up to the 10:10 commitment in the Tate Modern’s iconic turbine hall.
GreenStreet.net has signed up to take part and show support and so can you. So what do you have to do? Well, you don’t have to become an over-zealous eco-warrior overnight, so chill. Just take simple but meaningful action that is easy to understand and perform, and let others know about the campaign. Action like unplugging an appliance when it is not in use – how hard is that? As the meerkat would say – simples! There are loads of similar suggestions on the 10:10 website to get you started, from turning down the thermostat on your central heating to recycling. Some of these actions are beneficial to your health too, from walking or cycling instead of taking the car to having a meat free, veggie meal one day a week. Also, by using less resources and cutting the waste, you save money too.
10:10 was conceived by the team behind climate change movie The Age of Stupid. They now run the campaign with support from partner organisations such as The Guardian, ActionAid, the Energy Saving Trust, the Public Interest Research Centre, Comic Relief, the Carbon Trust, and many more.
- 1000’s pledge commitment
Fanny Armstrong, founder of 10:10 said: “Popularising immediate action against climate change is the only way we can make progress on this urgent issue. 10:10 has been set up to bring that call to action. Its ask is simple; make a few small changes in your home, business or policy which will have an immediate effect, not in five year’s time, but now.”
If you are looking for products to help you reduce your carbon footprint and save money in the long run, there are many items available on GreenStreet.net to help you. We have solar power adapters, water savers, energy savers etc. from a wide range of suppliers.
Remember, 10:10 not a campaign that requires you to wear a wristband, attend a rock concert and forget about it (if only!). No, this is a commitment to spend the next year taking easy but meaningful steps to cut your emissions. We’re going for it – are you? Let us know what you think in the comments!
- Pledging support
Posted by GreenStreet.net on September 6, 2009
With Starbucks’ recent media blitz announcing that all the coffee in their lattes and cappuccinos is now 100% Fairtrade certified, it brought the concept and branding of Fairtrade to the masses again.
Fairtrade practice ensures that those in developing countries who actually create the goods (farmers, workers etc) enjoy a relatively comfortable working environment, equal rights, fair pay and social security. Also, in an effort to create a sustainable ecosystem, a significant proportion the profits from Fairtrade is directed back to the community that produced the goods.
When one thinks of Fairtrade you almost immediately think of coffee, so to be fair, you would expect a company such as Starbucks to champion such ethical and sustainable practices. Even after their past store policy of leaving taps running throughout the night, wasting gallons of water in the process (oops!).
However, there are many types of Fairtrade products on the market from cotton clothing to food and drink to fashion, available from many suppliers. For example there are over 200 Fairtrade certified wines currently available in the UK, available from high street stores like Waitrose and online suppliers like Ethical Superstore. You can find a wide range of suppliers right here on GreenStreet.net.
Fairtrade is losing (has lost?) it’s old image as being “right on but unfashionable” and even (gasp!) boring. Now brands such as People Tree, Equa, and Devi Doll are moving Fairtrade into areas of high fashion and celebrity endorsements. Its not uncommon to see ‘slebs’ such as Daisy Lowe, Fearne Cotton and, um, Peaches Geldof promoting the benefits of Fairtrade fashion brands with photo shoots and positive soundbites. With the Fairtrade Foundation’s recent announcement of the first beauty products to carry the Fairtrade Mark in the UK, these types of endorsements, and the range of available products will increase.
Posted by GreenStreet.net on June 7, 2009
Green Business Awards
The “Oscars” of the eco business sector takes place towards the end of this year.
The Green Business Awards will be held on Tuesday 3 November 2009 at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London W1.
Handing out the “green globes” will be judges from various backgrounds, including technical experts, sector representatives and leading practitioners.
The main categories are Carbon Management, Environmental Management and Green Business and there are several criteria within each category.
The organisers say the entry process allows SME’s and smaller companies to compete and be judged on a level playing field to large companies. That has to be applauded – I love to see the small independent go up against the established leaders and be judged fairly on their merits.
Awards such as this, organized by established and highly regarded entities, will also underline the importance environmental issues are in the business sector. All companies can take steps to reduce waste, save energy and conduct business in ways that do not have a negative effect on the environment.
For more information visit: http://www.greenbusinessawards.com
Posted by GreenStreet.net on February 4, 2009
Hi all
We are pleased to announce two great new stores opening on GreenStreet.net!
DeviDoll brings great new designer ethical fashion for men woman and children. What I love about DeviDoll is that while staying true to their ethical beliefs, they have not compromised on style in any way – their featured designers prove that chic fashion does not have t be produced in a way that has a detrimental effect on the Earth and those who live in it. Check ‘em out!
We also now feature Ethical Superstore, arguably the big daddy of online ethical stores. The team behind Ethical Superstore are second to none, and they bring a whopping 7000 plus products to GreenStreet.net (tell the truth, you didn’t know there was that many eco products!).
All this means more products for you to search, and a greater opportunity to compare prices, safe in the knowledge that you will be buying from some of the best eco stores on the net.
GreenStreet.net
Posted by GreenStreet.net on January 29, 2009
Hey!
Glad you stopped by. We aim to keep you informed on what is happening on GreenStreet.net, give you a heads up on any new features, merchant offers etc…or anything else we feel you may be interested in!
So in between searching for and comparing prices of eco-friendly and ethical products (over 8000 at the time of this post), don’t forget to take a moment or two to stop by this blog!
GreenStreet.net
