Eco Factor: Waste to energy system breaks down garbage without incinerating it.

Houston-based Waste Management, a large waste company, has announced a joint venture with InEnTec to develop and commercialize large-scale plasma-gasification facilities, which will generate fuel and energy from waste commonly trashed in landfills. This new technique will make use of plasma arcs to break organic materials into syngas, which can further be burnt in gas turbines to produce electricity or can also be converted into other fuels like gasoline and ethanol.

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Eco Factor: Solar-powered streetlight concept.

Designed by Joel Högberg, Björn Rehammar, Viktor Karlsson and Peter Flodin, students at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, the solar-powered lamppost aims to provide a sense of security in African villages where grid electricity is still a futuristic dream. With a top-mounted solar panel and low-wattage LEDs, the designers expect the lamppost to run for 20 nights on a completely charged battery.

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Eco Factor: NoPoPo debuts flashlight powered by urine-powered NoPoPo batteries.

NoPoPo batteries marked their presence with some amazing features and qualities. The batteries, which could be recharged using urine, have found their first real application in a new flashlight developed by NoPoPo, which is being touted to run for 10 years without a recharge. The batteries which can only be recharged four times, offer enough operation time to make it a better alternative to other flashlights powered by conventional batteries.

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Eco Factor: Solar panels for mobile devices are just 0.8mm thick.

Sharp has announced the global release of the world’s thinnest solar panels, especially designed for next-gen devices of the future, which have to be slimmer, lightweight and above all, green. The LR0GC02 Solar Panel module is just 0.8mm thick and would be able to increase the life of the battery and hence users would be able to use the built-in systems with ease.

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Eco Factor: Water saving dishwasher by Alexey Danilin uses ultrasonic cleaning.

Washing dishes, especially in a dishwasher, is definitely a waste of water, but if you’re one of those lazybones on the planet who would rather go in for disposable plastic cutlery to save yourself from washing them time and again, industrial designer Alexey Danilin has a neat solution. The creative designer has used his skills to design a dishwasher that saves on water and saves you from washing dirty dishes with your hands.

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Eco Factor: Solar installations in large deserts could supply a quarter of our energy needs by 2050.

A study conducted by Greenpeace, European Solar Thermal Electricity Association (ESTELA) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) has resulted in a 28-page report, which states that deserts around the world have the potential to generate up to a quarter of the world’s electricity by 2050. The study is based on the use of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology, which is suited to hot, cloudless regions, such as the Sahara or Middle East.

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Eco Factor: Zero emission concept car runs on solar energy.

Drawing inspiration from Formula 1 cars, Swiss designer Ralph Kaeppeli has come up with a futuristic car that is not just fast and lightweight but also helps in sustaining the environment. Called “SOOL,” the revolutionary car is the first solar powered Peugeot vehicle that causes no emissions at all (not even noise).

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Eco Factor: New biological method controls pests without using harmful chemicals.

This year’s Bloom Flower Show will feature the introduction of a new biological method of controlling pests. The inventor of the idea, Dr. Abdul Al-Ami, calls it “SuperNemo.” According to Dr. Abdul, it can be applied to get rid of a variety of insect species in different parts of world. It is mainly composed of specially prepared microscopic nematodes. One more benefit of using SuperNemo is that it will destroy only targeted insects without producing any chemical byproducts. Further, the absence of chemicals ensures protection against intoxication of soil that most of the time causes ill effects on wildlife, earthworms, bumblebees, pets and children.

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Eco Factor: Solar-powered radio uses hand crank as an alternate.

Ensuring that solar-powered gadgets function when there is no sun, has been a headache for most designers for whom it’s hard to integrate an alternate charging mechanism which is as green as the solar panels. Why try to figure out a way to integrate expensive fuel cells in gadgets when a simple and inexpensive hand crank can do the job? That’s what the Solar Powered AM/FM radio does – a simple hand crank is integrated in the system to do the charging job in a green way during nighttime or an overcast day. Turn it for just one minute and the radio will play back for about thirty minutes. The Solar Radio measures just 3.25″ x 3″ x 2.25″ which makes it extremely portable. The radio can be purchased from the UsefulThings store for just $24.95.

Via: RedFerret

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Eco Factor: Photovoltaic power optimizers from Solmetric for National Semiconductor’s SolarMagic™ power optimizers.

National Semiconductor has announced a deal with Solmetric Corp, which has developed a software tool to estimate the amount of energy generated by a photovoltaic array and hence enhance it by outfitting the system with National’s SolarMagic ™ power optimizers, which are used to enable solar panels to produce maximum energy regardless of whether other panels in the array are under-performing due to shade, debris, panel mismatch and aging.

