Eco Factor: Concept car designed to get powered by solar energy.
In an effort to green personal transportation, industrial designers have long imagined vehicles that are powered by electric engines running on renewable sources of energy harvested by the vehicle itself. The Deltoid, which was an entrant at the Michelin Design Challenge, is one such double energy vehicle that harvests renewable energy for a sustainable ride.
Eco Factor: Concept multi-functional office building designed to run on renewable sources of energy.
RAU Architects have unveiled the design of a sustainable mixed-use office building, dubbed the Green Office 2015, which combines a spacious interior for a healthy and comfortable working environment and ample green space for recreation.
Eco Factor: Sustainable stadium concept designed to harvest renewable energy.
Njiric + Arhitekti has designed a large stadium that tries to push the boundary of human experiences of public spaces. The sustainable stadium is housed within an artificial hill made of recycled rubber, with a blue pigment sprayed onto corrugated aluminum sheets.
Eco Factor: Dale Vince to attempt electric land speed record.
Dale Vince, the founder of green energy supplier Ecotricity, will be attempting to break the land speed record in an all-electric vehicle dubbed the Nemesis. The record currently stands at 137mph, which will be challenged by the wind-powered electric vehicle.
Eco Factor: Zero-emission car powered by electric batteries.
The Micron is an all-electric four-wheeled vehicle designed by Exid for young individuals. The car is designed as a simple, smart, clean and economical answer to rising pollution levels and congested city lanes.
Eco Factor: Zero-emission trike harvests solar power.
Designed by Tim Tobola, the Urban Commuter Trike aims to solve the mains issues in transportation today, which include the over-dependence on polluting fossil-fuel-powered cars. The easiest way to reduce the carbon footprint of individuals is to reduce this dependence and increase the use of renewable energy powered vehicles.
Eco Factor: Sustainable office building designed to reduce energy consumption.
Hufft Projects has designed a sustainable office building for R.B. Murray Company that serves to demonstrate the client’s values of ecofriendly architecture. The office building features various energy-saving technologies to reduce the ecological impact of the office building.
Eco Factor: Low-emission car powered by a hybrid engine.
Audi has confirmed that a hybrid version of its Q5 will hit the market by 2011. The vehicle will be first mass-market hybrid vehicle for a German brand. The company however hasn’t made any commitment to manufacture a right-hand drive model, which could leave Australian customers waiting for some more time.
Eco Factor: Double-sided PV modules generate energy from waste light.
Sanyo Canada Inc along with AVACOS Solar Energy has unveiled the first Canadian photovoltaic system combining Sanyo’ HIT Double bifacial solar PV modules and DuROCK Tio-Coat reflective roof membrane at DuROCK Alfacing International Ltd.’s headquarters in Woodbridge.
Eco Factor: Concept energy saving CFL lamp.
Industrial designer Ariel Rojo is making sure that energy saving is not only simple but adorable at the same time with a concept lamp dubbed the Piggy Energy Bank that is intended to send a message about energy savings.
If you’re in the market for a new mattress and you’d like to find something with minimal toxicity, off-gassing and the like, then search no further. If you’d like to spruce up your existing mattress with a little eco-savvy, you can do that too.
Why natural latex or organic cotton?
Many people have no choice, they’re simply allergic to latex. Most latex allergies are contact allergies, meaning that the person who is allergic has to come into direct contact with latex to feel the negative effects of their allergy. Others feel the effects by proximity, so if any of this applies, you’ll have to just try it out and cross your fingers (yep, no way of knowing ahead of time and everybody’s different). Many people with latex allergies report no such effects with natural latex.
For the rest of us, who aren’t allergic, we’re just looking to live cleaner, greener – meaning less contact with toxic substances that have longterm effects on our well being – and healthier lives in balance with the planet. It’s the same motivation that drives a person to eat organic foods and use natural cleaning products: quality. Air quality, design quality, general quality of life now and down the road a ways…
Either way, we’re all looking for a comfortable night’s rest. Fortunately, the natural latex and organic cotton mattress has gotten a lot more comfortable in the last few years — this isn’t the hippy-dippy sandpaper stuff they sold years ago. Better mattresses are also much more readily available and more affordable than they’ve ever been. You can find organic queen mattress options here. Many people find that an organic cotton and wool mattress pad provides enough separation while also adding comfort as well as temperature and moisture control (if you’re a “hot sleeper” you know what I mean).
Not for me, for baby
Like so many other aspects of life, we don’t become totally aware of these issues on our own accord, not until we’re caring for others, namely our children. You can find the best organic crib mattress here.
