Papercraft Round-up!

I just found a link to an incredible blog: snuffykin's journal.

This wonderful blogger has scoured the Truth Box and found some amazing sites dedicated to papercraft. Most of the site have free pdf's that you can print out and assemble yourself. What a great way to be creative, recycle paper, and play with your kids!

Check it out: Snuffykins' Papercraft Round-up.

Turn a Candle Into a Radiator!

Are you cold? Great little link here that shows you how to turn an ordinary candle and flowerpot into a very energy efficient space heater.

SuperSmart!

Check out heatstick.com

They've got three cool projects up: a candle heater (that could also be powered by a 60 watt halogen bulb,) a year-round insulated greenhouse, and a passive solar water heater.

Looky here:











All of these items are for sale on the site, but the D.I.Y. spirit is plainly visible, and the pictures practically beg you to make your own versions.

Love to all,

-J

Plasti-Fab Projects! (slice, loop, & roll)

Hello Hello Hello!

It's been a busy couple days!

Apologies for not posting more strenuously, but I've been calf-deep in new projects and ideas. Like coffee, projects and ideas need time to percolate, (preferably unjostled), and that's what we've been doing: percolating!

So, to recap:

On Friday of last week, I asked my fellow SuperForesters to please bring in all of their unused plastic bags. As I'm sure you can imagine, they were only too happy to comply, and by mid morning I was happily sitting on a couch, converting plastic bags into plastic loops, and plastic loops into plastic yarn.

Here's how:

1.) Get a bunch of plastic bags.
2.) Cut the top handles off, as well as the bottom seal. Then you've got a plastic tube.
3.) Slice the tube into as many 2 inch loops as you can. Each bag will yield approximately 6 loops.
4.) Tie each loop together by simply looping one end through the previous loop and pulling it tight. Now you should have a long line of strung together loops. This is your plastic yarn.
5.) Roll your yarn into a ball.

Still confused? Peruse!


Congratulations! You've got a big ball of plastic yarn! What next?

Make more yarn.

That's what I did for the first part of the day: slice, loop, and roll. I wanted a lot of yarn.

It took some time, as I was still trying to work smoothly and efficiently, and I've never really, er... woven.

Which is what I did next: I wove.

For my first attempt, I took a two foot length of yarn and taped both sides to a cardboard tube. Then I made 32 more 2 foot strips and looped each one around the first length. This sounds confusing... I'll do another drawing. Hold on.

Looky here!:


Here's my first attempt. You can see how I started off weaving pretty loose, but then got tighter and tighter as I went along. I used a big stack of Gristedes and Whole Foods bags. It felt very satisfying.



The main problem I had with the first attempt is that all the Whole Foods bags look identical as they hang down and it was easy to get lost, drop a piece here and there, and generally make a mess of things. No matter, that's what practice is all about.

On to my second attempt:








Here you can see that my technique is improving, still not perfect, but far better than the first. For this piece I laid the top cross piece down on a table and then attached the "hangy bits" laying flat. I also wove while the piece was flat like this, whereas the first one I wove while it was hanging off of the back of a chair.

Weaving is much easier job when things are neat and orderly. What also really helped was that for attempt #2, I used yarn that was multi-colored, which made it easier to keep track of where I was and which piece came next. So multi-colored and textured bag are a big plus here.

This all leads up to a big question: Why?

What could one do with several big chunks of woven plastic fabric?

Oh ho ho! Sooo much!

Firstly, let me extol the amazing physical properties of plasti-fabrics.

1.) Strong as the dickens.
2.) Lasts forever. (Alright, not forever, but for as long as you'll be alive, that's for sure. Plastic is incredibly hardy stuff.)
3.) Looks cool. (Like part of a tribal costume, or samurai armour, or a fishnet. Woven plasti-fabric has an otherworldly quality too it. Like it's so obviously man-made, but machined at the same time. Hard to describe, but believe me when I say it is a joy to look at and feel.)

So, you've got some cool, strong, ultra-long-lasting fabric, that you made with your own two hands out of something that otherwise would've either gone into a trash pile or gone out to sea to choke a dolphin, or whatever.

What to do with it? Another drawing, please!



You can do anything with it!
You're limited solely by your imagination.

