Potato Chips cans

I have been consuming potato chips with a vengence these days and I don't know why. I don't just eat those in small packets but in those tall cans.

So, I have 3 empty cans sitting at home which I do not know how to recycle. I checked the internet and got some suggestions from ehow and familycrafts but somehow, their ideas do not interest me at all.

So if there are anyone out there who can give me more suggestions, it will be much appreciated.

Can you tell?

Can you tell what is this lamp made up from? Yes? No?

If you take a closer look, you might be able to guess and think it looks familiar and it is...this lamp is made up plastic spoons? Now that I said it, can you see them now?

I like that the spoons are slight translucent and the light can still get projected out. The one above is designed by Japanese designer Daisuke Hiraiwa.

In actual fact, there are many such designs out there. Such as this one using plastic spoons and forks and once it is illuminated, you can actually see the cutlery clearly. This one below is a design of Luis Luna.

And this one by Studio Veríssimo that , a plastic chandelier which you can't really tell is made from plastic to be honest.

Compost update

Success! My mum told me that the plants which we deposited our compost on are growing very healthy and very fat haha.

I am currently preparing the 2nd batch of my compost with some different materials, wish me good luck!

Recycling your soap bits

Tips from Planet Green

1. Make into new soap

2. Mix the old soap with glycerin. Melt in the microwave. Use as hand soap.

3. Put the soap bits in an old sock or a cloth bag. Hang the cloth bag from the shower head. Wash yourself with it like soap on a rope.

4. Soap can be used as tailor's chalk.

5. Make laundry soap

Recycling your umbrella

Tips from Planet Green

1. If your first umbrella breaks down, use it for spare parts. Try to find a similar replacement umbrella. When the second umbrella needs a patch or a part, you'll have one on standby.

2. You can make clothing out of umbrellas.

3. Old umbrellas can easily become waterproof bags.

4. Make a backpack cover from an umbrella.

5. Turn that broken umbrella into a kite.

6. Or why not make a magazine rack out of old umbrellas?

Recycling your toilet paper roll

Tips from Planet Green.

1. Organize cords

I have to give credit for this one to my aunt who has been using TP tubes to keep her hairdryer and curling iron cords in order for a long time now. She simply folds the cord into about six- to eight-inch lengths, then slides the bundle through the tube and tucks it into the cupboard to keep everything neat and tidy.

2. Organize ornaments

A while ago a designer on a TV show recommended using polystyrene cups glued to a board for organizing and protecting holiday ornaments. I was pretty much turned off at the first mention of polystyrene, but the concept must have stuck in my mind because I recently realized TP tubes are the perfect alternative. Simply glue tubes side-by-side to a piece of cardboard pre-cut to fit in a storage box. When the glue is dry, set your new "organizer tray" in the box and your ornaments will stay safe and sound throughout the year. For smaller ornaments or a shallow box, just cut the tubes in half.

3. Gift tube

When you're giving small gifts to friends and family, why not package them in a TP tube? Small baubbles, earrings, little toys and even gift cards or cash are all the perfect size for a tube. To make it special, wrap the tube with a piece of fabric or make it into a memory collage. Added bonus: the tube will help protect the gift.

4. Packing material

When you're sending items by mail or simply packing for a move, nix the packing popcorn and bubble wrap for TP tubes! Just flatten them and then place them around the object you want protected. They'll try to expand back into a tube form which will provide stability for your breakables.

5. Tea Light Organizer

Do you ever get annoyed with bags and oddly shaped packages of tea lights? Then we have an organizing tip for you! Take TP tubes and arrange them in a drawer or storage box, then drop in stacks of tea lights. It's a great way to keep different (natural) scents organized without becoming a slave to awkwardly stacked packaging.

I heart green

The National Heart Centre in Singapore is going green....not yet but soon...they just break ground for their new building and it will adopt various green building features, technologies and innovations to achieve better performance in energy efficiency, water usage, use of recycled and reusable materials, indoor environmental quality and environmental management.

Examples include the passive solar strategy for the institutional front, which reduces heat emission and direct glare and sunlight into the building while introducing diffuse daylight condition and cutting overall energy consumption; and the use of environmental friendly building elements which are energy efficient in fabrication, self-cleansing and long-lasting.

Here's how it will look like.

Homemade toothpaste

I bought a box of baking soda recently because I was keen to use it as a fabric softener but as we still have those traditional non-eco-friendly type around, I was basically keeping it but I was worried that it will dampen and clump together.

So that day, I actually use it to make my own toothpaste or rather tooth powder because I make the dry version rather than the wet version.

It was very simple, I used 1/2 cup of the baking sode and 10 drops of essential oil, I used pure tea tree oil which I happened to have.

I just have to wet my toothbrush and dip into this powder and I can brush my teeth. The thing however is it doesn't produce foam unlike normal toothpaste and there's where you are protecting yourself because sodium lauryel sulfate which can be found in toothpaste, shampoo, etc etc to create a lather can actually cause skin irritation, sores or ulcers.

And the good news is since I have been using it, my teeth has been very clean, it doesn't leave any residue on the surface of my tooth and my tooth is whiter versus me using a whitening toothpaste.

Simple and effective.

Electric cars in Singapore

Boy, am I glad to see this article that states the Energy Market Authority will be working with Land Transport Authority to lead tests and research into the introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) in Singapore from 2010.

May they successfully launched them in Singapore and have a huge and positive response from the public.

Grand Central Terminal

When I was in New York with my parents in Sept 07, I made it a point to walk from the Empire State Building to the Grand Central Terminl because I heard how beautiful it was inside and it really didn't disappoint me.

For those not familiar with Manhattan, let me tell you, we walked from 33rd st all the way to 42nd st and back because we have to come back to the meeting point where our tour bus was waiting. And we were happy we went and also passed by the UN Buidling where we snapped some photos as well because in the end due to an UN meeting, the tour bus did not stop at the UN Building and we merely drove passed the Grand Central Terminal only.

Put it this way, I love Manhattan.

But I digress, what I want to share today is an article about Grand Central Terminal going green.

End of last month, all incandescent bulbs in Grand Central Terminal were replaced with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), by switching the roughly 4000 bulbs in the Terminal, it will save an estimated $200,000 a year. Wow...

Picture from NY Times.