i like this table... of course...

a really nice table made of concrete... 'table p1'::





from archiexpo.com::
:: modern furniture in purist style, without extra ornamentation;
cement is the foundation of purist furniture from the furniture house of 'cantate'. pandomo®-frontal fulfills the most rigorous demands regarding durability. the external surface – without joints – is one of a kind, with an amazing appearance which makes every piece unique. each piece is hand-made furniture characterized by a variety of colors, shades and various etchings and patterns. the intersection of opposites – rugged and smooth surfaces – gives a changeable effect to the appearance of the surface under various lighting angles, which highlights the liveliness of the unique material which is applied to a thickness of just 5 mm, using a special spraying technique. this technique gives a load capacity generally reserved for wood floors or natural stone ::

by:: 'Zack Design' & 'Cantate' (Germany)

save 20% of ink and toner

:: the prints we make for our 'daily use' not only use paper, but also ink. according to 'spranq creative communications' (nl) your ink cartridges (or ink toner) could last longer. they have therefore developed a new font: the 'ecofont'.
"After dutch holey cheese, there now is a dutch font with holes as well."
appealing ideas are often simple: how much of a letter can be removed while maintaining readability? after extensive testing with all kinds of shapes, the best results were achieved using small circles. after lots of late hours (and coffee) this resulted in a font that uses up to 20% less ink. free to download, free to use. ::

ecofont ... simply idea, huge environmental and financial impact (especially since printer ink is more expensive than 'champagner')
... for windows, linux, and mac os ...

'tree planting'

gift of green® - prove you care, plant a tree for someone special.

:: when you buy someone a 'gift of green', one native tree is planted in an ecosystem restoration project in the united states. the recipient also receives a plantable ornament made of seed paper, plus a card telling them about the environmental benefits of their tree. you can even send a personalized message. 'gift of green' sustainable products make an eco-statement and are suitable for any occasion. ::

i'm not really into all of their design ideas - but i think that's not important here... ;-)

products of 'green mountain energy'

nice idea to recycle soda cans...

...not that we actually have any soda cans in the house...


:: recycling a soda can has never been so much fun! with the 'tin can robot' kit kids can transform recycled soda cans into robots. a soda can, one aa battery, and a screw driver is all that's needed. ::

cardboard play house and mobile doll house

a sturdy cardboard play house.
:: 'casa cabana' comes decorated with a cat on a tree, a small ant, a rabbit and a squirrel and still more than enough room to color, paint and decorate your very own casa cabana. let it be your tree house, mansion or hiding shed. give it as many names as you like …– and do you want to be left alone a bit? … put a sign ‘no trespassing’. 'casa cabana' has a door, seven windows and many spy holes. ::
dimensions:: h.105 cm x w.70 cm x d.70 cm
weight:: about 3 kgs

this 'mobile home' doll house is easy to install, easy to carry. with 8 rooms, stair openings and spy holes. and an attic for storage. for knights, pirates and princesses. it folds up flat, making it easy for play dates and weekend trips. for on the road, when staying over. for a day in the park, or on holidays.
dimensions:: h.46 cm x w.22,5 cm x d.36 cm
it is even available in the moma store.

design by:: kids on roof (nl)
they like imaginative and colorful designed objects. they believe less is more.

and sustainability is a key issue to them:: their cardboard products are made of recycled paper and biodegrable.

environment.furniture

this is a really nice bed. real wood, environmentally sustainable, simple design, and it looks great next to exposed concrete!
not to mention that i would like to live there, too...

'santos bed' (see pdf file) by:: environment.furniture (los angeles, ca)

:: we put the chic in eco-chic ::

seen in 'dwell magazine'

another nice e-car

remember my post about the tesla roadster by tesla motors (ca) about a year ago?

here is a very stylish european answer to the californian e-car design::

mindset six50 - a four-seater hybrid car with roof-top solar panels

:: ... the driver can choose between two modes of driving. in the electro-mode – which is emissions-free – the built-in electric motor is used, with a fully- charged battery guaranteeing a range of over 100 kilometers. in the hybrid mode an optional, compact combustion engine is activated additionally, which, at a constant optimal engine speed, functions as an electricity generator for the battery charge, boosting the cruising range to over 800 kilometers.
according to mindset the 95hp motor should enable speeds of up to 140km/h and acceleration from 0-100km/h in under six seconds. the company, which is based in switzerland plans to roll out 10,000 of the cars by late 2009, at an estimated asking price of 50,000 euros. ::

company:: mindset ag (spirt avert ag, switzerland),
design (and ceo):: mürat günek , previously car designer at mercedes-benz and vw

wooden radio

the 'magno radio' - a nice mix of retro style and modern design

hand-crafted in indonesia and made from sustainably harvested wood instead of non-biodegradable plastic... they only use trees from plantation and care for the re-plantation in their hometown

design:: singgih kartono (magno, indonesia)
award winning

2008 release of 'concrete countertops' (book+dvd)

i'm in heaven. one of my favorite diy books will appear in a new addition::


about this book:
:: in seven simple steps, the clear, complete directions in this book and companion dvd give you everything you need to create a customized concrete countertop that's functional and attractive.
if building a concrete countertop doesn't strike you as a traditional home improvement project, you're right. but the detailed advice and step-by-step illustrations in the book, plus valuable demonstrations on the dvd, will help you create a flawless countertop in just two weeks -- all with basic tools and materials.
for a fraction of the price you'd pay for granite, marble or any artificial material like corian, you can make a beautiful concrete countertop to suit any décor. and by taking a complicated process and making it so utterly simple, best-selling author 'fu-tung cheng' makes your job enjoyable, affordable and rewarding. ::

paperback + dvd
by:: 'fu-tung cheng' (chengdesign, berkeley/ca, us)
publisher:: 'the taunton press inc.' (newtown/ct, us)
release date:: 12/02/2008

see offer and movie @ amazon.com

ecosmart concrete

concrete goes 'green'. thanks!

