Green & Clean

In the developing world, access to potable water is a big issue, but it’s not just staying hydrated that proves difficult. Even access to washing water can be limited, requiring women and children to carry heavy loads of laundry across long distances. Enter the Swirl.

A multi-colored, multi-functional device, the Swirl, designed by designaffairs STUDIO, is meant to make doing laundry just a little easier. For washing, the ball is loaded with dirty laundry and carried to the water source. Once filled with water, washing happens simply by rolling it home; as the user walks and rolls the ball, the rotation washes and scrubs the clothes. Put the ball in the midst of a congregation of children, and the laundry might get done as part of a soccer game.

But it’s not all fun and games. The Swirl also doubles as a water carrying device, making a positive impact on the daily livelihoods of those that live in remote areas far from water; the device is both functional and empowering.

Photo courtesy of www.designaffairs.com

Design STUDIO also designed the Swirl with the community in mind, making the aim of the device to “enhance a social cultural relationship between women and children.” Making a stronger connection within communities is an essential part of sustainable development and makes this simple design certainly an ingenious one.

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The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on a marketing claim that may have ensnared many environmentally conscious buyers: “bamboo.”

While clothing and other textiles may have started off, at some point, as the rapidly regenerative bamboo, the FTC says companies can’t label rayon as bamboo, even if it’s made from bamboo. Why?

Because, according to the FTC:

Rayon is a man-made fiber created from the cellulose found in plants and trees and processed with harsh chemicals that release hazardous air pollution. Any plant or tree – including bamboo – could be used as the cellulose source, but the fiber that is created is rayon.

The FTC this week sent warning letters to 78 retailers about misguided use of “bamboo” marketing. Among the warned retailers: Amazon.com, Barney’s New York, Bed Bath & Beyond, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Bloomingdale’s, Costco Wholesale, Garnet Hill, Gold Toe, Hanes, Isotoner, JC Penney, Jockey, Kmart, Kohl’s, Land’s End, Macy’s, Maidenform, Nordstrom, Overstock.com, QVC, REI, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sears, Shop NBC, Spiegel, Sports Authority, Target, The Gap, The Great Indoors, Tommy Bahama, Toys R’ Us, Wal-Mart, and Zappos.com. Last year, the FTC sued several retailers for advertising rayon as bamboo.

“We need to make sure companies use proper labeling and advertising in their efforts to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers,” David C. Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a prepared statement. “Rayon is rayon, even if bamboo has been used somewhere along the line in the manufacturing process.”

If retailers and manufacturers fail to comply, the penalty can be severe: $16,000 per violation.

The FTC’s consumer tips include this information about “bamboo” rayon:

* Rayon made from bamboo uses “toxic chemicals in a process that releases pollutants into the air.”
* “Extracting bamboo fibers is expensive and time-consuming, and textiles made just from bamboo fiber don’t feel silky smooth.”
* “There’s also no evidence that rayon made from bamboo retains the antimicrobial properties of the bamboo plant.”
* “No traits of the original plant are left in the finished product.”

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When people move their possessions out of a self-storage unit, they often leave behind a whole lot of things that they don’t really need or want to take with them to their new location. Usually, a storage facility will haul these left-behind items to landfill. However, U-Haul has launched a smart new resource that will keep these items in the consumer stream – a reuse center.

The plan is a self-storage reuse center for customers of the facility. The reuse center provides a “redistribution network for unwanted, gently used household goods, furniture, sporting equipment, bikes and clothing that formerly were destined for landfills.” The plan has been launched in many of U-Haul’s 1,100 self-storage facilities nationwide, which means a whole heck of a lot of stuff is being given a second life, rather than sent to sit for hundreds, or even thousands of years in a landfill pile.

Any items placed in the reuse area are available for any of the customers or facility staff to use. There will also be a donation box in the facility for items that customers want to have donated directly to organizations like the Salvation Army and Goodwill.

Keeping consumer goods in the consumer stream as long as possible is a very green move – “reuse” is the second most important R, after “reduce.” It’s great that U-Haul is starting to promote this concept at at least one of their facilities.

