urban taster

Putting eggs in individual cups. Good idea or complete and utter waste of resources?

The London olympics is shaping up to be quite the event, if not in the sporting world, then in the new green-savvy crowd. Since the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, there has been rumblings that there just has been too much waste, both in the organisation of the games, as well as the architecture of the iconic arenas. What is for sure is that what London lacks in numbers (do not expect to see 2008 Londoners drumming led-lit drums in unity!), they more than make up in ingenuity.

Case in point is the Raise The Cloud project. Proposed as a counterpoint to the extravagance, the structure is meant as a “build by the people for the people” project, funded by micro-payments, projected by the collective thoughts of the masses, and shaped by the hands of all involved in the games. Best of all, striving to be carbon neutral.

Although still in its very initial stages of proposal, I have to say, my interest is piqued! Read more about it at raisethecloud.

Plants have been filtering our air for as long as there is air, so it makes simple sense when Andrea uses plants to filter our air, abeit in small beautiful pods. via Inhabitots.

That’s one up for the design magazine!

Newsstand copies of the November issue of CR come in a revolutionary new bag that simply dissolves in hot water. No waste. No landfill.

Anyone buying their copy of CR on the newsstand this month will find that the issue comes in a transparent bag bearing the words ‘This bag dissolves in water’. And it does.

A new packaging material called harmless-dissolve which was created in the UK by Cyberpac.

The Google homepage is prime estate in the internet world, so whenever they decide to theme their logo, the world follows. I can only imagine that a spot on the Goggle homepage gives you immediate stardom. Just like the recent cropcircles outing. Treehugger has a great slideshow of cropcircle art that is amazing and beautiful to just ponder.

100 tonnes of PET bottles pressed into a temple of doom! How better to convey the seriousness of the plastic addiction that we all suffer from. via Inhabit.

Melt a thousand miniature ice people in protest of the melting ice caps in Greenland and Antarctica! How’s that for attention. See more here.

Artist Nele Azevedo, together with the World Wildlife Fund, staged the installation by carving a thousand ice men and leaving them to melt in a Berlin square.

The amazing works of Chris Jordan.

“This project visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed prints assembled from thousands of smaller photographs. Employing themes such as the near versus the far, and the one versus the many, I hope to raise some questions about the roles and responsibilities we each play as individuals in a collective that is increasingly enormous, incomprehensible, and overwhelming.”

Barbie Dolls

Depicts 32,000 Barbies, equal to the number of elective breast augmentation surgeries performed monthly in the US in 2006.

Gyre

Depicts 2.4 million pieces of plastic, equal to the estimated number of pounds of plastic pollution that enter the world’s oceans every hour. All of the plastic in this image was collected from the Pacific Ocean.

A stark reminder of pollution and how close we are to the tipping point. Alex Hofford made an important and powerful point. Now all we need is for someone to do the same for Singapore.

“20070917AHKG02 HONG KONG CHINA : (COMPOSITE) A composite photo showing two views of the Hong Kong skyline taken from the same viewpoint in Tsim Sha Tsui district of Kowloon; the top image taken at 6pm on 20 June 2007, when Hong Kong`s `Air Pollution Index` reading was `Low`; the lower image taken at 6pm on 17 September 2007 when Hong Kong`s `Air Pollution Index` reached `High to Very High`, 17 September 2007, Hong Kong, China. A new study released Monday by Hong Kong think tank `Civic Exchange` stated that drastic action needs to be taken to reduce air pollution in the city to attract and retain foreign investment, as well as protect public health.”

” You can save one flush a day by urinating in the shower—two if you shower more than once a day. Sure it’s gross, but unless you have an infection, your urine is sterile and nontoxic, and it washes down with your shampoo and soap anyway. An unscientific poll by Glamour magazine recently found that 75 percent of respondents do pee in the shower.

Savings Up to 6 gallons of water a day”

read more environmentally friendly water tips here at GOOD.

Woodnotes makes the most incredible look, out of paper fabric products that are to die for. yes you read right! Paper spun into yarn, weaved into fabrics and made into bags, furniture, and carpets and all sorts! I am seriously considering a dark brown tote that looks just right for all kinds of city things a city guy like me would be up to.

See more products at Woodnotes.

I am a gigantic proponent of solar power just cause I live in the sunny island of Singapore where sunlight is ample, and exlectricity usage is immense. We have thousands of tall buildings yet only a small percentage of them even attempts to harness this polution-free energy source. Thats where Photovoltaic Leaves come into the picture! Now all buildings can have beautiful yet highly efficient “Solar Ivy“. So now you can be a friend of Gaia and look great at the same time!

Not only is this Leather ‘Paper’ Bag earth friendly, it also promotes fair trade! What an excellent way to do your shopping.

…a walking around London town. Made of used fabric from the London Tube trains, what better way to walk around London but in them?

Get them here!

I want one.

Via Inhabitat.