Author: Jolly

Eco Factor: Zero-emission motorcycle powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

The brainchild of designer Terrence Teo, the V-Trek is an off-road/road bike which identifies itself with a group of youths and young adults. Similar to fashion that follow ‘trends’, the V-Trek promotes not only its ability to change its outlook, but also as a eco-solution with its zero-carbon emissions engine, in the face of global warming.

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Eco Factor: Outdoor gallery space harvests solar energy for sustainable power.

The Solar Blossom by DeMarco Architecture is a proposal for a sustainable temporary outdoor gallery space. Inspired by the Bluebonnet flower, the Solar Blossom harnesses the power of the sun to provide energy and also educate patrons on the potential of solar power.

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Eco Factor: Zero-emission aircraft designed to run on an electric engine.

The Puffin is what you might be having in your garage a couple of decades from now. Designed by NASA aerospace engineer, the Puffin is an airplane concept that utilizes an electric engine for a zero-emission and a silent flight. The 3.7m long aircraft with a 4.4m wingspan can take off and land from a vertical position.

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Eco Factor: Patent-pending technology to turn cigarette butts into tiny flower pots.

Greenbutts has developed a new technology to create cigarette filters that once discarded grows flowers and serves as a tiny flower pot. The patent-pending technology features cigarette butts made using organic cotton and natural de-gummed hemp. Wheat flour and water are used to bind the filter elements together.

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Eco Factor: Sustainable underwater city harvests natural resources for energy.

Considering the rate at which global temperatures are rising, we can anticipate the time when land begins to disappear and the cost of what’s left behind sky-rockets. Designers have already started preparing for such times when cities will no longer be built on land, but will have to go underwater. Arup Biomimetics have come up with a proposal for an underwater city that can be built in Australia.

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Eco Factor: Zero-emission scooter powered by electric batteries.

Electric vehicles have often been criticized for their low operating range, which makes them impractical for long distance commutes. While researchers over the globe are working on new battery technology that could store more energy, there are a few manufacturers who’ve tried out a different technique – swappable batteries.

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Eco Factor: Newly developed process to aid the development of lightweight rechargeable lithium-air batteries.

Lithium-air batteries have long been in concept as a system that can offer up to three times the energy density of conventional Li-ion counterparts. However, the lack of understanding of what kinds of electrode materials could promote the electrochemical reactions that take place in these batteries didn’t help their development.

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Eco Factor: Sustainable sculpture harvests renewable energy.

London-based architects Tonkin Liu have completed a wind-powered metal flower sculpture that has been installed besides the River Mersey in England. The project has been funded by the North West Development Agency as part of a wider Waterfront Regeneration Program to clean up the vacant and polluted riverfront land of Southern Widnes, Cheshire.

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Eco Factor: Sustainable transit system powered by solar energy.

Designed by Dave Owsen, the “Community Transit” is a new system that aims to replace the conventional bus transport system with more efficient and private cells. Inspired by plant cells, these solar-powered cells will be able to accommodate a couple with two children, offering them better privacy by utilizing a face-to-face configuration.

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Eco Factor: Environmentally friendly artwork made using recycled materials.

The advancements in data and music storage have turned vinyl records and cassette tapes obsolete. While for most of us, these old tunes gather dust in drawers and boxes, there are a few artists who try to relive the music by converting these pieces in sculptures. The Jacksonville Public Art Commission has tried to give these records a second life by transforming them into colorful wall art creatures.

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It’s a crazy world this, where brilliant minds deliver unique ways to counter perils. These, which we literally take to be crazy for reasons more than we understand. Because our world confronts shortage of electricity, some witty souls have worked out numerous ways to let us decide our ways to conserve and produce electricity. We aren’t too bright for all this, therefore it’s wise to give it up to the fellows who try to make a difference – so come join our journey in appreciating those who’ve worked out ways to generate electricity using windows as the source.

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Eco Factor: Zero-emission vehicle designed for Progressive Automotive X-Prize competition.

RaceAbout Association has unveiled its electric RaceAbout (ERA) at the Cable Factory in Helsinki. The Finnish vehicle is a contender for the X-Prize award. The four-wheel-drive electric sportscar is now beaded to the U.S. for this month’s “shakedown stage” of the Progressive Automotive X-Prize competition.

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Eco Factor: “Enviropig” to excrete 65 percent less phosphorous than usual.

Canada has approved the University of Guelph for limited production of a genetically engineered pig that will protect aquatic life with earth-friendly poop. The “Enviropig” has been engineered in such a manner that its urine and feces contain up to 65 percent less phosphorous than usual.

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Eco Factor: Lightweight bicycle with a carbon fiber frame.

Santa Cruz Bicycles has unveiled the next-gen version of the Nomad which features a carbon fiber frame replacing the aluminum predecessor. Dubbed Carbon Fiber Nomad-C, the bicycle weighs 1.25 pounds less and boasts added strength and stiffness. Weighing in at 6.1 pounds, the Nomad-C comes with a RockShox Monarch 3.3 shock.

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Eco Factor: Proposal to cover building with an innovative solar skin to generate renewable energy.

The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) is planning to refurbish its 1950s-era building at the corner of Swanston and Queensberry streets in Melbourne, Australia by integrating an innovative solar skin to transform the architecture into a source of renewable energy. The three-level concrete building will be completely covered in a “skin” of moving solar panels and solar-sensitive film to generate enough energy to power the entire building.

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Eco Factor: Sustainable lamp harvest solar energy for clean illumination.

The Solar Pebble is the brainchild of industrial designer Adam Robinson of Plus Minus Design. The stunning lamp has been designed to transform lives in rural Africa by providing the masses a way to illuminate their homes on renewable solar energy.

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With homeowners getting conscious about the appliances they use and their energy consumption, there has been a sudden shift in trends toward devices that in one way or the other help conserve the already scarce natural resources. When water conservation is the need of the hour, washing machines should be looked up to. To a homeowner’s delight, industrial designers are working hard to develop washers that not only promise to save water but reduce energy consumption as well. Here are a few such concept designs that should help make your laundry room greener in the near future:

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Eco Factor: Woven carpet made using cigarette butts.

It is not possible to recycle and create art from many items that are littered on the streets all over the world. However, there are certain designers who try to convert such items into pieces of art for others to appreciate. An artist from Puerto Rico has tried something similar by creating a woven carpet from cigarette butts. The artist, Jesus Bubu Negron, a commissioned street cleaner, used to collect cigarette butts but instead of disposing them off in an ecologically sound fashion, turned them into a carpet.

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