The Mottainai Shop was established a little over a year ago as an outlet for stylish and eco-friendly products. Some of the items that caught my eye were these ceramic cups made from reclaimed ceramics, and these adorable chopsticks. They encourage people to keep a pair at work, or carry a pair in your bag, because wooden chopsticks are so wasteful!

The word “Mottainai” was actually chosen by environmental activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. As the story goes, upon her visit to Japan, she was so moved by the fact that a single word (mottainai) could embody all the nuances of the words reduce, reuse, recycle and respect, that she decided to promote the word globally.

And now, your trivia tidbit of the day. The teardrop logo was designed by Bunpei Yorifuji, the mastermind behind Tokyo Metro’s humorous ad campaign to teach their straphangers a few manners.