We’re delighted to introduce ‘Bag of the Year’ by Clean Planet .
This is a super cool , functional , stylish , eco bag that helps you organize in style . The 2011 calendar is printed on both the outer faces of the bag. Hang it at home to plan your year . Store all incoming mail in it so that you never miss any mail. The stylish calendar doubles up as wall art that adds a dash of joy to any space. Carry the bag around when going shopping.
At the end of the year how do you part with a bag you’ve grown to love ? You don’t !
Reverse the bag and use for years !:) There’s a cool message on the inside of the bag that inspires joy and reflection.
Truly ‘BAG OF THE YEAR‘.
p.s – the pic above shows the 2 outer sides and 1 inner side of the same bag !:)
Interested to buy the ‘Bag of the Year’ ? Email us at bagoftheyear@cleanplanet.in
Most of us possibly don’t have even a passing thought about bees . Much less ponder on the connection between human beings and bees. Yet , there is a connection . Bees don’t just make honey, they are a giant, humble workforce, pollinating 90% of the plants we grow.
Bees are vital to life on earth — every year pollinating plants and crops with an estimated $40bn value, over one third of the food supply in many countries. Without immediate action to save bees we could end up with serious disruption in food supply.
This is just the impact on human lives . There is a wider role that pollinating bees play in nature which possibly is not understood completely.
Recent years have seen a steep and disturbing global decline in bee populations — some bee species are now extinct and others are at just 4% of their previous numbers. Scientists have been scrambling for answers. Some studies claim the decline may be due to a combination of factors including disease, habitat loss and toxic chemicals. But new leading independent research has produced strong evidence blaming neonicotinoid pesticides. France, Italy, Slovenia and even Germany, where the main manufacturer Bayer is based, have banned one of these bee killers.
A world without bees is not necessarily a world that is completely devoid of life. Much of human existence is presently dependent on honey bees because they are currently the main pollinators. However, penguins and fish don’t need bees to sustain their diet. The human race is not likely to become extinct as a result of the bees becoming extinct. Instead, there would be massive deaths until the humans can evolve to eat foods that bees do not pollinate. Food production would decline as a result of the bees’ extinction but would never disappear entirely. Some type/quantity of crops can still be grown without the intervention of bees. The labor-intensive hand pollinating process would raise the price of food.
Life on Earth would survive without bees, but it would be a much different Earth. Most plants depend on insects like bees to pollinate them. Unless some other animal inserted themselves into that biological niche, most of our plants would disappear along with the bees. One source of photosynthesis that is independent of insects is in our water supply. Algae has a tremendous influence on the world’s oxygen production, so oxygen would not disappear. Because many trees and flowering plants depend on bees for their reproductive cycle, they would be highly stressed.
Avaaz is campaigning for a ban of neonicotinoid pesticides to stop the decline of bees . Pl click here to support the campaign.
So far we’ve read about the Pacific Garbage patch . Now enormous amount of plastic has been found in the Mediterranean sea.
We’ve long suspected that the reason for plastic debris in sea not being widely reported elsewhere (other than the Pacific ) is not due to the absence of plastic but due to it not being tested.
The planet is meant to be a nurturing space for life forms. Not a dump yard for non bio-degradable / toxic / life threatening junk.
2010 was an amazing year for all of us at Clean Planet . We’re delighted , honored and inspired by the growing Clean Planet community across the world. Thank you for your love and support .
Each of our totes would like to convey their unique wishes for the New Year Ahead.
Bag loads of love,
Team Clean Planet
Once there was a king who received a gift of two magnificent falcons from Arabia. They were peregrine falcons, the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. He gave the precious birds to his head falconer to be trained.
Months passed and one day the head falconer informed the king that though one of the falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the sky,the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it had arrived.
The king summoned healers and sorcerers from all the land to tend to the falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. He presented the task to the member of his court, but the next day, the king saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its perch. Having tried everything else, the king thought to himself, “May be I need someone more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature of this problem.” So he cried out to his court, “Go and get a farmer.”
In the morning, the king was thrilled to see the falcon soaring high above the palace gardens.He said to his court, “Bring me the doer of this miracle”
The court quickly located the farmer, who came and stood before the king.
The king asked him, “How did you make the falcon fly?”
With his head bowed, the farmer said to the king, ” It was very easy, your highness. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting.”
We are all made to fly — to realize our incredible potential as human beings. But instead of doing that, we sit on our branches, clinging to the things that are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless, but for most of us, they remain undiscovered. We conform to the familiar, the comfortable, the mundane.
So for the most part, our lives are mediocre instead of exciting, thrilling and fulfilling.
So let us learn to destroy the branch of fear we cling to and free ourselves to the glory of flight.
From the Book “Why walk when you can fly”
There is no doubt that single use , disposable plastic products need to be done away with. Replaced instead with reusable , biodegradable materials . In daily life products like plastic bags , cups , cutlery can and should be replaced.
Businesses can also do their bit to reduce consumption of single use disposable plastic . Most exhibitions hand out plastic badges with some printed material. Most cases the visitor’s name and company details are printed on the paper. The function can still be served by paper and the cord/tape . Why is a plastic cover needed ?
We suspect that one reason why this has not received much attention is that the product is low cost . It does not pinch the exhibiton organizer’s wallet to buy plastic badges. Plus , it’s not a daily use item for most people . One may visit 4-5 such events in a year.
Yet , given the number of exhibitions held across the world – doing away with plastic badges would make a definite and substantial reduction in the plastic that ends up in land-fills every year.
Do write in to share your views and ideas on how this can be re-designed for a less waste + better design /more sustainable world.
This morning I pulled out a 4 year old black knit top..smiling at the memories of various occasions when I had worn it. It still looks new. Had a stray thought if it looks out of style. A concern put to rest by a young designer who has recently joined our team. She spontaneously said she loved it.
Set me thinking about vintage clothing. In a world of fast fashion a 4 year old garment possibly qualifies as vintage !:) There is an undeniable joy in wearing something over years . Each memory associated with it makes it increasingly special.
There is a definite merit in buying fewer , high quality items. Makes for more joyous wearing and definitely a more sustainable world.
Our hope for Clean Planet totes is that they stay on for years with the wearers . Circa winter 2020 – many wonderful folks across the planet dive into their wardrobe and pull out their warm totes (bought in 2010) to be their eco-companion for the season.
Amen !
The cafe’s frame measures 30 feet high and features an opening at the very top of the dome that allows daylight to stream inside. Like many other Vietnamese structures, it is covered in a local bush plant, which evokes an African-esque aesthetic. And contrary to what you might think about building with natural, local materials, the end result is not “homemade” looking at all and is actually rather streamlined and majestic.
This is a trail blazer in several ways-
- It’s possible to design large structures with natural , renewable , biodegradable materials
- It is possible to design something this huge without a nail
- The structure built can look awesome and inspiring
- The wisdom of a culture can find new and beautiful expression while creating a sustainable world
Each industry is plagued with self and world limiting beliefs . Creations such as these jolt , delight , inspire us to look afresh and create anew.
