Eco Mobile Home

One designer, Michael McDaniel, became inspired to design a "eco-mobile home" after the Katrina tragedy. He reviewed the catastrophic aftermath and evaluated how FEMA could've handle placing 10,000s of people into temporary housing at a efficient and economical solution. Instead of the FEMA a-typical trailers, which have poor structure and are prone to deterioration, Michael design a housing inspired by the styro-foam cup. He investigated the cup structure and stability of the container as a physical structure that could easily be assembled in minutes. His idea transformed into a 4-person structure, with a washroom, beds, and all of the necessities required for a mid-size family. Check out the transition from assembly to final product as Michael introduces the "eco-mobile home".

-Rob

Under Armour's New Line: UA Green

Companies of all different disciplines look for ways to improve their products and adapt to modern technologies. Sustainable buildings and products are the future and even the most unsuspecting companies are buying in!

Under Armour Performance Apparel has just launched a project line called UA Green. UA Green products are made from recycled plastic bottles. These bottles are first cleaned, crushed, liquified, and then cooled and solidified to create strands of fiber that are knitted together to create this sustainable line of performance apparel.

"Under Armour is committed to building performance gear with a lighter environmental impact... We'll get there with science, passion and innovation and we'll never sacrifice performance.

Step one was to engineer performance fabrics made from recycled materials. We are excited about our first collection of recycled products and we commit to offering more in the future."

-Mission Statement, UA Green

Here is a pretty cool video that describes the process.

YouTube: UA Green

View the whole Green Line. UA Website: Green Products

-Matt Davis, USGBC Student Group

Million Bottle Temple

This Thai Temple, the Wat Pa Maha Chedio Kaew temple, is built over of One Million Recycled bottles. This building is completely made out of recycled glass bottles, even down to the toilets. Even the bottle caps are used to make a beautiful mosaic on the walls. The processing of these bottles started in 1984 when the monks began building shelters out of them. The more bottles that are donated, the more buildings they construct. 

This is just another example of what can be done when creativity is added to left over or previously used materials. Someone's trash really can be another person's treasure. 

Recycled Subway Cars

When technology advances it leads to renovations of old technology, usually creating waste along the way. This is a edgy solution to using out of service subway cars. In Shoreditch, London, those subway cars are turned into studios which are located at the top of a old warehouse. These spaces are used to host events and provide work spaces for young artists. A artists canvas comes in all sorts of shapes these days.

Recycled Cork Cases

These sustainable cork envelopes are made out of recycled cork and lining made from recycled billboards for extra strength. They can be used as a wallet, clutch, or to store documents. These envelopes are brought to you by A+R (Global Design). 

Sizes come in:

Small: 3.25" t X 5.75" w

Medium: 5"t X 9" w

Large: 8.6" t X 11.9" w

for more information go to their website:

http://www.aplusrstore.com/product.php?id=508

Eco friendly flooring

These recycled metal tiles add a versatile and textural design element to your kitchen or bathroom wall or floor. They can be used as a great addition to an urban loft or a suburban ranch. Tiles are available in polished, vibrated (matte), or sandblasted finishes. Pricing starts at $35/sq.ft. for aluminum tiles and $70/sq.ft for brass tiles. They even have an easy clean, simply use dish soap and water. These can be used as a great way to incorporate a unique flair to any home.