Recycled Lighting

We are all encouraged to switch to more energy efficient light bulbs and, apart from the lower energy consumption, they offer an interesting benefit - new designs for lampshades.

As the low energy bulbs generate very little heat, a wider variety of heat sensitive materials can now be use for light fittings, particularly plastic which would have melted if placed close to the old stye incandescent bulbs.

Someone who has grasped this opportunity with both hands is designer Sarah Turner.

She makes beautiful light fittings from recycled plastic bottles.

The lamp shown here is from the ‘Lily’ range which are made from  either 9 or 12 two litre drinks bottles. You can buy them on their own or with a table lamp base.

The Sprite bottle's colour makes the inside sections green with the outside white, but when switched on these colours seem to reverse and make the lamp truly stunning! Also available in plain white in both sizes.

For more stunning designs, which you can now buy online, visit Sarah’s website www.sarahturner.co.uk

Sarah  has just been shortlisted for a competition over at Inhabitiat.com so, if you would like to make her day, you can vote for her here : and then simply click on the green leaf vote symbol at the top of the page.

Recycled Jewellery to Customise Yourself

Choice is EVERYTHING and now you can make your own ‘accessory’ decisions and be a little eco-friendly at the same time.

'Shains' are new customisable environmentally friendly accessories and jewellery for children, teens and adults which have interchangeable letters and icons for you to say what you mean and wear it proudly!

You buy all the pieces individually (or in small packs) and then clip them onto arm bands or cuffs.

Key Features

• Made of recycled materials
• Bracelets & Cuffs are made of recycled TRE (Thermoplastic Elastomer, a rubber)
• Elements are made of recycled ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
• Packaging is made of recycled papers
• Product is recyclable when you are ready to go and get new ones.
• Shainsware gives back a percentage of net profits to environmental organizations.

Everything Shains produces is certified lead free.

Have a look at the various elements on www.ticktocktrading.com

[Via Hippyshopper]

Dimmable Eco Bulbs – At Last

One of the really irritating things about those eco bulbs (CFL’s) we are constantly asked to put into our homes is that you can’t dime then. Enter the ‘Electronic Garden’ an interactive installation by Jason Bruges for Green Peace and the 100% Design show, held in September at London’s Earl’s Court.



Jason, who we have featured on the EcoList previously, was commissioned by Green Peace to produce this ground breaking installation as a way of drawing attention to the new dimmable low energy bulbs and to show that they can be stylish and versatile.

For more details visit the Green Peace website where this video is also available along with more details about the installation and these new dimmable bulbs.

Recycled Glass with Style

A few years ago there were a couple of examples of companies using old glass bottles and recycling them into new products. Today there is a vast choice available and at www.allthingsgreen.net, they are featuring some of the best.

They include tumblers from recycled Coke bottles, high ball glasses from recycled Budweiser bottles and jugs made from recycled Jack Daniels bottles. You will also find shot glasses, vases and carafes.

The prices are reasonable, all can be ordered online and you not only have a quirky glass product but keep thousands of bottles out of landfill.

For more information visit: www.allthingsgreen.net

Paper Bottles

We all try to do our bit by recycling our plastic bottles but it seems it amounts to around 14% of the total 60 million plastic bottles thrown away each day (in the USA anyway). What we do recycle helps but the rest ends up in our land fill. A lot of that 60 million are water bottles.

So, how about paper bottles? Design company ‘Brandimage’ have come up with a concept bottle made entirely of renewable and recycled paper which is strong enough to contain liquid. Not surprisingly this just received an International Design Excellence Award.

Put into production, and accepted by us as a design icon, this might just be the tool to remove all those plastic water bottles from the supermarket shelves - and the land fill!

[Via Dvice ]

What to do with Old Cassette Tapes

Following on from the item about recycling old VHS tapes, here is a very elegant solution to using up all those old cassette taps you will probably have left over from the 1908’s!

Dutch designer Patrick Schuur, has come up with this storage unit clad in 918 cassette tapes. He suggests that this could find a place as an office space divider or a simple storage solution in the bedroom.

Before you throw away those cassettes, and that battered old piece of furniture, you might like to combine for a similar result!

[ Via Ecofriend ]

Solar Powered Urban Lighting

There are solar powered garden lights in many garden which collect energy during the day to power a small LED light during the evening. Generally they are low power and often ugly.

Enter the solar Sunflower. This elegant design works in a similar way to current garden solar lighting but on a brighter, larger, scale. During the day the solar cells, on the top of the stem, collect energy then use it at night to power the bright LEDs built into the head.