Organic Sheets for your newly greened bed?
If you’re equally excited by the prospect of avoiding the toxicity of the chemicals that contact your skin directly as you are about the indoor air quality where you sleep, you can find a number of excellent, affordable organic cotton and bamboo sheets and sheet sets here. Nighty night!
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Eco Factor: Sustainable building powered by solar and wind energy.
The decline in the amount of land available for farming has tempted architects to think about cities that are not based on the land but are constructed in the form of skyscrapers. However, the rise in population will mean that designers will have to find a way to even reduce the amount of land required for a building to stand.
Eco Factor: LED lamp powered by solar energy.
Lighting fixtures and lamps use a major percentage of the total amount of energy a household consumes. Using renewable energy for lighting systems can significantly reduce energy consumption. Od-Do Arhiteckti has come up with a sustainable lamp that harvests clean energy during the day for sustainable lighting after dark.
Eco Factor: Self-powered prosthetic limbs to harvest kinetic energy.
KCF Technologies will be receiving a $2 million grant to develop and commercialize self-powered prosthetic limb technology that will improve the quality of life for amputees and improve their ability to return to active military duty.
Eco Factor: Concept low-emission vehicle powered by a hybrid engine.
The Expedition Vehicle Concept or E.V.C by designer Prodan Dragos is a versatile and adaptable vehicle that can be configured to suit the requirements of the user. The concept vehicle can be changed from an enclosed camping vehicle to an open-top cruiser in minutes.
Eco Factor: Zero-emission electric car powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
Kia has released new footage of their latest fuel cell prototype vehicle, the Borrego FCEV. The vehicle is a rear/all-wheel drive SUV, where the front wheels are propelled via a 110KW AC electric motor. The vehicle gets its juice from a 115KW fuel cell stack located under the passenger compartment.
Eco Factor: Energy-saving monitor made from recycled materials.
BenQ Korea has unveiled two new ecofriendly monitors dubbed the ‘V2400 Eco/ V2200Eco’ that feature energy-saving LED backlight. The monitors are made from recycled plastic and are launched in two different sizes including a 22-inch and a 24-inch model.
Eco Factor: GPS device runs on solar energy.
fTech has launched a new solar-powered GPS receiver that comes with a rechargeable battery and features a solar panel for recharging on the move. The onboard solar panel is used to extend the operating time of the device, which according to the company can last up to 30 hours when the solar panel is activated.
Eco Factor: Solar-powered gadget charger.
We’ve seen some innovative chargers that let you recharge your electronic gear on the move using the abundant energy of the sun. However, the Keystone Eco Tag is different. The unique device features a writing area to be penciled in for use as a luggage tag.
Eco Factor: Low-emission car designed to run on a hybrid engine.
A hybrid low-emission vehicle from Ferrari has been rumored for long. Italy’s Quattroroute magazine thinks that the auto maker is working on a hybrid based on the 599 GTB Fiorano platform that could appear at the Geneva Auto Show in March.
Eco Factor: High-speed electric train.
The world’s fastest high-speed train has been launched in China that averages at over 217mph. The new train is faster than all other trains in the world and will link Wuhan in central China to Guangzhou in the south, covering a total distance of 663 miles. The service will reduce the travel time from over 6 hours to just 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Eco Factor: Concept zero-emission vehicle made from recyclable materials.
Industrial designer James Yarger has come up with a zero-emission transportation concept dubbed the Yarga YoYo that is primarily a single seat inner city transportation vehicle. The vehicle can also be a part of a larger transportation system that offers vehicles on rent basis.
Eco Factor: Low-emission motorcycle runs on a hybrid engine.
Indian manufacturer Eko Vehicles has announced the development of the ET-120, which is being claimed to be the world’s first production hybrid motorcycle. The ET-120 has been developed with assistance from U.S.-based Emerging Technologies and uses a 70cc gasoline engine mated with a small electric motor.
Eco Factor: Prefabricated living module for sustainable living.
IRO Prefab is the work of industrial designer Mira Yung, which has been designed considering the need for low impact sustainable homes. The IRO can be fabricated locally or can be shipped to the site via a single standard 20 feet shipping container.
Eco Factor: Fuel-saving aircraft uses helium for lift.
The Dynalifter aircraft is a fuel-saving combination of an aircraft and a heavier-than-air airship that requires almost no ground infrastructure. The airship gets aloft with up to 80% lift coming from helium and the remaining provided by a fuel-efficient internal combustion engine.
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