Being a fan of organization, minimalism, and lack of clutter, there is little that bothers me more about modern design than the blandness that is the ubiquitous modern plastic plug/light-switch cover plate. This is why I am so in love with the Bocci 22 utility outlet system. More

Fiber optic lighting is no longer just for lounges in Vegas. As the technology becomes more popular, the prices have gone down and the taste factor has gone up. The new generation of fiber optic design is organically inspired and extremely elegant.

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Whether gathering fall leaves or washing the pup, Tubtrugs offer a fun and flexible option for any number of household chores in a rainbow of candy colors. They're also available in a recycled version, though it makes me wonder why the whole line isn't recycled? More

Question: how many clothes hangers does it take to create carbon reductions equivalent to removing 1.5 million cars from the road? It's something none of us might have pondered had it not been for Nick Lewis, a British inventor and owner of Hanger4Life, whose Adjustable Eco Hangers were applauded by InventorSpot this weekend. The lowdown after the jump. More

FlexiKork, designed by Signature Innovations, is a flat, sound control floor underlayment made from 100% recycled rubber and cork that is used directly under a variety of floor finishes, including solid and engineered hardwood, laminates, ceramic tile, stone, brick, vinyl and carpet. More

Recently you may have noticed a sub-theme for the month, flooring. While there might be a lot of great options out there, you should know that none of them are perfect, and none of them are suitable for everyone, but all of theme are good alternatives to toxic or environmentally detrimental materials. We'll help you navigate the green choices, after the jump. More

TorZo Surface, a division of Oregon-based company Specialty Polymers, manufactures sustainable durable surface products. TorZo's six product lines—Indure, Orient, Seeta, Durum, Tiikeri, and Norfolk Pine— are all made with some combination of recycled, formaldahyde-free material and non-hazardous acrylic polymers. More

UK design group Re-Worked has found another quite unexpected use for coffee grounds: make them into chairs! They've created Çurface, a new material and surfacing product made from recycled coffee grounds and post-consumer plastic waste. The material can be used for a variety of surface applications, but the company has started by making chair backs and seats. They showed off these chairs and a table made with Çurface in March at Ecobuild 2010 in London. More

We recently visited the headquarters of Kansas City local general contractor A.L. Huber. The reason for the visit? To check out all of the new green building elements they recently added to their building - a project they've called Renewable Energy Demonstration Initiative. The image above is our favorite detail: More

If you've ever driven by a residential construction site (or resided in one), chances are you've seen a house covered with Tyvek. As our builders began wrapping the barn’s exterior walls, I began to wonder — what exactly is this Tyvek stuff made of and why is it so commonly used?
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