Ecolibrium Solar has brought about a revolution in the flat-roof mounting industry by introducing Ecofoot 2, an advanced modular system which brings to its users the combined benefits of polymer and integrated grounding and wire management which makes the job of installing just about anything on your roof easier by leaps and bounds!

Recent Usage:

Of the various projects that Ecofoot has been a part of, the one that is worth mentioning is installation of a 127.5kW solar PV system on two rooftops of the Clarion Hotel in El Centro California. Ecofoot 2 was chosen by Soorya Unlimited for this project because of the ease of use and cost effectiveness that it offered. About five hundred panels were installed in just a week – all thanks to Ecofoot 2!

Why must one go for Ecofoot 2?

Ecofoot 2 is a new generation mounting system and its various features have been designed with the specific aim of reducing hassles while making any kind of installations on a roof.

The exciting design features of Ecofoot 2:

• Ecofoot 2 has built-in water channels which deal with the problem of drainage. The column structure of this modular system brings down the ballast weight requirement to a great extent and allows this system to support the installations through wind loads and difficult weather conditions!
• Ecofoot 2 is made of rubber and a green industrial grade polymer that brings down the harm that is inflicted upon the roof due to corrosion. This feature also eliminates the need of grounding completely making it the perfect choice for the ones who want to avoid roof penetrations.
• Ecofoot 2 is made of materials that are perfectly recyclable. Hence opting for Ecofoot can be a tiny part of your green initiatives.

Other benefits:

• Ecofoot 2 has low parts count and comes with just one main component which greatly speeds up the process of installation!
• Ecofoot 2 is extremely cost-effective! It offers the lowest cost per watt because of its easy installation and low parts count. Besides, by introducing wire management and integrated grounding into the process of flat roof installations, Ecofoot 2 totally does away with the expense of hardware racking.
• The best thing about Ecofoot 2 is that it is compatible with almost all types of roofs!
• Ecofoot 2 comes with a warranty of twenty-five years, making it a mounting system that you can place your trust in!
• Ecofoot 2 has a portable structure which makes for easy shipping and handling!

Owing to its various features and benefits, Ecofoot 2 is a great choice over traditional racking systems!

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In today’s world, most people seem to be aware of the impact their actions have on the environment when traveling. The amount of resources likely to be consumed at the destination is foremost in everyone’s minds. So, instead of deciding to stay home or purchase carbon credits, they have adopted numerous ways to diminish footprints and boost sustainability. A number of accessories and gadgets are now available that promote the use of refurbished or recycled materials instead of wasting new resources. They even make use of natural sources to provide you with clean water and power.

Green Luggage

Eagle Creek is one of the top manufacturers of eco-friendly luggage. They understand the demand for durable luggage that has been produced in a sustainable manner and cater to consumer needs accordingly. Every range of luggage items that the brand has is made with materials which have been sourced responsibly and have produced the least amount of waste in the process. But the company has not forgotten the requirements of travelers and, therefore, the luggage comes with additional features like multiple grips for easy handling and dedicated shoe slots.

Osprey Packs has launched the ReSource Series which is a collection of quality daypacks for the travel-minded. Made from materials which are almost 100% recycled, these backpacks and shoulder packs are suited for rough travel conditions.

Travelers these days can even sleep green with the help of the PB Bamboo Travel Blanket Set which is made from 100 percent natural bamboo fibre material. Both the eye mask and soft blanket are organically anti-bacterial and hypoallergenic. The best part is that the source material, bamboo, grows and regenerates fast without the aid of pesticides or relatively large amounts of water.

Safe and “Sound”

Merkury Innovations sure knows how to appeal to the environmentally conscious traveler. The company has come up with Eco Speakers made out of cardboard. Produced from nearly 70 percent recycled substances, these speakers are compatible with almost all sorts of devices and are available in a wide variety of designs.

Bag of Rhythm Audio System from the House of Marley is both a stereo system and a shoulder bag. It is also portable. Equipped with woofers, double speakers as well as an amplifier, this marvelous piece of eco-equipment comes from reclaimed canvas and sustainable birch.

An alarm clock that uses water to function sounds like the perfect gadget for nature lovers. Each time you refill the Bedol Water Alarm Clock, it lasts about six months.

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Eco Friendly laptops are the way to go

Over the years, we humans have been disrupting the ecological balance of the Earth in more way than one to such an extent that the condition of Earth has now reached a very alarming stage. However, it is never too late to make amends which is why all of us should join hands to bring back the idea an eco-friendly environment within the realm of possibility.

