Could you live in a 500-square-foot house? If the answer is yes, kudos! For the rest of us, it can be a struggle to consume less energy, buy less stuff, and keep the house clean and green. Fear not. This week, we'll show you how to simplify your life and maximize your space.
3 Types of Transformative Beds
Make the most of a small space with furniture that can serve multiple functions. These transformative
beds save both money and materials. After all, you don't need to buy two
separate pieces of furniture to get two separate pieces of furniture.
Digital photography has condemned a lot of beautiful film-based equipment to an uncertain fate. It is distressing to think that my two sophisticated SLRs and their associated lenses and paraphernalia could end up in a landfill. Is there any good alternative for this stuff?
—Gary, in Seattle
How sad indeed to see such gorgeous old photo equipment land in a dump with rotten garbage smearing their multiple lenses and oozing into their delicate inner chambers. It's a tragedy for all of us who loved to watch photographers wield their cameras, and later to enjoy the results of their alchemical magic in the haunting light of those mysterious darkrooms.
But take heart. There are a number of possibilities for recycling old film cameras. There are retro photographers who venerate the old equipment, just as there remain arty printers who still set type by hand and music lovers infatuated with old-fashion vinyl records. And there are also recyclers. Here are some suggestions to help find a respectable home for your cameras in their old age:
We've all got that one pair of deteriorated jeans that we can't bear to toss. Sure, you could donate them or give yourself a clothing makeover, but since denim is such a strong fabric, why not put those pants to work? This week, we'll show you how to make four jean-ius kitchen accessories from one old outfit.
Craft #4: Denim Pot holder
Instead of improvising with towels to pull a hot pot or tea kettle off the stove, use this repurposed denim pot holder.
We've all got that one pair of deteriorated jeans that we can't bear to toss. Sure, you could donate them or give yourself a clothing makeover, but since denim is such a strong fabric, why not put those pants to work? This week, we'll show you how to make four jean-ius kitchen accessories from one old outfit.
Craft #3: Denim Coaster
Nobody likes water stains on the coffee table. Save that surface and repurpose those old jeans at the same time with this easy-to-make coaster.
We've all got that one pair of deteriorated jeans that we can't bear to toss. Sure, you could donate them or give yourself a clothing makeover, but since denim is such a strong fabric, why not put those pants to work? This week, we'll show you how to make four jean-ius kitchen accessories from one old outfit.
Craft #2: Pocket Fridge Magnet
Ever find yourself struggling to find a pen in a cluttered catch-all drawer? Slap this handy magnetic pocket on your refrigerator door and slip a few pens inside. Problem solved.
We've all got that one pair of deteriorated jeans that we can't bear to toss. Sure, you could donate them or give yourself a clothing makeover, but since denim is such a strong fabric, why not put those pants to work? This week, we'll show you how to make four jean-ius kitchen accessories from one old outfit.
Craft #1: Reusable Cup Koozie
You don't want to burn your hand on a scalding hot cup of coffee, but you also don't want to keep using and tossing away those cardboard sleeves. Solution: Make this DIY coffee koozie.
How many times have you ordered Chinese or Thai food and ended up with more white rice leftovers than you know what to do with? Much of the time that rice just sits in the fridge, forgotten, until you spy it days later and end up tossing it because it's "too old." Not this time, people. We've got a way to salvage that rice before it heads to the dumpster... turn it into rice pudding! It's quick, it's easy, and it's the perfect way to recycle those unappealing leftovers into a sweet treat.
The old adage goes that a picture is worth a thousand words; but what about the details that are not captured by the shutter button? Perhaps you've saved a map from every National Park you've visited or you've collected pressed leaves and flowers to mark seasons of your backyard organic garden. But if over the years your memory box has slowly turned into six bins filled with sentimental knickknacks that you'd rather not send to the landfill, it's time to breathe them back into vitality!
Joseph Cornell, an American sculptor and one of the pioneers of box art, assembled amazing pieces of artwork in glass boxed frames, also known as shadow boxes. Inspired by fragments of beautiful and precious objects, Cornell artfully placed bric-a-brac and photographs in boxed frames. You can follow in Cornell's footsteps by creating unique art to preserve memories that photographs can't otherwise bring to three-dimensional life. At the same time, you can also dispel the myth that shadow boxes are only for the display of insects and bugs!
When it comes to ecological issues, do you know your windmills from your oil spills? How about your PCB's from your POP's? Take our eco-vocabulary quiz and find out if you're an environmental maven!
Kickstarter has helped so many businesses and individuals reach out to potential investors. Whether they be musicians looking to put out a CD, documentarians trying to make a movie, or businesses introducing a new product, Kickstarter provides a platform for support. What's caught our eye are the green-friendly projects that could prosper with the help of this website. If it weren't for Kickstarter, I wouldn't have known about Sprout, a pencil containing seeds that can be planted when the pencil gets too small. Now Sprout has enough backers to create this innovative idea, and I may be one of the first recipients! Here are some other great green ideas you might want to get in on:
The Farmery: Food would be grown on-site at this urban farm and market proposed by Ben Greene of Raleigh, NC. Not only would they sell products grown right there in a facility made of old shipping containers; they would sell produce from local farmers. The Farmery's goal is to be able to offer locally grown products on a constant basis, and to let shoppers in on the sights, sounds, and even scents of the growing experience as they shop.
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