subscribe
Remain a-luffa: Nipomo Luffa Farm
For a lovely lather, nothing beats a luffa. Whether you are washing yourself, your car, or a sink full of dishes, the dried plant makes a fantastic sponge. Organic and free of any synthetic material, the luffa is a great alternative to scrubbers made from foamed...
Uncommon Scents: Shoyeido Incense
Scent is a sense that is intimately connected with human memory. The olfactory nerve is situated close to the amygdala, the area of the brain associated with emotion and emotional memory. Some biologists believe that olfactory memory evolved as an early form of...
Put a cork in it: Bamboo and cork products at Bambu Batu
If bamboo is an environmentally friendly superhero, then cork must be its perfect sidekick. Case in point: the bamboo and cork hybrid cutting board pictured above. Sustainable cork, which is used in the boards, wallets, cases, and containers here at Bambu Batu, is...
Food fight: Bambu Batu’s Roundup t-shirt
NOTE: This article first ran in July 2013. The most recent update was in May 2022. Whatever happened to the good old days when deciding what to eat didn't have to be a political statement or involve enough research to qualify for a doctoral dissertation? Now, if you...
A cry for kelp: Using seaweed to clean up the oceans
Modern man has been awful rough on the oceans. With climate change acidifying the seas, and through overfishing, pollution, dead zones and resource extraction, humans have done an amazing amount of damage to the world's aquatic ecosystems. Brendan Smith...
Ecclectic electricity: Algae-powered lights
CFLs and LEDs not quite green enough for you? Solar panels too rigid and unforgiving? How about illuminating your living space with living creatures? Algae has long been used to produce biofuel and clean water, and now it is finding a brand new application as a light...