Designed for easy attachment of directional signs or display banners this might just be a simple solution to keeping us illuminated and informed.

[Via Ecofriend]

Put a Tyre in Your Bag

Well, part of one at least.

These pencil cases used to be tyres and are part of a range of smart recycled product from Remarkable. They also produce notebooks from recycled juice cartons and pencils which once used to be video cassettes. It seems that recycled products don't have to be dull.

Power Purse

One of the problems with eco and solar power products is that they are often badly designed or simply uninspired.

Not so the Power Purse by Joe Hynek. The surface is covered in small solar cells producing an attractive pattern. These don’t look like they have just been ‘stuck on’. Power generated by the cells is sent to an electronic circuit inside the lining of the bag and then onto two inbuilt batteries which can hold energy for up to a month. A USB port is built into the inside of the bag so that you can attach your mp3 player or phone to charge it.

The bag needs around 2 hours of sunlight on its surface to fully charge a mobile phone. The estimated cost is around £150 which is probably a drop in the ocean for the fashion, techno savvy, 21st century woman.

The handbag is due to go on sale online by the end of this year.

For more information, visit www.solarjo.com

[Via Ecofriend]

Future Lighting

As we just start to incorporate Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) into our lives and take advantage of there reduction in power consumption and long lives, there is something new on the horizon which might offer us even more.

OLED’s (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) have been around for a while but are now beginning to be considered for domestic and commercial lighting. What is interesting about them is that they contain no mercury, are flat and flexible. When not switched on they appear transparent, when on they give off a cool even light.

GE, are clearly very excited about the possibilities and have put together an appealing web presentation which is well worth a look. The light fitting, illustrated here, is just one suggestion of how these flat panels can be incorporated into domestic design.

They can also be curved to fit architectural surfaces, used as entire, luminous, wall panels and are fully dimmable. Not yet in the shops but intriguing enough to, hopefully, attract some inspired designers. View the animation at: www.efactormedia.com

Recycled News Bench

This expandable bench has been designed by Brussels based architect-designer Charles Kaisin using recycled paper.

He takes sheets of newspaper, glues, layers and compresses them to produce a material as strong as wood. These are then used to fabricate visually stunning furniture. In this case the ‘bench’ can expand from 30 cm to 7m, be used to sit on or as a table surface.

More details : www.charleskaisin.com

[Via EcoFriend ]

Recycled Garden Lanterns

As it might look like summer is on the way and we all drift out into the garden, patio or balcony you might like to have a look at these lanterns made from recycled glass.

A wire ‘cage’ is used to hold the recycled glass which ‘pokes’ through to form an undulating surface. Pop a tea light into them and you have instant atmosphere. They come in three sizes, start at around £7.00 and are available online at Hen & Hammock who have a wide range of eco design products.

Solar Utility Light - Quick and Simple

If you need light in a shed or outhouse then this self-contained unit might be just the job.

Here at the EcoList we have been testing out the SolarMate Point 5 Utility Light for the past couple of weeks so that we can give you an idea about how it works and whether it deserves your hard earned cash.

If you have ever considered buying some form or solar lighting, and been worried about how complicated it might be to install, then this is the unit for you. Solar Technology International, who designed the unit, say that it “can be installed in minutes” and they aren’t joking. Simple take the two units (the lamp and the solar panel) out of the box, plug one into the other, using the supplied 1.8m cable, and you are ready to install it in your shed.

The lighting unit is made up of 10 bright white LEDs. Using the supplied screws you can mount this just were it will be needed inside and place the solar panel on the outside of your building. Both units have well designed mounts so you can quickly adjust their angle: the solar panel so it faces south (at an angle of around 30 - 55 degrees), and receives as much light as possible, and the lighting unit so that it shines where you need it.

There is a small remote control supplied, used to switch the unit on and off and although this seemed, initially, like an unnecessary extra it does make perfect sense. You are, after all, likely to mount the lighting unit out or reach on an internal wall. The remote control means that there is no need for extra wiring for an accessible switch - you simply point it at the light unit and press ‘On’. In case you are worried about losing the remote it comes with a small holder, which you can mount on the wall so you always know where the remote is. A small but very smart addition to the design. There is also a switch on the lighting unit so you have the choice to operate it without the remote as well.

This is a ‘utility’ light, ideal for illuminating the dark recesses of your shed and is designed to cover around 9 square meters and function in all daylight conditions - even cloudy skies. During our testing period we have had typical British spring-like weather: overcast, rain, shows and the odd sunny day. The unit has performed perfectly. We followed the instructions to the letter and after installing it waited 4 days for the supplied batteries to be charged from the solar panel. The manufactures calculate that you should get around 3 hours of light a day which is more than enough for occasional use. If you spend more than 3 hours in your shed each day you need to rethink your life!

