These 12 ideas for converting shipping containers into homes are pretty cool, if not always practical or cheap. Our favorite is the one that’s probably among the most expensive to make, not to mention that added cost of relocating to New Zealand to get the awesome view. Runner up: Ross Steven’s three-story fortress built into a hillside (see page 2).
recycling
The Gym Made Of Wood
By 10.14.08
This is an outdoor gym made entirely of discarded orchard tree limbs and other pieces of recycled material. It bills itself as an eco-gym. Neat idea, but I wonder if anyone actually works out in it. [GOOD] (Thanks to c-side!)
Coinstar Calls Cashing In Change 'Recycling'
By 8.18.08
Douglas writes, “Coinstar wants you to ‘recycle’ your coins in their machines, and save the environment! Minus their 8.9% fee of course.” They even have a little wizard on their website that estimates how many parts of the environment—water, energy consumption, and geological waste—you save by putting those coins back into circulation, instead of hoarding them like the polar bear murderer you are. They don’t provide any source for these estimates, though, and we’re not convinced you’re doing anything “green” other than lining Coinstar’s pockets.
By 6.25.08
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Home Depot has started a nationwide compact flourescent light bulb recycling program. “At each The Home Depot store, customers can simply bring in any expired, unbroken CFL bulbs, and give them to the store associate behind the returns desk.” CFL bulbs contain mercury and can be damaging to the environment if thrown into regular landfills. [New York Times]
OfficeMax Calls You A Thief For Trying To Recycle
By 5.4.08
OfficeMax called Chris a thief for recycling empty printer cartridges. OfficeMax’s MaxPerks program gives customers $3 for each empty cartridge they recycle, with a limit of 5 cartridges per customer per day. Chris runs a computer repair business that leaves him flush with empty cartridges. According to one cashier, this makes Chris a thief.
Don't Reuse That USPS Priority Box, It's Illegal
By 5.1.08
7 News in Denver reports that a Colorado man has been officially warned that reusing a United States Postal Service “Priority Mail” cardboard box is a violation of federal law. We’re not even talking about mail fraud but simply reusing them for other types of shipping. Could reusing these boxes actually be a federal crime? Find out more about this outlaw…
City Sues Man For Not Having Any Trash
By 1.31.08
You would think city would be giving a guy a special bonus for not producing any trash, but San Carlos, CA is suing 53-year-old Eddie House for canceling his garbage service. House says he recycles most about everything by driving to the recycling center himself, gives food scraps to his dog, sells larger items or gives them away on craigslist, and burns his backyard clippings. Reports The Examiner: “House says he stopped his service with Allied Waste about a year ago after realizing that his garbage cans were nearly always empty. “It’s just me and my dog, so I don’t have a whole lot of garbage to begin with and I recycle everything,” he said.” Town ordinance requires that everyone contract with Allied Waste for at least once a week pickup. The city says they were alerted to the situation after neighbors complained he was burning garbage (a not-so-very green move). House says he was only burning firewood. “I don’t understand a city ordinance that requires you to fill up a can. That’s downright foolishness,” said Mr. House.
Whole Foods Will Eliminate Plastic Bags, Says "Bring Your Own"
By 1.22.08
Whole Foods says that by Earth Day 2008 they will be eliminating plastic bags and instead offer only paper bags or reusable bags made from recycled plastic bottles for $0.99.
Used Condoms Recycled Into Hair Bands?
By 11.13.07
Used condoms as hair bands? We’re all for recycling and everything, but this story pushes boundaries of good taste… and public health.
IKEA Will Recycle Your CFLs For Free
By 11.1.07
If you have an IKEA store near you, give them your old CFLs and they’ll recycle them for free. CFLs contain small amounts of mercury and should not be thrown away or recycled with glass bottles.
By 9.10.07
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The last time you bought a mattress, the store probably offered to take your old one away for free. Trouble is, mattresses are hard to dispose of and expensive to recycle. They can’t be compressed easily in landfills, and have to be manually torn apart or put in expensive machines to even partly recycle them. They suggest you look for “green” mattresses online, and take good care of your current one so it will last as long as possible. [Seattle Times]
Knit A Dishrag Out Of Old Clothes
By 7.24.07
Got some old clothes you were going to to throw away? You can cut them up and knit a dishrag out of them! The resulting dishrag is actually really cute, we imagine you could use it for something more glorious than scrubbing pots.
U.S. Airlines Not Recycling?
By 12.15.06
According to Reuters: “U.S. airlines and airports send more of their trash to the dump than the country as a whole, losing the chance to save emissions through recycling, according to an environmental group’s report.”
Kudos For Dell’s Free Part Recycling Program
By 10.6.06
We received our replacement keyboard for our Dell laptop today.
