About Kim Rutherford
Kim Rutherford is Chief Operating Officer of Do the Green Thing in London. Do the Green Thing is a non-profit whose mantra is ‘creativity vs climate change’ and aims to reframe sustainable living into something you ‘want to do’.
Prior to this, Kim was Head of Yahoo! for Good and responsible for Yahoo!’s CSR proposition and direction across Europe. This included proposing, launching and managing the Y! for Good, Y! Green and Y! Employee Foundation brands in UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany.
Kim’s career in corporate responsibility began at Addison Corporate Marketing (part of the WPP Group) with a focus on developing stakeholder alignment programmes and corporate reporting. This followed with a move to Gala and a role which included exploring the potential positive and negative impacts of building the super regional casinos expected to Operating Officer of Do the Green Thing in London. Green Thing
follow the proposed deregulation of the Gaming industry in 2003.
Kim lives in London but loves adventure, some personal achievements include a Himalayas expedition to 21,000ft; a horseback expedition from Petra to Wadi Rum, Jordan; and working at Mother Theresa's Orphanage in Delhi.
Recent Posts by Kim Rutherford
Remade in Chile: From Plum Pits to Plum Pots
January 7, 2012 by Kim Rutherford
(Image: Remade in Chile)
Chile is the second biggest exporter of dehydrated plums in the world. This means they are left with around 47 thousand tons of plum pits each year. That’s a lot of pits!
Industrial designer, Genoveva Cifuentes, decided that instead of burning or composting all of these pits, she would design something to make them slightly more useful. So she made them into plant pots and seed beds. Because plum pits are natural and made from cellulose and lignin, they break down and biodegrade really easily. But the material is pretty tough before it’s planted, making it the perfect ingredient for an all-natural plant pot, or Inplum as they are called. Plus the pits are full of plummy nutrients which help its potted plants grow better. So it’s an All-Consuming win win!
Inplum won the Remade in Chile design competition and hopefully we’ll start to see these in production in the near future.
In the meantime, why not check out these biodegradable plant pots made from coconut hair.
(Spotted on Treehugger)
Copper Load of a Power Pipe, a Snappy Heat Exchanger
January 7, 2012 by Kim Rutherford
(Image: Renewability)
Power pipe is a simple and snazzy heat exchanger. You wrap your bathtub drain pipe with layers of highly conductive copper coils and voila your incoming cold water is heated by your outgoing hot water, reducing your energy bills substantially. While plumbing is never a hot topic around my dinner table we must admit that this pipe is a clever little fellow!
For more on keeping it hot this winter check out Human Heat!
(Spotted on Inhabitat)
Time For Some Bike Upcycling
January 4, 2012 by Kim Rutherford
(Image: reCycle Clocks)
reCycle Clocks is the creative behind turning old motorcycle and bicycle parts into distinctive, handmade clocks. They have a wide range of unique clocks and you can always get a custom piece created just for you. The bike parts are made with love by the artist which results in a manly looking yet endearing piece. These clocks are a smashing way to making sure motorcycles are All-Consuming!
If you are a fan of clocks you’ll think this Plugged Out Clock is pretty cool. And the hard materials used in these pieces are similar to that of the of work by Mari Cla Ro.
(Spotted on Inhabitat)
This Man Makes Money From Your Rubbish
January 4, 2012 by Kim Rutherford
(Image: Unconsumption)
Would you be so blasé about chucking stuff in the bin if you thought you could make some money from it?
In 1980, Dr Dan Knapp used to collect dumped materials from campus with his students and was horrified by the amount of useable things he found in the big rubbish dumps. He decided to divert this waste away from landfill – and make some money in the process! He wanted to ‘end the age of waste’ and so, Urban Ore was born. At first, this company was just about scavenging and recycling whatever it could. Based near dumps and in rent free slots, the team quickly learnt how to sell what they found and the business went from strength to strength.
How much money can he make from selling what other people deemed as worthless? Well last year Dan and his wife made $2.7 million. That’s some serious money from selling rubbish!
Remember Dan and his money making business next time you go to chuck something away. You never know, you might be able to make a few quid selling it rather than just chucking it in the bin.
(Spotted on Unconsumption)
How To Lose Your Holiday Leftovers…
December 28, 2011 by Kim Rutherford
(Image: VWA)
It’s two days later and you’re still tucking into turkey and snacking on sprouts. If you can’t even look at another turkey sandwich right now then why not give Love Food Hate Waste a go.
