Fun
Human Limits – What Can Your Body Take?
While perusing a recent issue of National Geographic Magazine, I found an interesting piece on the limits of human survival that I thought I would share. Goes to show that your body can take a lot more than you think it can when its pushing its limits of survival.
- 107.6 degrees F – Die from Heatstroke
Once your core body temp reaches 107.6 degrees, heatstroke becomes irreversible and fatal. - 40 degrees F – Die of Hypothermia
After 30 minutes in 40 degree water, you will perish of hypothermia. Since water can pull heat from your body more effectively than air, the higher you can float or the more of your body you are able to get out of the water, the longer you will last. - 300 degrees F – Die from Overheating
Heat from an enclosed fire or deep mine can begin to bake your body. In only 10 minutes, you will be meat loaf. Kids succumb much faster and in lower heat, just a few minutes inside a 120 degree car will prove fatal. - 15,000 feet – Die from Altitude
Fading consciousness will occur at elevations higher than 15,000 feet unless acclimated. Raised red blood cell counts and enlarged lungs common to highland dwellers ensure their survival in
these harsh altitudes. - 282 feet – Die by Drowning
The record for the deepest freedive is 282 feet. Without special equipment, most people will black out at depths deeper than 60 feet, however with training it may be possible to go deeper. - 11 minutes – Die from Lack of Oxygen
Without oxygen, you will loose consciousness after about 2 minutes. With training, some individuals have reached 11 minutes. - 45 days or 30% – Die of Starvation
Without food, you can last about 45 days before you will loose approximately 30% of your body weight and die. With this rapid weight loss, you are more likely to succumb to disease before starvation.
5 Seemingly Gross Ways to Go Green
1. Don’t use toilet seat covers
Strange as it may sound, but these wafer-thin little pieces of paper do nothing for your touche. While they give you a feel-good barrier between you and a public toilet, it is basically only that. According to Dr. Sherry Marts, scientific director of the Society for Women’s Health Research, “It’s OK to sit down. Most organisms that cause STDs will not survive for long on a toilet seat.” When you really think about it, when else has a piece of paper that thin ever saved you from anything?
How much good would it do? I haven’t been able to find any definitive answer, but I would feel comfortable throwing out a number in the area of 50,000 trees a year.
2. Wash your hair less
Ask your hairstylist about this one, and you may be surprised what they tell you! Washing your hair everyday can actually be damaging and cause it to start out dry and quickly become greasy. Slowly begin to extend periods between washing so your scalp and hair can adjust until you reach 2-3 washings a month. Soap seems harmless enough, but with the amount we use and dump in our waterways today, it can be downright harmful to those little fishes. Given all that is in shampoo these days, I wouldn’t want to drink it.
3. Pee in the shower or outside in your garden
I’m sure we are going to ruffle some feathers with this one, but we are going to emphasize that urine is sterile! By reliving yourself in the shower, you are saving a toilet flush and the urine is going to the same place anyway (unless you have a specific greywater system, even better.) If you choose to pee outside, you are replenishing nature! Be sure to dilute it with water and hit different spots in your garden or it could be a bit too much fertilizer for your plants (try peeing directly on your compost if you have one to enhance it.)
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Solarmania – 7 Interesting Personal Solar Paneled Objects
The advent of the the personal solar panel probably started with those solar powered calculators way back when. I remember I used to rip those little sun suckers out of as many calculators as I could get a hold of and try and make something cool… it never worked out.
But nowadays, solar powered accessories are all the rage. You find them on public trashcans, parking meters, boats, even stadiums. Here are just a sampling of some of the things we have slapped solar panels on and called them better.
Solar Sunglasses
Why hasn’t this been thought of sooner? It just makes so much sense, sunglasses = sun = solar energy, right? Something tells me you would have to be ON the sun (or at least looking directly at the sun) to even squeeze a watt out of those sexy little guys. I’d still rock them just for the green fashion prestige.
[via yanko design]
Solar Tent
Now that is just one cool looking tent. Makes me think of a big orange solar paneled armadillo. Not very practical for hiking, but with the remote finder that actually lights up the tent and other ‘gadgety’ accessories, it would make for a great concert tent.
