Energy & Sustainability

If you’re a maker just starting out your journey in sustainability, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to get started. From understanding the types of materials to utilize, learning what steps will help reduce waste and emissions, and finding inspiring new ways to explore creativity that don’t have a negative environmental impact. The good news is there are plenty of resources available for DIYers looking for ways to make their projects more sustainable – from simple switches you can make today, big-picture ideas for longterm change, or exciting new ways makers are helping push sustainability into the future. In these blog posts we’ll look at tips tricks and ideas specifically tailored towards diyers and makers on the road to creating projects with greater eco consciousness so that not only will you create something beautiful but also respect its impact on our planet!

Re-Construct DVD: Eco-Friendly Crafts Made Easy

Garth Johnson and Jeanee Ledoux have paired up to bring you an instructional DVD of eco-friendly craft projects called Re-Construct. The DVD format is really fresh, and watching Garth and Jeanee is captivating and quite relaxing at the same time. They are both talented artists whose unique personalities come through, complement one another, and keep things interesting. Their tone and format is so natural and casual it feels like they’re hanging out in your living room teaching you how to make cool green crafts.

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Designs to deal with the rising tides

Designs to deal with the rising tides

The terrific blog Inhabitat has an intriguing article about the winning entries in the Rising Tides competition, wherein entrants came up with ways to deal with what could be a 55″ rise in the San Francisco Bay waters in the next century. From Inhabitat’s recap: Another mind-boggling solution to the high-water mark is Folding Water, […]

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Flashback: Solar-powered bike GPS

Flashback: Solar-powered bike GPS

“During the summertime, I’ll disappear for hours on long rides to nowhere and back. But I have to admit on some rides I’ve gotten so lost I have trouble finding my way home. Happily I was able to build a solar-powered GPS mapping machine, mostly from old computer parts and software I had sitting around my office.” Author Brian Nadels words in the introduction to his DIY Outdoors piece, “Solar-Powered Bike GPS,” from the pages of MAKE Volume 10, are further testament to the fact that necessity is the mother of invention.

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Expedition scooter

Artist Jay Nelson modified this Honda Spree to serve as a tiny expedition vehicle. Outfitted with surfboard rack, roll-out canopy, and plenty of storage, I imagine filling it with gourmet provisions and heading to a remote beach for some exploration and relaxation. Nelson’s wonderful conceptual sketches lead me to believe he envisioned this as being […]

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Bicycle pr0n

Bicycle pr0n

Boutique Cycles is a site out of Australia featuring user-submitted pics of tricked-out custom bicycles. Shown above, “Glowing Batavus” fixie by Netherlands user Kars, with an antique frame, Miche hubs, and custom-painted rims. The frame glows in the dark.

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Living willow architecture

Living willow architecture

More arboreal architectural awesomeness, here brought to you by German architect Marcel Kalberer and the Sanfte Strukturen group. The first structure, called the Auerworld Palace, was constructed in 1998, in Aeurstedt, Germany, and was their first “willow palace” project, taking the efforts of 300 volunteers to build. Kalberer has gone on to… er… plant 70 […]

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