If you are thinking of buying a laptop then you must consider buying one of the many eco-friendly laptops that have been specially designed in such a way that the threat issued to the environment by it is reduced to a bare minimum. There are many such laptops that are available in the market. Below is a list of five such great laptops:

Asus U33Jc-A1

This exterior of this particular model is made out of suave looking stained bamboo, which is an easily renewable natural resource and is eco-friendly as well. Besides, this model has an efficient energy saving monitor and provides extended battery life.

MacBook Pro

The model that addresses the issue of banishing materials that harm the environment very seriously has done away with the usage of Arsenic in the manufacture of display glass and that of Mercury for the LED backlit display. The circuit board and various other components are brominated flame retardant and no trace of polyvinyl chloride can be cited in the manufacturing process!

Sony Vaio W series

This particular laptop is high up on the green quotient. More than eighty percent of the plastic that is used to make these laptops is recycled. The LED monitor of the Sony Vaio W series is mercury free and the packaging materials that are used for shipping are kept to a bare minimum and are eco-friendly as well.

Gateway EC19C-A52C/S

This model puts all its focus upon energy conservation. You can enjoy six hours of battery life after every charge and the great thing about this model is that it has a lot of powerful hardware such as a 320 GB hard-drive, 1.33. GHz processor and a DDDR3 RAM.

Dell Latitude E6400 ATG

This model has a gold rating from the Green Electronics Council on its EPEAT list! Need we say more?

A laptop that helps conserve the environment might not have been high up on your priority list when you began your search for a laptop but we urge you to opt for one of these amazing eco-friendly models that provide great features as well so that you can do your bit to save the planet! Go Green!

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The 21st century saw the birth of an alternative fuel vehicle, i.e., natural gas vehicle (NVG) that uses compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG), replacing the fossil fuels lately. About 12.7 million NVGs are running worldwide since the year 2010. These increasing figures of the NVGs encouraged the growth of many NVG refuelling stations. Starting from Brazil, Pakistan, Latin America even India has NVGs on the road.

In the attempt to make the earth go-green with the use of these NVGs, there are various set-backs as well. One should always have the knowledge about the pros-cons of the NVGs before owning one.

Flaw in the infrastructure

The Natural Gas Vehicles demand fuelling stations but hardly there are enough within reach. Though there are 1,100 stations in US but hardly half of them are made available to the public. A lot more NGV fuelling stations would be required to power a third of its vehicles. Thus, the infrastructure lags behind.

Natural gas is not perfect

The EPA chooses natural gas powered vehicles to be the cleanest with very low emission of carbon-dioxide and carbon-monoxide other non-methanic organic gases and green house gases. Although, the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) or the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is known to create low pollution and emit less greenhouse gases, it is not perfect; it is just a better option. 21.8 percent reduction of the emission of the gasses doesn’t help much if given a broader outlook.

Still, natural gas is again a fossil fuel

No doubt, the natural gas is much cleaner, but they are still hydrocarbons being taken out of the wells that are prone to limited supply again. though some countries have abundant supply, but the reserves are prone to extinction.

ACEE’s 12 greenest vehicle for 2011

ACEE, a non-profit organisation, released its 14th Annual Report this February with the 12 greenest cars for the year. Honda Civic GX manages to bag the top position followed by Nissan Leaf, Smart Fortwo Cabriolet and coupe, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight, Ford Fiesta SFE, Chevrolet Cruze Eco, Hyundai Elanta, Mini Cooper, Toyota Yaris and last but not the least Chevrolet Volt. The go green movement seemed to have been supported by automobile industries across the globe.

It’s our profit now

With the Gas prices touching the sky, the situation is as Cleantechnica says, “natural gas now costs about half as much per unit energy as gasoline and has an even greater cost advantage over diesel fuel.” But, this is just the talk for the time being. The reserves which are prone to extinction, will definitely make the prices rise sooner or later.

State and federal incentives

Under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 of the federal, Honda Civic GX now is made available with the reduction of price tag by several thousand dollars. This is a combined policy of both the state and local incentives that help the price tag lighten.

FuelMaker’s Phill

FuelMaker, a company started to meet the needs of the natural gas vehicles fuelling stations for home users. The product though of utmost importance for Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) owners, found no buyers. The device compresses natural gas from home gas lines and takes about four hours to fill an empty tank for a 50-mile drive. The price tag ranges from $5,500 to $6,000.

Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) are known to be highly profitable in terms of mileage, reduced pollution and even when CNGs corrode or wear off the engines lower as compared to other fossil fuels.

Several countries are equipped with kits to convert gasoline or diesel to LPG/CNG these days along with trained labour. But factory installed CNG vehicles are better in terms of both quality and reliability. Many countries where CNGs are abundant, the price of the CNG is lowered by the government.

The CNG transportation done by economical gas pipelines over land and road, but there is difficulty in doing so over long distances like oceans. Again, the storage is another problem but economic steel or composite containers are used to store these natural gases at very high pressure.

