Eco-Innovation Articles From Around the World
Could Sun-Reflecting Mirrors Replace the Light Bulb?
Source: wired.co.uk Published: October 29, 2013 Credit: luladot.com By Tom Cheshire Lucy Norman knows how much we need natural sunlight, so she set out to get more of it into our lives. “I did a lot of research into optical physics, hanging out at Imperial College...
Hydraulic Seafloor Carpet Could Harness the Energy of Ocean Waves
Source: treehugger.com Published: February 18, 2014 © TAF Lab In the quest for another renewable energy source that can potentially provide a constant source of carbon-free power, researchers at UC Berkeley are working on extracting the energy of ocean waves, and...
Pharrell Williams Announces Denim Line Made from Recycled Ocean Plastic
Source: mnn.com Published: February 11, 2014 Singer-songwriter, in collaboration with G-Star Raw, will create jeans made from plastic-based ‘bionic yarn’ Photo: Snapshot from video below (no longer available) By Michael d'Estries Fashion designer, singer, and...
Indian Scientists in US Convert Discarded Plastic into Petroleum Products
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com Published: February 14, 2014 Kounteya Sinha| TNN | LONDON: In a major breakthrough Indian-origin scientists based in US have successfully converted plastic shopping bags into diesel, natural gas and other useful petroleum products....
Hybrid Solar Oven Can Cook on Cloudy Days or At Night
Source: treehugger.com Published: February 4, 2014 © Sun BD Derek Markham derekmarkham Solar ovens are a remarkable low-tech and low-impact accessory for off-grid cooking, and can make sense even if you have access to plenty of cheap electricity, as long as you have...
Eco Stroller
Source: inhabitat.com Published: February 12, 2014 Environmentally conscious parents don’t have to compromise on quality or design when taking little ones on an adventure in the Bumbleride Indie 4 stroller. A new addition to its popular line of high-end stroller...
iPod-Powered Scarecrows Could Help Subsistence Farmers Protect Crops
Source: treehugger.com Published: February 7, 2014 Derek Markham derekmarkham © WKU When your life depends on the survival of the crops in your garden, as it does for many subsistence farmers across the world, one raid from the animal kingdom can be a serious setback,...
How to Make Seed Paper for Valentine Cards
Source: schoolrecycling.net Published: February 7, 2013 When is a recycled product better than the original? When it’s paper that turns into flowers. Here is a good way to recycle used paper and make a beautiful greeting card for someone special. Make your own artsy...
Oxgut Products Are Made from Genuine Retired Fire Hose
Source: sfgate.com Published: February 5, 2014 Photo: Sean Dagen, Dagenphoto.com Oxgut Hose Co. of Emeryville creates mats, furniture and accessories out of decommissioned fire hose, which is resilient, indestructible and colorful. Exclusive Designs with a heroic...
Recycled Flipflops Turned into Playful Animal Toys
Source: treehugger.com Published: February 4, 2014 © Ocean Sole Bonnie Alter Abandoned flipflops are an environmental disaster. Thousands upon thousands of them are washed up onto the beaches and coast of Kenya. They destroy the natural beauty of the beaches, clog...
London’s Subterranean Farm
Source: telegraph.co.uk Published: January 31, 2014 Two entrepreneurs Richard Ballard and Steven Dring have set up a 2.5 acre crop farm below the Northern Line, near Clapham North in London. The first test garden, which has been up and running for a few months as part...
Zeoform: Turns Hemp into Almost Anything
Source: csglobe.com Published: January 30, 2014 Liam S. Whittaker Most of us want to change the world and millions of us change the world every day. There are those that put smiles on people’s faces, those that make people laugh, people that inspire others, ordinary...
Cheap, Biodegradable Sugar Batteries
Source: myscienceacademy.org Published: January 30, 2014 Image © Virginia Tech Environmentally friendly, energy-dense sugar battery developed by a Virginia Tech research team, a development that could replace conventional batteries with ones that are cheaper. The new...
World’s Largest Solar-Powered Bridge
Source: theguardian.com Published: January 22, 2014 Blackfriars rail station secures half its power from 4,400 roof-mounted solar panels, reports BusinessGreen Solar panels on Blackfriars bridge in London Photograph: /Network Rail After nearly five years in the...
