Recycled Cardboard Fold n' Play Audio Speakers

OrigAudio has created "the first-of-its-kind recycled, self-powered, portable speakers".

Specifications:

Two 1 watt speakers
Cube Size: 3.15 x 3.15 x 3.15 inches (8 x 8 x 8 centimeters)
3.5mm Standard Audio Jack Plug
Made from Recycled Materials
NO batteries or external power required
Universally Compatible with any device that has a headphone jack (MP3 players, laptops, cell phones, cd players, etc.)

These speakers are really cool, as they flatten to fit into any small space. They sound pretty good playing off my laptop, but off my iPod touch the sounds is too quiet (this may be my fault with some setting on the iPod). The OrigAudio Fold N' Play Recycled Speakers come in a variety of designs, and you can even design your own!

OrigAudio has also partnered with the non-profit Music National Service.

Music National Service (MNS) is a nonprofit enterprise that supports and expands the use of music to address important civic and social needs. Research shows music to be an effective intervention in: 1) under-resourced public schools and low-income communities to develop more successful students and youth; 2) health care and therapeutic settings for patient recovery and improved functioning; 3) the public domain for increased civic engagement, diplomacy and peace.

I love our OrigAudio speakers, and think they will be great in situations that require portability.

Recycled Billboard Bag by Terracycle and Yak Pak

The ultimate upcycling company Terracycle has partnered with Yak Pak to create a unique, durable line of recycled billboard bags.

The product line is hip, stylish and because each is made from a different cut of a billboard, every single bag is a one-of-a-kind piece of art. They are manufactured at a hydroelectric powered facility in El Salvador, which is wholly owned by Yak Pak who pays fair wages and assures proper working conditions. The product line includes a variety of functional shapes including messenger bags, backpacks, laptop sleeves and totes and are very affordable, with most retailing for less than $35.

According to Terracycle, over 3,000,000 vinyl billboards end up in US landfills each year. Upcycling billboards into useful products helps close the loop and in my opinion, should be a requirement for any company that uses this form of advertising. Thankfully, Terracycle and Yak Pak are here to help!

Green Your Taxes with Digital Tax Software Downloads and E-Filing

Can you imagine how much paper is used by Americans each to complete their income taxes? From the booklets printed by the IRS to making multiple copies of returns to send in and keep for personal files, I am sure there is a heavy carbon footprint associated with tax time. How can you green your taxes?

Unfortunately, Americans are not able to delineate their tax money for governmental environmental projects, but there are other ways you can green your taxes. If you self-prepare, you can download tax software and prevent the need for IRS booklets or cd-roms of tax software. After completing your taxes, e-file your return. You don't even need to print a copy of your return for your personal files if you make a back up file of it on your computer. No paper required!

It's Not Too Late to Get a Green Super Cool Calendar for 2009

I wish I could get away from a print calendar, as that would be truly green, but in order to coordinate my family's schedules, we need it in print. Asgard Press is making green calendars from archival vintage prints that are very cool. Take for example the Vintage Super Heroes calendar:

The images featured in this calendar are archival-quality reproductions of the covers of the actual Golden Age and Silver Age Covers of DC Comics cover art that were sold many decades ago. In some cases the images have been digitally repaired and restored where creases, tears, marks, or other damage would have otherwise distracted from the appreciation of the artwork as it appeared at that time. Some images have been cropped and/or resized to fit this format.

What makes these calendars green? They are printed on 50% consumer waste recycled paper with soy based inks. They also include vintage images that you are sure to keep beyond the calendar year, thus reducing waste. You may even want to frame the images and give them as gifts!

TerraCycle has Done it Again! Eco-Friendly School and Office Supplies

We love TerraCycle! Not only does this company create amazing products from upcycled goods, they also make them available in large retailers making them easily accessible to all consumers. TerraCycle has done it again! Available at Office Max, TerraCycle is offering eco-friendly school and office supplies. From pencil cases made from recycled juice pouches to colored pencils made from used newspapers, these products are of high quality and super eco-friendly (except for the manufacture in China). My favorite TerraCycle office product is Banana Paper.

We're not monkeying around when we tell you that this paper is made from banana peels! Every year, four billion trees are cut down for paper production. With our banana paper, we can begin to lower that number. Now you can be completely eco-friendly without going bananas over quality.

The banana paper is made in the UK, and to my daughter's disappointment, it does not smell like bananas. It is compatible with laser printers, ink jet printers, and copy machines. To think, all I do is compost my banana peels.

Eco Food Friday: Wrap-N-Mat Replaces Plastic Sandwich Bags

I hate plastic sandwich bags. I wash and reuse them until they are full of holes, and my kitchen is always littered with drying bags. I hate recycling them too. The Wrap-N-Mat is an eco-friendly solution for packing sandwiches to work or school. Available from Greenline Paper, a company dedicated to selling environmentally sound school and office products, the Wrap-N-Mat is easy to use, washable, and reusable. I like how it unfolds into a mat, providing a surface to eat your sandwich on avoiding germs from table tops. The Wrap-N-Mat would make a nice gift for an office mate or friend at school.

