Energy & Sustainability

If you’re a maker just starting out your journey in sustainability, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to get started. From understanding the types of materials to utilize, learning what steps will help reduce waste and emissions, and finding inspiring new ways to explore creativity that don’t have a negative environmental impact. The good news is there are plenty of resources available for DIYers looking for ways to make their projects more sustainable – from simple switches you can make today, big-picture ideas for longterm change, or exciting new ways makers are helping push sustainability into the future. In these blog posts we’ll look at tips tricks and ideas specifically tailored towards diyers and makers on the road to creating projects with greater eco consciousness so that not only will you create something beautiful but also respect its impact on our planet!

Flashback: Solar Xylophone

Flashback: Solar Xylophone

With spring in full swing and the sun shining longer every day, we’ve got solar on the mind. A great summertime project is a flashback from MAKE Volume 12: the Solar Xylophone! How does it work? A regular xylophone fits inside a solar-powered player box that holds a mallet over each of its 8 chime […]

How-To: Crafting with VHS Tapes

The always-innovative Diane Gilleland has a great tutorial up on CraftSylish on how to craft with VHS tapes. She makes bookends, loomed flowers, a macrame bracelet, and offers a bunch of other creative ideas. I’ve been wanting to get into using cassette and VHS tape to craft, and this is a great springboard.

Lost Knowledge: Island tricks

Lost Knowledge: Island tricks

The weekly Lost Knowledge column explores the possible technology of the future in the forgotten ideas of the past (and those slightly off to the side). Each Tuesday, we look at retro-tech, “lost” technology, and the make-do, improvised “street tech” of village artisans and tradespeople from around the globe. “Lost Knowledge” is also the theme […]

Soda tab lampshade

Soda tab lampshade

Sean Ragan writes: This lampshade is made almost entirely from stay tabs that are interlocked together without wires or fasteners of any type, using a kind of “chain mail” technique that I invented. Careful study of the photograph will probably tell you all you need to know about the chaining technique. Each tab is bent […]

KillaCycle, faster than ICE?

Looking for a fast ride? Try out KillaCycle. Loaded up like a cordless drill on wheels, the designers and engineers behind the hopped up bike are providing a proving ground for new electric vehicle technologies as they set and break world records in drag racing. In many ways, electric vehicles can outperfom those with ICEs, […]