Incredible Edible Todmorden
Source: theecologist.org Published: January 1, 2014 Todmorden in Yorkshire’s Calder Valley has been transformed by free food growing on its streets, parks and even its rooftops. Julian Dobson tells the inspiring story of Incredible Edible and how the transformational...
Smart Go Bins Make It Easy to Donate Textiles
Source: treehugger.com Published: January 22, 2014 © Goodwill of San Francisco Megan Treacy mtreacy Goodwill of San Francisco wants to make donating textiles as convenient as possible and they’re debuting a new high-tech solution to get more people donating their used...
20,000 Discarded Cups to Be Zip-Tied into Serpentine Pavilion
Source: treehugger.com Published: January 9, 2014 Margaret Badore mbadore © CDR Studio Used cups are the material of choice for this summer’s City of Dreams pavilion at the Figment art festival in New York City. The design by CDR Studio is called “Governor’s Cup,” and...
Mobile Device Charger That Generates Renewable Energy from Movements
Source: touchofmodern.com Published: January 15, 2014 The nPower PEG is the world’s first mobile device charger that generates renewable energy from movements like walking, running, and biking. Keep the PEG in your briefcase, backpack, or purse and go about your daily...
FILM – Greater Good Food Film Festival – 2013
Films showing at our Eco-Center Wed., Oct. 9 – Ingredients - an exploration of the growing local food movement --- showing how partnerships between local farms and the communities they serve can lead to healthy sustainable food supplies. Preceded at 5:45 by locally...
Zero Carbon Hemcrete Home Delivers Outstanding Performance
Source: greenbuildingpress.co.uk Published: October 30, 2013 When a Hampshire couple decided to downsize from their family home, a 16thC listed thatched cottage - they wanted their new house to impact on the environment as little as possible. Green construction and...
Repair Café Toronto Aims for Less Disposable Society
Source: insidetoronto.com Published: January 8, 2014 Group of volunteers planning a ‘fix it’ gathering Jan. 11 Volunteer fixer Daniel Medeiros, foreground, and Susan Sussman check a vaccum cleaner during a recent Repair Café Toronto event. - Photo/COURTESY While many...
WakaWaka Provides Portable Solar Power to Syrian Refugees
Source: inhabitat.com: Published: December 19, 2013 by Charley Cameron An estimated 6.8 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing civil war. With many refugees struggling to find access to adequate shelter, power, safe light sources and...
Conservation Group Turns Christmas Trees into Salmon Habitat
Source: goodnewsnetwork.org Published: January 2, 2014 By Good News Network Before you kick your dying Christmas tree to the curb, consider this: Members of the conservation group Trout Unlimited would love to turn that tree into fish habitat. On three Saturdays in...
Times Square Ball Drop to Be Powered by Citi Bike This New Year’s Eve
Source: treehugger.com Published: December 27, 2013 CC BY 2.0 Anthony Quintano Margaret Badore This morning, The Times Square Alliance and New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan announced that Citi Bikes will be used to light up the New Year's...
Grass Could Become the World’s Next Big Biofuel Source
Source: inhabitat.com Published: December 26, 2013 Scientists have figured out how to make biofuels with everything from algae to bacteria poop, and now they are turning to grass. A new European research project called GrassMargins seeks to discover a new perennial...
Dutch Biotech Firm to Make Car Tires from Hybrid Dandelions
Source: inhabitat.com Published: February 18, 2013 by Inhabitat Staff Image via Wikicommons users Nicolas Zea P. and Loyna You see them popping up in your garden, and soon the dandelion may also parked in your driveway. Dutch biotech firm KeyGene has plans to use the...
Giant Marble Harvests Energy from Sun and Moon
Source: seeker.com Published: September 19, 2012 The weatherproof sphere is designed to rotate and follow the sun across the sky. Credit: Andre Rawlemon ANALYSIS: Solar Panels Light Up the NFL It looks like a giant, glass marble. But this globe is no game. It’s a...
Algae Converted to Crude Oil in Less Than an Hour
Source: nbcnews.com Published: December 17, 2013 This concentrated goo of algae can be converted into a bio-crude in less than an hour, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory The day when planes, trucks and cars are commonly...
Jump Rope Charges Devices with Kinetic Energy
Source: treehugger.com Published: December 18, 2013 Derek Markham © Uncharted Play Harnessing the kinetic energy of people and objects in motion, and converting it to electricity, is one of the latest innovations in offgrid and renewable power, and we've already seen...
