PADI is making face masks from recycled ocean plastic

The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) has teamed up with eco-friendly activewear company Rash’R to create a line of stylish face masks made using recycled plastic bottles from the ocean. The face masks are produced by Ocean Balance, a company that specializes in turning recovered ocean plastics and post-consumer plastic bottles into wearable fabric.

The eco-friendly face masks are dual-layered with recycled polyester. They are reusable and include a filter pocket. The outer fabric is made with 100% recycled ocean waste polyester while the lining fabric is made of 92% recycled ocean waste polyester and 8% elastane. Each mask purchase includes five PM 2.5 carbon filters, but more can be ordered on the website. The face covering can be washed in the washing machine between uses.

Related: How to make a mask with fabric to wear or donate

Masks are being sold at cost, meaning the company is not making any profit from the sales. “The price you pay is our actual cost,” PADI said. “Our driving incentive and hope: that the PADI community will take precautions for their personal wellbeing, the wellbeing of the communities they call home and the ocean they dive.”

Purchasing the face masks makes an impact on the serious issue of plastic pollution in our ocean while increasing the availability for the important medical-grade, surgical and N95 masks needed by first responders during the pandemic. The masks come in six different ocean life-inspired patterns for adults and one children’s size best suited for ages 4-10.

According to the world-leading dive training organization, over 1,267 pounds of ocean plastic have been removed and reused based on the number of face masks customers have ordered so far. The masks have been selling out almost as quickly as the company is making them. Those interested in purchasing a mask can sign up for restock notification emails if the mask they want is out of stock.

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These sustainable shoes by Rackle are made from hemp

What better way to put your best eco-friendly foot forward than with a stylish, comfortable pair of sustainable shoes? Rackle, a Boston-based footwear brand, is on a mission to create sustainable shoes, starting with the release of its hemp-based Alex line.

The unisex Alex sneakers come in three color options that include redwood, natural and blue. Weighing in at only 6 ounces, these shoes are better suited for leisure and errands than athletics, but they still offer a supportive, tri-density foam sole with EcoPure foam that aids in biodegradation and a hemp-based upper material. Each pair comes with two sets of laces — solid and checkered — each of which are made from a combination of hemp and 100% recycled materials. The shoes aim to meld style, versatility and sustainability.

Related: Good Clothing releases capsule collection made from hemp and organic cotton

“Rackle uses innovative plant-based materials, such as industrial hemp, in our products,” said Joe Napurano, senior designer for Rackle. “We also incorporated a special foam sole technology that promotes biodegradation. Once your shoes have completed their life of providing you style and comfort, we’ll help you find a home for them through our non-profit partners, or should you discard, they are designed to breakdown in just one year under active enclosed landfill conditions.”

Choosing hemp was a calculated decision. It grows faster than cotton yet requires a fraction of the water to grow. Plus, it is antimicrobial and is a durable and washable material. Hemp is a sustainable product that has become popular in the shoe industry because of its eco-friendliness and the ease with which it converts into a strong fiber.

According the company’s website, “The 100% sustainable hemp upper is made of high grade hemp and provides year-round comfort and support thanks to the plant’s natural benefits: cool in the summer and warm in the winter; anti-microbial; lightweight; water-resistant; UV-resistant; and extremely durable.”

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Kibardin shares creative recycled paper furniture designs

Creating furniture is an age-old art form that has incorporated standard materials such as aluminum, wood and rattan. However, one artist has perfected a way to use another prolific material, cardboard, into furniture designs, and he’ll show you how to use it too.

Vadim Kibardin, based out of KIBARDIN design studio in the Czech Republic, wants to encourage the kids, journalists and architects in all of us to think progressively and sustainably by getting hands-on with paper furniture design. Kibardin sees a world of opportunity between citizens who want sustainably made products and the wasteland of available cardboard readily available. With this combination in mind, he set out to develop and share furniture designs that can work as a family art project in any home. 

Related: Designer Sophie Rowley creates marbled furniture from denim scraps

On his website, you’ll find a black furniture collection with a sampling of furniture pieces he’s lovingly hand-contoured. Some are complete and ready for purchase, while others offer a design that can be made by request. Each piece is unique, as materials and the handmade approach vary. He doesn’t use a mold to replicate a design. The process involves adhering stacks of flattened cardboard into thicknesses that add strength, then shaping them into chairs of varying designs. 

