Ecofriend

This really comes as a shock to many as Chicago is supposed to be as windy as a city can get in USA. But then that might not always be sufficient for those who rely on wind energy to power their homes and get the required returns from their green investments in a time frame that would be normally acceptable. One of the problems with using alternate energy is that the initial price of the technology is often too high compared to the ones that run on conventional fuel. This is of course not to say that those who invest in the renewable sources do not get a profitable bargain. But that is only possible over a lengthy period of time. In a world where short-term benefits are regarded very highly, this is indeed a bit of a problem.

People of Japan are blessed with an unusual sense of designing and making stuff that is supposed to be of a help to you….but with great difficulty of understanding it’s need actually. One such thing I came across today is the electric Suzuki SSC + PIXY which is touted to be the most avant-garde personal transport. Suzuki’s PIXY+SSC Sustainable Mobility vehicle consists of two modules that can become one when the PIXY, a Segway electric scooter kind of vehicle, docks with the SSC (Suzuki Sharing Coach) and becomes a two-person urban commuter. In simple words, it’s actually a mini car that can accommodate two PIXYs! The PIXY is a Segway-like one-person, low-speed, pod-style scooter. The SSC is also empowered to charge the PIXYs via fuel cell power.

Here’s an artist’s style of discarding garbage! No I ain’t talking of any artistically designed attractive dust bin. It’s the XS chair that is designed such as to accommodate anything that you want to discard…..like old clothes, magazines, garbage, bottles, cans. You can get more creative by shoving in it more unusually chucked stuff! Who has come up with such a (literally) rubbish idea? The name is Nick Demarco from the California College of the Arts. Does he think that one can sit comfortably on this kinda green chair that will have sounds of crushing bottles and denting cans when you rest your butt on it? We need to be eco-conscious and try our hand at recycling but this isn’t my style. There are definitely better ways to recycle your garbage and also to get an eco-friendly seating furniture. Roll over for a video of Nick describing the chair....

It is one thing to be thinking about the planet and green solutions when you are fine and jolly. But it becomes something else when you can look beyond your own personal adversity to make sure that you help the planet in the little way you can, despite being at the receiving end of some tough luck. Not many people on wheelchairs are tempted to thing about providing green solutions for the planet and make sure that they help both themselves and the planet in the process. But Annie Maw is no ordinary person and she has made sure that she lets the world know that we do still care about our home, irrespective of the personal challenges that we face.

There is something special about your first bicycle and taking it out for the ride for the first time. It is actually more special than that first bike ride or the first time you own a car. Being a little kid, a bicycle is almost like flying machine that gives you new found freedom. I still have mine preserved with great care and even if it is considered trash, it is too special for me to let go off. But what about all the other bicycles that we use over the years and throw them away as a part of that huge pile of metallic trash? Here is a fine new way to make sure that they no longer just fill up the landfill or are a part of that little ball of metal that has been crushed and made in to nothing useful.

Green grass looks very inviting, but how about a bed made of green grass for you to sleep everyday? Ok, the sleeping bit is a little too overstated, but this bed can be a nice little place for you to kick your shoes off and sprawl on it with your favorite book. However crazy it may sound, this bed actually exists. The star shaped Grass Bed can accommodate almost four fully grown adults though it looks a little too cramped with four adults on it. If the grass on this bed really grows, you definitely will have to to water it and maybe trim off the grass before it starts looking like one big, green bush. All that makes the Grass Bed more of a whim than a nice little strip of grass to relax on. But then again, this is one crazy world.

Via: cribfashion

On a trail of electric bikes, that I am, today it’s the OHM bicycles that I stumbled upon. The green mode of bicycle traveling gets a bit tough when you need to keep pedaling through all terrains and under any conditions. Although you start cycling to your destination with enthusiasm, after some time you wish that someone could give you that push to speed up a bit effortlessly. OHM is gearing up to give you that comfort thrust with its line of OHM Hybrid Cycles. Designed to increase your riding experience, these bicycles are unique, long-range and feature power on demand with a skillful energy management system. Featuring 38V lithium-ion batteries, regenerative braking and powerful BionX motors, the brand is all set to offer two kind of electric bikes. OHM Urban one built for the urban rider, and one suited to rugged terrain. OHM Sport is built for rugged terrain, and features a larger battery than the Urban.

There is little doubt about IBM’s ability to provide some of the best solutions when it comes to handling your system and your notebooks. But the giants of the computer world are not only revamping the world of information technology, but are also using their know-how in handling systems and peripherals to makes sure that the available solar technology moves ahead in to the next gear with ease. IBM has leveraged their computer-chip cooling know-how into a highly effective solar concentrator design. Bench-scale testing of the design shows an order of magnitude increase in solar power output from a unit cell. The new technology tells us how we can interface existing knowledge from other fields with renewable energy resources to produce better results.