Personal Energy Generator
Source: npowerpeg.com Published: December 13, 2013 This charger harvests kinetic energy to generate electricity, and is perfect for outdoors enthusiasts who don’t typically have access to electrical outlets and who want to eliminate the need for batteries. The PEG is...
Wave House
Source: dezeen.com Published: December 2, 2013 A layer of grasses, herbs and flowers blankets the roof of this hump-shaped house near Reims, France, by architect Patrick Nadeau (+ slideshow). Named La Maison-vague, which translates as Wave House, Patrick Nadeau‘s...
Parking Space Sized Vegetable Factory That’s Perfect for Urban Farmers
Source: earthtechling.com Published: August 15, 2012 Here’s the thing about cities: they’re awesome in many ways, but in other ways they suck. For instance, lots of people living close together usually means access to decent public transportation and smaller, more...
Brooklyn Now Has A Giant Buddha Statue of Its Own and It’s Made Entirely of Recycled Materials
Source: inhabitat.com Published: November 22, 2013 Queen Mother of Reality” is a 50-foot-long form that at first glance resembles a reclining deity like one you might see in Asia. Take a closer look though and you’ll find that the Buddha-like figure has an...
London Taking Waste Heat from Subway Exhaust to Heat Flats
Source: inhabitat.com Published: November 20, 2013 London Underground photo from Shutterstock by Kristine Lofgren Anyone who has taken a ride on the London Underground knows that it can be a sweltering experience – even in the dead of winter. Right now, all of that...
Apple’s New Corporate Headquarters Features One of the World’s Largest Solar Arrays
Source: thinkprogress.org Published: November 20, 2013 by Adam Peck The Cupertino, California city council granted final approval to Apple, Inc on Tuesday for the consumer electronics company to begin construction of a new, 176-acre corporate headquarters. The...
‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ Sign to Go Solar
Source: reviewjournal.com Published: November 19, 2013 By JUSTIN YURKANIN LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL With more than 50 years of service and millions of tourists greeted, the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign will get a new power source: the sun. On Monday, a...
Giant Sequoia Planted by John Muir is Cloned
Source: latimes.com Published: November 5, 2013 This is the first clone of a giant sequoia planted by conservationist John Muir in the 1880s on his homestead in Martinez, Calif. (David Milarch / Archangel Ancient Tree Archive) By Louis Sahagun Horticulturists...
The World’s Most Eco-Friendly Car: It’s Made Entirely From HEMP
Source: truthonpot.com Published: November 7, 2013 The world’s most Eco-friendly car, the Kestrel, was designed in Canada by Calgary-based Motive Industries INC. The Kestrel is a three-door hatchback that runs on battery power and is made from “hemp composite as...
Bioplastics Company Ecovative Takes Top Prize for the 2013 Buckminster Fuller Challenge
Source: inhabitat.com Published: October 22, 2013 The BFI has just named New York-based Ecovative Design as their top prize winner for the prestigious 2013 Buckminster Fuller Challenge. The company will receive $100,000 to further develop their groundbreaking mushroom...
New Solar Bulbs Can Even Charge Your Smart Phone
Source: inhabitat.com Published: October 16, 2013 Nokero Solar’s affordable new N180 and N222 solar light bulbs bring off-the-grid lighting to a new audience. Ridiculously easy to use, these bulbs charge up with a built-in solar panel and provide hours of power and...
World’s First Floating Apartment Complex to Begin Construction in 2014!
Source: inhabitat.com Published: October 5, 2013 All Images Via Gizmag Citadel by Inhabitat Staff For centuries, the Dutch have manipulated the landscape to move water away from their dwellings. Instead of battling the elements, Netherlands-based firm Waterstudio just...
Introducing The New Excess Access
Source: matteroftrust.org Published: October 10, 2013 ExcessAccess.org has been completely transformed. In order to provide widespread “access” to man-made and natural “excess” the site has become bionic. It’s faster, more convenient, full of great new features and...
Hempcrete, Made from Hemp, Used to Build Houses
Source: huffingtonpost.com Published: October 8, 2013 Imagine you had a building material that was energy-efficient, non-toxic and resistant to mold, insects and fire. The material may even have a higher R-value, or thermal resistance, than concrete, a claim that is...
The Empire State Building Gets A Huge Green Roof!