[via engaget]
Energy Green Cellphone Charging – Eco High/Low
Green cell phones are the topic of today’s Eco high/low. While green is a relative term here, alternate ways of charging your battery are emerging with more of an environmentally friendly spin. While this has yet to really gain traction, here are two options fairly new to the market, one an a uber chic (and most likely uber expensive) mechanical offering, the other a techno-savvy, but simple low cost design.
Ulysse Nardin Chairman Kinetic Cellphone – Eco Chic High
Created by a very well know watchmaker, the Chairman is an attempt to meld the complex mechanical movements common with old world style wristwatch artisans, with the newer high technology phones. With today’s youth choosing to go watch-less and instead depending on their cellphone clocks to provide them with the time, watchmakers are beginning to see the effects. Cellphones have become the new accessory among today’s youth, making other timepieces obsolete.
Leave it to Ulysse Nardin to capitalize this market with the introduction of a new cell phone bling unlike any other. It is ingenious in its own right, since most carry our cellphones in pockets or bags which are constantly moving while we walk, it provides the perfect charging mechanism. Since we are using kinetic energy to charge these phones, it is incredibly green, requiring no emission producing electricity. No word on cost, but with Ulysse Nardin watches priced in the thousands, and limited production numbers, I wouldn’t expect to see these at Best Buy.
Crank Cellphone Chargers – Eco Friendly Low
Technology in alternative energy generation is improving, and that good old crank style generator is becoming easier and more efficient. These devices provide reliable power generation to recharge your cell phone battery with a few minutes of winding everyday.
It is really the same concept as the kinetic device, but you are just doing all the winding at once by hand. If you have ever used one of the newer LED crank-style flashlights, you will know how relatively easy it is, and how long just a little bit of work lasts. As a bonus, most of these double as radios and/or flashlights, making them great to have around for power outages, emergencies and such. With prices ranging from $20-$80, it really is a bargain to be green.
[via dvice]
Eco Friendly Reader Suggestions – Green Jewelry and Sustainable Furniture Design
When it comes to green design, there are some really cool eco-friendly artists out there doing some amazing work. Here at The Chic Ecologist, we like to bring to light some of these beautiful sustainable designs. I have had a lot of great ‘reader finds’ and small design shops and artists send me some of their works and designs, so it is time to share!
Nikki Montoya is a jewelry designer that comes to us from Southern California with an eclectic collection of jewelry inspired by the past. Sustainable materials, salvaged rarities and vintage charms are brilliantly combined with a contemporary vision and technique. Each one of these unique and inspired handmade creations are one of a kind. I am a particular fan of the bangles (pictured) and “Sparrows”. Check out her website and find her jewelry sprinkled in a handful of Los Angeles area boutiques.
.jpg "Poj Facundo bamboo furniture")
Miami based Argentinian furniture designer Facundo Poj has a scattering educational and experience background ranging from a master builder and Architecture school to a degree in Urban Affairs and Environmental Problems. His works consist of handcrafted junkyard objects with historic value. He is interested in subjects which contain a soul and have a lasting quality to them. Researching new ways of using materials outside the large scale mainstream manufacturing; he employes materials like salvaged cardboard or engineered bamboo. I particularly enjoy his repurposed bathtub line of furniture including the bathtub chaise lounge.
Related Items:
Simply Wooden Rings – Sustainable Wood Jewelry
Junkyard Tables – Vintage Automobile Hood Tables
Metaform Studio Lighting – Green Lighting Design
Beach Trash Sculptures – Necklaces from Discarded Rubbish
Eco Game of High Low – Green-ish Turntable Record Players for all you Vinyl Lovers
I am starting a little game of High/Low which will bring both the “high-end” expensive items with more reasonably priced counterparts for the rest of us. I’m going to start this game off with something a little old school- turntable record players.
Eco Chic High
The “High” comes to us from German-based company Montegiro, and is quite beautifully built with a very clean design. This bamboo and steel Legno turntable promises chic style and a functional design with a stable steel chassis and resonance vibration dampening bamboo. The price reflects the overall design and build quality more than the audiophillic sound it produces, although, I am sure it is probably one of the best sounding turntables out there. Priced in at $13,240 – you can pick one up through Koetsu.
What makes it Green?
This one may be a bit of a stretch, but it is made from renewable bamboo and paired with recyclable steel.
