glass
ECO Recycled Countertops by Cosentino
Consisting of 75% recycled content from post-industrial or post-consumer materials and held together by an environmentally friendly corn-oil resin, ECO by Cosentino countertops will keep your kitchen green. Similar to the Vetrazzo Recycled Glass Countertops, ECO is made up of recycled glass and mirror, but also includes porcelain, crystallized ash and stone scraps from regulated quarries under strict stewardship programs.
The countertops are produced in an environmentally friendly way as well, with 94% of the water used in manufacturing being recycled, thus minimizing the consumption of a very important resource. All of the minerals used in the production of ECO by Cosentino come from quarries that are fully restored and the manufacturing process is strictly controlled to avoid emissions of any harmful particles into the air.
Vetrazzo Recycled Glass Countertops
When I think of what impacts me the most in a kitchen, I think of 3 things: Cabinets, appliances and counter tops. Beautiful counter tops can be the crown jewel of your kitchen – an essential focal point that just ties everything together. Granite was the standard for a very long time followed by manufactured stone, then came a ‘greener’ fly-ash concrete alternative, now Vetrazzo just raised the bar with their recycled glass surfaces.
Made with up to 85% glass by weight in a non-resin cement binder, these counter surfaces consist primarily of recycled wine, beer and mineral water bottles processed in California. A smaller portion of the glass is recycled from traffic light lenses, glass windshields, shower doors, architectural window glass, stemware and art glass. One 5 ft. by 9ft. panel of Vetrazzo can recycle up to 1,000 glass bottles.
Verre New York Glass Jewelry
This seems to be the month of Eco-Jewelry here on The Chic Ecologist, probably because there is so much great stuff out there.
I recently received a note from Jessica over at Verre New York, a glass jewelry design team that attaches liquid glass to metal pieces for a beautiful effect.
Their abstract collections evoke all things natural, I personally see rain drops, molecules, dew and amber. The quintessential modern material, glass can be modeled into so many forms, colors and textures – and can be easily recycled. Each piece is handmade by the designers, reflecting both their style, creativity and mastery of this art form. Even the packaging is creatively inspired: bottles, petri dishes, and test tubes, as if each was brought into the world by biologists.
Recycled Glass Wine and Beer Glassware
Windshields are making a comeback, and they are being recycled to invade everything from wine glasses to flower vases. This is a great thing given how many cars are disposed of each year, just think of all the automotive glass windows and windshields we can save.
Most of the recycled glass designs I have found are handmade in places throughout the world including Colombia, Guatemala, and exotic Portland, Oregon. Some are even produced in wind powered facilities, decreasing the environmental impacts of the manufacturing process.
Recycling Religiously – Temple of Glass
Photo by Chaiwat Subprasom/Reuters
Built with more than a million glass bottles, the Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew temple in Thailand’s Sisaket province is quite the model for sustainable. Located about 600 km (370 miles) northeast of Bangkok, the
REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
Thai Buddhist temple has found an environmentally friendly way to utilize discarded bottles and has used them to build everything in its premises, from a crematorium to shelters and toilets. I can imagine the amount of natural light and colors are simply breathtaking. Unfortunately i don’t live in Thailand and I couldn’t find much more information about it in English anywhere, but somehow it still seemed relevant to this blog.
[via china daily]
Keep up with us on Twitter and RSS!
Recent Posts
Most Popular
See the latest in green power,
earth friendly energy.
Find Energy Efficient TVs,
Home Audio and Video
Electronics.
Save energy and time with
Format HTML; it will
indent HTML perfectly!
Planning a green wedding?
Look
up local wedding vendors
at One White Wedding.