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!

DIY Skateboard

DIY Skateboard

Letsevo has a nice write up on how-to make your own old school style skateboard. The website has a flickr photo set of the build and a PDF template to get you started in the right direction. I just finished out my latest project. A contribution for the DIY (Do it yorself) community. Since I […]

Unpacking Our Chickens

After several rounds of possum-, dog-, and raccoon-related mishaps, we’ve just received our third round of chickens. Here’s my patient partner Amanda May unpacking the chicks and explaining the process: Here’s where we ordered the chickens and information on the assortment. Believe it or not, there are apparently chickens who will lay green and blue […]

California Academy of Sciences sneak peek

California Academy of Sciences sneak peek

Official shot of the complex (above). From Shawn’s Flickr set (below). Living roofs with skylights. They are heat sensitive and open automatically when they reach a certain temperature to get a breeze going inside Bloggers and Bay Area journos were invited on a behind-the-scenes, not-quite-ready-for-primetime tour of the updated Steinhart Aquarium and California Academy of […]

Make Your Own Potato Plastic

It looks like plastic made from a potato is a lot more flexible and clear compared to plastic made from milk. Either one is a nice eco-friendly alternative to the petroleum based variety. Although I think it’s actual usefulness may be a bit limited. In this video we make a batch of potato plastic based […]

New York’s Pedicab Wars

New York’s Pedicab Wars

Image courtesy Trixi As I wrestle to get my home-built pedicab legal for passengers in my fair metropolis of Austin, Texas (more on that in a later post), this article reminds me that I could have it significantly worse. My favorite part: Council Speaker Christine Quinn makes a face. “No way. I would never get […]

Cardboard Tube Chair

Paula at Treehugger wrote about this cool chair made from recycled printing industry cardboard tubes. From the site: Chilean design studio Onceneto teamed up with La Tercera newspaper and has been doing an interesting job recovering waste material from the paper’s print process. The first is produced with cardboard tubes from the newspaper printer paper […]