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I want my lipstick to be free from synthetic fragrance and color, free from phthalates, parabens and petro-chemicals, yet chock full of ECOCERT-backed organic ingredients. I want a variety of colors, from rosy corals to deep reds and I want it housed in environmentally safe packaging. I want. I want. I want. And Cargo’s Plant Love delivers. Each of the collection’s twenty all natural colors comes in a biodegradable tube made from corn. Even the external packaging is eco-friendly—plant it and eventually wildflowers will sprout. And as a cherry on top of the already feel-good organic cosmetics, Cargo donates two dollars from the sale of every tube of Plant Love to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

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Eco Factor: Portable battery made from old aluminum can, saltwater and charcoal.

The billions of batteries discarded every year pose a serious threat to the environment and to the scarce freshwater reserves, which provide potable water to billions of people. Rechargeable batteries do reduce the scare but not as much as environmentalists would really love. Instructables user “Egbertfitzwilly” has posted a nice DIY which allows you to make a battery at home using commonly available materials.

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Eco Factor: Recyclable rainwater harvesting system from HERO.

If you aren’t really keen to spoil your yard with a recycled rainwater harvesting systems, Toronto-based HERO has an alternative for you. The company has rolled out a new line of rainwater harvesting system known as the “365”. The simple yet elegant rainwater harvesting systems are made from lightweight aluminum for easy installation, no-rust characteristics and recyclability.

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Eco Factor: Zero-emission car powered by electricity.

BRUSA Elektronik has developed a new electric roadster, The Spyder, which offers speed, performance and styling without polluting the environment with even a gram of CO2 emission. The Porsche 550-inspired roadster comes with two real-wheel-mounted 100KW electric motors which churn out an amazing 270HP and 324 foot-pounds of torque.

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Eco Factor: Unmanned aircraft powered by solar energy.

Aurora Flight Sciences has announced that the company successfully flew their latest solar powered UAV, the SunLight Eagle. The flights took place at the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Test Center operated by the Physical Science Laboratory of New Mexico State University. The news came just days after the company announced the successful completion of a solar aircraft from DARPA’s Vulture Program.

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Eco Factor: Cold storage facility powered by solar energy.

Perpetual Power has announced the completion of a 416KW DC solar installation on a Budweiser cold beer storage facility in Contra Costa County, California. The 2,240 panels, which cover about 60% of the 110K-aquare-foot building’s energy needs generate about 600,000KWh of energy which would result in an annual savings of approximately $100,000.

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Eco Factor: Lawnmower with a hybrid engine.

Taming the jungles in your backyard definitely requires some patience, especially if you’re doing that during summers. Those who don’t want to leave the comfort of their air-conditioned living rooms for the sake of a clean garden must try the Southern RobotX. Equipped with tank-like treads, the lean machine can tackle just about any terrain and with the effective cutting units, the system promises you clean lawn in just minutes.

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Eco Factor: Energy-efficient Air Conditioning system from Ice Energy.

Ice Energy has developed an energy-efficient way to reduce the energy required by air conditioners installed in small to mid-sized commercial buildings. Ice Bear, as the system has been named, stores off-peak power in the form of ice to reduce daytime energy consumption, which isn’t green and is obviously expensive.

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Eco Factor: Outdoor umbrella generates power for recharging portable devices.

Konarka Technologies, an innovator in development and commercialization of Power Plastic (a material that converts light to energy), is working to make sure that power for your portable devices is available anywhere. The firm entered into a technology partnership with SKYShades one year ago and lately, SKYShades received its first shipment of Konarka Power Plastic thin film. SKYShades is one of the global leaders in supplying shade and tension membrane structures. This lightweight thin film, which converts light to energy, will be used by SKYShades to create the Powerbrella, an innovative way to charge your laptop, cellphone or other portable devices outdoors.

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Eco Factor: Genetically engineered cattle to produce less methane and consume less food.

A race is going on between the biggest car manufacturers on the planet to develop the most fuel-efficient and low-emission car that can rule the roads without polluting the environment. Another race is taking shape in Canada where some scientists are trying to genetically engineer cows in a way that makes them eat less food and emit less methane.

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It’s very cool to see more and more affordable, stylish, eco-friendly clothing options coming to market. Loomstate for Target is the latest example of how stylish, green fashion items can be offered at big box store prices. Calvin Klein’s organic cotton boxer briefs enable men to be eco-friendly on the inside and Topo Ranch’s line of organic cotton clothing enables men to embrace their outer eco-fashion instincts too (note: Topo also offers a wide selection for women; I’ve just never worn it).

