Growing Jewelry by Haftsteinn Juliusson

These beautiful pieces are made from product designer Haftsteinn Juliusson. The silver pieces hold live Irish moss on the tops, and come with miniature green houses at jewelry boxes, and a spray bottle of "Growing Jewelry Water." To check out the display at the Reykjavic Art Museum look at this.

RCA Concept Car

You can thank Joonas Vartola and Paul Hause for these beautes, and Inhabitat for the article. In it they say "The car of the future is a small fuel-efficient vehicle. It will be light, weighing no more than 50% of what the average vehicle currently weighs. Though hybrids are a short term solution, trends indicate that such vehicle will be electric, as the technology has finally achieved the power and efficiency to make this a workable solution. And very likely, such vehicle will be powered by either solar panels on your roof, or solar panels on the vehicle itself. This does not mean that there will not be other types of vehicles, but instead that rather of looking at fossil fuels as the answer to everything, vehicles will become much more specialized. Small electric powered vehicles will be the main form of transportation for the average city dweller. More powerful hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell trucks, or possibly even SUVs, will be used to carry larger loads across town, and heavy duty rigs and construction equipment will probably be using biofuels or even some form of flex fuels (mixture of fossil fuels and ethanol) to drive large loads across long distances." To read more about these futuristic sustainable cars, read here.

Dome Home

These simple clean lined homes have been available in Japan for a while now. The building material for the Dome House is expanded polystyrene, "the fourth-generation building material" after wood, iron, and concrete. Having cleared the world's strictest building codes in Japan, the Dome House is approved by the Japanese Ministry of Land and Transport. Its ultra-thermal which is energy saving, though it is only semi-permanent. Each dome is only 80 kg, and according to the site can be assembled in about a week with 3 to 4 people. The floor has been made of mezzanine and because you can order parts separately, every dome can have its own personal touch. I think this would be a good and cheap alternative to having a tropical beach house of my own. The designs are clean, bright, airy, and there is more room to work with then you would think. As an added bonus, these houses are filled with antioxidants which the site claims will better your health and slow your aging. Relatively cheap eco-friendly housing infused with the latest in anti-aging antioxidants? Sign me up!

Crazy Aussies/The Front Fell Off

An older video from the Down Under. It's poking fun at a crude oil crisis that occurred in the 90's and was mismanaged by the Australian government.

Funny Video From Down Under

I found this hysterical video of a newsbit in Australia, I think it came out the earlier part of this year. But just in case you haven't seen it, it's about a kid who had a party while the parents were away and things got a little out of hand. It would be nice to have the balls that this kid has.

Hetty Rose: Handmade Shoes to Order

These shoes are one of the many beautiful custom made shoes created by designer Hetty Rose. Her collection works around the re-using and re-working vintage Japanese kimono fabrics in a creative and sustainable way. This results of in the making of bright,feminine, retro shoes to fit. Kimono fabrics are now relics of a disappearing world, each one having its one significance and meaning. The colors and folds signify various seasons, occasion, status and personal taste of the wearer. Go to Hetty Rose for more information.

Nocturne: Edun's Fall/Winter 08 Collection

Fashion line Edun (nude backwards),is a socially conscious clothing company launched in Spring 2005 by Ali Hewson and Bono. The site describes their Fall/Winter collection as "a blending of themes of nature and nightfall taking inspiration from Nocturnes, instrumental compositions inspired by the night and written most famously during the Romantic period by composers such as John Field, Frederic Chopin and Gabriel Fauré.
The company's mission is to create beautiful clothing, while fostering sustainable employment in developing areas of the world in particular Africa. EDUN is a for-profit business founded on the premise of trade, not aid as a means of building sustainable communities. The company works on a micro-level to help build the skill sets of factories where the clothes are produced. EDUN is currently produced in India, Peru, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, Mauritius and Madagascar. In addition, EDUN acts as a voice encouraging the fashion community to do business in Africa and thereby help bring the continent out of extreme poverty."

Time Bomb

Tokyo-based & Design’s Icon watch is modeled after the Mac's 8-bit ticking time bomb icon. With its retro, pixilated, and numberless face the watch is a throwback to the Mac and is available in white and black. Icon is made of ABS and stainless steel with a polyurethane band; and it costs $75. www.momastore.org

Want to live in a treehouse?

In 2007 eco-architect Mitchell Joachim and other collaborating designers, came together and and created a technologically possible living tree house. These buildings would be created with living trees using ficus moldings and frame structures. Of course these tree houses are a bit more complex that what we are used to, but the idea is possible, sustainable, and very interesting. Sadly one of the main problems with getting these made is passing by a planning committee. Of course the trees at some point will pass height restrictions, and they would be seen as an insurance liability. To get a better understanding, you can see Mitchell Joachim explain the process himself in the video.

SLINKACHU

This London based artist paints miniature people and buildings placing them against the backdrop of the city and creating interesting and comical photographs. It makes you think about the scale of those elements and what happens when you are creative in how you portray them. He's got a flickr account by that name and also a book coming out called "Little People in the City." Here is some of his work.

Metabolix Grows Bioplastics in Switchgrass

Bioplastics are becoming an increasingly popular material as the cost of oil climbs and the dangers of petroleum-based plastics are being continuously studied and reported. Metabolix announced an incredible development: they have found a way to generate “significant amounts” of ecologically-sound bioplastic by growing it in directly in switchgrass. The fast-growing perennial plant is paving the way for a sustainable source of Mirel, the company’s biodegradable brand of bioplastic.

Cool, Colorful, Comfy Design

The Miss Rio Ottoman is composed of an unlikely material that gives it its Nerf-esque pizazz and Koosh ball buoyancy: recycled Flip-Flops. Designer Karin Wittmann Wilsmann takes industrial leftovers from flip-flop factories to groups of local craftspeople in Brazil where the unprocessed material becomes Miss Rio Ottomans.