A Clock With a Conscience (and a Mother’s Gush)

This clock not only looks good, it does good! It was designed by iconic graphic designer, Milton Glaser. Before I get to all that goodness, I have to tell you about one of my kids (gush). You may click away now if you have no use for that nonsense (the gushing). But if you stay, I promise you'll find out what this has to do with the clock.

My daughter is a very talented graphic designer/artist (gush, gush), who now has an awesome job in her chosen field. When she graduated from RISD, she landed a much-coveted internship with Milton Glaser. She got a rare glimpse into his design genius. Maybe even more importantly, she learned first-hand how a designer creates a culture of making a difference through design. You may recall, Milton designed the I ♥ NY logo for the New York State Department of Commerce. His design became the most frequently imitated logo design in human history. Anyway, my daughter shared with me a link to the Botanist-Socially Responsible Modern Products and Milton's Epigram Clock. Since I just wrote about clocks, it seemed fitting to add this witty one to the mix.

Now we can get on with the business at hand (thanks for not clicking away!) What’s so good about the Epigram Clock? It constitutes socially responsible design because a percentage of the proceeds from the Epigram Clock goes directly to the International Rescue Committee. “The IRC responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster.”

Socially responsible design seems like something we should teach to all kids. Maybe as consumers (and parents), we could set an example and start a socially responsible cultural movement of our own. Why? Because...time flies.

Credits: Botanist

Dishing About Dishrags: DIY Knitted Dishcloth

How do you like your dishrags? Do you care? Maybe not, viagra buy but while we are ditching the paper napkins why not just chuck the paper towels out too? And, order since we’re dishing about dishrags, I like my dishcloths thick and absorbent, thank you very much. There’s a bit of a buzz in the knitting world about dishrags. Kay Gardiner shared with the readers of her popular Mason-Dixon Knitting blog, her dishrag obsession, “‘Whatcha knitting?’ ‘Um, a….[muffled] dishrag….’ Somehow, even for me with my raised consciousness about the value of old-time domestic pursuits, knitting a dishrag is not something I’m eager to admit to some over-buffed woman on the beach. But I cannot tell a lie, I was knitting dishrag after dishrag. And loving it!”

Paper towels have become yet another symbol of waste. With over 90% of US households taking advantage of the convenience of paper towels, we produce over 3,000 tons of waste each day. Phasing paper towels out of the home can be more of a challenge than ditching paper napkins, and plastic bags. I’ve heard about using alternatives such as clean cloth diapers for paper towels and newspapers. But really, do they hold any appeal as cleaning cloths? Not so much for me.

Not ready to fess up to knitting dishrags? Just say you’re checking your stitch gauge and doing your part for  the environment by using leftover yarn...CLICK HERE FOR MORE (PATTERN)

Credit: Mason-Dixon Knitting

Fly Fishing In The Environment

OK, fly fishers -- this one’s for you... I live with a few fly fishers. They are a passionate bunch. Passionate about their waterways, their love of nature, and they are passionate about how they fish -- catch and release. On any given day during the season, lifesize suspendered waders and heavy wading boots hang dripping from the rafters of the garage. Hooks, feathers and fishing line find their way into their tackle boxes and deposited onto the floor around their fly-tying spaces.

When this New York Times article, Fly Fishers Serving as Transports for Noxious Little Invaders flew across my computer, I ran to see if their boots were felt-soled. According to the article, “Growing scientific evidence suggests that felt, which helps anglers stay upright on slick rocks, is also a vehicle for noxious microorganisms that hitchhike to new places and disrupt freshwater ecosystems.”

Apparently, going feltless comes at a cost to the fly fisher. Rubber is slippery and dangerous for those who wade on rocks. Some fly fishers are reluctant to give up their felt (yay, not my guys), despite the havoc that “rock snot” imparts on the environment.

This may seem incidental in the scheme of our recent environmental disasters, but all of these small environmental threats caused by humans add up. So, let's join Orvis, the biggest fly-fishing retailer in saying, “Change your boots and help fight the spread of invasive species.”

(Also, anyone want to share more about "rock snot"? I'm a bit out of my league here.)

Credits: Ben Scott

Set Adrift: Driftwood Projects For The Nest

There’s something nostalgic about driftwood. It’s already lived a whole other life before it was uprooted from the ground and set adrift to sea. The sand, wind, water and waves have a way of uniquely weathering the patina of fallen wood like no manmade finish can do. Driftwood Rack

The DIY Driftwood Rack from Sunset is simple, beautiful and free. It’s the same idea as this coat rack.

Driftwood Headboard

This rustic handcrafted headboard lined up next to the linen bedding, created by artisan Trisha Rose, sets a calming bedroom mood. Doesn’t it?

Driftwood Table

This one-of-kind table made from a piece of driftwood we found along the shores of the Hudson River (see, you thought I was only partial to the ocean), sports a slab top of black walnut from a downed tree found on our property. Here’s a tutorial for making driftwood tables. We left out the polyurethane and used Gorilla Glue, which is non-toxic after it dries.

Driftwood Wall Art

My Uncle Danny was a master of reuse. His renditions of eco-art could be found all over the nooks and crannies of his seaside home that my cousin, Amy and her family now live in. He created this piece in the 1960’s, and it is still displayed on an outside wall of the home.

Note: Before you head out beachcombing for driftwood, check your local state beach authority for regulations about collecting scavenged wood.

Credits: All Driftwood Furniture, Sunset, Cabin On The Water

More beach-inspired projects: Beachcombing With a Purpose: 2 DIY Shell Projects DIY Decorating With Nautical Knots What The Sea Left Behind Sun Senses: Beach Inspired Home Decor

Trim The Waste: Zero-Waste Design

Here’s a quick Q&A: 1. Do you eat organic food?

2. Do you bring cloth bags with you when you go shopping?

3. Do you recycle?

4. Do you compost?

5. Do you buy clothes that are made from leftover scraps of fabric?

If you checked the first four in the affirmative, and puzzled over why you are even answering number 5, you’re not alone. The question never even entered my eco-radar either. What's it all about?

“Zero-waste design strives to create clothing patterns that leave not so much as a scrap of fabric on the cutting room floor. This is not some wacky avant-garde exercise; it’s a way to eliminate millions of tons of garbage a year. Apparel industry professionals say that about 15 to 20 percent of the fabric used to produce clothing winds up in the nation’s landfills because it’s cheaper to dump the scraps than to recycle them.”

Want to find out if zero-waste fashion is coming to a store near you? CLICK HERE FOR MORE