Over his 25 years in the business, Kibardin has been commissioned to create unique pieces for private clients, galleries and museums. But his vision goes beyond creating art and building usable furniture while saving trees, to inspiring others to do the same. His Totem collection represents a creative art form that can be replicated in homes around the world. 

As Kibardin explained, “Take a look at my Totem furniture collection. It is essentially a condensed version of my vision, which transcends trends by being functional as a serial product and handmade piece of art. I focus on construction and delivering key looks, without the styling and theatrics of a show. I can bring you modern solutions at affordable prices, just collect paper and cardboard packaging, download patterns and manuals, and produce it with your kids.”

The basics are provided with an outline for decoupage-style stools, chairs and hourglass-shaped tables, but the idea is to inspire your own works of art. Kibardin encourages his site’s visitors to create their own paper art and then share images, instructions and a link for others to use. With this foundational support, Kibardin hopes everyone becomes part of this sustainable movement.

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Skate the streets in style on these handmade wood skateboards

With limited traffic on the roads, cruising down abandoned streets on a slick new skateboard can be a dream come true for many skateboarders. Thanks to Rustek‘s new collection of wooden skateboards, handcrafted out of sustainably sourced wood, we can all dream of popping sweet 180-degree ollies while soaring down the street.

Portland-based Rustek has long been the skateboard builder of choice for many ‘boarders, mainly because the Rustek team is made up of skaters themselves. They build their products by hand, always working with help from local craftsmen. Made in their mobile shop trailer, the quality of their skateboards and gliders are top-notch.

Related: This cool electric skateboard is made from recycled plastic

As part of their commitment to quality, the Rustek team offers only the best when it comes to using natural materials in their designs. The skateboard decks are built under the company’s strict eco-friendly ethos, using only FSC-certified, sustainably-sourced wood and responsibly-sourced textiles such as leather and wool that are sourced from cruelty and chemical-free sources.

Using natural building materials not only adds to the sustainability of the skateboards, but also gives them a unique identity. In fact, each deck design is one-of-its-kind, featuring varying shapes and tones. According to the designers, this is part of what makes their product stand out from the millions of skateboards that are on the market. “We believe that the organic variation in each material is in part what makes them beautiful and ensures that every product we make is naturally unique. You will feel the difference in our wood phone cases and boards because of our commitment to sourcing high quality material,” Rustek explains on its website.

In addition to the high-quality materials used to craft their skateboard range, the company is also very active in protecting the environment. For example, the company plants a tree for every order and donates 10% of all profits to the National Park Service.

+ Rustek Skateboards

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Images via Rustek Skateboards

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WKE LifeProof phone cases use recycled ocean-bound waste

In an effort to find a balance between protecting the significant investment in our cellular devices and protecting the planet, LifeProof has developed a phone case that sources materials diverted from the ocean and simultaneously supports organizations directly involved in providing safe water, protecting ocean life and maintaining river habitat. 

WĀKE, the newest case line from LifeProof, is made from 85% recycled plastic waste. Materials for the protective case are sourced from fishing nets and ropes to help prevent those plastics from reaching the ocean. The plastics are then woven into a polypropylene material that is both durable and strong. This practice reduces the need to produce virgin plastic, and the company also offers a program to recycle your phone case when you decide to make a change. 

Related: Adorable baby gorilla wants you to recycle your phone

As a company, LifeProof has long strived to make its cases more sustainable and find ways to give back to the Earth. “LifeProof’s existence has centered around two things: a love of the water and an innate need to give back,” said Jim Parke, LifeProof CEO. “With this new case and the charitable partnerships we’ve formed, we’re not only creating products that help ensure a longer, repurposed life for plastics from the fishing industry, we’re supporting water organizations that can make an even larger impact than we would be able to alone.”

The water organizations he refers to are long-established non-profits on a mission to provide clean water to underprivileged communities, protect coral across the ocean floor and maintain healthy rivers for communities and wildlife. 

