Eco Products

Looking for a super cool housewarming gift? Or something hip to add to your home? Look no further. The housewares from Girls Can Tell are unusual, funky, affordable home goods.

Bike Coasters

Founded by architect-turned-artist Sara Selepouchin, Sara sketches annotated diagrams of everyday objects—a bicycle, a typewriter, an electric mixer, vital organs—and screen-prints them onto placemats, tote bags, coasters and dishtowels.

Heart Coasters

My favorite items are the coasters, (I have the bike set) made from heavy duty industrial gray wool felt. Available in sets of four, each set features one quadrant of a complete hand-drawn design.

Typewriter Coasters

It’s a coaster set you’ll love to use, I swear. Apart, they look awesome. Together they’re a force to be reckoned with. Simply put, they rock. They help protect your furniture from the perils of drips and condensation and they’re the perfect gift for a lover of great housewares1

I was in Target this morning looking for some bamboo sheets and I happened to spot the new Powermat. I’ve read about the Powermat on the Internet, but had not yet seen one of these sleek, ultra cool pieces of technology in person.  I must admit, I’m a sucker for new technology, especially when it claims to be energy efficient.

Power Mat Home & Office

The Powermat is a concept-charging platform where you can charge your various electronic devices simply by putting them on a mat. To make a device powermat-enabled, all you have to do is attach the certain back cover designed for each device like iPhone 3G, BlackBerry, Apple dock, etc. For those devices that don’t have a powermat back cover, you can purchase a Powercube with several extension cord types to fit various devices.

The communication between the Mat and the Receiver (via RFID) allows the mat to deliver the exact amount of power for the proper length of time so that the transfer of power is safe, efficient and no energy is wasted. It’s not “wireless”, like an iphone,  it’s cordless, like a home phone.

The real beauty of this slimline energy giver is that it banishes the need for up to twelve chargers, saves energy, frees up desk space and stops your home from looking like an electronics store.

Powercube

The Home & Office Mat that I looked at claims to charge up to 3 Powermat-enabled devices simultaneously (plus one USB power port). This unit is $99.99, but I would also need the Powercube Universal Receiver that allows you to charge hundreds of devices using just one receiver, (works with all Powermat mats). This unit is $29.99. I’m on the fence about it. However, I must say, I’m enamored by the design. I may be heading back to target later this week. I’ll let you know.

My passions and interests have changed drastically over the last decade but one thing that always stays the same is the fact that I’m an organizing freak show. I love to be organized and I love finding new ways to become even more sickenly organized.

My Desk!

For me, a cluttered desk is a cluttered mind. Piles of disorganized faxes, bills, and memos are definitely off-putting when I’m trying to work. Some people actually work better when their desks are piled miles high with random papers, dirty dishes and remnants of snacks from weeks before. But, if you’re like me, that just doesn’t cut it.

Clutter and chaos makes me feel uneasy and overwhelmed. Being clutter free, not only allows me to feel more in control of my life but it also helps me feel stronger and better able to handle the challenges that life throws my way on an ongoing basis. I’m able to work more efficiently, rest more completely, and connect more deeply with the people I care about.

Here are a few of my new favorite eco-friendly organizational items. I hope they help you stay chaos free!

Car keys that have a way of vanishing before your eyes now hang in full view. This Metal Key Cabinet also holds mail, and provides hooks for small personal items, with slots for name tags.

VivaTerra - Metal Key Cabinet

Reduce, re-juice, recycle. Juicy job. 100% recycled desk organizers are actually juice boxes shredded, compressed, refreshed. Each hardboard lidded storage box and pencil cup is one of a kind, but the overall color trends coffee/cream with fun bits of bright carton color and type.

Mosaic Recycled Accessories

Spice up your office with this Black Bulletin Board. Finished with a black frame, these basic black boards bring contemporary sophistication to the otherwise utilitarian message board.

Recycled Rubber Bulletin Board

These recycled Library Office Storage Boxes are ideal for storing artwork, papers and magazines. Metal label holders make it easy to identify what you’ve stored inside.

Library Office Storage Boxes

This Translations Wastebasket is a très chic, environmentally friendly addition to your home office. It’s made with authentic Japanese newspapers and magazines that have been beautifully “re-purposed”.