Green Plug Develops Single Universal Power Adapter for All Electronic Devices

I have a drawer full of cell phone power adapters, camera adapters, and of course, my laptop and modem have different power adapters too! Each time I get a new electronic device, I keep the old adapter thinking I might need it some day, but it never fits the new phone, camera, etc. Green Plug, a start-up company, proposes we use one universal power adapter for all our electronic needs, which would help the environment by eliminating the need to produce and ship a new power adapter with each device. Green Plug explains:

Billions of devices including laptops, printers, speakers, routers, modems, cell phones, entertainment devices, power tools, cameras and so many other portable electronic devices require a power source that converts between 90V and 254V wall power to device-specific DC power. That means that these devices require unique power converters, and that is very costly, is extremely inconvenient and contributes to wasted resources and pollution.

According to MacWorld, Green Plug's universal adapter will also eliminate phantom power draws:

Green Plug's technology allows each device to communicate its individual power requirements to the power adapter, allowing several devices to share one adapter...Each adapter will act like a hub that several devices can plug into... The adapters also will shut off the power supply when a device has finished charging or is turned off, giving further energy savings.

Westinghouse has already endorsed the idea.

HP Goes Green with Affordable, Recycled Printer

Hewlett-Packard has just launched a new line of greener office products. The HP Deskjet D2545 Printer is made from 83% recycled plastic and is Energy Star rated. Even the ink cartridges are made from recycled plastic resins. At a price of $44.99, this is an affordable green office product. HP also offers extensive recycling programs for computer equipment, printing supplies, rechargeable batteries and other items.

Via: Environmental News Network

Staple-Free Stapler from Made By Humans

Here's a tip from the Self-Sufficient-ish boys: Lose your stapler.

Remember back in college when all the Environmental Science eco-hippy kids tried to convince you that using staples was bad for the planet? (No? Hmm...maybe I was hanging out with the wrong crowd.) Well, they had a point.

According to Eco-Logic, if every office worker in the world used one less staple per day, we'd conserve more than 120,000 tons of steel per year. For comparison, the construction of the Staples Center in downtown LA used 2,500 tons.

Do your part with this handy-dandy staple-less stapler from Made By Humans. It "staples" 4-5 sheets of paper by punching wholes through the sheets and weaving them together. And it comes in five fashion colors: red, black, blue, green and chrome. Enjoy staple-free living, at least for your memos and short stacks. Lord it over your co-worker the next time he bugs you about forgetting to print double-sided.

Available from Made by Humans.

Weekend Reading: Self-Sufficient-ish

This week's weekend reading isn't a book. It's a website - selfsufficientish.com - a self-described "urban guide to almost self-sufficiency." The site is the brainchild of twins Dave and Andy Hamilton of the UK, who were inspired by books and articles about self-sufficiency to write something for those of us who are interested in becoming self-sufficient but don't have the time, means or inclination to do it whole hog. They explain:

Although total self-sufficiency is appealing the thought of giving up the little luxuries in life may not be. I grow a lot of my own food eat wild foods and when I have the money buy organic fruit and vegetables but I still enjoy beer in a pub and like to go to the cinema or eat out occasionally.

Self Sufficientish-ism (w)as created for these reasons. It is for all those who have limited time, space or money but would like to have a go at growing their own food or brewing their own alcohol or want to know which wild foods are good to eat. We also aim to offer advice on a whole host of other subjects from a low-ecological impact perspective.

The site offers simple, easy to understand and easy to implement suggestions for lower-impact living, interspersed with self-effacing humor. I like their segment on creating a self-sufficient-ish office, a "short guide to not only create a greener office and help the environment, but also to cement all the other workers idea that you are certainly the office hippy." Rock on, guys.

At Selfsuffientish. (Via Hugg)

Leaf Personal Light by Herman Miller

Just because we're green doesn't mean we aren't Wired. The September issue of the techie magazine offers a sneak preview of the products that will appear at the Wired NextFest in NYC September 29-October 1. Wired calls NextFest an annual "World's Fair...(of) products, prototypes, and ideas from today's most innovative companies and researchers." And in a sign that green has gone mainstream, this year's NextFest features "Sustainable Living" as one of its design categories.

Among the products featured is this fab Leaf LED light from Herman Miller. Unlike a traditional LED, according to Wired, the LEAF's diodes flash intermittently and use 40 percent less electricity. The touch-sensitive lamp features an upper arm that functions as a "thermal sink", keeping the lamp cool to the touch. According to the Herman Miller website:

Leaf was developed according to Herman Miller's demanding Design for the Environment (DfE) protocol, emphasizing sustainable processes, materials, and recyclability. Leaf's environmental impact is perhaps most profound through its use. On average, Leaf's LEDs consume approximately eight to nine watts of power, carry a lifespan up to 100,000 hours, and cut energy use by 40 percent compared to compact fluorescent bulbs.

Leaf is manufactured with 37 percent recycled materials, and is 95 percent recyclable when you upgrade. And it looks like some kind of crazy high tech snake.

Available for pre-order at Lumens Light and Living.