Tag Archives: green

Earth Hour 2012 is tonight, and you’re invited!

News, World, , ,

Date: Saturday, March 31, 2012

Time: 8:30PM, local time

Place: Wherever you live

What to do:  Turn off your lights for one hour

“Hundreds of millions of people, businesses and governments around the world unite each year to support the largest environmental event in history – Earth Hour. More than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights for Earth Hour 2011 alone, sending a powerful message for action on climate change. It also ushered in a new era with members going Beyond the Hour to commit to lasting action for the planet. Without a doubt, it’s shown how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause.”

DO YOUR PART and contribute to Earth Hour 2012 by turning off your lights for one hour starting at 8:30PM (local time) on Saturday, March 31.  And while you’re at it, disconnect all electronics from their wall sockets and conserve energy during this time.  Even the small things count.  Since 2007 Earth Hour has become a worldwide shared experience with an important mission: to make a positive impact on our planet.

[Via EarthHour]

Earth Hour 2011 is tonight, and you’re invited!

Video, World, , , ,

Date: Saturday, March 26, 2011

Time: 8:30PM, local time

Place: Wherever you live

What to do:  Turn off your lights for one hour

“From its inception as a single-city initiative — Sydney, Australia – in 2007, Earth Hour has grown into a global symbol of hope and movement for change. Earth Hour 2010 created history as the world’s largest ever voluntary action with people, businesses and governments in 128 countries across every continent coming together to celebrate an unambiguous commitment to the one thing that unites us all — the planet.”

DO YOUR PART and contribute to Earth Hour 2011 by turning off your lights for one hour starting at 8:30PM (local time) on Saturday, March 27.  And while you’re at it, disconnect all electronics from their wall sockets and conserve energy during this time.  Even the small things count.  Since 2007 Earth Hour has become a worldwide shared experience with an important mission: to make a positive impact on our planet.

[Via EarthHour; YouTube Channel] Continue reading Earth Hour 2011 is tonight, and you’re invited! →

Meet Mercedes-Benz BIOME

Design, Images, Technology, , , , , , , ,

The Mercedes-Benz BIOME symbiosis vehicle is made from an ultralight material called BioFibre and tips the scales at just 875.5 lbs (around 394 kg). This material is significantly lighter than metal or plastic, yet more robust than steel. BioFibre is grown from proprietary DNA in the Mercedes-Benz nursery, where it collects energy from the sun and stores it in a liquid chemical bond called BioNectar4534. As part of this process, the vehicle is created from two seeds: The interior of the BIOME grows from the DNA in the Mercedes star on the front of the vehicle, while the exterior grows from the star on the rear. To accommodate specific customer requirements, the Mercedes star is genetically engineered in each case, and the vehicle “grows” when the genetic code is combined with the seed capsule. The wheels are grown from four separate seeds.

If you haven’t deduced this by now, the BIOME is an eco-friendly hybrid “vehicle of the future” that can be grown in a lab.  While it’s in use it produces oxygen, like plants, thereby contributing to improving air quality.  And when the car has reached the end of its lifecycle, it can be fully composted or used as building material.  But don’t hold your breath; a concept car like the BIOME won’t become a reality for quite some time simply because its fantastical feature set is downright impossible to implent today.  But one can dream, no?  Read more about Mercedes’ crazy ideas for the future after the break, and look in the gallery below to view the BIOME from various angles.

[Via Engadget; Gizmag]

Continue reading Meet Mercedes-Benz BIOME →

Porsche 918 Spyder super-hybrid concept gets the green light for production

Cars, Design, Images, , , , ,

I wasn’t so sure this day would come but here it is.  The gorgeous, green Porsche 918 Spyder is being upgraded from a concept model to production series.  The 918 Spyder made its debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show and made waves in the car industry due to its conventional hybrid nature.  It’s powered by a 500HP V8 engine and a pair of 109HP electric motors.  This hybrid powertrain promises to provide 78-mpg efficiency.  Note that these numbers match up with the Geneva concept model; they may change slightly when the production model makes its way to the dealership.  Release date and price has not been made official yet, but whispers say the green machine will cost around  €500,000 (or $650,000 USD).  If the car makes its way to the States, it will be eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit, if that helps any.  Look in the gallery below (warning: you may drool) and peek after the break for the official PR.

[Via Engadget; Autoblog]

Stunning waterfall hopes to make debut at 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro

Design, environment, Images, Technology, , , , , ,

Solar City Tower, designed by Swiss architecture firm RAFAA.

Ever since Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was selected to host the 2016 Olympics, the International Architecture Competition has heated up with hundres of submissions from architecture firms.  They are all vying to create a winning design that inspires people to visit Rio de Janeiro and conceptualizes Brazil’s “natural beauty and its commitment to a sustainable future.”  The Solar City Tower is one of the most daring and tempting submissions that I hope takes top prize.  The Tower is lined with solar panels; captured energy allows seawater to be pumped to its top and gravity forces the water back into the ocean.  It’s a “green” waterfall!  When the water falls it spins turbines that produces energy during the night.  The designers call the waterfall effect “a symbol for the forces of nature.”  The tower also proposes to house a amphitheater, auditorium, cafeteria, shops, and observation decks with bungee jumping.  RAFAA on their design:

The aim of this project is to ask how the classic concept of a landmark can be reconsidered. It is less about an expressive, iconic architectural form; rather, it is a return to content and actual, real challenges for the imminent post-oil-era. This project represents a message of a society facing the future; thus, it is the representation of an inner attitude. Our project, standing in the tradition of “a building/city as a machine”, shall provide energy both to the city of Rio de Janeiro and its citizens while using natural resources.

