Eco Factor: Truck powered by electricity generated from trash.
Trucks with their massive engines are the main culprits of air pollution in urban cities. Greening these beasts is an utmost necessity for cities battling bad air quality. The latest green truck development in British town Huddersfield can be taken as a stunning example of electrifying trucks. The town boasts of a new trash collecting truck that is powered by nothing other than trash itself.
Eco Factor: 100% self-dependent resort and residential development by BIG Architects.
Danish architecture firm BIG Architects along with Ramboll Engineers has developed the master plan for a completely self-sufficient and self-dependent resort and residential complex on Zira Island in the Caspian Sea. The 1,000,000 square-meter master plan will include seven residential developments, which would resemble the shapes of the famous mountains in Azerbaijan.
Eco Factor: Evaporation-based water purifier.
Yesterday we wrote about an osmosis-based water purifier, which would be able to convert seawater into potable water. The approach seemed fantastic, but the infrastructure it would require will cost much more than what developing and underdeveloped nations, which are more prone to waterborne diseases, could afford. Now we have a low-tech approach to cater to the same problem. Dubbed the Watercone, the device is essentially an evaporator.
Eco Factor: Crank-powered emergency radio.
Emergencies don’t warn and come. They often strike at the wrong place and the wrong time. Keeping one prepared to tackle emergencies at all times is much better than running into one with empty hands. Technology has provided us with gadgets such as GPS systems and weather radio tuners, which can foretell the climatic conditions when you are out camping. But like every other gadget, radios too require electricity to function, and if your camp goes longer than planned, then you are always at risk. Designer Samuel Jones is the designer of the Weathermate – an emergency radio that provides the user with instant access to NOAA weather radio frequencies.
Eco Factor: Sculpture made from recycled watches and clocks.
Artist Michael Roberts does something with old watches and clocks none of us would have ever thought of before. No, he doesn’t make them workable again and he doesn’t even throw them in the landfill. He collects them and creates a sculpture out of it. The cow sculpture shown above is known as Pasture Bedtime and is created from 2000 watches and clocks. The sculpture has been sold in an auction for $11,500, and a part of the earnings have been donated to American Family Children’s Hospital.
Eco Factor: Supercar capable of speed in excess of 200 mph launched.
Changing the misconception that electric cars can never perform like their gasoline counterparts, Shelby Supercars has launched the Ultimate Aero EV, a car that can reach a top speed of 208 mph on nothing other than electricity. The silent car won’t produce any noise, but its electric drive train will silently churn out a staggering 1000 horsepower and 800lb-ft of torque.
Eco Factor: Recycled raft brings old plastic bottles to great use.
Plastic bottles have always been a fantastic source of waste for creative designers to test their skills. Check out this amazing raft that uses 450 empty, label-less bottles to keep two young souls on the surface of the water. The bottles were collected from roadsides and from junkyards, their labels have been removed to reduce water pollution and unintended advertising. These bottles are then packed in garden mesh and attached with a plywood board. Check out the complete DIY at Instructables.
Eco Factor: An attempt to cross the Atlantic ocean in a pedal-powered submarine.
A machinist by training and an inventor by trade, Ted Ciamillo, has designed a human-powered mini-submarine, which he will use to try and cross the Atlantic. The plan, dubbed the “Subhuman Project,” will not just show how to take human power to the limits but will also enable scientists to study the upper layers of the ocean and reveal marine life as it has never been seen before.
Eco Factor: Osmosis-based systems to provide drinking water from seas.
About 71% of our planet is covered with water, but still the water crisis looms large. The reason being that out of the total amount of water present in the world, about 97.2% is in the oceans and hence it’s not fit for drinking. Researchers are now looking forward to develop alternatives that can increase the potable water supply beyond that which is available through the hydrological cycle.
Eco Factor: One of the largest solar facilities in the world proposed for Austin.
Austin Energy is working on its target to provide 30% of the total energy demands of Austin, Texas, in the form of renewable energy. To achieve this green status by 2020, Austin could have one of the largest solar power facilities in the world. The plant is proposed to be set up on 300 acres of land outside Webberville in eastern Travis country.
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