Karma, Baby!

Alfredo Moser’s invention is lighting up the world. In 2002, the Brazilian mechanic had a light-bulb moment and came up with a way of illuminating his house during the day without electricity - using nothing more than plastic bottles filled with water and a tiny bit of bleach.

In the last two years his innovation has spread throughout the world. It is expected to be in one million homes by early next year.

So how does it work? Simple refraction of sunlight, explains Moser, as he fills an empty two-litre plastic bottle.

“Add two capfuls of bleach to protect the water so it doesn’t turn green [with algae]. The cleaner the bottle, the better,” he adds.

More: Alfredo Moser: Bottle light inventor proud to be poor - BBC News

Original Unverpackt (Originally Unpackaged) is a Berlin based supermarket which demonstrates one very simple way we can cut down on the amount of waste we produce in our day to day lives. By buying the product minus the packaging.

Shoppers bring their own containers to the store and can then help themselves to anything from muesli, rice and pasta to toiletries. Even packageless vodka is on offer. There’s a large demijohn from which customers can buy a few shots, or more.

A video & more, here: Original Unverpackt: Zero Waste | Crane.tv Contemporary Culture Video Magazine

CARROT

The City is Open Source, Minden, NRW, Germany

Emotional scenes and unprecedented solidarity in Munich, Germany. Authorities and civil society working hand in hand, to support 20,0000 arrivals to Munich alone last weekend. This is the welcome refugees deserve.

Chip G writes:

I went to Chicken Scratch restaurant yesterday in Dallas/Oak Cliff, and noticed a number of reused things, especially in their “backyard” dining area. Their stage is made entirely of used shipping pallets. Most of the backyard is picnic tables, but containers cut open on one side provide some covered dining areas, plus they act as the outside wall of the yard.

Oh, the food is really good too.

I believe this is the restaurant’s site, for those of you in the area. Thanks for the submission, Chip!

Ugly produce is having a moment. After decades of going straight to landfills and compost heaps, three-legged carrots and bulbous tomatoes are starting to make it onto shelves at a few pioneering grocery stores.

For stores that aren’t quite ready to put weird-looking produce on display, a new brand in the Netherlands is selling the vegetables in a different form. Kromkrommer—a play on the Dutch words for cucumber and crooked—blends imperfect potatoes and beets into soup and packages them up with cute cartoon versions of the misshapen veggies.

More: How To End Food Waste, One Ugly Vegetable At A Time | Co.Exist | ideas + impact

Rainworks: Rain-Activated Art