About Green Thing
Green Thing has two mouths and three eyes, lives in South End Green in London and is aged 22 (which incidentally is the Scrabble score for 'global warming'). His favourite band is Green Day, his favourite author is Grahame Greene and his favourite movie is The Green Mile (or any film by Peter Greenaway). He's on a one-monster mission to inspire as many people as possible in as many countries as possible to do the Green Thing. Please join him @dothegreenthing and people in 205 countries/territories making a difference.
Recent Posts by Green Thing
When A Tree Falls In The Forest, Does It Make… Music?
February 6, 2012 by Green Thing
We’ve seen some pretty incredible things in our time and we know how amazing wood can be but even we had to admit, we never thought we’d see a slice of tree being played as a record. As unbelievable as it seems, this record player has been hacked to play a slice of wood. And it actually sounds like music! Watch the fantastic video here.
Stop The Vampires From Wasting Your Energy
February 5, 2012 by Green Thing
(Image: Bracketron)
Bracketron have just released a range of eco-friendly chargers that are full of GreenZero Technology that Plug Out Boy would be proud of.
What is GreenZero Technology I hear you ask? Basically, it means that these chargers automatically switch off once your mobile device is fully charged, eliminating vampire power. (Ok, not real vampires. Vampire power is the energy used when your gadgets are on standby or remained plugged in when fully charged.) These clever chargers mean that there is no more need to worry about leaving things plugged in. Impressive stuff!
Creative Ways to Salvage Your Old Clothing
February 4, 2012 by Green Thing
(Image: Jennie Maizels)
Any of your clothes torn, ripped, eaten and have really seen better days? Tempted to throw them out? Not a wizz with the needle and thread? Well some clever folk out there have come up with great ideas for helping you Stick With What You Got and make a bespoke item in the process!
Scenario 1 – You are out and about in your local park having the time of your life when you snag your favourite jumper on a branch. What do you do about it? Why not cover up the tear with a beautiful snazzy clothes plaster designed by Jennis Maizel. Sporting one of these is sure to get you some approving looks. Her collection includes awesome robots, stars, flames and even Big Ben which are guaranteed to make your threads pretty epic.
(Image: twistedtwee)
Scenario 2 – You open up your wardrobe to take out your winter trousers only to find that some pesky moths have gotten there before you. Fear not! Show them you don’t care by covering the holes with a Twisted Twee moth patch. Of course preventing moths from getting at your clothes in the first place is your best solution – so store your clothes properly and throw in some lavender, cedar balls, chestnuts or sage.
(Image: twistedtwee)
Scenario 3 – You are down the local enjoying a nice glass of red wine when someone bumps into you and you get a big red stain all over your best dress. Why not give them a place of honor by pointing them out proudly instead of being embarrassed and disregarding your clothes! Twisted Twee also make iron on pointers that you can use.
(Spotted on Treehugger)
I See The Pothole Gardener Was Here…
February 3, 2012 by Green Thing
We pass by hundreds of pavement cracks and potholes everyday without a second glance. But one man sees these little spaces in a whole different light. Steve Wheen is known at the Pothole Gardener. For him, these tiny urban openings and neglected holes are a blank canvas for a whole mini world of gardening.
(Image: Pothole Gardener)
Living in East London with no garden space of his own, he plants these little public areas up and adds in adorable tiny props to create heart warming scenes of grassy bliss. From picnic baskets to bikes to red letterboxes, these patches of organic joy can last from seconds to months. I know I’ll certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for these Borrower-sized landscapes on my way home!
(Spotted on Grist)
Driving Is Sooooo 2011
February 3, 2012 by Green Thing
With less and less young people learning to drive and more people using car sharing services, bike schemes and owning a bike themselves, driving is starting to become a bit uncool. Getting your drivers license isn’t such a big deal. Who can afford a car these days anyway?
Enter, the Undriving License. In Seattle, non-profit organisation Undriving are offering their exclusive Undriving Licenses to people who promise that for one month they will get out of their car and find a different way of getting around, be it Pedaling The Pedals, taking the bus, Walking The Walk or cartwheeling everywhere.
(Spotted on Treehugger)
It’s Time to Stop Facebooking and Start Reading
February 3, 2012 by Green Thing
(All images: Milwaukee Public Library)
I think it’s safe to say we’re all a little guilty of spending a bit too much time with our eyes glued to screens – be they laptops, computers, smart phones or iPads. The Milwaukee Public Library has released a fantastic new ad campaign, spoofing popular time-wasting, I mean social networking, sites to help us Plug Out and plug back into reading. And it’s just a little bit brilliant!
(Spotted on PSFK)
Shop Your Way To Solar Energy
February 2, 2012 by Green Thing
(Image: Springwise)
Do The Bright Thing is a Dutch company that have set up a great way for you to shop online. Every time you use the site to purchase something, 10% of its value will be invested into solar energy. Sound pretty good, eh?
All you need do is sign up with Do The Bright Thing before shopping and then use the site to purchase what you need. They have calculated how much energy was needed for the production of each product and they then offset this energy through investments in solar panels, at no added cost to you.
You receive an e-mail about 2 months later letting you know where the investment went to, so you can feel all warm inside knowing you helped get those solar panels out there. The service they provide has a lot of potential to help us Plug Into Better Electricity: If all tablet PCs purchased in 2011 worldwide were brought through Do The Bright Thing’s website then the subsequent solar panels would provide energy for a whopping 4 million households for a year! Wanna know more? Then watch this video.
(Spotted on Springwise)
I’ll Trade You My Hat For Your Bag
January 30, 2012 by Green Thing
(Image: Swapomatic)
There is nothing better than a good swap. You get rid of your unwanted stuff and receive something you need (well, most likely just want) in return. It’s free, it’s fun and it’s got instant gratification. Swapping sites like Netcycler are great, but if you’re a now-now-now kinda person, waiting for the post can be a bit of a drag.
The Swap-O-Matic is a vending machine for swapaholics who need that instant hit. You sign up using your email address and earn credits for each item you donate to the machine. If anything catches your eye you can either Swap What You Got or receive it, using the credits you earn from donating. It’s so simple and you can walk away with something new in seconds.
A wonderful idea for the consumer in us all.
If swapping is your thing then have you thought about swapping your extra crops? Your baby’s outgrown clothes? Your office equipment?
(Spotted on Springwise)