North American countries United States of America and Mexico, South American Countries, South Asian countries like Pakistan, even India, South East Asian Countries like Singapore, China, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. have put Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) into use. Natural Gas Vehicles are found almost in every countries. The government should give special attention to promote this Go-Green initiative.

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Asmita Prasad:

Hosting the Olympic Games has so far been a privilege bestowed only to a few wealthy countries who could afford to erect massive sports arenas required for the event. Since the Olympics draw a huge number of international visitors, building such arenas is something of a necessity. However, to level the proverbial playing field for countries with a slightly lesser budget, designers Wilkinson Eyre and Sinclair Knight Mertz have created a basketball arena that is not only budget-friendly for the organizers but also a lot greener than most of the permanent structures. The 2012 London Olympics Basketball Stadium project was created in collaboration with sports consultants KSS and as its name signifies, it would be used to organize the basketball competitions in this year’s Summer Olympics.

Recyclable Basketball stadium for 2012 London Olympic

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Asmita Prasad:

In The Philippines, like many parts of the developing world, kerosene lamps are the primary source of light for people living in the underprivileged areas. Not only are these lamps dangerous per se they also emit great amounts of CO2 and other toxic gases which cause respiratory problems amongst the people using them as well. This prompted MIT student Alfredo Moser to come up with an idea for a solar lamp fashioned out of recycled water bottles. This idea was further developed by Illac Diaz, a Filipino student who used it to create the Isang Litrong Liwanag AKA the 1 Liter of Light project. Even though its name may be slightly misleading, the alternative lighting system basically ensures that people are able to utilize natural daylight without having the sun blazing in through a bigger skylight during the day.

1 Liter of Light Project

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Surbhi Sharma:

Have you ever thought of linking Ice Cream with sun’s heat? With everything going green, a dutch ice cream company in association with an Amsterdam based studio has developed a sustainable ice cream cart. This machine can keep your ice cream intact with help of solar energy. Call it the vending machine or the ice cream cart, it is based on a system that stores solar power in batteries. These batteries supply enough power to the freezer through the day and night, even when the sun isn’t shining.

Sustainable Ice Cream Vending Machine

The ice cream cart has a roof that has photovoltaic panel. This panel generates the effective and reliable AGM batteries all day long. What’s more? These batteries can be charged overnight by connecting the system into an external socket. The roof of the vending machine can be raised whenever required. It can also be extended using four telephoto panels. With green being the latest buzz, this solar powered ice cream cart can be the pick for all the eco lovers. This sustainable and compact vending machine has been created by spring time and surely will be loved by one and all.

Sustainable Ice Cream Vending Machine

Sustainable Ice Cream Vending Machine

Curvy, stylish and sturdy are the words that describe this ice cream cart which is mobile and can be your companion anytime and anywhere.

Via: Designboom

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Asmita Prasad:

Las Vegas is also known as Sin City for its over the top glitz, the way it appears to promote glamour over everything else and its promotion of the indulgence of one’s senses to the point of being gluttonous. By its apparent promotion of vices, being eco-friendly is perhaps the last thing on the minds of builders which is exactly why the Morrow Royal Pavilion stands out as a beacon of eco-righteousness in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas’ Morrow Royal Pavilion is made from 500,000 recycled beer bottles

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Asmita Prasad:

Self-proclaimed “design activist” and a designer based in New York City, Stephen Burks is championing the adoption of traditional crafts into the realms of modern design to ensure that these arts are preserved and develop as a part of the natural progression of design. The aim of Burks’ activism is to develop a way to enable artisans and communities dependant on the production of these craftworks to benefit socio-economically from the upliftment of these designs from the niche genre of “art and crafts” into legitimately mainstream design. To reinvent local handicrafts and introduce them into contemporary furniture design, Burks has created the DALA outdoor furniture collection.

DALA outdoor furniture

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Asmita Prasad:

Electric motorbike may be just fabulous for the environment, but they have a terrible habit of being ghastly and geeky to look at taking away everything that is “cool” about riding a bike in the traditional sense of the phrase. Keeping this bit of vanity in mind, a team of students from Oslo, Norway-based University of Life Sciences (UMB) has created the Roskva Electric- an electric motorbike that has all the right sharp edged styling of a MotoGP bike with an eco-friendly 96 horsepower engine. Even though the figure doesn’t appear all that impressive for a sports bike but the clean performing engine is aided by the carbon fiber wheels, bodywork and unified frame that allows the bike to weigh less than 25 kilograms overall. This lets the bike get a nice and toasty top speed of 112 miles per hour though with a full charge on the battery returning a range of 62 miles.

Roskva Electric Motorcycle

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