Waterless Wash?

We've discussed washing our clothes numerous times on this blog. The water and energy use is staggering and we won't even discuss drying and ironing! 

Enter the Xeros Waterless Washing Machine(currently in rapid prototype stage). Using a similar theory to washing balls, the Xeros system uses detergent in tandem with nylon beads that work their way into your clothes and absorb stains. When the cycle is over the beads drain away, leaving your clothes  clean. Xeros claims to use 90% less water than traditional washing machines and estimate a 30% reduction in laundry costs over a traditional system. Other benefits include a faster cycle, no need to use a dryer and less nasty soap run off in the environment.

Xeros is currently working with the commercial sector, but they plan to roll out home models as well. Thumbs up for Xeros, but the jury is out till we see the cold, hard facts and the bright, clean results;)

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

How far does your fashion travel?

Yesterday I took some international colleagues on a walking tour of Philadelphia and it reminded me of a great lesson in living sustainable. BUY LOCAL. While many of the products might come from a great distance away, many local retailers work with local producers and even if the product has made a long journey the consumer has not. Buying local save fuel and energy on the buyers end and supports the local economy and these are all parts of creating a sustainable life.

Smak Parlour is one of the best examples of local in Philadelphia. Abby and Katy are grads of the Drexel d&m program and they opened Smak Parlour after gaining some valuable experience in NYC. When they began, they produced their own garments in store - definitely local and supplemented their designs with a highly edited selection of accessories. They have moved their production off-site (it is still local) and have worked to include other local designers. 

My purchase yesterday was a necklace produced by a local designer using baubles and gew gaws scavenged from antique jewelry. Sustainable all round and very lovely as well. 

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Forget the closet. Get a Green Home

Who knew? Philadelphia seems to be the East Coast hub for eco-friendly homes. According to an article by Patrick Pullen in the March/April edition of Arrive magazine, Philadelphia's Greenworks program is an ambitious plan to transform the city into the greenest city in the US by 2015. 

Goals of the program include:
- Lowering city government energy consumption by 30%

- Reducing citywide building energy consumption by 10%

- Retrofitting 15% of homes with insulation, air sealing and cool roofs.

- Purchasing and generating 20% of the electricity used in Philadelphia from alternate sources.

Several companies are helping. Postgreen purchases 18' x 60' infill lots in the city and creates the 100K house, a 1000 square foot, 2 story, 2 bed/1 bath home built on a budget under $100,000. Greenable is a purveyor of eco-friendly building materials. With a design studio in Old City since 2006, Greenable recently expanded into a 3,500 square foot space in Northern Liberties stocking eco-firendly cleaning products, composters, worm bins, paints, countertops, backsplashes, flooring, denim insulation, bamboo plywood, windows, lighting and more. BluPath Design is an architectural firm that has been designing green buildings since 2003 and works in partnership with GreenSteps eco-consultancy.

These are just a few of the companies proving going green is good business.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

From Laundry Balls to Soap Nuts?

We've discussed the environmental damage from doing laundry and we all know to wash in cold water and hang to dry. We've even looked into laundry balls and found mixed results. This past week Daily Grommet featured yet another option - Soapnuts.

They aren't soap and they aren't nuts. They are dried berry-like fruit found on a tropical tree and they have been used for centuries in India and Asia to clean all kinds of fabrics. Sounds promising! According to the post, "Their dried shells contained saponins, a natural alternative to traditional laundry detergents and cleaners." They are high efficiency washer friendly as they don't create too many suds and they are hypoallergenic, biodegradable and antimicrobial so gentle to the environment, septic and greywater systems.

It takes three or four nuts for each load of laundry, and you can reuse the same nuts for up to four loads. The post also suggests found uses for soapnuts outside the laundry room. Soak the seeds overnight in boiled water to get a concentrated liquid that works as a multi-purpose household cleaner, liquid hand soap, and even shampoo. Sounds almost too good to be true. Laundry Tree is offering a 40 load starter kit for $14.95 - not too much of an investment to give them a try.

Do they work? Here's what everyday users have to say.

Will They Clean Difficult Items?

Matt Johnson answers this and more: Yes and No.  They are one of the best detergents to get rid of bad odors.  Musty towels and wash cloths, even cloth diapers, come out smelling fresh and new.  Stubborn stains, though, such as blood & red wine, require a stain remover to help the cleaning process. You can also use 1/2c. lemon juice or hydrogen peroxide to help brighten your white clothes.

 

Worth a try I think.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

 

DIY Art Supplies

I know that many of you like to alter your garments and pursue creative home projects so this week I thought I would share some Green Art Supplies with you. A local retailer, Utrecht, debuted a Green Product page on their website in honor of Earth Day. Here are some highlights of the options they offer.

Eco-Friendly paper: Moleskine products made with "green" papers. Utrecht offers up a variety of folios with a choice of papers. Moleskine offers up the Cahier on their website that is the epitome of eco-friendly - acid-free paper, thread stitching, cardboard cover and kraft paper covers.

Green Brush cleaners: Jack's Linseed soap cleans just about anything - hands, brushes, surfaces. Made from naturally refined linseed oil combined with a special blend of natural cleaners, this soap is safe, non-toxic and low odor.

Eco-Friendly mediums: Turpenoid Natural is an odorless turpentine substitute that can be used to thin oil paint or clean brushes. It is non-flammable, does not irritate skin or eyes and does not emit harmful vapors.

Better choices for your health and the environment - let your creativity run wild.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

I can't believe it is Wednesday

I can't believe I missed my Tuesday post! I definitely have a lot on my plate and Iceland on the brain. So in honor of Iceland I'm talking felt. Not just any felt, but felted soap to scrub in the tub.

You say: "Felt in the tub! That's just wrong. Who wants wet wool that smells like wet Yak?"
Fiat Luxe says: "No worries. Our fragrant soaps are wrapped in a fuzzy little anti-fungal wool that exfoliates as you scrub and shrinks along with the soap for a perfectly sudsed wash every time."

They are green, beautiful and reusable - just cut a slit and insert a new bar. Healthy for your skin and the environment. Another win, win.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew

Have a Hand Made Green Holiday

So Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone. You're shopped out. You still don't have all the gifts you need and the funds are getting tight. Not to mention you need a festive wardrobe update for the holiday social rounds.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Make It!!!!

Here is a new to me blog that has a wide range of items with easy DIY instructions - P.S. - I made this... Self-proclaimed a movement, P.S. - I made this... describes itself as "a call to action to re-imagine, re-use, and re-invent. I see it. I like it. I make it."

Recent posts feature a variety of fashion(Chunky necklaces, Art deco earrings, etc.) and home accessories (textured pottery) that are on trend and oh so easy to make, many from things you may already have kicking around. Remember what MacGyver could do with a little string, duct tape and chewing gum? Now you won't necessarily escape from the bad guys, but you can have a festive runway inspired hair bow with a trash bag, lace ribbon, gorilla tape and scissors - a quick fix to your personal fashion emergency;)

Now there really are no excuses. See it. Like it? Make it! Give it. Wear it. Use it.

--till next week Restore, Recycle, Refresh & Renew