Sustainable Design Update

Stratos, Our First Office Cat

Who knew?  Cats have been into the best insect repellent since the beginning of civilization.  The Catnip plant, loco weed for felines, has compounds  that work as well as DEET.

From Yet2.com (sorry for the Geek-Speak):

This technology provides a process for manufacturing a safe, stable, bio-based insect repellent that can be delivered in a variety of topical product formats including liquid (alcohol-based) pump sprays, lotions and impregnated wipes. It has been extensively and successfully tested for (1) Mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti, Anopheles albimanus, Ochlerotatus intrudens and mixed wild populations in Florida, U.S.A.), (2) Biting flies — Stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) and Black flies (Simulium decorum), (3) Deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), and (4) Stored product pests—Rice weevils (Sitophilus oryzae) and Flour beetles (Tribolium spp.). This new active ingredient demonstrates efficacy comparable with existing synthetic active ingredients towards a broad range of biting insects – demonstrated in consumer acceptable product formulations. Protection times in field tests are equal or superior to traditional DEET based insect repellent products – often at reduced active ingredient loading. For the first time an insect repellent active ingredient is available from a sustainable source —the catmint plant— that combines true efficacy with natural product cachet.

This technology is supported by 3 US patents. The most recent year of issue is 2007.

More: Yet2.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 21st, 2009 at 9:05 pm and is filed under Appropriate Technology, Biomimetic Design, Natural Products, Sustainability, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.