one last thing
114 CHATELAINE • APRIL/MAY 1019
ARE YOU READY to ascend to a higher plane of eco-
consciousness? These latest products from the forefront
of green technology are guaranteed to revolutionize
your day-to-day living and make you the envy of every
neighbour dragging their lowly blue bin to the curb
(ugh, how ’80s).(^) PLANT-BASED TANDEM BIKE, $6,000 Made from dehy-
drated vegetable matter that’s been thoughtfully
sculpted into a sort of vaguely bike-like situation, this
astonishing breakthrough in green transportation is
100 percent ecological. If you ride it in any kind of rain,
wind or heat, the bike will instantaneously decompose
into a heap of mulch. What a perfect place to plant a
sapling that will grow into a new bike!
(^) SOLAR PANEL PANTS, $200 Your $20 jeans might feel like
a steal, but cheap clothing is often unethically made
and designed to fall apart, creating an endless cycle of
waste. Take a brighter stance with solar panel pants.
Best of all? This is the last pair of pants you’ll ever need
to buy—once they’re assembled, you’ll never be able to
take them off.
(^) BIODEGRADABLE BIODEGRADABLES BIN, $75 While pro-
gressive in some ways, the standard kitchen organics
bin is still often made of plastic. For this daring upgrade,
designers toyed with various materials—felt, hemp, lus-
cious satin—before hitting on the perfect material:
tightly compressed compost. Thanks to the bin’s very
distinct smell, families are spending more quality time
together outside the kitchen. Astonishing how many
miracles can come from one small change, isn’t it?
(^) GLASS SHOPPING BAGS, $650 While canvas is an
improvement over plastic, we still frequently need to
replace lost bags or forget to bring them to the store.
But once you’ve splurged on an artisanal hand-blown
glass tote, you won’t ever forget that thing anywhere.
CLOTH CREDIT CARD BILLS, $25 PER MONTH Say goodbye
to the stacks of paper endlessly piling up on every con-
ceivable surface of your home, and make the conscien-
tious choice to sign up for cloth credit card bills.
Each month, you’ll receive your statement in the
ma il, printed in washable plant-based ink on a quar-
ter-yard of organic cotton. Once you’ve paid it off, sim-
ply hand-wash the bill—ideally in a basin of collected
rainwater—and mail it back to your bank so they can
reuse it next month.
SHOWERSTALLED™, $325 We could all stand to be more
mindful about our water consumption, and thankfully,
ShowerStalled™ is here to help. This metal shower
attachment clips easily onto your faucet, blocking most
of the shower head and releasing a single drop of water
every 10 seconds. Now you can use the 45 minutes it
takes to rinse out your conditioner as a morning medi-
tation ritual! Blessings are hiding everywhere if you
know where to look. —Sophie Kohn
Hot, new environmentally friendly products
from the Eco Chamber
HUMOUR
Illustration by LEEANDRA CIANCI