Eco-Kitchen

Kitchen is one of the spaces at home where we show our attitude to the requirements for sustainable and eco-friendly way of life. From the products we use, to the way we dispose of waste food and beverage and packages. But are our kitchens designed and produced with thought about nature? Not all of them. Here is one good example - Valcucine :

In our job each day technology, product functionality and innovative solutions,
advanced design and research are alive and as important as imagination and
care
over detail, passion for natural materials and handicraft
workmanship,
attention
to safety and respect for the environment.

The environmental-friendly kitchen - the Riciclantica door is the utmost expression of a design based on dematerialisation and is made of an extremely resistant structural aluminium frame together with a sophisticated decor panel that is only 2mm thick. The use of special materials such as carbon, aluminium, steel or layered laminate, the very accurate planning of construction details – for example, the inside of the new frame appears aesthetically pure because of the total absence of screws and hole caps – and the absolute resistance of all door versions to water, steam and heat, contribute to making the Riciclantica door unique in the furniture sector. Riciclantica is a kitchen designed to have a low impact on the environment and represents the most advanced technology to express the shape of lightness. Thanks to research into and application of special innovative technologies, this door respects the four basic principles of environmental-friendliness: minimum consumption of raw materials and energy, durability, recyclability and non-toxic finishes.

"With showrooms all over the United States, Valcucine prides itself on building the most functionally stylish, energy-conscious products around.
From cabinet doors made from recycled materials to bookshelves that boast an aluminum core, a Valcucine kitchen is a green builder’s dream project. The company’s sensitivity to all things eco is apparent from its elimination of formaldehyde and synthetic finishes to its earth-friendly production. "( ecofabulous: That's One Handsome Italian )

But what I like very much is their design - elegant and well-thought.

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Recommended for 'XXI Compasso d'Oro' prize.




















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Wally, the living wall planter

allows anyone to easily create a lush garden indoor or outdoor—on walls, rails and fences. They're perfect for growing edibles, annuals, and perennials. Wally Three - Woolly Pocket

For creating an instantly lush vertical garden you can use one or several of Wally One - Woolly Pocket - made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles, Pockets are soft-sided, breathable, modular and fun to work with! Military-grade moisture barrier ensures that your walls stay dry.

Eliminating cooking odors naturally

Odours from last night’s dinner can continue to linger in the kitchen and throughout the house for hours on end. And if you, like me, are not the person who likes to use artificial air fresheners, probably have tried to find a natural way to get rid of them. We have already talked about the useof baking soda for eliminating bad smell from the trash bin, but cooking odors, especially from cooking fish, are some of the most stable and difficult to eliminate.

source

There are several natural ways to try to solve this problem, like brewing some coffee, baking anything aromatic such as cake or leaving out a bowl of vinegar for several hours. People say also that scented candles, especially lemon scented candles work great. Or you can boil a pan of water with a few teaspoons of lemon juice, or a teaspoon of cinnamon.

An interesting way of creating a natural air freshener is to put some baking soda and water in a slow cooker and set it to LOW with the lid off in the room that needs freshening. You can add also several drops of essential oil or nice-smelling spices to the pot.

The same is the problem with garlic and onion – their strong smell is very stable. One way to eliminate it is to rub your cutting board with lemon and your hands, too. Lemon is a great natural deodorizer. I have tried that and know it works. Some people squeeze lemons into a spray bottle and add warm water and just spray this around the house.

I have heard that burning some sage as a deodorizer works pretty well. And I have read about an Odor Absorbing Splatter Screen, but have not tried it. 

For sure, a safe way to clean the air from unpleasant odors is just to use an air purifier with a good filter – in addition to catching other particles like dust and allergens it will absorb the smell, too.

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Green Designs From Salone Satellite 2013

Maija Puoskari of Finland -Terho and Tatti LED lamps, made from locally sourced Finnish alder and opal-white mouth blown glass.

Read more: The Best Green Designs From Salone Satellite at the 2013 Milan Furniture Fair A

Sugarcloud by Dingflux  is a made from 100% cotton, hand-crocheted, molded, and hardened using a water and sugar mixture. 

Danielle Trofe - Live Screen

Baking soda - the precious white powder

We have all heard of the wide use of baking soda not only for cooking, but also in our household for cleaning.  Sodium bicarbonate, i.e baking soda, appears to be so universal that almost every day someone somewhere invents its new application.  Yes, baking soda cleans, softens water, scours even deodorizes. You can remove odors from the flooring - just sprinkle your soiled carpets and mats with baking soda and let it work for about 15 minutes. Then clean the carpet with a vacuum cleaner. You can clean oily stains in the same way - dab the stain with a paper towel, sprinkle with baking soda, let it work for at least an hour to absorb the stain and then clear the debris with a vacuum cleaner.Did you know that it is possible to eliminate really bad smells with the help of baking soda? Like smelly shoes or stinky drains, for example. I have even witnessed its fast effect on stuffed drains – you just pore a little baking soda and then some vinegar in it. Thanks to its cool effervescent quality baking soda rapidly unplugs the drain.

But I am surprised to learn that we can use it for cleaning our face! Baking soda effectively removes blackheads and dead skin cells and unclogs pores. Its fine particles do this hard work. And its antiseptic action prevents inflammation and redness of the skin. What you need to do is to mix baking soda with water to make a thick paste. Apply it on your face in a circular motion for 2-3 minutes. Then rinse with warm water and finish with cold water. Finally, rub your face with a moisturizer.