Translations Wastebasket

With a top shelf for your cell phone, a back slot for mail, two hooks for keys, and a dry-erase surface for notes, this Bamboo Butler practically does everything but answer your phone.

Bamboo Butler

Rev up your paperbacks and put your hardbacks into gear with bookends handmade from legally Salvaged Traffic Signs.

Street Sign Bookends

Part of the reason our planet is in the predicament it’s in is that so many people have a “disposable” mindset.  As a society, we believe that a product’s value is determined by its suitability, no matter how or where it was made or where it will eventually end up once it’s not useful anymore. When it comes to eco-friendly products and companies, Verterra pretty much takes the cake.

Their environmentally friendly plates, bowls and serving dishes are made only from two products: fallen leaves and water. They’re non-toxic, biodegradable, compostable, durable, lightweight and convenient.

It starts by collecting fallen leaves from plantations—no trees are ever cut down to make their dinnerware. The leaves are then brought to their factory, where they are sprayed with high-pressure water, steamed and UV sterilized. Over 80% of the water used is recaptured and reused, and their entire manufacturing process uses just 10% of the energy used in recycling.

VerTerra products are made in South Asia, where they have created tons of fair-wage jobs. Their craftspeople work in conditions compliant with international standards and earn a steady income well above the average rate to support their families. Verterra provides there craftspeople with work experiences that teach them new skills, giving them the economic means to significantly better their lives, while preserving the environment.

Their dinnerware allows consumers the opportunity to cut waste by reusing their dishes, bowls and platters 10 or more times before disposal. Another bonus is that since their dishware is 100% biodegradable you can compost (or bury) them; growing special plants in commemoration of the wedding or holiday event they were used for. The plates will naturally biodegrade within two months.

Verterra stays true to the earth by using an agricultural byproduct – fallen leaves – that they borrow (and frequently save from being burned)—and then return to the earth. Verterra allows you to imbue unmatched uniqueness into your party planning while being a representative for Mother Earth. All these criteria most definitely make Verterra ultra green.

Eco-friendly electronics may seem a bit of a misnomer but the tech industry has finally seen the light and is more concerned with eco-friendliness than ever before. With a common goal to reduce energy use and waste, many companies are debuting products that are much greener than their conventional counterparts. And with the holidays right around the corner, you may want to consider a few of these eco-friendly electronics for the techie in your life.

The MacBook Air

The MacBook Air
If a certain gadget comes in a smaller, more compact version, it stands to reason that it uses less energy, right? Enter the MacBook Air. While Apple hasn’t always been known for their green practices, the company is definitely taking a step in the right direction with this ultra-light notebook. It sports a mercury-free LCD, has recyclable aluminum casing, and its internal cables has significantly less PVC than traditional notebooks (learn more about harmful PVC plastic here).

The Belkin Conserve
Most power strips are all-or-nothing, which can pose a problem because even when a gadget’s battery is full or not in use, it’s still sucking energy. For just $33.50, this nifty device offers a solution with eight outlets: six that can be completely shut off and two that remain on at all times to support electronics you don’t want to shut off entirely, such as an alarm clock.

The Eco TV

The Eco TV by Philips
One of the most common household electronics just got a little greener: the television! Tech giant Philips recently unveiled its Eco TV which boasts a handful of eco-friendly features and energy-saving measures. A dimming mechanism can automatically lower the panel’s backlight depending on what the screen’s displaying and how much light is in the room. The TV is also made of lead-free materials and comes with recycled packaging and manuals.

The EarthDrive
Even your data backup can be green! A completely recyclable USB drive, the EarthDrive is a comprised of bio-recycled material. Even better, its manufacturer donates a portion of the proceeds to the American Forest Foundation dedicated to planting more trees.

Hybrid Charger

The Solio Magnesium Advanced Hybrid Charger
Using solar panels and a high-capacity battery, this charger can charge virtually any electronic device (think cell phones, digital cameras, iPods, etc.). Just one hour in the sun can translate into more than 20 minutes of talk time on your phone or nearly one hour of music on your MP3 player.

