hippie flavor

Ultra-Thin Modular Solar Panels Energize Any Building |...

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:34:49 -0600

Ultra-Thin Modular Solar Panels Energize Any Building | inhabitat

Sulfurcell is the producer of a new kind of modular solar panel that add energy-generating capabilities to any building. The super-thin panels are entirely self contained, so they don’t require any substructure, and they can be applied to new buildings as well as retrofitted old buildings to provide plenty of power.

via age-of-ecology

Turning heat to electricity

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:29:57 -0600

Turning heat to electricity:

MIT research points to a much more efficient way of harvesting electrical power from what would otherwise be wasted heat.

Shower the People You Love « Gardening Eden ” Your...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:02:58 -0600

Shower the People You Love « Gardening Eden

” Your old showerhead may use more than 6 gallons of water per minute, but it can easily be replaced. These WaterPik EcoFlow shower heads pump out only 1.5 gallons per minute.

“According to the EPA, showers are responsible for 17 percent of all indoor water use. By reducing my water flow from 6 gallons per minute to 1.5, I’ve reduced that part of our water waste by 75%. And I’ll probably save well over a hundred bucks in the coming year.”

Gardening for Gumbies - the Roll-Out Veg Mat |...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:20:21 -0600

Gardening for Gumbies - the Roll-Out Veg Mat | inhabitat.com

“Chris Chapman is an early twenties British designer who balked at the idea of studying design to make ‘pretty things for wealthy, privileged consumers.’ So he changed tack and learned design-for-sustainability instead. He now has a quiver of cool green projects ready to fling at prospective clients or employers.

“The one that most captured our attention was his Roll-Out Veg Mat. Each season householders buy a new roll of corrugated cardboard impregnated with vegetable seeds. Simply roll out the cardboard and cover with soil. Presto! Near instant veggie garden.

“Chris’ idea shows that he understands that some of the hurdles to going green have nothing to politics. Oftentimes they come down to simply not having the available hours in the day to make good things happen.”

via landscapelifescape

“West-coast based clothing company Nau is opening a...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:08:30 -0600

“West-coast based clothing company Nau is opening a pop-up shop in New York for the holidays, and is taking the word “sustainable” to the next level.

Here/Nau/NYC opens Thursday in Soho, featuring its line of eco-friendly clothing. But what’s interesting about the store is that everything—apparel aside—has been collected from waste products in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Rolling racks have been constructed from old piping, wood, and wheels from an abandoned go-kart. A weathered ladder doubles as a shoe display. Tables made of cardboard and recycled metal stand as product displays. Gathered branches act as artsy ceilings to fitting rooms, which are veiled by coffee-dyed cloth. If I didn’t already know, I would have never guessed that these items had been scooped up from the streets in the past few weeks—the store looks clean and streamlined.”

(via Nau Pop-Up Shop Is Serious About Sustainability | Write-on | Fast Company)

“In what could be a major breakthrough, Joule...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:29:12 -0600

“In what could be a major breakthrough, Joule Biotechnologies announced that it has directly produced fuel from the plentiful carbon dioxide in the air around us using highly engineered photosynthetic microbes.

Inside specially designed reactors, Joule’s engineered microbes thrive off of sunlight and CO2. In return, depending on the type of organism, they can produce straight ethanol, diesel or a number of other types of hydrocarbons.” (via Biofuels Breakthrough: Making Fuel From Air With Engineered Microbes : Gas 2.0)

“A Santa Monica, Calif., company called SolarReserve has...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:02:19 -0600

“A Santa Monica, Calif., company called SolarReserve has taken a step toward making that a reality, filing an application with California regulators to build a 150-megawatt solar farm that will store seven hours’ worth of the sun’s energy in the form of molten salt.

Heat from the salt can be released when it’s cloudy or at night to create steam that drives an electricity-generating turbine.

The Rice Solar Energy Project, to be built in the Sonoran Desert east of Palm Springs, will “generate steady and uninterrupted power during hours of peak electricity demand,” according to SolarReserve’s license application.

So-called dispatchable solar farms would in theory allow utilities to avoid spending billions of dollars building fossil fuel power plants that are fired up only a few times a year when electricity demand spikes, like on a hot day.”

“We’ve seen solar-powered transit shelters, but this...

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:11:00 -0600

“We’ve seen solar-powered transit shelters, but this eco-friendly transit center with transit stops outfitted with green walls may be a first. With the help of greenscreen green walls, the City of Tempe Transit Center is seeking LEED Platinum certification. The mixed use facility, designed to be 52% more efficient than a traditional building of its kind, went with green walls to provide a buffer from the harsh Arizona sun and heat.”

(via Jetson Green: Tempe Transit Center Covered in Green)

Solar Powered Monorail System For Bologna | inhabitat Iosa...

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:21:19 -0600

Solar Powered Monorail System For Bologna | inhabitat

Iosa Ghini Associati has designed the Energy Belt, a solar-powered monorail system for Bologna, Italy that will connect the airport to the city center.

via makdreams: age-of-ecology

Chipotle Mexican Grill Plans Major Solar Power Initiative

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:15:00 -0500

Chipotle Mexican Grill Plans Major Solar Power Initiative:

“Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) announced today it is partnering with Houston-based Standard Renewable Energy (SRE) to install solar panels on approximately 75 Chipotle restaurants over the next year. In all, Chipotle has committed to panels that will produce 500 kilowatt hours of electricity, making Chipotle the largest direct producer of solar energy in the restaurant industry.”

via reuters.com

World’s Longest Solar Footbridge Also Powers the Main...