Source: earthtechling.com Published: October 1, 2013 The Empire State Building, an architectural icon in New York City and beyond, just took a giant step forward in its quest to reduce energy consumption. The ‘World’s Most Famous Office Building’ now boasts four...
Merry-Go-Round Turns Kid Energy to Clean Energy
Source: grist.org Published: October 3, 2013 Empower Playgrounds By Holly Richmond If only we could use kids to fuel our homes and cars so they’d be useful for something. Wait, that came out wrong. But for Empower Playgrounds, it came out RIGHT: A non-profit called...
This Rechargeable LED Bulb Doubles as A Flashlight!
Source: earthtechling.com Published: September 25, 2013 A flashlight is essential during a power outage, but since no one ever expects the power to go out, flashlights are rarely up to the task. Dead batteries or simply forgetting where you’ve even stored the...
Scotland Approves Europe’s Largest Tidal Energy Project
Source: bbc.co.uk Published: September 16, 2013 Each of MeyGen's AR1000 turbines stands 22.5m (73ft) tall and weighs 1,500 tonnes Work is to begin on the largest tidal turbine energy project in Europe after the Scottish government approved it. The government of...
World’s Biggest Solar Thermal Power Plant Fired Up in California
Source: grist.org Published: September 25, 2013 Business Wire / Ivanpah on Tuesday. The 3,500-acre Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a startling sight in the Mojave Desert. Three sprawling units each contain a circular array of mirrors reflecting rays from...
Solar-Powered Green Greenberg Green House is Topped with a Living Roof
Source: inhabitat.com Published: September 24, 2013 Image ©Alen Lin and Ethan Pines by Bridgette Meinhold The Green Greenberg Green house isn't called green for just any reason. Besides being named after its clients (Greenberg & Green), the home has been awarded a...
Make a Solar Night Light from A Mason Jar
Source: instructables.com Published: September 17, 2013 By mazzmn in Workshop Easy project –how to make mason jar solar night lights from salvaged solar garden lights. Most of us have mason jars kicking around in the kitchen too, so this could easily be a weekend...
Solar-Powered Air Conditioning Coming Soon to Trains in India
Source: inhabitat498.rssing.com Published: August 15, 2013 Trains are an interesting and environmentally-friendly way to travel. In hot and crowded countries like India, however, comfort might be a poor adjective to describe the experience of the average train...
William and the Windmill
Source: upworthy.com Published: July 3, 2013 Watch this teenage MacGyver fight famine in Africa with only a picture, junk scraps, and a dream. If this guy can build a renewable energy source with scraps, what’s stopping a huge country like America? We have the...
The Miracle Tree with Tremendous Natural Multipurpose Activities
Source: miracletrees.org Published: September 11, 2013 The Latin name of the MIRACLE TREE is Moringa Oleifera. It is a tree native to India and cultivated in all sub-tropical areas. Though moringa oleifera is most common, there are a dozen other known species...
Mini Greenhouses
Source: megacrafty.com Published: February 20, 2013 I originally made this greenhouse last year. But thought I'd repost it because spring is right around the corner and this little greenhouse would make the perfect place to start seeds or showcase some spring bulbs...
Greenerator Lets Apartment Dwellers Collect Solar and Wind Power
Source: inhabitat.com Published: October 15, 2010 by Yuka Yoneda People who live in private homes have the option to install solar panels and residential wind turbines on their roofs, but what about those of us who live in apartment buildings? Well, the Greenerator is...
NliteN Launches 2D LED You Won’t Call A Light Bulb
Source: earthtechling.com Published: September 4, 2013 Mark it on your calendars, dear readers, for today is the day when the light bulb became obsolete. For over a century, we’ve illuminated our homes and cities with light bulbs–bulbous luminaries that mimic the...
South Africa’s First Concentrating Solar Power Tower
Source: inhabitat.com Published: September 4, 2013 As South Africa works to generate 17,800 MW of renewable energy by 2030, Spanish firm Abengoa is installing two concentrating solar power plants in the Northern Cape that will contribute 150 MW of solar to the region....
The Sun Hive: Experimental Natural Beekeeping
Source: milkwood.net Published: March 5, 2013 Lead photo by Heidi Herrmann, of the Natural Beekeeping Trust. by Kirsten Bradley Sun Hives are a hive design coming out of Germany and now gathering interest in Britain. They’re part of the world-wide movement towards...