My love for recycled stuff inspires me to put to use everything that is lying around unused. I just cannot think of throwing anything in the bin without putting it to a secondary use. Even it means to wear jewelry crafted out of plastic bottles, circuit boards, hairpins, phone-cards! And believe me that you won’t look like some on-foot rubbish bin. Take a look at this line of recycled jewelry of MANA designed by Brazilian eco designer Mana Bernardes. And with the launch of the TOUCH | NY exhibit, it’s now coming to New York so all the eco-chic gals with some soft corner for our planet can grab ’em and sport the eco look. I am itching to wear the Spatial Necklace that seems to be made out of Plastic Sequin or Nylon. It is ideal for a cool green summer style. And if you want something bolder and funky then how about the Clasp necklace made of recycled Black and Light Gold hair pins and a little rubber to adjust the size.

I used to think that the best part about being an artist was the satisfaction one derived from the entire artistic process. I guess I was wrong! Apparently a team of keen art-obsessed developers at the Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories have come up with an amazing tiny robot that is basically a motor-run tooth brush head stuck on a bunch of handy wheels. BrushBot is the latest addition to the stunning BristleBot series created by designer Christian Cerrito. Aimed basically at helping people “get over their inhibitions about art-making”, the BrushBot features two toothbrush heads, instead of one, to help you with your art projects. As much as I’m loving this innovation, if I’m going to delegate my love for art, I think I’d still prefer my dog to run around with a toothbrush in her mouth than have a bot do it! Watch the BrushBot in action after the jump.

If you think steam washing machines gobble up more electricity than conventional washing machines, you couldn’t be further off target. LG has come out with its ultra energy efficient Eco-Steam washing machines that will help you save a whopping 35 percent of water and will also consume 21 percent less electricity when compared with conventional washing machines. That’s pretty neat. You can even plonk in more clothes into this new range of Eco-Steam washing machines as they can take in a whole nine kilos of your dirty linen. This machine features the frontal weight display that we saw in the older machines. This system basically helps you plonk in the exact amount of clothes to maximize the washing machine’s water saving capacity. These neat looking washing machines will put your clothes through a gentler washing process as they have specially embossed dimples in the washing drum which will reduce wear and tear on your clothes. All this techno-trickery makes LG’s Eco-Steam washing machines smart, green machines that will help you save a few bucks too. But before all that, you need to fork out anywhere between $599 to $799 to buy one of these.

Via: Smartplanet

When the weather gets warm, all of us find time out for alfresco eating jaunts, the most common being a get-together at a BBQ grill in some park by the river. And what if you can carry the whole set up, that is your BBQ grill along with all your buddies, on the river? Enjoy the smell of smoking charcoal briquettes in the hot summer sun on the smooth sailing water by getting hold of the BBQ-Donut. Shaped round like a doughnut and with a barbecue in the middle, it stands true to its name. Part lounge, part restaurant table, part BBQ, and part water activity platform, the BBQ-Donut is set up for a party on the water. And it’s the integrated electric motor (Torqueedo Travel 400) that allows it to find a place here on Ecofriend.

After sun, its time to capture the wind power too by this windy city! Glasgow seems to on a green spree, first with Floating Solar Lily pads and now with the Wind Turbine at the Glasgow Science Centre. SHETLAND Wind Power Ltd (SWP) has just completed the installation of a 6kw Proven Energy Wind Turbine which was commissioned to offset the electricity needs of the centre. The turbine has the ability to generate enough power to rotate Glasgow Tower, at 127m, the tallest free-standing building in Scotland. The motive behind this green installation is to help to educate the greater population to the potential for RE systems in urban as well as rural environments.

There is no end to employing the majestic star’s energy. You just need to have an inclination to do so…….and anything and everything can charged up with this free energy. And thanks to folks like Tim, we do get ideas to incorporate some of their expertise in to our lives too. You’ve got to start by setting up a DC powered welder attached to a golf cart. Once done, you can convert it in to a DIY solar powered welder. However the panels used here charge the cart at about 3 amps and welding or driving draws up to 150 amps, but only in short bursts. This fellow got a great deal on some badly weathered solar panels from the coast guard.

These days the act of charging gadgets is turning green especially with an array of alternative options on the platform. In no doubt, Hydrogen is touted to be the safest, easy-to-use and one of the most accessible fuels. Combined with fuel cells, hydrogen can be a sustainable power source by reducing solid waste that results from the disposal of alkaline batteries. And now you too can gain an access to its benefits by charging your gizmos like cell phones, PDAs and digi cams with the G2 Portable Fuel Cell Power Source. Bought to you by Angstrom, this ultra portable power source is a must to keep your gadgets well fed. This 2.0 Watt fuel cell system is powered by an array of eight Angstrom V60 Fuel Cell Modules. All you need to do is simply plug in via its USB port.