Eco Factor: Photo luminescent material embedded inside a mirror.
For many power failures, a dark washroom is synonymous to peeing under a streetlight. To keep your privacy intact Sotirios Papadopoulos has developed a light-emitting mirror, which creates a glowing effect when the lights go out. The ELI (Eco Light Inside) is based on a photo luminescent material that is embedded inside the mirror. The mirror is available in two versions, Fingerprint and I Love Me.
Eco Factor: Streetlights that turn on with a cellphone command.
The need to conserve energy has always been backed up technological innovations that take us to a newer world where technology and the environment benefit each other. However, this race to develop eco-conscious concepts has often given rise to bizarre technologies that would take human patience to a whole new level. A similar concept is being tested in Germany in the name of energy-saving streetlights.
Eco Factor: Solar-powered battery charger.
Discharged dry cells have a serious environmental threat with all those toxic electricity-producing chemicals inside them. But the importance of dry cells in today’s electronic gadgets can’t be ruled out. Rechargeable batteries do help in saving the precious resources of the environment, but again they need electricity to keep them juiced up, which again is not always an eco-resource. Designer Jangho Kim has tried to develop a feasible answer in the form of a product he calls the Solar Pot.
Eco Factor: Study light powered by solar energy.
Late to realize the importance of renewable energy in today’s world, Indian electronics firm BPL has launched a dependable study light for students studying in remote areas of the country. The light should do great for students pursuing professional courses as in India most professional colleges are located in remote areas that are often battling power shortages and power failures.
Eco Factor: Rainwater harvesting system.
Global warming and long lasting dry spells have encouraged one and all to use their creativity to design the most efficient and effective rainwater harvesting system. While some still use an old oil drum to capture rainwater, there are some who use their ingenious minds to design systems that can prove to be more useful. Tomas Bordingnon is the designer of one such rainwater harvesting system he calls the Lotus Flower.
Eco Factor: Prefabricated home design to run on solar energy.
Green minds at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture in Arizona have designed a new prefab desert home by merging conventional ecofriendly building practices and modern technology. Dubbed the Mod.Fab home, the single bedroom prefab house can be plugged into the electricity grid or can also run on a solar array relying on low-consumption fixtures.
Eco Factor: Largest solar thermal power station in Asia to be built by China.
China is planning to build Asia’s largest solar thermal power station in a Beijing suburb with construction to commence next month. The plant will be able to generate 1.5 MW of green electricity that is sufficient for 30,000 Chinese homes. The plant has been designed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and will cost $14.7 million when completed in 2010.
Adapted from Josh’s next book The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget: Save Money. Save Time. Save the Planet.
Paper bags come from trees. Plastic bags come from oil. Neither choice is a productive use of the planet’s natural resources. As many Lazy Environmentalists already know, the best approach is to tote your own reusable shopping bags and avoid the controversy altogether. Well and good in theory, it’s still difficult to get excited about reusable, beige-colored canvas bags bearing proud slogans like “I’m an Earth Momma” or utopian slogans like “Make Love Not Carbon” or even absurdly obvious one like “This Is Not a Plastic Bag.” To really accelerate the shift to shopping bag Reuse, it’s helpful to add a dash of updated attitude to your canvas bag or ditch it altogether for more color and style. For a bit of attitude with your canvas bag, check out the sack from Angry Little Girls featuring a cartoon of one little girl admonishing another to “Shop with a reusable bag, B*tch!”
And for a bag with supreme color and style, check out Envirosax’s collections. The contemporary Mikado line from the Graphic Series is inspired by ornate Japanese motifs and features bold floral graphics and intricate geometrical patterns. With shagadelic circles and interlocking rectangles, the Retro Graphic Line is an homage to seventies chic. Prices for these lightweight, waterproof bags start at $8.50. There are five bags in each line and a complete set (all five) with accompanying stowing pouch can be purchased for $37.95. The only downside is that they’re made from polyester, a plastic derived from oil. Recognizing the concern among consumers, however, Envirosax has also introduced its Organic Series of stylish reusable bags made from natural, eco-friendly fabrics such as bamboo, hemp, and linen. The patterns are equally fabulous, though beige reigns supreme as the dominant color. Prices also leap to $24.95 per bag, a little on the steep side but perhaps not too shabby for a tote that walks the walk while turning heads at the Farmers’ Market.
