strange beauty

What happens when sustainability, sake, and cephalopods collide? Ika Tokkuri, or traditional sake bottles, made from squids. YES, SQUIDS. These completely edible vessels are made from sun-dried squid and molded by hand, making them just about the greenest beverage receptacle since your own hands. What's more, the saltiness of the squid skin actually mellows the sake while absorbing some of its flavor, creating a perfect compliment between the drink and its vessel-cum-snack. No food waste, no manufacturing by-products, all sake-squidy goodness.

Already popular in Takahama, Japan, it remains to be seen whether these fishy flagons will catch on stateside. I wouldn't even need to drink from one - I could just look at them hanging on strings all day. They're beautiful!

Image via inhabitat.com

real thick n' juicy.

As a supporter of local businesses as well as a lover of excellent food, I am a crazy fan of the Brooklyn Kitchen Labs, the educational off-shoot of the beloved kitchenware shop, The Brooklyn Kitchen. This 7000sf former warehouse houses two teaching labs; a bulk room of locally-sourced bulk products (duh); brewing and baking supplies, and a full research library of unique and out-of-print cookbooks.

In addition to all this, the Labs are home to The Meat Hook, a full service, custom butcher shop focused on "local, sustainable meat and small-scale farming." Run by Tom Mylan, Brent Young and Benjamin Turley, this neighborhood meatlocker is offering classes and events in conjunction with the Brooklyn Kitchen Labs. They've got a world of awesome lined up for the next few weeks, and I thought I'd help spread the word right here on s+l. You can sign up for any of these meat-fueled events and see their other offerings as well by visiting the Lab's calendar, found here.

*** How better to celebrate small-scale, sustainable meat farming than to learn about its antithesis, the corrupt, corporate mega-meatpackers? Penned by Upton Sinclair, the novel highlighted the necessity of humanity in the workplace (both for the humans and the animals) and is as relevant today as it was when it was published in 1906. Join BK Labs for discussion and a pot-luck on January 28th at 6:30PM.

*** You can buy a bajillion little gadgets to help you in the kitchen, but all you REALLY need is one good knife. Sharpen (!) your skills with Chef Brendan McDermott as he explains the finer points of knife use, care, and safety. This one and a half hour class is available February 1, 17th, and 28th.

*** Take part in a demonstration on how to cut up a half a pig while hitting on your neighbors. It's The Meat Hook's "Date Night" Pig Butchering class, complete with a $20 butcher shop credit AND drinks. Register now - this one will sell out faster than you can say "Baby got fatback."

Click here to download a PDF of The Brooklyn Kitchen's February calendar. Have fun, everybody!

bathroom habits and tempuramobiles

The first month of 2010 is nearly over! How are those New Year's resolutions? Did you resolve to be greener in this new decade (and hopefully for years on)? If you did, you certainly weren't alone - thousands vowed to try living slower, more sustainable lives in the coming year, bettering their health, their minds, and their planet's future.

Whenever thousands of people join together in a movement, however, marketing types take note. A bevy of companies have (for reasons both well-intended and, uh, not) come up with some...interesting products and services aimed at the eco-minded market. Time Magazine recently compiled a list of some of the oddest green ideas out there today, some of which I can see the sense in, others...well, you'll have to see for yourself. Among Time's noted concepts are:

• Wallypop manufactures washable, reusable cloth toilet 'paper', made from a mixture of soft terry and flannel. Though Wallypop insists that the cloths clean perfectly and have no smell, I imagine these will be a tough sell. If you're not convinced, stick with recycled toilet paper, which is made with a minimum of 80% post consumer content and has a yuck factor of 100% less than the Wallypop wipes.
  
  
• Apparently, scientists have devised a way to use human urine to power batteries. I'm always a fan of a theme, and it's interesting to know that, when combined with copper chloride, magnesium and copper, pee can produce as much power as a AA battery. That said, I'm nervous to see what their ad campaign might include.
  
  
• Everyone knows that our dependency on fossil fuels is a problem, but to date no one has come up with a definitive alternative to oil. Perhaps all we need is a fish fry - a car developed in Japan and powered on tempura oil (yes, as in the delicious frying type) finished 68th out of 109 in the 2006 Dakar rally. In a world where we are in quick and desperate need of an oil alternative, trying tempura has certainly got some practical appeal.

How far would you go to get green? Share your ideas and stories in the comments!

Image via Wallypop.net

it's all about compromise.

Oh, Swiffer. Your speed. Your convenience. Your toxic, non-biodegradable throw-away cloths. The controversy over the green/greenwashed nature of the Swiffer (a plastic, non-recyclable mop substitute that uses disposable, chemically treated cloths instead of water) has raged on for years now, with environmentalists and designers firmly planted in their chosen camps. Some argue that the Swiffer saves thousands of gallons of water per year, but others are quick to point out how the one-time-use cloths required for the product's use sit in landfills, leeching their liquidy cleaning chemicals into the soil for ages to come.

If you, like many, are the owner of the conflicted Swiffer, here's a clever compromise offered up by Berlin Smith's delightful blog, Berlin's Whimsy: a washable, reusable, and totally eco-friendly Swiffer cover! A cinch to make, this DIY cover is a great alternative to using up many disposable cloths while still conserving water. Check out Berlin's patterns and all her other great ideas here!

Do you have any handy alternative solutions to simple eco-conflicts? If so, let the world know! Leave a comment and spread the news - the world would love to know.

Image via Berlin's Whimsy.

dr. martin luther king, jr.

“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

A reminder that we all must do our part to make this world a better place, today and every day.