Lush Living Wall Breathes Life into an Otherwise Dull Parking Garage in California
Source: inhabitat.com Published: August 30, 2013 by Lucy Wang Designed by Seasons Natural Engineering, a lush and vibrant green wall breathes life into an otherwise dull parking garage in California. One of the largest living walls in the United States, this 4,000...
Interior of Nike’s Newest Store Made Entirely from Recycled Trash
Source: earthtechling.com Published: August 29, 2013 Nike’s motto is “Just Do It” and they seem to have taken it to heart with a new concept store recently completed in Shanghai, China. With a name like X158 Hyper Nature, I expected something pretty extreme, and Nike...
The Natural Way to Clean Everything in Your House
Source: thegoodhuman.com Published: August 28, 2013 A list of tips from The Good Human website A reader emailed me about the best way to clean something in her house, and I pointed her to one of my posts about natural cleaning. But then I though I maybe should create...
Giant Singing Flowers Are Also Creating Solar Power
Source: grist.org Published: August 23, 2013 SONIC BLOOM, 2013, Pacific Science Center, Seattle Center, Seattle WA. Dan Corson By Sarah Laskow In Seattle, artist Dan Corson has partnered with the city to create this installation of solar panels that look like giant...
Massive Living Wall Palace Hotel, London
Source: earthtechling.com Published: August 21, 2013 By Beth Buczynski After that story about cities most vulnerable to coastal flooding hit the internet, it seems like everyone has water on the brain. But sea level rise isn’t the only thing that buries cities...
EXHIBIT – Fog Collector – Renewable Resources (now at Eco-Home) – 2015 – 2016
Standard Fog Collectors (SFCs) are environmental testing devices used to determine if a given location is suitable for fog water collection. This design is based on the 1994 Journal of Applied Meteorology #33, by Schemenauer and Cereceda. The design has been further...
San Rafael Elementary Students Craft Bench from Trash, Mud Mixture
Source: oneseedorg.org Published: August 16, 2013 The Peace on Earthbench project is a seed of inspiration…what’s your seed? The One Seed Organization is dedicated to developing partnerships to inspire and support youth to learn creative and innovative solutions to...
How Renters Can Go Solar
Source: matteroftrust.org Published: August 16, 2013 If you’re a renter — like 80% of San Francisco residents — you may think solar is out of reach for you. But the fact is, at least 75% of Americans can’t put solar on their own roof, even if they don’t rent. The good...
Smog-Eating Streets Created by Dutch Scientists
Source: mnn.com Published: July 10, 2013 Pavement that acts as an air purifier could help cities consume their own pollution. Photo: Gwoeii/Shutterstock Melissa Breyer Imagine a city that could devour the very pollution that it creates. Such was the scenario...
LEAF Blog for Presidio Hill School
Source: matteroftrust.org Published: July 26, 2013 2013 LEAF Academy at Presidio Hill School Kudos to the wonderful Todd, Eleanor, Jesseand Sherri leading this LEAF! Check out LEAF Founders’ Todd and Eleanor’s Excellent blog! http://2013leaf.blogspot.com for a lot...
LEAF BLOG for Berkeley’s Brower Center
Source: matteroftrust.org Published: July 25, 2013 Summer 2013 LEAF Academy at Brower Center Kudos to the wonderful Drew and awesome Jessicaleading this LEAF! More beautiful photos and videos at: http://www.leafacademy.org/berkeley-blog/ Berkeley Reflections What...
LEAF Blog for Children’s Day School
Source: matteroftrust.org Published: July 24, 2013 Summer 2013 LEAF Academy at CDS Kudos to the wonderful Drew, Greg, Kelsey, and Jesse leading this LEAF! Children’s Day School Reflections Week 1 FOOD Working Farm Farmers’ Market Food Preparation Organic, Whole and...
The Mirror Project
Source: huffingtonpost.com Published: July 18, 2013 Residents of Rjukan, an industrial town in Norway, have grown accustomed to dark and gloomy winters. Shielded by the Gaustatoppen Mountains, the valley town is cut off from direct sunlight during five to six months...
Crayola Creates Recycling Program at Urging of Bay Area Kids
Source: blog.sfgate.com Published: June 7, 2013 By Jill Tucker Students at Sun Valley Elementary School in San Rafael learned first hand that persistence really does pay off. A year ago in April they asked Crayola to come up with a recycling program for old markers....
