The start of a new year is always filled with resolutions. Why not make yours a green one with our top eco finds!

Eco Cup

Why use disposable cups, filling up landfills with waste, when you can have one of these reusable porcelain Eco Cups? This single walled porcelain cup will keep beverages hot for longer with its silicone lid helping to keep heat in, whilst also ensuring you can enjoy your hot beverage on the go without spillage issues. To make it look even more like an average takeaway cup from a coffee house the cup also comes with a handy silicone sleeve in place of the standard cardboard one to make the Eco Cup safe and easy to pick up or hold without risk of burnt fingers.

The Eco Cup will hold approximately 450ml of your favourite beverage and it’s great for people who want to enjoy a takeaway coffee whilst being green in the process.

Image credit: gadgets.co.uk

Frog Drinks Can Crusher

It isn’t easy being green, but we’ve found that with this fab Frog Drinks Can Crusher, it’s a lot easier than you would think! Simply pop an empty aluminium drink can on top of froggy’s feet, then push down firmly on his head and voila, one crushed can ready for entry to the recycling bin.

This froggy can crusher is great for bringing a bit of fun to an otherwise mundane task!

Image credit: gadgets.co.uk

O+A took time to interview employees to see what they wanted from their work spaces and what would make their work experience better and more productive. Employees worked with designers throughout the design process to ensure the best possible outcome. Because of the different departmental needs, small clusters of teams within the building were created giving each department its own unique style and feel.

Facebook also provides free meals, snacks and drinks in mini-kitchen areas located throughout the building. To keep creativity flowing, employees are encouraged to write on walls, add artwork and move furniture around as they see fit!

Image credit: Jasper Sanidad

Until 2007 the Jin Mao Tower was the fifth tallest in the world by roof height and the seventh tallest by pinnacle height. Along with the Oriental Pearl Tower, it’s a centrepiece of the Pudong skyline. Its height was surpassed in September 2007 by the Shanghai World Financial Centre which is next to the building and made up of 128 stories!

Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Image credit: jaysk

The property was launched 2 years ago at the hands of the Serviced Office Company, who carried out a £2.5m refurbishment. Since then, the team has worked extremely hard to put the centre on the map and occupancy has increased steadily over the past year. In response to growing demand, the team added one floor of additional space in February and plan to open yet another new floor in the New Year.

In the words of Centre Manager Tracy Vickers, “our clients are our business and we always do our best for them”. This has led to a string of endorsements from clients and many favourable comments from officebroker.com Account Managers, among them Gerard Richards, who says that he always receives excellent feedback from clients who have toured Imperial Court.

According to Gerard, the centre is in an excellent location in Salford Quays and Tracy is “great to work with” – saying that she is “proactive, personable and very committed”.

Find out more about December’s Business Centre of the Month award-winner here.

Mini Hottie Handwarmers

Keeping your hands warm in the cold isn’t always the easiest of tasks. Sure you could wear gloves, but how are you supposed to use your mobile phone or other gadgets with your fingers all muffled? These adorable Mini Hottie Hand Warmers are just the solution you’ve been looking for! Just like ordinary hand warmers, they will warm up at the click of the little metal disc, emitting heat for around half an hour. Then, when you need to recharge them you just remove the knitted cover and pop the hot pack into a pan of boiling water for about 15 minutes.

They are great for using at outdoor sporting events, for people with bad circulation, or just when you’re out for a brisk stroll on your lunch break!

Mini hottie handwarmers

Image credit: gadgets.co.uk

USB Foot Warmer 

In our experience offices can be drafty places and it’s no fun sitting at a desk with cold feet. Having cold feet is one of those things that can nag away at the edge of your consciousness, distracting you slightly without you realising. Thankfully our desks are now all equipped with these blue toe proof USB Foot Warmers!

Just what everyone in a drafty office or with a propensity for suffering from cold feet need!

usb foot warmer

Image credit: gadgets.co.uk

This ghd headquarters in Leeds is the corporate office / headquarters for the global hair beauty brand with 15,600 sq ft area designed by Carey Jones Architects. The high specification project at Bridgewater Place in Leeds provides a stunning central location for the market-leading styling iron and hair products manufacturer.

The innovative space provides a unique setting which brings ghd’s fashion style and image core values to life. The HQ has a wide variety of uses including being a showcase for products, plus hosting events and developments to the international market. Key elements include the creation of a striking reception area with a catwalk, a multi-functional training academy and open plan offices for 55 staff with a high specification boardroom and break out meeting areas.

ghd Headquarters, Leeds

Image credit: thecoolhunter.net

There are approximately 40 people working and living on Lady Elliot Island, from café staff to diving instructors. The staff accommodation area is located on the Western side of the island and is accessible by short walking tracks. Visitors to the island range from a handful to a strict maximum of 150 daily.

Most importantly Lady Elliot Island staff really care about the reef. The guided tours showcase their knowledge and the need to respect and preserve the reef.

Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort Great Barrier Reef Australia

Image credit: QuintonMarais.com

Ho ho grow

Grow your own Christmas veg at your desk! We love Christmas and everything about it… including the vegetables. Christmas dinner can include any combination of tasty veg, but there are two that stick out in our minds as synonymous with the most wonderful time of the year: sprouts and carrots!

So as a idea for those who are a little green fingered, like to grow their own produce or just really love Christmas dinner, you have both carrots and sprouts in our Christmas veg planter kit. The pack contains everything you’ll need to grow your very own yuletide sprouts and carrots including seeds, starter pots, compost discs and plant markers. Just make sure ’tis the season when you plant them!

Ho Ho Grow

Image credit: gadgets.co.uk

Once a military hospital in the Presidio of San Francisco adjacent to the Palace of Fine Arts, it has been redesigned to fit the needs of the Lucas’ entertainment mecca. Before even a single screw was turned, George Lucas personally oversaw the entire process of digitally conceptualising and rendering the rooms in the buildings. 

The lobby of Building B is open to the public during regular business hours and contains a gallery of Lucasfilm memorabilia including props and costumes from the Star Wars film series.

Letterman Digital Arts Center

Image credit: Lucasfilm

Jackson’s production company, WingNut Films, is based in Wellington, New Zealand, on the doorstep of some of the most extraordinary scenery seen in the films about J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic trilogy.

New Zealand is a land of immense and diverse landscape. You’ll see things there that you will not see in the same country anywhere else in the world. Within a day or two’s drive you can see spectacular glaciers, picturesque fjords, rugged mountains, vast plains, rolling hillsides, subtropical forest, volcanic plateau and miles of coastline with gorgeous sandy beaches. We’d love to have all that on our doorstep!

WingNut Films, Wellington, New Zealand

Image credit: WingNut Films