An Internet-Powered Growing System For Small Farmers
by: fast company, 2013-02-05 18:00:25 UTC
HarvestGeek will let artisinal growers bring the power of technology to bear on their small gardens.
We’ve written before about efforts to close the technology deficit between big and small farming. Now, here comes another promising project. HarvestGeek is an integrated growing system aimed at indoor and greenhouse farmers that stands a good chance of increasing yields, and taking some of the stress out of artisan-scale production. But it needs your help. Mike Alt, the inventor, is currently casting for funding on Kickstarter, and at the moment he’s short of his goal. It would be a shame if his prototypes didn’t make it out of the nursery.
"The main reason small farms don’t exist is because they are uncompetitive," he says. "They don’t have access to markets that large farms have. They don’t have the subsidies. And they don’t have the technology. They are not current in terms of production, because the best stuff is so expensive. It’s not realistic for them to use."
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Model-Thin Espresso Machine
by: Yanko Design, 2013-02-05 08:01:10 UTC
When it comes to espresso, it’s kinda funny to think think that such a tiny cup of java requires such a large machine. Really? All that bulk for a couple of ounces?! This modern espresso design reexamines the common appliance by giving it slimmer, more compact dimensions. It saves tons of counter space and looks stylish enough that you won’t mind leaving it out.
Designer: Tal Derry
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(Model-Thin Espresso Machine was originally posted on Yanko Design)
Related posts:
- Makkina – Espresso Machine by Soren Henssler
- Model-Skinny Lighting
- Just 6mm Thin
MYBF My Best Friend 3D-Printed Modern Jewelry
by: design milk, 2013-02-04 16:00:35 UTC
Fell in love with this necklace designed by Orlando Fernandez Flores and his wife Lucia De Conti, owners of Italian design store, Maison 203, that we featured not too long ago in Design Store(y). It’s part of a larger collection of 3D-printed jewelry created by the duo called MYBF (My Best Friend).
Buy it at Maison 203.
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© 2013 Design Milk | Posted by Jaime Derringer in Style + Fashion | Permalink | No comments
Get Out! Modern Camping and Hiking Lanterns by Snow Peak
by: design milk, 2013-02-06 14:00:42 UTC
I’ll be honest – I’m not a camping person. I enjoy short hikes in the daylight, so a hiking and camping lantern isn’t something I’d actually use camping or hiking, but these lights from Snow Peak are cute and modern enough that I’d surely put them in my backyard or use them around the house. Especially when my dog goes out at night and I have to hunt around in the dark to find – er – well, you know.
This is their new Lapel Torch – it has hands-free lighting by using a simple magnetic clip to attach to your jacket, shirt or shoulder strap. The light can be tilted and turned to focus its beam in any direction desired. Perfect for hiking, fishing, or just taking a nighttime walk.
Hozuki Lantern
Hozuki is a plant that inspired the original design for the ancient Chinese paper lantern. The Hozuki lantern is a modern version of the Chinese paper lantern adapted for outdoor use that gives you functional lighting as well as the ambience of candle light (but won’t burn down your tent!).
Mini Hozuki
This little cutie is a hand-held tabletop version of the Hozuki lantern that you can take with you on a hike. You can also change it to candle mode, for a more romantic outdoor experience. Valentine’s day picnic in the dark, anyone?
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© 2013 Design Milk | Posted by Jaime Derringer in Home Furnishings | Permalink | No comments
Sustaining Urban Ecosystems with Modular Brick Habitats
by: TreeHugger Design, 2013-02-06 12:00:00 UTC
These customized bricks provide much-needed habitats for birds, insects and plants in an urban setting.
