Recycled plastic bags

Have a look at the blog Greitzan. Such a cool way to recycle.

She used the plastic bags from Systembolaget (Swedish liquor store) to create a new bag. The bags from Systembolaget are all in similar colours and really not useful for anything after you brought your wines home. So this is really fun and creative. Also, check out the cosmetic pouch and iphone bag she made from other brands.

More from Stella

I want these!!!

Stella McCartneys new boots and pumps for A/W12

was seen on every fashionistas feet during the fashion weeks in NY, London, Milan and Paris.

I'm completely in love with the look, and it sure doesn't hurt that the sole is completely biodegradable.The rest of the shoe is made with Stellas usual care about the environment and impeccable attention to detail.

Chanel SS13 Paris

When Chanel showed their collection for Spring/Summer 2013 tonight at the Grand Palais they had a really creative setting.

I don't think it was intended to make a statement in the energy-debate, but it kind of does anyway. The runway itself is is painted to look like the models are walking on solar-panels. And take a look at the cool catwalk decorated with almost real size wind turbines.

Makes a powerful impression anyhow, doesn't it?



I really want this fab t-shirt...

Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood has always had a strong sense of social and environmental responsibility, and in her collection Red Label Summer 2012 she introduced a cooperation with Cool Earth. This organization is protecting our rainforests, and their main goal is to save those parts of the forests that are in immediate danger of being destroyed. They are working together with local communities to provide a sustainable future for the people of the rainforest.

Scary fact - The Amazon rainforest provides 20% of the world’s fresh water and a fifth of the world’s oxygen.
Still 400 000kvm (100 acres) of rainforest is being cleared every minute! Cool Earth caluculated it like this - In the next 24 hours, deforestation will release as much CO₂ into the atmosphere as 8 million people flying from London to New York. That really puts it into perspective, doesn't it?

Vivienne Westwood is also involved in another important project. For the winter 2012/2013 she has designed a collection of handbags made from recycled materials and handmade in Kenya. This project is carried out with support from the U.N. Ethical Fashion Program designed to empower women in some of the poorest communities in the world.

Check-out and shop Viviennes cool outfits and accessories on her homepage. 

Electro Luxury

I watched CBS 60 minutes this weekend about Elon Musk who's the CEO and co-founder of Tesla Motors. This is the guy that founded PayPal and he is also the CEO of SpaceX; a forward thinking company working with private and commercial space transport. It was a good portrait, and I always find people that has the guts to take a big step out of their comfort-zone really interesting.

Tesla Motors is a young company (founded in 2003) that works on bringing us electrical cars without compromising with design and performance. They have produced three models so far and from what I've read on the internet most reviewers really likes what they see and experience.

As a gadget maniac, cool features like a really large touchscreen for information and entertainment in the front and a prepared slot to put you iPod in is really appealing.













As long as you choose where you buy your electricity from (sun, wind, water etc.) there are no emissions whatsoever with theese cars.



Model X

Model X is the SUV and will go into production in late 2013. It accelerates from 0-60 mph (96km/h) in under 5 seconds. On the homepage you can have a close look at it from a 360-degree angle.








Model S



This car is under production and deliveries will begin in the autumn of 2012. It's topspeed is 125 mph (200km/h). Accelerates 0-60mph (96km/h) in 4,4 sec. Estimated range (85 kWh) is 300 miles (480km) if you drive at 60mhp.






Roadster


On the website you can design your own and see exactly what it would look like with different colours, wheels, interior etc.  Accelerates 0-60 mph (96km/h) in 3,7 sec. The range is 245 miles (390km) per charge and top-speed is 125 mph (200km/h).

Diamonds are forever

If you want to make sure that your gold and diamonds come from a sustainable source there are a few things to consider.

The Kimberley Process is a social initiative that started in May 2000 to stop diamonds from conflict areas, so called Blood Diamonds. Many countries and companies in the diamond trade participate in this important task and they have reached great results in just over ten years. You can read a lot of interesting information about the process in the webpage. Since the KP certification is not legally binding for the participants every consumer plays an important role. The Kimberly Process really emphasis the importance we all play as consumers and what we need to ask for when shopping jewellery.

You can also look at Fair Trade Gems for more information and finding retailers.

