Each week, Justin Thomas of Metaefficient gives us a peek into new finds in sustainable design. Metaefficient "searches out products that we believe are more effective and healthier for individuals and the world, yet are comparable in price to mainstream products." We're glad to feature the best of what Justin's found lately, here on Worldchanging:
100%
Corn-Based Packaging Now In Use
Cargill Dow's line of 100% corn-based bioplastic "NatureWorks
Packaging" is
now being used by a number of food companies to package fresh
produce and salads.
Dow Chemicals, a partner in the Cargill Dow company, has a
questionable
environmental and ethical track record. However, the
Natureworks product is
making breakthroughs for bioplastic into the food packaging
marketplace. For
example, Del
Monte Fresh Produce is converting
from
PET containers to NatureWorks PLA packaging for fresh-cut
pineapple, melons
and fruit & vegetable medleys. Newman’s
Own Organics will offer
several
organic salad varieties in two-piece, rigid tubs made from
NatureWorks PLA. Club
Fresh is using
NatureWorks
PLA for cut melon, fruit mixes & diced vegetables. We hope to
see more manufacturers
adopt biodegradeable packaging soon.
These LED lights extremely energy efficient and are replacements for the those fallible conventional Christmas lights. LED Christmas lights are bright, don't burn out or break and are cool to the touch.
These attractive tables and chairs are designed by Scrapile. They are made of reclaimed scraps of wood from local wood shops. The unique texture comes from the combination of the various types of wood that is recovered. Scrapile is run by Brooklyn-based designers Carlos Salgado and Bart Bettencourt. For more information contact: Carlos Salgado.