Be green in the afterlife with an Acorn recycled Urn
While no one wants to think about death, more and more people are starting to think that, when they die, they want to leave the planet in the same eco-friendly manner that they lived. The Acorn recycled urn helps you or a loved one minimise the environmental impact of a passing, so you can respect someone’s green beliefs even after death. Available in gold or green, the beautiful and simple Acorn urn is designed for use with a cotton ashes bag and is the perfect environmentally friendly receptacle for ashes. Produced to regulation size, the Acorn recycled urn is made from compressed newspaper, making it strong, and durable. The gold Acorn is hand finished with Dutch gold leaf applied over a red base, while the green Acorn urn is hand finished with moss green coloured paper made from recycled silk and mulberry leaves. The stalks of the lid on both the gold and green urns are made from a twist of recycled paper. The Acorns will last indefinitely if kept dry and are an eco-friendly and ethical way to store a loved one’s ashes. So while it is never pleasant to think about dying, it is reassuring to know that in death as in life you can help the planet – making it a better place for those left behind.
Shed some light with a lovely lentil design lamp
If you are looking for a stylish and environmentally friendly lighting solution, this recycled lentil design lamp could just be the perfect choice. Designed and hand-made in London, this stylish lamp utilises eco-friendly materials and contemporary design to create something that is both chic and ethically sound. Because it is made in the UK there are no air miles to worry about, and the recycled lentil design lamp is made from recycled paper and porcelain clay, which is cleverly infused with lentils, which is what gives the lamp its beautiful finish. The lamp gives a lovely warm glow so is ideal for living rooms and bedrooms, especially on these cold, dark nights! Measuring 48 x 16cm, when turned off the lamp has a neutral, ceramic colour, plain enough to complement any decor, but is transformed to this lovely shade when switched on. So you can enjoy the best of British design while safe in the knowledge that you are not only investing in style, but in sustainability and the environment. So switch on a recycled lentil design lamp today, and shine a little light into these grim winter evenings.
Green and chic – the recycled ring pull bag
Eco-chic meets practicality with this stylish recycled ring pull bag. Given the global popularity of brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, it will surprise no one to know that every year we throw out millions of soft drinks cans – most of which could be easily recycled.
One company has come up with a wonderful way of recycling the ring pulls from these cans – making these beautiful recycled ring pull handbags. A fabulously versatile accessory, the recycled ring pull bag’s unique ‘chain mail’ effect fits perfectly with the current taste for ‘fierce’ style, so would be ideal to bring a touch of glamour to a simple outfit of t-shirt, jeans and boots, or conversely to toughen up a night-time look of party dress and heels.
Produced in Brazil, each recycled ring pull bag is made of over 400 recycled aluminium ring pulls which are painted in a matt gold finish, and is fully lined in a matching colour tone. That’s a lot of ring pulls saved from landfill! A matching recycled ring pull coin purse is also available, or you can also buy the bag in silver, depending on the look you are after. Because aluminium is a lightweight material, these recycled ring pull bags not only look great, they are not heavy to carry, so they won’t weigh you down on a night out!
First published 27 December 2009. Please note that blog posts remain live, and any offers or information may no longer be current when you view this page.
Stylish and chic eco-design with a recycled glass grape light
Much like the sustainable coco tooth light we featured in an earlier post, this recycled glass grape light proves that green design doesn’t have to look ‘rustic’ or ‘hippyish’. It is a perfect example of how eco-friendly and ethical designers are taking green principles and using them to make some of the most cutting edge interiors products around. The recycled glass grape light is made from 100% recycled glass, and is available in a range of colours. You can select turquoise, amber or clear glass, depending on what best complements your decor, and the light would make a beautiful and striking addition to any home. Although the design may look hi-tech, it actually utilises traditional skills, with each bulb in this recycled glass grape light handmade by traditional craftsmen on the souks of Damascus and Aleppo. Recycled glass is gathered from the local area, brought to the workshop and then crushed and melted before being worked into this stunning design, making the light a perfect combination of age-old skills and modern design. The light comes in three sizes – small, medium and large – depending on your living space, or you could buy a range of sizes and colours for a more dramatic effect. Whatever your choice, this recycled glass grape light allows you to support environmentally friendly producers without compromising your aesthetic standards.
Eco-friendly sofas made from cardboard – comfier than they sound!