Ponchos! Punchin' Bags! Picture frames! Perambulators! Purses! That's just the P's!

And to think, they just give bags away for free! An incredible and long lasting resource, yours for the taking. Just think of the wonderful things you can create!

Enjoy it while it lasts.

So, look around you, see if there's anything you've got a lot of, that otherwise would get trash piled, and see if you can think up something rad to do with it.

If you do think up something rad, tell us about it! Email: superforestnyc@gmail.com


Love to all.

Be excellent to each other.


-Jackson

Honda: Problem Playground

I just saw this incredible ad on swissmiss.



Right on, Honda!

This ad exemplifies the SuperForest spirit in every way. Let's join forces, identify "problems," and work together to turn those problems into opportunities.

Brilliant.

And special thanks to Tina Eisenberg for consistently bringing new and exciting media our way. If you've never been to swissmiss; run, don't walk.

Burt's Bees and Clorox

(image via nytimes.com)

Hello All,

For those who haven't heard, Burt's Bees, a company that produces a line of beeswax related health care products, was recently purchased by Clorox for 925 million smackers.

Folks seems pretty incensed about this, at least, judging from the forums on treehugger.

Not that anyone asked, but what do we think here at SFNYC?

We think: Great! Good for them both.

Here's the thing, I'm no fan of green-washing, but any movement in a green direction is just that: A movement in the right direction!

All things "green" or sustainable, environmentally mindful, impact-aware, are good for all of us. Even if it all turns out to be a sham, an empty promise, at least the company has signaled a change for the better. A signal that other companies will pick up on and act on.

Clorox buys Burt's Bees, Dow chemicals goes: "They did?! Who can we buy?"

Check out this crazy map, it shows which giant companies own which "organic" companies:


If large, formerly-polluting, animal-testing companies want to clean up their acts, great. We all win.

When you boil it all down, it's just people. Large company, small company, all run by people. There's no good or bad here.

Burt's bees being owned by Clorox doesn't make it a "bad" company now, not anymore than it was a "good" company before.

Here's the list of ingredients from a tin of Burt's Bees lip balm:
"beeswax, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, prunus amydalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, mentha piperita (peppermint) oil, tocopheryl acetate, lanolin, symphytum officinale (comfrey) root extract, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil, tocopherol"

I don't see a lot of room on that list for chlorine bleach, or whatever. So why would the change of ownership mean anything if the ingredients list and the essential m.o. of the original company do not change?

It doesn't. And if it did, Clorox would alienate the Burt's Bees fan base and be sitting on a 925 million dollar nothing.

So Clorox is heading in a greener, more sustainable direction, and now they've got a vested interest in continuing that line of thinking. Sounds like a good thing to me.

It's all just people, people. If we treat each other with dignity and respect, we all succeed.

So Yay for growth! Yay for capitalism! Yay for the free market! Yay for more people being exposed to Burt's Bees lip balm (which is really great lip balm)!

Yay Clorox! Way to make a move. Yay Burt's Bees! Way to grow!


Love to all,

Jackson

Disagree? Please comment or write to: superforestnyc@gmail.com

Everything Is OK.com

Type everythingisok.com into your address bar.

You'll be glad you did.

Svalbard Seed Vault Update

(image via treehugger)

For those of you who read the Dec. 6/07 post about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, here's an update. It seems as though the first shipment of seeds are now making their way to the Vault. Once there, they will help to ensure the survival of indeginous plant species for future Earthlings. Nothing wrong with that.

from treehugger:
"Twenty-one boxes filled with 7,000 unique seed samples from more than 36 African nations were shipped to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a facility being built on a remote island in the Arctic Circle as a repository of last resort for humanity’s agricultural heritage.

The shipment, which was sent by the Ibadan, Nigeria-based International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), consists of thousands of duplicates of unique varieties of domesticated and wild cowpea, maize, soybean, and Bambara groundnut. The seeds from the IITA genebank in Ibadan, Nigeria, were packed in 21 boxes weighing a total of 330 kg. The processing by IITA staff took several months, and the boxes were packaged over a three-day period, with 10 staff checking the accession list, reporting errors, and adjusting the inventory, as needed."

Make Your Own Laptop Case!

It is very easy to make a great many wonderful things with all the wonderful stuff we New Yorkers toss in the trash.

For instance, the laptop case.