I’m a huge fan of Top Ranch’s organic cotton t-shirts. They drape well, look super-cool and respect the earth. I wore several throughout the recent filming of my upcoming television show, and – if that’ s not endorsement enough – even the show’s editors, who had to spend countless hours staring at me on screen while cutting the footage, remarked how much they liked the t-shirts too.

One look I’ve tried to cultivate with varying degrees of success is what we at the Lazy E affectionately refer to as “Urbiana Jones.” We’re talking about Duds that let you at least give off the impression that you’re a swashbuckling yet urbane adventurer.  Some of Topo Ranch’s tops are distinctly Urbiana Jones. Check out the Keysburg organic cotton button-down and you’ll see what I mean.

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I’ll be the first to admit, I’m pretty darn lazy when it comes to painting. As long as they aren’t dripping with blood a la The Amityville Horror, I pretty much leave my walls alone. But in the event that I miraculously wake up one morning with a bristle brush and painter’s tape in my hands, I’d go with two new zero-VOC eco paint options from Kelly-Moore.

The first new eco-offering from Kelly-Moore – “The Painter’s Paint Store –  is Enviro Coat, a line of premium 100 percent acrylic paint for interiors that, thanks to an odor-curbing anti microbial agent, won’t render you loopy after the first coat is done. After recently seeing a friend who had just spent hours using stinky, run-of-the-mill paint in a not-so-well-ventilated room, I wasn’t sure if I should congratulate her on the even looking application and excellent color choice or have her institutionalized … she complained of a headache and was speaking in tongues.

The second new paint line from Kelly-Moore, is Green Coat, a selection of water-based interior paints that are free of indoor-air-quality-compromising solvents. Like Enviro Coat, Green Coat is competitively priced and in the process of achieving Green Seal certification.  Most importantly, both the Enviro Coat and Green Coat lines are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), come in a wide range of custom colors, and promise easy clean up. This trifecta pretty much guarantees easily breathing for anyone who knows their way with a paint brush.

This isn’t California-based Kelly-Moore’s first foray into eco paint land. In 1995, the forty-plus-year old company became the first major paint-maker to unroll a line of premium recycled paints for interiors and exteriors. The line, eCoat, is made from a minimum of 50 percent post-consumer waste paint and is available in flat, eggshell, and semi-gloss enamel.

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The fretting over the decline of the printed word is nothing new; the respective arrivals of radio, film, and television each prompted widespread concern that newspapers and magazines would soon be obsolete at worst or rare at best. But the internet differs from earlier threats to the ink-and-paper culture insomuch as that it promises to evolve the medium rather than eliminate it – and Zinio, a growing firm that offers digital magazines at low subscription rates, is doing its part to hasten the end of what will someday be remembered as the very odd practice of reading and writing our words on dead vegetable matter.

Zinio provides users with the ability to instantly download digital magazines to be read either online or off by way of any number of reader programs, thereby allowing subscribers to enjoy their favorite periodicals on their PC or PDA. Options abound, with Zinio offering quite a bit more variety than you’ll find at your average newsstand or even your above-average one; over 1,000 publications are available for download by the issue or by way of a subscription. As one might expect, the reduction of costs associated with actual printing and shipping allow for bargain rates, and special offers abound. Conveniently enough, Zinio also allows users to search the site’s entire database of available issues by keyword order to find particular articles on a given subject.

The company also offers a small selection of consumer books, but won’t be competing with Amazon and its Kindle reader anytime soon; only a couple dozen are available at the moment, with offerings limited mostly to travel guide. On the other hand, Zinio has partnered with textbook publishers to provide digital versions of their products at rates well below the expensive norm; a downloabable copy of Macroeconomics by Campbell McConnell, for instance, goes for a bit over 60 bucks, half of what a new copy costs over at Amazon.

As wonderful as all of this is for starving students and tree-huggers alike, there’s now another good reason to give Zinio a try: the Read Green Initiative (goreadgreen.com), a program organized by Zinio, offers first-time users a free one-year subscription to a magazine of their choice, with proceeds of any additional subscriptions purchased going towards the planting of trees, this being a welcome reversal for the printed word.

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Eco Factor: Forklift powered by a diesel/electric hybrid engine.

Toyota Industries Corporation has announced the development of the world’s first hybrid forklift. The Geneo-Hybrid forklift carries a 2.5-liter diesel engine which is coupled with an NIMH battery pack and an electric motor. The forklift has a maximum load capacity of 3,500kg.

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Eco Factor: Modified bicycle generates electricity.

Recently University of Oregon announced that the exercise machines in their campus have been modified to generate electricity, which could eventually illuminate some lights of the campus and the fitness center. The modifying procedure needed a few technical skills, which neither of us can mimic at home. However, if you too want to convert your sweat into watts we have a neat idea for you that will not cost you more than $10 if you possess an old bicycle in your garage.

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