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:18:14 -0500

World’s Longest Solar Footbridge Also Powers the Main Grid : TreeHugger

“The world’s largest solar-powered footbridge has now opened in Brisbane. The panels not only power its LED lighting but they also feed the main grid: this will save 38 tons of CO2 annually!

Connecting South Brisbane and the city center, it’s expected about 36,000 people will use the new Kurilpa Bridge every week to walk or bike across the Brisbane River. A must have as 1,500 people move into South East Queensland every week!”

“ We know what you’re thinking: Not another organic (or,...

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:14:11 -0500

“

We know what you’re thinking: Not another organic (or, in this case, recycled) T-shirt. But although togs made from recycled cotton or soda bottles are fast becoming old hat—and that’s a good thing—Playback Clothing manages to up the ante with tees, hoodies, and sweatshirts that take on the preexisting color of the original recycled material. To wit: No potentially hinky chemical dyes are required, which produces shirts in hues like Beer Bottle Brown, Soda Bottle Green, and Water Cooler Blue, in addition to colors gleaned from salvaged cotton scraps.”

(via Playback Clothing Helps Recycled Soda Bottles Dye Another Day | Ecouterre)

Mud-Loving Bacteria Increases Fuel Cell Output by 800% : Gas 2.0

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:21:20 -0500

Mud-Loving Bacteria Increases Fuel Cell Output by 800% : Gas 2.0:

“Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst evolved a new strain of the Geobacter microbe that increases power output per cell by 800%.

The hairy mud-loving microbe uses its hairlike filaments–called pili–to produce an electric current from both mud and waste water. The pili are only 5 nanometers in diameter (20,000 times smaller than a human hair); they’re also a thousand times longer than they are wide. But they are strong!

The pili–usually called nanowires–have an amazing ability to shift electrons. Which is exactly how they create a current from waste and mud.

Creating a unique biofilm, they transfer the electron products to iron in both soil and waste. It’s the same process that allows bacteria to stick to your teeth but requires less flossing.”

Urban Beekeeping - Photos of Sururban and City Beekeepers - thedailygreen.com

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:17:18 -0500

Urban Beekeeping - Photos of Sururban and City Beekeepers - thedailygreen.com

Solar Plan Ignites Some Environmental Concerns : NPR

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:32:27 -0500

Solar Plan Ignites Some Environmental Concerns : NPR

What’s your preferred futuristic public...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:35:21 -0500

What’s your preferred futuristic public transportation?

“Dubai recently opened its first Metro network in a bid to reduce the number of people using their cars, and cut carbon emissions. The US$7.42 billion project has, so far, been hailed as a success as thousands of people have opted to use it to get around the city, as opposed to their cars. It raises the question that if government are so hell bent on citizens relinquishing their cars to save the environment, then what’s the alternative? How else are people going to conveniently get to work, do their shopping or generally travel with ease and relative cheapness”

(via Future of public transport)

Safe Water and Easy Transport: ROSS Emergency Filter and...

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:47:19 -0500

Safe Water and Easy Transport: ROSS Emergency Filter and Carrier : TreeHugger

“Now a group of young inventors from Glasgow, Scotland, [ROSS (Reverse Osmosis Sanitation System) from Red Button Designs] are taking the idea of a rolling water carrier a step further, using the motion of the wheels to drive a reverse osmosis filter through the water. The combination of easy carrying and safe purification mean that users in the developing world could not only transport water easily - they could do so from the nearest, not necessarily the safest, water source.”

landscapearchitecture: “As the construction process for Hudson...

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:06:16 -0500

landscapearchitecture:

“As the construction process for Hudson Yards drags on in New York, we’re glad to see green urban design is alive and well in Chicago. The windy city is no stranger to sustainable building, and this urban park, located on the fringe of the city’s downtown, will certainly give Chicago even more green cred. Perkins + Will, the architects behind the design, developed the park to create more open space for the city, but the greenway also proves to be a pedestrian-friendly gateway that connects the existing downtown to any future development across the Kennedy Expressway”

Inhabitat » West Loop Park Infuses Chicago With Green Urban Space

Our National Parks: America’s Best Idea :...

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:06:00 -0500

Our National Parks: America’s Best Idea : EcoLocalizer

Check your local listings; this is going to be awesome.

“Filmmaker Ken Burns’ most recent PBS documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, is a stunning and utterly engrossing tribute not only to our country’s many awe-inspiring natural landscapes, but also to our nation’s fundamental democratic principles. Burns interviews scores of ordinary people, from park rangers and activists to journalists and historians, as they trace the origins of our greatest collectively-owned resources, and share their unique personal experiences in the vast beauty of our national parks.

“When we look at the parks and we look at the United States and we examine the whole idea of democracy, I think that the park experience is an exploration of the idea of freedom.”

-Shelton Johnson, Park Ranger

“By now, most of us are aware that there is a large patch...

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:21:12 -0500

“By now, most of us are aware that there is a large patch of floating plastic in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. What you may not know is that it’s not made up of plastic bags and empty bottles. It’s made up of billions of tiny pieces of plastic, and it’s basically invisible unless you’re floating in it. While this might seem better, it’s actually much worse for the environment—and for you. Our latest Transparency is a look at the Pacific Gyre and the plastic floating in it.” (via Transparency: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch | GOOD)