Blogs & Ecology

Image source: Ecologic Products

Not that we are advocating for a throw-away culture, but if you happen to be hosting a holiday party and have more guests than tableware, why not try the Ecologic tableware made from 100% organic plant fiber. The bowls and plates are made to last for years, but are healthy enough that they can be thrown in your compost bin when you are done.

More images after the jump. ...

Increasingly, we notice that people all over the world nurture a deep wish to live simply, beautifully. A case in point is how we eat. Traditionally, here in Japan, people eat with wooden chopsticks.

The trend in the past few years is to design beautiful ohashi that users cherish and keep for a long time. These properly designed, award-winning wooden chopsticks feel wonderful in your hand, with a lovely balance. Perfect for just eating a little bite, little by little. If you like slow food, this is the only utensil you need....

Unusable misprinted tin cans are rolled into handles for flatware and serving pieces. Gina at Epicurious says they are "sure to dish up conversation, as well as the salad."

Looking at the image above, you probably recognise the vase named after Finnish designer Alvar Aalto himself. The design classic was released in 1937 at the World Fair in Paris. Since then the vase is in production by Iittala, whose designers change the size and colours to please today’s market. The vase in the image above however, is called Droog Aalto. It is the work of Czech designer Jan Ctvrtnik who expresses the effects of global warming, based on the famous Aalto vase. More images after the jump....

It's the uncoated paper that makes this Burgerville carbon bomb compostable. Photo Jake of 8bitjoystick @ flickr

TreeHugger is always on the lookout for sleek ways to do more with less; it's a good thing any time you can, say, get six extra seats from a cube slightly larger than one cubic foot. That's the idea behind Japanese designer Naho Matsuno's Cube 6, an ingenious construction that fits six stools into a diminutive cube just bigger than a foot (35 cm) each way. Dinner party time? Bring out the cube! Party's over? Put the cube away; no need for a whole dining room to store a full set of full-size chairs.

Disposable products aren't things TreeHugger gets behind very often -- there are a few exceptions, like these water bottle shoes or edible dishware -- but there are a few ideas out there that make the future of disposables look a bit brighter. Designer Oksana Bazanova has provided this alternative, a fun, flat-packing, Origami-inspired version that's made from waterproof paper.

From necessity comes invention. Anyone who's ever lived in Japan knows that the small spaces require compact living, and at least one furniture designer is obliging with a smart piece that creates a compact dining area from a cube.

The Finnish family business Lasistudio reclaims glass bottles and jars without crushing them in order to create new objects. All the products are hand-made in an old barn in Finland. By taking advantage of the original shapes of the waste packages, only 1/4 of the energy needed to shape new objects from melted glass is used, says Jan Torstensson Oy, glassworks specialized in manufacturing items from recycled packaging glass....

We featured The Home Project’s cork speakers on TreeHugger before but have a look at these curious egg cups, perfect to display and eat this year's Easter eggs. ...

The brainchild of designer Patrick Turner, Thout Design's portfolio features a thoughtful collection of clever, space-saving, clutter-clearing designs with a sense of humor. Take "Forked Up," pictured above; part of the UtiliTILE series that frees up valuable kitchen space, it's useful tile for storing your utensils in a fun and space-efficient way. It makes setting the table is as easy as pulling out as many utensils as you need; magnets ensure that the utensils stay up there until you need them.