Many furniture companies have tried to branch into the green market with a line of bamboo outdoor furniture here or a sustainably-manufactured chair there. But California-based Environment chose to focus the mission of the company solely in the green market, making all of their products environmentally friendly. This translates into a holistically considered approach to making new objects, from researching and utilizing reclaimed materials to responsibly using resources and alternative manufacturing processes.

A great example of where Environment is willing to take their low-impact ethic is the E’pack collection of seating, occasionals, planters and lamps that debuted in Milan in April. Creative Director Jean Marie Massaud conceived of the line of products to explore what can be done with sustainable materials when combined with fundamental simplicity and functionality. The “E” in e’pack stands for efficient, environmental, and economical, all concepts that serve as an essential trio of sustainability standards. These “E” concepts are expressed in pieces that are light, compact, foldable, and constructed with materials like organically tanned leather or high-tech light materials such as Tyvek, highlighting the intelligence in their creation.

French designer Marc Berthier created Walter, a versatile indoor-outdoor chair with cushions of reclaimed leather and army tent fabric, and an upcycled billboard canvas slipcover. A nice detail is the latticed leather tie-back to attach the slipcover. The chair’s collapsible wooden frame allows for easy and economical shipping and storage. The simple frame celebrates both the beauty in the untreated wood and the exposed construction mechanisms.

The stools and coffee table known as “Edgar” are simple half-hexagonal block forms of wood, covered in organically tanned leather sleeves, and fastened with a yellow pull cord. And the Gatsby is essentially a sack container, made of organically dyed leather or organic cotton canvas, with a silver Tyvek lining. Suggested uses are as a planter or magazine holder.

And finally, Grace, the most dramatic part of the collection, consists of poufy pillow lighting made of Tyvek. Light is nicely and softly dispersed through the Tyvek, in either a giant, long hanging cloud version or a smaller hanging floor lamp version with a wooden arm. The floor lamp is counterbalanced via a canvas belt at its base, meant to secure books or magazines. Overall the series conveys a sensitive and elegant, yet playful take on where sustainability and furniture meet.

One of the hallmarks of design innovation is the ability to take something that’s mundane and transform it into something new and exciting. Well we can’t think of a more fitting example of that than the wildly creative and fun dumpster pools that popped up on one of New York City‘s busiet streets, Park Avenue, this summer. Made from actual dumpsters that were cleaned out, painted and fitted with all of the appropriate parts, these unlikely watering holes really made a splash with the public. Talk about taking something that is trash-y (literally) and turning into treasure through the magic of smart design!

Conceived by Macro Sea, the pools began humbly as guerrilla installations in a backyard of secret location in Brooklyn. Jocko Weyland, David Belt, and Alix Feinkind, the founders of Macro Sea said that their hope for the project was that it would show people that “with not too much expense you can creatively reuse what is basically considered urban detritus and make something really cool and fun and also fairly easy to put together.” Our thoughts exactly!

And it’s pretty obvious that the design trio succeeded in their goal because this summer, the New York City Mayor’s Office and the Department of Transportation invited them to participate in NYC’s Third Annual 2010 Summer Streets event. Hundreds of New Yorkers dumpster dove (literally) in Macro Sea logo-emblazoned pools and hung out at the surrounding “lo-fi country club.” Lined up along Park Avenue and decked out with all the trimmings you would expect a real pool to have (safety railings, depth indicator signage, and even lifeguards, you could hardly recognize these big, red former trash receptacles. This is one case of clever adaptive reuse that was executed swimmingly.

+ Macro Sea

Many of us have tried to do our part in eliminating plastic bag usage, toting along a varied assortment of trusty reusable bags on shopping trips (or guiltily buying even more from their omnipresent hangout next to the checkout counter). But often every item we toss in those bags is contained within layers of packaging. Taking this into consideration and taking the leap to eliminate most food packaging, Catherine Conway opened the Unpackaged Grocery Shop in London.

The shop is essentially a thoughtful expansion of the small bulk foods sections in regular grocery stores. Most of the store’s product is sold sans-packaging, and the small amount of goods that do have packaging are easily recyclable. Customers are encouraged to bring their own selection of containers to fill as needed, and reusable containers and bags are available for purchase and/or borrowing when needed.

