In Oregon: A Gym Powered By Exercise

January 4, 2009

Remember going to the local science museum’s elecricity exhibit? You get on a bike hooked up to a generator and pedal away until soon that generator feeds a light bulb, that flickers and burns bright.

The Green Microgym in Portland is using the same concept to ability the TVs and stereos at the gym. Solar capability feeds the lights. Bikes are linked together using a technology called the Human Dynamo.

The Human Dynamo is a bike connected to a battery that stores the energy society cre…

Heineken’s Dream Becomes a Reality in Thailand: A Beer Bottle Building

December 11, 2008

In the early 1960’s, during a vacation in the Caribbean, one of Heineken’s brewers noticed two major problems: the beaches were covered with discarded beer bottles and the citizens didn’t have reasonably-priced building materials. Seeking to kill two birds with one stone, Heineken created the “world bottle” (WOBO), plus known as “the brick that holds beer.” Basically a rectangular-shaped beer bottle, world bottles were designed to fit comfortably end-to-end, making it possible to construct w…

Video: Solarcentury’s Integrated Solar Roofing Tiles

November 28, 2008

When it comes to bolting on a costly solar array up on your roof, you come across a laundry list of common concerns. For example, some society say they look ugly. Well, innovative solar companies like Solarcentury are listening, and they’re making great progress in overcoming a few of the aesthetic complaints. They’ve created a set of solar roof tiles that actually sit flush with your slate or tiled roof, helping your solar project blend in from ground level.

Being integrated into you a…

Democratic National Convention recycled by Coca-Cola

August 25, 2008

The 2008 Democratic National Convention is underway. There will be politics and media, protests and circuses. There will be trash, and lots of it.

In an effort to lessen the impact of that trash on the city of Denver the Coca-Cola company will be recovering and recycling “all paper products, plastic bottles and aluminum cans recovered at all official Convention venues. Coca-Cola will plus supply biodegradable bags, liners, and recycling bins for material recovery. Additionally, Coca-Cola …

Wooden keycards for all the Democrats

August 20, 2008

Hotels have lengthy been a culprit in consumption. It turns out that the great lengths they were going to for their guests was actually quite wasteful. GASP. I know.

If they weren’t wasting energy via freezing rooms or water due to countless loads of laundry they were filling landfills with plastic keycards. Wait. What? How big of a footprint could those thin plastic keycards be leaving? How about 1,300 tons (TONS!) per year? That may not bigfootesque in the relative picture but it is sti…

A revolution in renewable energy: Daniel Nocera’s magic bullet

August 1, 2008

If you ask experts about the reason that solar capability is unrealistic, you will generally construct out the same basic reply: solar capability cannot be easily stored. considering large-scale solar is only cost-effective in a few areas, the inability to efficiently store and transport renders it difficult to use. Added to that, of course, is the fact that solar ability only works when the sun is out, which means that, unless you have effective storage or an address in Arizona, it isn’t all th…

Make the climate count

June 30, 2008

In a world of greenwashing and false eco-promises, it’s difficult to separate the eco-winners from the eco-losers.

Thankfully, ClimateCounts will help you find and support companies that have the Earth’s interest in mind. Launched by Stonyfield Farm and Clean Air-Cool Planet, the site encourages consumers to be aware of their purchases and patronize companies with eco-friendly goals.

Companies are labeled as “stuck,” “starting,” or “striding,” and are assigned a score out of 100 depend…

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