Aaron Chang Swimwear
It makes sense that photographer and surfer Aaron Chang wants to look after the environment because he makes his living from it and with surfing, also spends his downtime enjoying it. The apparel company he co-founded makes a range of eco-friendly swimwear and clothing.The products are made from recycled polyester yarns that were originally items like the plastic bottles you recycled after enjoying your favourite drink. More products are now being made from recycled PET as the technology makes it more efficient to utilise them. No more throwing them in the rubbish can and ending up as landfill or floating around in our river systems. Organic cotton is another raw material used throughout the range. Traditional cotton, whilst it may be ‘natural’ is harmful in the way it is grown when organic principles are not followed. In addition to damaging the environment the processes can also be harmful to the people living near the cotton growing areas. Following organic processes means less harm to the soil and the end result being the ground is in the same condition as before the cotton was grown.Having a look through the range you can see a surf inspired theme to the swimwear and coverups. Functional, appealing and easy on the environment make it a good choice.More of the range at the Aaron Chang website.
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adidas Grün Shoes
adidas are following in the footsteps of Nike. Yes the pun was intended. They now have an eco-friendly range of footwear and apparel released under the Grün label. Shown is their ZX 500 shoe for runners and they cater to other sports and casual wear as well. They follow the three guidelines of “Made From”, “Recycled” and “Reground” when developing these models.
All raw materials have been considered and across the range you will find recycled PET, chromium-free leather, cotton and jute, plus recycled EVA and rubber for the inner and outer soles. Rice husks and cork details are featured on some models. Plus they have considered the environment with their packaging so as to minimise the impact.
The range is widely available and more information at the adidas website.
Tesla Motors Roadster
If you are like a lot of the population, then the other versions of fuel efficient cars including both hybrid and electric, suck in the styling department. The Tesla Motors electric car is looking to change that. As you can see from the picture this is an out and out sportscar that doesn’t come with the penalty of sucking traditional fuels faster than you can think how much it costs.
The Tesla is powered by an electric motor that generates about 185kw of power and is delivered in a constant manner from 0-6000 rpm and tops the rev counter at a whopping 13000 rpm. This means it leaves the line at a contantly increasing speed rather than the traditional method of requiring time to speed up then hitting a peak and not increasing any more. The downside with this (if you can call it that) is there is no need for constant gear changes to keep the engine at the optimum revs. So it only has a two speed manual gear box and no clutch. Just reach for the gear lever and change it. Not as much fun if you ask me.
Top speed is around 125 miles per hour and the range is 220 miles which is much more than most other electric vehicles. Chraging from a fully dead battery takes around 3.5 hours and can be done from most electrical outlet. If you want to go all the way then why not install solar panels at home to change the car. Many owners are opting for this too. Don’t worry either, you are constantly kept up to date as to the charge left so you won’t be stranded.
The batteries are lithion ion which is not considered a hazardous waste and are good for around 100 000 miles. Efforts are being made to work out a recycling program for these as well.
More information and pricing at the Tesla Motors website.
Eco Wash Waterless Car Wash
Water restrictions are a fact of life in many parts of the world and one of the first things to be affected is washing cars. The Eco Wash Waterless Car Wash by Eco Touch is right in so many ways. Firstly is saves litres or gallons of water that usually ends up down the drains. And it is not only this untreated water that flows into rivers and streams, it is the harmful petroleum products and other pollutants then end up on and in our cars. This harmful run off is eliminated. With more people living in high density housing it can also be difficult to wash you car. Once again a waterless process means you can wash you car in the parking garage if you want.The waterless car wash ingredients include water (so technically is it a waterless car wash?), surfactants derived from coconut and soy, water-based polymers, organic solvent from soy. It couldn’t be easier to wash your car either. Simply work a panel at a time by spraying the vehicle surface and microfiber towel and gently wipe across the surface to pick up the road grime.If you don’t have a spray bottle then buy the 22oz spray pack to begin with and then replenish with the 1 galllon container. The latter should be enough to clean between 20 and 50 cars and just think of the water saved and harmful run offs prevented. Don’t forget to recycle the container!More information about the Eco Wash Waterless Car Wash at the Eco Touch website.
Lauren Spa Organic Sheets
The Lauren Spa collection by Ralph Lauren is a line of bed and bath wares made from organic materials and eco-friendly dyes. With the funds behind the Ralph Lauren organization it means they can take this very seriously and go to the extra effort of having all their products certified by SKAL. This certification covers the manufacturing, processing and storage of organic products.
The Spa Organic Sheeting is pure luxury with the added benefit of being long lasting. This is one of the reasons many luxury resorts around the world use these bed sheets. It is recommended that regular detergents are used and not ones with optical brightening agents. Actually, these detergents should be avoided anyway as they are not biodegradable and have been found to cause skin alllergies in some people.
The sheets are available in both fitted and flat with matching pillow cases and in eight different colours. There are also other bedding accessories in the organic range such as a duvet cover, nightspread and sham.
See the full Spa Organic range at the Ralph Lauren website.
Toyota Prius Hybrid Car
Everyone has probably heard of the hybrid petrol/electric powered Toyota Prius as it has been around since around 2000. A unique marketing plan (whether by accident or not) has contributed to its popularity. Once celebrities started arriving at awards shows and other paparazzi laden venues in them the sales rose. It became the must have eco-friendly purchase.
A quiet electric engine provides the low power and the gas engine kicks in during the acceleration phase. A very simple explanation without getting too technical. Once owners work out how to drive efficiently and utilise the electric engine as much as possible then the mileage per gallon rises. In addition to using less fossil fuels the polution produced is less than the best diesel cars. For example, 95% less carcinogens are released into the atmosphere.
Granted, the price isn’t all that attractive and the look of the car is an acquired taste but it is difficult to argue with the eco-friendliness of the car.
All the information at the Toyota Prius website.
Rip Curl Planet
Rip Curl’s foray into the eco-friendly market is more a case of dipping their toe in the water rather than a fully fledged effort. Hopefully this will change as they improve their sourcing and manufacturing processes. As they say on their website, organic materials are more expensive and their isn’t the variety of fabrics. That said, they are making an effort through their Planet range which consists of products made with more than 50% eco-friendly materials.
Most of the t-shirts are 100% organic and goes down to 55% organic for the mountainwear technical multi-layer products. The Planet label also covers products in their boardshorts, pants, hoodies, jackets, footwear and accessories lines. These products aren’t separated as a separate line, just incorporated into the other lines and labelled accordingy. So look out for the Planet label when buying your Rip Curl stuff.
The Planet idea also extends to other parts of the Rip Curl business. For example, they actively recycle old wetsuits and event banners turning them into beanbags and they try to make the events they sponsor greener by using recycled paper, reducing the use of disposable plastic and limiting or partially offsetting Carbon Dioxide emissions for their riders and event organisers.
The European Rip Curl website has heaps more information.