More Lazy E Favorite Reusable Bags:
Chico
It’s the ultracompact reusable nylon bag that’s small enough to fit in your pocket until you’re ready to bust it out to the delight of check-out clerks, fellow line-mates, and the planet. Kick the single-use habit with these $5 bags (every fifth one you purchase is free) that also feature a built-in key chain for added convenience.
Eocezi
Carry your machine-washable Ecoezi reusable shopping bags inside a compact, stylish Ecoezi wallet. The lightweight wallet conveniently stores 10 reusable bags (included) and is available for $21.95. Stow it in your handbag or your glove box for easy access.
Flip & Tumble
Made of lightweight, ripstop nylon, the Flip & Tumble reusable shopping bag ($12) is heavy on durability and convenience. A padded shoulder also makes it comfortable when carrying loads up to 25 pounds. Scrunch it up into a ball and flip it into its own built-in pouch when not in use.
Eco Factor: Fuel-efficient, lightweight car.
Taking fuel-efficiency to its utmost limits, some students have designed a new fuel-efficient car dubbed the Maritime Mileage Machine. The car comes with a lightweight body made of Kevlar, an aerodynamic design and three racing wheels. Topped up by a 35cc engine, the car will compete in the 2009 Shell Eco-marathon Americas scheduled to take place on April 15. Currently the car does 430 kilometers on a single liter of unleaded gas, but the team is now hoping to set a new record of 1445 kilometers per liter or more 3000 miles per gallon of fuel. If the team is successful in getting anywhere near to the target, we might see bulletproof cars made of Kevlar in the very near future.
Eco Factor: Radio stations powered by solar energy.
Residents in certain remote areas of Africa still lack access to grid electricity, and instant communication is still a distant dream for them. Orange Guinea Conakry and Ericsson have now teamed up to change the conditions of people living in these areas. Both companies are planning to deploy over a hundred base stations that will be completely off-grid and depend on the power of the sun along with a diesel generator to act as a backup.
Eco Factor: Sustainable building to be made from bamboo.
Bamboo is the world’s fastest growing plant and due to this ability, it’s considered an ecofriendly and renewable material. Other properties of this material like tensile strength make it a great choice for construction. Dutch architect Robert Verrijit along with Indian architect Shefali Balwani of Architecture Brio have teamed together to develop a modern, 3-story building in Karjat, India, which will use bamboo as a primary supporting material.
Eco Factor: Cellphone powered by solar energy.
Just after cellphone manufacturers like LG, Samsung and ZTE announced their solar-powered devices at the MWC, KDDI’s design studio has a latest concept device designed by Japanese Takumi Ota – GEM. What seems more of a digital diary, the cellphone is not expected to be feature-rich in any case and if it were to be proved wrong, the only features in there would be a digital clock, a calculator, a calendar and, of course, a keyboard for you to do the calculations, calling and texting.
Eco Factor: Cost-effective solar cells can be printed like currency notes.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), a world leading research organization, has announced that they have succeeded in developing a new range of flexible organic solar cells that can be printed reel-to-reel just like currency notes.
Eco Factor: Kitchen cabinetry and base units made from recyclable materials.
Italian manufacturer Valcucine has developed the world’s first recyclable modular kitchen having a structure made from recycled aluminum, consuming just 20% of the energy required to obtain primary aluminum. Dubbed the “gReenaissance,” the kitchen cabinetry is made in glass and aluminum that could be recycled easily to prevent anything from being littered.
Eco Factor: Recycled washing machine works without electricity.
Recently we saw a team of students at MIT develop an energy harnessing shock absorber system that could provide electricity for your next-gen electric cars, and today we have another green design from the same institute. “Bicilavadora” is a new pedal-powered washing machine that has been designed by a team of students at MIT using nothing more than an old oil drum, an old bicycle and some pieces of plastic joined together.
