Crisp Green » Art + Design

Project Noah: A Mobile App That Documents Local Wildlife

Krystal Persaud — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:24:33 +0000

Project Noah harnesses the power of smart phones to collect ecological data and help preserve global biodiversity one photo at a time.

How does it work? You can download the Project Noah app for free on any iPhone or Android phone. Then, all you have to do is create an account and start snapping photos of local wildlife.

If you're a city dweller like me, I know what you're thinking -- "Who wants to see a bunch of photos of squirrels and caterpillars?" I downloaded the app to give it a test run and was pleasantly surprised at the wide variety of animals documented. You could spend hours exploring the map and scrolling through photo submissions. Check out the map below – people from all over the world are using Project Noah!

Project Noah was developed in NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP). The project began as an experiment to build a fun, location-based mobile app that encouraged people to reconnect with nature. The name “Noah” was cleverly inspired by Noah’s Ark. The over-arching goal is to create a powerful database that can be used as an educational tool for wildlife awareness and preservation.

The app has certainly garnered a lot of attention since its official launch back in February 2010. It earned a spot in the first Startl Mobile Design Boost and won a $50,000 prize from the “Breakthrough in Mobile Learning” competition by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. Project Noah even boasts National Geographic as an investor.

The founding members of Project Noah are Yasser Ansari, Martin Ceperley, Peter Horvath, and Bruno Kruse. Collectively, their backgrounds cover a wide range of subjects including molecular biology, photography, software development, and software hacking.

The next time you go on a walk or hike in your neighborhood, use Project Noah to share the creatures you encounter!

Source: Project Noah

Hermit Crabs Adopt Makerbot’s Project Shellter Homes

Krystal Persaud — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:07:04 +0000

Hermit crabs occupy new homes in 3D shells printed by MakerBot Industries and TeamTeamUSA.

Project Shellter’s goal is to create a solution to the housing shortage faced by hermit crabs. Recently, two hermit crabs in the “crabitat” at Shellter West in Los Angeles have adopted plastic shells that were created on a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer.

Back in October, we covered Project Shellter on Crisp Green and we’re so happy that crabs are adopting their swanky new shells! Since hermit crabs don’t make their own shells, they must scavenge for homes. As the natural shell supply is decreasing, crabs have been forced to stick their butts into anything they can find like bottles or shotgun shells. With Project Shellter’s breakthrough, this no longer has to be the sad reality.

The Project Shellter team began by testing printed shells of all colors, sizes, and materials to learn what the crabs preferred. Both shell adoptions have been in shells printed in ABS plastic, which is the standard material used by MakerBot to print objects. Shell designs from the MakerBot community, like the black Ammonite shell pictured above, are posted on Thingiverse.com, and tagged with “SHELLTER.” Thingiverse is MakerBot’s online community where users can post digital designs and collaborate on open source hardware.

MakerBot Industries, the creator of the Thing-O-Matic 3D printer, and TeamTeamUSA, an art and technology collective, joined forces for this crowd-sourced science experiment. Cameras have been set up for constant viewing of both crabitats. To watch the crabs live visit Project Shellter’s YouTube page. For more info, visit MakerBot’s blog, Project Shellter’s FaceBook, and Twitter page.

Sources: MakerBot & Thingiverse

WeWood Watches Plants A Tree For Every Purchase

Krystal Persaud — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:18:09 +0000

Looking for sophisticated sustainability? WeWood watches are so earth-friendly they plant one tree for every watch sold.

WeWood wooden timepieces are made from scrap wood and high quality Miyota brand inner components. The unique design results in a watch that's both fashionable and green. Unlike conventional metal watches, WeWoods are warm and smooth against the wrist, allowing their wearers to fully appreciate the aesthetics of all natural materials.

And they don't stop with the warm and fuzzy feelings toward nature. WeWOOD partnered up with American Forests to plant one tree for every watch purchased. Established in 1875, American Forests is the nation’s oldest nonprofit conservation organization, and is recognized as a world leader in environmental restoration.

Let’s count the ways WeWood watches are eco-friendly:

made from scrap wood material
contains all natural materials; no plastic
free of toxic chemicals and hypoallergenic
a tree is planted for every purchase

If those bullet points don't impress you, maybe their appearance will. WeWood timepieces are available in 7 different color variations for $119. There are also 4 limited edition designs currently on sale for $139. A luxury watch for under $150? Not bad. The watch is feather-light and weighs in at a mere 1.5 ounces. The watch battery is standard and can be replaced at any jewelry or watch shop. WeWood watches can withstand light splashes of water, but should not be worn underwater.

WeWood is setting the bar high for what entitles something to be a “green” product. What if every company vowed to give back to the environment in addition to choosing sustainable materials? Sustainability is more than the state of a product at the point of purchase, but a company philosophy with the potential to make a huge positive impact.

To browse this unique collection of timepieces, visit the WeWood website.

Disclaimer: WeWood is an indirect advertiser on this site...although we liked their watches before we knew that.

Wood-like Material Created From Old Newspapers

Krystal Persaud — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:56:33 +0000

Instead of using wood to make paper, NewspaperWood upcycles newspapers to make an innovative wood-like material.

NewspaperWood products are created by Dutch design group Vij5. The concept originated from Mieke Meijer’s project at the Design Academy Eindhoven, who decided it was time to create something useful from old newspapers that no one wanted.