I used to carry my laptop around in a plain canvas bag, but then I dropped it outside the Chateau Marmont, and it's never been the same.

If only I had constructed one of these little beauties!

Like this case, from the good people at Make.com


Instructions on Make.com

Or this one...

Instructions on instructables.com

Or this one, from treehugger.com


Instructions from treehugger.com

With some reclaimed materials and half an hour, you can spare your precious laptop the indignity of being dashed to the ground, and there dented.

Take that, gravity!

Water Cube: Beijing '08

Just look at this little beauty!

This is the Water Cube, being built in Beijing right now for the '08 Olympics.

When finished, it will house all swimming and diving events.

China is really taking green-construction seriously, and this gem of a building only helps cement that reputation.

















From en.beijing2008.cn:
"(BEIJING, Dec. 26) -- The National Aquatics Center, or the "Water Cube," fully represents the concept of "Green Olympics," in terms of architecture, outside layer engineering, environmental protection in the areas of material, energy and water resources as well as the indoor environmental quality, according to a BOCOG official.

The project is featured by the reasonable and efficient application of clean energies, said Yu Xiaoxuan, deputy director of the Venue and Environment Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).

The "Water Cube" absorbs solar radiation and reduces thermal loss, guarantees the incoming of most of the sunlight which serves as the thermal source of swimming pool water, Yu said in a recent interview with the press.

The maximum use of natural ventilation and lighting features the environmental design of the project's outside surface, to ensure temperature and humidity control in different sections of the swimming pool and provision of comfortable indoor environment for athletes and spectators, Yu added.

He said the architects skillfully took water use into consideration, ensuring the maximum and efficient utilization and recycle of water and protection of its quality and environment. The advanced water treatment system enables the water quality to meet the national standard and the rigid standards of International Amateur Swimming Federation (FINA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to Yu, guided by the concept of sustainable development, constructors choose innovative energy-saving materials and products to reduce inside and outside pollution.

The realization of "green Olympics" in the "Water Cube" project set a good example for other Olympic venues and the construction of Beijing's urban projects, Yu believed.

The project uses the state-of-the-art ETFE material which is light but very strong. The blue bubbles outside the National Aquatics Center comprise over 3,000 air cushions, which look like an entirety but actually they are relatively independent from each other, providing convenience for replacement of individual cushions when needed.

The swimming pool is 13 meters deep, which can reduce the interference of water temperature variation, according to project manager Sun Hongzhuang. The temperature of swimming pool is projected to be kept at 28 degrees Celsius, the best suitable for swimmers, Sun said.

During the Olympic Games, the venue can sit 17,000 spectators. "We've made lots of personalized treatment to let the spectators at every corner to see athletes' performance," said Sun."

Wowee, the present is starting to feel a lot like the future.

Does that make sense? A rapidly developing country getting stringent about environmental impact and its citizenry working alongside to pick up the slack? Must be the future. Things that great can't happen today.

Or can they?!

Go China!

Here's the site for the Water Cube.

Streetsblog!

Just found this great blog: Streetsblog.

Their motto is: "Covering the New York City streets renaissance."

Amen to that!

We're gonna get in touch with these cats! They speakin' our language.

Just look at this wonderful piece they've got up about ways to improve streets for pedestrians:



(click HERE to watch the piece in action!)

ReUse: Cardboard Tubes

(via Planetgreen)



"You don't need elaborate seed-starting biodomes or habitat-destroying peat pellets to get your greens to sprout. Here are a few methods that are both easy and—if you'd pardon the pun—dirt cheap.

1. Mini yogurt cups: Perhaps you or someone you know has a yogurt addiction. Wash and save the single-serving-size cups, poke a hole in the bottom-center of each container, and fill with seed-starter mix or a sterile all-purpose potting soil.

After sowing the seeds, I like to cover each container with a piece of perforated plastic (cut from newspaper and magazine baggies, then punched all over with a needle), held down by a rubber band, to maintain the moisture and humidity that promotes seedling growth.

2. Egg cartons: Used egg cartons are perfect for raising seedlings, when you use them to prop up halved eggshells you've saved. Poke a small hole at the bottom of each eggshell and then fill them with soil and seeds. I'm also a fan of stuffing egg shells with Earth Plugs, which are made of composted bark fiber and are inoculated with natural rooting hormones, and then popping a few seeds in the hole of each plug.

