We're mentioning Mackie's ice cream not just because they have an organic range of ice cream, notable as that is, but because their factory is powered by wind turbines. They added the phrase "made with renewable energy" to their ice cream tubs and also added the logo of a wind turbine. Unfortunately, most people thought it was a toothpick. So now, Mackie's is having a competition to design a new logo which is "small, clear and friendly" and demonstrates that Mackie's is made with wind energy. The winner will get 25 tubs of ice cream (no toothpicks required). The deadline is 31 December 2006.
Mackies Ice Cream
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José Christos, it seems to be bamboo day here at Hippyshopper - as well it should be, since it's so unbelievably versatile. However, the claims being made about this bamboo carbon seem a tad on the excessive side. I'm sure it does absorb odors, VOCs and humidity; is a good fuel; may even serve as a water purifier and improve the taste of rice and soup; is a good soil additive for gardening. It seems unlikely, though, that it absorbs microwave and CRT (tube-based computer monitors) radiation. However, we don't really need it to be all-knowing and all-seeing - six obvious benefits are certainly plenty. $19 USD. [GT]
Bamboo carbon
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Modern furniture tends not to have the same fine grained wood as antiques, because the wood is simply not as old. This leads purists to reclaimed wood, such as the virgin Cypress and Longleaf pine offered by Krantz Recovered Woods. Krantz cypress comes from riverbeds where logs were floated downstream, and sometimes got waterlogged and sank. Since recovery was infeasible and old-growth wood was then plentiful, the wood lay underwater, forgotten. With modern concerns ranging from environmental to economic, companies like Krantz find it worthwhile to salvage these old logs for today's use. [GT]
Krantz Recovered Woods
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"No more seaweed topics," I begged mournfully. "There's only so much I can say about it." Well, was I ever wrong - the latest thing is not eating it, but turning seaweed into electricity. Tons (literally) of seaweed washes up on the Japanese coast in an unsightly as well as un-scently manner, and disposal is no fun. Plus it absorbs pollutants from the water, so it ends up contaminating the beaches. Now, though, the Tokyo Gas Co. team up with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) has produced sweet results: by March 2007 they'll have the global first that is a power plant run entirely off seaweed. They crush it into tomato-paste-like sludge, and add microorganisms which cause the muck to expel methane. Presto, gas power. The test facility powers 20 houses right now, but that's just the beginning of Japan's seaweed (and kelp, and sea lettuce) revolution. [GT]
Energy From Seaweed: New Energy Source to Debut Next Year
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As part of the swag-bag given out by the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), all 1500 delegates will receive Solio solar gadget chargers. CGI has given Solio their seal of approval and feels, according to Dr. Kirsti Samuels, that "Solio’s approach is exactly on message with the CGI and ties in exactly with what we are encouraging our members to develop." Having used a Solio and found it bang-on the money (a very reasonable £59 from the Better Energy Store, Hippyshopper applauds their movement to the global stage and looks forward to their next product. Go portable solar power! [GT]
Clinton Global Initiative
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Much as I love the Onya bag, I'm also delighted to see an alternative. The silksackfolds up into a flat envelope when not in use - an envelope which doubles as an interior pocket when you've got it shaken out. £15 for one or £25 for two, which is quite a bit more expensive than the Onya (£32.50 for 5) although it does look a bit more stylish. Has anybody used a silksack? Please post in comments. [GT]
silksack
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It's a bit late in the year to get totally jazzed up about a hand-cranked blender that you can attach to the back bumper of your vehicle, but I mean, it's a hand-cranked blender that you can attach to the back bumper of your vehicle. It's margaritas anywhere. Spungle reports that the gadget in question, the VORTEX™ Hand Crank Blender, will be letting you pour your drinks cleanly no matter how sloshed you get, a two gear system that chops and crushes, and blades that seem to whiz through ice like it’s butter. But I'm sure you can find some totally practical use for it, like making mango smoothies in the wilderness. (With vodka.) $70 USD, which is pretty decent for any respectable blender, much less a human-powered one. [GT]
VORTEX™ Hand Crank Blender [via Spungle]
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