Growing Shiitake Mushrooms is Easier Than You Think
Source: realfarmacy.com Published: July 12, 2013 Did you know that shiitakes are easy to grow in the home garden? Well they are and they only require a few items beyond the spawn (seeds). But before you jump into the fungus business, there are a few things you will...
Solar Headphones
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com Published: July 11, 2013 Agencies A pair of headphones that can harness solar power to charge mobile devices when you are on the move has been designed in the United Kingdom. Andrew Anderson, a Glasgow-based designer , launched the...
Hemp Car Made by FORD
Source: hiddenmysteries.org Published: February 25, 2013 excerpt from: Grown to drive ~ Metal, plastic, glass... and plants? What kind of cars are they building? by Curt Guyette What some might call the car of the future has already made its big debut. The unveiling...
Tires Made from Dandelions Replace Rubber
Source: greencarreports.com Published: February 19, 2013 Antony Ingram It isn’t just fossil fuels that are a finite resource–rubber is another substance in high demand, and short supply. The latest estimates suggest that global demand for rubber is expected to...
15-Year-Old Develops Flashlight Powered by Body Heat
Source: technewsworld.com Published: July 3, 2013 by Rachelle Dragani A flashlight that ditches the batteries in favor of body heat is one of the finalists in Google's 2013 Science Fair. Ann Makosinski, 15-year-old Canadian student, created what she calls the “Hollow...
16-Year-Old Turns Bananas into Bioplastic
Source: mnn.com Published: July 1, 2013 Photo: grafiker/sxc.hu By Jenn Savedge It must be the year for scientific innovation among 16-year-olds. First there was Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad, the 16-year-old Egyptian teen who developed a method for turning plastic waste...
Artist Converts Vintage Suitcases into ‘Nest Colonies’
Source: treehugger.com Published: May 24, 2013 © Robert Lach Many a vintage store has an old suitcase or two in stock, and while we’ve seen these classics turned into everything from lovely furniture to fully functioning speakers, American artist Robert Lach turns...
Vertical ‘Pinkhouses:’ The Future of Urban Farming?
Source: npr.org Published: May 21, 2013 This "pinkhouse" at Caliber Biotherapeutics in Bryan, Texas, grows 2.2 million plants under the glow of blue and red LEDs. Courtesy of Caliber Therapeutics Michaeleen Doucleff The idea of vertical farming is all the rage right...
eButterfly Project Helps Kids Become Citizen Scientists
Source: mnn.com Published: May 22, 2013 Kids can help scientists understand the impact of climate change on butterflies by sharing their butterfly sightings in a new database. Photo: FWS.gov Jenn Savedge School is almost out, which means that in the next few weeks,...
A New Trash-To-Energy Plant Planned for Arizona
Source: gigaom.com Published: May 6, 2013 Credit: Image Courtesy of Purplrpix by Katie Fehrenbacher The city of Oslo turns so much of its trash into energy, that it actually imports garbage into the city to heat and light many of its buildings. While the process is...
Eighteen-Year-Old Invents Device That Can Charge Your Cell Phone in 20 Seconds
Source: inhabitat.com Published: May 20, 2013 by Inhabitat Staff It’s hard enough being tied to your cell phone without having to worry about getting the “Low Battery Icon of Death” right in the middle of an important task – and charging up via wall outlets takes...
Switzerland’s PlanetSolar Boat Sets World Speed Record
Source: earthtechling.com Published: May 21, 2013 By Beth Buczynski These days, it’s possible to slap a solar panel on just about anything. We’ve seen solar-powered RVs, toys, and wilderness workstations. We’ve even seen solar-powered boats, but most of them just used...
19-Year-Old Has A Solution for Cleaning Our Oceans!
Source: inhabitat.com Published: March 26, 2013 by Timon Sing 19-year-old Boyan Slat has unveiled plans to create an Ocean Cleanup Array that could remove 7,250,000 tons of plastic waste from the world’s oceans. The device consists of an anchored network of...
The Amazing Solar Kettle
Source: inhabitat.com Published: May 17, 2013 by Lori Zimmer Contemporary Energy’s Solar Kettle uses the sun’s rays to boil water on the go. The lightweight thermos-like device is perfect for camping or picnics, allowing users to make hot beverages or sterilize water...
