Design^Sprout | Your Guide to Green Design

Dead Fly Art - Cute and Disgusting.

If you're in the market for art that makes you laugh while simultaneously making you cringe, disgustingly cute "fly art" may be for you. Swedish photographer Magnus Muhr has hit the nail on the head (or fly with the swatter, so to speak) of this genre, creating funny little drawings depicting dead flies participating in our everyday human situations.

PlantBot - The Sun Seeking Robot with a Green Thumb

     In the tightly packed houses of San Francisco, light can be scarce.  Still, I occasionally delude myself into thinking I have a green thumb. I don't.
    Legions of plant carcasses later, I had all but given up hope. Enter PlantBot. Designed by The Play Coalition this wicker and wood concoction seeks out the sun so you don't have to. The lazy man's gardener - I love it.

50 Must-Read Blogs for the Conscientious Shopper

     After all the blood, sweat, sore fingers and rapidly deteriorating eyesight we bloggers go through, it feels really great to be recognized. Thanks Organicasm!  Check out some of the uber-interesting sites below.

            50 Must-Read Blogs for the Organic Shopper

Parenting

Child-rearing usually involves the purchase of a lot of stuff. These blogs will give you advice on how to reduce the amount of this stuff, and make sure that what you’re buying is responsible for your family and the world.

1. Busy Moms Go Green: This mom is raising six "green" kids, and sings the praises of organic eating.
2. Enviromom: These two stay-at-home moms are newbies in the green and organic movement, and they’re chronicling their baby steps.
3. Eco Child’s Play: On Eco Child’s Play, you’ll find advice for toys, food, and more.
4. It Takes a Planet: This mom focuses on natural resources for her family.
5. Healthy Child Healthy World: Learn about organic food, pesticides, baby care, and more from this blog.
6. Green Baby Guide: Get insider secrets on organic and sustainable baby gear from Joy and Rebecca.
7. Ask an Organic Mom: These authors of The Complete Organic Pregnancy answer questions and give advice on making your pregnancy and child care as organic as possible.
8. Raising Peanuts: This mom works to live as naturally and organically as possible.
9. Crunchy Chicken: This family grows and makes their own food.

Consumption

Learn more about being a responsible organic shopper through these blogs.

10. The Alternative Consumer: The Alternative Consumer blog writes about comparison shopping that goes beyond price.
11. Egglog: The Egglog has lots of information on organic and green marketing.
12. Organic Consumers Association: This association promotes the views and interests of socially responsible and organic consumers.
13. Knowmore: Check out responsibility profiles for the companies you patronize.
14. Leafygreen: Look to Leafygreen to learn more about organic and natural products.
15. Fake Plastic Fish: Check out Beth Terry’s blog to learn how she’s living in a world without plastic.
16. Life Less Plastic: With this blog, you’ll learn how to cut down on plastic products and find out how plastic negativelty affects our world.
17. OrganicMania: Lynn at Organic Mania makes it easy to research and find information on organic products.
18. Diane’s Big Green Purse: Diane believes that we can pressure polluters where it hurts-in the marketplace.

Lifestyle

These blogs will show you how to use organic products and principles in your daily life.

19. Down to Earth: On Rhonda Hetzel’s blog, you’ll learn about gardening, green cleaning, and living a simpler life.
20. The Accidental Environmentalist: This blogger writes about her lifestyle changes, and how she’s grown into a greener person.
21. Green Eggs and Planet: Green Eggs and Planet provides readers with insight on healthy living through organics and beyond.
22. The Lazy Environmentalist: Check out the Lazy Environmentalist for tips on how to go green and organic without sacrifices.
23. Organic Picks: These bloggers find organic and sustainable products for their families.
24. Alotta Errata: This blogger loves organic and local products, but admits that she doesn’t always get things right.
25. Ideal Bite: Ideal Bite breaks "doing the right thing" into bite-sized ideas.
26. La Vie Verte: Follow this guide to green living in France.

Home

Organic products aren’t limited to food-you can use them in your home, too. These blogs will show you how.

