Author: shvveta

Don’t just use your kitchen to chop vegetables, but with the ‘Cocoon’ you can grow your own plants right in the kitchen itself. Made of clay that can absorb water, this cocoon is primarily used to store a few vegetables by your window sill. The very interesting cocoon shape makes it even more organic in appeal. The upper part of the cocoon can be used to cultivate spices and other simpler herbs that are easy to grow in the house. So now add not just color but also life to your kitchen!

[notcot]

Refrigerators also need ventilation and fresh air to remove all unwanted food smells coming the minute you open it. This is a solar powered ventilator that can easily be fixed onto any compartment in the fridge. The system includes a solar panel, DC fan and the vent cover. It easily fits all domestic and most norcoid vent bases. The solar panel drives the DC fan to increase the efficiency of the fridge by up to 40%. The process cools the condenser and absorber coils tapping greater efficiency. Solar-powered RV Fridge Vent System is available here for $90

Here is nothing really new, but a usually solar powered charger that can charge your phones, ipods with the suns energy. We have had so many similar products in the past, and still keep having, yet how many of us actually use such brilliant products that there is a constant need to make more and more of the same category. Amy-Mae Elliott has designed a cute looking solar power charger that performs the same function like the hundreds of its sister products but their ‘Pico’ claims to keep a mobile phone running for about 35 hours and an IPod for 14 hours at a stretch after being fully charged. This sure is a long duration, but we don’t really know how long does it take to charge the Pico with the solar energy? Offered with add-ons, such as an AA/AAA battery charger and gel cases, the Pico is available here now for £16.99 ($27).

[Pocket-lint]

How many times have you had a little fight waiting for your turn to charge your devices, be it phones or cameras. This could have either been due to a shortage of sockets or maybe the chargers or whatever other reasons, but with GenZ Eco Chargers, this big hassle seems to have been solved. It is a powermat that allows the charging of up to 4 devices simultaneously, and has 13 built-in connectors. So you don’t have to run around arranging for the special adapter for your gadgets right away. Also with its power control switch, the power supply is stopped the minute the charging is done. So you do not waste the precious energy and even save on costs on account of this.

[Chipchick]

Guess What! Puma is going to be coming up with a branded PUMA PHONE with Sagem. Not much has yet been revealed about the phone but some functional features that it is going to incorporate such as the PUMA Icon Messaging, Solarmeter (Solar Cell), Photo Sharing, GPS tracker, Bike Tracker, Run Tracker, Video Chat, Pedometer, Stopwatch, Music Turntable make it sound interesting. It is a very sporty phone that connects with the Puma lifestyle. Apart form the ususal cool phone features it sports news app, IM app, and various other PUMA-branded apps which “give you access to the PUMA world”. Now before you wonder why this product is featured on this site is, let me tell you it has a built-in solar cell. The energy thus can, I guess, be used for charging the phone in return.

[mobilecrunch]

Composting is a process that usually generated quite a bit of heat. The union of the microbes and organic materials leads to a certain type of heating up. Tokyo based architects Bakoko has thought of a unique way to somehow use this heat to warm a small public place like the traditional garden teahouses that are found all over Japan. Tentatively named “Comploo,” Bakoko’s small structure is composed of a series of large, specially shaped compost hoppers arranged in a ring to form an enclosure. A system of sealed ducts runs through each of the bins, and as the air circulates within the walls, the decaying compost warms it. Through a central vent this heated air is released into the structures interiors thereby warming the place up.

[inhabitat]

Kia Motors America (KMA) today unveiled the Ray Plug-in Hybrid concept. As the world looks for more efficient vehicle designs that combine sophisticated and sleek lines with functionality and fuel economy, the Kia Ray concept is a bold new collaboration between design and engineering. Designed with lightweight and recycled materials, as well as hexagonal roof-top solar cells embedded in the glass roof panel that power extra lighting or climate control systems, it is a four-seater compact sedan. The debut of the Ray also marks the launch of Kia’s new green sub-brand, EcoDynamics. Like Volkswagen’s BlueMotion and Ford’s Econetic, EcoDynamics will denote the most efficient variants of Kia’ model line.

The Ray’s range is no doubt assisted by reduced parasitic losses thanks to items like specially coated glass that helps keep the interior cooler when sitting in the sun and roof-top photovoltaic cells that help power the climate control system.

[autoblog]

Almost a year ago, Chicago was the proud resident of its first ever solar powered EV charging station. But this time around, they have gone a step further and developed a charging station that uses wind energy. That sure is a new thing. Little wonder then that Chicago is known as the wind city. The station is located in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park and the wind power comes from a law firm that has partnered with MC Squared Energy Services to get all of their energy from wind. This automatically leads to a reduction of the harmful greenhouse gases.

[gas2]

It sure is a common practice in almost all of our homes to let the plug on even after the device has been charged. But how many of us are actually aware that inspite of the product being fully charged, the standing plug still drains out electricity thereby costing you the long monthly electricity bills that you get. Let alone not allowing you to be cost and energy efficient. The Energy Clock Fair aims to save all that unnecessary use of energy both in everyday items like battery chargers or discontinued use systems. This system can cut energy regulators and even reconnects anytime and as often as necessary. After you have plugged the Fair Energy Clock into the outlet and the gadget to the Fair Energy Clock, it only follows your instructions of the number of hours you want the charging to take place. After the time is over, it stops and cuts the power supply, thereby saving the much priceless resource. This amazingly green product is a part of the Greener Gadgets Design Competition. Why don’t you go and Vote for it?

