Bike Bangle

Happy Holidays!
Besides gaining a few pounds from all the Christmas cookies and food that is surrounding me, I have also been fortunate to receive a few wonderful gifts this year - and one in particular that I wanted to share. With my obsession of bikes and interest in eco-friendly, recycled goods - this gift was one of my favorites. A set of Spoke Bangle Bracelets from Re-Cycled Accessories (www.recycledacc.com). Get it? Re-Cycle?? Their motto is "Bike Jewelry made by Cyclists for Cyclists." That's right. Bangle bracelets made from recylced bicycle spokes. Brilliant!

Skiers Choice

Well, with all the snow we've been getting out here in Colorado, I can't help but get excited about the ski season and, even more so, get excited about the new skis I bought! However, my beautiful new skis are sitting in the corner of my room naked without bindings. After some research, I decided to go with the new Axl telemark bindings from 22Designs. A little late in production, these bindings are just starting to hit the shelves - but the wait will be well worth it. Having the stability of the Hammerheads and a free-pivot touring option, I have high hopes that these award winning bindings will give me the confidence and flexibility to be the tele-betty I strive to be both in and out of bounds!

Results Are In!

Team Germany came in first, Illinois second, and California third - and all twenty houses exhibit the most progressive green building technologies of our time. More results, photos and video can be found at the official Solar Decathlon website: http://www.solardecathlon.org
My personal favorite? That's a tough call. Every home on the mall exhibits some quality that I adore. It wouldn't take much twisting of my arm to get me to live in any one of these houses. Congratulations to all the teams!

Cute Koozie

Most days I try to remember my reusable, stainless-steel coffee mug when biking to work. However, there are those days that I am without it and am in desperate need of my americano from the fancy coffee shop down the street. As I order my americano "to go, please" I always think about how much waste we produce from drinking coffee! There is the paper cup, the plastic lid, and the coffee sleeve so that we don't burn our little hands. The lid can be recycled, the cup and sleeve compostable --- but remember that there are THREE R's people. First comes REDUCE, the most important. Then comes reuse, and lastly... lastly, recycle. So, here's an innovation to help us reduce on those days that we forget our travel mugs - a stylish wooden bracelet by Contexture Design (http://www.contexture.ca/coffeecuff.php?wood=a) that can double as your coffee cup koozie.

Gray is also Green

Thanks to a dear friend of mine, I was just introduced to this brilliant gray-water system, which exemplifies how simple engineering and a little bit of design sense can make an environmentally friendly, aesthetically pleasing, functional, every day piece of equipment. It's taken us enough time, but finally we have developed a modern way to reuse waste water from washing our hands to feed the basins of our toilet bowls. This sink and toilet combo by Roca seems to do the trick! Scoot over dual flush toilets, you've got some green-market competition...

Barefoot

Ok. Agreed. Some designs for running shoes have gone over the top. Coils, rounded soles and computer chips - doesn't this take away the simplicity of running? However, the simple concept of the FiveFingers design by Vibram seems a little extreme too. I don't think they would be good for running on concrete in the city, but running in an open field for an ultimate game? Perfect. Here's the NYTimes article I stumbled upon:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/business/30shoe.html?_r=1&8dpc

I will be curious to see how these shoes take off over the next few years. If I hear rave reviews, perhaps I will have to try the bare bones, er... "barefoot" approach to running.

Put the fun between your legs!

Get your head out of the gutter - I'm talking about bikes. My most recent obsession is to find an old road bike and build a sweet single speed commuter. I am new to the whole indy - underground "build a rad fixie" group, so maybe you readers are very familiar with this site - but, for those who aren't - here's a link to Milwaukee Bicycle Co.

http://www.benscycle.net/

Once I find my dream frame (old, slightly beat up, but coated in a cool retro-color), I plan to replace components like the wheels and crank set with new colorful ones from a place like MKE bicycle co.

first EVER!

This is my first blog post ever! I've realized that this is actually my fourth blog that I have designed and yet my first to ever get published. Out with the shame of worrying about misspelled words and in with pouring care-free thoughts all over this "inter-hoopty" thing we call the web.

My thoughts for this blog were to share cool looking designs that I come across. I'm sure that most of these designs will relate to home building and home furnishing, for this is where my interests lie. For those who don't know me, I am an engineer (in training) getting my masters with a focus on "Building Systems." Yeah, that's right. Building systems = your HVAC system, lighting system, electrical system, and any other system related to a building. Basically, I am an architectural engineer who focuses on green building design and energy efficiency. BUT - I also have an eye for the architectural and design side of things too. (Not your typical engineer.) So. For this blog, expect to see random "cool" things that will range from silly little doo-dads to actual buildings and home designs that leave you wishing you had a bigger pay check.

To start, I'd like to share my first link. This is the "Gable Home" that is being built by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the Solar Decathlon 2009. I love the simplicity of it and the reuse of wood from an old grain silo.

http://solardecathlon.uiuc.edu/gallery.html

Can't wait to follow the SD09 competition! More information on the competition can be found here:

http://www.solardecathlon.org/

~rois