They have set up a fantastic little way to help you use up all your leftovers with some fun recipes. And the best bit of all is that it’s tailored to you. Just click on the foods you have piled up in your fridge and it will sling you a recipe.
If your guests are starting to leave, wrap up some food and send it with them. The choice of pretending it’s because you want to share rather than just wanting to see the back of it is optional.
Cant face another sprout right now? Why not try freezing your leftovers and giving them another go in a week or three when you’ve had a chance to miss them! Pre-cooked veggies go great in pasta dishes, soups and stews. Lovely, hearty meals for the cold months of January and February.
Don’t forget your pets. You might not be able to stomach another roast potato but there’s a four legged friend down there who is always ready to snap them up.
If you have a wormery then you can offload a few cooked veggies their way too. Unlike compost you can feed worms cooked food. Just remember to cut it up small, they only have tiny mouths.
However you end up finishing off your leftovers this Christmas, we hope you had a wonderful time with some delicious food and fabulous company. And if you’re thinking ‘leftovers? What leftovers?’ then it’s only a few days until you promise yourself you’ll work all those mince pies off!
10 Things To Do With Your Turkey
December 26, 2011 by Kim Rutherford
(Image: giftsoup)
Looking for exciting ways to use up all you turkey bits after your festive feast? If dancing around with a turkey on your head isn’t your thing read on for some more ideas.
1. First and foremost, make yourself a tasty turkey sandwich to get some sustenance for everything else you intend to do!
2. OR if you’d like to use your leftover turkey meat in a more exciting dish why not try a turkey omelet or even a turkey stirfry.
3. Whatever you do with your leftover turkey, DO NOT feed to your cat and/or dog as a tasty turkey treat. There is a risk that they will consume small bones which can cause them to choke. Which will most certainly put a dampener on your festive proceedings.
4. Use the wishbone to make a wish! Or you can use it to make a necklace. For tips on how to transform the wishbone into a unique item in your wardrobe click here.
(Image: fortheinterim)
5. You could avoid the ‘What to do with my turkey leftovers’ question by going Easy on the turkey in the first place. Nutloaf and Tofurkey make pretty delicious alternatives!
6. Go for a drive. You can make biodiesel out of the oil used to cook your turkey. Granted, you probably wont make that much and it looks pretty tricky. But the point is, you could.
8. Make an unusual light fixture out of it. If you have an old swag light fixture that never got sold at the garage sale and you don’t know what to do with it, you’re in luck. Here’s an idea that will have your house guests green with envy. Take that dried out old turkey carcass and cover the gaping holes with pieces of brightly colored cellophane wrap. Fit the metal frame of a lampshade onto the butt-end of the turkey carcass and attach it to a chain and light cord that you have already assembled to run directly over your dining room table. Switch it on, and voila! you have perfect ambiance for those special family meals.
9. EcoRI News in Rhone Island, US have previously collected turkey carcasses to feed to local pigs. Look into doing something similar in your local area. This provides nutrition for the pigs while keeping the turkeys out of the landfill!
10. Use your turkey carcass to make some interesting art work a la this lady or even make yourself a turkey bone whistle. Get creative and make your own designs!
Recycled Greenhouse Grows Juicy Tomatoes
August 27, 2011 by Kim Rutherford
(Image: Treehugger)
The kids at Mill Lane School, Chinnor, Oxfordshire have come up with a neat way for Re-Consuming plastic bottles. They collected over 1,500 discarded bottles over a year and used them in place of glass in the construction of their very own greenhouse. The greenhouse is now fully operational, having successfully grown tomatoes and orchids. These pupils deserve a gold star for their innovation!
For more novel ways to reuse plastic bottles read Growing happiness from recycled plastic bottles!
What’s On Your Plate?
August 25, 2011 by Kim Rutherford
We are what we eat, are we not? So don’t you wonder, what is on your plate anyway? And how on earth did it get there? If you’re just as muddled by your meals as I am, then this fun and inspiring film is just for you!
‘What’s on your plate?’ follows two knowledge-hungry girls from New York who set out to eat as much locally grown grub as possible and answer all sorts of questions about our food. Like, what’s really in there and who grows the good stuff? What happens to the packaging and leftovers after you are all done? And the all time most mystifying question – what really is a funyun?
We love this idea and we aren’t the only ones. Anna Lapé loved it so much she wrote a little poem about it!
(Poem: Grist)
So check out their wonderful website and be inspired! And if you gorgeous Green Things find you want to follow the girls’ excellent example, these amazing apps will help you find your local farmers markets. And remember, Go Easy on the Meat!
Bon appétit!
