Revive Atlanta

THINK: Windowsill Gardening

David — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 06:00:09 +0000

Today’s post features an awesome concept design from French design firm Barreau&Charbonnet. It’s called Volet Végétal, and it’s designed to enable gardening in urban apartments or officies without access to rooftop planters or patio spaces. A simple mechanism lowers the trellis, almost like a drawbridge, to allow your plants to catch more sunlight! It’s one of those ideas that makes you say, “why didn’t I THINK of that?”

[image from Inhabitat]

THINK: Experiences > Possessions

Bryan — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 06:00:40 +0000

A recent study of 671 men between the ages of 20 and 40 found that 86 percent say spending money on experiences is more satisfying than spending it on mere possessions. This is not surprising to me but what is surprising is that we as a society continue to spend so much of our discretionary income on more possessions – new cars, more clothes, additional stuff to fill our lives. Instead of continuing to spend money on things that don’t add value to our lives, let’s re-THINK our spending habits.

An easy time to do this is when giving gifts:

Consider donating to the charities through Giving 101 for holiday gifts
Add to the honeymoon plans as a wedding gift
Take a vacation rather than making that next big purchase

Just ask our Vice-President (Josie) how incredible experiences can be. She just returned from a hiking trip in the Swiss Alps! Check out the BEAUTIFUL view in that picture!

THINK: Trader Joe’s box wine

Abbie — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 06:00:43 +0000

The equivalent of four bottles of wine in a convenient and easily shippable cardboard box for the grand total of $10. This attractively designed packaging is not only easy on the eyes but easy on the budget and easy on the garbagemen. Trader Joe’s is the way to go.

[image by me on Instagram]

THINK: The Clothes We Wear

Josie — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 06:00:59 +0000

We tout the merits of eating and growing locally, but what about wearing locally? Most of the clothes Americans wear are outsourced internationally today, and the synthetic dyes that are used come from metal compounds and petroleum-based polymers. In short, we have off-shored the effects of our textile consumption (the average American throws away 64 lbs of fabric a year!), which has led to a great disconnect of the actual environmental and social costs of our clothing.

The nonprofit organization Fibershed generates awareness and teaches people how to build and sustain a bio-regional color and textile culture. Learn more through this video (first on the page), this video (skip the first 2 mins), this one, or this book.

[ image from ecouterre.com ]

THINK: Smart School Supplies

David — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 06:00:05 +0000

Fall is just around the corner, and that means that schools are starting back into full swing. If you’re a student stocking up for the semester (or just looking for some supplies for work or home), check out this gallery featuring some nifty eco-friendly products for use at school, in the office and anywhere in between! Some of my favorites are the Eco Staple-Free Stapler, these pencils made from newspaper, and the “old-meets-new” recycled composition book.

[image from Inhabitat]

THINK: Most Important Meal

Bryan — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 06:00:06 +0000

I hear you. It’s awfully tough to get motivated to eat breakfast in the morning when you can get a few extra minutes of precious sleep instead. But THINK twice about skipping breakfast! A Harvard School of Public Health study found that men who skip breakfast have a 21 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

One of my favorite breakfast options is quick and healthy: oatmeal. I put the water on the stove while I’m getting ready to let it come to a boil. Throw in oats for just a few minutes and then you can get creative to fit your tastes. I add brown sugar, flax seed, pecans, and berries like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or blackberries. Delicious!!!

[ image by Wishfulchef.com ]

ACT: Foldable waterbottle for the airport

Abbie — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 06:00:45 +0000

I overheard some chatter last week amongst colleagues about the inconvenience of having to buy bottled water at the airport because of the liquids constraint at security. I was excited to fill them in on a little (perhaps well-known in some circles) secret that you can, in fact, bring a water bottle through security so long as it’s empty! Then you can just fill it at a water fountain once you get passed security. In my experience, most (but not all) airports have water fountains. I THINK it’s worth the effort to bring along an empty given the possibility to save some cash and create a little less garbage! Trick of the trade: grab one of these handy Platypus bottles, and fold it up and out of the way when it’s empty!

[image from amazon.com]

ACT: Crop Mob Atlanta

Josie — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 06:00:55 +0000

Put Crop Mob Atlanta on your watch list. They lead some really great events (that are in high demand so sign up early!) out on small, sustainable farms in town and throughout the surrounding region. Their moto: “[We are] a group of young, landless, and wannabe farmers who come together to build and empower communities by working side by side.” A day of work on the farm (as a mob of volunteers) in exchange for new friends, sometimes a meal, play, talk, and music.

[ image from Grow! ]

THINK: Next-Gen Bike Safety

David — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 06:00:12 +0000

Today’s post goes out to all the cyclists in the crowd. I don’t want to spill too many of the beans before the jump, but I will say that this is one of the coolest new product ideas I have seen in a while! The concept was born from a challenge to Swedish design students Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, and it has grown into a fully-developed product – Hövding. So without further ado, I give you The Invisible Bicycle Helmet. Pretty awesome, don’t you THINK?

[image from Hövding]

THINK: Unlimited paid vacation

Abbie — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 06:00:28 +0000

Unlimited paid vacation? For real? According to an article in Bloomberg Businessweek, many Silicon Valley employers are dangling this perk to attract top-tier engineers and techies. “It’s a trust-based system,” says Ben Zotto, the creator of a popular handwriting app that was acquired by Evernote earlier this year. “[Evernote] treats people as if they can run their own schedule.” According to others quoted in the article, giving employees free rein over their own schedules helps improve their productivity. I happen agree! What do you THINK?

[ image from healthmakers.info ]