Green Thing Blog

(Images: Country Living Magazine, Unconsumption)

There are a lot of good ideas out there for making cool chairs from recycled materials but what about how to upcycle your old chairs? This crafty collection of ideas for your chairs will have you the All Consuming talk of the town.  

1.The Shelf. Stick or hang it from the wall and you're done!

(Images: Husohem)

2. The Swing. This involves a bit more work but essentially get some rope and a branch to hang it from and you can swing to your heart's content.

(Image: thestir)

3. The Planter. Take the seat bit out of your old dining chair and plant some greenery in them for an unique garden look.

(Image: Antonello Fusè)

4. The Hanger. Saw the tops off your old chairs, screw in a hook and volia - you're the coolest hipster on the block.

(Image: thronesandchairs)

5. The Bench. Have more than one chair just begging to be rejuvenated? Put a few together for a beautiful new bench. Here is the before picture to help inspire you!

(Image: thronesandchairs)

(Image: bhg)

6. The Ladder Back. Instead of using the seat of your chair as a bench, use the back, turned upside down for a useful towel rack with space for a few bits and bobs. Perfect in the bathroom or the kitchen (think teatowels and herbs).

The next time you see an old chair and aren't too impressed, we're sure you'll see all its amazing potential!

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Here's one for all the creative, social entrepreneurs out there. Ben and Jerry's, of delicious ice cream fame, have launched a fantastic new competition to find and help 5 people with their super brilliant sustainable business idea. No matter what your idea is, as long as it's new, interesting and has a positive social and environmental impact then you're in with a chance!

15 finalists will get whisked off to Uganda to live and work with vanilla farmers whilst polishing up their idea. Then the 5 winners will receive a cash prize of €10,000, 6 months of mentoring from Ashoka to help get them up and running and on top of all of that they will get their name printed on a flavour of Ben and Jerry's ice cream in 2013 to help promote their fabulous idea!

5 extra people will also receive the 'People's Choice Award' bagging themselves a rather impressive  €1,000 cash prize.

Not to mention that if you are one of the first 100 to enter, you get a whole years supply of Ben and Jerry's ice cream (possibly the best prize ever!). Phew! That's a lot of prizes.

So what are you waiting for? Now is your chance to get your idea out there and turn it from a dream into a reality. Visit the Join The Core website to get all the details and enter the competition. Good luck!

P.S. You must be aged 18-35, live in either the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland or the Netherlands and can enter the competition in English. You have until 15th April to get your ideas in - and remember, the first 100 get 12 months of free ice cream!

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When the weather is cold, rainy and generally dreary, it can be hard to crawl out of bed let alone hop on to the saddle. It’s only natural to wish that teleportation was an option as a method of transport. Until it is one, here are 7 things to keep you motivated and keep your head up and legs pedalling this winter.

1. Doesn't matter what time of year it it, your body will thank you for the exercise and the endorphins.

2. It takes approximately 2 minutes and 17 seconds to get warm once you've started pedaling. That's nearly no time at all to be warm and toasty and enjoying your cycle.

3. Fresh air in your lungs will lessen your chances of getting ill.

4. In foul weather, cars tend to get stuck in traffic. This is the perfect opportunity for you and your wheels to whizz through those vehicles moving slowly or stuck at a stand still. Remember 2 wheels = instant freedom.

5. We've got the perfect thing to keep your fingers warm.: Glove Love. Perfect for your commute.

6. Take advantage of the winter weather to pimp out your bike and make it delightful for both you and your fellow two-wheeled commuters. We particularly like this homemade unicorn bike mod and this snowflake spoke setup.

7. To quote our friends at the London Bike Kitchen, "Winter Riding is Badass". We agree.

So if you’re game, hop on your wheels and share your top tips to stay motivated with us. And if you’re ultra keen, sign up to B-Icicle, a wintering cycling challenge.

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(Image: red-dot)

Keep forgetting to Plug out? Well prepare to be kicked out. PumPing Tap is a very clever socket that has been fitted with a spring to eject appliances once they have been turned off but left plugged in. In just 10 minutes your device will be 'popped' from the wall eliminating vampire energy sucking. Wonderful. Although it is a concept design this is a novel and great way to plug out.

Plugs that turn themselves off seems to becoming a welcomed trend. Read up on this Good timer and this vampire energy sucking saving plug.

(Spotted on Inhabitat)

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(Image: Red-Dot)

We've heard of insoles that tone your bum while you walk but what about ones that help you Plug Into Better Electricity? Evaeco insoles use a micro electomagnetic generator inside the insole which means that when you walk or jog, or even skip, kinetic energy will be converted to electrical energy.

The energy generated is stored in a lithium polymer battery on the base of the insoles and then in some sciencey way it transfers to a Energy Recycle Station and then a power station. After just two months of Walking the Walk users will receive a discount on their electricity bill for the amount they helped to create in the first place. Amazing!

For more on how your steps can generate power think about stepping into the light.

(Spotted on Red-Dot)

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