Emily Cummins is an inventor with a focus on helping the environment. This wouldn't be so unique if it wasn't for the fact that she is only 21, and has been inventing since the age of four when her grandad gave her a hammer.
Starting by taking things apart and rebuilding them with her grandad - who she describes as an 'inspiration' - in his shed, Emily progressed and won a barrage of awards and competitions at school for inventions such as a toothpaste dispenser that minimises waste, which she came up with at just 15 years old. She went on to become Cosmopolitan's Ultimate Save-The-Planet Pioneer in 2008.
Currently in her 3rd year of university at Leeds, she studies part time so she can work on her inventions, and dedicate time to inspiring young people.
Emily's best known invention is the sustainable fridge, (pictured with her) which she also produced at school, and is set to change lives in the third world, as it is used to hold medicines. Emily is currently working on a second generation version that is intended for commercial use.
Emily believes that all new inventions should be green. She says "This concept - to maintain the quality while neutralising the damage to the environment - must be extended to all the other appliances we can't seem to function without such as TVs, cookers, dishwashers, computers, even cars."
"Just like Trevor Baylis's wind-up radio, the key is to creating quality green alternatives to the items which people have come to rely on."
If you think you have a great idea for a green invention, she suggests you check out N powers 'Bright Ideas competition' on their website, where you can also check out some great tips for getting more energy efficient.
Paul Ridden writes: Following a successful trial at its depot in Northampton, a Sainsbury's store car park in Gloucester is getting ready to start producing enough energy to power the store's tills. The power will be generated by the action of cars rolling over kinetic plates, which have been positioned underneath road surfaces. The impressive 30kW per hour of energy produced by the plates should be more than enough to keep the tills running.
As a car rolls over the road surface, the plates produce a sort of pumping action (similar to that used by Formula 1 racing cars to turn braking energy into speed) which then drives a generator. The store in Gloucester also benefits from rainwater recycling to flush the lavs, solar panels and the cold air from the fridges is used to keep customers cool while they pay for their goods at the checkouts.
With Tesco about to install electric car charging ports at its stores in Kensington and Vauxhall, it looks like being eco-friendly will feature heavily in future trips to the supermarket!
After a few uncomfortable weeks of watching TV in a hat and scarf, I recently tracked down the epic draught in my living room to the fireplace. When it's not playing host to a roaring log fire, the hearth becomes a vast, gaping chasm that lets in huge amounts of cold air.
It's crazy that we let this happen when we spend so much time making sure windows and doors are sealed up, so I was pleased to find an answer to my Siberian sitting room in the form of one of these balloon thingies.
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With London still reeling from its encounter with that cold, white stuff yesterday and much of the UK braced for frozen conditions, keeping warm has suddenly become big on our list of priorities again.
Follow the jump for some steps you can take that should lead to a drastic reduction in your usage of electricity, gas and other fuels while you keep toasty warm. Adopting just one or two of them will make a difference...
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If you're hoping to save energy in the home this year, don't forget that fridges make heat and heat takes energy. There are some useful tips here on how to get the best from your fridge without letting it suck up too much juice from the grid, but Treehugger drew my attention today to a simple way of preventing cold air escaping from the fridge while it's open.
It's a special curtain you can make for your fridge by doctoring the sort more commonly used in showers. I imagine it would be great for keeping out curious pets, too!
Related: How to make your fridge a greener place | Friday fun: turn the bloody fridge off
Black & Decker have just brought out a tool called the 'leak detector' which helps you spot the points where draughts are entering your home. This could save you 20% of your energy costs, they say. Now, I'm pretty sure that my own body is capable of doing this job all too well on its own, but am willing to believe that the less thin-skinned may need the help of a gadget to find those trouble spots. Then, all you need do is buy a stack of tools to plug those gaps (or just rely on the time-honoured method of a tights sausage.
[Via DVICE]
With the first October snowfall in 70 years and the temperatures dropping rapidly, it's around this time of year that saving energy at home becomes the biggest challenge. Big Green Smile offer all kinds of gadgets and gizmos to help you heat your home as efficiently as possible, and in the name of driving down carbon emissions in homes everywhere, we've joined up with them to you the chance to win a bumper energy saving pack in time for winter.
Follow the jump for details on how to enter
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