If you're using a plastic egg carton, shutting the lid results in your own homemade mini-greenhouse. Cardboard-carton "pots", on the other hand, are splendid because they can be transplanted straight into the ground—the cardboard fibers will eventually decompose in the soil, allowing the roots to poke through.

3. Toilet roll: You Grow Girl has easy-to-follow instructions on making a wee seed-starter pot out of a toilet roll. A few strategic snips with a pair of scissors and some folding are all it takes. You still have plenty of time to start your hoarding.

4. Newspaper: A little origami magic turns a single sheet of newspaper into a seed-starter pot that you can later plant whole into your garden in late spring or early summer. No glue, no muss, and very little fuss, this is the perfect indoors activity to keep your hands busy as you're dreaming of warmer weather.

Difficulty level: Easy"

Easy, fun, and good for your fellow man.

Thank you, Planetgreen!

Pandora.com

I love Pandora.com

Go there, type in a few bands you like and then listen to ad-free streaming radio, that you can tailor to your preferences. Plus they play things you might like, and you can give them a thumbs up or down.

Awesome.

Turbine Power

(from Treehugger.com)


So, how long would a wind turbine have to run before it made up for the energy used in its manufacturing?

6.8 months.

"The life cycle assessment of a 3.0 MW wind turbine indicates that it would have to generate electricity for only 6.8 months , of their assumed 20 year useful life, before it produces as much energy as is used during the manufacturing phase. “This, they say, means the turbine model earns its own worth more than 35 times during its energy production lifetime.”

More wind turbines, less coal and nuclear.

Yay! The present is a very exciting time.

Light-Up Jogging Suit

LED fabric + motion power generators = "Honey, watch the road. There's a jogger up ahead."

Motion Powered Bike Lights!

Found 'em!

A Danish company called Reelight makes motion powered LED bike lights.

$60.00!

What cost safety?

Come the spring, I'm getting a pair.

I think the biggest casualty of the next five years will be batteries and power cords.
A pretty safe bet, but one I'm greatly looking forward to.

Got a bike? Need some lights so cars can see you?

Reellight.com

Ooooh. And look at this:

"In order to underline the importance of traffic safety near schools the council in the Dutch city Lelystad - near Amsterdam - has recently given away bike lights from Reelight to 570 schoolchildren. The mounting of the lights took place in a big tent that was set up in the town square."

Nice! Keep kids safe, get the brand out there, help teach decentralization.

Reelight, you've got a fan in SuperForest!

Idealbite.com

I just got hipped to this really great site, Idealbite.com

They do daily "sassy green-living" tips, with local tips for New Yorkers and San Franciscans.

Tasty!

Here's their tip from today:

OZO Car

Hey Y'all!

Turns out New York has its own eco-friendly car service.

It's called OZO Car.

Call them if you need a ride.


OZO Car's website

BiodegradableStore.com

Here's a great resource for event planners, restaurants, anyone who needs food packaging. And all of it will break down in a compost heap or trash pile (i.e. landfill)!



If you need cups, or forks, or food packaging, get it from these guys.

Biodegradablestore.com

Eco-Limo Los Angeles

I recently needed a ride to LAX, (I was in Los Angeles.) So I searched "environmental limo service" on google and got the site of EcoLimo, a car service that uses only hybrids.

My lady and I got a clean, smooth, friendly ride to the airport, and the good people of Los Angeles got to breath air that was slightly cleaner.

Win-win!



Here's the ecolimo website.

P.S. Our driver's name was Daniel, and he drove like an absolute champ.

Call these cats if you need a ride.

Mulchfest!

Okay, I did some research and here's what I've found:


(from the NY Times)

"In New York City, officials are urging people with real Christmas trees to recycle them. At MulchFest, which is run by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, residents can not only drop off their trees at the 85 parks, but at 30 of the parks, they can also pick up free bags of mulch — loose wood chips — for use in their yards and gardens. The mulch that is not claimed by residents will be used by the Parks Department to line tree pits along the streets and flower beds in the parks."

I love this city sooooooo much.

Little by little we improve and correct.

That is the SuperForest way.


Go Mike Bloomberg!


Mulchfest site