We've written about a few different recycling efforts to counter the forces of "fast fashion" and give used clothes another life. Welsh clothing brand Howies, however, is taking a different approach to the discarded-clothes problem by designing items to do a better job of withstanding the ravages of time in the first place.

Howies' Hand-Me-Down line includes jackets and bags that have been designed specifically to last for 10 or more years. To achieve that durability, the company crafts its products painstakingly, and using very high-quality components. Its GBP 400 jackets, for instance, are made from organic tweed and organic ventile—an extremely tightly woven cotton fabric that's inherently water-resistant and uses 30 percent more yarn than conventional fabrics. With 24,000 strands of cotton, it takes 16 hours just to prepare the machine that will weave the fabric, the Hand-Me-Down site says. The company's line of bags, meanwhile, includes a GBP 195 backpack, a GBP 185 messenger bag and a GBP 125 satchel crafted from heavy waxed canvas, die-cut leather, and rust-proof aluminium zips and hardware.

Of course, whether consumers actually *want* to use the same jackets and bags for 10 years or more remains to be seen. Nevertheless, it's a compelling twist on sustainability, and Howies' emphasis on product stories and the unique features of its Hand-Me-Down products only add to their (still) made here appeal. One to watch, learn from and maybe even emulate—elsewhere in the fashion world or beyond...?

Website: hmd.howies.co.uk
Contact: info@howies.co.uk

Spotted by: Danielle Bellomo via PSFK

Realising that green concerns are here to stay, British media agency Curb offers nothing but low-impact advertising. Its clean advertising service (similar to Street Advertising Services and GreenGraffiti, which we featured earlier) uses rainwater to clean logos into grubby pavements, and has been joined by a four other services that are both novel and easy on the environment.

Curb creates sand sculptures of all sizes; burns patterns and logos into wood using magnifying glasses; and offers a ‘logrow’ service to cut logos as big as 30m wide into turf. Although each service is handcrafted, the agency is adamant that images are produced exactly as created digitally. Last but not least, graphics can be projected on falling sheets of water to create a memorable display. Household names have already used Curb’s services: Adidas was immortalised in grass, Volkswagen commissioned a sand sculpture and Barack Obama’s face was etched into wood.

We’re happy to see that ‘cleanvertising’ has been expanded into an entire portfolio of green(er) advertising options. Curb claim to be the world’s first and only media agency to be doing this exclusively. Which indicates that there’s space for others in different regions. Start blasting, sculpting, cutting and burning!

Website: www.mindthecurb.com
Contact: info@mindthecurb.com

Spotted by: Paul Tsannos

When we wrote last year about the FirstLook mapping tool for new-energy entrepreneurs, it covered only the United States. Just the other day, however, the maker of the tool announced that its wind-mapping service has expanded to cover the whole world.

FirstLook now provides free access to average wind speed ranges anywhere in the world through a dynamic 5 km resolution map. Once they have zeroed in on a promising location, renewable-energy entrepreneurs can augment that initial wind assessment by purchasing a detailed report from 3TIER, the Seattle-based company behind the service. Such reports provide a more in-depth estimate of wind resources at a specific location, including average annual, monthly and hourly wind speeds and daily wind speed patterns. FirstLook Assessment Reports are currently available only for the United States, Canada and Mexico, but reports for additional regions will be made available throughout the year.

Alternative energy really is the modern-day equivalent of the gold rush, as we noted in our previous story. Those who support the prospectors might just strike it rich themselves! ;-)

Website: firstlook.3tier.com
Contact: firstlook@3tiergroup.com

Urban bike-sharing is coming to North America in the form of Bixi, the new high-tech public bike system developed for the city of Montreal. Bixi follows the standard bike sharing principles: users take a bike from a stand, ride it to where they want to go, and drop it at another stand when they're done. To make the concept even more attractive to users, bikes will be equipped with RFID tags so that users can track availability online; real-time information is beamed to the web from the system's solar-powered bike stands.

Users will pay a membership fee of CDN 78 for one year, CDN 24 for one month or CDN 5 for one day. The first half hour of every trip is free, rising to CDN 12 per hour for extended periods of use. The aim is to encourage short trips, and fees compare favorably with the price of a monthly bus pass (CDN 66.25). One reason for the system's low cost is the long-lasting bikes, which were designed by Michel Dallaire and are expected to provide 75,000-100,000 km of travel.

Bixi's full launch is scheduled for April 2009, when 3,000 bikes will be installed in 300 locations across the city. Taking Montreal's fierce winters into account, Bixi will operate from April to November. If it all goes according to plan, the city will end up with a financially independent yet affordable scheme that will keep its residents fit and safe and its environment clean and open. (Related: City bike schemes — Bank-sponsored bike sharing.)

Website: www.bixi.ca
Contact: info@bixi.ca

Spotted by: Roberta Steinberg

It's probably safe to say that most consumers would like to make their lives more "green," but that the devil lies in the details. Much like the UK's Green Homes Concierge, which we wrote about last year, New York-based Green Irene aims to help consumers reduce their homes' carbon footprint.

Green Irene's flagship service is its Green Home Makeover, which it offers for USD 99. As part of that service, one of Green Irene's local eco-consultants will spend 60 to 90 minutes walking through a consumer's home and developing a customized set of recommendations for saving money, energy and water, and for just living a healthier life. Topics in the inspection include energy and water conservation improvements, alternative energy sources in the area and financial incentives such as tax credits, and consumers also get a 6-month subscription to the company's Ask Green Irene online service. When it comes time for implementation, Green Irene's eco-consultants sell many green solutions themselves and can also make referrals to green-minded contractors in the company's Sustainable Contractor Network. In addition to home makeovers, the company also offers Go Green Workshop parties, "EZ Bulb Swap Outs" and makeovers for offices.

Green Irene provides training and business set-up help for its territory-based network of eco-consultants, each of whom works independently, and is currently recruiting through a separate site. Contractors, meanwhile, are invited to apply for membership in its partner network. One to get in on early...?

Website: www.greenirene.com
Contact: support@greenirene.com

Spotted by: Judy McRae