Green gadgets
Despite the fact that nearly three-quarters of people said that recycling makes a positive difference to the environment, almost the same number don't think about recycling their old mobile phones, with just three percent doing so. This is the despiriting result of a recent survey carried out by Nokia.
Mobile phone junk is an increasing problem as many people strive for the latest handsets, and as phone companies encourage their users to upgrade handset every year. Nokia's global study of 6,500 people in 13 countries (Finland, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden, UK, United Arab Emirates, USA, Nigeria, India, China, Indonesia and Brazil) found that nearly half didn't know it was possible to recycle their old mobile phone.
Related: Five ways to recycle your mobile phone | Video review: The Nokia 3110 Evolve
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Recycling
I love discovering new recycling ideas! And here's one I'd never heard of till this afternoon: old coffee cups. A company called 'A Short Walk' is turning them into smart wall clocks, placemats and sundials, which come out in a stylish slate-grey. All are on sale over at The Green Store, and would make great additions to any aspiring eco-home!
All of the cups used for these products came from vending machines as part of the natoinal save-a-cup scheme, which takes in millions of coffee cups every week. If you know of a vending machine near you that isn't taking part, find out how you (or your employer) can get involved here.
Fashion & accessories
We've all done the 'newspaper trick' through necessity when caught out in a storm, but this 'eco-brella' by desinger Shiu Yuk Yuen is a fun, if utterly inpractical conecpt. The idea, as far as I can figure it out is this: you carry the skeleton of the brolly around with you until the heavens open, then retreat to a nearby shelter to get down to a spot of DIY (the 'canopy' is created by attaching discarded newspaper or other large card or paper sheets to the bare bones of the brolly). This is supposed to encourage re-use, and thus makes the object 'green' -- as long as you don't mind getting drenched for your principles.
Personally, I think I'll stick to a nice, smart recylced Radley umbrella which I suspect would cope a lot better with London downpours. But I have to admit, I can't think of a better use for the Metro, particularly if it continues to publish badly translated and humourless cartoons every day!
[Via Ecofriend]
Recycling
I spotted a really cute recycling idea over on Etsy: it's an egg carton sewing kit.
Unless you've got small children, there aren't a lot of upcycling uses for egg boxes, but this is a great way to turn the awkwardly shaped containers into something really useful. My own mini sewing kits are always disappearing, so I could certainly do with a distinctive box to pop their contents into!
Related: How to give wax crayons a new lease of life | Recycled dog collar tutorial
Kids stuff
When crayons get all short and stubby, it's tempting to throw them away, and with the school summer holidays looming on the horizon, most parents will soon have a surplus of well-used waxies littering the house. But next time you're about to jettison any, think of the beauty of this little wax model, the work of Crayon Fawn, who melts down the old scribblers and turns them into fabulous works of art.
Over at Haute*Nature, they featured some instructions on how you can melt down your own crayons for model moulding purporses, with tips on how to add glitter or even scents your creation. Read on after the jump to find out how.
[Via Crafty Crafty]
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Green News
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Forget The Verve, Kings of Leon and even Jay-Z...the real star of this year's Glastonbuy is going to be a blast from the past with a new-found softer style. Let's hope there won't be any bum notes...
The 'headlining act' I'm talking about is, of course, a new recycled toilet paper from Nouvelle. 120,000 Rolls of Nouvelle Soft will be handed out to revellers at Glasto next weekend; a captive audience that will undoubtedly be grateful of the gesture. The paper is softer than earlier recycled products, so let's hope some of those mud-soaked music fans make the switch to recycled tissue when they return to civilisation after the event.
Related: Recycled toilet paper. How grean is it, really? | Greenpeace pickets Kleenex 'let it all out' campaign | Glasto campers to get potato tent pegs
Recycling
It's creations like this teacup chandelier that make me very glad I'm a hoarder, and that something good could one day come of that stash of old crockery that's taken up valuable cupboard space in my flat all these years. Maybe.
Put together by designers at quirky homewear store Domestic Construction, the 'Ted lights' are yet another of those great ideas that make me feel all buoyed up about the possibilities we have for re-using old or forgotten items that look a bit rubbish at the moment, but have the potential in this case to literally shine. Even if I'm not about to get a set of power tools and make my own.
Related: Kitsch, re-fashioned vintage dishwear | Discarded porcelein makes brillian badges
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