[Via Likecool; DVICE; Treehugger]

Egg carton-inspired furniture

Design, environment, home, , ,

Pulp furniture, Dan Hochberg, Odelia Lavie, recyclable furniture, green furniture, compostable furniture, bio degradable furniture, lightweight furniture, coffee tables, clocks, recyclable clocks, green clocks, compostable clocks, bio degradable clocks, egg cartons

Pulp Furniture, designed by Dan Hochberg and Odelia Lavie.

As you can tell from first glance, the Pulp Furniture series, which includes a coffee table, complimentary seating, and a wall clock, gets its inspiration from the pulp packaging that protects goods like eggs.  Although the set is made of paper, they are structurally sound and are constructed with human weight and stress amount in mind.  Says Inhabitat: “Lightweight, transportable, biodegradable, recyclable and just plain awesome.”  I couldn’t agree more.

[Via Inhabitat; Gizmodo]

A “green” chandelier comes in many colors

Design, environment, Images, ,

I Saloni, Salone del Mobile, Milano, Milan Salone 2010, Salone 2010, Milan Design Week, Milan Design Fair, Bottleformball by Heath Nash, recycled materials, pet plastic lamp, green design

Bottleformball, designed by Heath Nash.

The colorful ball of chaos you see above is actually a chandelier made entirely of recycled PET bottles.  They are bundled together by a supportive wire structre.  South African designer Heath Nash is one of many that came together at the Misael Gallery in Milan to construct and exhibit “modern ecological designs” made from recyclable material.  The designers “redream paradise by reusing industrial materials to recreate natural or organic objects.”  Take a closer look at the “Bottleformball” in the gallery below.

[Via Inhabitat; Gizmodo]

Earth Hour 2010 is tonight, and you’re invited!

News, World, , , ,

Date: Saturday, March 27, 2010

Time: 8:30PM, local time

Place: Wherever you live

What to do:  Turn off your lights for one hour

“On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people, organizations, corporations and governments around the world will come together to make a bold statement about their concern for climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. In the U.S. where we are already feeling the impacts of climate change, Earth Hour sends a clear message that Americans care about this issue and want to turn the lights out on dirty air, dangerous dependency on foreign oil and costly climate change impacts, and make the switch to cleaner air, a strong economic future and a more secure nation.”

“Since its inception three years ago, Earth Hour’s non-partisan approach has captured the world’s imagination and became a global phenomenon. Nearly one billion people turned out for Earth Hour 2009 – involving 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents.”  Last year, the following iconic landmarks went dark for Earth Hour 2009: Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, Las Vegas Strip, Sydney’s Opera House, Great Pyramids of Giza, and St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.  Check the source link for the full listing.

DO YOUR PART and contribute to Earth Hour 2010 by turning off your lights for one hour starting at 8:30PM (local time) on Saturday, March 27.  And while you’re at it, disconnect all electronics from their wall sockets and conserve energy during this time.  Even the small things count.  Since 2007 Earth Hour has become a worldwide shared experience with an important mission: to make a positive impact on our planet.

[Via MyEarthHour]

Waterpebble helps you conserve water by encouraging shorter showers

environment, Technology, Video, , ,

The Waterpebble, designed by Paul Priestman.

The “Waterpebble” is an innovative device that keeps an eye on water consumed when you take shower in the bathroom. Designed to be fully recyclable, the smart device monitors water going down the plughole, after each shower, to compare it with earlier showers, so you could manage or reduce your shower time and thus water consumption. Featuring an automatic mechanism, the Waterpebble takes your first shower as a benchmark and gently flashes “from green through to red” to stop the shower.

Priestman says that he “wanted to design something that takes the hard work out of going green and that helps people change their behavior so that eventually they are doing it automatically.”  Something like this might just work.  A rather strange video demonstrating how it works is after the break.

[Via Waterpebble; TheDesignBlog; Gizmodo]

Continue reading Waterpebble helps you conserve water by encouraging shorter showers →

Turbine Light illuminates roadways with wind-power

Design, Images, Technology, , , , , , , ,

From TAK Studio comes the latest innovation in green roadways–the attractive Turbine Light.  Here’s how it works: These wind-powered lights line up highways and streets and illuminate when cars pass by them.  If enough energy is generated by the passing cars, the lights will shine the path to your destination.  Problem is, the keyword here is IF.  Would such implementation promote faster driving?  It would make sense for something like this to be installed in windy cities that already generate enough energy for illumination. For all the rest, what about solar powered lights, hm?

[Via Inhabitat; Gizmodo]

Coke design concept is green-friendly

Images, , , , , , ,

Designed by Harc Lee.

A convex logo substitutes colorfully sprayed can. Naked can help to reduce air and water pollution occurred in its coloring process. It also reduces energy and effort to separate toxic color paint from aluminum in recycling process. Huge amount of energy and paint required to manufacture colored cans will be saved. Instead of toxic paint, manufacturers process aluminum with a pressing machine that indicates brand identity on surface.

[Via Gizmodo; Likecool]