Such use of baking soda is welcome for skin prone to acne. The action is rooted in the drying of the face, so it is important then to apply appropriate cream. 

However, there are a bunch of other wonderful applications that will allow you to create your personal cosmetic laboratory, including your own cheap Facial Exfoliator and also:

- no bags under the eyes! Again make a solution of baking soda and water, but this time let it be a little more diluted. Dip two cosmetic pads in the mixture and place them on your eyelids. Hold them for about 15-20 minutes. After about 2 hours you can repeat the procedure if you are not satisfied with the results;

- clean and tidy hair - for efficient washing hair add baking soda to your shampoo in a proportion of 1 to 4. Thus the "mane" will become softer, more elastic and simultaneously more susceptible to clearance. The effect comes from the fact that baking soda removes even the finest particles left from styling hair products.

And these are just small part of the possibile applcations of baking soda, but it is important to mention that it is inexpensive and environmentally friendly, even after it goes down the drain.

A lamp that grows food

Vicky Lamp is a Victorian style lamp, according to the description of its author - the Mexican born, Netherlands based designer José de la O,

Vicky Lamp is a limited production design piece." Interesting idea - even if not used for edible plants. It is a beautiful small accent in your interior :)

"which is using a special light that provides an increased radiation on the blue spectrum. Thanks to Vicky lamp you can enjoy planting small edibles or simply enjoy nature on places which lack natural light.

Растението, което може да помогне за решаване на три от най-големите световни проблеми*

*Това е статията ми, публикувана днес в "Дневник"

Ако ви кажат, че съществува технология, която позволява поглъщането на огромни количества CO2 от атмосферата, като едновременно с това осигурява богата на протеини храна и строителни материали с високи изолационни характеристики, едва ли бихте допуснали, че става въпрос за растение – малко известното у нас, но всъщност с 4000-годишна история растение кенаф.

Той е едногодишно тревисто растение от семейство слезови и идва от Африка, където от хилядолетия се използва заради влакната му. Кенафът има родствена връзка с памука и бамята, но изглежда като бамбука, култивира се като влакнодайно растение в Индия, Иран и другаде. Влакното му се използва за чували и амбалажни тъкани, а семената, които съдържат 20% масло - за технически цели.

Кенафът използва въглеродния диоксид като ресурс за развитието си и отделя в атмосферата значителни количества кислород. Той има способността да расте с огромна скорост и да произвежда от 6 до 10 тона влакна от акър, които са също и добър източник на пулп за хартия. За един сезон един акър кенаф може да погълне около 10 тона CO2 от атмосферата, а в някои части на света се отглежда и втора реколта.

Могат да се изброят поне 20 различни приложения на влакната, семената и всички части на растението. Те се използват за строителни материали с изолационни и шумозаглушаващи свойства, за производство на биопластмаси и други видове нови материали. Компании като Toyota, NEC и Matsushita например използват кенаф в своите високотехнологични производствени линии.
 Бил Лофтъс, пенсиониран строителен предприемач, е открил, че то може да бъде суровина за производство на леки строителни материали с много добри изолационни характеристики - например огнеустойчиви бетонови блокчета, които не само осигуряват невероятно добра изолация, но и поглъщат въглерода от въздуха. Друга американска компания включва кенаф в композитните дъски вместо фибростъкло заради здравината и лекотата на влакната му.

Смесени с памук, нишките на растението могат да се прилагат в производството на тъкани, които са меки на допир и изглеждат като ленени. Днес американските потребители могат да открият влакната на растението и в гърбовете на килимите си, в изолиращия филц за покриви, в картона. Използва се също за производство на офис хартия. В Япония кенаф съдържат опаковките в някои заведения за бързо хранене, хартията, с която се завиват хамбургерите, както и някои тапети. През януари тази година Ford също обяви, че ще използва влакна от кефал в подложките на вратите за новия си модел Escape.

[Ford Motors]

Смесен в равни части с полипропилен, той ще намали теглото на компонентите с 25% в сравнение с конвенционалните материали и според Ford ще спестява на Северна Америка около 140 тона годишно пластмаси, произвеждани на основата на петрол.

Днес кенаф се отглежда в южните щати и в някои части на Калифорния и освен в споменатите приложения братовчедът на памука, както го наричат, има приложение като фураж за животни. Използва се в мебелите като частичен заместител на дървесните влакна, като биомаса за производство на енергия и т.н. За разлика от памука отглеждането му изисква много по-малко пестициди.

Заради всички тези свои качества и на фона на нарастващата загриженост за глобалното затопляне и нарастващите цени на петролните продукти през последното десетилетие това невероятно полезно растение предизвиква огромен интерес и внимание.

Can you Grow Your Medicine?

Yes, if you have the space and knowledge how to do it. And, if you, like me, believe in the power of natural medicines. I have been dreming of having my own garden where to grow everything I need and today I just came across a post dedicated to that. Crafty Little Gnome has posted a guide from one of their readers to 7 medicinal herbs you can grow at home or forage from the wild.  
Calendula is one of them and I remember my grandmother growing lots of it in her garden - in addition to glowing bright color it is also very good for your skin and for your veins, too.
Thyme, Peppermint, Elderflower, Chamomile and several others are included in the list.
togather with advices how to use them.