Ford and Ohio State are developing dandelion roots as a potential source of rubber.

Synthetic car plastics will eventually be blowing in the wind like those yellow heads of dandelions, the herbaceous perennial foliage that grows in lawns and alongside highways. Does thinking about it make you want to sneeze? Forget the pollen. Ford has been itching for a new kind of rubber for its cars, and dandelions could be the answer.

Ford’s engineers are teaming with Ohio State on developing the Russian dandelion (or TKS) as a natural rubber source for cup holders, floor mats and interior trim in its vehicles. So far, everything is coming up (cough) roses in this latest effort by the company to revamp its factory and fleet for a sustainable plug-in future.

By harvesting the weeds in neat rows in a greenhouse, researchers are able to learn how to manage the flowers and the sap that seeps from the roots, a potential source of rubber that could be even stronger than automotive plastics. The Southwestern U.S. shrub Guayule might also be used to replace the toxic alternative.

“What we are trying to do is to create sustainability of vehicles from inside and out by figuring out how we can make materials out of renewable recycled materials rather than depending on petroleum products,” says Ellen Lee, a chemical engineer and member of The Ford Research Biomaterials Group in Detroit.  “We are looking at how we can use things we grow to put into our cars.”

Things like soy, which Ford has led the way in tapping to produce polyurethane foam seat cushions, backs and headrests. The parts are now on more than 1.5 million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles on the road, a reduction in petroleum oil usage of some four million pounds each year. Ford also broke ground with the industry’s first use of a soy-foam headliner on the 2010 Escape and Mercury Mariner for a 25 percent weight savings versus a traditional glass-mat headliner.

“We are committed to using local resources and raw materials that come from the U.S. and Canada,” says Angela Harris, another Ford researcher. “We are in the labs day to day working on products and vising schools, local news stations, public radio stations and start up technology companies to share our mission and the fact the U.S. and Ford are leading the way.”

Along the way, their campaign also reaches out to young women who are a minority in the automotive and engineering fields. The team hopes to set an example of what female scientists can do to expedite the development of responsible parts for vehicles.

“Five of us are moms and are working on biotechnology with Ford,” says Lee. “We are getting out there to say women should pursue careers in engineering since biotechnology is fast becoming a number-one field. ”

In the meantime, they hope to get all of us thinking about how to incorporate available plants as possible materials in our every day lives. It all makes sense when you consider dandelion root is used medicinally to ease everything from a loss of appetite to insufferable intestinal gas, excruciating gallstones, nagging joint pain, muscle aches, eczema and bruises. It helps increase urine production, prompt bowel movements and is a stimulating skin toner, blood and digestive tonic. Some use it to treat infections or to spice up salad greens, soups, wine and teas.

Now that’s some killer weed.

Images: joka2000, Ford, American Recycler

The post America’s Favorite Weed Hits the Road appeared first on EcoSalon.

Leave those disposable paper napkins in the grocery aisle and get busy adding style to the reusable pile!

Now that we are all invested in organic, reusable cloth (wash in cold, hang dry, of course), spruce up your table and thrill your guests with fun green napkin rings. Calories burned removing them? At least two. More if you juggle a set at the table for your guests.

Where to find ’em? Here are a few highly tactile circles we trust:

Ring around the Rosy! Hand forged iron floral ring, Rain Collection. $38 each.

Stainless Steel appeal, $19 for two  from Velocity.

Ivory organic crochet rings with amber glass bead fasteners, $10 set from Makalewakan.

Tanned Pierced leather rings with red wine ribbons, from Etsy’s Greenbelt, $20 for set.

Spotted Shell Rings, fairly traded from Indonesia, $16.50 from Green with Glamour.

I red the news today, oh boy! Love these recycled newspaper rings, $8 at Ecoist.

Fuzzy Friends encircle your napkins, $15 from Fuz Farm in eco felt or black rubber.

Main Image: Amazon

The post Circle of Trusty Style: Green Your Napkin Rings appeared first on EcoSalon.

The people in my neighborhood really get into Halloween whether they’ve got their own little ghouls and goblins or not, proving the most fun night of the year is for the kid in all of us. You know, that kid who is addicted to Halloween chocolate!

I’m big on using decor to lift my spirits each fall, ideally with the surfeit of tools and supplies stashed in my green storage bins rather than ready-made plastic junk on the shelves of stores.

I found inspiration in Etsy’s Voter Page for the best Handmade Halloween items, from spooky bloodshot eyes (which get my vote) to crocheted spiders and DIY costumes. Go to the site and place your vote.

Here’s a look at some of the amazing crafts whipped up in kitchens across America:

Mister Skully Hand Carved Stamps by Tresijas

These cool articulating jaw motifs were made into stamps (salvaged manzanita, foam and rubber) that you can use to create Halloween art for your windows, doors or other creepy places.

Lost Zombie Brooch by CityroadFelt

“I made him using felt from a lovely stripey sweater, along with bits of wool blend felt, & beads & thread – designed by my partner, who is much more into zombies and such things than I – I think he’s quite proud of the end product, too!”

Crocheted Spider Web by Spacestitch

Like the spider web but want to make it yourself? But of course! See the Spider Web Crochet Pattern here.

Gaggle of Spooky  Ghosts Prints by Luminous Dreams Designs

“The ghost was hand drawn, inked then scanned where he was given different grungy digital backgrounds,” explains the artist.

Upcycled Pumpkin Hat by Imogens Garden

“I raided my son’s clean laundry pile to construct this hat from a recently outgrown thermal shirt,” explains the maker. “The flower is created from scraps from my studio, and the button embellishment came from the shirt. No more thermal shirts = a one of a kind garment.”

Main Image: Work of Whimsy

The post Etsy’s Upcycled and Newfangled Halloween Contest: Get Inspired! appeared first on EcoSalon.

On September 22nd in Westley, California, a bolt of lightning fell from the sky. Unfortunately for Westley, it smacked into the depths of an illegal dump of scrap tires – and the resulting fire blazed for an astonishing 34 days.

Not only did many of these 5 million tires release their abundant toxins into the air in the filthiest smoke imaginable, they also melted into an oil that ran into nearby rivers. An eco-catastrophe – but one that’s almost becoming commonplace.

Tire dumps are disasters waiting to happen – and yet, what else do you do with scrap tires?

The problem is the alchemy of vulcanizing: the altering of soft, malleable rubber until it’s tough enough to keep its shape. This process allowed the development of the modern automobile – but now that mixed blessing has turned into a full-blown curse.

Vulcanized rubber is tough. It’s very difficult to recycle effectively – yet California alone accumulates over 40 million reusable and waste tires every year.

Measures like the Tire Initiative Collaborative Effort can only tackle a small fraction of this whopping quantity. The millions that aren’t shredded and added to asphalt pile up on waste ground, waiting for lightning to strike (in every sense), like ecological time-bombs.

But science is at last coming up with a cost-effective answer. As GreenBiz reports, the Malaysian company Green Rubber has found a profitable way of “devulcanizing” rubber into a viable and truly recycled material – and Timberland are lining their shoes with the results.

Even better, Green Rubber shoe-soles are themselves recyclable. It’s the closest to a closed loop that we’ve seen with vulcanized rubber – and any company that finds a way to make a green profit from used car tires is looking at the motherlode of recyclable raw materials. (Let’s hope this decade’s nuisances become the next generation’s Klondikes).

Vulcanized tires continue to live up to their Roman namesake – but for how much longer?

Image: Manky Maxblack

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