Plankton’s Lock Bamboo Dining Table Adds an Interesting Twist to Dinner
by: Inhabitat , 2013-02-01 22:00:39 UTC
Designed by Plankton, the Lock dinner table is designed and formed to take advantage of the qualities, possibilities and characteristics of its highly sustainable material: bamboo. The frame is built up using layers of flexible bamboo, which are pressed together and then twisted and weaved through each other locking into place. The end result is a mix of nature and mathematics, and a super strong and dynamic shape. The table seats 5 to 6 people.
+ Plankton
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Post tags: "green furniture", bamboo furniture, bamboo table, eco furniture, Lock dinner, plankton, Sustainable Materials
Paper Chase: Help Jiwon Choi Find a Manufacturer for Her Tyvek Vase
by: Core77, 2013-02-01 19:00:00 UTC
Recent RISD grad Jiwon Choi reached out to us about her recent travails in finding a manufacturer for her Tyvek Vase. "Since it is a relatively new material, no one is willing to experiment with it. Some manufacturers said they are reluctant to use Tyvek because they don't know what it is. Tyvek is reusable and in many cases, it has more positive side than plastic. I'm hearbroken."
The remarkably simple object consists of a sheet of Tyvek, a versatile waterproof paper developed by DuPont, coiled into a conical vessel, an elegant repurposing of the industrial material.
Designed just in time for Valentine's day, the objective was to create a simple and light (yet strong enough to stand) package for flowers. Flowers will go back to the soil, Tyvek will have have a second life too; repurposed for products like corrugated pipes and landscape material.
We wish Choi the best of luck in finding a manufacturer—surely our readers can provide some leads?
(more...)
USPS ‘Green Teams’ Make $76 Million
by: Environmental Leader, 2013-02-01 14:54:50 UTC
The US Postal Service says it saved more than $52 million in 2012 by reducing energy, water, consumables, petroleum fuel use and solid waste to landfills, and generated nearly $24 million in revenue by recycling. The agency says employee green teams played a key role in helping USPS achieve the savings and revenue, which included [...]
Design for Good: Pepe Heykoop and the Tiny Miracles Foundation
by: design milk, 2013-02-01 19:00:59 UTC
What do you do if your cousin is on a mission to take a community of 700 people living on the streets in Mumbai India, and turn them from “very poor” to “middle class” in just eight years? If you’re Pepe Heykoop, you set about designing products that they can make and teaching them the skills required to make them, providing them with the income they need to escape abject poverty. It was an honor to meet him at IMM Cologne.
He was showcasing two products; the Leather Lampshade and the Paper Vase cover – which uses simple folding techniques to provide a decorative cover for bottles which are thrown away all over India, turning them into something useful.
Pepe’s cousin is Laurien Meuter, founder of The Tiny Miracles Foundation, an organization which believes they can make the world a better place, but that in order to do so, they need focus. So they have picked one street in Mumbai’s red light district, home to the Pardeshi community.
Their ambition is that by 2020 the community that currently lives on the sidewalks of this street will be self-supporting, have the education and healthcare equivalent to the middle classes and an income of at least $8 per person per day. But perhaps most importantly; that their children will grow up with happy memories.
The community’s economy used to rely on selling cane baskets, but the market for these products has dried up. There simply aren’t other jobs in the area, so Dutch designer Pepe Heykoop has set up his workshop right in the middle of the community and from there teaches people the skills they need to make the products he’s designed for them – products for which there is a market. In so doing his is providing the people in the community with work and a steady income.
The resulting products looked perfectly at home alongside the high end designer accessories on display at IMM Cologne. The only difference being that buying these products will change somebody’s life. What an inspiring story!
With thanks to Modenus and BlogTourCGN sponsors, Miele, Blanco, Mr Steam, Du Verre Handware, Axor and NKBA.
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© 2013 Design Milk | Posted by Katie in Home Furnishings, Interior Design, News + Events | Permalink | No comments
Piamo by Gemodo Coffee and Lunar Europe
by: Dezeen, 2013-02-01 06:00:15 UTC
This coffee maker brews an espresso inside a microwave in 30 seconds. (more...)
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