America’s First Hemp Crop in 60 Years Was Planted This Week in Colorado
Source: treehugger.com Published: May 17, 2013 Michael Graham Richard CC BY-SA 3.0 Wikipedia Hemp, the THC-free cousin of cannabis, has recently been made legal in Colorado, but the feds still don’t approve, even though the selling of hemp products is perfectly legal...
Who Needs Oil? World’s Largest Solar Power Plant With 258,000 Mirrors Opens in Abu Dhabi
Source: dailymail.co.uk Published: March 19, 2013 By Damien Gayle 100-megawatt plant will power thousands United Arab Emirates homes It is hoped that it will also displace 175,000 tons of CO2 each year Plant covers 2.5 sq/km of desert, equivalent to 285 football...
A Flat-Pack OX Truck for The Developing World
Source: independent.co.uk Published: May 15, 2013 After making a fortune from Polly Pocket and a doll's house shaped like a teapot, the entrepreneur has turned his creativity to a transporter truck for the developing world. Windows 3: a trio of windscreens means only...
Seattle to Build Nation’s First Food Forest
Source: whydontyoutrythis.com Published: April 5, 2013 Forget meadows. The city’s new park will be filled with edible plants, and everything from pears to herbs will be free for the taking. Seattle’s vision of an urban food oasis is going forward. A seven-acre plot of...
The Chug-A-Lug Will Turn a Plain Old Jar into a Cute Portable Drinking Glass
Source: agreenliving.org Published: May 8, 2013 Chug-A-Lug is a handcrafted leather cozy that can be slipped onto just about any jar, turning it into a portable cup or even a hanging flower vase. The design also features a handy clip that can be affixed to just...
Dance Floor That Generates Electricity: Party Power
Source: sustainabledanceclub.com Published: May 10, 2013 Energy Floors developed the Sustainable Dance FloorTM and launched it in 2008 as the world’s first energy generating floor. It is an eye-catching dance floor which can be installed in customized ways for various...
Scientists Discover Methods of Harvesting Electricity from Plants
Source: inhabitat.com Published: May 9, 2013 Images via University of Georgia and Wikicommons user Pinpin. by Inhabitat Staff When it comes to capturing solar energy, plants are first in their class. Able to function at nearly 100 percent quantum efficiency, they can...
How to Build Your Own Recycled Plastic Bottle Greenhouse
Source: nead.org.uk Published: May 9, 2013 How to make one in eight easy steps… This article no longer exists at the Source link above. It can be found in the Matteroftrust.org Resource Library....
A Solar-Powered Plug That Sticks to Windows and Out from The Crowd
Source: mnn.com Published: May 3, 2013 Sure, there are a few kinks to be worked out, but the designers behind the clever and unfussy Window Socket are onto something: A solar converter-charger that serves as an outlet on windows, not walls. Photos: Kyuho Song and Boa...
Jane Fonda’s Newest Project: A House Powered by Exercise
Source: curbed.com Published: May 2, 2013 by Sarah Firshein What's Jane Fonda up to these days, other than spending millions on real estate in Beverly Hills? The empress of exercise, along with Spanish design firm Elli Studio, may have put forth the craziest idea for...
Roel de Boer’s English Roofing Tile Could Transform Any Roof into a Vibrant Garden
Source: inhabitat.com Published: May 1, 2013 by Ana Lisa Roel de Boer’s New English Roofing Tile is a new green building product that could transform urban roofs into vibrant gardens. The plastic tiles are shaped like triangular pockets that can be placed on top of...
Brazil’s Inhotim Is A Sustainable Art Park
Source: treehugger.com Published: April 26, 2013 Bonnie Alter Inhotim is part sustainable botanical garden, part artistic wonder. Located in Brazil, its 240 sprawling acres sit on what was once a mining site. Today it’s a carefully tended landscape that includes lush...
Build a Solar Cooker for Just $5
Source: treehugger.com Published: April 29, 2013 © sclausson at Instructables Derek Markham A lot of the solar technology that hits the news tends to be a bit on the high-tech side, such as photovoltaic and concentrating solar power devices, but taking advantage of...
L’Uritonnoir: The Straw Bale Urinal That Makes Compost From ‘Liquid Gold’
Source: guardian.co.uk Published: April 26, 2013 French design studio Faltazi has developed a plug-in funnel to upcycle urine and bring an eco message to summer festivals L’Uritonnoir … the plug-in straw-bale urinal. Photographs: Faltazi Oliver Wainwright...