From a potato-based pen to a plan for a carbon-neutral city, the new book "Vitamin Green" (Phaidon Press, $75) looks at 100 innovative projects in sustainable design, both small and large. The featured items were selected by a panel of 75 international curators, designers, architects and writers. There are building projects, including a technology center in Malaysia covered with green walls, which provide insulation and clean the air, and a Los Angeles home made of recycled steel and almost entirely solar powered. And there are products: wine bottles that are 18% lighter than conventional bottles, reducing waste and the environmental impact of transportation; benches built of recycled cardboard; and a Spanish-made wash-basin that reduces water consumption by 50%.
Here are five other designs from the book.
Impossible Wood Chair
The seat is made of 20% polypropylene plastic and 80% wood fiber; the pressure and heat of the molding process releases moisture in the wood, generating the texture (and even the smell) of the material. At the end of the chair's life span, the material can be melted down and remolded.
Biomega RIO Bicycle
This handmade bike uses hollow bamboo segments in the frame. Bamboo, a fast-growing plant, is more sustainable than steel—and, when used correctly, stronger too. One production challenge: Stalks can vary greatly in diameter, so choosing pieces can be difficult.
Flavia Amadeu's Organic Jewelry Collection
To avoid the health consequences of traditional rubber production in the Amazon (a process involving toxic compounds and smoking over an open fire), a professor at the University of Brasilia developed a simpler, safer method. The resulting rubber, Tecbor, went into this colorful and flexible collection.
Wasara Disposable tableware
Designed in Japan, these disposable plates, bowls and cups are made from reed pulp, bamboo and bagasse, an industrial waste byproduct of refined sugar cane. After they are used, they are compostable and biodegradable. The geometry takes into account the Japanese custom of holding dishes while eating.
Embrace Infant Warmer
Hypothermia is a common cause of infant mortality. Neonatal incubators can help, but they're expensive and require a steady supply of electricity, which can be scarce in developing nations. The wrap has an inner pouch that can be warmed by heating pad or hot water, and it keeps a constant temperature up to six hours.