Energy saving
Green was the new gold at last night's Oscars. Though we might have seen Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem bathed in some very bright spotlights, behind the scenes efforts were made to create the greenest Oscar night yet.
Academy President Sid Ganis announced the green technology ahead of the ceremony in the wake of rumours that hybrid and zero-emission vehicles would be used to ferry the production staff and glitterati to the show. This indeed turned out to be true, thanks to General Motors, and all generators used on site were powered by a mix that included bio-diesel fuels. On top of that one hundred percent of the energy used for the Oscars telecast and Governors Ball was supplied by wind power. Finally, a substantial majority of food service ware was reusable or biodegradable, with programs, invitations and other paper materials including a minimum 30% post-consumer recycled content.
[via Shiny Shiny]
Fairtrade
This fab fairtrade, hand-knitted 'yard snake' is new at Branch and stole my heart with his stripey bod and droopy grin. And adopting him means you're helping to create income and ultimately a better life for these artisans and their families.
Made by women who belong to a collective of knitters in rural Kenya, the snake is made of natural wool yarn, treated with non-toxic vegetable-based dyes. His practical function (other than scaring off burglars, looking cool and serving as a great plaything for visiting toddlers) is keeping draughts away from your windows and doors, thus saving C02 in these cold times. $36.00 at Branch
Green gadgets
If you succumbed to Shiny Gadget Syndrome but still want to do your bit for the environment, you need some clever technology to help you. That's where Current State comes in. It's an iPhone application that lets you monitor and control your power usage straight from the elegant handset.
You can turn plugs on and off, activate timers and keep track of everything remotely, simply by using plug-ends that bridge power sockets and sync to your phone. There's even a feature to show you "hotspots" of energy wastage so you can always tell how green your life is.
Just one hitch; it's a concept. Someone make it, please!
[via Shiny Shiny]
Green News
Ecobutton, the latest energy saving gadget for PCs works not by preventing your computer going into standby altogether, but instead, allows you to put it into a low-energy mode that will quickly revert to full working function.
By putting your computer into a special 'ecomode', Ecobutton saves more energy than normal sleep mode, drawing only the same nominal power as when the computer and the monitor are completely shut down. It helps you save energy while taking a phone call or a break, while doing paperwork, lunch or meetings. At the touch of any button, the computer instantly returns to where you left off and displays a splash screen showing both money and carbon (CO2) savings.
[Via Ecofriend]
Energy saving
It's a whopping £349, but isn't it beautiful? Best of all, for this award-winning lamp, which features in London's Design Museum and New York's MOMA collection, Herman Miller insisted on sticking to basic eco-conscious priniciples such as using energy-saving LEDs. The final product is also 95% recyclable and made of 24% post-consumer plus 13% pre-consumer recycled materials.
A proprietary heat distribution system means that the Leaf light is always cool to the touch, and it swivels up to 180 degrees so that it can be used as a soft ambient glow or focussed spotlight. Touch controls are mounted at the base and the intensity of the colour can be adjusted from a cool wash to a warm glow; it'll remember the last setting you used when you turn it off, too. There are five colours available: black, white, red, nickel and polished aluminium.
[via Shiny Shiny]
Energy saving
The Steaming Hot Water Tap ought to be appealing to eco-conscious caffeine addicts as it combines the sort of quick-boiling technology we saw in the Tefal Quick Cup with a normal tap. Turn on, and it delivers 98 degree hot water. Not only will that mean super-quick hot drinks, you can speed up the boiling process for boiling pasta, rice and veg as well as use less energy all round.
There is a hot / cold filtered version available too. The only sticking point is the price, at £444 for hot only and £498 for hot / cold, but if you're already putting together a budget for a new kitchen it's worth considering for the convenience and eco-friendly value; budget sites like Taps4Less also offer discounts. But don't explain why all budget retailers have a 4 in the name. Or a 2. Huh.
[via Shiny Shiny]
Energy saving
If you're looking for a last minute treat to give your home a bit more festive cheer before the big day, a set of eco-friendly LED lights will work a treat to brighten up those dark corners.
It's too late to order online now, but Ikea is selling some really funky colourful star-shaped eco-lights. Each tiny light uses just 0.6 watts -- that's far less than a CFL energy-saving bulb.
Outdoor light displays are the real culprits when it comes to C02 usage, but the Guardian's guilde to a low-carbon Christmas still points out that conventional Christmas tree lights left on for 10 hours a day over the 12 days of Christmas produces "enough CO2 to inflate 12 balloons".
Need convincing? Click here for a video of us testing out Oliver Heath's fantastic colour-changing LED fairy lights to see how they compare to the traditional sort.
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