According to a press release from LifeProof, “With the purchase any LifeProof case, including existing lines like FRĒ, NËXT and SLɅM, and registration of the case at lifeproof.com/makewaves, we’ll donate a dollar to one of three charities who share our vision for a world with clean water for all – Water.org, the Coral Reef Alliance or American Rivers.”

The WĀKE case is currently available for the Apple iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 11, iPhone XR, iPhone SE (2nd Generation), iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s and Samsung Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+. It is also available to preorder for Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. Cases are priced at $39.99.

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Images via LifeProof 

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Hitch is a reusable water bottle and coffee cup in one

Coffee is a popular start to the day for millions of people. There’s nothing quite like the scent of coffee wafting through the air and that first sip to get you started on the right foot. But an estimated 3 billion paper cups end up in the landfills each year — cups that mostly can’t be recycled due to the mixed materials, including plastic. The solution, of course, is reusable coffee cups; however, many people have struggled to incorporate that addition into the host of other items that travel with them daily. So Remaker Labs, a San Diego-based company, has carefully designed a to-go cup that you won’t even notice you’re carrying.

As co-founder Sky Gilbar explained, “The essence of the problem is that people already carry so much — water bottle, phone, chargers, laptops, and other essentials — that their hands and bags are full, so carrying a reusable cup all day on top of all that is just too inconvenient.”

Related: This aluminum water bottle is a reusable alternative to single-use plastic

Hitch, the first product launched on Kickstarter by Sky Gilbar and David Silverander, is a full-sized, fully insulated and leak-proof 12-ounce cup that fits inside a water bottle — similar to the one you likely already carry, making it easy to bring along your reusable cup without making the choice between that and a water bottle. While your cup “Hitch(es)” a ride inside your 18-ounce insulated stainless steel water bottle, it easily slides out for use. The lid for the water bottle doubles as a leak-proof lid for your cup. Plus, you can lock the cup on top of the water bottle for easy one-hand carries. The dual-cup design also fits into most standard cup holders.

Hitch is carbon-neutral, and a portion of each Kickstarter pledge is used to plant a tree via One Tree Planted and remove 1kg of ocean-bound plastic via Plastic Bank. Join the zero-waste movement along with the other backers on the Hitch Kickstarter campaign, which is set to end May 28, 2020.

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Nina+Co sustainably furnishes a zero-waste London restaurant

In an industry notorious for food waste, award-winning chef Douglas McMaster has achieved the seemingly unattainable — Silo, the world’s first zero-waste restaurant. For Silo’s second outpost in London, local interior design studio Nina+Co teamed up with McMaster to craft an interior that reinforces the restaurant’s sustainable ethos with locally sourced natural materials and innovative design aimed at minimizing environmental impact.

Launched in Australia in 2011, Silo was heralded as the world’s first zero-waste restaurant. Its success spurred the creation of a branch in Brighton, U.K., followed by a second venue in east London that opened during the fall of last year. The long-anticipated London branch is located on the upper floor of the renovated White Building, within an old cocoa roasting factory with large steel-framed windows and exposed steel trusses. In contrast with the industrial setting (the approach begins with a canal-side cast-iron staircase next to a graffiti-covered bridge), Silo’s interiors are surprisingly elegant and minimalist. 

“A few pioneering and high-quality materials, a very crafted process, and a zero-waste mentality form the basis of the design,” said Nina Woodcroft, founder of Nina+Co, in a press release. “The aim is to close the loop, with an interior composed from waste or thoughtfully sourced, natural materials, that will either biodegrade or easily disassemble for repurposing in the future. Following Silo’s post-industrial ethos, we opted to work with local crafts people using age-old techniques, as well as harnessing innovative materials and technologies.”

Related: A zero-waste, self-sustaining home of the future

Recycled materials are featured throughout the restaurant interiors, beginning with the host stand built from offcuts of timber laminated into a tree stump-like shape. Natural cork harvested by hand lines the floors, while natural, biodegradable woolen fabrics were used to upholster the seats, and linen was used for the wardrobe curtain. Thirty bespoke lights crafted specially for Silo by Nina+Co were produced by a local potter with crushed glass wine bottles from the restaurant, and a pendant light near the entrance was made from foraged seaweed. 

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