XYZ Workshop Corn Plastic Robbie Robot Planter

The kids love these machines, seeing doodles come to life.  Courtesy: XYZWorkshop.com

Ohhhhhhhhhh look, a plastic fantastic machine --- well, not exactly.  In a nutshell these fabulous little machines print scribbles and doodles in 3-D, making them into the next best plastic made of corn. Yes ,we said a non toxic plastic ! How wonderful!

Robbie the Robot is fantasy turned reality, and is available on Etsy for $35

The Dinosaur is printed from Corn Plastic and is so super cool!

All of this is made available by XYZ Workshop! XYZ Workshop was formed in early 2013, by Australian Architects, Elena Low and Kae Woei Lim. This husband and wife team were intrigued by desktop manufacturing and spent their time out of their architectural work tinkering around with their kit assembled 3D printer from Ultimaker. Much like Architecture, they were drawn into the potential of 3d Printing as it fused aspects of Art, Sculpture and Technology.

Will this be the next plastic fantastic thing, collectible 50 years form now? Or will all that corn simply compost back into the ground? Guess we shall see..........

Check them out: 
XYZWorkshop.com
XYZWorkshop on Etsy

Eco Friendly Plastic Bags Reduce Carbon Footprints

The plastics I write about here on Melmac Central are all vintage plastics. The reason I write about them is to increase awareness in the beauty of vintage plastics. If you love them as much as I do, you can find a place for them in your home and maybe not throw them into a landfill.   I give tips on how to clean up old melmac dishes and melamine dinnerware, so they will be useful and collectible in your home.  Truth is, I'm very much a recycle freak and into the environment.

Today I was thinking, if we look at our life and the amount of plastics in it today, how can we reduce the plastics we  50 years from now so our kids and grandkids aren't writing a blog like mine wearing hazmat suits and hating us?

Simple! Check out these cool green tips and alternatives I found.   (I plan to add more reviews when I find them, and start a whole section on Plastic Footprint Reduction. )


Plastic Shopping and Food Bags- Everything from bread bags to clothing shop bags, these retail bags use an additive to shorten their lifespan and break them down within 3 years or less in landfills.   See writeup on the biodegradable bags here, or visit the biodegradable packaging company for  website.

You can make a few changes in your life:

Dog Poop Bags - I have three dogs and know how I try to be a responsible pet owner when we take walks and pick up their poo, but always feel guilty using a regular plastic bag.  I have to admit there have been more times than one I tugged on the little guy's neck to poop in my own yard because I didn't want to have to use a plastic bag.  Do a search at the above manufacturer's website as they offer compostible dog poop bags.  Now I can feel better by using dog poop bags that compost down into nothingness! They are made of corn and for only a few cents each. What's not to love?  You can find them by searching keywords:

Bottles, Drinkware, Etc
EnviroBottles Promotional Products - This company offers products that are tailored to reduce the carbon footprint when you are buying promotional products for your small business or large company. A refillable steel water bottle sure beats a plastic giveaway. Plastic style pens made of recycled paper are an eco friendly office premium.  A tote made of recycled plastics to carry groceries in sure beats using cheapie store plastic bags (happy to say plastic bags are getting banned in some states.)  See a review here and visit the company website at EnviroBottles Promotional Items.

just a few changes in our lives today
can help the world of tomorrow

THINGS TO GET RID OF:
STRAWS
CUP LIDS

use a reusable bottle and get rid of straws , they take forever to break down into the earth!