Sustainable is Good | Where design, lifestyle and packaging meet

New Balance newSKY Shoes

New Balance has been doing some innovative things with eco-friendly materials in their shoes.  Several years ago they released the 070 shoe which was a big hit.  The 070 was made with materials like rPET and rice husks and constructed using water-based solvents.  I was a big fan of the 070.

Recently the company released its latest venture in eco shoes the newSKY shoe.  Available in both a mens and womens version the newSKY features an upper made of 95% rPET.  Each shoe is made from rPET fabric which comes from recycled PET plastic bottles.  The bottles are cleaned and made into a flake material which is then spun into a very durable and versatile rPET fabric.  Each pair of newSKY shoes is made with the equivalent of eight 20oz plastic bottles.

I've been trying the newSKY shoes for a week or so now and I have to say I really enjoy them.  They are incredibly minimal in terms of design.  The shoes are lightweight - what I would imagine a ballet shoe feeling like - but they are also surprisingly durable and warm. One thing I did notice was they seem to be a bit more narrow than a standard shoe so factor that in when choosing your size.

The New Balance newSKY are available in several color configurations in both a men's and women's shoe for about $95

 

 

Conscious Box Lets Consumers Try Variety of Green Products

Conscious Box is a new concept in the green marketplace.  Consumers subscribe and each month receive a box of eco-friendly and natural products.  The products have all been carefully screened and reviewed by the staff at Conscious Box before being included.  Companies cannot buy their way into having their products included in the box.

Why is this an interesting idea?  Well I think most consumers who are looking for green or more eco-friendly products will appreciate being able to try products before committing to buy a larger size version. 

With green products there is constant change in the marketplace with new products popping up and other ones failing.  The Conscious Box allows a consumer to try a number of products in small quantities before buying them at the store. 

Lets face it eco-friendly products are expensive and some of them don't work out as we had hoped.  Also many green consumers are highly concerned about waste if a product doesn't work out or isn't something they like.  Conscious Box allows the consumer to try products.

Another interesting feature of the Conscious Box is its packaging.  The makers of Conscious Box placed a high level of importance on making the box and the shipping container as green as possible.  They worked with Salazar Packaging in Chicago to develop the ideal packaging solution for their product. 

Dennis Salazar, president of Salazar Packaging and a SISG contributor said the box and shipper are made from 100% recycled corrugated content produced by wind power.  He told SISG the Conscious Box team was adamant about using the greenest possible packaging.

Read more about the packaging for Conscious Box at Inside Sustainable Packaging

Ekobrew Reusable K-Cup for Keurig Coffee Machines

 

Finally a refillable K-Cup that people actually like is available for Keurig Coffee machines.  The Ekobrew was developed by the Seattle based company Eko Brands and is designed to allow consumers to use their own coffee in Keurig K-Cup machines.

The Ekobrew starts to address a major problem with the K-Cup systems - waste.  Estimates have more than five million K-Cups being discarded annually by consumers in the US. 

The overwhelming majority of consumer reviews and feedback on the Ekobrew are positive.

What amazes me about this is Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) who own Keurig didn't develop this themselves.  The company was pushing a refillable K-Cup called My K-Cup but it had mixed reviews and never really caught on with consumers.  In addition there had always been talk about developing a more eco-friendly K-Cup but that never seemed to take off.

See previous coverage on the K-Cup problem. 

30 Fathom Doormats Reuse Canadian Lobster Trap Rope

I heard about 30 Fathom Doormats while on Grand Manan a couple months ago and paid a visit Claus Wolter, the man behind the company.

Wolter, an accomplished rowing coach both in the US and Canada lives on the island and became interested in making a product from used lobster trap rope. 

He explained to me outside his workshop near Grand Harbour that lobster fisherman routinely invest around $100 per trap and if there is any problem even slight with the rope they'll choose to discard it rather than risking losing the trap.  This practice creates a problem - tons and tons of discarded lobster trap rope.

The rope used in lobster fishing is high quality and durable so Wolter started thinking of things to do with it.  Inspired by creations he'd seen elsewhere he started experimenting with weaving doormats.  After much work he developed a method he was happy with and began producing colorful doormats from reclaimed rope. 

Each doormat uses between 150 and 180 feet of used rope which is approximately 30 fathoms.  Wolter told me that after being profiled in the Chronicle Herald out of Halifax, Nova Scotia he began receiving calls from fisherman offering to donate their used rope rather than discard it.

Wolter sells his doormats at a number of stores in Canada and he can be found every Saturday during the summer at the Grand Manan Farmers Market.  He is able to ship his creations to customers in the US so check out his website and help keep discarded rope from being land filled or incinerated.

John Cho Moore Sustainable Bamboo Bags

Beauty Through Bamboo

Its always nice to see a designer work with sustainable materials used for many many years and really think about every element that goes into a product.  John Cho Moore a RISD grad who is now based in San Francisco builds beautifully constructed bags.  John also makes intelligently designed wallets check his Facbook page for more info. 

I like to see people design and build products built to last many years made from time tested materials.  It is products like these that are the ultimate in sustainablity as they rarely need to be replaced.

Bamboo Bottle Finally Available

The much anticipated Bamboo Bottle is available for purchase.   The bottle features a removable glass interior and very cool looking bamboo exterior held together by #5 PP plastic components on each end.