:: there is an increasing demand for concrete worldwide, estimated to double within the next 30 years. how can that demand be met without a corresponding increase in greenhouse gases? by using supplementary cementing materials (SCM) to replace a maximum amount of the cement in concrete, we can reduce energy and resource consumption, reduce CO2 emissions, and lessen the negative environmental impact. there is a further environmental benefit in that most commonly used SCMs (such as fly ash) are waste products and would otherwise end up in landfills
'ecosmart™ concrete' is produced by replacing cement in the concrete mix with an optimum amount of supplementary cementing material, such as fly ash, a by-product of coal fired power plants ::

by:: ecosmart™ foundation inc. (vancouver, bc, canada)

concrete that 'eats' air pollution

:: 'tx active' is a photocatalytic principle for cement products which can reduce organic and inorganic pollutants that are present in the air....
since its first utilization in rome, the development and improvement of this type of cement has been relentless; if the early cements were effective in keeping the surfaces clean, the level of photoactivity of the new environment line is such that it abates the organic and inorganic substances responsible for air pollution. ::

by:: 'italcement' (italy)

the active principle 'tx active' was used for the first time in 1996 for the production of the precast blocks that, once in place, would have formed the three imposing sails in the 'dives in misericordia' church designed by richard meier in rome.


see article in 'ny times' :: the vatican's modernist moment; a church designed by richard meier is consecrated in rome ::

project:: jubilee church (la chiesa del dio padre misericordioso) rome, italy 1996-2003
architect:: richard meier (us)

cool ethical pots

recently i posted this about my new ::concrete:: planters in my bathroom. now i was asked where i got them from.

in fact they are fake. it's 'terracino lite'
:: an evolutionary range of eco-products made from a combination of terracotta and 100% natural elements. it has been developed and created to offer a unique item to meet all of the requirements of the plant pot enthusiast, namely light weight and a healthy environment for the plants thanks to its natural water absorption and release.
'terracino lite' is available in 3 color shades: terracotta, charcoal & green. ::

i choose charcoal that looks like concrete. i like this product. very light weight!

they are made by 'terracino pro natura' (italy). and this is an ethical manufacturer.
their code is based on a few but very perceptual conducts, a factory brand must accomplish to be considered as 'ethical'::
- NO to child labor
- NO to forced labor
- YES to a minimum impact to the environment ...
- ...

organic and fairtrade fashion

'armedangels' (cologne, germany) is a fashion label that combines style and ethics. it creates stylish fashion made with
:: an uncompromising rejection of child labor, wage exploitation and environmental pollution. ::
everythings @ 'armedangels' is made from 100% organic cotton and manufactured under 'fair trade' standards. the best is they donate part of the money to the charity 'read india' in pratham/india that helps kids to learn writing and reading.


the same is true for santa monica (ca) based label 'social awearness'. they also follow the philosophy organic, fair trade, no sweat shops, ...

:: if we all do a little today, it will have a huge impacts on tomorrow ::

i couldn't agree more...

'green' home products

i found this nice online shop. 2 designers (anu suominen from finland, monica potvin from spain) offer products made of eco-smart materials

:: charming objects for living made as sustainable as possible! ::

by the way:: i like the 'sunjar'...

bag the bag

:: paper or plastic? edward norton describes a simple, easy step everyone can take to help clean up the environment ::
please watch the video on the 'national geographic' website.

i totally agree... i always use the cool bag i got from 'method'.

'interior weeds'

this would probably be the only place in my home where 'weeds' would be very welcome... really cool idea!

:: ... 'interior weeds' is a project about nature. the way that weeds emerge and grow in the streets, are ... a beautiful thing. it shows the power of plants in our human environment. with the center piece you can create an interior plantation from street weeds, or other personal selection of plants. ... ::

design:: arwin caljouw (nl)
via:: 'labour of heart'

textile made out of concrete

concrete textile, a curtain made out of concrete ("betonvorhang" in german) ... a really nice idea that just has been awarded in the red dot awards competition in 2008.
as you can imagine, i like the look of exposed concrete ... and this textile will be very long-lasting ... in that sense, very eco-friendly.

design:: memux (thomas mennel, reinhard muxel)
producer:: oberhauser & schedler bau gmbh, hermann rudolph baustoffwerk gmbh
via:: 'dezeen'

recubed low stool ... reclaimed wood + concrete

design:: 'acronym designs'

:: this indoor/outdoor recubed low stool is made with a reclaimed walnut hardwood top + concrete base. the reclaimed top uses the cutoff from the manufacturing of reclaimed flooring, extending the life of this quality material even further. ::

via:: 'vivavi'

dirt(y) floors

eco-friendly 'dirt floors' (here in el cerrito, ca) are at the forefront of the movement towards 'natural building' - using materials that have had the least amount of processing:: ... dirt is mixed with lime and sand to harden and after two weeks is sealed with linseed oil and beeswax ... (via 'nyt')

eco-friendly toys for grownups ...

... yes, a downright cool toy for mom + dad. sorry, this time not for the kids ...
the tesla roadster by:: tesla motors (ca) ... if only there wouldn't be this huge price tag (~$100k).
i'm not even sure what i like best:: the remarkably cool sports car design or the fact that it is 100 % electric + the tires & the battery are recyclable ... now how green is this!? well, maybe it's the mix of both that i like so much + the proof - once again - that eco-friendly doesn't have to be ugly.
... perhaps, if i show santa, that i can be a really good girl ...
via:: 'newsweek'