Browsing: enviro-art

Whilst perusing the interweb for various hints, tips and suggestions on green living, eco-friendly lifestyles, and money/energy saving devices, I came across this great tool for armchair activists from Troika.

In the modern age where text messaging has taken over from note passing, and emails have replaced letters, why shouldn’t the humble megaphone or loudspeaker be subject to such change? Well, a renowned German designer (Moritz Waldemeyer) who describes his work as a fusion of technology, art, fashion and design, (who has previously collaborated with the band OKGO), has teamed up with Troika, a multi-disciplinary art and design practice, to create such a thing.

This nifty creation is “able to receive incoming sms messages and speak them out loud through its powerful megaphone, thus allowing the armchair activist to shout out its rants and protests in the comfort of his sitting room”.

It was made with the support from Arts Council England and I think it’s inspiring in its modern day, thought provoking design and concept.
                                                                                                                                                                                

(Image via Troika)

Check out this video from BBC 2′s The Culture Show highlighting more of Waldemeyer’s work:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPsmrEmQ_lk&eurl=http://www.waldemeyer.com/pressf.html[/youtube]

The Credit Crunch. You couldn’t have escaped that fateful phrase over the past few months – but did you know that the bursting of the most powerful financial bubble since the end of the Second World War is coming up to its’ first birthday?! Now, I’m not suggesting we get all sentimental and sing it a couple of songs, shower it with gifts, and get its granny round for tea. But I do think that we should all be made aware of little things that everyone can do to get a little extra cash, and of course, help the environment along the way.

One little tip I stumbled upon this week was to earn cash from recycling! A simple and convenient way to do this is to crush up all those empty drinks cans, take them down to your local cans recycling centre. All you need to do is get as many cans together as possible, give them a ring, go and drop them off, and claim your not-so-hard-earned cash! Check out ThinkCans for more details on this project.

Of course, the more cans you have to recycle the better – for the planet and your pocket – so why not invest in an affordable, simple to use, and convenient can crusher to flatten those aluminium devils and fit more in your containers! Ethical Superstore has a great foot-operated can crusher – suitable for aluminium and steel cans for only £14.99. To top it off, the lovely folks at HippyShopper have made a video review of said Can Crusher to demonstrate its crushing prowess and ease of use.

For more tips on the possibilities of recylcling check out the Recycling Guide, or have a browse through one of our previous posts here at How Ethical; 25 Alternative Uses for Plastic Bags!

So, there you go, the third Armchair Activist post on how you can make an individual contribution to a global problem, and the first to highlight the money making, rather than money saving, Credit Crunch beating possibilities that an eco-friendly, green attitude can bring about.

Stay tuned for more . . . 

(Check out this great chair made from recycled cans by amir zinaburg>>>>>)