Reusing is Greener Than Recycling
Recycling keeps items out of landfills and turns used things into new things. But it’s also energy intensive to break down old goods and reform them into something new. Far less energy intensive is simply reusing items. There are ways to reuse even the most odd items, like nail files, bottle caps, or even shower curtains – all things that would most likely end up in landfill.

Sometimes it can seem pointless to try and find a reuse for some items, and it feels easier to just toss it in the recycling or trash bin. But even the smallest reuse projects matter, and make a difference.

Big-box retailer Target has already won accolades from greens for being out front in stocking sustainable fashion and phasing out toxic PVC plastics from products. Now, the Minnesota-based company has announced that it has eliminated all farmed salmon from its fresh, frozen, and smoked seafood offerings in its stores nationwide.

This announcement includes Target-owned brands — Archer Farms and Market Pantry — as well as national brands. According to a press release, all salmon sold under Target-owned brands will now be wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Sushi featuring farm-raised salmon will be wild-caught salmon by the end of 2010. “In consultation with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Target is taking this important step to ensure that its salmon offerings are sourced in a sustainable way that helps to preserve abundance, species health and doesn’t harm local habitats,” according to the release.

Why is this important? Many salmon farms have earned criticism for damaging fragile coastal areas, polluting waterways with waste and antibiotics and spreading parasites to native fish. Penned salmon also frequently escape, where they breed with wild populations and dilute their genes. The fish meal fed to farmed salmon has been shown to be contaminated with toxic chemicals like PCBs, which can lead to unsafe levels in the meat, and producing the feed can result in overfishing.

Wild salmon is leaner and has more nutrients like heart-healthy Omega 3s, plus it does not have to be artificially dyed, since unlike farmed salmon the flesh naturally attains that attractive pink color.

Wild-caught Alaska salmon is largely considered a sustainable fishery, and helps support small coastal communities. The fish is considered a “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and is certified as sustainable to the standard of the Marine Stewardship Council.

Just please don’t call it “Tarjay.”

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Figuring out if you have bed bugs is not easy. They hide in dark crevices during the day and usually come out at night when you’re sleeping. It can take hours to thoroughly inspect a home because bed bugs are so tiny and elusive.

Luckily, there’s a relatively new weapon that can find these blood-sucking insects quickly and efficiently — bed-bug-sniffing dogs. In fact, the newest member of the Milwaukee Housing Authority’s environmental services department is Gracie, an adorable 12-pound Parsons Jack Russell terrier. Her job is to sniff out bed bugs in the city’s public housing units.

Gracie is the only dog working for a housing authority that has been certified by the National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association (NESDCA). But she’s certainly not the only dog sniffing out beg bugs. Dogs like Gracie are increasingly being used in private homes, hotels, and other businesses.

There are around 100 working bed bug dogs in the U.S. today, according to Greg Baumann, senior scientist at the National Pest Management Association. More are likely on the way. The Florida-based J & K Canine Academy has trained 60 dogs to detect bed bugs over the past three years and currently has a waiting list.

Well-trained dogs will certainly not have a hard time finding work. There’s been a resurgence of bed bugs thanks to international travel, immigration, and other factors. Bed bugs are turning up in fancy hotels, hospitals, dorm rooms, private houses, and crowded apartment buildings.

And they’re not restricted to your bedroom, although that’s where they commonly reside. They can live in furniture, under loosened wallpaper, and a variety of other places. The Environmental Protection Agency held a National Bed Bug Summit in April 2009 because the insects have become so prevalent.

There’s no evidence that bed bugs transmit disease, according to a recently published clinical review in the Journal of the American Medical Association. But still, dealing with bedbugs can be a major hassle. It can take a lot of time, and sometimes money, to banish them from your home.

Here are some smart strategies for safely and effectively dealing with bed bugs.

Keep them out of your home:

* When travelling, check your hotel room for signs of bed bugs. Look for blood spots on pillows or linens. Look for the bugs themselves on the headboard, in the mattress seams, between the mattress and box spring, and under the dust ruffle, suggests Baumann. If you find them, call the front desk immediately and ask to switch rooms.

