apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We've heard a lot about dumpster pools lately, but what about dumpster gardens? For the urban dweller, this is a great alternative to the rooftop garden. Plus, it's a perfect way to reuse and recycle an abandon container...

• Read the full post at AT:SF

We're big fans of atmospheric lighting (we rely on lamps in our living room and never use the overhead lights). So we're right on board with Daniel Becker's Spark system, a series of energy-efficient LED light bulbs that can be linked together in a variety of ways to form beautiful light sculptures...

Q: I'm planning a big holiday party as my final Green Cure celebration, and I know evites are the most eco-friendly option, but I would really like to send paper invitations in the mail — 100% recycled of course! Can anyone recommend a good online source for cute, affordable recycled paper invitations?

Sent by Laura

We really loved the post Beth wrote over on AT:LA today, and wanted to show it to you all. In honor of Entertaining month on Re-Nest, here's a little inspiration: take cuttings from plants, pine cones and other woodsy finds to make a beautiful tablescape.

If Haiku were a three-dimensional art form, Japanese artist Yuri Fukuda (a.k.a. Emogayu) would be a master of it. A recent exhibit at the Archip Gallery Theater in Brooklyn, New York featured the artist's Volcanoes, a series of hand-crafted earthenware vessels inspired by the natural energy of flowing lava...

• Read the full post at AT:Boston

In order to help urban dwellers grow food inside their apartment all year long, Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray developed Window Farms — vertical, hydroponic, modular, low-energy, high-yield edible window gardens built using low-impact or recycled local materials. Using a drip system made from recycled water bottles that held 25 plants, they were able to grow beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula, basil, lettuce and kale...

We just got a great tip about a new DIY on Instructables. This wood scrap table was made completely of salvaged wood rescued from decaying buildings in and around Hale County, Alabama. It was commissioned by the good folks at PieLab, a pie shop, design center, teaching resource, and business incubator in Greensboro. All told, the project cost less than $100 and, with the help of a few friends, took only a couple weekends' work...

Q: I was interested if you or your readers knew more about food composting. I am always looking for ways to better reuse and recycle but I can't seem to get a straight answer on what can be composted and if there are locations I can drop it off. I don't need it for soil purposes... what can I do?

Sent by Brianne

Buy second hand and keep stuff alive longer! Lots of great furniture finds New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington, D.C. in today's PM Scavenger...

Many of our friends have ditched bottled water and moved over to pitcher filtration or reverse osmosis systems to get their fix of aqua, filling up their oh-so-stylish SIGG or Kleen Kanteen bottles. And now Target-centric brand HoMedics has joined the clean water category with the Restore water purification system, which offers UV tech to zap your tap of any microbes...

• Read the full post at Unplggd

Q: I was hoping your readers might have an idea or two to help me use up a particular type of item I've been accumulating: prescription bottles. I have a chronic illness and have to take lots of medications, but I have read that the plastic the bottles are made from is non-recyclable. So I've been saving them for years! I have literally hundreds of them. I already use them to organize art, craft, office, and garage supplies, but have so many left over and am collecting more all the time. Do you have any ideas?

Sent by Molly

This gorgeous home in Los Angeles was designed by Thomas Robertson of Ripple Design, and it's now for sale! How much, you ask? We're not sure, but we're gonna say...a lot. It does boast a number of green features, though, including solar panels, photovoltaic cells, radiant heat, steel construction, Ipe sustainable wood flooring, High-R insulation, Low-E windows, NanaWall doors and windows, and cast-in-place concrete...

Rooting a plant in water allows you to add more green around the house without buying more plants. Simply take a clipping from an existing plant and place it in water...

• Read the full post at AT:SF

My entryway closet and landing strip

• Cure Clock: 4 weeks to go! Halfway through!
• Assignment: Read Week Four, pp. 129-153
  • Pare down your book and media collection.
  • Declutter your living room.
  • When shopping, focus on quality furniture that will last a long time.
• Members: 1,735

Can you believe we're into Week Four already? I don't know about you, but I feel like these last 3 weeks have flown by. I've been working on my own projects, focused primarily on clearing out my closets. See, we do pretty well keeping our apartment clean and clutter-free on the outside, but the insides —those dark hidden spaces called "closets" that whisper "Psst! You don't know where to put that, so give it to me! I'll keep it secret, keep it safe..."— had developed a life of their own, and it wasn't looking very pretty...