Coalition for Green Gold is an interesting initiative on sustainable mining. Working against rainforest deforestation and mercury, cyanide and arsenic contamination this is extremely important. For example; mercury is used when extracting gold, and it's poisoning the water, the animals and the people living close to the mines. You can also find information about this work on Fairtrade and on Alliance for Responsible Mining.

If you want to shop some gorgeous jewellery, check out these websites;

Noën is a german company making beautiful jewellery in organic gold and diamonds. They don't want to compromise between beauty and social responsibility, and they really manage to mix those two together. The gold is extracted without chemicals and their diamonds are certified through the Kimberley Process. On their homepage you can even watch a video from one of the sites where they extract gold.

Ekoguld is Sweden's first Fairtrade certified goldsmith. Their gold are Fairmined certified and their gems are from sustainable and fairtrade sources. They even offer their customers to use recycled gold if they want to.

Dandelion is spelled with three E:s

Dandelion Sportswear is a Swedish company based in Stockholm. The three E:s stands for Ecologic, Ethic and Esthetic and is the foundation of the entire company.

Dandelion encourage their customers to consume less and recycle more and they adjust their collections according to this principle. The clothes are beautiful and functional and once they are worn out you can return it to them for recycling.

All clothes are 100% organic and they make sure that everybody in the supply chain gets a decent pay for their work and that no producers use child labour. No toxic dyes are being used which not only is beneficial to the environment but for the employees as well. The design and function is not compromised with and comfort is the main goal.

Nicole, the designer and founder, has a genuine design background from some of the most prestigous schools in the industry. She is also the founder of Strömmingsloppet (The Herring race). It's carried out each year in the city of Vaxholm in the archipelago outside Stocholm. The race has recieved the eco-label Håll Sverige Rent (Keep Sweden Clean)and 100SEK of each participants fee is donated to WaterAid.

Nespresso - or someting else?

I don't drink coffee, but when I see the Nespresso pods that look like candy I'm really tempted to start.

The pods are made of aluminium, and in Sweden they can be disposed of at the regular recycling center as metal. Sweden and Germany are currently the only countries where this is possible. Told you we take recycling seriously.... In countries where this is not possible Nespresso has developed their own system to recycle and reuse the capsules. Ask at your local Nespresso store. 

The coffee beans are unfortunately not organic which means that this is not a very healthy option. Nespresso has a very good website with information on how they work closely together with farmers to create long-term business and to work together for a more sustainable future. It's an admirable approach, and I hope they will move even further and start promoting organic farming. As I've written before there are a lot of chemicals used in producing coffee, and that's really harmful for the producers, the environment and the consumers. So if you're buying Nespresso make sure to ask for organic coffee to make them understand that we want it chemical-free.

Reuse the pods? Below are some fun and creative pictures.

Beautiful cups from Dottings

Small works of art by Aqui H Gato

Necklace from the "Throw away Gold" collection by Nolia Shakti.

Key pendants. Artist unknown.

Table "What Else" from Studio Verissimo

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney is such a great role model. She is a fantastic designer and her clothes and accessories are sold and admired all over the world.

This is a woman who has never used leather or fur in her collections. She has shown that great materials can be found and used without cruelty. For the new Spring/Summer 2012 she has designed a collection of eco-friendly sunglasses in a lot of different colours and styles. In her fragrances she uses as much natural ingredients as possible, and they are completely without parabens. Together with her family she wrote a Meat Free Monday cookbook to inspire to a vegetarian lifestyle.

It's really inspiring to follow her career and what she does to lead a sustainable life.
Read more and shop her beautiful designs here; StellamcCartney

Down under

More and more brands have underwear in organic cotton or organic cotton blends.
You can find it in most high-street brands, and also online. Most is made in organic cotton, but there are also some made of bamboo, hemp or fibers of pine. All those materials breathe and are comfortable to wear closest to your body. It's nice to have clothes without chemicals that close to you.

Here are some websites to choose from; Ecolyxica, Ekogarderoben, Greentex

H&M

Their Conscious Collection is in stores now. Made from materials like organic cotton or recycled polyester. Really cool clothes and many are already sold out.

Read more and buy your favourites here; H&M.