Nuts, grains, beans, rice, herbs, spices, and dried fruit make up many of the dry staples sold at Unpackaged. But wait, there are also refillable oils, vinegars and natural wines too. And of course, in keeping with their vision, all of their goods are certified organic or from sources known to have sustainable practices. All this is presented in an understated and inviting, old market-style setting with black & white check floors, hand-written label cards and generous silver scoopers.

The concept is a great one in many ways. It eliminates all of that pesky landfill excess, and it also saves both the manufacturer and consumer money, with one less step separating the two. But it also allows customers to customize their purchases more, both in how much of what they buy and in what they choose for packaging.

I often don’t finish off jars of spices before they are no longer fresh. With more options like Unpackaged, I can buy 1/4 the amount that usually comes in a jar, keep reusing the same jar for fresh spices, and be much more efficient. This way, I’m also more aware of what I’m using and how much, and can adjust my buying habits accordingly.

And the most fun part…being able to customize the containers you choose for your goods. Prefer to keep your rice in a shoebox? Now you can bring that special shoebox straight to the store, and have your rice ready to go. But maybe you’re not the shoebox type, and prefer to keep your grains, nuts, oils, etc in reusable glass jars (because they are just begging to be re-used, right?).

Designer Jorre van Ast wisely honed in on our natural inclination to refill those jelly, salsa, and sauce jars with new ingredients in his Jar Tops for Royal VKB (http://shop.royalvkb.com/shopexd.asp?id=411&menu=2). The polypropylene lids fit onto generic jars, transforming them into jars-with-a-purpose, as shakers, cruets and pourers. With a couple sets of the jar tops, some old jelly jars and a few reusable bags in hand, you can go from Unpackaged (if you live in London) to home and back again without creating any waste.

Anytime an article about alternative building methods makes it way to my desk or rss reader, I’m fascinated about what I learn — and about what’s happening in this hopeful field. But I’ve never been as intrigued as I am by the building method I learned about last month: Superadobe.

Superadobe was developed over 30 years by architect Nader Khalili. It’s a building system that uses only two materials, earth and barbed wire, and it was created with the idea of “housing as a basic human right, and on the economic empowerment of people by participating in creating their own homes and communities, while at the same time addressing today’s global needs: preserving natural resources and energy, halting deforestation, slowing pollution and global warming, promoting health, healing communities and cultures shattered by globalization, sheltering the homeless and refugees.”

Although it’s new-to-me, Superadobe is apparently well-praised already:

Reuters International News agency: “I thought it was amazing. It is a hidden treasure,” said Omar Bakhet, director of the Emergency Response Division at the U.N. …”I don’t think there’s a risk, it’s a proven technology, it’s cost effective, you need very little building material, just what nature gives you. So simple it can be learned by everybody.”

CNN: “They meet all building codes, are energy efficient, weather tight, and so solid they passed the most gruelling stress tests.”

BBC: “The buildings are cool in summer and warm in winter, probably the most environmentally friendly homes you’ll ever come across.”

Since hearing about it, and studying what I can find on the topic, it seems to me that Superabode is design-problem-solving at it’s best. It’s a material that can be formed and shaped to be both beautiful and functional. It’s made from materials that are universally accessible. It’s almost free. And once trained in the building method, virtually anyone can build themselves a home with it. Impressive!

You can find lots of photos of structures made with superadobe here.

Though the step of separating recycling from our trash has been demanded and (relatively) well implemented for years, composting has been slower to catch on. One big de-motivator to bringing composting into our daily routines is a lack of resources, especially in urban areas. But some cities have finally leveled the playing field, facilitating composting by putting citywide programs in place. San Francisco, Minneapolis, Toronto, and Boulder all have curbside composting programs in place, and in San Francisco separating compost has been mandatory since 2009.

San Francisco bin system: compost (green), recycling (blue), trash (black)

Now that we city dwellers can walk out our doors and neatly dispose of separated trash, recycling, and compost bags, what’s stopping us? Food scraps can account for around 30% of the trash in landfills, and adding composting to our daily routines can hugely decrease our landfill impact—this should be a no-brainer.

