Green Thing Blog

You know those disclaimers that turn up on the bottom of emails: "Paper doesn't grow on trees. Please think before you print this email."? Well Ad agency BBH decided the world needed something much more imaginative and effective, so they came up with the i.Saw.

This spoof device - the world's first USB-powered chainsaw - led users to a downloadable app which makes a loud, angry tree-cutting noise every time you're about to print. It acts like an alarm-clock conscience on your PC to remind you to think before you print.

It's a great example of something that spreads online by being both interesting and useful. It's interesting as a piece of media (the spoof iSaw site got 1.5m visits, was written up in Wired and Gizmondo and created a buzz on Twitter and Reddit and the like) and also useful as a piece of software - it really does force you to think about what you're printing and whether you really need to.

The concept is brilliant, although in reality it does get a wee bit annoying and seems to be triggered by commands other than 'Cmd P', so the novelty does wear off a bit (although apprently this is a bug that's being fixed).

That said it's still clever, witty and ingenious and I wish we'd thought of it ;-) And the more computers its on, the more paper that gets saved - so download it here and spread the word.

[Spotted on BBH Labs via Mel Exon]

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Sainsbury's announced this month their pledge to plant 2 million trees over the next 5 years with the Woodland Trust. To mark the momentous occasion, they built the tiniest shop ever, in a tree.

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We all know that printing a document requires paper and that to make paper you have to cut down trees. And we've all seen the writing at the bottom of emails telling us not to print the message out. But how about a document that you simply cannot print out?

The WWF has developed a format of document similar to the PDF called a WWF. It can't be printed no matter how hard you try. Thanks to the WWF you needn't worry about whether the person you're sending that e-novel to is going to print the whole thing out, potentially using more than a whole tree's worth of paper.

While we at Green Thing think the WWF file is a really nice idea, it feels a bit disciplinary - like a kind of digital chastity belt. Where’s the fun in discovering you can’t print out a document? We'd love to see WWF develop a program to go along with the format that adds up all the documents you have avoided printing to show you just how many trees you’ve saved.

We like the iSaw app that makes the sound of a chainsaw every time you print something, reminding you of the trees that are cut down to make the paper you’re printing on. The Dutch developed Ecofont is also pretty good, reducing the amount of ink you use by 20% through putting holes in the alphabet!

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(Image: CK Designworks)

Since the advent of the skyscraper and rising land prices, higher and higher infrastructure has become commonplace in our cities. With rise in urban sprawl worldwide it is becoming increasingly important to come up with ideas to manage our rapidly growing cities.

One such solution is this ‘vertical street’. Instead of the building just being a building it has incorporated most aspects of your standard city street such as trees (that can grow up to 10 meters tall) into the architecture. CK Designs are the brains behind this innovation. This project is unique in the way that is has integrated five high-rise communal gardens into just one building.

Another great aspect of the building is that it is purposely designed to collect rainwater. While rainwater blows off most buildings, the façade of the ‘vertical street’ will be constructed in a way that maximizes rainfall catchments. This water will then be added to the building’s water supply, which in turn will be used for watering gardens and flushing toilets. What a clever way of All-Conserving!!

The building will have certain design features and utilise the latest green technology to create this ‘vertical street’. Special planter boxes will be used to allow for growth and to provide structural support to the weight of the soil and trees. The exterior of the building will make use of heat-reflective glass and solar power panels. The issue of heat loss will also be addressed by using smaller pipes, originating at each garden. Heat and energy loss will be minimised, as there is less of a distance for cool or hot water to travel. This building will all of its innovations is due to be completed in 2014 in Melbourne, Australia.

We don't normally make a fuss over a new building design, but this one is so clever we thought it deserved some attention. The project is reinventing how we look at streets and how we build for a more sustainable future.

Ps- For more vertical genius check out The Future Of Urban Farming.

(Spotted on NewScientist)

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(Image: TreeCouncil)

From the 23rd of September to the 23rd of October it is Seed Gathering Season. We encourage you to go out and gather seeds, fruits and nuts to plant. As it starts on the autumn equinox and lasts for a month you will have plenty of time to get out there and start gathering! Seed gathering is great fun and pretty useful too - you will be restocking your local area with its appropriate trees, it is a good excuse to go for a brisk autumn walk and is a superb way to get children involved in nature. Many parks around the UK are holding seed gathering events- click here to find one near you. And if you live by Coate Water Country Park in Swindon, they are having a seed gathering event on the 16th of October!

No event near you or are you unable to go to one? Visit the Tree Councils page on Seed Gathering Season for tips on the best times to collect seeds, how to collect and prepare your seeds, how to encourage your seeds to germinate and how to nurture them along the way. Also check out the BBCs gardening page for some seed gathering and planting tips. Remember to label your seeds as you go along, to store seeds in dry conditions and don't forget to plant your seeds once spring comes around!

For more seedy delights read up on The Seed Library and the Seed Vending Machine.

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