Rain ponchos can hardly be considered a fashion staple. After being worn once, or maybe twice, they often wind up in the trash. Taking a stand for sustainability, a Japanese microbiologist developed the ingenious SpudCoat, a rain coat that can be planted to grow either tomatoes or cucumbers. The raincoat is made entirely of bioplastic derived from potato starch and other natural resources, so it is a 100% biodegradable and compostable product. Each rain coat has a small clay ball with seeds integrated into its fabric, which sprouts into a delicious veggie garden once the coat breaks down.

+ SpudCoat

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Post tags: biodegradable ponchos, bioplastic, compostable clothing, eco clothing, eco rain coat, eco-fashion, green ponchos, Rain ponchos, SpudCoat

From plastic concrete to elastic water, types of eco-friendly plastics are versatile and varied, allowing for a wide application of greener materials. Now we can add self-healing plastic to the list thanks to two different research centers. A team at Iowa State University is developing a bioplastic that can repair itself, while a group at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany drew inspiration from the rubber tree to create a similar type of material. Both plastics would be able to naturally repair tiny surface cracks before they grew into larger, permanent fissures.

Read the rest of Scientists Developing Self-Healing Plastics Inspired by Rubber Tree Plants

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Post tags: bioplastic, bioplastics, eco friendly plastic, Fraunhofer Institute, green materials, green plastic, green technology, iowa state university, plastic development, plastic tree, plastics technology, self-healing elastomers, Self-Healing Plastic, Sustainable Materials, sustainable plastic

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has just announced a breakthrough discovery in the world of biofuels. Led by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the research team headed up by the Department’s BioEnergy Science Center has developed a cost effective method for converting woody plants straight into isobutanol, which can be used in conventional car engines like gasoline. The new discovery will not only provide a feasible and important alternative to oil, but have potential to create a considerable amount of new jobs in rural parts of the country.

Read the rest of U.S. Department of Energy Announces New Biofuel for the Replacement of Gasoline

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Post tags: bio fuel, bioplastic, Clostridium celluloyticum, Department BioEnergy Science Center, DOE, eco gas, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, green fuel, green gas, isobutanol, us department of energy

Peak oil signifies disaster for plastics producers — ethene, one of the raw materials used to make plastics, relies on abundant supplies of oil for production. But Dutch researcher Tymen Tiemersma thinks he has a solution: a reactor that can produce ethene from natural gas.

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Post tags: biomass, bioplastic, eco design, green design, natural gas, plastic, plat waste

The Reclaim – Samsung and service partner Sprint’s newest green phone – has innovative features that go beyond the bare bones that similar products like Motorola’s W233 Renew phone offers. This eco-conscious smart-phone is 80 percent recyclable and made mostly of corn-based bio-plastics, but that’s not all this compact phone has up its green sleeves.

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Post tags: bioplastic, Cooper Hewitt, corn-based bio-plastics, eco cell phone, eco-phone, green cell phone, green gadget, green phone, phone packaging, reclaim, recyclable cell phone, recyclable materials, samsung, samsung reclaim, smartphone, soy ink, sprint

If we told you that the formula race car of the future is powered by chocolate, features a body made from potatoes, and a steering wheel made from carrots, you might say we’ve been reading too many children’s books. However just such a vehicle exists, and it’s capable of carving through corners at 125mph while actually cleaning the air! The WorldFirst F3 race car is the brainchild of the Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre and features a bevy of green features that are set to shape the future of motor sport racing.

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Post tags: bioplastic, car made out of vegetables, chocolate powered vehicle, energy efficient transportation, f1 sustainable vehicle, formula 1 racing, green car formula one racing, green design, sustainable transportation, World First F3 racing car

Bioplastics are becoming a burgeoning industry as the cost of oil climbs and the disastrous nature of petroleum-based plastics is revealed in full effect. This past Monday Metabolix announced an incredible development: they have found a way to generate “significant amounts” of ecologically-sound bioplastic by growing it in directly in switchgrass. The fast-growing perennial plant is paving the way for a sustainable source of Mirel, the company’s biodegradable brand of bioplastic.


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Post tags: biomass energy, bioplastic, genetic engineering, metabolix, metabolix bioplastic, muriel, petroleum-free, switchgrass, switchgrass bioplastic

The most earthly looking eco-burial container that we’ve found is the Capsula Mundi, created by a pair of Italian designers who wanted to remove the taboo from the burial process and give it a new conception.

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