Apart from the SolarMate providing your with almost maintenance free eco lighting it is ideal for locations without mains electricity. Running a cable to the shed at the bottom of your garden, and having lighting professionally installed, can cost a small fortune (I know - I’ve done it!) so, not only will you be helping to save the planet (a little) by using the SolarMate, you will also save cash as well. If you have a remote building (shed, garage, stable, summer house or even a tent) then this is ideal.

SolarMate Point 5 costs £24.99, with free delivery in the UK, and can be ordered online from www.solartechnology.co.uk

The unit comes with a two year guarantee, is packaged in cardboard and only has a small amount of plastic to protect it during transport.

Life should be simple and there is no reason why wanting to use an eco alternative shouldn’t be simple too! [A]

Wall Heater with Feel Good Factor

You know how some of those electric eco heaters just look like boring boxes - well here is an alternative from designer Andrey Vostrikov.

A concept at the moment, this ceramic wall heater is claimed to have a better heating time, which means greater efficiency. It is also less noisy, can generate negative ions (to give you that ‘positive’ feeling) and has built in LED lighting.

[Via: Got2bgreen]

Helpful Recycling Bins – Barcode Enabled

Sometimes recycling can be complicated. Which bit of that wrapper goes in which recycling bin? Is it paper or foil? Can the plastic bottle be recycled at all?

I know - I’ve had this problem in German where there are multiple bins in public spaces and it isn’t always easy to know which one to throw rubbish into.

There is a possible solution in this set of recycling bins which use barcodes, printed on the rubbish, to work out if they can be recycled and which bin to place them in.

You wave your piece of rubbish over the bin; it scans the barcode and then unlocks the bin’s lid if the item is recyclable. This is a concept design by Woo Seok Park but a very nice idea if it ever went into production. As a way of encouraging the less green among us, this might just be the item. [A]

[Via: Ecofriend]

Recycled Planter

We have featured products made from recycled tyres before on the EcoList, but this is the first one for the garden.

These recycled tyre planters provide a slightly ‘industrial’ solution to potting those plants and, because of their size and the fact that they are VERY durable, they are ideal for large shrubs or small trees.

As it is more and more difficult to dispose of old tyres, this offers a stylish alternative to throwing them away. Mind you, they are almost as expensive as the original tyre!

More details here: www.henandhammock.co.uk

[Via: Better Living Through Design]

Lighting up your Spending

Simple but stunning, this lamp, by French designer Elise Fouin is made from a reused cash register receipt roll.

Using recycled paper is not new, artists and designers are using it as a material for many projects, but this lamp has a simplicity which works and is just one example of Fouin’s innovative use for paper.

Perhaps the next model will use low energy light bulbs.

More details on Elise Fouin’s website: www.elisefouin.com

[Via; Dvice]

Spinning Street Lights

As cities begin to realise that they can reduce their energy consumption by switching to eco lighting, this wind and solar 'street' light might be an indicator of things to come.

Located at the Panasonic Center in Tokyo, the lights incorporates solar cells for daylight energy collection and a spinning column to generate power from wind. The energy is stored in the base of the lamp post for use at night.

Not only does Panasonic have some of the most unusual outside lighting but a kinetic sculpture as well. The center was built with the intention of reducing its energy consumption by almost 30% and has a number of other 'eco' initiatives including rainwater utilisation and inbuilt solar lighting.

More details at: panasonic.co.jp

[Via: Hyperexperience]

Starch Chair

This chair, by London based designer Max Lamb, ticks all the 'green' boxes.

Made from 'squirted' lengths of starch it is biodegradable, recyclable, can be formed into a variety of 'chair' shapes or sculpted once set. It is, apparently, edible as well, although there is no mention about taste or flavour.

Lamb grew up in Cornwall, studied three-dimensional design at University and graduated from the Royal College of Art with a Masters Degree in 2006.

More images of his designs here: www.maxlamb.org

[Via: Ecofriend]

Recycled Jewellery

There is a lot of it about – recycled jewellery that is – but Touch, an LA based art and design collective, is clearly something above the rest.

Their designers have reused materials to produce limited and unlimited edition items. This green necklace, designed by Mana Bernardes, is made from PET Recycled Bottles. They have also used recycled phone cards, wire mesh and old elevator (lift) buttons.

Touch have retailers in Brazil, Belgium, France, Germany and Japan or you can contact them directly via their website: www.do-not-touch.com

[Via: Inhabitat]