* Unpack your bag and wipe it down when you get home from a trip. Wash all of your clothes. If you live in a hot climate or it’s summer, you may want to leave your luggage outside for a couple of days as an added precaution since heat is highly effective at killing bugs, says Baumann.

* Inspect secondhand furniture and clothing before bringing it into your home. Better yet, get upholstered furniture steam-cleaned and wash clothes. The heat of the dryer will kill any bed bugs. In fact, your dryer is one of your best defenses against the insects.

Be on the lookout for them:

* If you see a tiny bug that resembles a tick, get a sample and have it analyzed. It doesn’t need to be crawling in your bedroom. Harvard’s School of Public Health offers tips on collecting and identifying bugs. Early detection is key. It’s a lot easier to get rid of bed bugs when you only have a few of them than when your house is completely infested, says Baumann.

Banish bed bugs safely and effectively:

* Don’t panic if you’ve found a bed bug in your home or strongly suspect that you have them (you’ve awakened with bites that resemble mosquito bites, for example). Bring in a professional to confirm or assess the severity of the situation. This is where a well-trained dog can come in handy, but you can still get a perfectly good inspection without a dog, according to Baumann. Want to find a well-trained dog in your area? Check out NESDCA’s list of certified providers.

* For severe cases, it’s probably best to call in a professional. Find someone who is experienced with bed bugs, has good references, and practices Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a step-by-step method that aims to drastically reduce and target the use of pesticides. Here are some other tips for finding a reputable professional. Or see if you live near any Green Shield Certified professionals. Residents of California can check out EcoWise Certification.

* Be prepared to be actively involved in the process of . Things like getting rid of clutter (where bed bugs can hide), vacuuming regularly, washing all of your linens and throwing them in a hot dryer, and using a mattress encasing will help.

South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have built an eco-friendly mountain getaway.

Built in Steamboat Springs, Western Colorado, it is valued at $5 million and features ceilings made of Douglas fir timbers salvaged from a rail trestle that once spanned Great Salt Lake. It also uses recycled carpet and in-floor radiant heating.

There are no messes. No signs of Hollywood, parties or all-night production crunches.

Instead, the timber-frame home on nearly 2 acres near the base of the Steamboat Ski Area is filled with a Zen-like calm and a love of nature. Those feelings are portrayed through elegant wood finishes in the five bedrooms and bathrooms, high ceilings supported by Douglas fir timbers reclaimed from a railroad trestle that once spanned the Great Salt Lake and simple furnishings such as broad couches and a bathtub surrounded by sand.

There are views of the ski area from the front porch; a curved, granite kitchen counter with a leathered finish in shades of evergreen; and a mid-19th-century Japanese tansu, or antique chest of drawers, that faces a 110-inch projection screen. A Western dining room with sweeping views across the south valley is balanced by an Eastern dining room with low chairs and windows that look onto an aspen grove. In the rear of the property, at the end of a winding stone walkway, is a Japanese tea house that appears as authentic as one found in a Tokyo garden, with sliding screens as walls and tatami mats on the floor.

Hard to believe the house is the property of people who made a fortune on fart jokes, puppet sex and social satire grounded in lowbrow humor.

(photo from Craig Daily Press)

Homes are shrinking in America. After doubling in size since 1960, the national average dropped for the first time in nearly 15 years (by 9%, the size of one average room).

But far from this new average of 2,000 plus square feet are the so-called tiny houses. Also called wee homes, mini dwellings, or microhomes, their definition is not exact, but they run as small as 65 square feet.

And yes, people really live in them. Why? Those at the Small House Society — calling themselves a voice for the Small House Movement — explain the reasons range from economic to environmental to psychological. “The movement is the result of concerns about what we are doing to the environment, and what the environment is doing to us (wild fires, flooding, hurricanes), as well as a shifting economy. Some people just desire to live simply so that others can simply live”.

Jay Shafer builds and designs small houses ranging in size from 65 to 837 square feet for his Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. He’s also spent the past decade living in his tiny creations.

In this video, he gives us a tour of his 96-square-foot home on wheels parked in Sebastopol, California. Surprisingly, there’s plenty to see: living room, kitchen, bathroom, sleeping loft, and some decent storage.