Last week was the start of West Coast Green, a yearly conference on green building design and construction. There were lots of big names there like David Suzuki, Sarah Susanka, and Al Gore. Perhaps one of the most significant things to happen this year was the showing of the SG Blocks container house. Constructed of used Shipping containers, the house was erected on sight in just four hours and 47 minutes. In following with the theme of the conference, the home was thoroughly green throughout with FSC certified woods, solar panels etc. Besides the amazing rate at which the home was built, I was amazed at the stated per square foot price of $150, which includes “all the bells and whistles”. If that number is true, then this shipping container home is truly an amazing combination of aesthetics and affordability. I would love to see if the interior is as well designed as the exterior.

Via Inhabitat

SG Blocks website

Designed by the Lawrence Group

Roscoe Jackson may be a new kid on the block, but they have some of the best looking sustainable furniture I have seen in a long time. The new Possum furniture collection is made of 100% HDPE (from milk jugs and such) and stainless steel fasteners. This results in a chair that is both sturdy and suitable for indoor or outdoor use. The design reminds me of Bludot’s Barabarella line of furniture, which is a good thing. While the Possum furniture may not be as cheap as a Ikea plastic chair you at least get the satisfaction of knowing that you money is supporting both an environmental cause, as well as a great startup design firm.

Available from RoscoeJackson.com or Sprout home from $198 - $285.

Who says a plastic cup can’t look good. Though these B1 cups might have a grown up modern look, the sturdy plastic makes them a great option for kids. Each cup is made of a white hard plastic exterior and a softer brightly colored interior. They are available in blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, and each cup stands 4″ tall and 3″ wide. Just to make things a little easier they are microwave and dishwasher safe. They are $7 each, which is quite a bit more than my plastic Ikea tumblers, but then again, they do look quite a bit better! Plates and bowls are available as well.

Available from Rose and Radish for $7.

Boon is one of my favorite kids accessory companies. Not only do they make stylish and well thought out products, their price points tend to be quite competitive. That’s why I was excited to see that they have lots of new products coming out soon. Everything from jewelry and clothes to feeding accessories. Shown above is “Fluid” their no spill Toddler cup. I love it’s two handed design and simple organic lines. No idea on pricing yet, but it’s due to come out in October, so we should know soon. Stop by their website and check out their clothes line too. They have some really great stuff.

A couple of weeks ago I was at the outdoor retailer show looking for cool new product designs. One of the products that I came across while I was there was a Stanley 16 oz vacuum drink bottle. They were kind enough to let me take one home for product testing, and I have to say I have been loving the design. It has a very convenient twist open top that you drink from. My favorite feature though is that all the pieces of the top actually come apart for cleaning. With my other pop top thermos I felt like I could never get that stuff as clean as I wanted to. Personally I that think it looks pretty good in matt green and orange.

Available from Stanley for $30.

Everyone remembers dixie cups, those cheap thin plastic cups that we would whip out for picnics and parties. My grandpa used to have a little dixie cup dispenser in his bathroom for getting a drink. These Beaker Juice Glasses from CB2 have all the retro style of dixie cups, but they are made of heat-tempered, chem lab beaker glass, so they will hold up to the continuous use and abuse that would make a plastic dixie cup shudder in fear.

Available from CB2 for $1.95

We use a lot of olive oil around our house for cooking. It didn’t take us long to decide that we needed a smaller container than the gallon jug of oil that we have laying around. We ended up getting a cheap inexpensive oil pourer from Ikea. While it does it’s job well, it is not nearly as attractive as these oil or vinegar pourers from Ichendorf. These beautiful italian carafes are hand blown and available in different shapes and sizes.

Available from Unica Home from $18-$22

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The other day I was at the farmers market, and I was dying for something to drink, so I wandered over to Tony Caputo’s looking for a something not sweet and refreshing. I came across the Voss water, and as always was entranced by the beautiful glass bottles that they come in. So I finally pulled the trigger, and bought a 4 dollar bottle of water. I justified it in my mind by telling myself that I wasn’t really buying a 4 dollar bottle of water, but I was buying a 4 dollar modern glass jar, that just happened to be filled with water. Lets be honest, thats the real reason I was buying it. So, how was it? Pretty much tasted like water to me, maybe next time I will have to try the sparkling kind. On the good side, the bottle really was quite nice, and I am sure I will find many uses for it in the future.

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Sigg has been making water bottles since 1908, so I figure they have had some time to perfect things. The fact that they use epoxy coated aluminum bottles has recently caught a lot of attention since some studies have show that plastic Nalgene bottles can leach harmful chemicals. That means the Sigg bottles are safer to drink out of. Personally I can tell a difference in the taste too, especially after having orange juice in the Sigg for the day, when you wash it out the water tastes like water, not orange water. Perhaps what I like the best about Sigg is their good eye for design. The two bottles shown above are my wife’s and mine. The blue (mine) is a soft touch baby blue, which has a nice powder coated type of paint job. Matte and sexy. My wife has the nice orange graphic print on hers. Both have a nice active bottle top, which means the water only comes out when you need it. No hands needed.

Sigg also has some really nice small insulated mugs, which I haven’t been able to get my hands on yet, but if I do, I’ll be sure to do a write up on them. They are really beautiful.

Check the Sigg home page on sources where to buy.

If you haven’t been able to answer the age old question of whether the glass is half empty or half full, maybe these “Revolution” Wine/Water Glasses are for you. Depending on which side you choose to be up you either get a 8 oz or a 5 oz drinking glass. I can’t help but think that they would make a great vase as well. Designed by Felicia Ferrone, these Italian made glasses are sure to be great conversational pieces at your next party. The price is a little steep at $40 for a set of two, but if you think about it, it’s almost like getting four glasses right?

Available from Fly-Bird.net for $40