Category Archives: technology
Reincarnated Barbie dolls
Mattel, the makers of Barbie dolls, Matchbox toys and MEGA toys has started up a recycling program. If you visit the Mattel Playback site, you can print off a free shipping label and send them your outgrown toys for recycling. … Continue reading
Climate victory gardens
You can do something enjoyable to improve your health, the beauty of your surroundings, support pollinating insects — and work on climate change. This is to grow some (or even all) of your food at home. Green America Magazine gives … Continue reading
No paper is better than recycled paper
With plastics flooding everything, paper and cardboard are the packaging materials of the future. So, paper use is projected to rise. No worries, we use recycled, right? This paper by Lloyd Alter in Treehugger (excuse the pun) shows the problem … Continue reading
From trash to value: we can all learn from Nigeria
Put your waste in the recycle bin, and it’s out of sight, out of mind. It has not actually achieved anything, which is why so much is choking our world. The best thing is refusing to buy it in the … Continue reading
Circular life for chopsticks
Looking for a local small business that reduces waste to create beautiful, functional items? Chopvalue is seeking franchise operators, probably where you live. When I was a young fella, I built much of my house using bits pulled out of … Continue reading
No cars is better than electric cars
The government of my state has slapped a road tax on electric cars, and I was happy to sign a petition opposing this move. It is an impost on NOT polluting. Electric cars are infinitely better than CO2-farting transport. Fellow … Continue reading
The husband-and-wife team who may have saved the world
Both have Turkish parents but are German. They met at University, and barely took off a day from research for their wedding. They remind me of Pierre and Marie Curie, who also put service through research above all else. Do … Continue reading
Japanese town cut waste by 80%, but…
In 2003, the Japanese town, Kamikatsu, resolved to go waste-free by 2020. They did incredibly well, but couldn’t manage it. Why? The packaging industry makes it impossible. Please read this incisive short essay by Olivia Sullivan. She describes what got … Continue reading
The Idle Off Project
Breathing in vehicle fumes is bad for you. It is particularly harmful for children. And yet, every afternoon, buses and parents’ cars spew the noxious stuff in school parking areas. This is why the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) has … Continue reading
Inspiring cooking stove
Uganda is dying because of deforestation. Its women are terribly affected by smoke from cooking fires. One man has done something to reduce both problems. He has devised a zero-cost mud stove that reduces firewood use to half, and eliminates … Continue reading