One well-known deterrent is the perception that compost is, simply put, gross; the act of micro-organisms decomposing organic material can be some pretty nasty business, after all. Slimy fruit and vegetable pieces and parts, rotting, decomposing, and mixing together, don’t exactly make composting the most enchanting chore. Those blessed with outdoor space and gardens can accept the “ick” much more easily than urban dwellers, with outdoor compost bins and the added benefit of seeing the results of their hardwork in their own gardens.  The simplest answers are small, out-of-sight counter bins that keep your rubbish airtight and out of sight before you take it to the curb.

The company RSVP International makes several simple designs of “compost pails.” The functional and subtle bamboo, stainless steel, and ceramic pails look nice enough to sit on your counter while what’s inside goes undetected. Each has a plastic liner, lid with vents, replaceable charcoal filter in the lid to keep odors contained, and handle for easy transport to the curb or backyard compost bin.

RSVP International’s Bamboo Compost Bin

Designer Chris Kirby produced a more artistic take on the issue with the “Compost Vase.” The two-part ceramic vase can be used for scraping food waste into while cooking or as a bone dish on the dinner table, and then regally stands on end. Kirby hopes his solution “affords an esteemed treatment of food waste collection.” The well-considered white ceramic ‘vase’ puts a new perspective on what we think of as ‘trash’ and how we deal with it.

Chris Kirby’s Compost Vase

Fuccillo’s freezer bin, up top, offers a simple but unique approach to the compost container. Essentially a small silicone tub, the idea behind the bin is to collect your organic matter in the freezer, keeping it from rotting and stinking while in your home. It’s designed to fit into even small freezer/fridge combos. To empty, you simply pop out the flexible silicone bottom.

For those who still want to create their own compost in their kitchens and can afford to go higher-tech and automatic with the process, Nature Mill created indoor self-composting bins. Just plug in the motorized bin, scrape your leftovers into the top compartment, and push a button. The sealed tumbler breaks down fruits and veggies, but also meat, fish, dairy, and pet waste. A light indicates that the ‘dirt’ is ready to go within a few weeks.

Nature Mill’s Compost Bin

Though these examples go a long way towards making composting more appealing, there is still a need for design solutions that can make the process second nature for us all. Recognizing this, Quirky, a “social product development company,” partnered with online retailer Uncommon Goods to develop a new design for kitchen composting.

The result is Keiro, a “kitchen compost grinder.” Keiro adds an extra component to the airtight counter bins, basically allowing you to shred your food waste. The shredder boasts a sustainably-produced BioResin material and a replaceable filter. The grinding and breaking-down of the organic matter makes it more compost-ready, whether it’s headed to the curb for city collection or your backyard compost bin.

Quirky Keiro Kitchen Compost Grinder

We still have a ways to go before composting becomes as second-nature as recycling and taking out the trash. But, it’s nice to see the issue being dealt with in different ways, especially knowing that getting over our smelly food scraps and composting them can decrease landfill size and create nutrient-rich soil for plants.

As consumers, we are in a state of constant craving, guided by our radar for all that is new. Sadly, this insatiable desire is not in keeping with a sustainable lifestyle, so a product that allows us to show the world our latest face without disposing of an item and replacing it with something new is a real treasure. Meins Taschen is just the ticket.

Designed in Cologne by Gudrun Geyssel, the Meins Taschen series of bags has been created to be personalized by the user. Each bag has a group of plastic windows that are used to reveal hints about the user’s personality. Insert small objects, photos or special bits of ephemera that speak volumes about jobs, hobbies or passions. Or simply items that make you happy. Follow a theme or go random. The beauty of these bags is that your mini “installation” can be changed up at will. No need to buy a new bag.

The sturdy Meins bags are handcrafted out of used sailcloth and have from one to four transparent windows that display small treasures. The windows have Velcro closures, so it is very easy to make changes. The sailcloth is a light, neutral colour with orange stitching that makes it more unique – the simplicity of this fresh palette has been chosen to contrast with our already hectic lives.

Imagine a scenario where two Meins owners meet and acknowledge their great taste. What if they each had items that could be exchanged? Isn’t it more interesting to engage in dialogue to find common ground than to merely glance at a trademark to determine tribe?

The Meins Taschen concept is valuable because it allows us to reflect not only upon items we already have and love, but ideas and memories as well. Why succumb to the logos and branding of others, when we have the chance to act as our own designers? And if a bag can promote communication and interaction at a time that is too often cold, well, that’s another kind of sustainability that we need to cultivate.