[via dvice]
Eco Friendly Low
The “Low” is simple- buy used! There are thousands of these out there for sale. By purchasing a used record player, not only are you keeping one more out of a landfill, you are also not using the resources to build a brand new one. You can even find wind up players to be even more green! Cost – anywhere from free on up. Check places like craigslist.org, freecycle.org, pawn shops and ebay for a turntable that suits your needs.
What makes it Green?
Its a reuse!
Link love from Re-Nest
Re-nest, a division of Apartment Therapy, is conducting a Best Green Design Blog of 2008 contest in which this site is a contender! If you really love what you see here, pay a visit over to our friends at Re-Nest and vote me up! You only have until January 5th to vote, so timing is of the essence my friends.
p.s. – Its also got some great posts and other blogs linked up, so it’s a fun little diversion.
Top 5 Strangest Eco-Friendly Solutions
I think its time for a TOP 5 list, just because- so here it is: The TOP 5 Strangest Eco-Friendly Solutions.
You may not have known these were even problems, but somebody somewhere did. I had no idea how to even rank them, but without further delay, here we go!
Recycled Can Lingerie
This sure looks cool and is probably moderately effective against poison arrow dart attacks, but seriously? I would think some heavy chaffing and pinching would be involved. While it probably isn’t so much practical, it is kinda pretty and reminds me of chainmail, why not- right? A work of art, these creations by Ingrid Goldbloom are pretty stunning.
[via makezine]
Treadmill Bike
I wish people could make up their mind, but i guess some people want it all. Or maybe you are a runner that wants to hang out with biker friends. Possibly you have an aversion to bike seats and would like to have kids someday. The treadmill bike allows you to run instead of pedal, you can even up the resistance! This conjures up good memories of the bamboo bike.
[via greendaily]
Potted Plant Speakers
Well, they say that plants grow better when exposed to music don’t they? I don’t think we are going to save much green space with these, but they do give you a good feeling inside. These JVC speakers have a little pot on top to plant your favorite miniature, they even link together similar to legos. I hope they are waterproof- i think i would go with a cactus motif just to be sure.
[via envirogadget]
Wooden Stick USB Flash Memory Drive
Wood seems to be the new eco-chic thing to pair with electronics, so why not do it to a USB stick drive? Seems only natural. Natural birch that is. Collected from the forests of Berkshire, England – these silver birch sticks are dried, hollowed, sanded and waxed before the flash drive chips are sealed into the wooden receptacle. Using 2GB flash sticks, they are a bargain at £18 shipped from flashsticks.
[via envirogadget]
Organic Batter Blaster
I’m probably pushing this one, but it is organic! For those mornings where you really crave pancakes, but you just don’t have the time. I have not tried it, but it sure seems convenient. “Just point, blast and cook!” is the tag line and it sure looks that easy. I wonder if it looks like whipped cream?
[via focusorganic]
I Bet You Can’t Make That Out of Bamboo! Green Gone Mad
I wasn’t sure to file this under green design, or an attempt at sustainable design gone bad. As we all know, Bamboo is the darling of the sustainable green movement. It grows fast, requires no pesticides, is very hard and durable, and grows just about everywhere. With that in mind, bamboo can be found in all kinds of products that are trying to be green – some, like bamboo flooring, bamboo furniture, bamboo cutting boards, etc, make sense. Some do not. That said, I present an homage to all things bamboo (green washed and all).
1. The Bamboo Laptop
The Bamboo laptop. I don’t even know where to begin, although im not sure if the laptop itself is more or less shocking than the accessories (the bamboo keyboard and the bamboo mouse). Several manufacturers have released a bamboo cased laptop, with varying degrees of actual substance (some are little more than veneers).
[via treehugger]
2. Bamboo Mountain Bike
Now this actually makes sense, but it is really weird to see a bike made out of wood. I guess it would have been just as silly to have thought of a bike made out of carbon fiber 10 years ago, but don’t those still have an internal frame of metal? Calfee Design seem to be the big pioneers in this field, and from the reviews, they are pretty sweet.
[via ecoshopper]
3. Bamboo Sheets
Now this may seem odd at first, but they are incredibly well suited for this type of material. They have a real silky feel to them, are pesticide and chemical free (usually) and antimicrobial.
[via apartmenttherapy]
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