Eco-friendly or not, a cardboard sofa doesn’t sound like much fun, but this stylish cardboard eco-friendly sofa might just change your mind! Stylish and chic, this eco-friendly sofa is designed in Sweden – and those Swedes know a thing or two about design and the environment! Made from sustainable cardboard (40% of it recycled), the eco-friendly sofa is a perfect addition to any living room – and is comfier and more practical than it sounds! The cardboard eco-friendly sofa manages to encapsulate contemporary style without compromising ethical standards, to create a chic and eco-friendly choice. Sustainable, recycled cardboard is becoming an increasingly popular material for furniture – it has a natural, pared down look that is contemporary and stylish and fits well into a modern home. Sturdy and practical, this cardboard has a very low impact on the environment: coming from a mix of sustainable sources and recycled board, the eco-friendly sofa can of course be broken up and recycled again should you ever need to dispose of it – though as it is built to last, and to love, that will probably be years down the line. To ensure you keep your ethical credentials up, why not furnish your cardboard eco-friendly sofa with some environmentally friendly cushions – perhaps made from organic cotton or recycled seatbelts? This means you’ll be sitting comfortably – and comfortable that you are helping the planet by buying sustainable and environmentally friendly products.
Be eco in the afterlife with an Ecopod Coffin
Ecopod coffins are recycled and biodegradable coffins that are completely non-toxic, enabling you to leave this planet with as little environmental impact as possible. Most coffins in use today are made of chipboard covered in laminate, but Ecopod coffins are made from naturally hardened, 100% recycled paper, making them biodegradable and suitable even for use in Greenfield sites. The revolutionary Ecopod coffin design is strong and light and available in two sizes and a range of colours including – of course! – green, (with a silver Celtic cross) as well as blue and, for those who would like a touch of bling even at the end, gold. Each Ecopod coffin comes with a calico mattress and carrying straps and can be delivered anywhere in the UK. While it may sound morbid thinking about death, choosing an Ecopod coffin – or informing loved ones that this would be your choice – allows you to make a conscious decision about how you want to exit the planet and enables you to minimise the environmental impact of that departure. We are becoming more and more aware of the cost to the environment of all of our choices throughout our lives, and even at the end of them. Ecopod coffins allow us to make that final decision one that respects the planet, so that even in death, we are helping protect the life left behind.
Electrickery and Revolve turn old circuit boards into great gifts
We live in a world where we are constantly encourage to upgrade our electronic equipment to something newer, smaller, shinier – and that can have a terrible impact on the environment. Waste from electronic and electrical equipment is growing year on year as we replace items faster and faster – an estimated 50,000 tonnes of printed circuit boards alone are scrapped every year. One company is helping reduce landfill by using old circuit boards and recycling them into unusual and stylish gifts. Electrickery are based in Fulham, London – so no air miles to worry about! – and have been recycling circuit boards since 1999. They produce a range of fun products including recycled circuit board cuff links, recycled circuit board lamps and recycled circuit board business card holders, and because they use such a range of boards, no two items are the same – ensuring completely unique gifts. Meanwhile, on a similar theme, Revolve takes items destined for landfill and turns them into fun and contemporary gifts. These include recycled circuit board coasters, recycled circuit board notebooks, and recycled circuit board mousemats. Like Electickery, Revolve is a UK company – they are based in Huddersfield – so as well as ensuring that you are saving items from landfill, you can also be assured that your products don’t clock up the air miles. Also like Electrickery, Revolve create products based on their supply of destined-for-landfill circuit boards, so every product is different, giving each its own unique charm.
Quality ethical products from Nkuku
For high-quality, eco-friendly fair trade gifts and homewares, look no further than Nkuku. The name comes from a village in Zambia and was inspired by the travels of the founder of this Devon-based company, which aims to promote fair trade and reward traditional artisans in Africa and India by selling their work in the UK. Examples of this include the stylish Savannah leather case, perfect as an alternative to a briefcase. The Savannah is handmade from leather and is dyed using vegetable extract and tree bark by a co-operative in Rajasthan, so you can be assured that not only is the bag eco-friendly, the workers are paid a fair wage for their work. Nkuku also sells classic leather-bound journals and photo albums, made with naturally tanned leather and recycled paper. If you’d rather use vegetarian friendly materials, Nkuku offers stylish journals and photo albums bound in hand-printed cotton paper, which come in recycled cotton boxes, or books made from recycled saris, making each one different depending on the fabric used. If you are looking for eco-friendly homewares, Nkuku produces a range of handmade cotton bed linen, printed by hand using traditional methods and wooden block printing, as well as high quality woollen throws, made from recycled wool. So you can enjoy original, beautiful things for your home while knowing you are supporting a fair trade, environmentally responsible company and helping traditional artisans profit from their skills.
