The United States recycles only 27% of its plastic bottle waste – fortunately, Axion International is working on raising that number by developing building materials made from 100% recycled content, most of which comes from plastic bottles. Axion’s materials are created without the use of additional chemicals, and they’re so strong they can be used for heavy load bridges, railroad ties, I-beams, and pilings. A bridge made completely of Axion’s materials is even being built right now in York, Maine – read on for a closer look!

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Post tags: axion internationa, composite wood alternative, eco friendly building material, environmentally friendly building material, green bridges, Green Building, green building material, green construction, green railroads, green transportation, rail road ties, recycle plastic bottles, recycled alternative, recycled plastic bottles, wood alternative

The small city of Kaunas, Lithuania has been treated to a gorgeous green Xmas tree made from 40,000 recycled plastic bottles for Christmas this year. The city commissioned artist Jolanta Šmidtienė to create a glowing installation to be placed in front of the city hall. Made almost entirely from plastic bottles and zip ties, the ight-up tree is both festive and eco-friendly!

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Post tags: eco christmas, eco design, Green Christmas Tree, green design, Jolanta Šmidtienė, Kaunas Lithuania, Plastic bottle tree, recycled christmas tree, recycled plastic bottles, sustainable design

If you’re anything like us, you probably love the rockstar vibe of a leather jacket or the chic style of a great pair of leather heels, but feel guilty about the animal cruelty behind the look.  We’ve searched far and wide and found some great guilt-free, alterna-options for the cowhide basics.  Click ahead and check out some of the great options out there for the animal-loving fashionista!

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Post tags: barkcloth, Beyond Skin, Brentano, Cliff, cork, faux leather, Olsenhaus, paper clothing, paper dresses, paper fashion, Paper No. 9, polished cotton, recycled plastic bottles, recycled TVs, Refinity, Urban Junket, vegan clothing, vegan fashion, vegan leather, Vegan style

Researchers in Japan have developed a method for making radiation detection devices out of recycled PET bottles that cuts costs by 90% over currently used devices. The resource reusing, life-saving gadget was developed at Kyoto University by Hidehito Nakamura and his team and uses “Scintirex,” a plastic resin that glows when in contact with dangerous levels of radiation. The demand for radiation devices in Japan is high after the March 11th earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster. The team hopes to have a final product by the end of September.

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Post tags: cheap radiation detector, inexpensive radiation detector, japan radiation, pet bottles, plastic water bottles, radiation detector, recycled bottles, recycled PET, Recycled Plastic, recycled plastic bottles, recycled plastic water bottles

If climate change is to be prevented and environmental consciousness is to prevail, then our children must be well educated in sustainability-focused initiatives. With that in mind, the school children at Mill Lane School in Chinnor, Oxfordshire collected 1,500 plastic bottles over the past 18 months in order to construct a greenhouse.

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Post tags: greenhouse tomatoes, mill lane school, mill lane school chinnor, mill lane school greenhouse, plastic bottle greenhouse, plastic greenhouse, recycled plastic bottles, uses for recycled plastic bottles

Believe it or not, this amazing dress is comprised of over 2,000 bottles, 6,000 caps, and 13,000 tags! The stunning creation, designed by Michelle Brand, was debuted at the largest inner-city mall in Britain as a reminder to all shoppers to ditch their plastic bags and start using reusable canvas totes instead. Check out the full story over on Ecouterre.

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Post tags: britain, eco-fashion, eco-friendly wedding dresses, eco-friendly wedding gowns, Ethical Fashion, green fashion, recycled plastic bottles, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable wedding dresses, sustainable wedding gowns, U.K.

This dynamically structured chandelier designed by Sarah Turner is made from the bottoms of 310 plastic bottles collected from coffee shops and homes. Nicknamed “Ella” for its early resemblance to an umbrella, the lamp measures over a meter wide. Its dramatic dome and multifaceted surface adds loads of texture to any space, and the carefully placed bottles create playful shadows within the stunning chandelier itself. To make the Ella, each bottle was cut, cleaned, and then sand blasted to give them the frosted white appearance before being meticulously put together by hand. The cool temperature, low-energy bulbs inside allow for the chandelier to maintain its shape without melting or deforming. A finalist in our Bright Ideas Design Competition, if the Ella catches your eye, show it some love by voting for it here!

VOTE FOR THE ELLA LAMP HERE >

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Post tags: diy lighting, eco friendly lighting solution, eco-friendly lighting, ella by sarah turner, ella light fixture, plastic bottle dome light, plastic bottle fixture, plastic bottle lamp, plastic bottle light, recycled plastic bottles, reused material light, reused plastic bottle light, sarah turner, upcycled plastic bottle, upcycled plastic bottle lamp

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Post tags: "green furniture", "sustainable furniture", eco light installation, green lamps, LED art, LED installations, LED lamps, plastic bottle lamps, Plastic Vortex, recycled plasti bottle lamp, recycled plastic bottles, sarah turner, sustainable lamps, Twitter Ball

As summer heats up, we’re looking forward to bikini and pina colada time by the pool. If you’re looking for stylish items to help keep you cool that won’t break the bank or your eco-conscience, here are a few that we can recommend…

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Post tags: alternative to takeout containers, eco jewelry, eco to go, eco-friendly fourth of july, green bbq, green independence day, green party, green sandals, green style guide, kumvana gomani, meflex, melissa sandals, melissa summer loving, recycled jewelry, recycled plastic bottles, save plastic containers, save waste, summer shop picks, sustainable sandals, sustainable style, takeout container waste

When you want to beat the summer heat, there’s nothing more satisfying than the sensation of frosty ice against your skin. Since wearing ice cubes isn’t the most practical idea, you might want to try the next best thing – Sweden-based jewelry artist Kumvana Gomani‘s sparkly, refreshing jewelry made of filigreed shards of plastic she reclaimed from old water bottles and ice cream cartons! Just like snowflakes, no two are alike.

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Post tags: eco jewelry, green jewelry, kumvana gomani, recycled ice cream containers, recycled jewelry, recycled plastic bottles