Monday, 9 February 2009

treehugger

In my search for eco fabrics I came upon this website aptly called treehugger.com with information on all things eco including climate change as well as interesting design solutions



Snow Bleach: Sustainable, Traditional, And Beautiful

by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 02. 6.09
Design & Architecture
Buzz up!

uchiyamashi paper lamps photo
(Photo of Uchiyama paper lamps from Saluki)

How do they get that special glow? During the harsh winter, craftsmen and -women have for at least 800 years developed special techniques to improve the quality of their goods in northern Japan. There is something about the strong sunshine you get in places like Niigata prefecture in February and March. Paper made from snow-bleached twigs and branches of mulberry and mitsumata, bleached in the slow, traditional way, is still in demand, but there is concern that forestry practices are not sustainable.

Apparently mulberry is a highly invasive plant that takes moisture away from the plants around it . Ah well not mulberry paper for my lamp then !

and this one that I love for its simplicity and ingenuity

Not a Box Lighting: More Cardboard Design from David Graas

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 09.10.07
Design & Architecture



david-graas-not-a-box-lamp.jpg

Designer David Graas (remember his awesome furniture?) has applied his cardboard-centric no-waste design philosophy to lighting with the fun "Not a Box" series. Again, using the packaging as the product, the pendant lamp "comes as a box with all parts inside (bulb, plug, cable etc. + manual). You cut top and bottom yourself and then install. The cut out of the lamp shape functions as a graphical image of the lamp that could be inside the box, but is not." Quite similar to the previous "Not a Lamp" design (pic below the fold), we love the cheeky, minimalist design; toss in the super-efficient design and recyclability, and you can't go wrong. Just don't forget to pop a compact fluorescent bulb in there. ::David Graas via ::MoCo Loco

david-graas-not-a-lamp.jpg

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