I received a Bamboo Bottle late last week and have been trying it this weekend.  The bottle is great.  The only negative I see is its weight.  I think the bottle is ideal as a reusable bottle at home or at work.  Its weight may make it not practical for hikers concerned about such issues.

I like how the bottle is easy to break apart and clean.  The glass interior is also very convenient as it can be easily handwashed or put in a dishwasher.  The bottle's durablity also seems to be very good.  The bamboo exterior acts as a protective shell for the glass.

Bamboo Bottle is certainly the type of reusable bottle that will turn heads.  Its size, design and functionality make it worth considering if you are in the market for a reusable bottle.

If You Care FSC Certified Household Latex Gloves

Looking for an ecologically sound household latex glove check out the FSC certified latex gloves from If You Care.  These gloves are made in a responsible fashion using rubber from FSC certified plantations. The company also pays the rubber tappers a fair trade premium.

We've been using the gloves for various household duties for about a month now and are very impressed.  The original pair has held up well after near daily use for dish washing.  The fit is comfortable and the gloves are long enough to cover up the tip of a shirt sleeve. 

So skip the conventional disposable gloves and choose a more sustainable product the next time you're in need of a pair. 

S'well Reusable Water Bottle is Impressive

I've had the chance to try a whole host of reusable water bottles since SISG lauched back in 2007.  Let me say any reusable water bottle is better than buying bottled water - there is no dispute on that point. 

A reusable water bottle is at its core a simple item.  As the market has grown some have offered fancy interchangeble tops and colorful exterior designs.  

The S'well bottle was introduced late in 2010 and is the design of founder Sarah Krauss.  Sarah was kind enough to send me a bottle to check out and I have to say I was impressed.

I took the S'well bottle with me on a recent trip to Colorado that took me to Rocky Mountain National Park among other places. 

The S'well bottle resembles an old fashioned soda pop bottle in its shape and design.  I'll be honest when I first saw the S'well bottle the shape didn't appeal to me.  However after using it for a week both the shape and the functionality of the bottle stand out as superior to many of the others I've tried.

The most important feature of the 17oz stainless steel lined S'well is its ability to keep liquids hot or cold for many hours due to the fact its insulated.  If you are a water drinker this feature alone makes it worth considering. 

My S'well kept water cold for hours out in the field - I was amazed.  The cap is easy to put on and take off making accessing its contents a breeze.  Because the bottle is tall and slender it reduces bulk when stored in a pack.

I have nothing but praise for the S'well bottle.  If you're in the market for a new reusable bottle the S'well is worth a look.  Its available direct from S'well for about $35.

Plumen 001 Designer Eco Lightbulbs Coming to U.S. Market

Eco conscious lighting has until now been almost exclusively designed for functionality and efficiency. 

Plumen has changed that with the Plumen 001 billed as the worlds first designer low energy light bulb.

Designed by Hulger and Samuel Wilkinson the bulb is a modern take on the Edison bulb with a dynamic sculptured form far different than the rather dull but functional designs of most CFL lights. 

Plumen gets its name from the word 'plume' - a bird's show feather, designed to attract attention to a bird's prowess and beauty. 

The Plumen 001 has tremendous potential for both residential and commerical / retail applications.

The Plumen 001 has been available in Europe but coming in late April it will be available in a version designed for the US market. 

The 001 draws 11 watts and produces 680 lumens with a lifespan of about eight years.

I'm excited about the Plumen 001 - anything to encourage more people to use and incorporate energy efficient lighting is a positive in my mind.  Designers will love this light.

A Plumen low-energy concept light bulb is part of the permanent collection at MoMA.

Plumen 001 @ Storm in Copenhagen

Maine's Own Organic Milk MOO Milk Gains Support

After a group of nine Maine Organic Dairy farm families were dropped by their previous milk processor H.P. Hood they banded together to form Maine's Own Organic Milk (MOO Milk for short) and sell their product direct to grocery stores.

The new company has been having a tough time getting their product into stores since forming last year.  But recently has had some key successes and gotten national exposure thanks to a piece in the New York Times last week.   The young company still needs the support of locals and food lovers who want to buy organic milk and support local farmers.

MOO Milk is available in many Hannaford grocery stores in Maine and fifteen Whole Foods stores in Maine and Massachusetts.  Their milk is also available at Harvest Co-Op in Boston.

MOO Milk reminded me of a similar cooperative here in Rhode Island called RhodyFresh which is a group of Rhode Island dairy farmers who banded together several years ago to save what was becoming a dying industry in the Ocean State.  Rhody Fresh milk has become a great success and enjoyed tremendous community support.

The farmers in Maine who formed MOO Milk face one primary challenge that Rhode Island farmers didn't have to contend with and that is distance their milk must travel in order to reach a processing center for distribution.

The group is working to overcome these challenges and with the recent addition of their products in Whole Foods stores in Massachusetts they are tapping into a large market.

Farmer Aaron Bell and Carly DelSignore's dairy farm in Washington County Maine.  The couple is determined to keep the dairy industry alive in the county. 

Photo from the Chase's Organic Dairy Farm in Mapleton, Maine.  Chase's is part of the MOO Milk group.

Photo of the line of retail milk products from MOO Milk.  Packaged in standard carton packaging.