DIY restoration of abandoned 18th century home in Barcelona by Kirsten Dirksen on April 22, 2013 When Michele first entered his newly-rented apartment in Barcelona, it had been abandoned for 35 years so looked nothing like …
Brazilian slow shoes: handmade, hand-dyed, reused-tire soles by Kirsten Dirksen on November 29, 2012 Juliano Lima believed in the skills of his countrymen, but he knew that few Brazilian crafters had the resources to …
Building with straw bale, recycled bottles & urbanite by Kirsten Dirksen on August 7, 2009 Straw + clay + water = cob, an old construction technique that can be used for walls, benches and entire …
ReBags: reusable bags from old paper and used bottles by Kirsten Dirksen on June 18, 2009 Re-Bag makes bags to replace the ordinary plastic or paper bag, but not only are their carriers reusable, they are …
El Naturalista: a recycle-it-yourself (RIY) shoe by Kirsten Dirksen on June 2, 2009 The two Spanish families that started El Naturalista had three lofty goals for their footwear: comfort and style with minimal …
Air trees: the Madrid experiment by Kirsten Dirksen on June 1, 2009 When the city of Madrid (Spain) sponsored a contest calling for ideas to climatically transform a neighborhood- to battle the …
Building a greenhouse with reused doors, windows & concrete by Kirsten Dirksen on May 30, 2009 Using reclaimed materials, like old doors and windows and broken concrete, the hands-on folk at the Solar Living Institute built …
Redesigned clothing: just reshoe it! by Kirsten Dirksen on May 30, 2009 The footwear industry isn’t known for its sustainable business practices. But that may be starting to change. Whether you think …
Redesigned clothing: discarded dryer sheets as evening wear by Kirsten Dirksen on May 30, 2009 Every day, the average American generates about 4.4 pounds of trash. From the morning’s coffee cup to the evening’s take-out …
U Roads: 15 years of recycled soles by Kirsten Dirksen on May 30, 2009 It takes about 22 gallons of oil to make a truck tire. Worldwide, one billion car tires are discarded every year (though …