Eco Factor: Solar-powered radio made from PLA.
Earlier today we discussed a concept MP3 player which uses the power of your fingers to deliver music in a retro way, and now we have another eco-invention for people in love with music. The Blister Radio, a design from the house of Klaus Rosburg, is just made to tickle your senses in a green way.
Eco Factor: Solar-powered streetlight design.
Whenever solutions to some of the gravest problems confronting humans today are sought, there is no better guide that Mother Nature herself. Designer Jongoh Lee too has taken help from nature in answering the problem of energy and global warming. Lee has designed a stunning new concept for urban streetlights of the future, which is inspired from photosynthesis of plants.
Eco Factor: Fuel-cell operable at 550°C.
Cutting down on the size and temperature requirements of fuel cells, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has developed a new fuel cell that’s just the size of a sugar cube. The SOFC, or solid-oxide fuel cell, has 25 needle-like modules, each with a diameter of 0.8mm, which are arranged in the shape of a sugar cube.
Eco Factor: Garden light that is powered by wind energy.
With public getting more and more conscious about the deteriorating condition of environment, green technology is gaining preference in every field of life. Let it be huge architectural project or small gadgets powered by alternative sources of energy. Boosting this green trend, a new small, but charming concept, “Light Flower”, also emerged from the creative mind of designer Djordje Cukanovic ChuDes. Concept is simple and runs on wind power.
Eco Factor: Mobile hands-free kit runs on solar energy.
Better Energy Systems, the same company that earlier rocked the internet world with their innovative solar-powered Solio has shown that they can develop much more than some nifty chargers by launching a solar-powered hands-free kit at the Mobile World Congress 2009. The trendy looking hands-free kit can stick to your car window and relive you of all tensions related to its charging. However, if you live in a place where sunshine isn’t that common or if you are more of a night rider, then you also have the old and trusted cigarette lighter adaptor to do the job for you. The device will be compatible will all Bluetooth enabled phones and should hit the shelves in mid 2009 with a tag of about $100.
Eco Factor: Sun and wind harnessing high-rise for the headquarters for China Insurance Group.
Austrian architecture firm Coop Himmelb(l)au have won the competition held for designing the next-gen headquarters for China Insurance Group with a stunning piece of architecture that merges technology with the environment. Intended to be built in Shenzhen, China, the 49-story architecture will have a height of 200 meters and a footprint area of 1600-square meters.
Eco Factor: Mobile baby carry unit made from recycled kitchen unit.
Like people all around the globe, you too might be carrying your infant in a normal pram or a usual baby carry unit. If you along with you baby hate going by the conventions, then the recycled baby carry unit made by a Portuguese couple might suit your needs. “25 Pedra De Sal”, is what Jacinta and Casimiro Costa call their new invention which has been made from a recycled kitchen unit.
Eco Factor: Cellphone charged by solar energy.
Solar energy is going great guns at the Mobile World Congress with some great companies including LG and Samsung launching their innovative solar-powered phones. While those phone might be a wee bit expensive, ZTE telecom, a Chinese manufacturer, has also joined the solar race with the low-cost Coral-200 solar phone.
Eco Factor: Kinetic energy-harnessing chair design.
While reading a newspaper or a celeb magazine, most people have a habit of rocking on the chair on which they sit. Designer Petr Novak has now designed a chair to harness this habit of all regular book and magazine readers. A kinematic mechanism is integrated in the chair that harnesses every movement of the chair and converts it into useful energy. This energy is either stored in the batteries, or can be used to light up your book with a built-in LED lamp that is powered by the dynamo beneath the seat.
Eco Factor: A cheap solar-powered water heater made from recycled materials.
Recycling is one thing that is no less than painting when it comes to the skills and the ingenuity required. Someone at The Sietch has all those skills perfected and he’s used them to utmost brilliance by using the radiator grills of an old and dirty refrigerator to develop a solar-powered water heater that won’t cost more than $5.
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