This month MEH has seen a huge demand for eco-friendly back-to-school products. Here are some of the coolest, eco-friendy accessories for those back-to-school kiddies. The Laptop Lunchbox Systems, Klean Kanteen water bottles, O’Bon sugarcane paper tree-free notebooks and recycled binders. Ecopaper notepads and notebooks made from agricultural waste such as lemon and banana trees and Terracycle recycled juice pouch backpacks, lunchboxes and pencil case holders.

Waste Free Lunch box

O'Bon Recycled School Supplies

Terracycle Recycled Backpack

Head on over to the Ultimate Green Store and check out their awesome “Green Spotlight” sections loaded with eco back-to-school goodness. Start shopping HERE.

eclipse

This past May, Time Magazine selected Casabella’s innovative eclipse collection as one of “The Green Design 100” for 2009. The products are made from recycled soda bottles! The interchangeable collection of cleaning tools features microfiber-cleaning heads, which work without the use of chemicals. Check out these cool eco products at The Container Store.

The Ditto Ecological Heavy-Duty Paper Hangers were developed to provide a superior alternative to the eight billion toxic plastic and wire hangers disposed, every year, in landfills. Their designs are helping to reduce the billions of plastic and wire hangers sent to municipal landfills each year.

Made from 100% tree-free recycled paper (minimum 70% post-consumer waste), the hangers are certified to be chlorine, formaldehyde and heavy metal free. Inks are soy-based and adhesives starch-based. They are also 100% recyclable in all paper recycling systems and can even be composted at the end of their useful life.

I’ve used Ditto’s Multi-Use Adult Hangers and love them.  They’re durable can compact and work just as well as their conventional counterparts. The hangers are stylish and perfectly designed for household use. Since they’re made from an industrial type cardboard, they have a chic look and feel, very minimal. I dig that. The hangers available at Amazon and offered in three sizes: Ditto’s 17” Multi-Use Adult Hangers; 13” Little Ditto Children’s Hangers; and 9” Little Ditto Infant Hangers.

Let me know what you think. I bet you’ll dig them too.

I recently added a new piece of Legaré furniture to my 60″ Legaré straight desk. It was only a matter of time before I needed to expand my workspace. I’m organized and love having a neat and clean place to sit at and write these reviews. I purchased the Legaré 30″ extension, (30″W x 27″D x 32″H), so I could add my printer and other items to my desk area.

I love Legaré furniture because they offer stylish designs made of eco-friendly materials that assemble and rearrange with unrivaled ease. In took me only a couple of minutes to put together the extension piece. The components locked snugly together and created a sturdy, stable, office desk extension. There’s an attachment piece that locks the desk and the extension together which is awesome. It’s the perfect size for my printer and a few other items. The extension’s outer edge also allows additional components to be added to make your workspace even larger. Oh, I should also add that the extension could be added to either side of any Legaré desk, bridge, or to another extension.

Legaré 30" Desk Extension

It also comes with one 24″ shelf, but can hold up to three shelves, adjustable in 6 and 3/8″ increments. For now, I have one shelf and which is perfect for my recycled printer paper and design magazines.

As with all Legaré’s line, the extension desk is made of engineered composite wood with solid-wood surface veneers. Engineered wood, manmade from small wood pieces and adhesives, has several environmental advantages: large panels of wood can be made from small-diameter trees; the use of wood scraps and wood with defects reduces waste; and engineered products are often stronger and less prone to warping from humidity than solid timber. Plus, all the wood Legaré uses is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

On top of piece of mind that the furniture you are buying is not contributing to destroying our planet, you also get an intelligently designed product. It’s simple to put together and has cool features like reversible surfaces, which allow you to flip them over to hide scratches as well as lots of well thought out holes and slots for keeping cables tucked away and hidden. I can’t say enough about Legaré products. I simply love them!

The Legaré 30″ Desk Extension is available at CSN for $170.00 and includes FREE shipping. You can purchase it HERE.

You can also check out my reviews of the Legaré Desk And Bookcase, as well as the Legaré Sustainable Sofa and Coffee Table Review.

Legaré 30’ Exstention Summary:

Pro:

• Made from Eco-friendly materials in FSC Certified mills

• Reversible, asymmetric panels for left or right side assembly

• Includes one 24″ shelf

• Single attachment piece to lock it to an adjacent desk to form a single unit

• Patented tool-free assembly

Cons:

• Absolutely none