[mblast]

The iconic black cabs of London are soon going to get a green makeover. Automobile giant Mercedes is going to launch an electric version of those called the Mercedes Electric eVito Taxi. This is a specialist taxi design intended to enhance fuel efficiency and curb carbon emissions from London’s taxi fleet. the new electric version of the vehicle uses Lithium-ion batteries to provide a 120-mile range on a single charge, while delivering performance metrics similar to a standard taxi. The eVito uses the same Mercedes body and patented rear-wheel steering system as its diesel powered equivalent, which enables it to complete the 25-foot minimum turning circle that is compulsory for London cabs.

[businessgreen] and [thisislondon]

The Bamboo Bike Project that started in Africa, began with the only aim to reduce the cost of production and use of materials while making a bike. The project propagates building the bike using sustainable materials, such as bamboo. A collective of designers and engineers from the Columbia University thought of growing the materials used to make the bike frame out of native bamboo and teach these skills to local communities. Thus, employment opportunities can also be made this way. I think it is a very good move, which can not only use natural materials to build the bike but can also provide good employment opportunities in rural Africa.

[2modern]

BenQ, the world’s leading LED monitor brand, has just moved forward with the introduction of the perfect LED display for every application, lifestyle, and budget with the launch today of 9 new V Series models spanning HD to Full HD, 18.5”W to 24”W, bringing the company’s total LED lineup to 23 models. Distinguishing BenQ’s new V Series from the competition are class-leading slimness (14mm and 15mm^), extreme energy efficiency, and unbeatable dynamic contrast ratio (10M:1 DCR). The V Series is further set apart by Eco feature (ideal in darker settings, saving up to 65.6%^ energy consumption without compromising visuals).

Additionally, Senseye perfects display by dynamically adjusting contrast, brightness, and backlighting to fit the viewing environment.

[benq]

Times Square has another feather to its cap when it comes to promoting green features. It is now sporting a new billboard promoting Best Buys electronic recycling program.

There is much more to this billboard than meets the eye. On a closer look…

…you will see that the letters are actually composed of real recycled electronic goods.

A very smart and an extremely unique way of showing off that you care about the environment

[huffingtonpost]

Remember the small little dynamo powered lights on the bike as kids? They would work great for as long as you were moving, and fast. High Tide Associates has upgraded this simple technology to generate power that can be stored to charge the portable electronics. RollerGen is a bike mounted generator that generates power as you pedal. Yes, thus it uses the principle of kinetic energy and stores and then charges your devices. It can spit out a whopping 30 watts that gets stored in a small battery called BOS (Bar of Soap). Priced at $495, personally I feel it is a tad too expensive, but useful nonetheless.

[dvice]

With the sudden focus on e-waste this year, with people suddenly realizing the importance of disposing the electronics properly, we have just learnt that in the past year-2009, computers were the things that were most recycled around the globe. Surprised? Earth911.com is an environmental services company and the provider of the nation’s leading Local Recycling and Disposal Directory, released the results of its 2009 Annual Recycling Report. The top of the lists are products such as computers, batteries and television. Apparently, ‘computers’ was also the highest searched item on the site for recycling purposes. This only goes to prove that when the environment is spoken of seriously, people do listen. That sure is good news, isn’t it?

The top 10 products consumers looked to recycle in 2009 using Earth911’s Database were:
1. Computers
2. Batteries
3. Televisions
4. Paint
5. Aluminum Cans
6. Used Motor Oil
7. CFLs
8. Glass
9. Fluorescent Lamps
10. Christmas Trees

[prnewswire]

Apart from being able to harness the solar energy, not much could be done in terms of using alternative energy sources at home. Big industries and companies no doubt innovate various methods, but at home not much can be experimented with. But now, with the Wind Turbine WT6500 being made available to our homes by WindTronics and Honeywell, things are looking upwards. Capable of producing 2000 kWh/yr in class 3 winds, the WT6500 would generate about 18% percent of the average household’s annual electricity needs, this Do-It-Yourself turbine is very innovative, in the sense that the power generation is done at the blades unlike the traditional ones that use gears.

The key upside is that the WT6500 will produce electricity even at low wind speeds, as low as 2 mph (3 kmh).

[greenlivingideas]

San Francisco will be witnessing a remarkable transformation from a simple Transbay Terminal with a green building. This step will centralize the region’s transportation network by collaborating the 9 transportation systems. The Transbay Centre project has three components. The first replaces the current terminal, which policymakers have called outdated. The second extends the Caltrain rail line 1.3 miles into the heart of the downtown financial centre. The third element will see the area surrounding the centre redeveloped with 2,600 new homes, parks, and a retail complex.

The new centre will be a 1m sq ft building with a 5.4 acre park on its roof. Passive solar shading, high-performance glazing, geothermal cooling, and wind power will also feature.

[businessgreen]

The Pillow’s Degree Celsius by Yuan-Hao Hsu gives you everything that you’d ever require for a good night’s sleep. Everything ranging from a massage to heating to having an aroma dispenser, it ensures you do not complain when you wake up the next morning. But only if sleeping could solve all problems relating to the environment, wouldn’t you be proud about dozing off everywhere? Here is where the real feature of the pillow lies. It’s got a solar charging option. So now you just don’t burn calories while sleeping, you save the planet too!

[yankodesign]

Peugeot is a well known car company that has only recently ventured into the bike making foray. The B1K is their bike concept that has an extremely unique shape and body design. Too futuristic I’d say. While not much has been revealed about this concept yet, except for the fact that the carbon fiber construction is its biggest green element, we have a take looking at just the pictures.

Apart from that, the pictures too speak a little about the bike. As we can see, the chainless drive train is pretty new and interesting.

It is believed that the tension rod (or cable) that goes from the seat to the head tube keeps the bike together once a person’s weight is put on it.

The unique tires are another X-factor of the new bike.

[carbonfibergear]