Summer 2013 may just turn out to be the summer of the bike.
The biking revolution has been gathering steam. In 2010, 3 times as many new bicycles (15 million) as new cars were sold in the US. Bicycling is now the second most popular outdoor activity, and between 1990 and 2009, the number of bike commuters rose by 64%. That number may be about to get another giant boost.
While electronic devices play a bigger role in our lives than ever before, the storm that blacked out much of the East Coast this month was a sober reminder that we can't always depend on the grid for our power needs! So we thought this would be a good time to check in on the latest developments in powering up our indespensable gadgets.
So you’re pretty with-it… you’re canning in your Brooklyn kitchen, homebrewing in the garage in Portland, foraging for herbs in Austin, but are you hardcore DIY enough to grow your own protein? We’re not talking about livestock – we’re talking about bugs!
Excess NYC is a waste-reduction project created by artists in Madrid and New York, and its aim is to minimize the amount of food thrown out in NYC. At the heart of the project is a four-wheeled, pedal-powered vehicle that carries bodega-style shelves of food as well as a composter for gathering waste scraps. It will travel to participating restaurants and stores around the city, gathering unwanted food that can be distributed for free in local parks or, if it's too far gone, composted and delivered to community gardens as fertilizer.
Innovative cleaning product maker Method hosted numerous beach cleanups this year on Hawaii’s beaches (where GPGP debris often washes ashore) and collected 3000 lbs of usable plastic material. It was then mixed with conventional plastic waste and incorporated into their packaging for their new Sea Minerals line. We think it's great to see a brand pushing recycled-content packaging beyond just a percentage number on a label!
Posted by Steve
It would have been hard to imagine even 10 years ago, but this year’s running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans was dominated by hybrids: the winning car was an Audi e-Tron Quattro, and its toughest competition came from a pair of Toyota hybrid prototypes. Audi also fielded two diesels, which have performed well in the past.
Gift season is upon us...but before we tear open our presents, we want to take a second to appreciate what's on the outside. Because while you can't judge a book by its cover, you might just be able to judge a gift (or its giver) by its thoughtful, crazy, value-added or just plain fun wrapping. Here are some of the most unique we've seen this year:
Bamboo is a remarkable material - strong, lightweight, resilient and plentiful. It's used to make everything from floors to scaffolding, and one group in Brooklyn is even using it to craft bikes. Bambook Bike Studios started in Red Hook, and now also operates a branch in San Francisco as well as a mobile studio. You can't just buy one of their completed bikes, though - their bicycles can be purchased as do-it-yourself kits, or bought through a workshop program where experienced builders will help you craft your bike to your own specifications.
It’s a simple idea – but one with multiple benefits. And one that can be applied across myriad categories.
Last week Amazon.com announced something new, and just in time for the holidays: Frustration-Free&trade Packaging. What that means is products that don’t arrive in impossible-to-open clamshells, or in plastic shrink wraps inside of trays inside of boxes all twisted together with wire ties.
©2013 Consumer Eyes