27. Design^Sprout: In this design blog, you’ll find lots of great ideas for conscientious home design products, organic or otherwise. 
28. Building Gypsy Rose: Learn how one house is being built in a sustainable way. 
29. Low Impact Home: Find out how one Tennessee family is working to make a low impact home, from less plastic consumption to more organic products.
30. Earth Friendly Gardening: Check out this blog to learn how you can create an earth-friendly garden of your own.
31. My Green Home: This blog has loads of information about greening your home, from organic products to builders.
32. Crafting a Green World: Check out this blog to learn about conscientious crafting.
33. Broomhuggers: On the Broomhuggers blog, you’ll learn how to clean your home in a more organic and sustainable fashion.

Food

Learn more about organic food, recipes, and more with these blogs.

34. Chews Wise: On Chews Wise, you’ll get information about the food system and where your food products come from.
35. Culinate: Culinate aims to make food decisions easier, from when to buy organic to finding out where your food comes from.
36. 100 Mile Diet: Learn how to eat food that’s produced within 100 miles of your home with this blog.
37. Eat Local Challenge: Check out this group blog to learn all about eating locally and organically.
38. Envirovore: Envirovore subscribes to the thought that we are what we eat, and they want to eat responsibly.
39. Green Lemonade: This blog covers sustainability in food, asking you to become aware of what you put in your body and the effect it has on the world.
40. Bean Sprouts: Melanie Rimmer’s household grows some of their own food, and works hard to be "green."
41. Eat. Drink. Better: Discover more about the world of food from this blog.
42. FoodShed Planet: This blog discusses sustainability in food any beyond.
43. Edible Nation: Learn about eating local, organic, and tasty food from this blog.

Ethics, Safety and Policy

Learn about the political side of organic consumption in these blogs.

43. Muddy Dog Roasting Co.: Check out this blog to learn more about sustainable coffee.
44. The Ethicurean: This blog encourages readers to "chew the right thing."
45. Coffee & Conservation: This blog illustrates the connection between coffee and the environment, particularly bird habitats.
46. Beyond Pesticides: Learn about the environmental and health hazards of pesticides, and alternatives to their use in this blog.
47. Farm Policy: Hear about the latest in food politics from this blog.
48. Organic Horizon: Learn about organic food and farming in the US from this virtual farmer.
49. Blog for Rural America: Read this blog to learn about what American farmers are facing today.
50. Mulch: Hear commentary on agriculture, policy, and food safety on this blog.

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The Quicker Picker Upper

     Sometimes what you aren't is more important than what you are or so the saying goes at Uncommon Goods.  These clever little dish towels remind us that there is a more eco-responsible choice than the disposable paper most of us grew up with.  They're 100% organic and at $20 for a set of 2, you'll want them to stick around awhile.

50 Ways to Recycle Your Yoga Mat

You hate to throw stuff out. You prefer to recycle it, give it away, or find another use for it. And then you had to replace your yoga mat.  What is an eco-lover to do? 

Gaiam, one of the leading distributors of yoga mats and related products, lists fifty ideas for what to do with your yoga mat when it's time to replace it. Fifty ways to recycle your mat later, you'll be healthier, less stressed and breathe easier. Plus, by replacing your mat regularly, you won't injure yourself using a worn mat. Some of the clever reuses include:

1. Use cookie cutters to cut the mat into holiday ornaments
2. Cut down for placemats for pet dishes. Keeps the area neat while also prevents the dishes from sliding around
3. Clean the mat well and use it to line kitchen shelves
4. Use the mat to smother weeds in your garden.
5. Instead of buying a rug pad, use an old yoga mat (or two) to keep your rug in place. Rug pads also make vacuuming your rug easier.
6. Instead of packing peanuts, wrap pieces of a yoga mat around your valuables.
7. Strips of old yoga mat make colourful stair treads.
8. Use a piece as a welcome mat outside a kitty litter box. The mat's stickiness grabs the litter off paws preventing it from spreading throughout the rest of the house and protects kitty's paws as well
9. Cut into rounds and use as coasters
10. Cut a piece to use as a sunshade in your parked car when it gets really hot

For another 40 ideas, click here. Namaste. (via re-nest.)

Shipping Palette Sofa - Fab Idea!

The creativity behind this romantic sofa is inspiring and super chic. Made from two discarded shipping palettes, an old door, casters and covered with vintage pillows. Gorgeous! (source:apartment therapy)