Really, wasn't it just a matter of time before somebody worked out that those strange fibrous plastic-based Made in China bags were dodgy?  My mother in law has been telling me that for years.  Didn't stop me from buying them though - every time I forget my reusable bags I force myself to buy MORE reusable bags as punishment..and so the consumer cycle goes on.

I always buy unbleached cotton or canvas bags whenever they are offered - and I must admit the idea of buying a nasty plasticky bag made in China as a "green" option has always struck me as not quite right.

15% the legal limit of lead in a bag is definately "not quite right"!  Apparently the lead is predominantly in the printing

And then we have this one: "test findings clearly support concerns that reusable grocery bags can become an active microbial habitat and a breeding ground for bacteria, yeast, mold and coliforms.”  No prizes for guessing that this testing was funded by the Environment and Plastic Industry Council who obviously want the breathe life back into disposable plastic, but both these recent revelations illustrate how sustainability is a constantly changing concept rather than a line in the sand.

Meanwhile here is a pie of how many of you actually clean your reusable bags.  I don't.

We've just received photos of a HOG installed at Edna Maguire Elementary School in Mill Valley, set within their emergency stores container as part of their disaster readiness program. 

We calculated that the HOG represents 400x 16oz water bottles for emergency use - which means over the next 10 years Edna Maguire does NOT have to replace and dispose of the 8,000 single use plastic bottles they would otherwise be using.


This is a really exciting use of HOG and one that we will be promoting throughout the Bay Area now that California has been told to expect a Mother of all Storms in addition to the Mother of all Quakes.  Turns out the other comparable emergency water sources are either pallets of single-use water bottles that need replacing every 6 months or - wait for it - barrels that ROLL!

One of my favourite takes on "lets design a car that women will want".

I attended the first day of Compostmodern 2011 in San Francisco on Saturday and it was terrific.  An impressive turnout, charismatic speakers including the multi-faceted Yves Behar with whom I had an indepth interview chat on transformational design and his new - and successful - "Design Venture" business model.  Practiced in the ground-breaking One Computer per Child rollout as well as the more recent PACT sustainable underwear.  More on that later but here is an exciting result that demonstrates the impact of transformational design:in Uraguay every child between 6 and 12 has a laptop.

And here is the winner of a poster competition announced at Compostmodern and I am frustrated to say that I cannot read the name of the winner!  It is a female....and she is brilliant!!!  I am going to jump online and try and name her but meanwhile isnt this poster an absolute ripper!

Only this afternoon I learned about the concept of Window Farming, a back to basics essentially low tech method of vertical gardening - check it out here.  Ironically I discovered this cool trend with upcycling benefits while tending to my big corporates: browsing the magazines in Barnes & Noble while waiting for my Starbucks Chai Latte en route home from Trader Joes.  Which suggests there is a place in the world for all of us.

So here is a basic window farm, consisting of hanging bottles nurtured with a range of nutrients depending on the plant type and the flavour you seek.  Up close it looks more like this:

But less you think this be child's play, the Window Farmers want you to know that "simple looks can be misleading. (Window farm kits) are designed to bring in beginners at hydroponic growing with a sophisticated design that takes into account for a bunch of stuff you can't even imagine until you grow your first few crops".  So you can choose the kit that includes the bottles, or go DIY on the bottle reuse and just get the essentials which include pump, reservoir, piping, "grower plug", the nutrients and various contraptions to help clean and grow.  And the seeds.
The site reckons a basic kit can yield " a salad a week" and the plants and trickling water bring healthy building benefits also.
I really love the big picture for window farming - a greened out metropolis full of healthy buildings and healthy, happy urbanites.  Flower to the people!

I've just returned from the Detroit Auto show press preview dragging a couple of Scion touks, a Fiat espresso cup, a Tesla Roadster Hot Wheels car and a bunch of exciting interviews and photos with me.  The show was far quieter than my 2008 deput where the Dodge Ram unveil involved thousands of steers cowboy'd down the main city drag, but what it lacked in rock n roll spend it somewhat recovered with innovation.  On Electric Avenue I drove the Chevvy Volt and the Mercedes F-Cell B Class.  I am particularly excited about the F-Cell because this is user-friendly and doable hydrogen power in use, and the F-Cell B Class is about to drive around the world, including 3 stops across Australia, to prove it.  Unlike most of the electric cars the B Class is all about looking "normal": it starts with a key not a button, it shifts with a shifter rather than computer controls, and it brakes with a hand brake rather than yet another button.  Acceleration is immediate and effective, and the backing of Mercedes best in class safety makes me a happy camper. 

Merc's SLS in Devo-Fluro yellow is what truly makes me an uber happy camper tho.  The yellow matt paintwork emphasises the jagged slashes of the air intakes and side vents and the whole thing just oozes coolth.  And its electric.....
Meanwhile I dont want to gush on about Mercedes but their Star Bar was the ultimate place for good coffee and free breakfast lunch and afternoon tea.  I cornered chief Interior Designer Hartmut Zinkwitz over an espresso to get more info on Merc's plans to take their interiors in the realm of curvy but I think I scared him - not so their Head of Safety who had a great no-holds barred chat about how our highways would be safer at 130km/hr than 80.
SMART is doing an air-bag-equipped city scooter which looks good, and Venturi had a cool electric "buggy" concept which the designer said was "a sportscar at the sixe of the American user" ie supersized.