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!
Permaculture means permanent culture, permanent agriculture, and other sustainability-related things, depending on who you ask. I’d describe it as sustainable design, with a focus on biomimicry and multiple uses for given elements. One popular concept is a ‘food forest,’ allowing multiple layers of edible things to grow in a given unit space: Austin’s lucky enough […]
Ingenious evaporative cooler built to cool camel’s milk in Somalia. I love the use of corrugated galvanized iron sheets and sisal sack fabric to create the airflow and cooling system. The upper ends of the fabric overhang in a water trough that rings the top of the cooler. Capillary action causes the water to slowly […]
MAKE Editor at Large David Pescovitz writes on Boing Boing: The Alameda County Computer Resource Center (ACCRC) is a Berkeley, California-based non-profit group that recycles anything that you can plug into a power outlet. Massive tonnage of insanely strange circuitry goes in and out of that place on a daily basis. To share some of […]
I really like the aesthetics of these pieces made by Anna over at forty-two roads. They remind me of the table made in Craft’s Fashioning Technology book. I would love to see these scaled up to “full size” and made of cardboard or plywood. Read more about Green Dollhouse Furniture More: More about Fashioning Technology […]
This solar power necktie is built with photovoltaic thin film about the same thickness as paper with a similar physical propeties to camera film. The aim of the tie is to charge your personal devices (such as your cellphone or iPod) throughout the day. The ties gathers close to 3.6 volts of power over the […]
Bruce Baldwin’s DIY desert dream.
Scott Kellogg, author of Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A Do-It-Ourselves Guide, took the time to let me pick his brain. He’s also agreed to check out the comments below himself; if you’re lucky, he might even answer some of your questions there. A sketch of a floating trash island from Scott’s book. 1. What […]