Once wood is turned into paper, it can continue to be recycled, but will always remain in paper form. Meijer explains, “I thought it would be nice to turn the process around and turn paper into wood again. With a roller I glued the paper and rolled it as tightly as possible. Every day I spent two hours gluing the newspaper until the first paper “tree log” originated.”

When a NewspaperWood log is cut, the layers of paper appear like lines of a wood grain or the rings of a tree. The material is dense enough that it can be cut, milled, sanded and treated like any other type of wood.

Vij5 knows and acknowledges that NewspaperWood cannot logistically serve as a large scale alternative to wood. The goal of the project is to upcycle and change a surplus of discarded material into something more valuable. Vij5 has transformed newspaper into a more robust, versatile building material that can be use for countless applications.

Nowadays printing techniques for newspapers are very efficient and keep scrap material to a minimum. However, yesterday’s newspapers are always available, which is what makes them a great source of local material.

Vij5 uses water based glue that is free of solvents and plasticizers to layer the newspapers. Their decision to use an eco-friendly glue makes NewspaperWood 100% recyclable. So, should one of their products become damaged or unusable, consumers can discard them with the rest of their recycling.

Below is a cabinet designed by Vij5 and made from NewspaperWood that was exhibited last April at part of Salone de Mobile, or international design week, in Milan. Want to see more? Visit Vij5’s website.

Sources: Design Milk & Vij5

Old Leather Belts Upcycled Into Luxury Flooring

Krystal Persaud — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:43:50 +0000

When you think of sustainable building materials, leather is probably not the first textile that comes to your mind. Think again!

Designer Inghua Ting has found a way to upcycle discarded men’s belts into unique leather floor tiles. Ting owns a London and Los Angeles-based design company of the same name, TING, that produces luxury products to sustainable, ethical principles. The studio’s goal is to provide customers with high quality products made from salvaged materials.

Each belt is hand selected to ensure a high grade of leather and then stripped of their metals, hand cleaned with chemical free substances and prepared for use. The variety of vintage belts creates one of a kind color palettes and patterns, so no two tiles are the same.

The belts are arranged into 12 and 18 inch square tiles. Flooring starts at $80 per square foot, but costs vary depending on color and specification. TING’s leather flooring is easy to clean and maintain. The tiles can be swept and then cleaned using a damp cloth or mop. Over time, the leather will take on a natural patina based on wear.

Other than the fact that these floor tiles are made from reclaimed belts, what makes them green? While the leather isn't cheap, it is certainly long-lived. Natural leather that comes from animal skins is also technically biodegradable.

TING is determined to create the most eco-friendly product possible and wants to do more than just upcycling. Here are a few ways TING has adopted green practices:

TING searches out existing materials to create the leather tiles. The studio never uses newly purchased belts.
A water based adhesive is used to bond the individual belts to tile backing made out of reconstituted leather backing.
If a customer no longer wants their tiles, TING will gladly take the tiles back and recycle them into another product.
TING makes every effort to produce locally where possible. The studio possesses a highly skilled team in the United Kingdom for European distribution and in Los Angeles for US distribution.

So, what do you think Crisp Green readers -- Are these leather floor tiles just a novelty product? Or are they a sustainable flooring solution? Share your thoughts in a comment!

Sources: Core77 & TING

Plant-Based Air Filters Create Healthier Train Rides

Karen MacKay — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:34:16 +0000

Using NASA-Patented technology, designer Francesco Codicè has designed a new concept for purifying air on trains.

Trains provide a greener alternative to transportation than driving or flying, but US trains could definitely use a design update. Codicè's AirTrain is a modern and elegant solution to the often stuffy and stale air of the indoors. AirTrain purifies air with live plants and recycled rain water.

The design includes an exterior rain collection system for watering the plants. Not only purifying the air, the plants provide a more aesthetically-pleasing environment for travelers.

Source: Behance

DIY Kit Allows Plants To Tweet When They’re Thirsty

Krystal Persaud — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:05:55 +0000

That’s right, everyone is joining Twitter – even your plants.

Botanicalls forges a new channel of communication between humans and their plants and strives to improve inter-species understanding. When your plant needs water, it will post an update to Twitter letting you know that it is thirsty. It will even tweet a thank you message after you water it. Check out some tweets by a Botanicalls enabled plant @Pothos.

Botanicalls comes in a DIY kit that contains approximately 30 pieces and requires some soldering skills. Don’t stress if you aren’t a tech nerd, there is a step by step assembly guide available online. The ATmega328 microcontroller comes pre-programmed, but you can customize it with your own messages. The only things you need to provide are a plant, a network connection through an ethernet cable, and a power outlet.

After you are done building, the kit will manifest itself into a leaf-shaped electronic chip with two metal prongs. Place the prongs into the soil of a plant and let his voice be heard.

Everyone has a friend (maybe it’s you) who is a certified plant killer. I think you know the type; whenever you visit their apartment, there is always a row of brown, ailing plants on the windowsill. Botanicalls is the perfect product for people who are unsure of how to properly care for a plant. You don’t need to research appropriate watering schedules for your botanic baby, you can just follow its tweets.

Botanicalls is a collaborative project created by Kate Hartman, Kati London, and Rob Faludi. It was originally developed while the three were studying at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.

Are you tech savvy and want to try it out? The Botanicalls Kit is available for purchase on SparkFun for $99.95.

Source: Spark Fun & Botanicalls