Air conditioners and central air systems are energy wasting mechanisms that come with a high price tag each month during the summer season. Thankfully, there is an interesting alternative to cool your house naturally: the Cold Pot, a low-tech device that takes the simple occurrence of evaporation and makes it that much more significant.

Clay, a natural substance so menial to most, probably never thought of much, actually has some cool tricks up its sleeve. It’s been around long before the dinosaurs were roaming freely about and embodies an abundance of common (and uncommon) uses. From beauty remedies and products to external and internal medicinal treatments down to pet litter, clay plays an exceptional and health conscious role. Now, in a most unusual portrayal, clay is actually wonderfully useful in altering the warm temps in your home.

How exactly can clay cool your house naturally you ask? French-born designer, Thibault Faverie, has given us the answer with his terracotta Cold Pot invention that utilizes the organic process of evaporation to our benefit. Clay is extremely absorbent so that was the obvious main component used in the design. Cold Pot resembles what most would compare to a flowerpot. It does indeed appear that way, very sleek, simple, and compact in size and shape. But inside is where the magic happens.

Behind the clay exterior lays aluminum cooling slices, connectors, an aluminum pipe, and a fan. The outer pot converts heat through a wide opening at the bottom of the pot while absorbing the water on the inside as the fan propels, releasing it up through the cooling slices and pipe to the outer surface. Once water and air meet, evaporation occurs and a cooler temperature is dispensed. The contraption is so low maintenance it only requires 2 liters of water!

It hasn’t yet been specified how large or small of a room it can cool off, but if the Cold Pot actually ever goes into production, it would make a great little investment. It’s incredibly energy efficient, so no refrigerating gas needed which means as friendly as it is to our environment it also keeps our wallets in mind.

There’s also a major health benefit to the Cold Pot! The air you’d be breathing in would be renewed air, not re-circulated! Re-circulated air is the culprit of many airborne illnesses and germs as well as the lack of moisture, resulting in dry air. Dry air equals possible nosebleeds and sore throats. Renewed air gives you fresh, moist air helping to eliminate the issues mentioned above. Who would’ve ever thought a simple terracotta pot and the age-old philosophy of evaporation could sequentially help cool your house naturally? That’s some pretty awesome, progressive stuff!

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Image by thibault-faverie.com

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Bentonite clay is food? Yup.

When Shailene Woodley recently revealed that she ingests clay for its supposed health benefits, it was like the whole world turned primal and sought out the ancient practice. But are these health benefits for real? The answer is yes, but of course, that doesn’t mean you should jump the gun and start gnawing on clay pots whenever the opportunity presents itself. Instead, ingest with caution and you may benefit greatly. Here are three major ways your body will thank you.

When you purchase dietary clay, go for bentonite clay – it is an edible, mineral-rich clay used for centuries to pull toxins from the intestinal walls and cleanse the colon. Bentonite clay is comprised of ash minerals and ocean water as well as potassium, calcium and sodium. When wet, bentonite clay expands like a sponge. It acts like a magnet in the body to attract toxins, absorb them, and carry them out of the body.

Sonne’s #7 is a well-known, trusted brand. I’ve personally used it myself and like it. All you have to do is mix about 1 tablespoon of it in a glass of water each morning and drink on an empty stomach. Later in the day, you can ingest another tablespoon, but this time undiluted. The directions may vary from brand to brand. Whatever clay you purchase for your own use, rest assured you’ll benefit in these three major ways:

1. Radiation Absorption

In 2006, the Radiation Protection Dosimetry published a study that showed that bentonite clay was able to break bond links, form hydrolyzed ions and redox reactions. It ultimately was able to reduce radiation-induced effects with increased dosage. A Duke University study determined bentonite clay to be effective in lowering high-energy gamma irradiation of adenine, which is an important organic molecule in the human body that forms DNA, RNA and ATP. Another study published in Cellular and Molecular Biology in 2002, showed that irradiated adenine was able to recover faster in systems with clay than in those without clay.

2. Improved Digestion

Because bentonite clay is able to attract toxins and liquid and soak them up like a sponge, it allows them to exit the body efficiently. This is good for those who suffer from constipation or a sluggish bowel. Add some bentonite clay to your daily regimen and see how digestion flows thereafter.

3. Allergies Reduction

Because of its cleansing properties, bentonite clay is better known as the liver’s best friend. When the liver is overworked by toxins, it produces fewer antihistamines, which the body needs to fend off allergies. Luckily, this “cleansing” property extends to most other bodily ailments. When you detox, you repair all over!

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Photo Credit: Diana Robinson

The post 3 Big Reasons for Eating Bentonite Clay (Seriously) appeared first on EcoSalon.

One of our favorite design mediums is clay because we’re in awe at what an artist can create out of clumps of earth and a little water. Of course, there was also that scene in Ghost that makes us love clay even more… but we digress.

Here are five of our favorite clay designers that we think you’ll love, too.

Hippiekingdom

How can you not love this chunky beaded bracelet made from forest green natural clay? There’s even matching earrings and a necklace if you want to get all coordinated. Besides coming up with awesome clay-based jewelry, this designer also creates neat stuff out of paper, so be sure to check out the entire shop.

American Clay

When it comes to interior design, it’s hard to beat the look of walls covered in environmentally friendly, non-toxic earth plaster. Available in several colors and textures, American Clay’s approach to wall coverings get high marks from us for their beauty and the way it can be used from the most contemporary to the most traditional design schemes.

One Dream Design

Speaking of interior decorating, get a load of these handmade basin sinks. They’re just stunning and come in all kinds of shapes, colors and sizes to match your bathroom’s decor. This company also makes whimsical vases, bowls, and pots, like this 36-inch high vase with human-shaped ears for handles.

Atelier NL

Home design blog Dwell spotted this amazing line of clay kitchenware called Polderceramics. Each piece is made from clay taken from farms all around the Netherlands, then shaped into bowls, jugs, carafes, and other beautiful ceramics. It’s a gorgeous approach to tableware that makes us hope they create product lines for other rooms in the home.

Echo of Deco

If you’re a fan of art deco, you’ll go nuts for designs in this British pottery gallery. For example, take the line of darling glazed animal-shaped figures above. It’s called the “Ark Deco” line – get it? Ha! All the other pieces in the gallery are just as clever and reminiscent of the 1920’s and 1930’s jazz era and are just too cool for words.

Image: Atelier Clay Service

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Porcelained out? Carve your niche with an alternative sink for soaking up greener materials like certified teak, bamboo, recycled metal and glass and friendly painted ceramics. You can even experiment with poured concrete with 50% recycled fly ash, as seen in the striking orange basin by Jeremy Levine Design.

Here is a handful of other options we rounded up:

From William Garvey’s Fusion Line of handmade sinks from certified teak grown in the mixed deciduous forests of South Asia.

Spotted at the Story Hotel in Stockholm, these decorative ceramic bowls make brilliant bathroom basins.

Recycled aluminum and brass vessel sinks from ECO round out the eco bath and are paired well with a bamboo plywood or stone tile counter top.

Handblown recycled glass emerges as sensuous craft for the bath with the clear tortoise trim Classic design (above) and Ocean shell (below) from Bear Creek Glass.

Main Image: Jeremy Levine Design

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