Marc Jacobs

Apart from making gorgeous clothes, Marc Jacobs has designed a pair of sunglasses for the "Plant a Seed" project that's dedicated to saving the rainforests of Brazil.  Read more and support the project here.

The glasses are dark brown and green and has a vintage-inspired frame. They are made from renewable resources, and so is the case they come in. You can find them on his own website.

Those sunglasses can also be bought at Smartbuyglasses at a good price. Smartbuyglasses also thinks one step ahead with their Buy one - Give one concept. For every pair of glasses (not sunglasses) you buy, they donate one pair to someone that needs glasses but can't afford them. So far they've donated glasses at a value of over 800 000 USD!

High Line

The High Line is a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan's West Side. It was founded the 1930s, as part of a massive public-private infrastructure project called the West Side Improvement.



 

No trains have run on the High Line since 1980 and in 1999 the structure was under the threat of demolition. Friends of the High Line was founded by the local community to save the historic site and transform it into the beautiful public park it is today. The park is located on Manhattan's West Side and runs from Gansevoort Street to West 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues.

Friends of the High Line works very actively to keep the park open and to involve the community in this project. On the High Line you can find a lot of green areas to just relax, you can find cafées and restaurants and different art projects. They have tours for the local schools to teach children about the history of the High Line, about the plants and ecosystem of New York and about the history of Manhattan's shipping industry.

It's a really great example of recycling, turning something old and run down into a beautiful place that everybody can enjoy.

Read more about the High Line. And don't forget to visit when you're in New York.

A Positive Greenhouse Effect

By 2050 up to 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. In the same time the population will increase with 2 billion people. How will we provide food for everybody?

Plantagon is an interesting Swedish company working on a solution. They have developed architecture and technology for urban agriculture.

They've designed several different types of greenhouses; from houses used only for farming to solutions integrated in already existing office buildings. They've taken into consideration both the architecture itself and also ways to provide as much natural light as possible.

The entire farming process is based on a sustainable system with organic fertilisers, water recycling and ways to convert waste into biogas. They want to integrate farming with cities in ways that saves both money and the environment.

Their first greenhouse is currently being built in the city of  Linköping in Sweden.
They will be the first city in the world to test this new technology and break new grounds for future cities to develop sustainable farming solutions.

Read more about Plantagon's truly amazing inventions here.

Exciting  information about Vertical Farming can also be found on Verticalfarm.

Six Senses

Apart from beeing absolutely amazing resorts, their spas and hotels are something out of the ordinary when it comes to environmental issues, and they are highly involved in reducing the impact of their activities.

There is a very extensive program to try to achieve this in every possible way; from waste management to energy saving, from environmental concerns during constructions to raising awareness among staff, guests and the local community.

Apart from the smaller things, they are also involved in sustainability issues on a larger scale.

They have a fund, SERF, that is to be used primarily for social and environmental projects and initiatives in responsible development. All of the resorts and spas contribute 0,5% of their total revenue to this.

Six Senses is also dedicated to a water saving project. Half of the sales of water on their resorts are invested in organisations that helps to provide clean water for people around the world who doesn't have access to that.

In 2008 they started a symposium called Slow Life. The hope for this is that politicians, philosophers and influential people, sharing insights and making connections, can make way for a better and more sustainable future. Some of the speakers on the 2011 symposium were; Daryl Hannah, President Mohamed Nasheed and Richard Branson.

Read more and dream away at; Sixsenses

iPhone

My iPhone is my organic favourite at the moment since it is my....

-Phone
-GPS
-Bankbook
-Music (using both headphones and connecting it to the stereo in the house)
-Notebook
-Mirror
-Calendar
-Shopping List
-Recipes
-CV (LinkedIn)
-Lexicon
-Newspaper
-Camera
-Photoalbum
-Games (Sudoku, Tetris, Bubble Shooter)
-Radio
-Blog
-Alarm-clock
-Timetable for the bus and train
-Gym (RunKeeper, SATS, Jillian Michaels etc)
-TV
-Social Network (Facebook, About.me, YouTube etc)
-Calculator
-Compass
-Converter
-Plane ticket
-Inbox
-Adressbook

Saves lots and lots of paper, metal, plastic etc. And time of course...